My house is full of batteries. Alkaline. Rechargeables. Lithium. AAA. AA. 9V. 24V. Maybe you’re in the same boat. Batteries are an essential part of being a GeekDad, namely because they keep our gadgets, our vehicles, and our remote controls operating smoothly. In my house, they also keep a variety of motor-driven trains moving and a couple of little boys happy.
I’m always on the lookout for ways to reduce my dependency on batteries, but I think you’ll agree with me that those opportunities are rare. That’s why I was more than happy to try out a couple of the Bedol water-powered clocks the company provided to me. I don’t wear a watch (drives me crazy), and there are two locations in my house that were devoid of clocks — my basement workshop and my oldest son’s room. Not anymore.
After filling both clocks with ordinary tap water (filtered and bottled water is not recommended), I set the time (and the clocks also come with alarms) and carefully placed the clocks in their respective rooms. Please note: it is a complicated and extremely task-oriented process, so be sure to set aside 30 to 40 seconds of your day.
The ions in the water are converted to energy, a process that takes place between the two halves of the hollow clock shell. The documentation states that each clock, when filled to the proper level, will run for about 6 months. And draining and replacing the water won’t require you to reset the clock as apparently it can continue to provide power for a short period of time. Cool!
Bedol offers a number of water-powered clocks in a variety of colors. I put the blue one in my son’s room and kept the lime green one for my workshop. My son is also starting to learn to tell time at school, so this will be a nice way for him to know when it’s time for bed or dinner or the latest episode of Phineas and Ferb.
The clocks are working great, and I like knowing that there are now two devices in my house that won’t require batteries. I’m starting to think how nice it would be to replace my television remote with a water-powered version, even if it only provided power for a week or so. Hmm … I’ll definitely pass that one on to Bedol.
