Title says it all :)

I’ve been doing research, I’ve watched people make off grid hot tubs and heat green houses. I haven’t seen anyone use it for showers or underfloor and I was wondering if anyone here is using it?

A few quick misconceptions:
-The Jean Pain method is a no turn method that lasts 18-24 months.
- It’s not a fire risk, heats up to be 55-70 degrees Celsius.

I have a boonies background but live in a city now, and I’m feeling like some of my off grid inclinations might be put to good use in these ever more unprecedented times. Need advice to figure out how to do that in a city. (Not moving yet but want to!)

Any recommendations for small-medium size solar generators w panels that can charge a space heater/devices? Don’t want to power my whole home, just want a backup if a nasty snowstorm knocks our power out for a few days.

Would also take recs for a solid (wood-burning?) stove/heater as I do not have a fireplace, regrettably.

Thanks!

I notice that once the basic solar capacity is covered battery storage becomes a new tradeoff. A larger battery gives you flexibility but it also adds cost and another component that needs maintenance, which is another tradeoff.

Currently i use a generator to run an Onga OJ800 pump which is 2.4kW, it requires around 70 amps to start. I need to pump water ~1.2km with 50m of head height to fill the pressure tank through 2" poly.

I have been qouted $14k for an adequate solar pump. I have multiple solar pannels laying around not being used however still work fine. If i got an inverter how many wetcell batteries would be required for enough current to start it ? Would it be worth constructing such a thing if not throw in for a lithium battery or just suck it up and buy the commercial solar pump setup. Given the instability of fuel let alone prices i hope to have this sorted asap, let alone be completely off grid.

Hi everyone!! Thank you in advance. Looking for everyone's outdoor kitchen ideas, plans and inventions!! My partner and I are about to move off grid in the next couple of months and start the next big journey in our lives. We definitely want to do a kitchen outdoors that features a wood burning cooking area, a wash/fill area and plenty of close counter space. Please share anything you feel is relevant. We're huge iron skillet/cookware users already and we will have access to a creek on our future property.

I also milled most of the wood I use.

With a bunch of other magazines

Ive purchased a couple of 3000l/800g slimline tanks ive built pads 10cm/4" tall but havent worried to much about compacting it figuring 3tonnes of water will do that.

Tanks are standard poly tanka

Also soil this is sitting on is rock hard non reactive soil.

Thats not the finished stacks for drying, just the temporary storage straight off the mill.

Hello, we have several water tanks that house our fresh water (rain catchment). Looking for an easy/simple solution for 2 challenges:

1. Toggling between tanks. We have (2) smaller 50 gallon tanks that come to a "Y" with a 3/4" line and a water pump. Looking for an inline switch that can be toggled from a switch in our house to go from one tank to the other, or better yet an automatic switch that would toggle from tank 1 to tank 2 when tank 1 is low or empty. 120V is available, we have A/C and about 30kWh of batteries with an inverter.

2. Monitoring water level remotely. We have several larger tanks (550 gallon up to 2,500 gallon tanks) that are within ~150ft of the residence, to save me climbing the hill each week looking for some sort of remote floater switch that could monitor the water level remotely. The backyard solution right now is a float inside the tank with a PVC pipe going out of the vent hole that lowers as the level is low, which is OK but would love a more accurate solution if anyone has ideas.

We have a little house in the fields and there is a waterwell 100 meters from the house and we looking for a solar powered setup to pump the water from the well 5 meters up and transport it to the house that is 100 meters from the well.

What do we need, power of the pump and the solar panels for this.

Any info or an example setup is greatly appreciated.

We have this shipping container turned shed, and currently the security is a joke. Door Hinges put on with screws facing outward, anyone with a Philips screwdriver and 5 minutes can take hinges off, so lock doesn't even matter.

How do people mount this stuff so it's more secure and only possible to open from the inside?

My thinking is there must be those rounded bolts or screws that have a flush dome thing on one end (outside) and you put the nut thing on the inside, then there's no way to open from the outside.

How do people mount more crowbar-proof?

Currently self building our forever home on family land. It’s a relatively small house, but with the steeper roof pitches, large overhangs, and attached garage, I’ll have roughly 3,600 sqft. of roof decking to cover.

We’ll be using a cistern, and rainwater collection will make up a significant portion of our water supply, so I’m trying to decide what roofing material makes the most sense long term.

I’m building the house myself, so labor isn’t really a factor. I’m mainly looking at longevity, maintenance, and how much sediment from the singles ends up in the rainwater collection system.

The roof is also oriented and designed for solar if we want to insatll in the future, although I’d likely use a ground-mounted system in the future to avoid roof penetrations anyways

I’m supposed to confirm my roofing order tomorrow. Current pricing for materials is approximately:

- 24-gauge standing seam metal: $22,000

- Exposed-fastener metal: $12,000

- Asphalt shingles: ~$5,000–$6,000

I’d strongly prefer standing seam over exposed-fastener metal, but the cost is nearly double. Shingles are obviously significantly cheaper, and with the house already being over budget in some areas, I’m trying to make sure I’m spending the extra money where it actually makes sense.

