r/OffGridLiving

I'm putting together a little solar street/yard light setup and could use a sanity check on the charge controller.

Here's what I've got:

• 12V system, LiFePO4 battery, roughly 40Ah (~512Wh)
• 90W solar panel (standard 12V-class, Vmp ~18V)
• 30W LED load, so about 2.3A draw when it's on

I want a proper MPPT controller (not PWM — seems like I'd lose a chunk of the harvest at these wattages). I'd expect around 6–7A of charge current, so a 10A unit should give me decent headroom.

The one behavior I do need is basic dusk-to-dawn: when the sun goes down, the light comes on; when the sun comes back up, the light shuts off and the controller goes back to charging the battery. That's it — no dimming, no timed steps, no motion sensing. Just on at dark, off at light.

Beyond that, I want something that handles the fundamentals well: MPPT charging from the panel, sensible battery management for LiFePO4 (correct charge setpoints, and a load output to run the LED.

Any recommendations for a reliable unit in this class? any extra functions are nice to have but not a must

Thanks

Hello,
Im a novice to agriculture/permaculture/silviculture. I live in southern california, and own a very small plot of land in the lake elsinore area. As a part of commemorating the recent passing of my 10 year old golden retriever, I decided I wanted to plant a 1-2 ft Sugar Maple since she was from Vermont. Ive seen native bigleaf maples in nearby riparian areas reaching 30-40 feet, so I know this could work.

I want to take this as a challenge. Since the annual precipitation here is only 8-10 inches, with all of it falling only 2-3 months during the winter, This tree must be irrigated, 3x a week as im planting in in late summer. An obstacle is theres no plumbing or permanent infastructure, and I dont plan on placing anyfor a while.

Coming to a conclusion that I want the tree to be remotely irrigated with no other permanent change to the land (besides the tree and permaculture to maximize retention of water), I realized water hauling is the only option. I can use my brothers rivian r1s for towing temporarily when hes off work (Charging the car is on me).

My brainstormed setup is:

Electric SUV with only 7,700 lb towing capacity

??? Trailer with axle that can withstand sloshing, highway speeds and offroad conditions

100 gallon water tank or IBC tote attached to this trailer

Hose reel and water pump, preferrably electric

Please feel free to critique the plan from macro to micro scale, ill take any guidance!

Thanks!

Been living off grid for a while now and one thing I didnt expect was how much less tolerance I’d have for complicated relationships.

Out here everything feels simple. You work, you eat, you fix what breaks, you enjoy the quiet. Then you deal with someone who brings constant drama into your life and suddenly being alone in the middle of nowhere doesnt sound lonely at all lol

I used to think love meant constantly working through things no matter how exhausting it got. Now I kinda think the right person should make your peaceful life even more peaceful.

Anyone else notice this after living off grid for
awhile?

Hi, I am a high school teacher tasked with teaching an elective “Off Grid Living” this year. Because it is an elective, there is no set curriculum, and I have flexibility to make the class my own. My class sizes range from 20-40.

In the past, teachers have taught units on alternative power sources, water collection/cleaning, sanitation, gardening, etc. I am open to these units, but would love to hear from you: if you were a teenager interested in living off grid, what kind of things would you want to learn about? Specifically if you have any hands on activity ideas in mind, that would be great! I want the class to be fun but also want my students to leave feeling like they learned something. I’ve been thinking about scavenging/plant identification, gardening/canning, designing your own off grid setup, etc.

It probably goes without saying, but I have no off grid experience. My degree is in chemistry with minors in biology and environmental science.

Thank you!

Im upgrading my system and im looking at 2 x 12v 300ah lithium batteries.
Has anyone any experience with renorgy batteries everything else is victron. Do that communicate well with the multiplus shunt gx etc etc thanks in advance

I am a fit, attractive, 40yr young, single woman. No kids, never married, world traveled, well experienced. Currently living in the jungles of Los Angeles, CA - but I grew up in farm land Michigan.

It has been a dream for quite some time to get back to the land and live off-grid, homestead, and ultimately prep for the coming climate catastrophes we have to look forward to… all with a special man in my life.

I’ve joined various groups in my city relating to permaculture, etc., but have found them less than serious.

I went out to New Mexico to build earth-ships, but 9/10 people in our group were already happily partnered. It was lovely to see others living my dream - and I’m more inspired than ever now!

I’m heading to Burning Man for the 5th time in a few weeks. I’ll be involving myself with a large solar camp, and I am heavily engaged in various builds all across the playa as well. I meet incredible people every year, and find the experience deeply satisfying, but maybe not the perfect climate for what I’m seeking.

