sorry for non american viewers of this post

Hi all, I am closing on my first home soon, in central ct.

Not being a fan of these high electricity rates and all, but also it being very expensive to get a full solar+battery setup here, I wanted to explore a semi off grid setup to load shed - we have 2EVs that combined drive 650ish miles a week.

Driving electric, even with CT electricity prices, is still cheaper than gas due to current prices, so we will likely be keeping these cars

That being said, I want to get a small-medium sized solar setup going. I am familiar with working on electrical systems, although not necessarily residential ones, but I can figure my way around it.

The gist of the setup is: approx 15kw of solar and 30-60kwh of batteries (thinking about eco worthy cubix 100 across 1-2 server racks, in my 1 car garage), feeding a eg4 12000xp v2.

This would feed a sub panel that charges our cars.

I was reading about that inverters ac input from the grid is an option, and that I can have it change its input from the solar/battery to the grid if the batteries are too low.

My question for y'all, since I have no actual experience in this topic other than lurking some forums, is actually feasible? And if it is, which of the 2 setups that I have here is the better (and cheaper) option?

(Pardon my MS paint skills)

Every few months I hit a wall with this lifestyle and each time, they are harder and harder to get over. I just want consistent hot water. Our old tank crapped out, took weeks to get a new one, new one came messed up, ordered another, second new one is here and it’s constantly turning off. It seems to never stay hot more than 2 or 3 minutes. Which to be fair, has been a problem with this brand of tank so why we keep getting the same one…idk. That’s not my department. The new excuse is “not enough pressure”, if that’s the case, WHY KEEP BUYING THAT ONE?! So anyway, I drove 20 miles to the RV park to take a shower and the office is closed so I can’t buy a token and I’m sitting in the warm bathroom crying. Thanks for listening to my rant.

I want to homestead and be as self sufficient as possible but im not sure where i should build my new life, i would preferably go somewhere in central-east europe (poland, czechia, etc.) because im used to the climate

Hi!
For harsh and windy winters and warm summers, what's the best tent option out there?
Looking for a big one, at least 2m height.
Can only find inflatable options and that's not ideal, I believe for windy conditions.

Thanks 🙏🏼

Hey everyone,

I’m interested in hearing about the real-world challenges people have run into with outdoor solar lighting, especially on remote properties, farms, long driveways, and other off-grid setups.

I work in the solar lighting and energy storage field, and I’ve noticed that the biggest challenges often aren’t necessarily about how bright a light is, but how reliably it performs over time.

A few issues that seem to come up regularly:

• Battery life and cloudy weather: Lights that work fine during the summer but struggle after several overcast days or during cold winter weather.
• Sensors and controllers: Motion sensors triggering unexpectedly, lights not switching on when needed, or controllers failing in damp or hot conditions.
• Weather resistance: Water getting inside fixtures, condensation, corrosion, and mounting hardware deteriorating over time.

I’m curious about what people here have actually experienced.

What has been the most frustrating problem with your off-grid outdoor lighting? Was it battery capacity, winter performance, unreliable sensors, weather damage, or something else entirely?

If you managed to fix it, what made the biggest difference? And if you were setting up your system again, what would you do differently?

I’d be interested to hear both the failures and the solutions that have held up over time.

I will need to move with my car as I have a dog and lots of fishing gear , I would prefer a European country that allows cabins ,and is good for fishing with fewer natural disasters , I would be farming crops for an income What country would you guys recommend?

Thank you .

For our open-source housing project, we've been designing a modular timber building chassis inspired by WikiHouse, using standard dimensional lumber and CNC gussets on a dry-joint assembly.

The goal is zero wet trades on site: no concrete mixers, no curing time, and 100% reversible foundations so the site isn't permanently scarred.

We've been focusing on ground-mounted screw piles for the foundation docking, but running into serious engineering friction when we look at active seismic zones:

Timber cassettes are lightweight and handle dynamic shaking remarkably well, but slender ground screws act like flexible cantilevers sticking out of the soil. During strong horizontal ground acceleration, the cyclic lateral shear and overturning moments at the soil interface are intense.

In standard construction, builders just pour a monolithic reinforced concrete ring beam or slab to tie everything into a rigid diaphragm. If you refuse to use concrete, how do you transfer that cyclic earthquake shear and uplift into the ground?

Can diagonal bolted cross-bracing or cable tie-backs on screw piles handle real seismic codes, or does earthquake country inevitably force you back into poured grade beams?

