The funny thing about this is that there’s nothing more ancient than the off-grid lifestyle. Before the advent of the grid as we know it (a relatively recent development that really only began in the 1860s), everyone from the richest king to the lowliest peasant technically lived off-grid in most capacities.  As such, folks had pretty well figured out how to thrive without the aid of all the new contraptions that have been invented for the modern off-grid lifestyle. They had thousands of years of civilization to back them up.

So, what is the off-grid beginner supposed to do?  How do you know when the old ways are best to learn or when the new innovations are worth the buy?  On my increasingly off-grid homestead, we are trying to answer that question with a balance of the best of the past with the best of modern innovation.  I will admit that we have a bias toward simple, manual tools (mostly because there’s less chance for something to break down).  So I’d like to take our years of experimentation and show you some modern and traditional tools and ideas for your own consideration.  The off-grid life comes at the cost of time or money; time to build your own systems or money to pay someone to do it for you.  So, no matter how much cash you’ve got, you can likely go off-grid.  I hope the comparison of these DIY cheap off-grid methods and pricier, manufactured methods can help you figure out the best fit for your own property.

Food Preservation: Electric Dehydrator or Protected Drying Screen

The most basic method of cheap off-grid food preservation, in my view, is dehydrating.  The free, desiccating power of the sun and wind have rendered fresh food into a stable, storable form for pretty much all of time.  And the best part is?  The sun shines freely on everyone.

You can build a pretty cheap solar dehydrator out of recycled materials (we’ve built one out of a defunct stand-up freezer) and there are lots of DIY plans online for such a build.  Lacking that, you can merely spread food on a window screen, cover it with a bit of cheesecloth to ward off birds, bugs, and dust, and lay it in a sunny place.  I’ve even seen folks use the dashboards of their cars as dehydrators—merely crack the window slightly to release moisture.  The point I’m making is, this method of food preservation is extremely accessible and low-cost.

Of course, you can purchase a gadget to do the work for you.  There is any number of food dehydrators and freeze-dryers out there to render your fresh produce and meat into shelf-stable sustenance.  Granted, in order to power any of these devices requires electricity, and that electricity will likely need an entirely separate solar, wind, or water generator to run.  In order to take the high-tech road when it comes to food dehydration, you’ll be investing quite a bit in infrastructure and appliances.  The payoff?  Predictably dry food, without needing to chase off flies, rain or shine. 

Laundry: Lavario and Gas-Powered Machines or Washing Plunger and Bucket

I find laundry to be a funny topic when it comes to the domestic side of off-grid life.  Most historical records of manual laundry practices that I’ve found only reflect the Victorian-era manner of clothes washing, with its arduous soaking, boiling, blueing, starching, and ironing.  With that litany of tasks to accomplish weekly, it’s no wonder most folks find the idea of hand-washing laundry to be untenable.  As detailed in an earlier article, however, those tasks aren’t necessary to clean the laundry.  I’ve implemented a pared-down, simpler approach for off-grid laundry, minus the boiling, bluing, starching, and ironing.  All you’ll need is a washtub, a homemade scrub board, and an antique washing plunger: can’t get more simple (or cheap!) than that.  Hand-washed clothes can either be dried on a clothesline outside, strung up above the woodstove, or—if you’re really into historical reenactments—laid out on clean, dry grass in the sun.

That said, some home-keepers still aren’t willing to roll up their sleeves and scrub socks when a machine could do it for them.  For that off-grid crowd, there’s a veritable army of alternatives available, all of them at varying prices.  Some folks swear by the Lavario system, or the Wonder Wash; others use gas-powered, solar-powered, or even car-battery-powered machines, and some opt for a wringer-washer combination.  All of these devices are somewhat limited in their capacity, which limits their utility for a large family.

Now, when it comes to drying clothes, I’ve even seen off-grid folks use gas-powered dryers… which, I must admit, personally rubs me the wrong way, since the sun is free and clotheslines work just fine.  I’m not here to evaluate your off-grid priorities, however.  Though these machines often run you a pretty penny, they may be the answer you’ve been looking for if hand-scrubbing and air-drying have been vetoed.

Toilet: Commercial Composting Toilet or 5-gallon Bucket System

The off-grid toilet is a divisive topic, either eliciting horror from those who pledge fealty to the flush toilet or pocket-emptying sighs from the prospective off-gridders who have just read the advertisements for the latest four-figure models.

