I have this big project in my head and am not sure how to accomplish it. I want to buy a land, build my house (prob earthbag house), start my own farm and slowly become fully self-sufficient.

It’s so overwhelming when I’m trying to slice this project into smaller pieces. Do you have any book/YouTube or whatever recommendations that can help me to acquire all the necessary skills? I already read a book about earthbag building, I read books about medicinal herbs for growing. I have no knowledge about gardening tho. Also, if there are any US folks who can help me find info on building regulations in different states/counties, I will be super grateful.

I want to give myself a year for learning and saving money for a land and then starting realizing all of it.

Hi, we're looking at desert land, we'll need to haul water or have it delivered and composting toilets aren't allowed. Anyone else in a similar situation, what do you use for septic?

Whats up all.

Let me start off by saying I am a major noob. I have a piece of land (1 acre) completely off grid in a very hot/sunny place with nothing but a water cistern currently on my property. I would like to start planting plants so that by the time I am ready to build i'll already have some nice established trees.

I would like to install a water pump with drip irrigation system (on a timer) to automate this process. Since I don't have electricity my only option is to set up a solar panel.

I'm currently looking at these two systems - would either of these be adequate for what I am trying to do?

1. System 1 - Flow rate 600L/h (prices in Mexican pesos so it is about 1/20th cheaper than it appears)
2. System 2 - Flow rate 800L/h (prices in Mexican pesos so it is about 1/20th cheaper than it appears)

Also I would like to automate the process by connecting a timer to it. What would I need to connect the timer to the solar & water pump? Is it as simple as just buying a timer and connecting it? If so does anyone have a recommendation for a good timer that fits either of these systems? Also if anyone has a recommendation for something else than these systems I am happy to hear it.

Appreciate all help/input!

Alright boys n gals. I need y'alls brains again for a problem I'm trying to figure out. This may not be offgrid specific entirely but some of it does entail offgrid-style problem solving. I honestly just wanted to post it here because y'all are some of the smarter folk I've found in these parts XD

So I work from home full-time for my day job and am looking to do a bit of traveling and sleeping in my car while I go around the US. What I'm trying to do has 2 phases.

Phase 1: This is the easier problem that I already know more or less how to solve, though I'm open to suggestions. I am going to take a 100Ah LiFePo4 12v battery and use that with a 1000W inverter (or maybe 600W if you think it's overkill) to charge my laptop as I travel across the country. That's easy enough to setup.

Phase 2: This is where I'm struggling. I want to figure out how I can charge the LiFePo4 battery either with solar (albeit slow and not consistent) or using my cars alternator when I'm driving from state to state. Is there a simple solution to this made already? The other option is to also bring a generator to top it up whenever it gets down to dangerous levels to not damage the battery. My laptop does not use that much power (maybe 50W) and my shifts are 8 hours but obviously I'd be wanting to watch some netflix n stuff at the end of the night so laptop use may be closer to 10-12 hours.

If I can figure out how to charge my laptop from said battery, and charge that battery indefinitely with my car then I can essentially travel indefinitely because I have no expenses right now so really want to try to get this done. Any and all suggestions welcome.

This could be handy if you use a lot of battery powered lights. I used white vinegar and kept putting it on till it didn't look crusty or fizz any more. Then I cleaned with alcohol. after that I dried with paper towel and blow dried with battery powered leaf blower. I saved a medium quality flashlight and a nice led lantern.

I’ve been on a waiting list for months for replacement Black Berkey water filters. Berkey says they have no timeline for them being back in stock. They have ceramic filters that seem to do the same thing. Has anyone used them, or know if they are as good, or maybe better than the black filters?

So I want to get a good grasp on power consumption and calculations around it to ensure I understand this correctly.

If I was running a laptop that consumed 200W, a starlink that consumed around 150W and an AC Unit that consumed 500W, would this be the correct math? Assuming I ran the computer and starlink for 4 hours and the AC for 12 hours.

laptop + starlink = 350W x 4 hours = 1400Wh

AC unit = 500W x 12 hours = 6000Wh

Total daily consumption = 7400Wh.

Now battery + solar needs would be Watt hours divided by battery voltage, correct?

So that would be 7400Wh/48v = 155 Amp hours. Adjust a 25% capacity limit = 193 Amp hours of batteries

So I would need 193 amp hours worth of 48v LiFePo4 batteries.

