# live in comfort off grid?



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

I have been criticized more than once because I want my BOL to be comfortable when off grid.
I want running water hot and cold. <-- I'm not going weeks without a shower
I want refrigeration in the summer. <-- I love homemade ice cream 
I want the lights to come on when I flip the switch. <-l have lanterns and candles but don't want to use them
I want to watch T.V. < I have plenty of dvds to watch And a few X box games for the grandkids
I want to watch prepper tips CDs on my computer.
I want the toilet to flush when I pull the handle < And I have years of toilet paper I will not wipe my butt with leaves and sticks
I want a cold glass of milk whenever I want it< I have a dairy a few miles down the road. I will trade for a milk cow
I want to roll up a smoke when I want <-- have seeds
I want a drink when I want it <<- the red necks down here have shown me how to make some excellent wine. 
the home made stuff is better than the store bought. Best I have ever had and I have had some expensive wine 

And Guess what? Right now I have all of that except hot water. And I'm working that--
I have 1750 watts of solar panels and 15 batteries that's all it takes
Right now all my rooms are lit by really bright 12 volt LED bulbs.
All my water is pumped by my solar
My TV and computer are solar powered 

I'm working on hot water I have seen copper pipe ran around a drum stove and a lot of other ways to heat water. not me 
I'm going to install a small 30 gallon propane water heater. < needs no electric to operate just propane
A 100 gallon tank of propane is only $60 I have 9 that are full one tank will last almost a year if used for
just stove cooking for 6 people. So turning on a hot water heater once or twice a week should not be a problem.

Why not live in comfort? Where I live I don't think bad guys will be a problem. 
And what neighbors I do have have got years of there own food and supplies.
So why not? Right now it's easy and not really expensive to get set up for SHTF.
I mean after you have set up what you need to survive why not start setting up for comforts?

People are funny they say they are sure that SHTF is coming and will spend many thousands of dollars
On a car or truck that they could get by without buy won't spend the money to get ready for whats
really important. That new $35,000 truck will look good sitting out in the driveway after SHTF

Yep,, My car and truck may be over 8 years old but I wont be wiping my butt with sticks and leaves 
And yes I been drinking that wine


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## StratMaster (Dec 26, 2017)

Hey, just because it's the end of the world doesn't mean we have to live like savages! I intend to be warm, well fed, and tipping a nice tumbler of bourbon.


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## jim-henscheli (May 4, 2015)

Good post! So my situation, while not perfect, is a good example... I have full solar, refrigeration, BRIGHT lights in all rooms, self contained sewage, water storage and filtration, rain collection(almost) and one year of prapane(verified by experience!) and 6 months of food. All this contained in a two bedroom, one bath, luxurious micro island! Lol.
Point is; my boat gave us a lot of “off grid” for very little money, 12k, and we are honestly very comfortable after 2 years.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

budgetprepp-n said:


> I'm working on hot water I have seen copper pipe ran around a drum stove and a lot of other ways to heat water. not me
> I'm going to install a small 30 gallon propane water heater. < needs no electric to operate just propane


You considered dc hot water tank elements? I have both the regular & the one with the built in thermostat. With these, you can wire directly to a solar panel and thus no need for fuel.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

budgetprepp-n said:


> I have been criticized more than once because I want my BOL to be comfortable when off grid.
> I want running water hot and cold. <-- I'm not going weeks without a shower
> I want refrigeration in the summer. <-- I love homemade ice cream
> I want the lights to come on when I flip the switch. <-l have lanterns and candles but don't want to use them
> ...


Your place sounds just like ours, only we dont call it a BOL - we live here full time and call it home cause we already 'bugged out' (from the masses, lol) We chose a non-elec 30gal propane water heater too - it's nice to not have to heat water on the stove, but sometimes I do anyway. We keep stocked in toilet paper _and_ know we can use leaves (no sticks) when and if it ever becomes necessary. Don't let others' criticisms get you down. We each have to find our own way... our newest vehicle is 7yrs old and does just fine.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Why the hell live like a savage if you have the option of creature comforts. Surviving a disaster is hard enough. Making things easier would be sound. Is this not why we prep? To have food, shelter, water and other necessities as opposed to being animals? JMHO.


