r/OffGrid

Started tracking after a bad one in 2023. Here's my running tally for a family of 4 in suburban Houston:

Oct 2023: fridge and chest freezer, about $650 in food. Power was out 28 hours. July 2024 (Beryl): $1,220 in food plus 200oz of breast milk my wife had been pumping for months. Power out 8 days. Jan 2026 (winter storm): $480 in food, plus we had to throw out my daughter's ADHD medication that needs refrigeration. Power out 3 days. March 2026: $340 in fridge stuff. Power out 36 hours.

Total: roughly $2,700+ in direct food and medication losses. Not counting the hotel we booked during Beryl or the gas I burned driving around looking for ice.

At this point a battery station that keeps the fridge alive for 30+ hours would have paid for itself twice over. What are people here using specifically for fridge backup?

I have money saved, and want to make the move within the next year location really doesn't bother me at all. I've sourced most of my energy needs and the info attached to it.

I just want to know what to look for and what groups to join etc? Their are so many rules and laws against people that just want a simple life it makes me want to pull my hair out.

Thanks in advcance

Hey everybody, I’m looking to slowly start a rainwater collection and purification system for my home but have been struggling in a few areas on how to go about it. 1. This is mostly because the water cuts out at least once a week for several hours in my area so for at least now, this is to just keep water flowing during those times.

My home is on a slope so I can’t install and decent sized tanks around the house. My plan is to start with a 250g tank in my basement where a rain gutter will be routed to. (With a carbon filter before of course). Now here is where I struggle. I know I need some type of filtration process but I’m not sure which type works for this. Also, do I need a water pump before or after the filters and what type should I get?

All I have planned now is the water tank connected to the gutter, a self priming water pump, some sort of water filtrations (assuming reverse osmosis) but I also don’t know enough for what goes into that. Then piping it to a T valve in my water line with shut offs on the city water side and the rainwater system side.

Am I on the right track? I’d appreciate anyone who’s willing to push me in the right direction. Brands, models, equipment you have or recommended I use. Anything would help. Thank you

I have plywood exterior walls with pinetar/lineseed oil for protection in my cabin. I have vertical boards covering the gaps where the plywood meet. Interior I have typical pink insulation and drywall.

I want to reinforce the south facing wall to help with heat in the summer and combat the elements / uv degradation and heat. I have a ton of extra roofing metal. Im considering putting the metal roofing on this south facing exterior wall leaving a 1" air gap between the metal roofing and the plywood wall.

Googles saying "Putting a metal exterior on a south-facing wall can cause massive heat gain" but I am not sure how exactly, there will be an air gap and the metal roofing is what will be heating up, not the plywood walls.

Would this be an effective solution? Or is there a better idea?

Howdy y'all, I am currently 4 months into living on solar and I am having some doubts about the capabilities of my system to power the AC.

I do know from a previous post here that my system is underpowered for what I need and through my own research I know what I need to do to upgrade it. However, money is tight at this time.

So in the meantime, do you guys have any tricks or gizmos to keep your places cool that won't be a hard draw on solar?

I've got two window units, they're 6000btu, I have them set to run on an eco mode at 74 degrees, so they start and stop, sometimes it only kicks the fan on. I do have an open doorway between the main room and the bedroom that I'm ordering a curtain for on Thursday in the hopes that it will help cool this place down by splitting the rooms. I only run one unit at a time.

Around January, an ice storm took out three main transformers in our county and the local news was saying power won't be restored for at least four days.

I was very much pissed at the situation because of course who likes staying in a blackout. I knew I was not entirely helpless so I started checking for alternatives so I can stop relying entirely on the grid. I obsessively started researching solar inverters, battery banks and panels. I just hate being helpless so I spent the whole night comparing prices on Amazon, AIibaba and Global Sources. I was looking for a hybrid inverter that could switch automatically. I even picked up extra fuse and connectors just in case.

