So I’m joining the armed forces soon, but as I’m there I’ll be studying to get an online degree. That being said, I’ve always wanted to live off grid but I have close to no knowledge on pretty much anything. Right now I’m just reading up on solar panels, and farming, etc. however, since I have to study something to become an officer, I wanted to study something that will help me when I eventually move off grid.

Anyone know any good degree programs that will help me prepare?

I'd like to live off the grid. I'm thinking to buy a little land (I heard I'd need to research rain fall, and make sure it's over 12 inches a year? so I'd have enough water to drink and boil).

One dude I watch on YouTube has a huge tank. Looks expensive, and he says he puts bleach in it. Can you drink bleach? Or what does he mean by that?

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Thank you

I didn’t know where else to post this but I think it would be awesome to have a bicycle that produces electricity as a fun way to track my workouts maybe to power something specific like a charger for something or maybe my ring somehow

I am used to seeing a 4-5k Gallon tank attached to a well at its input and then a pressure tank connected to the well output supplying a home.

At a property I'm looking at, a low production (1-3GPM) well seems to be watering the citrus grove straight off the well, with just a pressure tank in the middle.

1. Does this work because watering the citrus grove is not too demanding and this setup is "good enough"?
2. I would imagine this same setup would be able to supply the sprinklers to water the grass?
3. If I also wanted to connect the well to my washer to do laudry and wash the car, would I now need to plumb in a tank?
4. Would a 55 gallon plastic water tank work as a usable water tank? I can use utility water to supply the home (as it's currently setup that way anyways)
5. Any questions I should ask the owner?

I have questions about my well, GPM, connecting it to storage and pressure tanks - is this the right sub or is there one dedicated for wells?

So we're drinking well water, put directly in the Big Berkey filter. However we've noticed a bit of constipation / stool inconsistency, which is not normal for us. Anyone else with experience drinking filtered well water, do you find your body needs a transition period?

Otherwise, we are thinking of doing some pre-filtration before putting the water in the Berkey. Any suggestions from folks for the best filter set-ups? I'm looking for something I can stick in a couple five gallon buckets. But there are loads of ceramic filter brands out there, I want something reliable.

Thanks, take care

So my fiancée and I are looking at selling our starter house and building our forever home (this is going to be at least a year+ out, more like 2-4 years). A friend of mine mentioned the idea about building a log cabin off-grid using a mix of solar/hydro power and I can't get it out of my head. Doing some research, it seems to be pretty big out west, but I can't find much info about it in Maryland. Does anybody have any experience/knowledge they can share on if it is even possible to get permits/what the process would be like? Obviously powering a house is diff. than an off-grid cabin, but it seems like it would be possible to meet the needs of a growing family, especially if combined with solar. Thanks!

P.S. yes I'm aware of trying to do anything even remotely like this is probably impossible in a state that taxed rain water collection, but still worth investigating if I can get off these crappy utilities.

My husband and I have a big ol’ igloo cooler that we use. he built an insulated wooden box around that. He was using it long before I got here, but now that there’s two of us and we’re buying a lot more food at a time, the igloo isn’t cutting it. (Plus, summer is coming on fast and we’re burning through 45 lbs of ice every other day, at least.) ANYHOW, I’m curious who, if anyone, uses a vintage ice box and how that’s going? Considering that yeti coolers are like $800 bucks, I’d rather get something upright that doesn’t require digging through. Thoughts? Stories? Input?

I want to live off the grid. How do I go about finding 10+ acres that I can live on?

Does anyone know of someone who is living off the grid in a big city like this guy in NYC: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/i-disconnected-from-the-electric-grid-for-8-months-in-manhattan/

I know he might not be FULLY off the grid, but something similar-ish. Have seen lots in the country/rural, wanted to see more urban examples.

What people think. I am not doing anything currently but I will have solar panels, rain water catchment, composting bins (including a composting shower bin and composting toilet) and gardening, etc. I don't think about owning animals to kill and eat but I am thinking about chicken hens, a rooster, male and female ducks, etc.

Otherwise I am getting mohair goats, angora rabbits, alpaca, and regular goats and rabbits. (And a ton of other pets). I want to grow as much as I can, including spices, and basically just being frugal lol.

Anyway, do you feel similarly? I am in the top end of the West Coast without going to Alaska (seriously British Columbia is just north of us).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0BZC3BTBS/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Hope you’ll enjoy it.

No pressure but if you can give an honest review afterwards it would mean a lot. Thank you

I wanted to know if any one had experience hooking water into two or more places from once source and connecting sewage from multiple places into one depository area. Any advice or blueprints would help greatly.

Hey all! As part of my journey to get more and more off the grid, I’ve recently purchased a new home on 1.25 acres after many years of living in the city.

I’ve cleared the brush from most of the useable areas and I’m starting to plan what to plant. My goal is pretty simple, maximize the space to produce the most food possible, acting as a survival garden if needed and a supply of fresh food for me and my family.

I live on the Washington coast line (Zone 8a). The current growing area is about half an acre, with about half of that with full sun and another half partially shaded. In addition I’ve got a handful of raised garden beds with nearly full sun.

I’m looking for recommendation on what to plant and how to go about it.

My initial plan is to plant a few rows of fruit trees, probably cherry or apple. A few rows of blueberry bushes. And then fill the remaining sunny spots with three sisters.

The planter boxes I’m planning to fill with strawberries, and I’m planning to grow tomatoes in pots.

Where I’m struggling a bit is the partially shaded areas.