I've been off grid for around 2.5 months so far...

[Wooden Indian]

and here are some of my initial observations based off of my experience:

1. I made it a bigger deal than it is.
I don't feel much different out here than I did back in the city and that's both good and bad. The good is that things like lights, heat, food, and even entertainment are close enough to "modern" conveniences to be nearly seamless for me. The bad is that I still feel the anxiety I had back with a mortgage, light bills, etc. That sense of peace simply did not come as I had hoped and imagined.

2. It's more expensive than I had calculated.
Even though I don't have the same bills, I find I have FAR less in my wallet. Before we moved out here, I bought nearly everything I needed to get started and carried it with me... yet, I find myself making so many purchases that within 2-3 days after payday... I'm broke again and nearly counting quarters to get by for another 2 weeks. New pumps, filters, dirt, gravel, batteries, tires, repairs, fuel, it just never ends.

3. The weather is my enemy.
Sure, we stay warm enough using the kerosene heater and the propane and sure even with the limited sun (it goes 3 days at a time without even seeing it), I am able to stretch the battery bank out if I am diligent, I am constantly very aware of the weather and the forecast. I worry about how much more rain I'll have, if I'll get enough sun and how soon, is it going to freeze, and on and on. Put blankets and insulation over the windows, take em down. Cover the door with a drape, take it down. Small things, but don't think the small things don't wear on you, because they do.

In the end, I'm glad I did it. I found flaws with the land itself after I spent time here, but it is what it is and even with the issues above and the many others I didn't go into, it's nice to not worry about a mortgage payment every month... but if you are considering doing this, realize that those worries are simply replaced with new ones, and unless you are perhaps fairly wealthy or single, this may not be the lifestyle for you.

[luctor-et-emergo]

Cool, got more information about the building you are inhabiting ?

But yeah, it sounds logical that you have high bills starting off. Should taper down at some point though.

Also, it depends on the comfort level you want.. I once lived for 10 days in the forest in a survival shelter we made in a couple hours.. Wintertime, pyramid shape, hole in the top, fire in the middle. It was great. Now I can see how you can't live like that but in between this and complete luxury there's a very big range of expenses that you could or must make.

Anyways, have fun and enjoy life, that's what it's all about I think. Having to repair something, isn't always a horrible experience, it can be satisfying.

[brandon]

Sounds like it's going to be a great life experience, even if it isn't something you want to continue doing in the long term. Takes balls to try something new like that.... good job.

[Feelgood]

Good for you and breaking the tether!

[Working Poor]

I am working to get off grid. I am about half off now. It did cost going in. Some things I have gotten much better at like for instance scrounging. The only time I am bothered is when I have to go into town for business. I love the quite and being in a community of folks that are somewhat like me who just want to be left alone.

I have much work to do but I am really enjoying it. I hope you will be enjoying it soon too. I think it is more difficult with winter coming on. I think spring and summer will yield some good things for you though hang in there cause I know it will get better. One day I know you will be glad you did it.

[phill4paul]

2.5 months is really not enough time to make a clear evaluation as to whether you are suited to living off grid. Give it some time. Much of the work that goes into it we rural folk call "chores." Once you get them down they become second nature and won't seem quite the hassle.
Noticed that your heating is done with propane and kerosene. Do you live in a wooded area? Is supplemental wood heat a viable option?

[GomerPile]

Off grid for 3 years. Stressing about the power, heat, water takes a bit longer to get over. Took me about a year, now I only notice when my battery alarm goes off Adding insulation to your house, a good quality 2KW generator (Honda EU2000), and wood stove are all excellent investments BTW.

[Steve-in-NY]

I'd love to hear more in-depth on those of you that are off grid. Setup, lessons learned, tips/tricks, etc. I find it to be very interesting.

[CaptUSA]

I'd love to hear more in-depth on those of you that are off grid. Setup, lessons learned, tips/tricks, etc. I find it to be very interesting.

