Off Grid Living
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How To Get Off The Grid For $5000 - Off Grid Coffee
This is the next article in the series on how to get your home off the grid for $5,000 or less. During the next months I will lead you through a series of articles and videos which will show you how to get your own home off the grid on a budget. Today we are going to talk aA Spring Like Day At The Off Grid Homestead And Solar Power To Burn
It was a beautiful, sunny spring like day on the off grid homestead and the solar panels were pumping power. We literally had power to burn. When the sun is shining bright we have excess power in our off grid tiny house. With 1,600 watts of solar panels our battery bank chaHow To Get Off The Grid For $5000 - Off The Grid Defined
How To Get Off The Grid For $5,000 (or less) video series part one - Off The Grid defined. Every week we are going to cover a new topic in how to get your home off the grid for $5,000 or less. Last week we introduced the video series. Now today we have to first define withFully Off Grid On Earth Day 2012
Article from: April 22nd, 2012 I guess I did my part on Earth Day 2012 by staying out in the Off Grid Trailer. I have no connections to any utilities. Everything is fully off the grid. I must provide my own water, heat, electricity and wasteLiving In The Off Grid Camper
Article from: April 21st, 2012 I am staying in the Off Grid Camper full time now. I am still improving the trailer every day, making it comfortable for long term living. There are a lot of life changes to be made when moving off the grid, butStarted The Off Grid Project - Get off the grid cheap
Article from: March 29th, 2012 I just got The Off Grid project started tonight. The countdown is ticking. On May 1st, the Off Grid Project experiments will begin. In early Fall the project will be completed. The final goal of the project is tUpdates on the DIY radiator heating system for my off grid trailer
Article from: February 22nd, 2012 The new homemade radiator heater system for my off grid trailer is working quite well. It takes the temperature up to the 70s within half an hour now with the water pump and fans running and good fire burningUsing My Homemade Off Grid Camper Wood Boiler Heating System
Article from: February 11th, 2012 Well, the trial run of my off grid camper heating system was a success. Using an antique wood stove with built in boiler and some cheap fittings and parts, I have a fully functional wood powered boiler heatinBeautiful New Addition To The Off Grid Homestead
Article from: February 25th, 2015 The day after the latest batch of snow, the chickens needed to be dug out once again, and the solar panels required cleaning. Thankfully, the sun decided to put in a nice, long appearance, bringing the tempeThe Advantages Of Homesteading And What Keeps Us Going
I am often asked what are the advantages of homesteading compared to working a normal job and paying the normal bills each month. I answer these questions and more in this article and the attached video. Homesteaders are a different, free spirited and hardy lot of people. IOff Grid Solar Powered Aquaponics System
Full details and explanation of my fully off grid, solar powered aquaponics system in our greenhouse. This is a small system for demonstration purposes but it is fully operational now with no moving parts except for the water pump impeller. Off Grid Aquaponics EquipUpdates On Solar Freezer Fridge Conversion And Power Usage
We recently converted a freezer to run as a solar powered refrigerator for our off grid tiny house in order to reduce our energy usage. Here is an update after running a Kill-A-Wall meter on the new solar powered fridge for 24 hours. At first I did not believe my eyes whenConverting A Freezer Into Solar Powered Refrigerator
We just converted a chest freezer into a fridge for off grid solar power use in order to save on energy. This was a standard top open chest freezer which we recently bought at a garage sale. The conversion itself is quite simple and easy to do. All you need is a digital theConnecting Solar Charge Controller & Solar Panels To Our Tiny Home
I installled an MPPT solar charge controller in our tiny home and connected the solar panels that I had just mounted on a homemade adjustable rack the other day. First I removed the unused Renogy Tracer 40 amp MPPT solar charge controller from the off grid electronics shop.Homemade Adjustable Solar Panel Rack For Our Tiny House
I made an adjustable solar panel rack to hold four 200 watt solar panels which will power our off grid tiny house. This solar panel mount was made using treated lumber for long life. I used two 4x4 posts at 8 feet long, two 2x6x8 boards, and four 2x4x8 boards. Plus two 7 inA Working Fridge And New Batteries At The Off Grid Camper
Article from: May 2nd, 2013 I was gone most of the day today, only stopping in on a rare occasion to drop things and run back out again. It was a scorcher out today and the sun was shining down brightly. That is good for solar. I also startedAwesome Harbor Freight Deals And Painting The RV
Article from: June 30th, 2013 I heard about the driveway alarm you can get cheap and use for my chickens. Found one at HF and took a ride out to get one. I found some nice deals while I was there. I am stepping up the RV work tA tornado at the off grid camper and a new surprise
