advice sought on moving to remote house without utilities

I must be missing something. You want to escape "development" but you personally want to have all the luxuries that modern developement offers.....right?

What am I missing?

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This is the government the Founding Fathers warned us about.....

You didn't miss a thing!

Are you up there all day or do you have a job off the mountain? If you had a laptop, you could charge the batteries elsewhere. I'd trade the big tv and big computer for a small laptop - less elec drain and they run off battery. As for water, it depends on the depth of the well. If its not too deep, you can hand pump up to a holding tank and gravity feed it into the house. That would be pretty inexpensive to do. If its a deeper well, use an electric pump to draw it up to the holding tank. You'd only need to pump once every couple days depending on how much water you use.

I kinda agree with others - depending on the generator daily might not be the way to go longer term.

For clothes - if it is just you, how about a trip to the laundrymat once a week when you go for groceries? 2 loads, one white, one colors. Bring them home wet and hang them out.

Are you certain the cell phone works well out there? We get no cellular reception up on ours.

Fordy makes a good point about acess. Our road is paved, but when there is snow, it's too treacherous to go up and down - sometimes even for 4-wheel drives.

All problems aside, it will make for a heck of an adventure.

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Ultra Lord is not afraid of chickens!

I don't know where you are, but if it's anywhere in the Pacific Northwest, I think you should forget it....and give me directions! :haha:

Seriously, my wondering on all this is, how obnoxious would the CPS be about a family having their kids living this way? I have always wanted to try it, but was so afraid that if the government found out they would do something that would end up with me in jail for murdering a social worker. I'm not an extremist, or militant, but I have heard horror stories. Anyone know anything about this?

Cara: This may be good for another thread. When you look at all the children living in cars, homeless shelters, meth houses etc. what you are proposing is not bad. Clean, well fed, no drugs, heat, safety: not left alone and schooling are a few of the things the're interested in. We have a lot of people who live like what you're thinking of doing in the area I live - not out of choice, but necessity. Maybe others can give you more info.

We lived here from July (2002) to Dec the next year(2003) without our solar hooked up, using the generator only for power tools and occationally the computer or to watch a movie as a treat, I still don't have a fridge, and I'm not feeling desprite to get one, so we are ok on that. Our generator cost about $600 in 2002 and it will run a washing machine, it has a 220v outlet for the well pump too.


We now have water barrels with spigots inside up on a welded stand for ease of use and indoors so it doesn't freeze soild in winter, we started with them on the floor and dipped water out as needed, we have a sawdust toilet, works great, dumping bucket gets old, but for the price it is still worth it. our 1st winter here I chopped ice to melt for my chickens to drink.


We lucked out are are just close enought to established phone lines to have a land line, But I have a friend that does it like you said.

I have 2 solar panels for 200w at 12v and a semi-truck invereter from a truck stop {it is a cobra brand I'm happy with it, cost was something like $300}
5-12v batteries and on a sunny day we have more power than we can use up, but I don't have a fridge, I did run the washer off the generator as we pump water from the deep well into a storage tank, so the washing is free, becuase the gen is already running to pump water, I fill it with the hose off the storage tank or by buckets, or with the 12v transfer pump which we cilp onto the tractor battery and run the tractor only enough to keep the battery healthy. I hate having to listen to the generator for very long and gas cost more every fill up so we try not to use it.

For that you need to talk with the sales people (hopefully you can find one that is educated about the product) Ours was about $600 at Home Depot/Lowe's in 2002, as you get used to you power supply you can learn how much you can do at one time.

If you mean power spikes from the genny, ours doesn't do that, if you mean lightening, unplug everything during storms. We have blown our modem 3 times.
from surges in the phone lines even with a powerstrip inline surge protector, but every thing else was ok and still working.


I use computer during sunnny days or on genny because it will pull the batteries down, our 12v tv will run several days off the batteries, I can't really watch both at the same time, but if hubby wants tv he starts the genny, we don't use lights while the tv or computer is on because the screen give enough light to see most things, we have flouresent lights and LED's and just 3 RV 12v bulbs that we don't use very much.

We built a 12x16 leanto green house on the south side of our house for under $800 wood framing a the high dollar UV stable green house polycarbonate on the roof for $25 per sheet, cheaper stuff for the walls, it is heated by our main rooms wood stove.


How could I use my washing machine without running water?.>>covered that above

we are pretty close, I lived here with no windows and oil lamps for light the 1st year.

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Thumper/in Okla.
Growing a Homestead from the dirt up.

save the grass, eat a cow
C.L.F.
{chlorophill liberation front}

I have just spend nearly an hour answering everyone in great detail when I was terrorized by two cats and ended up losing the page!!!!!!!

Drat and double drat! :no:

CAAAAAAAAAAAATS! but i love them :worship:

So thanks to everyone, I have noted all the suggestions and here are some remaining questions.

How much does it cost to run a generator for five hours?

What is an inverter?

I have 80% less sunlight heat than california. How many solar panels do I need?

I only have a scooter, can I recharge a battery from it?

and do you mean carbatteries?

I have to agree with Cabin Fever, it never ceases to amaze me people who "Want to get away from it all", end up taking "It all" with them when they go.
Living "Off Grid" while very noble, has its drawbacks, and I've seen plenty of people around here do it, they start off great, loving it all the way, but in about three years, the shine has gone, and they just get fed up working so hard just to meagerly exist, and they pack up and head back to town.
I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but think seriously of how no interactivity is going to affect your kids while they're growing up, or yourself for that matter.
Being too far out of touch, makes people go a little (or a lot) whacko sometimes.
And renting something like that, just doesn't sound appealing at all, you could buy some inaccesible hunting cabin much cheaper than rent.
I've seen people building their dream castle out in the remote woods, only to get ****ed at local governments when they can't get any utilities or services brought out to their homes, (including fire and ambulance, and yes police too) in some cases these people need a reality check.
Just think clearly and forget the "romantic image", it is after all, just an image.

