
Hacking my way through off-the-grid survival - nunodonato
https://nunodonato.github.io/solar/2019/11/09/hacking-my-way-through-offgrid-survival.html
======
Jamwinner
Having a propane powered generator seems like the cheapest easy-button. You
are already producing tons of co2 with unregulated burning of wood, it would
actully benefit your environmental profile. While propane cannot be gathered
in the woods, neither can dishwashers, water heaters, batterys or controllers.

I'm honestly suprised when I hear an off-gridder is even considering a
dishwasher, which is replaced easily by another 10 minutes at the sink, uses
no wattage, less water. Seems it would be a smaller sacrifice in the big
picture than the other issues.

Also consider passive heat options. Painting one side of your home a dark
color is shockingly effective, even moreso passive heat exchangers.

Find old car batteries, and learn to recondition them. They are a bit bulky,
but can provide cheap amperage if you understand the concepts involved. Most
just need a bit more water and acid, and a desulfation to hold a majority of
their original capacity.

~~~
nunodonato
Burning wood can actually be very eco-friendly if you know how to do it right
:) With proper wood and proper burning, of course!

Dishwasher, no way to go without it with 2 kids! Unless you enjoy doing lots
of chores :) And actually, a dishwasher is more efficient (water-wise) than
washing manually. I dont buy the "romantic" idea that offgrid = cave-age
living. My whole point is to be off-grid, in nature, but with some useful
modern technologies :)

I've been looking into many passive heat/cooling solutions. We just moved in,
so lots of experiments going on :) We do have extreme winters and summers, so
a dark color would grill us during summer ;)

------
jaclaz
Maybe there is a typo in the power of the water heater, 15000wh (15 Kwh) seems
way too much, a typical water heater (at least here in Italy) is 1.6 or 2 Kw
(not Kwh btw).

In off grid situations are common "hybrid" water heaters, with either a plain
enough solar serpentine or with a heat exchanger connected to the wooden
stove.

~~~
nunodonato
Typo indeed. Thanks.

Serpentine is definitely in the plans for next year!

