The "Off Grid" lifestyle

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Evere hunting camp here that doesn't have electricity has a generator. The good ones burn about a pt. a an hour. They are big enough to run all the lights, well, tv and most importantly a good AC.
Most even have satellite tv so they get all the football games.
Some have propane refrigerators so they can keep stuff cold when no one is there. Makes going eaiser to not have to take all your stuff that's stays in them each trip.
They don't even shut off at night. Run 24/7 while people are at camp.
 
wbvs58":1fa2sdwu said:
I live completely off grid now and have done so for 9 years now. If you were to visit I doubt that you would notice any difference to a house that is on the grid.

Ken

Can I subscribe to your newsletter?
 
Been 'off the grid' after hurricanes and strong windstorms. It ain't fun to live the camping life for all your activities.
 
melking":13mqvq19 said:
wbvs58":13mqvq19 said:
I live completely off grid now and have done so for 9 years now. If you were to visit I doubt that you would notice any difference to a house that is on the grid.

Ken

Curious Ken. Are you solar powered with batteries or are you generator powered?

Mel, I have two banks of batteries actually. I got a neighbours old bank that was replaced by insurance after a lightening strike hit his wind turbine. There was nothing wrong with his batteries other than a bit of age but no one really knows what is going on with these systems when something goes wrong. I have a pretty good understanding of it all now and knew the batteries would be OK. I alternate between each bank daily so have good reserve and rarely have to use the generator. Solar panels and charge controllers are very cheap on ebay and each bank has a good set of panels.

My hot water is a solar system with a pretty big storage tank but does have a booster element which I can run off the generator but only ever have to do that if a few overcast days in the middle of winter. I picked up the complete HWS at an auction for $50 had never been installed previously, came with all the fittings and relief valves, works great, one of my luxuries to stand under a steamy hot shower for as long as I like after a days work.

Ken
 
wbvs58":262djbqf said:
melking":262djbqf said:
wbvs58":262djbqf said:
I live completely off grid now and have done so for 9 years now. If you were to visit I doubt that you would notice any difference to a house that is on the grid.

Ken

Curious Ken. Are you solar powered with batteries or are you generator powered?

Mel, I have two banks of batteries actually. I got a neighbours old bank that was replaced by insurance after a lightening strike hit his wind turbine. There was nothing wrong with his batteries other than a bit of age but no one really knows what is going on with these systems when something goes wrong. I have a pretty good understanding of it all now and knew the batteries would be OK. I alternate between each bank daily so have good reserve and rarely have to use the generator. Solar panels and charge controllers are very cheap on ebay and each bank has a good set of panels.

My hot water is a solar system with a pretty big storage tank but does have a booster element which I can run off the generator but only ever have to do that if a few overcast days in the middle of winter. I picked up the complete HWS at an auction for $50 had never been installed previously, came with all the fittings and relief valves, works great, one of my luxuries to stand under a steamy hot shower for as long as I like after a days work.

Ken

So, not to be nosy but what do you run your welder on?
 
The biggest proponents of the off the grid deal pretty much started with "Mother Earth News" back in the early 70s, that led to the survivalist movement. I sure couldn;t live like that
 
When I was a kid, 3rd grade I went to live with my dad one summer in Dumas Tx.
It was a lineshack on a big ranch.
We didn't go to town but once in 3 months and that was to wash clothes.
We had an overhead tank the windmill pumped to. Gravity fed water to the house but no hot water.
We had electric but no Ac.
We had propane for the stove but the oven didn't work.
We had a working bathroom, bedroom and small kitchen.
Jingled horses at 5:00 and was at work at sunup. Doctored pinkeye all summer and gathered bulls for what seemed like weeks. No pens so it was rope and choke them, drag them in the trailer.
As a kid I thought this is some BS.
It was hard on horses and cattle both.
We'd ride pastures and find cows with bad cases of pinkeye. Rope her and flip the rope over her hip and trip her.
Even as a kid I thought there has to be a better way.
It get so hot we'd swap horses at noon.
We never at dinner I remenber and breakfast was what was left over from supper.
It was doctoring cows, moving cows, mending fence, fixing wind mills, cleaning out water troughs,feeding calves in the feedyard, prowling pens. One thing I remember about the feed yard was pulling heifer calves. I guess they'd come into heat but they ride them till they rubbed the hair off.
We'd pen them separate and they'd ride each other.

