CHAPTER 254: CHAPTER 252: FATHER’S CONSIDERATION

Although Chen Xin had already renovated his greenhouse, upgrading it from ordinary soil planting to a system that supports both hydroponic and soil planting, and even added an integrated system for fish farming, this experience is more suitable for small-scale greenhouses. For large-scale greenhouses, at least for the village’s planting greenhouse, this experience can’t be applied directly.

This is easy to understand; Chen Xin’s greenhouse is small, making it relatively simple to renovate. Even with the addition of hydroponic planting and aquaculture, in terms of cost and investment, there isn’t a need for much additional; just adding a few things can realize his ideas.

This is what people mean when they say it’s easier to maneuver a small boat, but for a larger greenhouse, it’s not so easily achieved.

Not to mention, the village’s greenhouse is nine times the size of Chen Xin’s original greenhouse. If the hydroponic planting renovation is undertaken, the corresponding increase in investment and cost will be at least tenfold, if not more.

The increase in area is not merely an accumulation of unit costs; other costs must also be added.

For both Chen Xin and his second uncle, these are things that must be carefully considered, and decisions cannot be made impulsively.

Moreover, the question of how to renovate also requires consideration. With a greenhouse area nine times larger, it can’t be like Chen Xin’s where you simply set up a framework to mount the hydroponic planting troughs.

The circulation of water in the hydroponic troughs, the installation of supplementary lighting and electrical wiring, and the method of setting up the hydroponic planting troughs... there’s a lot to consider.

However, compared to many considerations regarding upgrading the planting greenhouse, which can’t be immediately undertaken, the change brought about by the heating equipment finally being turned on in the shelter, after Chen Xin resolved the power issue, was immediate.

The original shelter, though it had certain insulation effects, was always very cold. Even indoors, everyone had to wear thick cotton coats to fend off the cold. This is why the second aunt said to Chen Xin that people lived worse than chickens, as the chickens had heaters to ensure they laid eggs normally, while the people could only keep warm by shivering.

Fortunately, with the heater on, the temperature in the shelter rose significantly. At least everyone’s faces, originally somewhat pale due to the cold, regained a healthy flush, so they no longer looked like they had white powder on them.

Though low temperatures don’t directly cause frostbite as extreme cold does, staying in a low-temperature environment for an extended period causes significant damage to the human body, which is not merely reflected in a pale complexion.

In terms of health damage, prolonged exposure to low temperatures can be more harmful to the body than frostbite.

Both can be deadly when severe, but one kills quickly, the other slowly.

In fact, for most survivors in shelters nowadays, hypothermia caused by low temperatures is an issue they have to face. Food shortages, heating deficiencies, various influencing factors, and hypothermia’s subtle damage compared to frostbite, mean that far more people suffer from hypothermia than frostbite.

Therefore, Chen Xin’s ability to operate the heating equipment in the shelter had a far greater impact than other improvements.

To ensure there were no other issues, Chen Xin and his father visited the room where the heater was installed, inspecting the heating equipment. Of course, Chen Xin was also looking to see what upgrades could be made to the heating equipment.

"Cooling capacity of 140KW? This central air conditioning power doesn’t seem to be much," Chen Xin looked at the nameplate on the equipment and was not satisfied with the output power.

"It’s enough. Most hotels or offices use this type of central air conditioning, maybe just adding more units in parallel," Chen Xin’s dad wasn’t too concerned and even joked with Chen Xin, "You think central air conditioners are like the water cooling towers in factories, with thousands of tons of flow? Small equipment doesn’t have such large heat dissipation."

Chen Xin thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. After all, the related equipment he encountered in his previous work were large factory devices. Those wind cooling towers using circulating water as a cooling medium, even small towers with only a hundred tons of flow had heat dissipation capabilities reaching thousands of kilowatts, really not comparable to this small central air conditioner.

"Should we renovate this equipment to enhance its output power?" Chen Xin asked his father, as he felt that while the cooling capacity wasn’t small, it wasn’t satisfactory either.