For the right man, I’m ready and willing to pick up and go nearly anywhere - and I think I’m quite the catch for someone who may be seeking their partner in all of life’s adventure.

I’ve lived the communal life a few times before while traveling, and I’m not opposed to building a larger community eventually… right now I’d really love to find love 🥰 with a man who wants to live this way.

What am I missing?

I’m not really on the apps, but if there’s one I should be considering, I’m open.

Those of you who are lucky enough to have found “your person”, where did you meet??

And finally, if you’re a single man on this off-grid life path, and I sound like the girl you’ve been looking for… my DM’s are open! Or maybe you have a friend??

Hi Reddit,

I am a Canadian citizen, wondering if it is possible to find an off-grid eco village (located anywhere in Canada) to permanently live in; whereby my daily/weekly labour contributions and a civil, cooperative disposition would grant me the right to live and remain in the community (after one trial period of roughly 3-4 months).

I am not interested in visiting any intentional community that would require an upfront cost and/or ongoing costs, in order to live in the community.

Having said all of this, is it possible to find a Canadian eco village that checks off these criteria? If so, which community(ies) should I reach out to/what are some resources that I should resort to, in order to try to find such communities?

Any advice/feedback would be greatly appreciated 🙏.

My partner and I have decided to take on a huge and ridiculous project. We've been living in Salt Lake City, Utah for many years, and have loved it - but it has just gotten way too busy, and we wanted our forever home to be deep in nature, with a tight-knit community, and with healthy ecosystems that are not strained for water and resources. This led us to buying a 60 acre property in Washington, completely off-grid, that has basically been sitting uninhabited and neglected for the last five years.

The good news is that it is an incredible property with a cabin, a bunch of shop space, water infrastructure, septic system, solar, generators, etc. The bad news is that none of it works because it has been left dilapidating for years.

No running water when we arrived, the solar/battery system is basically dead, years of deferred maintenance, rodents, plumbing issues, electrical issues, broken appliances… and every time we fix one thing we seem to discover three more.

We’re also completely new to off-grid living and homesteading. This project is so big but with so much potential, that we've decided to film the process to share the journey - mostly because we would love some feedback and support from the community as we go.

There are obviously a lot of people here who know WAY more about wells, solar and batteries, land management, etc than we do. If you see us doing something stupid or know a better way to solve a problem, genuinely tell us. We hope this can also serve as a helpful blueprint for people like us who are coming to this with no experience but a deep desire to live a more intentional life.

We’re planning to post a video twice a week as we tackle these projects and share the challenges we run into. Here’s an overview of the property if anyone is curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM0yA4EM034

Would also love to hear from anyone who took over an older/neglected homestead. What should we prioritize in these next couple months before winter sets in?

been living off grid for a while now and honestly theres a lot i probably wouldve done differently if i could start over lol

nothing major and i still love it but theres definitely stuff you dont really think about until youre actually out here living it everyday

for anyone whos been doing this a few years what would you change about your setup if you had to start again?

could be solar, water, the land you bought, where you put the house, stuff you wasted money on etc

just curious what mistakes everyone else made because im still changing things around on mine

If you're off grid in Maine, what area are you in and what is the hardest and best parts of that area? Whats youre climate like? Growing challenges? Winter challenges? Enough sun for solar?? Any other

Currently off grid in Washington state. Looking to change things up.

Been looking at a lot of off-grid properties lately and I think people get a little too hung up on acreage.
Give me 8–10 usable acres with decent terrain, a good water situation, year-round access and enough usable ground for a garden, shop, house, etc.
I’d take that over 80 acres where half the property is steep, the access is questionable and you’re 45 minutes from the nearest paved road.

More land is obviously nice, but at some point you’re just paying to own more trees. I’ve seen listings where the acreage number is basically the entire sales pitch. “47 ACRES!!” Then you look at the actual parcel and wonder what you’re supposed to do with 35 of those acres. If you were buying specifically for an off-grid setup, how much land would you actually want? I’m starting to think 10–20 usable acres is the sweet spot for most people unless you have a specific reason for needing more

I need suggestions on how I can boost both cell service and 5G at the deer lease. I need service both at the blind and trailer that are several hundred yards from each other. I do have one or two bars but internet is slow. What are options that I have that are not $1k+?

Hey everyone. We have an off grid cabin that is basically supported by 4x4s on cinder blocks. Problem is one half is noticeably lower and I was just wondering if anyone had any simple cheap ideas on how to raise the side and make the whole thing more secure. Thank you!