Article from: April 10th, 2013 Last night was a terrifying time at the off grid solar camper because a tornado passed right through. It was so close I could hear it coming right at me at 2am in the middle of the night. All I could do was sitA Sunny Day A Better Mood And Full Batteries
Article from: April 24th, 2013 Today was mostly sunny with just a few clouds overhead. The solar batteries were topped off by late morning. The weather finally took a turn for the better today as well with a heat wave of 70 degrees F. This alAnother Hot Day Working On A Generator Trying To Get AC
Article from: June 1st, 2013 Today was a hot one again. After months of cold and running my fireplace every night, it is a shock to the system to have such heat suddenly. So I am working on an old generator I got cheap a year ago and trying tAn Awesome Day At The Off Grid Solar Camper
Article from: April 25th, 2013 Today was a very good day at the off grid solar camper. I got a part time job, which will pay my rent and bills. The sun was shining brightly all day. A nice care package arrived. And there was a very awesome giA Huge Gift A Surprise And A Visitor At The Off Grid Camper
Article from: April 19th, 2013 It was a good day at The Off Grid Project. I received a very large, heavy package with an awesome surprise inside. Plus I got a nice care package, also a surprise. And today the off grid solar camper received thA day at the creek by my off grid solar camper
Article from: April 3rd, 2013 Today was creek day. That means washing clothes, getting water for the camper and cleaning up some dishes and an old cast iron pot. I used the truck today and loaded it up with everything I needed and drove downA cold, dark and rainy day at the off grid solar camper
Article from: April 12th, 2013 It never got light enough out to charge my solar batteries with more than a single amp all day today. That is with all the solar panels combined. It was also very cold today, hanging around 35 outside most of thA busy day at the off grid solar camper
Article from April 4th, 2013 Today was a very busy day at the scene of the off grid solar camper. I was boiling off maple tree sap to make maple syrup, installing camper skirting, searching around the property for building materials and instaUsing BCP Portable Washing Machine On Solar Power
We have the Best Choice Products portable washing machine and we can wash clothes using solar power. This washing machine only uses 120 watts to wash clothes and 240 watts for the spin cycle. This is a very light and convenient washing machine. It weighs just over 23 poundsAfter the blizzard in my off grid camper
Article from: March 8th, 2013 After getting about a foot of snow dumped on my head over night I had to dig out today and clear off the solar panels to get some power. Twice. It was still snowing so hard that after I cleaned them off, about 3 hours later the panels wereThe Off Grid Camper In A Winter Blizzard
Article Date: March 8th, 2013 I moved fully off the grid again last night into my camper in the woods. It was a long hard move getting my camper set up again. I stayed in a cottage during the time I was getting the camper ready. Of course, during my first night in the campeOff Grid Air Conditioning A Success
I have an off grid solar powered camper for about $2000 and I am running a 32 inch TV, laptop, LED lighting, outdoor lights, an air conditioner and lots more. You can do the same. You do not need to spend 15k on an off grid system. Here is the proof. The Off Grid Project has recently takeWinter snow storm at the off grid camper
I am moving back into the off grid camper full time again as of tonight. It has been a very long and exhausting move to the new property. It has taken me 5 months to complete the move due to winter weather making the path to the camper too sloppy to use a vehicle. So I carry boxes through the wooDIY Passive Heat Exchanger For Wood Stove
Make A Passive Fireplace Heat Exchanger Free Online Passive Heat Exchanger PlansHow To Make A Rocket Stove For Free Using Household Items
How To Make A Rocket Stove The Do It Yourself Rocket Stove Project. Step by step instructions how to make your own rocket stOur Homestead Is About 95 Percent Off The Grid Already
We recently moved from our fully off the grid homestead in NY to our fully on the grid property in Michigan. In just over two months we have already taken our homestead about 95% off the grid. One of the first things I did was to set up my electronics lab and off grid workStarting Organic Garden & Lumber For Homestead Chicken Coop
We are planning to have an organic garden this year but the soil needs a lot of work on our new homestead so I am hauling compost to mix into it. I got a nice lumber yard haul to build our new chicken coop. Many of you already know that we recently moved from our fully offFixed Hot Water Heater & Built Adjustable Solar Panel Rack
Since our recent move to Mighican we have been repairing some things in our new home and taking it off the grid. The first step in going off the grid is to get our solar panels up in the air on adjustable rack mounts. Our hot water heater did not work when we got the houseHow To Connect Power Inverters To Off Grid Solar Batteries
My wife and I are taking our new homestead off the grid on a budget. The next step in the plan is to hook up the power inverter so we have AC power in our off grid work shop. I show you how. Connecting a power inverter to your battery bank is very simple really. All you neeHow To Wire Up Solar Charge Controllers
