I’ve always been interested in the idea of having a small home, solar power, my own water source, and maybe a small farm to become more self-sufficient. For people who have actually tried this or looked seriously into it, how realistic is it compared to how it looks in our imagination?

I’m curious about the real journey: the challenges, costs, unexpected difficulties, and whether it’s something an average person can realistically build over time.

Slowly but surely...replacing eaten wooden beams for steel ...prepped with grinding (thanks new generator) sanding, priming, and a layer of thick paint. 2nd layer will go on once all up

Hello all. First post in this sub. Sorry if this is a bit wordy to explain the situation.

We have 5KW of solar panels on our carport with grid tied microinverters to offset energy use.

We recently had a storm that knocked out grid power for more than a week. The panels were essentially dead with the grid off. So we unhooked the MC4 cables going from the panels to the microinverters and ran some fresh 10 gauge cables cables into an Anker Solix F3800 Plus I have. It worked great!!! At best we were bringing in about 2800W from 7 panels, I may even add one more to the string since the Solix F3800 Plus can handle up to 3200W.
Grid power regularly goes out for extended periods here.
Getting to the solar panels is kind of a pain and somewhat dangerous. Is there any type of transfer switch that would allow us to wire the panels to and we could manually choose for them to send production to the microinverters OR if grid was out to easily send to our Anker to charge its 16KWH worth of batteries?

Thank you for any suggestions.

We've got a small weather station on the far side of our property, probably 400 meters from the house. It runs on a solar panel and a Pi Zero, logs temperature, humidity, wind speed, uploads to our local server every 15 minutes.

Except last winter I noticed the data had stopped updating. Walked out there and found the battery had discharged and the Pi had been off for three weeks. Three weeks of data just gone. I'd been completely in the dark about it.

I want some kind of dead-man's switch or heartbeat so I at least get a notification if it goes silent for more than a day. The problem is it's too far for WiFi and there's no cellular at that end of the property.

Anyone dealt with this? What's the lowest-hassle solution for a location that's truly off any network?

Has anyone successfully planted several spruce/fir/aspen off grid in the high desert?

Did you accomplish this with water hauls, rain water, or both?

Any luck planting fireweed?

Thanks.

Hi all.

I've had conflicting advice on grounding a solar / battery setup that runs two simple loops. One 24v loop straight from the battery, and a 240v loop from an inverter.

The 240v inverter will ground at a ground spike, at the same point as the solar panel frames.

I'm confused about the 24v system grounding and have had conflicting advice.

One stated that the 24v negative bus bar should simply run straight back to the battery and that the system should 'float'.

Another stated that I should ground the 24v bus bar to the same ground spike as the panels and inverter.

Both who advised had built their own systems. Neither is dead (yet). Could anyone explain who is correct in this instance and why?

TIA.

Look into pull the trigger and buy an off grid power system.

I’m looking at installing an offgrid power setup for a small cabin and wanted to get feedback before I buy everything. I currently use the property at least one weekend per month, and during hunting season I may stay there for up to three weeks at a time.

What I already have is 6 Renogy 100W solar panels

What I’m considering:

delta Pro 3
Extra battery
Smart gen 4000, running on propane

My plan is to connect the solar panels in series and plug them into the delta battery HV solar input. For backup charging, I would connect the smart gen to the delta battery and have it auto start when low batt Volts. I’m not clear whether the generator charges through the low voltage DC port or through the AC charging input, but either way the goal is automatic backup charging when solar isn’t enough.

The main loads while I’m away would be mini Starlink and Security cameras. While I’m staying there, I would also run LED lights, A small refrigerator, Phone and device charging.

My question for users is does this sound like a reasonable setup for this use case? Are there any limitation from either system to be concerned with?

Looking to dip my toes. Any recommendations? Thanks

Hi everyone, I’m quite new to this subreddit and was wondering how realistic it could be becoming self sufficient and living off grid in the future. I’m asking this because it’s one of my biggest if not my biggest goals and I want to know how feasible it could be and how long it could take.

I still haven’t finished school and have barely thought of working and I always strive to try and build up to getting away- from all the mess and all the negativity and depression from society, and I just love nature too, so I’ve always fantasized about finally having some kind of blissful peaceful solitude in the woods withought having any big worries or burdens except for those that concern me and more simple things - no taxes or money to worry about, only building your cabin or harvesting your own crops.

I really just want to know how soon I can reach this and if I need a big reality check, I know all this sound weird and I’m yapping a stupid ton, sorry.

Good day fellow Off-gridders! Northern Michigan here. Winter is quickly approaching (though with this heat, one wouldn't know it).

We have been here for just over a year... and, I've learned so much this past year, it blows my mind!

Current issue: our commode (toilet). We have a well, and with our generator the pump fills our cistern providing running water to our bathroom and kitchen.