Sounds like good advice to me and very easy!!

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

I would use the Generator to charge a twelve volt system. I would also look around for a used propane refrigerator. If you buy one used, check around first to see about where you can get the thing recharged with Ammonia. If this place is in California, forget using an older propane refrigerator. Instead look around for a junky old RV that still has a working one, and harvest it. Also, and alternative to a fridge is an old fashioned Ice Box. I found one of those at a little store down the road for $200. You could also easily build a cold sink which is actually and Ice Box laying down instead of standing up so the cold falls out the door. If this place is in a cold enough climate, you could even cut your own ice for keeping things cold.

Don't forget nature. Many times God has provided many ways to accomplish keeping things cold for awhile. Wintertime is an example. Then there are also springs to build springhouses around. You can make a a cold box to lower into a dug well. In winter in California, I had an old propane fridge that I couldn't get anyone to replace the ammonia on, so I used it outside as a coldbox. It was just insulated enough to keep things nice and cold, but not frozen. Even in summer, I could store vegis in it for a short time. As far as a computer, they take very little power, and can be run for short periods with an inverter on a 12 VOLT SYSTEM.

If you want my opinion, I would say look around at all your electrical appliances and ask yourself how many you really need. If I had the opportunity to buy a place like you are talking about cheap, I would do it in a heartbeat, and sell or store my new roaster and Jack Lalaine power juicer(a GREAT product by the way!). But then that's just me.


Little Bit Farm

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Jeremiah 31:33
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

You could use an old wringer washer and fill it by hand. I don't know how much power they use. We adapted the one that we had by running it's belt to an exercise bike. Sorry, I didn't actually do the work, but it worked! We took turns riding it and filling it, had a little stove that had a hole in it just the size of a galvanized bucket, I think they called it a sheepherder stove? It was oval.

Could you plan to install a line for drying clothes in your poly tunnel?

Answer to Cara, at least a few years back CPS didn't seem to have any real issues with raising kids off of the grid, at least in Montana. I had two pre-teens and a baby, and was threatened by an ex, so I checked. The CPS lady told me that as long as I kept them fed and clean and they had a warm place to sleep, I was good to go. Sounds like livestock, lol, but it made sense to me.

hollym

Thanks Holly. Maybe we should come to MOntana. :haha: Of course, I'll have to convince husband, and that may be a trouble...living without the 'puter. Maybe for the summer?

A freezer can be tweeked to work as an ice box. Uses much less power than a fridge. Propane fridges use a lot of propane from what I hear from people that live off the grid.

I was just at a home that is off grid but they have solar pannels, generator, and propane for lights and cooking. Thay also have a huge bank of batteries. I hate to think of how much $$ they have put into their place so they can live off grid. Theirs is not a simple life.

We do have other friends that live off grid and they dont have all the extra goodies and they do have a very simple and enjoyable life.

I have an incubator that runs on kerosene, it holds 144 eggs. if you want a dia gram to build one let me know

=mountaingirl]
How much does it cost to run a generator for five hours?

>>our gas generator runs about 12 hours on 5 gallons

What is an inverter?

>> an inverter changes DC elect. (like in batteries usually 12v or 24v) into AC elect. (like the pug outlets in 'on grid' houses, usually about 110v or 120v)

I have 80% less sunlight heat than california. How many solar panels do I need?

>> to make elect. it's not about the heat, is about the brightness of the sunlight
We have 2 - 100watt panels and we are happy, and more can be added over time.

I only have a scooter, can I recharge a battery from it?

>> it should be possible, but it will take alot of time and gas

and do you mean carbatteries?

>> we started with a car battery for just my little black&white tv, I would recharge it with jumper cables from my pickup, but they are not best, deep cycle
batteries are best, but they cost more, marine batteries are a cheap version of a deep cycle battery. The goal with batteries is to NOT run them down so they will live longer. I have killed a few..... Really good deep cycle batteries cost around $200 each new. We got our not so great used ones for $15 each.

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Thumper/in Okla.
Growing a Homestead from the dirt up.

save the grass, eat a cow
C.L.F.
{chlorophill liberation front}

Thanks everyone for lottsa good advice.

wow five gallons for twelve hours? That would cost a fortune in UK! worrying :no: 79.4 pence a gallon!

£3.92 for five!

That would be £62.72 for 32 days.

Thats over double what I am paying for grid electricity and totally unnaffordable. I pay £28 pm for grid!

Basically I'm just going to have to live with what I got.

Whatever genny the landlord has, though I will try to argue for a better one.

There is a man in the mountains who deals in car parts from a field and I'll get him to build me a wind genny.

Its either the rat race and endless often meaningless luxury or get back to nature and away from all the developement.

I been advised a 2500/3000 w genny

someone else said: 20kwt unit 1800 rpm diesel.

So thats what I am looking for?

Our gas generator is a 5500w continuous, with up to a 8500w start up boost for starting things like the washing machine. (big thing pull more juice to start then settle down as they run)

__________________
Thumper/in Okla.
Growing a Homestead from the dirt up.

save the grass, eat a cow
C.L.F.
{chlorophill liberation front}