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## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

Obviously you have a separate 12 volt wiring system for your in home lighting. But I’m curious. What type of lighting fixtures do you have and where did you purchase them? Do you also have 120 volt lighting or you depend entirely on the 12 volt system?


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Another option for hot water is the old style, cast iron pots. Agri Supply has good pricing on the big boys. I keep one in the barn for just in case. Obviously has more uses than just water.










https://www.agrisupply.com/carolina-cooker-waxed-stew-pot-40-gal/p/101681/


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## 0rocky (Jan 7, 2018)

Chiefster23 said:


> Obviously you have a separate 12 volt wiring system for your in home lighting. But I'm curious. What type of lighting fixtures do you have and where did you purchase them? Do you also have 120 volt lighting or you depend entirely on the 12 volt system?


I obviously can't speak as to what fixtures, etc budgetprepp-n is using but to sneak in here; you can make use of all the camper/trailer/motor home equipment that is wired for 12v.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

0rocky said:


> I obviously can't speak as to what fixtures, etc budgetprepp-n is using but to sneak in here; you can make use of all the camper/trailer/motor home equipment that is wired for 12v.


Ditto, that. We stripped out an old camper, grabbed the water pump first.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

MountainGirl said:


> Ditto, that. We stripped out an old camper, grabbed the water pump first.


IMO, the ultimate piece of gear for off grid convenience is a Grundfos flex well pump, that can pressurize a home water system just like normal, but do so running directly off of solar panels... no inverters or batteries necessary. Granted with the inverters & batteries you can run the pump at night but during a crisis, I can live perfectly fine with the pump only running when the sun is out. The pressure tank still provides limited water during the night.


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

******* said:


> IMO, the ultimate piece of gear for off grid convenience is a Grundfos flex well pump, that can pressurize a home water system just like normal, but do so running directly off of solar panels... no inverters or batteries necessary. Granted with the inverters & batteries you can run the pump at night but during a crisis, I can live perfectly fine with the pump only running when the sun is out. The pressure tank still provides limited water during the night.


It does, and is the only part of our system I wish we could have utilized was the Grundfos. In our situation, there was no feasible way to even have a relatively small holding tank, kept unfrozen. If there had been - a gravity-fed set-up to the cabin would have been sweet.

p.s..Thanks again for the WaterBoy prompting. It and the adapter-puller are in hand.


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## Toefoot (Jun 21, 2017)

We did not do our house for off grid instead decided to put that money into our BOV and for reason, we can park it on our property and use it or bug out if the reason arises and take along some creature comforts with us. I did not want to leave anything behind that could help a potential adversary be it people or government. Urban places are ripe for resources for those who seek.

As age reached us the wife and I purchased a TAB 320 Boon-dock/Outback model not only for camping off grid but with bugging out in mind, the camper can be pulled by our Jeep or the larger quads if need be.... if lawless rules most any vehicle can pull it. It has Flex solar panels on the roof and everything can run on 12v and propane. This RV is very energy efficient as it has no furnace for heat but has the Alde in floor circulating tube heat system, the interior is not even 80 SF I think. For short term tragedy(<12 months) this was ideal solution for us. This summer some mods will be done with "sustain" being in mind. The RV with the EU2000i and propane conversion kit along with a boxed at the ready 12v sump pump for external water source (Stream/Lake) offers a lot of options and comfort. The wife keeps the small camper packed with dehydrated meals and water. It also has a good booze selection so I can be both drunk and smug while the world catches fire.

Once we purchase our last home bugging out will be our last option and will lean more towards making the home more self reliant.


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## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

MountainGirl said:


> It does, and is the only part of our system I wish we could have utilized was the Grundfos. In our situation, there was no feasible way to even have a relatively small holding tank, kept unfrozen. If there had been - a gravity-fed set-up to the cabin would have been sweet.