Now if I wanted to charge my batteries with solar, I would need 7400Wh divided by the peak sunlight hours (5) = 1480 Watts of solar coming in, correct?

Adjust a 20% efficiency loss on solar system so closer to 1776 Watts of solar coming in during peak hours to run my system without draining batteries.

Is my math mathing or am I misunderstanding the basics? Would love to learn so any insights you can offer are appreciated.

Hi all! I'm looking for a recommendation for an outdoor propane instant hot water heater, nothing to break the bank preferably in or around the $200 range.

Any advice would be appreciated. I'll be using a standard 20LB propane tank and already have a shower hooked up if that makes a difference.

Hi all, hoping to get some help for a conundrum I have - I'm on 4 hectares in Sicily with no water/electrical access. I have two large water tanks for my crops (5k gallons each) that currently operate as gravity-feed on a slope, but once they start emptying, obviously I lose pressure and the drippers stop operating correctly.

I'd like to set up water pumps on each one with a solar setup, and I'm thinking I can bury a generator and affix the solar panel to the actual tank. Could anybody recommend a solar setup for this? Or any suggestions for similar setups to accomplish my goal of getting more water pressure off the tanks? Much appreciated all

https://preview.redd.it/1pri53r693yd1.jpg?width=2268&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b0d71ff3cb6452fda96ce92d191250a4c0c28d5

I'm dedicating these next two years to saving as much as I can to put some money down on land in North Carolina for a homestead. I currently work as a certified clinical medical assistant and waitress on weekends. I plan on using the tuition reimbursement program to become a psychiatric nurse to increase my earnings. I am now starting from scratch. Owner financing seems to be the only feasible option with my finances and socioeconomic background. I'm a bit open to splitting acres with someone but don't know anyone who I'd trust enough to make a business deal with. I'd like advise/insight from landowners who purchased land while not financially well off. What can I do within this year to get closer to my goal? How are the prospects of owning land looking? What other options can I explore to own land? How do I go about networking with landowners?

Thank you.

I’m planning to DIY a heat exchange type system utilizing my currently installed standard wood stove and a used hot water tank as an insulated storage tank.

My main question is, is the included pressure release valve on the tank sufficient for this set up? (I will be replacing it with a new one)

I have a cabin on land that my wife and I are prepping to move into full time after the last daughter graduates in a couple years. Off grid, solar power, well water, etc

It's part of a community so it's not miles deep in the woods, you can pull up to the cabin from a dirt road.

Where it is has a lot of traffic from locals and I have a neighbor who watches it for me when I'm not there. He looks for signs of activity, etc...and he looks on it whenever he drives by (and he has to every time to get to the main road).

My concern is with the rise of squatters I want to protect the cabin from looking like a viable option to one, and save myself a late night eviction with guns and violence.

The issue is that the power is only on when we're there. When we're not I turn off the battery rack and solar. I want to possibly have a timer light system that turns off and on in regular intervals. And was trying to think of a way to do this.

The only thing I can think of is rigging a single solar panel or something up that can hook up to a small battery or solar generator with enough power to power a couple lamps for a night, with the lamps being plugged into a timer.

Is this the best route? Do they sell something specifically for this? Do they have something that throws shadows that mimicks movement?

TIA for any help

Australian here - first time reddit poster. Am currently converting an old rundown bus into a home, first project like this and am a little overwhelmed with the power side of things and was hoping to get some advice.

For context, the bus does not run and has no starter-battery. I am hoping to hook up a single solar panel on the roof to two auxillary batteries in the bus which will then power my 12v electrics. I wanted to grab advice on wiring it all together.

The equipment I am using is:
- 160W Adventure Kings Solar Panel (fixed to roof)
- Adventure Kings 115Ah AGM deep cycle batteries
- Adventure Kings MPPT Solar Regulator (20Amps)
- Narva Automotive Cable 6mm (4.5mm2), Rated to 50Amps (Copper)

I'll attach a rough diagram of how I plan to wire the system but in words:

1. Positive and negative wire going from panel to solar regulator
2. Positive and negative wire going from solar regular to battery 1
3. Negative wire going from battery 1 to ground (attached to chassis or bus wall)
4. Positive and negative wire going from battery 1 to battery 2
5. Positive and negative wire going from battery 2 to electrical devices

Is this the right way to do it? I found the advice in the solar regulator manual very poor. There seem to be two addition wire clamps which don't have a use - do I run the electrical devices straight from the battery or from the regulator? Are the batteries wired up correctly? Does it matter which device/battery the ground wire comes from?