I am taking my new work shop off the grid this week. The first step is to get my solar charge controllers, batteries and solar panels hooked up. Today I show you how to wire up your solar charge controller. Most solar charge controllers have three sets of connections. ThereHow To Connect Solar Battery Banks - Going Off The Grid
My wife and I have just moved to a new home and are taking it off the grid. We moved from an off grid tiny house in the woods to a not so tiny house which is currently on the grid. We hope to be energy independent again very soon. The first thing I did was to get a shed forGoing Off The Grid First Step Reduce Energy Consumption
My wife and I have just moved from New York to Michigan. In NY we had an off grid tiny house on wheels. Here in MI we are taking our on grid homestead off the grid on a budget step by step. Here is the first thing you have to do on the path to energy independence. If you haHomestead Blizzard Preparation - Off Grid Solar Power - Capacitor Battery Replacement
There is a blizzard on the way so we got our off grid homestead ready for the storm to come. On this day before the storm our off grid solar was at its peak this year. I am working on using super capacitors as a vehicle starting battery replacement. We had been shopping theSnow At The Homestead - Packing - Making Supercapacitor Banks
We got more snow at the off grid homestead the other day. We are packing our homestead up for a move to a new state and a fresh start but will continue homesteading and daily videos. I am making supercapacitor banks for starting vehicles. A few days ago I started emptying tPreparing To Move To A New Homestead & Sold Our Animals
Melanie and I are moving to Michigan to be closer to family now that a baby is on the way. We are selling off all of our larger items that we cannot take with us on the trip. We will continue on with daily videos and off grid homesteading but in a new location. We sold ourBoiling Maple Syrup & Working In Off Grid Wood Shop
We have been boiling maple sap into pure maple syrup for weeks now on and off since we tapped early. The flow is not yet daily but the time is coming. I worked in the off grid wood shop designing a panel meter for my Quanta generator device. Chris and I have been working fuEarly Season Tapping Maple Trees & A Gift Arrived
I have been tapping maple trees early this year due to an early warm spell that began already in January. I am still working with the Bedini Motor restoring lead acid batteries. And a beautiful gift arrived at the off grid homestead. Since it turned warmer in mid January ITapping Maple Trees And Off Grid Homesteading
We have a warm spell of weather the past two weeks so I am tapping maple trees early this year. I am also restoring lead acid batteries for use on the off grid homestead in our greenhouse during the winter months. First thing in the morning I had to sweep off the solar paneSnowy Day At The Homestead & Tiny House Work
It was snowing quite heavily today at the off grid homestead so I alternated between shoveling snow outside and working on the tiny house electrical wiring inside. It started to snow early in the morning. We had some large fluffy snow flakes falling down. It was quite prettHow & When To Tap Maple Syrup Trees & Off Grid Homesteading
We are in the end of January 2017 and I have already started to tap my maple trees. The sap was flowing heavily on this day as well. It was busy today at the off grid homestead. Normally the maple sap flows near the end of February to the beginning of April some time. It vaAwesome Solar Power & Building Magnet Separator
The day started out with a clear blue sky and we had some awesome solar power production at the off grid homestead. I am still restoring lead acid batteries in our greenhouse with the Bedini motor. Chris is splitting fire wood outside. The day alternated between sunny and bA Lot Going On At The Off Grid Homestead
It was a very busy day at the off grid homestead today. All three of us were hard at work on this day doing different tasks around the homestead from felling trees to pumping water to crafting. We have had a very wet and partially snowy time recently so the ground is all whOff Grid Laundry - Drinking Water & More
It was a cold, dark day at the off grid homestead so we spent some time washing clothes, crafting and other homestead projects. Most of the time was spent doing indoor work on this day. It was pay day so Melanie and I went shopping for our monthly grocery supplies. We go toUpdates On The Off Grid Homestead
After a few days of working on the pulse motor/battery desulfator I give you an update on things at the off grid homestead. It is a beautiful warm, sunny day and the solar power battery banks are topping off nicely. I was able to walk around in a T-shirt because the sun wasCounting Amps & Watts In My Off Grid Solar Powered Home
Living off the grid – with no outside source of electricity – means that you may need to count amps and watts. When solar or wind energy is your only source of electricity then you must watch your energy consumption every day to ensure that you do not drain the battery bank. RGot running water in my off grid trailer
2012-05-01 I finally got running water in my off grid camper. It may be something you never think about and take for granted on a daily basis, but go without it for a while and you really learn to appreciate the nice comforts of modern living.The trailer has a 4Should You Choose Solar Or Wind Energy – or both?