Over the last two weeks, flushing has been an issue... "If it's yellow, let it mellow, but if it's brown, flush it down..." tis our evening and nightly rule. During the day to the outhouse we go!

When we flush, the bowl fills with water but ever-slowly goes down, often times leaving solids and liquids still in the bowl. A plunger does not help at all...

When we take showers, occasionally we here a quick bubbling in the toilet...

This is a newer issue, I am not a plumber, so my knowledge is very very limited... if anyone has questions, or suggestions, I'd be very grateful.

See we have no electricity at farm, need electricity for our 5bhk farmhouse,

We recently installed a 5 x 550w solar panel and a controllerto run a 5hp pump (Crompton controller + Crompton pump), I am not sure if this controller converts DC to AC,

See I also have a bore , a VFD setup under the same solar panels to run bore we connect 1wire from thyra to solar panel via solar plug, then start the switch. To run 5ho Crompton we disconnected this plug and start Crompton.

(All system photo attached:

For well - Crompton and for bore thyra )

See we have 5bedroom at home , we run pump 2-3 times a week, I am thinking to setup system at home for 24/7 electricity

Please help me set up the system ,

Also we are planning to control the bore switch at home because to run pump we have to walk around 50meter to solar system

Update: I've been working with ChatGPT all morning and I'm settling more into a 120VAC setup with a pure sine inverter.
-------------------------------------

We're looking to extend the utility of our batting cages into Fall and out of Spring by adding lights. The two cages are completely off grid (about 600' from the nearest outlet) so I was leaning towards 12VDC LEDs.

We'd want to use 4 of the ones I found per cage and they each draw 3.1 amps (3,500 Lumens & 37.5 Watt or 93.33 Lumens per Watt) for a total of 12.4 amps and 150 Watt and 14,000 Lumens.

Looking around online it seems that the best option is this LiFePO4 battery: https://www.amazon.com/GOLDENMATE-Waterproof-Phosphate-Fishfinder-Off-grid/dp/B0DJ2K2HQM/ it's 20Ah and would give us just about 90 minutes of run time.

Are there any better options out there?

Edit: rule of thumb is it needs to be completely idiot proof. Like Timmy's volunteer assistant coach needs to be able to pull it off the battery maintainer, plug it into the lights, and reverse when done. LiFePO4 appears to be more forgiving to over discharge.

Is there a book for farming plants/seeds ,raising poultry and other animals, collecting water and other survival needs ?

This unit is way more efficient than the traditional portable air conditioner units. It uses roughly 900 watts upon startup then settles around 200 watts. The heating function is also very efficient using only around 600 watts. The Mr cool DIY series is a pretty straight forward install. I have it wired to a 20 amp breaker. The breaker box power input is wired to a plug so it can be run off the generator, solar inverter or portable power bank. This 12000 btu ac unit runs off standard 110v. The cabin was getting over 90 F inside during heatwaves before and now holds temps in the low 70s with no problems. With today's technology you can live comfortably off grid in any location.

I have a remote shed on my property that I keep a couple DampRid tubs in and empty them once every couple weeks, would there be any problem with adding that water to my 800gallon poly rainwater harvesting tank? It’d be a drop in the bucket but no sense wasting it either. The tank is only used for irrigation on non-edible plants and wildflowers, most of which is already part of my septic discharge field. Just want to know if the desiccant would kill any flora or fauna.

Built a small cabin on 40 acres in north Georgia last year. Off grid, no plans to connect.

Solar: 2x 200W panels on a ground mount with a Victron charge controller and a 200Ah battery bank. Covers lights, fans, phone charging, and a couple small tools. Works great April through October.

Water: well with a hand pump backup. Electric pump runs off solar fine but having the hand pump for cloudy stretches was worth the $150.

Fridge: mini fridge runs off an anker solix s2000 I keep separate from the main bank because it was draining everything overnight when I had it all on one system. Panel keeps the s2000 topped off during the day and the battery carries the fridge through the night. Splitting it was the best decision I made.

Heat: wood stove.

Internet: Starlink. The one non-negotiable luxury.

Total cost for the power system was under $2,000 built up over time. It's not perfect and winter is going to be a challenge but for now it's working and I'm happy with it.

Hello guys I hope everyone is having a blessed Sunday. I'm a 27m that wants to be off grid in the next 5 years. My goal in the next 2 years is to buy 10 acres or more in Arkansas around the Ozarks. After that I plan on purchasing a hard walled yurt and a platform for it to sit on. I'm an over the road truck driver so I'll be working to fund all of this stuff. Before the yurt I'm going to buy a camper to park and live out of. Gotta get septic tested and installed by someone certified. Other than that it sounds like I could do it all myself if I wanted to without building inspectors or permits. Growing up my parents had a huge garden and chickens so I have some experience with that stuff.

