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15 Comments

  1. Going off grid is definitely a decision not to be taken lightly and you need full buy in from everyone involved. We’ve been off grid for almost two years. We didn’t run into a lot of problems like these folks because we had foregone some amenities years before (ie. No tv in over a decade). We also decided to go what I call “full Amish” in our approach to being off grid. So we didn’t invest resources in expensive solar equipment. We cook on a wood burning stove, wash clothes by hand, We live a simple lifestyle. We have Amish friends who we get ideas from. And we add things on a pay as you go method. The few electronic devices we have, we charge with our car. The key to making the transition is to make lifestyle changes ahead of time as much as possible. Don’t try to live the exact same way you did when on the grid.

  2. A good, if non specific article on off startup grid living. I did a off grid startup a few years ago. I would suggest emphasizing a few things;
    Batteries are s solar system weak point. Start small as the author says with cheap batteries and learn how to use them. Replace and uy better and more of them when you’ve gained experience.
    A state of charge meter is a must if you want your batteries to last. You cannot possible keep a system alive without one. Put the readout in your kitchen or living room. Midnight makes a good one.
    Starting small with solar is a good idea except for the inverter. No sense buying 2 so get one of decent capacity, say 6kw. if you have a well pump.
    Solar will not work to transfer heat. A propane frig works really, really well as does a tankless hot water heater. Bosche makes one that doesn’t require electricity for the start up.
    Buy a simple and cheap generator. Don’t bother with whole house auto start systems.
    Buy property where you can live without AC. If you must live sown south either toughen up or live in a cave because solar will not drive AC.
    Root cellars work well but you must manage the water that will find a way in, especially ground water seeping in from heavy rains.
    Do get wells and septic systems professionally installed. Best money you’ll ever spend.
    Follow wood stove installation codes to the letter. You’ll lose your house one cold and dark night if you don’t. Read that sentence several times again while installing till you believe it.
    Solar is cheap reliable power and well worth the aggravation if you believe in SHFT coming one day.

  3. Kenmore makes a small refrigerator that only uses 30 watts! Look for it. If I recall, it’s only about $130. Also, almost all ranges and stoves made today are required to be converted from propane to natural gas. It’s an easy process I have done it twice on stove so I have bought.

  4. Love the article, love the site as always. But y’all have seemed to convert over to those shortened links or whatever they’re called, which I’ve been cautioned not to click. I like to see the real link before I click through, myself. I’m sure there’s some reason for it…?

    1. @Big___Al, The shortened links are an effort to reduce the html code to speed up the page loading process. You should only find three sorts here on SurvivalBlog. 1) “amzn.to” which are links to amazon products. This link shortener is run by amazon itself. 2) “youtu.be” which are links run by YouTube.com, and 3) “survivalblog.com/s/” which are links run by us. Those links you can count on because the reputation of the organizations are on the line.
      I would not click on generic shortened links at all. (unless, perhaps you trust the sender of the link.)

  5. Good article, but:

    The first premise is wrong. If someone is really concerned with environmental impact, then they should probably stay in the city or suburbs, where infrastructure already exists. By moving out to God’s country to set-up an off grid, self-sustaining operation, you’re creating an environmental impact where there wasn’t one before.

    Don’t get me wrong. Us Survivalists aren’t necessarily environmental/ecological do-gooders, but we do tend to be better stewards of The Earth than most, especially with organic gardening, permaculture, etc.

  6. Our power goes out from time to time which is a real problem with my CPAP which I require in order to sleep. My first micro off-grid solar system was designed to power the CPAP. It was a great way to learn about solar power on a small scale. I now have two independent off-grid solar systems for redundancy, one for the CPAP and the other for my ham radio equipment. I have learned a lot from building and keeping these systems running.

    In the future I would like to add a third small off-grid solar system to run our refrigerator. It is a large 27 cu ft Samsung with all the bells and whistles yet only draws 60 watts on average (I did not believe the power usage tag so I measured it over 3 months of use and it really does only draw 60 watts on average). You do not have to buy a small fridge to get low power usage if you shop around.

  7. I am a mechanical engineer of 35 years experience, and have lived off-grid for thirty years, twenty with no electricity or running water at all.

    The first step to going off-grid must be WHY. What you hope to accomplish or avoid will define your whole program

    Closely related to this is to understand exactly WHAT you “need” and why. Do you desire conformity, modernity, security, peace, ecological good-conscience, catastrophe survivability?