There is a lot of talk on the net about either solar energy or wind energy. Many homes decide to use one or the other. Most choose solar energy for their home. But have you ever considered using both? If they could both be installed affordably, for the average family, then why not? Here are someGoing Solar – Gutting out the electrical junk from my off grid trailer
April 26th, 2012 I have been converting my off grid trailer to solar for the last few months now. The last step in the process was to remove that old, bulky power converter and the 115 volt power cable that was normally used to plug into the grid at campgroundsFully Off Grid On Earth Day 2012
April 22nd, 2012 I guess I did my part on Earth Day 2012 by staying out in the Off Grid Trailer. I have no connections to any utilities. Everything is fully off the grid. I must provide my own water, heat, electricity and waste management. Using the oldLiving In The Off Grid Camper
April 21st, 2012 I am staying in the Off Grid Camper full time now. I am still improving the trailer every day, making it comfortable for long term living. There are a lot of life changes to be made when moving off the grid, but it is a satisfying feeling whenThe Off Grid Project – Get Your Home Off The Grid
April 10th, 2012 The Off Grid Project has begun. I am staying in a 32 foot trailer while working on projects to make life more comfortable, such as solar and wind energy, running water and heat. I will be staying in the trailer for the whole summer season, untiStarted The Off Grid Project – Get off the grid cheap
March 29th, 2012 I just got The Off Grid project started tonight. The countdown is ticking. On May 1st, the Off Grid Project experiments will begin. In early Fall the project will be completed. The final goal of the project is to show you how to get your home fStatus Of Off Grid Homestead After Winter Trip
We left our off grid homestead for a few days just after the first of January. Leaving your home in winter is always worrisome but when off the grid you have a lot more to take care of before you leave. And you never know what you will find when you return. January is coldUpdates on the DIY radiator heating system for my off grid trailer
February 22nd, 2012 The new homemade radiator heater system for my off grid trailer is working quite well. It takes the temperature up to the 70s within half an hour now with the water pump and fans running and good fire burning in the fireplace. There is a bloUsing My Homemade Off Grid Camper Wood Boiler Heating System
Well, the trial run of my off grid camper heating system was a success. Using an antique wood stove with built in boiler and some cheap fittings and parts, I have a fully functional wood powered boiler heating system. It is a completely off grid construction using salvaged or inexpensive parts.Added Homemade Wood Stove Water Boiler Heating System To The Off Grid Camper
February 2nd, 2012 Today I completed my fireplace water boiler heating system for the off grid camper. The wood stove heats up water, which is routed through PEX tubing to a car heater core. A homemade heater blower box pushes heat through the camper. BA night in my off grid camper during a snow storm
January 23rd, 2012 A friend and I spent a couple days in my off grid camper during a heavy snow storm this weekend. Saturday night was also one of the coldest nights we have had so far this winter. It was a true test of the off grid camper’s abilities.Setting up free homemade camper skirting and passive solar floor heating
January 20th, 2012 I have been working on my camper skirting using free materials I found laying around. I also made some free passive solar heaters under the camper using salvaged materials. Total cost for camper insulation and heating – $0. &nbsRemodeling My Off Grid Camper
January 19th, 2012 I just finished building a desk and a set of book shelves in my off grid camper. The camper originally had two twin sized beds in the bedroom. In all, it had space for 6 adults to sleep. Since I am alone, I figured the extra bed would not doPassive Solar Window Heater For My Off Grid Camper
January 16th, 2012 I recently made a passive solar window heater for my off grid camper. You can find the details here: Passive Solar Window Heater. It isRoad trip and some things explained
Melanie and I are going on a road trip this weekend. We are going to my Grandmother's 92nd birthday. And I explain some things about our YouTube channel. We were not sure that we were going to go on this trip or not. We only just made the decision for sure. At 92 years oldWinter Care Of Animals At The Off Grid Homestead
Many people have been asking about how we take care of the animals in winter. We make daily videos of our life out here at the off grid homestead but recently we have been busy with projects and have not shown the animals in a while. People were threatening to unsubscribe tInstalling New Power Inverter In My Off Grid Tiny House