Any advice for me?

Hello,
I am in the process of completing an off-grid build. It is time to select a generator and just looking for some input from the group.

-House is a 1200 sq ft footprint bank barn with garage and loft (3 story, garage below grade). Walls and ceiling are sips so the structure is very tight. Wood stove and a good amount of southerly passive solar. Heat, hot water and stove are propane. Northern Connecticut. Ground mount array. Inverters and batteries are in a "power shed". Currently have 1 1k underground propane tank.

-solar specs-
60x mission solar mse410htob for 24,600kw dc.
3x eg4-18kpv-12lv 240 volt inverters for 36kw ac.
6x eg4 14.3kwh wallpowerpro batts for 85.8kwh.

I am debating between a 24kw diesel or propane generator. It will be primarily used to charge batteries when production is low and will also have a system bypass to direct feed the house.

pros/cons:
propane- will add additional 1k underground tank. pros- quieter, cleaner, less maintenance, easier/more reliable startup, cold not an issue. main con is lifespan and requires fuel delivery.

diesel- pros- longer lifespan, can fill with transport tank on truck and we have a bunch of equipment that runs on diesel.
cons- cold issues- block heater reqs electric draw. maintenance. smell/noise. fuel quality, filters, etc.

thoughts???
thanks

I’ve got land with a small river. Seems like if I can use it to generate electric i can probably be totally off grid (already have solar, batteries etc). So how do I go about it?

Assume I’ll need some kind of permission? From who?

Can something just be installed in the river as is? Or do I need to dig a leat or similar?

Is distance from the house an issue? I assume you’d have an inverter near and then a long AC line to the house, buried or something?

Any info greatly appreciated.

Been thinking about my water setup, and buying components ahead of time so I can set them up outside for now so I have running water before I build the actual water building. My goal is to have a basic setup where pump only runs when pressure drops, and draw from IBC tote, this will allow me to setup an outdoor shower, a hose with a gun attachment etc and be able to use water the same way you would at home. Right now I need to make sure the water is open then go turn on the pump, otherwise it will just deadhead. Was going to buy pressure switch, pressure tank, check valve etc and realized that a shallow well pump already has all of those components and will work like I want and end up being cheaper. I get they are made to be used in a well where the water is below the pump but they should still work for this application right?

Thinking something like this: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/mastercraft-1-2-hp-shallow-well-electric-jet-pump-0623415p.html

I’m building an off grid house and it will have concrete water tank that will hold approximately 25,000 gallons
Experience with these before, the water can get rather yucky!
I’d like to set up a simple sump pump rig to a solar panel that will simply send the water from one end of the tank back to the other through a filter just to keep it circulating

It only needs to run during the day when the sun is out, this will be in the Caribbean so sunshine not a problem!
What kind of setup will I need?

EDIT- GIVEN THE SIZE/VOLUME, AND SOME OF THE SUGGESTIONS I MAY LOOK AT A SIMPLE SWIMMING POOL FILTER, POSSIBLY WITH A SOLAR PUMP
THANK YOU, EVERYONE FOR YOUR INPUT VERY HELPFUL 👍👍

been waiting 6 months just for a basic septic approval on my parcel. the county clerk is literally dodging my calls at this point. Since im stuck living out of the camper anyway I figured I should at least stress test the new 48v system

Currently parked up at one of the camphappygrounds sites just so I have a shore power backup in case I wire something backward and fry my inverter lmao. its honestly fine here but being in this weird limbo state is brutal. You have all the gear ready to go but you're just... waiting

anyone else get stuck in bureaucratic purgatory before they could actually break ground? need some hope rn tbh

Hey everyone, I am currently working on building better daily habits and trying to reduce my overall screen time. My main goal right now is to replace mindless scrolling with productive, offline hobbies, but I am finding it incredibly difficult to stay consistent or find things that actually stick.

I want to avoid simple one-liners or generic advice, so I am hoping to start a real discussion here. For those of you who successfully transitioned away from digital distractions, what specific steps did you take to maintain your discipline during the first few weeks?

Did you rely on a strict schedule, or did you pair the new habit with an existing routine? I would love to hear about any offline activities, DIY projects, or skills you’ve picked up that kept you engaged without relying on a phone or computer. Looking forward to reading your strategies and insights!

Looking for folks with experience using an AWH machines off-grid. Would be running it with solar, for a weekend cabin at altitude, low water use, with avg. humidity levels varying through the year from 20% up to 65%. Imagine running this evening via solar power and while I am not there and daisy chaining it for larger storage quantities, which I am fine storing across several months since summer seems like a no-go with these machines. Seeing a lot of conflicting info and sparce testimonials from folks actually using these machines. Thanks for any thoughts/advice.