    I am a cheapskate. My highest values are peace and independence/self-reliance. So before moving to my current remote location 30 years ago, I got rid of my central heat, electricity and running water. I thought it was great! So much less crap to fix, so much less to have to work away from the homeplace to pay for!

    On the new place, I found a good spring and improved it with a pipe filling an old bathtub. carried water to cook and drink in jugs for myself and as time went on wife and 6 kids 300 yd to house. Rainwater off roof did laundry in 80 year-old gas powered Maytag.

    15 years ago I decided kerosene for lamps was too expensive, so got a small solar array and LED lights. 9 years ago I decided I wanted a computer and refrigerator, so built full-scale solar power system (about 1KW of PV)

    The key is to match your desires to your fundamental values to your resources.

  8. I’m not sure where to start with this, but I’ll just plunge right in and accept critique as it comes. First, this was a good article on the lessons learned on living without grid electricity. I would so much like to do just that, but we didn’t start prepping until after we had already built our 5,000 sq. ft. all electric house…sigh. However over the years we’ve added quite a few features that will make it possible to live off grid. Totally OFF GRID, I mean. In my mind that means no forms of energy that require infrastructure to deliver it. No grid electricity, no propane, no natural gas, no solar electricity, no batteries, no nada! (Am I speaking Amish here?) If you can’t provide it, it’s not off grid and you’re dependent on something you can’t recreate on your own (technology, for example). I suppose that some may say that “grid” refers to the electrical grid, but propane and natural gas also depends on a grid of sorts. Therefore when preppers (or anyone) state that they are totally self-sufficient or are working towards that end, but rely on propane to heat water or cook, I cringe.

    I just think that we all need to possibly rethink our idea of being off grid and not relying on a re-creation of the broader based grid to supply our needs so as to live just like we used to with unlimited electricity, propane, and gas. But please, folks, lets change our conversation about sustainability. Reliance on any form of the grid (technology, batteries, solar panels, water panels, etc.) is NOT sustainable. Any takers?

    1. u r so rite .it is even hard for me to be on a computer. at 66 yrs young I still have things that I want to do . the first thing is to be totally self-surporting totally.as I get more mature i find it more challenging Swanders Steve

  9. I love the idea of being all solar. But I love the point raised above, about propane refrigerators. Our 1978 camp trailer has a propane refrigerator w/freezer which doesn’t need any electrical power. And a small propane water heater. All work great! I recommend anyone either prepping or just going off grid to search for old campers or trailers, or just get the refrig/freezer and or water heater components. The water heaters are only about 2 cubic feet in size.

    Some SHTF/TEOTWAKI books drive me nuts about losing power and I yell, “they could have kept their meds/diabetic stuff cool for two months with just two 5 gallon propane tanks and not have to die when the power went out”.

    Our 1978 units with a five gallon tank would work about a month and do light cooking duty and kept refrig/freezer at temp. The twin original tanks on the front hitch are the larger size.

    Caution statement: anything burning like propane should be kept out of your sleeping/living area. Make sure it is securely vented to outside combustion. That’s why we just left our stove, Ref/Freezer, and water heater installed in the camp trailer-they’re already vented. And I just bought another 27 foot camp trailer for $400. Two is one, and this one is a 1993 model with bigger fridge/freezer, has cooking stove and oven, and two small water heaters.

    Best wishes to you all!

  10. I will opine that solar is a viable, sustainable tool for long term use. The problem with typical solar batteries is their shorter life span. If one uses industrial forklift batteries instead of solar batteries, you can expect over 30 years of service out of them it you work off the top 20% of their capacity. The plates in forklift batteries are MUCH thicker than the ones in typical solar batteries. They also cost about 1/3rd as much for equal amp/hour capacity. You’ll have far fewer cells to worry about, and no jumper cables between several dozen smaller batteries.
    I worked for an aerospace company that had an old electric forklift when I arrived in 1980. 30 years later (2010) I left the company, and the same battery was still in that machine, despite decades of abuse and neglect. There are really only two kinds of batteries: Industrial, and all the rest!
    Mine weighs 1960 lbs, and produces 1500 amp hours at the C20 rate. 24 volts. It must be moved with heavy equipment, so is hard to steal. You’ll have to water the cells once in a while. No big deal.
    Buy quality gear and you won’t be replacing components very often. Have spares. I rely on off-grid power to process stream water for culinary use. Cheaper than a 350 foot well.
    All good comments on this thread!

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