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Rifraf
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2013 09:12pm - Edited by: Rifraf
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Ok for hot water--
I was thinking of having simple water holding tanks over each faucet connected by pvc to an inlet near my flat top furnace.. From here I can place my 5 gallon steel bucket on the top with water in it.. wait for it to get hot then use a hand crank like this one. -- Here -- To force the water into the overhead containers for sink and shower. ?
Any reasons why this could not work ?
For cooking--
I will likely use small propane cooktop, in combination with other solar ovens as well as wood burning BBQ grill outdoors when possible. Most of the time I will just cook outdoors , maybe I will even make a pavilion for this purpose so that I can cook relatively easily even in bad weather. In my mind even 100% propane dependency is sort of on grid in that ill need the store to get more.
Electric--
I want to use a small fridge , TV, general lighting and plugs for random appliances so im still very much researching what ill need here. I saw an ST-5 wood burning sterling engine that can produce 3kw at max burn but its about he size of small a car engine and I havent been able to get a price from the manufacturer yet. This would be ideal for me as im mechanically competent, and the external combustion system is very simple to maintain. The Price may not work out for me though
Water.. I have a 340 foot well, im looking into manual pump options to retrofit to that so I can have water when I jump off th grid. anyone have any resource links for anything used for this. My well has the tall cylinder submersible pump near the bottom.. wires running up and out the top cap.
That's where i'm at for now.. will start my stick building later in the summer and use the 10x12 single story structure as a storage shed until I can start finishing it out.
it was stick or log, decided to go 2x4 or 2x6 stick built.
Any feedback is appreciated.
EDIT: not relevant but here is the design i may go with.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2013 10:30pm
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I have a friend with one of these. It works but from his 266 feet it is a bit of work.
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Rifraf
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# Posted: 28 Jan 2013 11:03pm
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Wow, Don.. Thanks so much.. That was exactly what I was looking for.
Bookmarked that
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rayyy
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# Posted: 29 Jan 2013 06:53am
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For camping Iv,e use a small 12 volt submersible boat bilge pump hooked to a 6 foot piece of plastic tubing with an old solor shower bag sprinkeler head attached to it.I put a plug end on the wireing and had the battery hooked to a toggle switch over head of the shower stall.We would heat the water up in a metal 5 gallon bucket to a comfortable temp,carried it to a shelf about 3 feet high out side the shower stall .Drop the pump in,step into the shower reach up flip the switch,,,Wall-Lah! nice warm shower.The only bad thing was my Michelle uses alot more water than 5 gallons.lol.If you design it so you had your shower stall on the other side of the wall near your stove you could just leave the bucket there.Food for thought.
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helena
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2013 07:54am - Edited by: helena
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on fridges.. Why waste the little electricity you will have on a fridge. i've been living off grid for 6 years with two types of "fridge". I use a "zeer pot" in the summer which is basically two large unglazed terracotta pots, one slightly smaller than the other. In the big pot you cover any hole at the bottom to waterproof it then put a little layer of sand. Then put the smaller terracotta pot into the bigger one and fill the gap between the outside of the small pot and the interior of the big pot with sand. Make a wooden lid with a handle to cover the small pot. You then pour water into the sand gap and keep it topped up. Your small pot is your fridge! Works great and actually the hotter it is outside the better the zeer pot works. You ain't exactly going to fit a case of budweiser in there (unless you find some BIG pots) but, it keeps the other essentials nice and cold!
Also, why not design in an old fashioned "cool box" into the north side of your cabin? I'm planning on designing one in to my cabin. On the north side of my building, I will have a 9'x10' mud room to keep coats, boots,etc with a wooden bench all around the north and east walls of it. Benchs that have opening lids (like a monks or deacons bench) to store winter clothes in etc but, in part of the north side bench will enclose it in a box about 3 foot long and 2 foot wide and 2 foot deep. Will build the cool box feature on the exterior wall of the inside of this box. Should keep things real nice and cool.
