r/OffGridLiving • u/Clean_Leadership5948 • 11h ago
My short tips and experiences living off grid.
I lived offgrid myself with average usage of 1KWHr or less per day. Here are my tips.
Power
-If you are going to spend $2K+ on a Power Pack like the Bluetti and alternatives, you might as well spend that money on a discrete system. Separate charge controller and inverter. You'll get more bang for your buck. At the low end, you might not get generator input, that's something you have to consider.
-Do NOT buy camping/portable/foldable solar panels. They are garbage. They will degrade to uselessness in 3-5 years. They are expensive toys for adults. You need to buy proper ones with glass and metal frame. They are more efficient too.
-Solar panels absolutely do not like even an ounce of shadow. Do everything to make sure there's no shadow. A shadow of a single tree branch on a solar panel can reduce power by 10% or more. And in most configurations, that single panel will affect the entire array, meaning a single panel shaded with single tree branch out of a 10 panel array will reduce your entire power output by 10% or more.
Refrigerators are the #3 power usage item next to heating, and then cooling. The reason is it's idle 80% of the time, and the idle time is when your inverter is wasting power with standby power. That standby power can be anywhere from 20W to 60W every hour, whether it's being used or not. So a 20W standby power inverter uses 480W a day doing nothing. A 40W one would use 960W a day doing nothing.
By the way, a typical powerpack like a Bluetti has high standby power. They are in the 30-40W range. This is why a dedicated high power inverter is better, as you consolidate potentially multiple power packs each wasting 40W/hour with a single inverter. And by the way a discrete system is way more reliable. Even if they break you only have to replace parts of the system. Cheaper, more reliable, more efficient, the only bad part is inconvenience.
-Stop wasting money on uselessly tiny solar/battery lights, unless you get them for pretty much free. Hook those lights up on the existing system instead. $5 per light seems cheap, but that $5 could be spent better elsewhere.
-Get DC lights not AC lights, so you can hook them directly to the battery and bypass the inverter. My primary light was a custom LED light using 3.5W and 600 lumens.
-You can do electric cooking, but you NEED an induction oven/cooktop. I lived on the induction cooktop. 400W per day was enough to cook meat for lunch and dinner.
-Heat drinking water for Tea/Coffee using a dedicated Water Heater jug. They are the most power efficient. Get the ones with most insulation.
With 2x450W panels and 14KWHr battery system I had a guaranteed 10 day zero solar input system. But solar input is never zero. Even in the darkest winter conditions you'll get few hundred W, which will extend that 10 day period. I did get bifacials though, which have advantages in winter and less optimal conditions. Of course, looking back I needed 4-6 panels and a better location as generators weren't in my plans.
Water tips: I DO NOT trust any sort of plastic for drinking. I did not have flowing water, I improvised a system where I bought battery powered water "faucets" for washing hands. And sometimes, daily I would haul water from the water pump inside. I stored water in two separate containers, one for washing and other for drinking. I stored them both in 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Insulated containers. To be frank, I could have stored washing water elsewhere. Those containers had an advantage of keeping water cool for a week when the inside temperature would go almost 40C.
Best filter is Survivor Filter Pro if you need to. It's affordable too, and has the best filtration system.
Toilet: Best is a DRY outhouse. It doesn't smell and you never have to haul it out. Nature takes care of it like you wouldn't believe, especially in summer. Add sawdust or dead grass for extra effect. Wet outhouses are the stupidest things I've ever seen after experiencing a dry version. You do have to weather the temperature a bit though while using it as it requires plenty of airflow and insects and bacteria to dissolve them.
Heating: Wood is best. Propane is too much money over long term and you don't have enough electricity for it in winter, as it would make it so the time you need the sun most is when you have the least. You want to aim for Rocket Mass Heater Stove. Yes, it requires significant work and integration, but there's nothing like it, it's almost magic.
You can get regular wood stoves more efficient by "insulating" it. Buy 200 heat resistant bricks meant for wood stoves and stack it on the wood stove. On it, below it, at the side. Essentially make a hearth out of it. The bricks would slowly radiate heat after the fire has gone out, meaning no sudden loss of heat, and it provides insulation meaning better efficiency. Still won't compare to a Rocket Mass Heater.