My old faithful PowerBright 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter finally died on me. Someone sent us a new PowerBright 3,500 watt inverter which I installed today in place of the old one. First I removed the positive cable leading from the battery bank to the power inverter. TSnowy Day At The Off Grid Homestead
We got more snow the other day. It snowed most of the morning, dropping 4 inches of wet snow and then turned to rain. I worked inside the tiny house on the computer and spent some time in the off grid wood shop on wheels. Since it was slushing out - snowing and raining - IWorking In Off Grid Wood Shop & Laundry Day At The Homestead
It was an unusually warm and sunny day with temps over 50 degrees F. The solar battery bank was charging nicely. I worked in my off grid wood shop while Melanie washed all our laundry and put them out to dry in the sun. We have had a period of dark and cloudy days so the soRadiant Foil Reduces Winter Greenhouse Heat Loss
I am putting radiant foil on the ceiling, walls and door of the off grid greenhouse to reduce heat loss during the cold winter nights. Radiant foil is also known as radiant barrier and reflects radiant heat back into the building, reducing heat loss. I used radiant foil inOff Grid Greenhouse After A Cold Winter Night & Homestead Updates
After some very cold winter nights reaching 3 degrees F with blowing wind, I took my camera out to the off grid greenhouse for an update on the plants. And I talk a minute about being snowed in for the weekend at the off grid homestead. We got hit with 8 inches of snow SatuDIY Greenhouse Insulating Curtains & Tiny House Emergency
I got the idea of using moving blankets in our off grid winter greenhouse to retain heat during cold winter nights. Our tiny house wood stove pipes disintegrated and we had to make emergency repairs. We are trying to keep food growing in our off grid greenhouse this winter.Greenhouse Thermosyphon Wood Stove Heating System Working
I finished the off grid greenhouse wood stove thermosyphon water heating system and did a test run to make sure everything works well. Melanie is inside working on our recycled pallet wood products for sale. I have built a water boiler heating system using an antique SearsFinished Greenhouse Wood Stove Boiler Heating System
I finished putting together the off grid winter greenhouse boiler heating system. This is a fully homemade system using a wood stove and two 55 gallon barrels. Some PVC pipe fittings and some PEX lines are all that were needed to complete the system. This system will operatI installed my antique wood stove in the off grid living camper. Free heat, hot water and cooking.
December 4th, 2011 I finally got my wood stove installed in the off grid living camper. It took longer to plan it than the actual work itself. I wanted to make sure that the stove would not cause anything to overheat. Living in a camper there is not much space to play arounGot an antique Sears Roebuck wood burning stove for my off grid living camper.
December 2nd, 2011 I just got an antique Sears Roebuck & Co wood burning stove for $10. On the front plate it shows the company name and then "No Hot Pot 30A". Guess that is the model number. It only stands 2 feet high. It has a 2 burner cooking top and a water boiler aWinterizing My Off Grid Living Camper
Winter is coming fast and if I want to use this camper for off grid living during the cold months, then I need to get it ready soon. I plan to stay out in the camper during the winter and see if I can manage without any power or water hookups from the utility companies. I will need to provide heaSnow Covered Off Grid Homestead As Winter Sets In
We got up to find a beautiful and snowy homestead. We had four inches of snow fall on us during the night, covering the land in white. The solar panels were also covered so I had to sweep them off. By the way, the solar panels are currently laying flat because the wind outJust got a new 32 foot Fleetwood camper. Setting it up for full off grid living.
November 16th, 2011 I just picked up a huge 1986 32 foot fleetwood camper for free out of the classifieds. This thing is loaded. Except, I seem to always get them with no fridge and no heater. Again, they are missing in this one. Wonder why people keep pulling these out.Modify M45 US Military Tent Stove For Controlled Burn
I have modified the US Military M-45 tent stove so that I can fully control the burn rate and stove temperature. Before the modification the tent stove burnt out of control and was off the scale of my digital thermometer. After the modifications I can now control the burn rate and temperature ofPage Navigation: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (All)