My guess is that if they can post in an internet forum, they're not really "off the grid".

[pcosmar]

My guess is that if they can post in an internet forum, they're not really "off the grid".

Does homeless count.? untethered and untracked (mostly)

btw,, I am still looking for housing..

[Wooden Indian]

I love the chores end of it. Look forward to every one of them really... maybe not the composting lol. But I do still work my day job around 10 hours a day.

We had planned to drive up here in the RV we bought on Craigslist and stay in it for a mere month or two then have an old mobile home hauled back here. But the rain flooded the roads pretty good and even my 4X4 gets stuck every once in awhile just getting off the property. So we'll be in the RV through the winter. This spring I'll clear some more land on the north end and start leveling and bringing in more soil and rock.

Plan is that by next winter the tiny house will be up insulated. So we may just skip the mobile home stage and stay in the RV for the year. Only time will tell.

[GomerPile]

Off grid is a very broad term. How you define off grid is very problematic. If you use propane are you off the grid? The propane tank is sitting there in your yard (off the grid) but there is a pretty serious "grid" involved in getting that propane to you.

I have designed my living situation around what will happen if the the grid went down, what systems would be impacted? When I run out of propane, I will have no hot water...which is not the end of the world. When I run out of gasoline my microwave and toaster ovens won't work. I also lose the ability to charge my battery bank in the winter...again not a huge issue. You will notice that I did not mention the loss of water. Thats because I use a super low power pump that can run from PV panels directly if needed. It only pumps 1/2 GPM but it pumps! Had I picked a "normal" well pump it would be a hell of a lot harder to run it if the grid went down. You will also notice that I can run it directly from PV panels when/if my batteries wear out....more fault tolerance.

For cooking I use a denatured alcohol stove which is far more convenient than wood. If the grid goes down, I can distill it from things I grow. I could have used propane but decided that this was better...I'm also not a gourmet chef

I guess what I'm saying not to worry so much about being disconnected from the grid, worry about what happens when the grid disconnects from you and everything will be fine.

My guess is that if they can post in an internet forum, they're not really "off the grid".

[klamath]

My guess is that if they can post in an internet forum, they're not really "off the grid".

Off the grid refers to the Power grid.

[klamath]

Off grid is a very broad term. How you define off grid is very problematic. If you use propane are you off the grid? The propane tank is sitting there in your yard (off the grid) but there is a pretty serious "grid" involved in getting that propane to you.

I have designed my living situation around what will happen if the the grid went down, what systems would be impacted? When I run out of propane, I will have no hot water...which is not the end of the world. When I run out of gasoline my microwave and toaster ovens won't work. I also lose the ability to charge my battery bank in the winter...again not a huge issue. You will notice that I did not mention the loss of water. Thats because I use a super low power pump that can run from PV panels directly if needed. It only pumps 1/2 GPM but it pumps! Had I picked a "normal" well pump it would be a hell of a lot harder to run it if the grid went down. You will also notice that I can run it directly from PV panels when/if my batteries wear out....more fault tolerance.

For cooking I use a denatured alcohol stove which is far more convenient than wood. If the grid goes down, I can distill it from things I grow. I could have used propane but decided that this was better...I'm also not a gourmet chef

I guess what I'm saying not to worry so much about being disconnected from the grid, worry about what happens when the grid disconnects from you and everything will be fine.

This is the original and true meaning of "Grid" in "off the grid".

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for delivering electricity from suppliers to consumers. It consists of generating stations that produce electrical power, high-voltage transmission lines that carry power from distant sources to demand centers, and distribution lines that connect individual customers

I have been off the grid for 48 years.

[NapoleonIII]

I grew up on a farm with no electricity.

[Wooden Indian]

Off Grid- I use solar to power my home, propane tanks I exchange and rotate out to primarily heat it, my water is pumped from my stream to my tank to my home, my waste is composted, and I use cellular phones for data. Now, I do want to heat and cook on wood but it's not time for that just yet.

