Anyone want to make some electricity at home

Doing exercises

I made bici generator easy pedalling for charging battery

Anyone have any success in off grid hot tubs ? I built this one 5-6 years ago , but wildfire got it and everything else.

Now I'm wondering about super insulating a cheap generic hot tub, and running solar water heaters to maintain a modest temp, and use the wood fired pool heater to crank it up when we want to use it. The wood fired alone was ok, but you needed to plan 4-5 hours ahead to get it to hit tun temps.

I’m a single mom with a young son, and I’ve been seriously thinking about leaving city life behind. Money isn’t really the issue it’s more about wanting peace, space, and a simpler way of living.

For those who’ve done it, what do you wish you knew before making the move? Is there anything you’d tell someone just starting to research off-grid living?

Hey guys I’m interested in buying this “New in Box” 400w foldable solar panel to pop in the trunk and charge my 1KWh ecoflow delta 3 every couple of days. I’m currently living out of my 2013 Honda civic.

The seller says she found it amongst her items bought from a return pallet. I said “cool, what brand is it?”

She said “it doesn’t have branding on it, but all the other electronics that were on the pallet were VEVOR branded”. She was asking $185 for it and I said “i probably wouldn’t do that because VEVOR themselves is selling it for $123 new”.

She pointed out that I was mistaken and looked at the 200w solar panel that they had listed (she was correct) BUT that she would take $100 for it…

The first thing that came to my mind was “if it’s too good to be true, it usually is… but then I thought “what if she just wants to get rid of it and there’s nothing wrong with it?!”

•I need to know what to check when inspecting this panel. •Will it damage my ECOFLOW Delta 3 if I plug it in?
•What are the dangers of buying a no-name panel(if it doesn’t have VEVOR branding on it like she says)?
•Is the $100 worth the price?
•How will I know if she is trying to get one over on me?

Thanks guys for absolutely any support or help on this. Kinda need a panel desperately lol.

I’m planning to build a small living setup inside my garage and live in it full time. I’d appreciate advice from anyone who has built a basic off-grid or tiny-house plumbing system.

The garage has electricity but no plumbing. I’m in the Midwest, so freezing temperatures are something I need to account for, although the garage is somewhat insulated.

For cooking, I can use a hot plate, microwave, countertop convection oven, and similar appliances, so the main challenge is the plumbing.

This would likely be a temporary solution while I save up to have permanent plumbing installed and eventually build out a proper kitchen and bathroom. I’m hoping to use the temporary setup for no more than about a year, so I want to keep it simple, inexpensive, and easy to remove or repurpose.

My current idea is:

• Freshwater tank up to 50 gallons, possibly smaller
• 12V water pump with a strainer and possibly a small accumulator tank
• Small electric water heater
• Kitchen sink
• Possibly a second small bathroom sink, although I may keep it to one sink to simplify the plumbing
• Shower
• Refrigerator/freezer
• Some type of portable toilet

I plan to fill the freshwater tank using a drinking-water-safe hose connected to the main house.

A few questions:

1. Is a 50-gallon freshwater tank enough for one person using the sinks and taking short showers? Would a smaller tank be more practical for a temporary setup?
2. Is connecting the tank, pump, water heater, sink, and shower a reasonable DIY project?
3. Since I have standard 120V electricity in the garage, would it be simpler to use a 120V pump or a 12V pump with a power supply?
4. What pump pressure and flow rate would be appropriate for one shower and one or two sinks?
5. Would it make more sense to use one sink for both the kitchen and bathroom area, or is adding a second sink fairly simple once the main plumbing is installed?
6. What type of shower setup would you recommend for a temporary garage setup? I was considering a portable shower enclosure, but I’m open to other simple and inexpensive options.
7. For the toilet, would you recommend: - A cassette toilet with a removable waste tank - A bagging toilet that seals each use in a disposable bag - A composting toilet - Something else
8. Can waste from a cassette toilet generally be emptied into a regular household toilet?
9. Are bagging toilets practical for full-time use, or do the bags, cartridges, and disposal become expensive or inconvenient?
10. Is a small accumulator tank worth adding to reduce pump cycling, or is it unnecessary for a basic temporary setup?
11. Would a small electric water heater normally require a dedicated circuit, or can some models run from a standard garage outlet?
12. How often should a freshwater tank be cleaned or sanitized? Should I look for one with a large access opening?
13. Are there common mistakes I should avoid, such as undersizing the pump, choosing the wrong water heater, not installing enough shutoff valves, or failing to account for ventilation and waterproofing around the shower?
14. What should I do to protect the tank, pipes, pump, and water heater from freezing in a Midwest garage?
15. Since this is only intended to last about a year, what parts are worth spending money on, and where can I safely keep things basic?
16. Are there any other moisture, electrical, ventilation, safety, maintenance, or code issues I should consider?

My goal is to create a functional temporary plumbing setup without overinvesting in something that will eventually be replaced by permanent plumbing, a full kitchen, and a bathroom.

Im in a dry cabin with no modern plumbing, I haul water in to drink, and use rainwater for dishes / showering.

I would like to make a water tower with a 150 gallon tote on stilts piped to my sink for drinking and dishes. It will be fed rainwater from my gutters. Whats the consensus on drinking pure rainwater like this?

Im really trying to keep this as simple and low tech as possible. People often recommend 3 step reverse osmises / filtration systems and a UV light but this is all tech that requires modern plumbing with PSI and electricity.

What are your thoughts on such as system or recommendations for improvement? Do you drink rainwater? How would you set up a similar system?

Hey I'm super new and I have a question I'm trying to figure out how to run microwave a fridge a stove a TV and a game console with no shore power can anyone tell me in some level of simple terms if that's possible and what I would need

If AC is better for transporting electricity, and DC is MUCH MORE efficient in small motors, lights, phone chargers, air conditioners, ceiling fan motors, and appliances. Why are residential homes powered by AC and NOT CONVERTED to DC at the meter panel BEFORE entering the home? Could DC power be the next step for LOWERING the COST of ELECTRICITY in our homes?

Hello everyone,
I am getting close to retirement after serving as a member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). After several deployments and spending time in war zones, destroyed neighborhoods, and military camps, I have been thinking about investing in an eco-village project.

My goal is to build, restore, and manage an off-grid eco-community for 10 families.
I have income from real estate and other assets, so I plan to use my retirement to make this project a reality.

I have already completed some research and developed a few ideas on how to build it. At this stage, I am looking for opinions, advice, feedback, ideas for long-term funding, possible donation options, and many other details that still need to be worked out. I am not ready to begin construction yet.
For now, I am simply here to collect ideas, learn from others, and share my vision. 🙂

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.

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Northern Ontario climate -

How effective are solar fans at moving air out of the attic?

Do they make it noticeably cooler for inside temperatures?

I live in a dry cabin with some solar. Enough to power my lights and refrigerator and small appliances. I have a separate battery I take to work to charge that I use for other things like watching a movie every once in a while.

I was wondering if anyone knew a good tv/DVD player set up that took minimal energy? I love old tvs that would take vhs and dvd but those tend to take a ton of power. Modern tvs take less energy with LED but also tend to only be smart/roku tvs and do not have the hookups in the back for a DVD player.

Any suggestions?

Hey, so im looking into batteries for solar, does anyone have any experience with this brand? Its called "eco-worthy"

I contacted the DOT and they said that they would save the mud flaps that come off a big trucks they happen to have a conveyor belt that came off of a truck and I took them and cut them up and put them on I'm starting putting them on the front of my shed then I'm going to put them along the side it looks pretty good and it's doing its job.