The shelter’s temperature was indeed higher than before, but it had only risen from 0℃ to a few degrees, which was not satisfactory. Chen Xin thought the output power could be increased.

Regarding this question, Chen Xin’s father hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How are you going to renovate it? How much investment is required, how much can the output power increase afterwards, and how much will electricity consumption increase?"

As someone who had managed large state-owned chemical plant equipment, Chen Xin’s father had long developed the habit that when hearing about renovations, he directly asked critical questions, almost wanting Chen Xin to write a feasibility report.

Chen Xin was not surprised by his father’s professional habits. After thinking, he replied, "Improve the equipment’s operational efficiency, increase the output power, to achieve a cooling capacity of 200KW. The increased power consumption needs calculation, but should not exceed 30%."

These weren’t figures Chen Xin just made up; they were conclusions derived from observing the upgrade interface of the system for this central air conditioner’s external unit.

Upon hearing Chen Xin’s explanation, his father didn’t immediately agree but continued to ask, "Increasing output power is one method, but what about the efficiency of converting output power into cooling capacity? Compared with the original operational efficiency, is it improved or reduced?

You’ve just connected a 150KW battery; after the upgrade, can it still meet the equipment’s needs, and can the entire circuit bear such a load? You have to consider all these and not just think about improving the equipment’s efficiency."

Chen Xin’s father, with extensive experience in equipment renovation, knew that modifying a device wasn’t just about boosting its output power.

In his lengthy career, he had encountered many cases where the data seemed promising, but the actual renovation failed to meet expectations. Thus, he couldn’t help but ask more questions about Chen Xin’s plan to modify the shelter’s heating equipment.

Understanding his father’s concerns, Chen Xin knew he could address potential issues using the system, but it was better to foresee and solve problems before they arise.

After listening to his father’s inquiries, Chen Xin reorganized his thoughts and displayed a new upgrade plan through the system upgrade interface, explaining his renovation plans to his father in detail again.

After Chen Xin’s explanation, his father considered it and said, "Your modification seems feasible, but I still suggest you adjust the circuit first to ensure it can handle the load before modifying the equipment to avoid problems."

"I understand, there’s no rush. The renovation also needs materials, and I need to consult with the second uncle. He must agree before starting." Chen Xin didn’t intend to act hastily.

Seeing Chen Xin had thought it through, his father didn’t say more, just nodded at him, "As long as you’ve made up your mind."

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There are certainly more areas in the village shelter that could benefit from renovation beyond the circuits, heating, and greenhouse. But after careful consideration and discussing with his father and second uncle, Chen Xin decided to focus renovations on these three areas.

Other areas in the shelter could be upgraded, but compared to these three, upgrades elsewhere weren’t as urgent and didn’t have a as significant impact on improving living standards.

Although any improvement in living quality could yield survival points for Chen Xin, his second uncle believed that unnecessary renovations or upgrades weren’t needed.

The second uncle supported the renovations of the circuits, heating, and greenhouse. However, for modifications elsewhere, which didn’t contribute much to living quality improvement, he deemed them somewhat wasteful and extravagant.

After all, Chen Xin wasn’t simply splurging survival points for upgrading; all renovations required second uncle to exchange greenhouse-produced vegetables in town for necessary materials. He had to consider the renovation costs.

Chen Xin understood this, so he had no objections to second uncle focusing renovations on just the three areas.

Moreover, Chen Xin’s primary intent was to improve his relatives’ quality of life. Obtaining survival points in return for improving his relatives’ lives was merely an anticipated bonus for him.

Thus, respecting his relatives’ decision to focus on improving circuits, heating, and greenhouse, Chen Xin refrained from intervening further.

After finalizing the decision to only renovate circuits, heating, and greenhouse, Chen Xin prepared a list of necessary materials and handed it to his second uncle, who agreed to gather everything needed from the town as soon as possible.