Not a wire nor a pipe extend to my property from any outside service.

And God willing things will stay that way.

[goRPaul]

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience! I've considered off grid living for some time now, not sure whether or not I'll commit.

[Wooden Indian]

Thought I'd update a little-

Though I lived in the city, and some major ones, for most of my life, I've only received one ticket... and here I am already heading to the courthouse in "Po-dunk", NC.
I Pulled out of the hardware store onto the 25 MPH little road, decided on which route I would take into town, when the blue lights fired through my rear window.

"Noticed you didn't have your seat belt on, sir- Here's you're ticket- Have a nice day."

$179.00

Can't escape the man. May have been better hiding in plain sight. Maybe not. Interesting just the same.

Oh, and this happened the other day; I was picking up a well point at the Tractor Supply (which is more like a GAP or American Eagle store these days) when the guy looks at me and goes, "Now, you know you're not allowed to use this if they can get city water to you, right? You can get in trouble for that. You'll want to call and make sure you're allowed to drive it." I searched his eyes for any sign of sarcasm, even a "wink-wink nudge-nudge" curl of his lips.... there was none. He was serious and undoubtedly would turn me in if it were convenient and or he was asked. So, I agreed, made my purchase with cash, and made my way home.

Well trained. Obedient. Good dogs. Even out here in the sticks.

[tod evans]

Well trained. Obedient. Good dogs. Even out here in the sticks.

Big government do-gooders abound in rural areas, how many there are and who they focus on depends on the area.

Here in the Ozarks your family are foreigners until you've been here for 3 generations, longer if you're from Yankee stock......

[luctor-et-emergo]

Thought I'd update a little-

Though I lived in the city, and some major ones, for most of my life, I've only received one ticket... and here I am already heading to the courthouse in "Po-dunk", NC.
I Pulled out of the hardware store onto the 25 MPH little road, decided on which route I would take into town, when the blue lights fired through my rear window.

"Noticed you didn't have your seat belt on, sir- Here's you're ticket- Have a nice day."

$179.00

Can't escape the man. May have been better hiding in plain sight. Maybe not. Interesting just the same.

Oh, and this happened the other day; I was picking up a well point at the Tractor Supply (which is more like a GAP or American Eagle store these days) when the guy looks at me and goes, "Now, you know you're not allowed to use this if they can get city water to you, right? You can get in trouble for that. You'll want to call and make sure you're allowed to drive it." I searched his eyes for any sign of sarcasm, even a "wink-wink nudge-nudge" curl of his lips.... there was none. He was serious and undoubtedly would turn me in if it were convenient and or he was asked. So, I agreed, made my purchase with cash, and made my way home.

Well trained. Obedient. Good dogs. Even out here in the sticks.

Well, there's libertarian arguments for why you shouldn't be able to pump up all the water you want since you'll also lower the water table for properties which you do not own. Apart from that, it's ridiculous you can't use one if you can be hooked up to city water. At least around here in many cases city water also comes from ground water... Much deeper than you'll need for your own well so I don't understand why you'd need to use city water in that case except for control. I know you need a permit here if you want to drill beyond a certain depth or pump up more than a certain amount of water.


Don't eat yourself up over that ticket. The world isn't fair and it will never be. You've got your spot with your off-the grid home. Enjoy it.

Hope you'll have a nice Christmas there ! Nice and warm hopefully.

[Wooden Indian]

Got down to 23 (Fahrenheit) last night according to my indoor/outdoor weather monitor dealio. I haven't been too impressed with its "Weather Forecast" mode, but the ice on the ground seems to agree with its temperature reading.

23 out and 60 in; not too shabby. Cranked up the big kerosene heater for an hour or so before bed, let it get up to 74, shut it off, and let the little propane heater run on low overnight. While 60 degrees in the house is a little chilly for this Florida boy, under the blanket and a sweatshirt make it quite comfortable.