Fast forward to this month, there was another blackout. When the light flickered and died, I heard that glorious click from the garage. My inverter kicked in drawing power from the batteries I’d spent all day charging with the weak winter sun. It wasn't enough to run the whole house but it kept the fridge running and the internet alive so I could keep my family updated.

Halfway through the second day my neighbor came over with a dead phone and a look of pure desperation. We sat in my warm kitchen, charging his phone and drinking coffee. It wasn't about the money I spent rather it's about the peace of mind. Investing in your own power isn't just about the ROI but about the story you tell when the world goes quiet.

Hey everyone!
I need some validation on this idea that I’m planning to build.
Like an app for people to learn about offgrid living, right from building different types of houses to setting up power systems etc.
It will involve basics like starting in an Urban setting to going completely off grid. Eventually I also plan to add ecommerce setting like a farmers market and a community to find link minded individuals.
I honestly don’t know if this will work. Need a few inputs from y’all

Cheers!

Hello!

We have a 200ft well and are wondering if anyone knows how to ensure we have access to it, even without electricity from the grid

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you!

EDIT: Obviously a generator to keep it going But it takes a lot of power to start the pump, which will be necessary at some point

I've been living off-grid and rent-free in the Sonoran Desert going on three years now.

I have may own solar energy system, and I pump water from any of several nearby sources. I live in a little camper and keep most of my stuff in a shipping container i bought for about what I used to pay every month in bills.

There are some other camps/neighbors around, but everyone has plenty of space and privacy. There are also quite a few tourists/visitors passing thru (when it's not too hot) whom i can interact with if I chose.

I love the privacy, anonymity, and relaxed atmosphere. If I had known how easy it was, i probably would have adopted this lifestyle sooner. I don't really plan to return to conventional living. I feel very at home, and at peace. I'm M58, BTW

Anyone else have similar experience or thoughts?

I have some property in central Michigan. I have a half mile frontage on a small river. About 300 yards to the east, there’s another smaller creek. The water table between them is pretty high but the ground is pretty solid. I put some posts in this weekend and hit water at 2 feet. The ground is mostly sandy gravel. I’ve never seen clay up there. Is it likely that a sand point well would find cleaner water than the river? Is it worth it to do a well to try to get cleaner water, or is it probably just the same water that’s in the river?

Bought new 24v lifepo4 batteries. The manual says to charge each battery separately then attach them together to balance them. For this initial charge can I use an agm charger? And if I can is it safe for my new batteries. They were expensive and im nervous to mess up.

I live in Southwest Montana, my property is 5 acres of irrigated land, no covenants, no restrictions, also with water rights. I've been slowly homesteading on it and making improvements when I can. I really enjoy the property, the house is pretty good size and there is a pretty sweet barn as well. The place is entirely electric though, there's no propane, I do have a couple woodstoves, but otherwise it's completely reliant on the grid. Last year we had a really bad storm that wiped power out for about 24 hours and I used a generator to keep the fridges and freezers alive. My goal is to be completely self reliant, as we all know things in the world feels unsettling and becoming self-sufficient seems to be a goal worth working towards. Since this place is all electric, I don't know if installing propane, on top of solar would make sense financially. I'm not sure what I'd be looking at cost wise but I know it's going to be expensive.

Given my options would converting an existing property to off-grid make more sense than selling this place and either buying an already off-grid setup or building my own? One advantage I have is I bought this place in 2020, from a friend, so my mortgage interest rate is incredibly low and I also have 400-500k worth of equity. I think, given my area and particular property that selling it wouldn't be too difficult, but I'm prepared for anything that could happen there. Taxes and insurance do hurt, but I also have one of the highest paying jobs in the state and doing well financially. At the same time though, I don't enjoy my job and was born in MT so I'm open for a new adventure.

I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, I have been very blessed to be where I am but I wanted to paint a clear picture. If I did sell, I would downsize and simplify so as not take out anymore loans, the only debt I have is the mortgage. If you were in my position, what would make the most sense? I'm really up for either option, I just don't know which direction I should focus on.