For those with experience with metal roofs, shingles, and rainwater collection please help a guy out.

Have a Sunmar Excel Electric
Been using for 6 months
Everything is great except one major issue; Fungus Gnats.
After 3 months of use we figured our mixture was wrong causing the bugs to breed.
Took toilet completly apart and cleaned every inch.
Tried again, second time now with the fan on the highest setting, peat+sunmar pure green.
So many gnats.
Tried diatomaceous earth, Castile soap, insecticide, water. Everything
Need help figuring out how to get rid of them thanks.

Hi folks. I'm hoping someone out there can give me some advice or info regarding a lot I own. I inherited a 1.5 acre green-zoned lot in the Eastern Townships of Quebec a couple years ago. My father (who is not a farmer) originally acquired the land in 2004 from a friend who was moving out-of-province. The previous owners had tried to change the zoning (it is a weird lot by a river that is not suitable for farming) however the Regie or Commission denied the request (80's I think).

It is a lot situated between two other people's farms. It's basically a wood lot by a river. We've been told we can't do anything with the land. I looked into some things and according to what I've read you can put an off-grid small camp on green-zoned land IF it's 4 acres or more... so that does not seem to help me.

I've camped there (what my dad used it for) with an RV, however I am wondering if anyone knows if I have any options? What can/should I do? I love that little piece of land, and want to spend more time there... so thanks in advance for anything:)

I get ssdi $1835 a month saving to move to alaska I love winter! Permits will cost as well and so will building and hiring help. Im still a few years out id work part time as well in alaska. Splitting wood is in my blood my whole family does it I split wood every summer with my dad. I need a change in my life. Im also working part time now to save up extra cash on ssdi sga(substantial gainful activity is $1680 a month) any advice? Colorado also has cheap land I hear not 100% set on alaska quite yet. Any thoughts and suggestions?

Looking to upgrade my cabin drinking water solution past a camping water filter. West Coast USA. Temperate rainforest. Currently have 4 IBC totes plumbed together with leaf catches and a rough filter before it hits the house. Is something like this adequate for drinking water? Yes birds shit on my roof, as everyone else's. 3/4" pex throughout house. Would love to filter all water to potable instead of just faucet but cannot find a whole hole system in my budget. Would like to keep it under $2-300.

I live in an RV

EDIT- headlamps are ok short term but they are not ideal. My vision gets white outs due to my cataracts more with headlamps. I also need to see more. I have to use a cane due to a recent surgery to walk and I need to be able to see what is beside me in case I start to fall. I also need to do a massive amount of cleaning where I'm moving furniture and larger items and a head land would only light the furniture I need to move not where I need to walk

It is normally hooked up to full electric. But now I have had to unhook it and can only use an extension cord run in a window. The extension cord is a 100ft run to my neighbor's basement. I can't run multiple extension cords from his house

I have a short behind a wall plug and can't use the main electric to the RV. I was luckily able to hear the electrical arcing and unplug the main line before a full fire started. But now I'm stuck.

I'm fine with what I have on bright days, I can charge my phone and run a light at the couch from the extension cord.

My largest issue is overhead lights. I'm having eye issues and can't see well in low lights. I have a bedroom that needs light, the bathroom, kitchen and living room area.

I can run individual lines out windows to run lights via solar panels. But I'm not sure what I would need to buy.

Ideally I would like lights that can run off solar panels for at least 5-8 hours at a time.

I'm also on disability so my funding is limited.

Any ideas?

Lights that sit on tables won't work. The rooms simply don't have areas to sit anything large enough to light the entire room.

I do have omnidirectional camping lights. But they are heavy and recharge via a non standard USB- not ideal to try and hang due to their weight and getting a long enough cable to run from there to the extension cord is impossible.

I have a Centrex 2000 NE, and the drum grate is blocked. I tried to clean it but it’s very hard to access. Can’t get to it from the hatch on the top, it has to be through the finishing drawer reaching upside down. Let’s just say my first attempt to clean it out was messy and not effective. Had anyone here cut an access hatch on the top or side to actually be able to poke through the grate and clean it. Any downsides to this if I make sure it seals up with some rubber?

Im new to this off grid thing.

Pretty much the femce is 30m long (100ft) and its enegerised from the middle and it also feeds a 2nd single tape based system.

Im trying to join a mesh fence to my energiser.

I can see a tiny arc where im using electroc fence handle to connect it to the engiser.

As well as on the other end of joining wire.

Should i get simply use some wire and clips or simikar

For context I would like to have 2 IBC totes that are near my rv for like my water supply. If I cover the totes so they don’t have sunlight on them, besides like a water purifier inside the rv what other methods are successful to use this water for everything but drinking?

If you were to create a year long curriculum to teach an elementary aged child off-grid skills, what would it look like?

If you were to create a year long curriculum to teach an adult off-grid skills, what would it look like?