Thankfully, the toilet can be a very simple setup, if you’re willing to employ a little elbow grease.  There are very effective $10 DIY off-grid toilet builds that feature little else than some pieces of 2x4s, a 5-gallon bucket, and a toilet seat.  They won’t win you any beauty awards, but they’ll do their duty while you do your own doody.  If you’re unafraid to learn and push convention, Joseph Jenkin’s Humanure Handbook (available for free perusal online) will give you all the information you need to build and perfect your own waste-recycling system.

If you have the (ample) cash to spend, there are composting toilets available for purchase, too, of course.  Nature’s Head is probably one of the better-known, with several models that can be installed wherever wanted.  They really do cost quite a bit—about $1,000 for their baseline model—but that comes with the customer guarantees, installation help, and prefabricated convenience that some folks are looking for.

Heating: A Huge Array of Options

Off-grid heating has been a companion of humanity for all of time, and as such, there are myriad methods of keeping your living space warm that have been developed throughout the world.  I can’t really categorize this range of options by price.  Though some of them have large initial costs, their long-term savings absolutely make up for it in the long run.  Instead, I’ll briefly list some of the methods that you can consider when it comes to warming your off-grid home.

Masonry Stove:  The masonry stove is an ancient design that has been employed by cultures around the world, from the ancient Roman hypocaust, to the Chinese K’ang, to the Austrian kacheloven.  They’re massive structures, integrated into the very backbone of the home itself, but they are able to effectively warm a home for hours at a time with very little fuel.  They would be an incredibly ambitious DIY build, but I suppose it is possible for those who are good at their research.

The nice thing about this option is that many masonry stoves can do double or triple duty as both cooking surfaces and water heaters as well.  So, though it is a large initial cost, it may become the beating heart of your winter home—and that’s a priceless thing!

Metal Wood Stove:  This “fireplace in a box,” invented by Benjamin Franklin, are an easy-to-install option for an off-grid home that can give you heating independence as long as you have access to your own firewood.  Options range from already assembled options to DIY Builds that can be constructed from recycled metal barrels. 

Rocket Mass Heater:  As with a masonry stove, the rocket mass heater warms a room or home by the hyper-efficient combustion of a small amount of fuel used to warm a massive structure which, then, radiates heat over time.  Rocket mass heaters were really perfected during the heady days of the 60s and 70s, and embody the self-sufficient, recycling-oriented spirit of those decades by being relatively easy to build, easy to source from your land, and largely needing reused materials. 

Passive Solar Design:  Passive solar design is a school of building construction that takes advantage of the sun’s energy to warm a home.  Unfairly summarized, this basically means that a large series of windows are oriented toward the sun’s winter zenith, a massive, heat-retaining structure is placed where it can absorb as much warmth as possible during the day, and then the house is thermoregulated through the night with the slowly released heat.  Houses need to be built with this in mind: retrofitting a home to this design would be borderline impossible (or very expensive) if it’s pointed the wrong way.

Earth-Sheltered Home:  Though this won’t actively warm a home, berming a partially-buried home with earth or building an underground home can naturally and effectively moderate the temperature without any other input.  Mike Oehler’s The $50 And Up Underground House Book is a good introduction to some practical home construction, as is Michael Reynold’s extensive Earthship series. 

Geothermal Heating And Cooling: This is a pricey option, admittedly, as it involves a huge installation of a system of pipes and pumps.  The basic concept of this system is to use the consistent temperature of the earth to moderate the indoor conditions of a structure, even if the structure is not underground or partially buried.  It’s not enough to warm a home on its own, but it will mean you have to consume less fuel to get a comfortable temperature.

Live in a Warm Climate:  This one may seem too obvious, but if you don’t want to have to deal with off-grid heating, living in a place that lacks cold winters may be the best solution.

Bathing: Solar Showers or The Art of the Sponge Bath

There are many ways to get clean.  The endless cascade of water that we employ in the typical on-grid shower is simply the most commonly used in “normal” society.

One of my favorite approaches to bathing is similar to this article from an old issue of The Mother Earth News.  In it, Alaskan homesteader, Ole Wik described his effective and water-saving method of sponge bathing.  Though “sponge bathing” may sound like a treatment for invalids in the hospital, those seeking an off-grid life should try to disassociate the “deprivation” mentality associated with it and see it for what it is: a surprisingly effective way to get clean.  The best part is, this system only requires a washcloth, a metal bowl, and some soap.

Other off-grid folks have made effective use of “camp showers;” warm water in a bag suspended above the bather’s head.  Another option, though it requires some handyman work, is a so-called “solar shower,” made up of sun-warmed water held in a reservoir and used as needed.  This method is only seasonal for those of us with wintry climates but may be a very effective year-round method for those homesteading in tropical regions.