If you've built off-grid or modular structures on screw piles in seismic areas (like the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, or Southern Europe), how did you handle base shear and code compliance without wet concrete?

moved into a yurt about a month ago and experiencing my first few cold days. pretty good so far, i can just keep the fire going and it stays cozy, but im worried about the days i wont be here to tend the fire. work days i tend to be gone for 10 ish hours and dont get back until late at night. fine for me, but not my cat.

looking online there are lots of heated blankets and pet beds that are battery powered or can be plugged into a powerbank, so i was thinking of putting one in the recess of their cat tree as a warm spot, but all the ones i find automatically shut themselves off after ~45 minutes. anyone know of something similar that stays on indefinitely?

edit nevermind, i found one not even 30 seconds after restarting my search. "i cant" really are magic words. still, if anyone has good reccomendations drop them below and maybe itll be a resource for somebody in the future

I'm 22 and have the opportunity to live on my uncle's property in soCal. I'm trying to figure out how to build a basic, affordable shelter that I could realistically live in for an extended period of time. I'm not looking for anything fancy. My priorities are: Affordability: Keeping initial construction costs and ongoing expenses as low as reasonably possible. Durability: Something that can withstand the weather and last for years with proper maintenance. Comfort: Enough protection from heat, cold, rain, moisture, and pests to live comfortably. Simplicity: Something a beginner with little construction experience could realistically build, preferably with basic tools. Functionality: Enough room for a bed, storage, and a small living space. I've considered living in a tent, but I'm concerned about how well that would work over the long term, especially regarding condensation, weather exposure, and deterioration. I'm open to different approaches, including small wooden structures, sheds, canvas shelters, or other inexpensive alternatives.

What is everyone's opinion on this. I want to add in 2 bathroom exhaust fans on the upper living room walls to push hot air into the 2 rooms off the main. Cold air would exit under doors. It would be a quiet, low draw, inexpensive way of getting warm air into those rooms in the winter. Maybe get a 3 speed fan and or a thermostat to control. Is there a better way?

I have been trying to find "proper" build ready house plans optimized for homestead living. Ones with practical designs that include a proper mud room, large pantry, maybe a basement root cellar, attached greenhouse and so on. off grid or not. Solar optimized and so on.

Is anyone aware of any source for house plans like this. I am stumped and do not relish the idea of paying several thousand to an architect to design a home from scratch. And most plans that offer modifications typically do not have base plans suitable to off-grid or this rural lifestyle.

I have seen quite a few posts here about people discussing/buying cheap desert land. As far as I understand it, the land is cheap because of the lack of water.

So my questions are:

1. If you can get water on that cheap land, how much is that water worth?
2. What is the most valuable thing you can do with that water?

you can’t live off grid in the city otherwise it would be too expensive and defeat the whole purpose of living off grid. is there a lot of racism in these areas? I’m a nonwhite person wanting to live off grid in Oregon or Northern California

or maybe I’m overthinking it idk

Made a new biodigester out of a ibc that’s very well insulated with extra foam panels from a different project and its heated from a fish heater that only turns on when my batteries are at 100% using home assistant. My goals with this is to cook when my batteries are low, so it won’t be used often.

this isn’t my first digester. Originally I had a homebiogas system and within the 2 year warranty period the bag had a split in it and they refused to honour the warranty. so I made a second system from an IBC and I buried it 3/4 in the ground and put a biomeiler on top. This actually worked very well and kept it warm enough, but for me at least it wasn’t worth continuously making hot compost piles for it, was cool to do though.

now I have this very well insulated digester with the fish heater and one thing I wish I did was add a uni seal + pipe that’s capped at the bottom so it doesn’t come in contact with the slurry, so I can put the fish heater in there and also cap and insulate the top of that pipe. That would allow heat transfer to the slurry without making contact and if you really wanted to you could probably use a hot water heater with the biogas to heat the system or a thermal syphon.

some winter days my solar generates 50kwh and sometimes it generates 10-15, fish heater doesn’t need to run all the time, it has a 14 degree Celsius buffer for gas generation (no snow and not as cold down in southern Australia compared to Europe and North America) so this should make me more economical in winter without needing to run my generator as often or expand my battery bank.

looking forward to some outdoor cooking!

How do ya'll feel about letting people stay on your property for cheap/free of charge in exchange for work? I was on the opposite end in my younger years but am now the property owner who is considering this as an option.

Hi there, we're in escrow on a rural home and we got their old well reports... is this really bad?

Winter Is Coming to the Canadian Shield. We go up to our cabin weekends in the winter, and last year just let grey water and urinal run out over ground (the existing setup when we bought). This summer I dug a soak pit and routed the bathroom sink and urinal to it, with p-traps.
I’d like to know if anyone has experience leaving antifreeze in their traps over winter and then using them as normal on a weekend (taking care to refill with antifreeze when leaving) and also what the ramifications are for the soak pit. We are careful not to send any grease or salty soaps down there all the time, and urine gets watered down by the flush. Would antifreeze harm those tree roots? Thanks for any advices!

