Quality of Life.

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graham158
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 2:24 am

Quality of Life.

Post by graham158 » Thu Mar 05, 2015 5:00 pm

I want to talk about quality of life. what do I mean by this well let me explain I live in my parents house and I have a flushing toilet and a electric shower I see these as a good quality of life but with Troy talking about gravity shower and having a composting toilet it got me thinking if I would like that situation? I have been looking into truck camper with all amenities i.e. shower flushing toilet double bed full kitchen an I like the idea of them. I don't think a gravity fed shower will be good enough when putting a pump in is so easy and convenient.

What do you think?

techman
Site Admin
Posts: 1329
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:49 am

Re: Quality of Life.

Post by techman » Wed Mar 18, 2015 12:08 pm

For me the quality of life is dependent on the peace I have out here more than power or unlimited running water.

But running water is very nice to have for sure. I love it. I prefer it and hope to have it going in the tiny house soon.

I got used to limited electricity based on the weather patterns. It is a lifestyle adjustment but it is good in the end. I do not lose power when the trees fall or a storm takes out the power grid, which happens out here a lot every year. Most homes out here lose power multiple times each winter and sometimes in summer.

The composting toilet is a water saving device and personal preference. Once I read the book "humanure" I hope to never go back to that disgusting and wasteful method of flushing toilets. But again, that is personal preference.

I hope to have a better water supply this year though with improved rain water collection and more storage tanks.

My passive heated greenhouse will contain the water storage tanks and keep the water from freezing all winter.

I think next year will be a lot better for me.

If you are considering the life the best thing is to try it out a few times to get the feel for it before you commit to it.

salan3
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:17 am
Location: Cheshire UK

Re: Quality of Life.

Post by salan3 » Wed Mar 18, 2015 3:37 pm

Interesting question and answer.
We live in the usual (UK) style of house (bungalow aka no stairs). We have running water and electricity, shower etc. I am disabled and so 'roughing it' is not as easy now, BUT when we go camping, we prefer to go 'without' No mains hookup (this has had to be compromised now due to medical equipment needed. but even that is able to be 'got around' for a few days with lithium ion batteries), no fridge etc. what we find is we appreciate far more when we get home. We enjoy going to a simpler life. That doesn't mean to say we live with no comforts(although I love (or rather loved) sleeping in a bivi outside). I have found that the hardest part is to decide that you don't 'really need all that stuff'.
In the UK some of these things (composting toilets for example) have a ridiculous cost.
For me now battery technology dictates how much 'freedom' I have (my mobility scooter/ communications/ etc). I have had a fair supply of rechargeable batteries (ni-mh/pb-acid/li ion). A lot have (IMHO) a very short life span. some batteries (AA) have lost capacity in just 1 year and they have not even been used!
2100mah now only have 800mah. Before someone says ' you have not kept them right' I have experimented with various ways of storing them (not charged/charged/ small trickle charge etc). I used to work in the analytical industry and some of my customers were battery manufacturers (EXIDE) and battery research companies). Everyone said the same thing. We need a lot more research into energy storage. They were looking at liquid sodium and many other styles. cost is of course a big factor (Lithium batteries for my scooter are 8 times the price of lead acid equivs).
Alan

graham158
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Feb 24, 2015 2:24 am

Re: Quality of Life.

Post by graham158 » Mon Oct 19, 2015 12:41 pm

Salan 3 (Alan)

Sleeping in a bivi is a great experience it shows you what you really need instead of what you want. I have found battery's don't last long as well and im not talking cheep ones I'm talking top brand battery's and they don't last. I hate relying on technology like battery's and computers but they are so integrated into every day life now a days. All preppers or homesteaders carry back ups like candles and wood stoves because they work no matter what but some times you cant avoid the power grid.

Graham

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