The biggest challenge this week has been chasing power. Rainy and overcast nearly everyday so power has been rationed like water in the Sahara. Being my wife and I both work from home offices, that's kind of rough. Looks like sun today, thank God, had to run the genny twice last week to make up the difference and charge laptops and all. Topped off the truck and 21 gallons of gas in containers, so I'm set on good old Arabian Petro.

Observation: Stock piling fuel while it's affordable is a good idea... but gas containers are really pricey. How much am I really saving? Guess I'll need to do the math on that.

[RonPaulIsGreat]

Got down to 23 (Fahrenheit) last night according to my indoor/outdoor weather monitor dealio. I haven't been too impressed with its "Weather Forecast" mode, but the ice on the ground seems to agree with its temperature reading.

23 out and 60 in; not too shabby. Cranked up the big kerosene heater for an hour or so before bed, let it get up to 74, shut it off, and let the little propane heater run on low overnight. While 60 degrees in the house is a little chilly for this Florida boy, under the blanket and a sweatshirt make it quite comfortable.

The biggest challenge this week has been chasing power. Rainy and overcast nearly everyday so power has been rationed like water in the Sahara. Being my wife and I both work from home offices, that's kind of rough. Looks like sun today, thank God, had to run the genny twice last week to make up the difference and charge laptops and all. Topped off the truck and 21 gallons of gas in containers, so I'm set on good old Arabian Petro.

Observation: Stock piling fuel while it's affordable is a good idea... but gas containers are really pricey. How much am I really saving? Guess I'll need to do the math on that.

Where are you at, I'm tired of living in town, and can bring some more solar panels. Thanks!

[Wooden Indian]

So, I keep up like a weekly update on my experience here (I'm behind but closer to getting more up to date) on another forum and will start copying those posts over here as well, if y'all want to read em.

I'll copy the last 3 here together and post the more recent ones as I write them up. I try to keep them up brief so there's not a ton of detail yet. Just getting everyone up to speed on how I got here and what I was challenged with when getting here.

[Wooden Indian]

So, as a few on here know, I went Off Grid about 3 months ago. Thought I would share my experiences here in case anyone has been curious about trying it themselves.

Disclaimer: I am not a self-declared extreme woodsman swinging an ax in one hand and my engorged member in the other while flying through the air on some jungle vine.
I'm just a dude. I have a little knowledge here and there about a thing or two. In fact, about the only thing I have less of than "super-woodsman extraordinaire" knowledge is money. So much of this is and was done on a budget.

For several years now I have dreamed about finding a little slice of heaven, pay cash for it, move out in a little quaint cabin, sip morning coffee in a warm bath of sunlight and cool beers in the evenings. What I got was something quite different.

We purchased all I could afford with cash which was 1.5 acres in a small town around southern VA. It was advertised as having a well and septic on site and the photos showed about .25AC cleared with the rest heavily treed. We spoke to the mortgage company that owned it, thought it over, and made the deal- sigh unseen and balls to the wall.

Bought an RV thinking it would allow for us to drive up with the belongings we wanted, have a place to stay, and give us enough cash left over to buy a used mobile home to be delivered once I got the utilities in place. I already had my solar array, bank, controllers, and inverters (and 3 generators of varying size to match the job they may do).

Well, we broke down. Both the 4X4 truck I bought and the RV... not once not twice... 3 times. $3000 in repairs later we arrived to see in person what we bought and if y'all are interested, I'll take it from there next post. This is already getting long and I have work to do.

Let me know if this tickles your fancy and I'll pick it up every time I have a chance, if not... **** you and your fancy modern plumbing.

[Wooden Indian]

Now this trek up here took place on the week of that hurricane that came up the Carolina coast. Remember? It rained, it rained, and it ****ing rained some more. As you probably heard on the news, they were calling it a 500 year storm because of the way it collided with some other system, mixed with a cold front or a warm front, some such nonsense, that ultimately caused historic flooding all long our route.