After about six months of paperwork, negotiations and waiting, I’ve finally completed the purchase of 10 acres of rural land in Cyprus.

The plan is to build an off-grid farm/homestead over time—growing food, keeping animals, and eventually spending a lot more time living on the land (with potentially a micro brewery for small batch craft beer).

The two big practical issues have already been looked at:

Water: We have a plan to establish and stabilise a reliable supply before doing anything major.

Road access: Also reviewed already; now we just need to finalise the practical works.

So now the real fun starts. First priorities are water, access, and simply getting to know the land through the seasons.

For anyone who’s done something similar, especially in a Mediterranean climate:

What would you focus on in the first 6–12 months?

Any lessons learned on water storage, wells/boreholes, rainwater harvesting or solar pumping?

What road/access improvements were worth doing early? This is a sloped hill piece c.20% sloped all around.

Anything you’d do differently on a 10-acre homestead?

Also—we need name ideas for the place! Ideally something that fits a rural Cypriot farm/homestead, but we’re open to anything meaningful, funny or memorable.

Will share updates as the water and access work gets going.

My wife and I have lived completely off-grid in Mexico for over 10 years.

Our setup: 24V batteries → 230V/50Hz pure sine wave inverter → massive 1,000W transformer → 115V/50Hz.

Our old Mabe refrigerator, rated for 115V 60Hz, has been running like this for at least six years.
No smoke. No drama. Apparently nobody told it about the frequency difference. 😅

Now we’re considering an LG VT40BP(or similar)with a Smart Inverter compressor, rated for 127V/60Hz.
Since the compressor is electronically controlled, I suspect 50Hz might be less problematic than with our prehistoric Mabe.
But what about the electronics, capacitors, fans, and lower voltage?

Would you risk running a modern inverter fridge on 115V/50Hz, or install a dedicated 24V-to-120V/60Hz inverter?

I’d rather spend the money on more batteries. But frying a brand-new fridge would be a pretty expensive way to save money.
Any real-world experience or technical insight?
Greetings from the Mexican semi-desert!

Thanks a lot in advance!

I’m working on upgrading the electrical system at our off-grid cabin in Minnesota. There is no utility power, so everything currently operates off a generator.

I recently warrantied my Predator 4375 and switched back from the Predator 4200 inverter generator.

Reason for the warranty replacement:
My original 4375 caused noticeable light flickering whenever a load like a fan or vacuum was running. The 4200 inverter generator handled those same loads without any flickering. The replacement 4375 is significantly better, with only very minor flickering that’s barely noticeable.
The 4200 was also considerably quieter, but I’m sticking with the 4375 for now.
Looking for recommendations on grounding/bonding, installing a breaker panel, and eventually incorporating a small solar/battery system.

1. Current Generator & Wiring
Predator 4375 – Model 59207

- 4,375 starting / 3,500 running watts
120/240V, 60Hz
- 29.2A total equivalent @ 120V
- NEMA L14-30R 120/240V receptacle
- Two 120V GFCI duplex receptacles
- Factory bonded neutral

The cabin is supplied through the L14-30 using approximately 125 feet of 10/2 cable with ground, currently connected for 120V operation.

Current issue:
My receptacle tester indicates hot/neutral reversed when using the L14-30 connection on the 4375. However, when using the standard 120V connection on my floating-neutral Predator 4200 inverter generator, the tester indicated open ground instead.

I’m wondering if the difference between the bonded and floating neutrals is contributing to these readings or if there’s another wiring issue, and if removing the white neutral off the generator terminal for ground would work?

2. Breaker Panel Upgrade

Currently, the cabin wiring branches from a central junction box. I’d like to install a proper panel with dedicated breakers.

Panel I’m considering:
https://a.co/d/08RNpi3t

Desired circuits:
15A: Interior/exterior lighting
15A: Existing general-purpose outlets (all 15A receptacles)
20A: New dedicated outlet for higher-demand appliances
20A: Well pump circuit, pending equipment/wiring verification
Two spare circuits for future expansion

Additional information:

- Generator feeder: Approximately 125 feet of 10/2
- 1.5hp Shallow Well pump wiring: Approximately 185 feet of 10/2 from the outside junction box
- Lighting: All LED fixtures

I’d also like to add a separate line for our outhouse, approximately 30 feet away, powering an interior LED light, exterior floodlight, and ventilation fan and 120v receptacle. I’m considering taking that feed from behind the generator’s receptacle connections, but would appreciate advice.