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helena
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2013 08:04am
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for hot water, there is a cool little system that I would like to try once I build my cabin. Basically, it's a thermosiphoning system that uses solar in summer and woodstove in winter. So, you get an old water heated radiator and paint in black and build a glass fronted box for it. Plumb in cold water at the bottom and plumb the top exit out to your elevated holding tank. Same with the wood stove. Plumb in an element that lets cold water in the bottom and pushes the hot out the top of the element into a holding tank. That way when it's sunny, in summer you are producing solar hot water and in the winter, hot water from the woodstove. Can upload a diagram from a wee book I've got if you want to see it.  probably a simple thermosiphoning system may work with your idea with the 5 gallon container on the furnace too.
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Rifraf
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2013 11:42am
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Helena, sure I would love to see your design diagram.
I had a similar idea too recently on the woodstove topic that was recently started a FourDog Stove was recommended and you can order them with a side water box that has a spigot on it that would lend itself to such a system.
You can see these here
http://fourdog.com/two-dog-stove-dx/
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helena
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2013 12:32pm
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yep! I own one! been using the fourdog model with water jacket for the past 6 years! It's just starting to go on me though. Going to buy a "range" made of recycled steel here in the UK for my cabin. Highly recommend the four dog! If your cabin is near the coast though, I would recommend a vitreous enamel stove pipe instead. The sea salty air ate through my original fourdog pipe in about a year and a half.
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helena
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# Posted: 30 Jan 2013 06:42pm
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solar and woodstove hot water system.
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RazinKain
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# Posted: 31 Jan 2013 08:03pm
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Rifraf
was looking at your design for your small cabin, and was wondering what program you used to draw it up? Thanks.
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Rifraf
Member
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2013 01:30am
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Http://www.sweethome3d.com
a free program.
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GomerPile
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# Posted: 1 Feb 2013 09:07am
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Whats the static level of water in your well? It makes a huge difference it its 10ft or 100ft...
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Grandma Off Grid
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# Posted: 23 Mar 2013 04:46pm
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if you use a coleman type campstove, the little green bottles are too expensive and don't last long. another idea is to get a 20lb tank, along with an adapter, sold at wally world, and use that for the hookup to the stove. its last longer and can be refilled.
Helena's ideas are very good. you can also just take a wood box, put a shelf or 2 in there, spray foam or insulate the outside. put in cool area or shaded north side. i haven't used that except in the winter, not sure how it would do in summer.
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kurtis
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2013 09:03pm
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Would it be possible to invest (or build) a cheap wind turbine or use some solar panels and run an electric pump? I'd still recommend a hand-pump for use during freeze-ups.
For cooking, you could even diversify it up a little. I'd probably add a smoker (or build a combination grill + smoker with a single fuel source) and build one of those "Earth Ovens" for baking bread, making pizza, etc. They might give you some more options on what (and how) you can cook. Smokers can also be used to preserve meat (jerky) so it could be an invaluable 'machine' if you want to save some freezer/refrigerator space. If you grow your own food, a dehydrator could come in handy as well and they look to be pretty easy to build by hand with recycled materials.
Bathroom idea sounds reasonable although I have to admit I'd probably just go old-school (lazy) and deal with a bath-tub. I don't know the last time I've actually used a bath-tub but there's potential for energy and water conservation (let's say you want to wash some clothes afterwards) and it's a lot simpler. Regardless, I suppose you still need some sort of a mechanism to move the water from your stove-top to the bath/shower and I don't have anything else to add in that regard.
Just a post-warning, I've never tried any of these ideas out but I've put a lot of thought into this sort of stuff over the past few years. Don't be surprised if someone who "walks the walk" comes in and trumps all my ideas.
Enjoy!
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apray
Member
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# Posted: 6 Apr 2013 12:49pm
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Quoting: helena I use a "zeer pot" in the summer which is basically two large unglazed terracotta pots, one slightly smaller than the other. In the big pot you cover any hole at the bottom to waterproof it then put a little layer of sand. Then put the smaller terracotta pot into the bigger one and fill the gap between the outside of the small pot and the interior of the big pot with sand. Make a wooden lid with a handle to cover the small pot. You then pour water into the sand gap and keep it topped up. Your small pot is your fridge! Works great and actually the hotter it is outside the better the zeer pot works. You ain't exactly going to fit a case of budweiser in there (unless you find some BIG pots) but, it keeps the other essentials nice and cold!
I have put together a small zeer pot but have not yet tried it. I am glad to hear that you have had success with one, Helena. Do you have a photo? What kind of things have you kept cold? And do you have any pointers for keeping it cold over a weekend?
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