This is obviously a very incomplete list; I haven’t even covered the options for lighting, food storage, cooking, power generation, or water systems, just to name a few.  I hope that I have clearly illustrated, however, that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to off-grid living.  Instead, there’s a dizzying array of options to consider, which is both encouraging and, sometimes, a bit overwhelming.  The final exhortation I can give to you, intrepid off-gridder, is to keep experimenting and trying things out to see what works best for you, your land, your budget, and your personal philosophy.  You can easily spend a fortune to get your home off-grid… but, as I have found, you don’t have to!

About the Author: Wren was once a teacher living in the city.  But she and her husband decided to make their escape from the confines of modernity and its dependence and move their family to 12 acres in the Ozarks. They are currently in the middle of establishing an off-grid homestead, and now happily spend their days as modern peasants, seeking out, learning, and trying to preserve the old skills that their urban backgrounds never gave them.

The post You Can Spend as Much (or as Little) as You Want to Go Off-Grid appeared first on Homestead.org.

But once my husband, daughter, and I arrived in southern Africa, we were given a very different picture. Rural, village people did not want to be “talked down to” with the suggestion that they embrace simple solutions; they aspired to be like their friends and family in the capital city, Gaborone, only a few miles away from our village assignment. They wanted to go forward into a future of electrified homes and appliances, not backward to homely, even primitive, “alternatives.” Then too, we would be working with refugees from apartheid South Africa, mostly men who were not used to doing much cooking at all and who were largely urban, educated at least to a secondary-school level, and not at all interested in reverting to old-fashioned ways of living.

As transplants from the overly modernized world, we could see the value in alternative technologies—haybox cooking could make daily life for very poor people more possible, more comfortable, and safer in places starved for electricity, running water and, as is so often the case, cash. The basic principle is insulation. A haybox may use hay or any other insulating material inside a tightly constructed container, into which a well-covered pot of partially cooked food is inserted. The initial heat does come from the most available conventional source—fire, gas, or electricity—and is maintained, as in a crockpot or slow cooker, by the surrounding tightly packed material and airtight outer container. The whole device can be made from almost any local materials and use hay, fodder, or other natural insulation. Using the haybox saves energy on several levels and produces well-cooked, tasty food with almost no effort. And—importantly—the appropriate technologies like the haybox are environmentally friendly.

But we were not to teach those technologies to the Botswana people we had been sent to observe and assist. So we did what we could. My husband started a chicken business for refugees and I helped open a village nursery school. But no hayboxes.

After working in Botswana, we took community development assignments in the Dominican Republic and then in Kenya, for Mennonites and other like-minded organizations. Still, no hayboxes.

But when we found ourselves homesteading by choice in a tiny village in southern Spain (see “Paradise” on Homestead.org) we realized we had become much more like the people we had been assisting. Our life was simple by necessity—no electricity, water from a communal well, and a dearth of hard cash. We literally had to get alternative, get appropriate, asap.

So we decided to try some haybox cooking. It would save money, involving an absolute minimum use of propane for cooking, and no electricity. No hay, however. We had hay. Hay was everywhere, even in the basement that had traditionally served as housing for pigs or cows. Hay is an excellent insulating material and using it is obviously extremely cheap. But we didn’t know how clean our hay would be, and we were aware that any sort of insulating material would serve.

So we hit on the following version of a haybox:

• Iron cooking pot with lid.
• Large garbage can with well-fitting lid.
• Down-filled sleeping bag. We generally cooked up about a 3-day supply of a staple food such as lentils using this “bag box.”

Here’s what we prepared: dry lentils, onions, tomatoes, oregano, and garlic. We sautéed all those ingredients in the afore-mentioned iron pot, added water to cover, left it on stove burner long enough to boil the water, then immediately put a lid snugly on the pot and put the pot in the garbage can lined all around and on top and bottom with sleeping bag insulation. In six hours we’d come home to a cooked supper of lentil stew. In all, our stew had spent no more than 20 minutes under fire, whereas if we’d cooked it, it would have required 3-4 hours on low heat, eating up our propane and messing up our limited budget. And forcing at least one of us to monitor its progress. I confess: I have the patience of a sand flea. Left to watch a pot for 4 hours, I would wind up serving burnt dinner. Not only did we save money and resources, but we didn’t have to watch the pot—it took care of itself.

