Poll

Would a "Living off the Grid" forum be useful?

Yes
29 (93.5%)
No
2 (6.5%)

Total Members Voted: 31

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Offline Matt

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Living off the Grid
« on: December 01, 2008, 04:09:07 PM »
For several years now I having been collecting information and prototyping methods of generating electricity. With the possibility of the coming collasp of the US as we know it there will be mass power outages as well as natural gas and water shortages.

The idea that I have in mind for this forum would be a survival guide combined with tips and tricks to get, keep or generate power as well as water and fuel for internal combustion engines. I have a very good understanding of electronics and logic and have lots of information to share that could be used in a MacGyver kind of way to help in hard times to do many things to include keep food refrigerated, provide lighting, provide hot water and many other things that we take for granted now because it is so easy to flip a switch or plug in a cord.

So what do you folks think... is the time upon us that this information needs to be shared so that more of us will be able to survive any future problems?

Matt
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Offline kevthebassman

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #1 on: December 01, 2008, 04:17:11 PM »
I'd be interested.
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Offline burntmuch

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2008, 10:35:11 PM »
+1 That would be great. Just last week I started reading up on windmills.
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Offline phalanx

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2008, 07:05:43 AM »
Now that is a good one ,  Kudos to Matt , I went to Tech .School when i was a Kid, at ONAN when it was McCaw Edison.
I run my house on a load shed now with the Power Company,and they have to pay me sometimes.
Info about inverters and rectifiers would be very useful to the guys here.
VAC and VDC is also a good one to explain to them , and how to calculate KVA , or   HP = KW formulas.
I still have all the training books that make this very simple to the common man ,and how to build this stuff also ,i would be more than happy to send you copy's of all of this if you like.
Posting it would make this a breeze.

Oh i voted for you 10 times , Acorn helped me do it. ;D
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Offline Matt

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2008, 07:19:08 AM »
Thanks phalanx, I am still up in the air as to the name for the forum but I think that many of us here have lots of ideas to offer and in a combined effort we might just be able to put together systems that will be useful to us.


Matt
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Offline Matt

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2008, 07:21:32 AM »
Quote from: burntmuch on December 01, 2008, 10:35:11 PM
+1 That would be great. Just last week I started reading up on windmills.

When you get ready to make your windmill let me know as I have the perfect motors to act as your generator and would bet you could pick one up local to you for less than 20 bucks...

Matt
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2008, 07:22:58 AM »
why not include all aspects of self sustained life , building shelter , food production , medicine or lack of , etc.
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Offline Matt

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2008, 07:27:15 AM »
Quote from: SHOOTALL on December 02, 2008, 07:22:58 AM
why not include all aspects of self sustained life , building shelter , food production , medicine or lack of , etc.

That is exactly what I had in mind... "self sustained life" and was trying to figure a way to include it in the name for the forum.
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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2008, 07:29:56 AM »
hope it happens !
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Offline GregP42

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2008, 09:27:41 AM »
Matt,

I would love to see it also, don't know what I could add to help it, but reading it would be great. I already read a few of the backwoodsman type magazines regularly.

Greg
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Offline TribReady

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2008, 09:31:18 AM »
I voted for it. Any info will help....even for us non-mechanical, non-engineering-ish types.
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Offline oldyardog

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2008, 09:55:48 AM »
I would be an avid reader of this.

Oldyardog
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Offline lakota

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #12 on: December 02, 2008, 10:35:03 AM »
Sounds great. I think that would be a cool forum!
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Offline moxgrove

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #13 on: December 02, 2008, 11:32:37 AM »
That's a forum that would be right up my alley. I am in the process of finding a chunk of land to drop off the grid onto. Especially after the last election.
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Offline kevthebassman

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #14 on: December 02, 2008, 12:34:35 PM »
19 votes, looks like the ayes have it!
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Offline briarpatch

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #15 on: December 02, 2008, 12:47:49 PM »
I think a fourm on (Self sufficiency and the essentials thereof) would be just great, especially now.
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Offline Matt

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #16 on: December 02, 2008, 08:35:48 PM »
I am so glad to see all the interest in this idea and I hope to see a lot of posting in this forum as well... ;D