A couple additional questions - I am very conscious of fire and do not want to burn my bus down, at this point I hadn't planned on adding any fuses to the wiring - is this a mistake?. I also wanted to make sure that I am using thick enough wiring and that I am wiring in the right way.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Wiring Diagram

[Edit] A thousand thanks to everyone who took the time to reply and give ideas on what my next step could/should be. Therapy is definitely on my list.

Very grateful to this community, I will go little by little and hopefully come back with more cheerful updates.

😊

So... it's quite a long story, so here's some context

2 years ago I bought 255m² of rustic mountain land in the middle of the tropical rainforest. It has a beautiful huge carrob tree, a few nance trees, and a tiny brook nearby. The wind is amazing over there and I find peace when I go visit.The mountain view with the clouds is amazing.

It's almost 2h from the city and 15 min from the nearest village. It has some tosca street so I can't get my car to the plot, I have to park near the entrance and go down by foot in the rustic inclined path. I want to build some tipe of rustic street so I can go down with my car.

I hired a contractor to build a simple outdoor bathroom (toilet and almost outdoor shower). It looks nothing like the render they showed me and are giving way to many problems to finish the job.

I have been plating decorative bushes, lemon trees and a little orchad but since I have little time to go and take care of it, the orchad is full of weeds. But at least I have two tiny avocado trees.

The dry season is a problem for the bushes amd orchad, and the rainy season it's great for some of the plants. Bare in mind I researched which plants would thrive in that part of the mountain.

The problem is, right now I'm having a few economic problems, my 8 to 5 job is sucking my soul and it's paying me less than when I bought my plot of land... and since I'm not working remote anymore, I have to use most of my money in gasoline and maintainance for my car (at the moment I'm trying to find another remote job but it's quite difficult right now).

I'm a little bit demoralized in different aspects of my life, and I don't want to waste time and more money in the land I bought.

Something to consider, I'm alone in this project and I have some chronic illnesses that suck my energy away most of the time... but I know I can continue this project little by little. I just don't know what is the next step...

I need advice about what to do, my dream was to build a cute cottage there, have a art studio and live in peace with solar panels, working remotly there with a good internet connection, surrounded by flowers and the mountain view... and visit the village for everything else.

I would like to learn carpintery maybe to finish the horrible bathroom/barn the contractor built, it's missing the toilet door.

I would love some advice or links to keep this project going...

I don't use this inverter very often. When I went to go power it up without any load on it it's reading an overload. F07 error code

Any idea why this would have happened?

Battery is reading at 13.2

I have an old well on the property that hasn't been used in probally 30+ years. I dropped a weight on it and hit water about 50 feet down. I wouldn't need to use it, except when I have to burn brush. What would be an easy and quick way to pump the water out? It doesn't have to be anything permanent.

anyone in the Ozarks? S.W. Missouri area... if so, where? i am purchasing a lot in the area and was wondering about neighborhood, well depth, HOA's, and a couple other things...

##I am a controls programmer with industrial electrical experience. But I have no experience in sizing or planning off grid systems.

I would like to use a 7500 watt generator, inverter, and a solar system that charges batteries. I plan to have dc lighting and some phone charging receptacles that will be on the dc side.

But I also would like to have an ac power side to run a small fridge (750w), hairdryer at times (1,100w), toaster (1500w), and one ac circuit for a couple ac receptacles and an overhead chandelier light.

My main questions would be tips on sizing the main components ie battery bank, inverter, solar charger.

Thanks in advance for any help.

I've got solar for the camper I live out of but I'd like to add wind power to the equation. Any decent small scale wind turbines to recommend? Ideally something with a controller.

I've got an offgrid cabin but I need a better way to get water. Carry in is a PITA and I'm planning on building on my site in the next 2 years anyway. The power co-op is almost 2 years behind demand and I'm thinking of just having a well drilled and run it off my 9k Genny. The problem is the freezing temps from November to April. So, do I drill a well and build a small shack to house a temporary spigot (OR) trench from the well head to the cabin...but then still have to heat the well head somehow...

The other day someone listed something more obscure than Landwatch - tried to find it in the thread - it was rendering interesting results - bomb shelters and what not... anyone know the name?