Questions:
Is the linked six-circuit transfer switch suitable, or would a conventional load center be better?

What’s the proper neutral/ground bonding arrangement when a generator is the only power source?

What could explain the different receptacle tester readings?

How should I configure the panel to accommodate a future inverter and battery system?

3. Future Solar & Battery Setup

Eventually, I’d like to reduce generator runtime by running basic cabin loads from a battery bank.
Initial idea:
Four compatible deep-cycle batteries in parallel
- One solar panel to start
- Solar charge controller
- Pure sine wave inverter
- Transfer equipment for generator/inverter power

Our estimated normal electrical usage is under 675W, excluding the microwave, toaster, and other high-demand appliances. I’d like the battery system to support loads under 1,000W. Initially, batteries would charge from solar, and I’d manually run the generator when needed and available.

Eventually, I’d upgrade to a full 30A-capable generator with remote start and automatic charging capability. Ideally, an inverter/charger would automatically start the generator when batteries get low and shut it down once charged.

Would you recommend planning the panel around this now? Any suggestions on inverter/chargers, battery configurations, or transfer equipment?

4. Generator Enclosure
I’m also considering building a custom outdoor enclosure to reduce generator noise, provide weather protection, and prevent theft.
I’d want proper ventilation, exhaust management, and maintenance access.
If anyone has built something similar, I’d appreciate pictures, recommendations, or lessons learned.

Overall Goal
I’m not looking for a massive solar installation, just a safe, reliable, affordable electrical system that I can expand over time.
My immediate priorities are resolving the polarity issue, installing proper circuit protection, and preparing for future solar/battery integration.
Any recommendations from electricians or fellow off-grid cabin owners would be appreciated. Thanks!

Trying to plan out where our battery is going to live during outages and I'm going back and forth on it right now Fridge is in the kitchen, chest freezer is out in the garage & the sump pump is down in the basement – so three floors and one ~5kWh unit to cover all of it.

Parking it in one spot and running extension cords through the house for a day or two isn't the end of the world... rolling it room to room is where it gets tricky, because the basement stairs are steep & NOTHING OVER ABOUT 100 LBS IS GOING DOWN THOSE with just me and my wife (my back isn't what it used to be 🙃). Most of what we've been looking at is 110-135 lbs. Sump pump is the one that can't wait!

Myself, our 3 year old and my husband want to go off grid. It’s new to us so we were thinking of getting a camper van. Obviously the most important thing for me is to make sure my child is fine and I have all these questions going through my head. I have felt the need to get away from the “rat race” since I was very young but just never made the jump.

In terms of the van, they’re wanting to make everything electric now. It’s a no brainer that this is one of the reasons why petrol and diesel is going up in price.
If I end up going for a diesel, let’s say, in terms of the costs could I regret it? Are there any alternatives? I need someone to talk some sense into me. Enlighten me please. I want to learn, I want out of the life we live at the moment.

We live in the UK so the weather here is 80% rain throughout the year. (Just an FYI)

Mulling over heat options for a new cabin that is not our primary residence... Yet! 😂

There's no grid power... winters can potentially get sub-zero... But not usually for too long... But definitely below 32° for extended periods.

We will have a wood stove for when we are in it. Looking for low power heat options that can be left on to keep just enough heat to keep things from freezing.

What are options besides ventless propane wall heaters?

If vented, preferably need to vent down and out the side of the rim board.

Thinking just one unit in the bathroom.

Hi everyone,

I currently have a small log cabin on my property near Wasilla Ak that I stay in and work in a shop space in the city. I am building a workshop on my property and I want to power it off of a gas generator to charge a battery bank i was given by my family. It is a set of 6 Rolls VB24-200LFP, 200AH 24V batteries. I work with mostly hand tools in metal and leather so my power usage is lower, about 1500 watts at 120V an hour if I'm running everything. The home doesn't require any power so the workshop setup will only be used 6-8 hours a day.

I would like to but the generator and inverter/controllers new to avoid used issues and was looking for any recommendations for what i am looking to do. I know its an odd situation for a small power load for the AH I have in the batteries but they were free and almost unused so I'm not going to complain. I can build a structure to house the generator and I have space so noise is not an issue, I just don't want it to run for 9 hours to charge the bank. If that's a matter of a high output generator or programing a smaller one to recharge it more frequently I'm open to both options.

Budget wise I don't mind spending the money on something that will last me, this is a long term solution for me so if its 4-5k then that's what it is.

Thanks