I have created a new category and moved several of the other forums to it and it can be found here http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php#18
 
and our new forum is here. http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/board,232.0.html
well all that is left to do now is share the information... so lets get on with it ;)

Matt
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Offline S.E.Ak

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #17 on: December 03, 2008, 02:15:41 AM »
The Alaska outdoors forum has one and its used alot.Think it would be excellent for folks in the lower 49 to also have the knowledge.
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Offline d_hiker

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #18 on: December 03, 2008, 09:52:13 AM »
Sounds like very good reading.
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Offline Greenmtnboy66

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #19 on: December 04, 2008, 09:02:15 AM »
My wife,daughter and I live on fourty acers off the grid in a post and beam straw bail house in CO.
Electricty sponcered by the sun.
here is a couple of pic of my wife and I putting up 25 lbs of elk brats







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Offline SHOOTALL

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #20 on: December 04, 2008, 10:22:22 AM »
ya'll are having way to much fun !
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Offline kevthebassman

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #21 on: December 04, 2008, 01:12:59 PM »
Quote from: SHOOTALL on December 04, 2008, 10:22:22 AM
ya'll are having way to much fun !

I'll say!  Greenmtnboy66, what's a beautiful gal like that doing married to you?!?   ;)










Kidding of course, you're a very lucky guy and it looks like you've got a great setup going.
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Offline Graybeard

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #22 on: December 04, 2008, 01:35:29 PM »
What the heck is a post and beam straw bail house? That sure sounds like it and fire might not mix well but honestly I can't imagine how it's built. It might be a good topic for a separate thread and of interest to others perhaps.
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Offline Matt

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #23 on: December 04, 2008, 08:22:19 PM »
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Offline Gun Runner

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #24 on: December 04, 2008, 10:01:45 PM »
Right now working on a elec. system to run the house on and tell the power co. where they can stick their bill. Got the basics down, just a few details to work out.
Have thought about marketing it (to the yuppies and couple others). Ifin it works out right could put power in the BACK BACK country for around 3 or 4 hundred total. Time will tell. Have applied for a patent on it, but dosent mean I cant tell somebody how to make it. No outside source of power required to run it ie... sun, wind etc.. When its up and running my simple abode will advise.

Gun Runner
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Offline gwhilikerz

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #25 on: December 05, 2008, 09:27:00 AM »
Great idea for a forum. I look forward to picking a few brains for ideas here. Gun Runner i am really interested in being able to tell the electric co. to stick it, especially after getting their bill today.
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Offline handi243

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #26 on: December 06, 2008, 08:42:23 AM »
Would love to see a place to share and learn about being able to live "off the grid"
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Offline billy_56081

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #27 on: December 06, 2008, 08:47:28 AM »
Greenmountain, what do you use for refridgeration and freezing? LP?
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Offline Gun Runner

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #28 on: December 09, 2008, 09:17:38 PM »
Well got a letter back from the patent office saying there are 7 applications for about the same thing so it was disapproved. The posting matt made with the guy with the the one he was building was close to the same.
We used a 33 gal plastic garbarge can with lid. 12v batt, altanator, 500w inverter a plastic pelton wheel. water pump (like one from a small pool or spa), some pvc pipe and connectors. alternator was hooked up high on one side of trash can, Need a shaft coupler and short extention to put the pelton wheel on. Water pump was mounted on to a board with one pipe running to about the bottom of trash can (intake) the other running off discharge side (raised high enough to reach pelton wheel Extend both pipes into the trash can a little and seal. The plastic pelton was all we could find at the time but a meltal one would last much longer. Boy is working on another system, and the proto type he first made is gonna be to run the pump in a small fish pond. it will probable need a 3000w inverter to run anything in the house. This should give some of you some ideas and maybe all togather we can come up with a good idea and share it amongst ourselves for free power.

Gun Runner
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Offline Dee

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Re: Living off the Grid
« Reply #29 on: December 10, 2008, 01:39:06 AM »
I think this is an excellent idea. I have been studying this idea for years. Lets do it.
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