Can't you utilize an underground pressure tank, below the frost line? If that is possible, keep in mind you will need more solar panel wattage to run the pump than what the charts will indicate. Takes extra oomph to build pressure as opposed to free flowing. I have the extra panels, controllers & pressure switch needed to pressurize my system when running directly off of solar panels.

Here is the discussion where the additional solar wattage was explained to me:

*With 180 feet head we also have to
take account of the pressure in the pressure tank which normally is about
45psi which the pump would have to work against, so we would have a total
head of 284 feet. In that case in order to maximize the flow rate of the 11
sqf-2 we would be looking at 6 solar panels to give us 11.5 gpm. We could
have 4 panels but that would be closer to 8.5 gpm.*


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

******* said:


> Can't you utilize an underground pressure tank, below the frost line? ...


There is no place to dig one in. Solid granite boulders here, most exposed, the few pockets of dirt range between 2" and 18" deep. Even had to put the septic tank on the side of a slope below us and haul in dirt to bury it to code. It's contents keeps it and the lines from freezing up...but God help us if it ever starts sliding...LOLOL


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## 0rocky (Jan 7, 2018)

I was mulling this topic around and as usual, this site caters to a rather varied audience so the solution that works for one mindset and/or budget may not work for others. Having all the luxuries possible is fantastic. If you're worried about drawing attention to oneself, budgetary considerations aside, and your planning on surviving a worst case scenario, you may have to be in a _very_ remote or secure location. The other logistic is are you designing for the long haul. I've got a buddy who's crazier than me. Tells me he survived the winter with 2 BBQ sized propane tanks. It gets down to minus 30 here and he's living in a box inside a box. (A _small_ trailer in a barn.) He recently bought a thousand gallon propane tank. His age notwithstanding, at his rate of consumption it should last him 3 lifetimes. I like @Toefoot solution. As far as the luxury aspect, I'm sure we've all seen some rather luxurious portable living quarters; everything up to a converted Greyhound Bus. As was weighed in on another thread about challenges as we get older, I do like my creature comforts more. One day I may be inspired to develop a chart with duration of crisis your planning for, budget, location your going to (or staying in), power needs, food requirements, and probably 20 more logistics; you could then intersect the appropriate row and column and come up with the prepackaged plan that best suits you :vs_laugh:


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## MountainGirl (Oct 29, 2017)

0rocky said:


> One day I may be inspired to develop a chart with duration of crisis your planning for, budget, location your going to (or staying in), power needs, food requirements, and probably 20 more logistics; you could then intersect the appropriate row and column and come up with the prepackaged plan that best suits you :vs_laugh:


 I actually did something like that my first months up here (to prep for being snowed in overwinter if we couldn't get out...) and after the first few 'projections' didn't line up with the 'realities' - the whole chart got used for firestarter.  <--best use.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

******* said:


> IMO, the ultimate piece of gear for off grid convenience is a Grundfos flex well pump, that can pressurize a home water system just like normal, but do so running directly off of solar panels... no inverters or batteries necessary. Granted with the inverters & batteries you can run the pump at night but during a crisis, I can live perfectly fine with the pump only running when the sun is out. The pressure tank still provides limited water during the night.


Your only $20 and one car battery away from having a complete system


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

I used a 12 RV pump to move my water from then tanks to the upstairs works great been using it for about 2 years without a problem
6 people live here that's a lot of showers and stuff but like I said no problems so far. I used a on-demand pump and added an accumulator
tank I get about 9 gallons of water before the pump kicks on


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## PrepTrack (Aug 21, 2018)

Currently working on my off grid property design. Need to pay an architect to approve designs before I can even pursue funding to break ground. Let's say it's built today: it would be a distant BOL from where I live now (13 hrs drive), but I plan on primarily residing there making in a permanent BIL. Rammed earth passive solar design, solar and wind power, water catchment, double-film hoop house with aquaponics.

Yeah, gonna be awesome, but it's a ways out. You'll be perfectly fine with what you have going on. Our ancestors did more with less. And eliminating the strain of people even _finding you_ is a tangible gain.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

This is an older post I ended up having a on demand propane hot water heater water heater instead of a tank style I like it.


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