How to Live WELL "Off Grid" Without Power or Help
- dcrane
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Options, advise, experiences of Power outage, No water, No heat, No light, No cooking for days (even weeks!)
This is an amazing ability lost through many generations and I want to learn it! after loosing power for a week last year Im trying to learn how in the hell people lived like this 24/7
Candles SUCK! a bathtub full of old soap residue water SUCKS! clearly a fireplace SUCKS for heat & what about cooking? (i have a great stove top surface for cooking but thats about all).
I reconditioned an old smokeless kero heater from 1905 that amazes me to no end! I drove a 2" well into the floor of my basement by hand and set it up with pump and tank (works great!) now I want to hook up a hand pump option to it (the priming pump I have wont feed the tank full... how do I hook up a hand pump option to fill the tank? I started collecting oil lamps for $1-$2 bucks at yard sales, these just don't seem to throw enough light to light a home comfortably (how did they light up houses 150 years ago to an acceptable level?) I have one stand by that works amazing called a hand crank radio this lil' beauty should be a mainstay on everyone's basement shelf!
I hear people screaming out "generator & done" (I could not even get 40' down my street last year for almost a week!)
Wind, sun, water, whale oil, coal... I want some recommendations for cheaply, efficiently, functionally going "OFF GRID" and living like a KING!
WHAT DO YOU HAVE, WHAT HAVE YOUR SEEN, WHAT DO YOU DO?
This is an amazing ability lost through many generations and I want to learn it! after loosing power for a week last year Im trying to learn how in the hell people lived like this 24/7
Candles SUCK! a bathtub full of old soap residue water SUCKS! clearly a fireplace SUCKS for heat & what about cooking? (i have a great stove top surface for cooking but thats about all).
I reconditioned an old smokeless kero heater from 1905 that amazes me to no end! I drove a 2" well into the floor of my basement by hand and set it up with pump and tank (works great!) now I want to hook up a hand pump option to it (the priming pump I have wont feed the tank full... how do I hook up a hand pump option to fill the tank? I started collecting oil lamps for $1-$2 bucks at yard sales, these just don't seem to throw enough light to light a home comfortably (how did they light up houses 150 years ago to an acceptable level?) I have one stand by that works amazing called a hand crank radio this lil' beauty should be a mainstay on everyone's basement shelf!
I hear people screaming out "generator & done" (I could not even get 40' down my street last year for almost a week!)
Wind, sun, water, whale oil, coal... I want some recommendations for cheaply, efficiently, functionally going "OFF GRID" and living like a KING!
WHAT DO YOU HAVE, WHAT HAVE YOUR SEEN, WHAT DO YOU DO?
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DC
I to find myself musing over this topic. For light alone(maybe more) a small solar array and led lights could be done for cheap . Maybe even using a solar fencer platform to build from? Led is the holy grail as far as light IMO, takes nothing to make crazy light. Nice thread I gotta believe the prepper group will have some valuable input here. RW?........
Waldo
I to find myself musing over this topic. For light alone(maybe more) a small solar array and led lights could be done for cheap . Maybe even using a solar fencer platform to build from? Led is the holy grail as far as light IMO, takes nothing to make crazy light. Nice thread I gotta believe the prepper group will have some valuable input here. RW?........
Waldo
- tsb
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Learn to live like an Indian. They didn't need all that crap.
- lsayre
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I'm interested in being capable of surviving off grid also. As part of this I've been considering a hand pump as an addition to our existing well. But now the idea of putting one in the basement suddenly intrigues me.
http://bisonpumps.com/
http://bisonpumps.com/
- anthony7812
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Propane Generac.... Sorry man but if you were to go weeks without power I would be more concerned with where is the food coming from vs lighting my living room Out in the country we would get by... Urban folks would be rely'n on uncle sam crates to come in.
- Freddy
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You are missing an important part on that oil lamp.....and that part is the secret part that makes them give off an amazingly bright white light.... a tall glass chimney. A lamp such as you pictured might have an 18" tall chimney. You remove the chimney, light the wick, replace the chimney, then turn the wick down. Let it warm up for 2 or 3 minutes, the adjust the height of the wick. Up until it smokes, then down until it get's smoke free and bright. It will be similar to a 75 watt light bulb and very white. It will be uncomfortable to look directly at the flame.dcrane wrote:these just don't seem to throw enough light to light a home comfortably (how did they light up houses 150 years ago to an acceptable level?)
- jpete
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I can't find it now of course, but in an old 50's issue of Popular Science, I saw a device to power a radio with an oil lamp.
It was a ring of thermocouples designed to slip over the chimney of the lamp. Might be fun to experiment with and save yourself from having to crank that radio up all the time.
It was a ring of thermocouples designed to slip over the chimney of the lamp. Might be fun to experiment with and save yourself from having to crank that radio up all the time.
- WNY
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If you size your battery bank and solar array correctly and backup type generator. It can be done.
They do make 12/24 VDC water pumps. That is what we use at my sisters off grid home. They also make Solar direct water pumps that can run directly off a solar panel. but if you need it to run at night, you need a battery backup.
You just have to Conserve and use only what you need.
They do make 12/24 VDC water pumps. That is what we use at my sisters off grid home. They also make Solar direct water pumps that can run directly off a solar panel. but if you need it to run at night, you need a battery backup.