We'd get hone about 6 or 7 and cook supper.
No tv but we'd turn on the radio.
I didn't like cold showers and apparently my dad didn't either so we didn't shower much.
Wear the same clothes for a week.
We always took off Sunday at noon and cooked a big meal and laid around.
I got to play in the water trough and didn't have to shower, then change into clean clothes for the week.
Sundays were pretty boring for a kid.
I really don't remember being hot, dirty, tired, or hungry.
I couldn't do it now
People were tougher than they are now
 
Cross-7":115etwkq said:
When I was a kid, 3rd grade I went to live with my dad one summer in Dumas Tx.
It was a lineshack on a big ranch.
We didn't go to town but once in 3 months and that was to wash clothes.
We had an overhead tank the windmill pumped to. Gravity fed water to the house but no hot water.
We had electric but no Ac.
We had propane for the stove but the oven didn't work.
We had a working bathroom, bedroom and small kitchen.
Jingled horses at 5:00 and was at work at sunup. Doctored pinkeye all summer and gathered bulls for what seemed like weeks. No pens so it was rope and choke them, drag them in the trailer.
As a kid I thought this is some BS.
It was hard on horses and cattle both.
We'd ride pastures and find cows with bad cases of pinkeye. Rope her and flip the rope over her hip and trip her.
Even as a kid I thought there has to be a better way.
It get so hot we'd swap horses at noon.
We never at dinner I remenber and breakfast was what was left over from supper.
It was doctoring cows, moving cows, mending fence, fixing wind mills, cleaning out water troughs,feeding calves in the feedyard, prowling pens. One thing I remember about the feed yard was pulling heifer calves. I guess they'd come into heat but they ride them till they rubbed the hair off.
We'd pen them separate and they'd ride each other.

We'd get hone about 6 or 7 and cook supper.
No tv but we'd turn on the radio.
I didn't like cold showers and apparently my dad didn't either so we didn't shower much.
Wear the same clothes for a week.
We always took off Sunday at noon and cooked a big meal and laid around.
I got to play in the water trough and didn't have to shower, then change into clean clothes for the week.
Sundays were pretty boring for a kid.
I really don't remember being hot, dirty, tired, or hungry.
I couldn't do it now
People were tougher than they are now

Good story. Not many still alive have lived what you did. The ones that did are gone.
 
melking":3uqeac1b said:
wbvs58":3uqeac1b said:
melking":3uqeac1b said:
Curious Ken. Are you solar powered with batteries or are you generator powered?

Mel, I have two banks of batteries actually. I got a neighbours old bank that was replaced by insurance after a lightening strike hit his wind turbine. There was nothing wrong with his batteries other than a bit of age but no one really knows what is going on with these systems when something goes wrong. I have a pretty good understanding of it all now and knew the batteries would be OK. I alternate between each bank daily so have good reserve and rarely have to use the generator. Solar panels and charge controllers are very cheap on ebay and each bank has a good set of panels.

My hot water is a solar system with a pretty big storage tank but does have a booster element which I can run off the generator but only ever have to do that if a few overcast days in the middle of winter. I picked up the complete HWS at an auction for $50 had never been installed previously, came with all the fittings and relief valves, works great, one of my luxuries to stand under a steamy hot shower for as long as I like after a days work.

Ken

So, not to be nosy but what do you run your welder on?

Mel, out where I live I use an inverter type welder to repair things and just plug it into the 240 volt power from the inverter and batteries it handles it easy. I have another block closer to town that has a house that I built and sheds. It is on the grid. I have tennants in the house but keep the sheds for my own use and any big project I'll go around there.

Ken
 
gizmom":1kt5epyw said:
Does 13 days with no power after a hurricane count? That was as long as I ever want to go without power!

Gizmom
Did that in 2007, even with a good generator it's a pain in the butt
 

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