The farther north I go, the clearer the skies grew, and eventually, on that final day's drive, the clouds rained all their rain, then dissolved away completely. Now, we're talking! Things were rough, but you know what, nothing worth having comes easy. I fought the truck and I won. I fought the RV and I won. I fought the wettest storm to hit that area in 500 years, and I drove the hell through it. Nothing can bring me down.

My GPS announces it's time to turn off the highway and I marvel at the beautiful landscape. Vast fields and rolling hills, Colonial houses perched proud on their tops.
The fields gave way to some forests and the homes grew farther and fewer between. Then they gave way to what can only be described as shanties nestled in wooded lots, which gave way to a rundown trailer park (which was really nothing more than a handful of rundown trailers sharing a quarter acre lot cleared along the highway), where I was instructed by my GPS to turn left, turn left again, then the destination would be on my right in a thousand feet. I'm $#@!ting my pants.

I'm pulling through this private street in this trailer park when I come to a fenced off property and I'm forced to just stop. In a 33' Motor Home, U-turns on back streets are pretty much out of the question. So, my wife pulls up next to me in the Suburban and we're looking at the GPS Map, trying to figure out what to do when this lady walks out of a nearby trailer, approaches us and we start talking. I find out that the road that is suppose to lead back to my property has been blocked by someone's trailer home and I would have to take another side road, back through some woods, and quote "Aint no way that RV gettin through there. That where my sista used to stay. I been on dat road". We parked the RV, lock it, and take the 4X4 from there.

5 short minutes later, after a few bends, bumps, and a couple of mammoth pot holes in what once had been a gravel road, I see a familiar sight. The shed- my shed. The pictures online showed this structure, the sole structure left on this property, and it finally at long last it lay right before me. But... something's different.

We park at the dead-end and find Atlantis, the land underwater.
It was little more than a lake with weeds 5 and 6 feet tall where the field once lay. The shed was partially collapsed and covered in graffiti, and just to add insult to injury- it stank. My God, it stank. Remember that septic that was on the property? It's contents floated in some part back behind the briers and thick jumbles of nondescript weeds.

Home at last.

Much has changed since then. Half of the waters have receded and and the hole in the septic main has been filled, the septic capped. The shed doors that dangled nearly off their hinges have been replaced and about half of the field has been cleared. We never found the well that was advertised, so I decided to drive one myself, everyone needs running water and "off grid" does not mean savages.

I bought a well-point, 30' of 2" steel pipe, drive couplings, a deep/shallow well pump, and a sledge hammer. With my sleeves rolled and a fire in my belly, I went to work, but what happened is a different story altogether.

[Wooden Indian]

Hope all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to an even better New Year.
I believe we left off with my search for water... well, my search for well water, a blind paraplegic would have no issue finding plenty of standing water on my off-grid property.

After searching my land high and low, wielding a machete and a Troy Built weed whacker with a brush cutting attachment (review on that bad boy later), and sustaining enough skin lacerations from the briers to slowly bleed out an elephant, I ran down to the County and requested records on where my well should be (they had to pull a permit, right), but I came up empty handed again.

This was going to be it. My defining moment. I could hardly believe it would come so soon.
I would be required by my family to get them good running water in our new home and I would have to do it without the help of the County or even be able to rely on the previous landowner. I couldn't just call a well digging company, either. Don't forget, I spent nearly every nickle just getting up here and I won't go into debt to stay. This is a cash operation. The Injun vs the World. **** yeah.

I did my research on driving a well and located the best location to begin my quest. A naturally low area on the west side of my field, just outside of the tree line and perhaps 200' or so from our stream.

Things you need to drive a shallow well:
A well point
Drive Couplings
1 1/4 - 2" steel pipe
Drive Cap
Pump
Tank
Sledgehammer
A giant set of meaty clackers

Alright, so I have two of those things already covered but needed to make a run down to Tractor Supply for the rest. Surely the World Renown Tractor Supply store would be able to provide me with everything besides those aforementioned testes. Well, wrong. Much to my disappointment, the place is a glorified GAP for wanna be woodsman.
They do sell some hardware and a little of this and that, but 2/3 of the store is dedicated to outfitting your sexually confused lumberjack or farmer with the latest set of 200.00 jeans or overalls. Pretty damned heart-breaking with how excited I was to get inside my first TS store when leaving Tampa.

