ATYH
till kingdom come
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LIVING OFF GRID:
We have lived fully off grid for one year.
All power, water, and waste treatment is offgrid.
Alot of testing and experimentation preceded this.
These are the systems we are currently using:
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Power:
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Two 24v 200aH storage batteries. Self built, with 8 3.2v 200aH Lithium
Iron Phosphate cells in each battery unit. 100amp BMS. Charging is
accomplished through solar, and small generators on cloudy days. When
you are storing generated power in batteries, the generators you use
do not need to be large. I have a 900watt two stroke generator which
uses very little fuel, but produces enough power to charge up the
batteries. I have an additional 4000w contruction generator as a
backup. From experience, I prefer construction generators to the
fancier generators with push buttons, and sensors. The sensors ALWAYS
go out after a few months of use. Contruction generators are purely
mechanical, easier to maintain, and much easier to repair. One thing
you learn living off grid is always have backups. Another way of
saying it is, 3 is 2, 2 is one, and one is none. It sounds odd, but
once you live like this, you'll know what I mean.
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Water:
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330 gallon cistern, periodically pumped full from small stream using a
small 12v pump. The water is then gravity fed through the first filter
and into smaller holding tanks for use. Depending on its purpouse it
is used directly, or filtered once more before cooking and consumption.
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Waste:
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For poop, we use a simple aerobic composting system. Wood chips,
organic matter, and waste are stored in blue plastic barrels. With
wood chips, there is no odor, and the carbon/nitrogen ratio produces
thermogenic reactions assisting in decomposition. Once the barrel is
full, it is sealed for about six months, and periodically rolled to
aerate the contents. After 6 months, all that is left in barrel is
essentially soil. Urine (which is sterile) is incredibly high in
nitrogen. When diluted with water, it can be used to raise the
nitrogen content of soil. Or can be disposed through a shallow
drainfield or even in the woods without any problems.
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Internet:
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Our internet consists of hot spot sharing from our phones, and one
dedicated data only hotspot. For major updates to systems, or to
download movies, my wife an I take a drive to a coffee shop, get a
drink and have a download session while talking about random
things. We call them download dates. We are on the list for Starlink,
but until then, this serves our needs.
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Living structures:
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Currently we live in two converted RVs. By converted I mean the
interior has been changed to suit full time living. All the particle
board built in furniture was stripped out, the interiors painted, the
floors redone, and more durable furniture was used. Why 2 RV's? Before
I married, I had a small 1978 travel trailer that I had converted for
full time living. When I married my wife, we tried suburban house
life, but it didnt suit us. When we found a 30ft 5th wheel with a
slide out for $3500 (it had a busted water system), we jumped on it. I
fixed the water system, and here we are.
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Garden:
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This year we expanded the garden plot to 30x30 feet. The entire area
is covered with geocloth, which increases soil temp in the summer (in
the Pacific Northwestern U.S. this is a good thing), and removes the
neccesity of weeding. We do no tilling of any kind, growing plants in
undisturbed, covered soil. Various forms of composting, and chicken
poop provides soil nutrient replenishment. We grow for
production. Nothing fancy. Pure, bulk food production. Cabbage,
Potatoes, beans, peas, high yeild tomatos, root vegetables, squash,
and a wide variety of hearty greens. With the addition of chicken
eggs, and some stored dried foods like rice, lentils, and wheat flour,
the majority of our food needs can be met.
The updating of this page will be ongoing.
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send questions or comments to: comments@atyh DOT cc