When you live off the grid a Subaru Outback might seem like the perfect choice. It’s a low-profile All wheel Drive that has an enviable reputation for reliability.
Unfortunately the Subaru company is hostile and unhelpful when the design flaws in its cars are exposed. And there are many design flaws. Their so-called Customer Service department refused to come on the phone and wrote legalistic replies to my complaints.…
A couple of months ago, I began testing a battery desulfator called the Wizbang Plus, it’s a simple device that you attach to your batteries, it creates an electric pulse that essentially “knocks” the sulfation off of the plates inside the batteries. Sulfation is the reason why batteries eventually fail. They hold less and less of a charge until they need to be replaced.
When I first hooked up the desulfator, I used it on 2 separate systems, an older battery on one and newer batteries on another. On the older battery, I’ll say that it seemed to work better, I could see a significant difference, enough that I am going to keep it hooked up, it is a slow process though. …
I watched this video just a few days ago, it shows how someone can live off-grid without living in a primitive manner, of course this takes money, it’s a tradeoff, it’s possible to go off-grid on the cheap, my hubby and I are proof that this possible. But if you do have some money to invest, you can live every bit as “normal” as anyone else who lives on grid.…
Unless you reacted instantly to our piece last week on cheap fleeces, you’ll be looking around for ideas on coping with the cold air mass from the north which will chill two-thirds of the U.S. Sunday through Tuesday.
Staying warm when you are off the grid can be doubly important if you cannot even leave home and are far from supplies of food or fuel. Even if you your home is like a chiller, you may be able to create a warm room.
Ensure that there is adequate insulation, and check and clean the fireplace and furnace. Furnace filters should be replaced monthly.…
A DISABLED mother of five has been living in a car for more than a year after being told she is not vulnerable enough to be housed by the council.
Sarah Wakeman said she has to endure freezing cold and constant fear while staying in an old Volkswagen Golf.
She is surviving on £70 a week in disability living allowance.
Her council in Spelthorne, Surrey, said the 41-year-old meets criteria for housing but she is not a priority, despite having lived in the vehicle since June 2012.…
This site is dedicated to showing how you can live off the grid in comfort and style without costing the earth. Lighting is fairly crucial part of that. Being able to snap on the light when you come home is just as important to off-gridders as to those who are grid-connected.
Light is expensive, energy-hungry, and vital to our happiness – especially at this time of year. And there is a large degree of unanimity amongst off-gridders about what makes good lighting and how to achieve it.
When you live off-grid, electric lighting is not something you can take for granted. The means for controlling natural and artificial light and thus achieving visual comfort are not as well-established in the Unplugged community. But the off-grid aesthetic is now spreading to the plugged-in community.
So how do off-gridders light their homes to maximise the gain and minimise the cost?…
Here’s a useful gadget for sizing your green energy investment.
Spending thousands on solar panels or sticking a wind turbine on your roof requires a serious leap of faith.
You can research how good an investment it should prove, but until most people splash out they will never know. So, it’s no wonder that green energy has gained a reputation for being the domain of those who can afford to have a conscience – or at least enough cash lying around to stump up for an installation lump sum.…
Time for a selection of Christmas Gifts for our ON-Grid friends and family. Here’s how to help others save money on energy bills during these cold, dark winter days as bills are going up.
Though price rises are as inevitable as winter, they are a reminder on why its sensible to be off the grid, and also a reason for your less fortunate cousins to check their energy use.
To help them shave large chunks off their energy bills, we’ve put together a guide to this year’s best energy-saving gadgets.
British inventor James Dyson is working on an off-grid toilet design.
One of the most successful Engineer-designers alive today Dyson announced: “One of (my) incubator units is (working on) Loowat, an off-grid, waterless, toilet system that generates biogas for use in the local community.
“It combines a water-less toilet with an anaerobic digester that creates bottled gas for both heating and cooking.”
Dyson understand the importance of community financial support for the development of new ideas and ways of living.
Dyson is motivated by improving society and the way we live. “Great ideas are often spurred on by an obsession to improve things that don’t work properly,” he said.
Like the Grid, for example.…
Power equipment, especially two stroke engines in like generators, snow blowers and lawnmowers are built to do a specific job and in most cases do it well. But when a piece of equipment doesn’t perform as it should, or not at all, you might regret not having spent a few minutes a month on preventative measures.
Proper engine maintenance and on- and off-season preparation are crucial. Without it, the engine’s performance could be diminished and its lifespan drastically reduced, which means you’ll be spending more time and money on repairs or replacements. And when your equipment is out of commission, it also means you could lose out on opportunities for new projects.…
I have been researching ways to desulfate batteries, I am finding most people saying that it’s snake oil, that it can’t work… some that are saying that seem to be repeating what they have heard from others, they aren’t speaking from experience, I wanted to TRY something before blowing it off as snake oil… There are 2 main ways I’ve discovered to desulfate a battery, one is chemically, the other is electronically.…
From kk.org
“Handheld & powerful, the Waypoint™ pistol-grip spotlight offers high and low intensity modes, emergency signal mode and the latest in power LED technology. The spotlight provides portability and long runtime using 4 “C” sized alkaline batteries or endless runtime with the 12VDC power cord; making the Waypoint the perfect choice for a variety of applications.”
https://www.etoncorp.com/en/productdisplay/scorpion …