Anyhow, after a few days of driving around and collecting what I needed to do the job, I was ready. I began by digging a 2X2 hole with a shovel perhaps 3 feet deep, then a post hole digger another 3 feet or so, lay in my drive point and proceed to tap it in. Remember to NOT lay all you have into each mighty blow. You don't want to be frickin' Thor out there. Hit it too hard and risk knocking your threads out in a coupling. Do that and you'll suck air into the line and decrease water pressure. No Buenos.

So, I whacked away at the pipe, 5' at a time, until I reached 25 feet. It was 2 days and a hundred blisters that finally joined together and became a super-blister that covered each palm. This was through my work gloves mind you. My hands hadn't seen that much action since Pete's birthday party back in '08.... BUT it was worth it. Christ on a crutch is worth it. My family needed water and much like our pioneering forefathers, I would bring it to them. Not with a credit line and not with some fancy drilling machine. No call to the County here. No, sir. Just some hard damned work. I attached the pump and cloudy water sprung forth, I pumped and pumped, and more milky water made it's way out in abundance. Once it was fairly cleared, I removed the hand-pump and attached the electrical well pump, and let her rip... and that's when the grinding started. The pump began making a hell of a racket then locked up. A little probing and I discovered that it was getting clogged with sand and small rocks... but how? The well point's screen mesh prevents those things from ever entering the system. I carefully tugged up on the top of my well pipe, not expecting it to move considering it weigh hundreds of pounds and was driven through 25 feet of clay, when it came up. A full 5 foot section of pipe pulled right out of the ground.

The steel pipe had snapped. Not at a coupling, there wasn't a busted thread. The pipe itself was broken clean just below the last joint. Manufactures defect or just the Universe continuing to rain **** on me, I don't know. But I lost hundreds in pipe and parts, 2 days of work, and was still no closer to providing my family with the high quality H2O they so deserved. It was time to get creative and think outside of my Pandora's box. .....Did I mention my stream?

Have to get back to work here but if you're curious as to how I finally got a working water solution here at the homestead hell, let me know.

[phill4paul]

Keep the story coming! It's giving me flashbacks to the "good old days" (which are good mainly because they are behind you).

[Panasonic KX-T7705]

Very cool thread, keep us updated on your progress. Post pictures as well if you're able to!

[Sandemanian]

How are you heating your water?

Have you thought about solar water heating? It's a great option that we've implemented on our homestead. Even on cloudy days and during the winter we're able to at least pre-heat our water to around 90-95 degrees. We have a propane water heater as a backup on those days, but with the water already warm it barely uses any fuel.

You can build your own solar water heaters really cheap, but I suggest going with evacuated solar tubes. You can get some cheap on Amazon, Aliexpress or Ebay and build the rest of the heater yourself. Shouldn't set you back more than $350 in total if you're handy.

This is a cool project that might give you some ideas:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects.../solarshed.htm

[luctor-et-emergo]

How are you heating your water?

Have you thought about solar water heating? It's a great option that we've implemented on our homestead. Even on cloudy days and during the winter we're able to at least pre-heat our water to around 90-95 degrees. We have a propane water heater as a backup on those days, but with the water already warm it barely uses any fuel.

You can build your own solar water heaters really cheap, but I suggest going with evacuated solar tubes. You can get some cheap on Amazon, Aliexpress or Ebay and build the rest of the heater yourself. Shouldn't set you back more than $350 in total if you're handy.

This is a cool project that might give you some ideas:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects.../solarshed.htm

Yeah that's definitely a good idea. That will also save you a LOT of $$ over time. It will also make you less dependent on the outside world as you need to buy less gas/oil.