Over the years, my wife and I have started to see a rapid decline in quality made goods. During a heat wave, we did not want to be looking for a fan to replace one that shorted out, rattled apart, or melted all due to it being plastic. One hot summer, my wife and I … Continue reading Beat the Heat: Purchase a fan that will last
Conservation, Electricity
Emergency Lighting: Battery Powered LED Light Bulb
What is the best way to prepare for a power outage? There are so many things a person can do to prepare their home for when the grid goes down. Here is one more tool to help you during a brown/ black out. A few years ago, my cousin introduced me to a battery powered … Continue reading Emergency Lighting: Battery Powered LED Light Bulb
It Really Works… Introducing the Bicycle Generator.
For the past few months, I have been trying to build our own bicycle generator. Soon it became a sort of obsession as I tried to take an old exercise bike and convert it to a human powered generator. These past few weeks, I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. … Continue reading It Really Works… Introducing the Bicycle Generator.
Off Grid electricity is NOT free.
I believe I am guilty of promoting free energy on the off grid homestead, and during the summer months it appears that way. However, during the winter months cloudy skies make solar energy creation improbable, and it's the battery bank that keeps the home's electricity going from day to day. When the fog and inversion … Continue reading Off Grid electricity is NOT free.
Working alone on the homestead
Today, I am spending much of the day alone. I decided what a perfect time to write a post about working on the homestead alone. During the rush to build our tractor shed, I did much of the prep work by myself. My wife and son went to the local farmers’ market while I began … Continue reading Working alone on the homestead
Evolution of Off Grid Refrigeration
Off grid refrigeration seems to be an elusive topic online. Many people give up on the idea altogether or try to incorporate a standard refrigerator/freezer and find their stored battery energy gone before the next day begins. Refrigerators are just inefficient. When purchasing our DC refrigerator and freezer, we thought we were making the logical … Continue reading Evolution of Off Grid Refrigeration
Are you grounded? Electrical issues with the plow truck
Our plow truck has been let's just say a challenge since we bought it. First, I have had to rebuild the transmission and rebuild the plow head last year. This year, I decided I wanted to use the rear lights mounted on the bed of the truck to make sure I wasn't reversing into a … Continue reading Are you grounded? Electrical issues with the plow truck
Home alone. How will I survive? Answer, cast iron…
Today, is Saturday; the day I am typing this post. This morning my wife and son have left me home alone. They are selling our handmade, off grid, soy wax candles at the Farmer's Market. My wife sells her hand crafted candles that she makes in the old cabin on the property using our solar … Continue reading Home alone. How will I survive? Answer, cast iron…
How to turn a freezer into a refrigerator…
How to turn a freezer into a refrigerator in two easy steps. Plug freezer into a Johnson Controls A19AAT-2C Freezer Temperature Controller, place the temperature sensor into freezer, and done. In most cases, this would be all that is required unless the entire pantry needs to be reconfigured to handle an upright refrigerator versus a … Continue reading How to turn a freezer into a refrigerator…
The toilet, a topic we don’t like to discuss…
Having a flush toilet has been by far one of the most rewarding, peace of mind additions to our home. We installed our flush toilet back in 2013 and have no regrets making the move away from our compost toilet. Now, I must admit I never converted my AC composting toilet to DC. I hooked … Continue reading The toilet, a topic we don’t like to discuss…
Living a Sustainable Dream 