You just have to Conserve and use only what you need.
- GoodProphets
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+1 propane generator....this would take a whole lot of headache out of the sitty-a-shun
You can store tanks forever (if you have space)
Us Carb is a great place for conversions or here is their Yamahas Tri Fuel- not cheap, but a good investment.
http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/
Propane heaters (I use the Big Buddies, you can hook up large tank or refill the 1lb from a large)
Propane stove/oven This one works pretty good
http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Camping-Outdoor-B ... B0013LLSZG
Food reserves should be the main goal (rotate to keep fresh, and also to not have a shock on your body to transition)
Storage water
Backup way to filter or at least purification tabs etc.
Flashlights and lanterns
UCO Micro (uses tealights)
Rayovac Sportsman LED lantern- These are amazing! http://www.amazon.com/Rayovac-Sportsman-LED-Lante ... B0018S4XIS
Handcranks are nice, but they end up breaking at some point (Get some, but have other back ups)
In winter, you can melt snow, or find closest stream/pond/etc ( I am about 50ft from a large creek)
Farm animals hehe, chickens, rabbits, and a garden is great!
Solar and battery bank for simple...but can cost a bit more
Plan ahead and be prepared for anything to happen.
Think hard and read a lot of the info out there.
Heck, even set up a tent in your home/garage if all else fails.
You can store tanks forever (if you have space)
Us Carb is a great place for conversions or here is their Yamahas Tri Fuel- not cheap, but a good investment.
http://www.yamaha-propane-natural-gas-generators.com/
Propane heaters (I use the Big Buddies, you can hook up large tank or refill the 1lb from a large)
Propane stove/oven This one works pretty good
http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Chef-Camping-Outdoor-B ... B0013LLSZG
Food reserves should be the main goal (rotate to keep fresh, and also to not have a shock on your body to transition)
Storage water
Backup way to filter or at least purification tabs etc.
Flashlights and lanterns
UCO Micro (uses tealights)
Rayovac Sportsman LED lantern- These are amazing! http://www.amazon.com/Rayovac-Sportsman-LED-Lante ... B0018S4XIS
Handcranks are nice, but they end up breaking at some point (Get some, but have other back ups)
In winter, you can melt snow, or find closest stream/pond/etc ( I am about 50ft from a large creek)
Farm animals hehe, chickens, rabbits, and a garden is great!
Solar and battery bank for simple...but can cost a bit more
Plan ahead and be prepared for anything to happen.
Think hard and read a lot of the info out there.
Heck, even set up a tent in your home/garage if all else fails.
Last edited by GoodProphets on Sun. Dec. 15, 2013 9:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
- SuperBeetle
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We have many oil lamps here and they do get used. We can keep the house warm and cook without power. We have gravity fed city water and have water until the storage tanks run dry. I can fetch water right down the road if needed. We have lots of canned food. Although we do not have a generator we can mange for quite sometime without electricity. Food spoilage is a concern though if we would happen to have an extended period with no electric to run the freezer in warm weather.
- warminmn
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If you have either NG or LP, its hard to beat a gas light. Mines an old Humphrey, later they changed to Paulen. About 50-60 watt equivalent. Puts out a little heat too. Aladdins are good too but cost more to run, as do regular oil lamps. The cost wouldnt matter much for short term use though.
How deep is your well in the basement? Im confused by what you stated. If its shallow just use one of those cheap cistern pumps. They work good. Maybe a little slow but you don't need 100 gallons a day anyway. You can hook the pump right to your sink if you want to and the height isnt too much.
I was carrying water from my well house for a couple months and it was easier to conserve then carry water I rigged up a container with a spout to use at my sink then I unhooked the drain in my sink and caught that in a pail. I used that to flush my toilet. I learned to shower with 2 gallons of water with the pail and cup method. I have always kept 150 gallons of water in my basement and that was real handy for those months, a couple gallons at a time or at night. I heated it with a stove of course.
Food: Canned food or stuff that doesnt need to be cooled.
How deep is your well in the basement? Im confused by what you stated. If its shallow just use one of those cheap cistern pumps. They work good. Maybe a little slow but you don't need 100 gallons a day anyway. You can hook the pump right to your sink if you want to and the height isnt too much.
I was carrying water from my well house for a couple months and it was easier to conserve then carry water I rigged up a container with a spout to use at my sink then I unhooked the drain in my sink and caught that in a pail. I used that to flush my toilet. I learned to shower with 2 gallons of water with the pail and cup method. I have always kept 150 gallons of water in my basement and that was real handy for those months, a couple gallons at a time or at night. I heated it with a stove of course.
Food: Canned food or stuff that doesnt need to be cooled.
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^^^^ omfgjpete wrote:Re: How to Live WELL "Off Grid" without Power or Help
Post By: jpete On: Sun Dec 15, 2013 10:40 am
tsb wrote:Learn to live like an Indian.
If his power is out, chances are the power is out at the casino too.
- lsayre
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Woman who took her fully paid for (plus up to date in property taxes) home in Florida off the grid willfully and intentionally is evicted by a government that has never stepped foot in her home (which they declared to be unsanitary). Guilty before proven innocent.
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/12/florida-city- ... st+Post%29
http://www.activistpost.com/2013/12/florida-city- ... st+Post%29