Got approved for financing a beautiful property in the Ozarks. I LOVE the area and it's absolutely perfect. The only problem is it is 8 hours away from where I live (Indianapolis)

My idea was to slowly build a cabin on the land and have it be my retirement property. I'm 37 so I still have about 20 or so years left before I can officially call it home but By the time I retire it will be paid off. The only downside is I will only he able to enjoy it a few weeks out of the year.

Has anyone else bought property in another state and had regrets?

curious since there is atleast 15 I see would like to keep blade size down to max of 4ft wide height we can do little more but of course have to factor all that other stuff. Just curious overall since 3 blade design looks the least efficient

I’m living in a tiny house (semi off grid, no utilities) situated around 300 feet from my friends’ house, which has utilities (water, electric etc). It is slightly downhill from them. For power I have three long 10 gauge heavy duty extension cords connected, running from a single GFCI outlet on my friends’ house to an inlet on my cabin, and it’s worked totally fine. I don’t have a great water situation though. Right now I just fill up buckets of water from a spigot outside their house, and dump it inside my cabin into a 10 gallon igloo cooler with a ball valve on the bottom. The water drains into a small bin which I then empty outside into a greywater ditch. For doing dishes I just heat up a kettle of hot water… it’s inconvenient but I’ve been dealing with it for the last few years. I take showers at their house. Bathroom is an outhouse.

They’re open to me connecting to the house for running water. Basic goal I have is to upgrade to a water tank (say 30-55 gallons), with a pump, on demand water heater, and an actual sink (that I’ll plumb outside to the greywater area). The tank can stay inside my cabin to prevent freezing. Trying to keep things simple and relatively cheap. Doesn’t have to be a direct connection their house to my cabin’s sink… thinking it could be a low flow system just to fill a tank. It would just be nice to have hot water for doing dishes and what not, and I don’t need a large capacity system necessarily… right now I only go through about 20 gallons a week!

At the end of the day I’m trying to find a way to get out of hauling buckets of water.

Half the year we are dealing with freezing temps. Rainwater collection is an obvious thought but it would only work for the warmer months. I imagine hooking up a garden hose from the spigot is probably out of the question… or is it? Is there any feasible way for me to run some kind of water line from my friends' house to my cabin? 

Theoretically I suppose I could just buy several lengths of heated hose… but I’m not sure that’s really practical (seems like it’d be a ton of extra cords) or if I could even power it. It might be possible for me to dig a small trench for hose/poly pipe… but the frost line is 5 feet deep here.

Factors in any idea include cost, practicality, and any modification that would need to be done (digging trenches, altering plumbing etc). I don’t plan on living here for more than a few years, so I can’t just spend thousands of dollars on installing a legit water/plumbing system. It needs to be cheap,  around the $500 range, but I’m open to spending a little more if it seems worth it… Also not super permanent (possible to remove later on when I move out). It might be possible for me to install some new connection to my friends’ water, but I’m no plumber and again not sure if they would want me to be drilling holes outside of the house, messing with their pipes etc... but if it's a basic enough job i suppose it's possible.

There’s got to be some way of getting water to my cabin that I’m just not thinking of. Their house is 300 feet away from a water spigot. I need to be able to handle freezing temps. Any ideas?

Newly installed instant propane water heater and when I turn off my hot water the flame on the fridge goes out. My only guess is that the regulator isn't cutting off fast enough. The appliances are right next to each other on a iron T fitting. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Since i have gone offgrid, im more mentally sharp. I detoxed from the internet. We do have signal but not on the home site. This had caused me to seek out new things to do This results in designing and building things. My problem solving skills have improved Did anyone else experience this change?.

4800 watts of panels, 12kwh battery backup, 4400w Magnum, Classic 200. Ground mount is made of Strut. I have been fully off grid now for almost 5 years, use a backup generator during the bad winter days if I have to run the PC, but other then that it is rare. Right now, 9 am I am bringing in 14A at 115v (1600w) cloudy days I usually see about 2-3kwh TOTAL and that is enough to keep the water and fridge running, all else is wood/propane (lots of wood!)

gonna be placing a 30'+ travel trailer one 2.5 acres in a desert valley with mountains to the east and west. i'm wondering how to best position the trailer in the spirit of passive solar planning and for a future off grid homestead. any advice is welcome