Despite having been transmuted into a modern-day environmentally suitable technology, haybox cooking is actually ancient. Wikipedia offers what it calls a “medieval recipe” for clay-on-clay thermal cooking:

“Take a small earthenware pot, with an earthenware lid which must be as wide as the pot, then take another pot of the same earthenware, with a lid like that of the first; this pot is to be deeper than the first by five fingers, and wider in circumference by three; then take pork and hens and cut into fair-sized pieces, and take fine spices and add them, and salt; take the small pot with the meat in it and place it upright in the large pot, cover it with the lid and stop it with moist clayey earth, so that nothing may escape, then take unslaked lime, and fill the larger pot with water, ensuring that no water enters the smaller pot; let it stand for the time it takes to walk between five and seven leagues and then open your pots, and you will found your food indeed cooked.”

Thermal and vacuum cookers were marketed in Europe in the early 20th century, and later, the simple wooden kinds gained a vogue in countries like Denmark where folks tend to be quite eco-conscious. In around 1869, a woman named Margaret J. Mitchell composed The Fireless Cook Book: A Manual of the Construction and Use of Appliances for Cooking by Retained Heat, with 250 recipes. It’s been recently reprinted.

There are certain strict guidelines for successful, safe haybox cooking:

Keep the stew pot about 80% full. The contents of the pot preserve heat, while air on the top quickly brings the temperature down.

Don’t open the pot to check on it during its six-hour cooking time. The outside air will rapidly cool off the pot and it will not reheat.

On the other hand, leaving the food too long can cause it to cool down enough to start growing bad bacteria. So our 6 hours for lentils, was a rule, not a guess, and we had to be home to open the pot at the right time.

Be aware of the possible hazards of thermal cooking, as detailed on Wikipedia: “If a large part of the cooking time is spent at temperatures lower than 60 °C (as when the contents of the cooker are slowly cooling over a long period), a danger of food poisoning due to bacterial infection, or toxins produced by multiplying bacteria, arises. It is essential to heat food sufficiently at the outset of vacuum cooking; 60 °C throughout the dish for 10 minutes is sufficient to kill most pathogens of interest, effectively pasteurizing the dish.[4] Some foods, such as kidney beans, fava beans, and many other varieties of beans contain a toxin, phytohemagglutinin, that requires boiling at 100 °C for at least 10 minutes to break down to safe levels. The best practice is to bring briefly to a rolling boil then put the pot in the flask. This keeps it hottest longest. With big chunks of food, boil a little longer before putting into the flask.”

The good news is that if you fail to get the stew, or whatever you are cooking, completely done in the time allotted, there’s no harm in taking it out and cooking it swiftly on the stove, still a savings of your cooking fuel source.

Because all the ingredients have been “stewed in their own juices,” haybox meals are unusually savory. No taste or aroma has been lost to the open air. Another advantage of hayboxing is notable in the summer months: no extra heat in the kitchen. It’s all stored inside.

One beauty of haybox cooking is that you can make your own cooker to your own specifications. I have seen photos of hayboxes made to fit inside a deep kitchen drawer, for example, and hayboxes that use bean bags for insulation. The important thing is using it correctly, making sure you have a tight-fitting lid to keep air out, keep flavor in and prevent microbes from proliferating.

After our experience of being told not to teach hayboxing to our African village friends, I was pleased to learn about Sarah Collins, an award-winning female entrepreneur who lives in South Africa. Sarah saw the great advantages of thermal cooking in her home country where many people are unable to get electricity or to afford it. Cooking on an open fire can be dangerous, not only for its potential for injury but for the perils of poisonous fumes in small, enclosed spaces such as a typical African hut.

Sarah invented what she calls the “Wonderbag,” a large plump fiber container filled with styrene. Styrene is notorious for its bad properties, but Sarah’s repurposing of styrene keeps it from going to the landfill where, uncovered and unbagged, it offers far more potential for danger than when sewn up in a cloth bag. Too, the bags are sewn by African women, providing employment.  Saving firewood also saves trees, a major issue in all third-world locales.

Sarah says the Wonderbag idea came to her during a severe blackout in Johannesburg in 2008. Realizing how much the poor people of her region would suffer in this emergency, she resolved to help solve their cooking problems. Here is the story of the early Wonderbag invention, from their website:

“Sarah brought her first bag to a grandmother she knew who cared for nine orphans. The woman earned a meager living selling food that she cooked all day over a wood fire but still struggled to meet her family’s basic needs. The tarpaulin where they lived was always full of smoke. The kids weren’t in school, because they had to spend their days gathering firewood. ‘I said to her, “I’ll live with you while we see whether this works.” But she got the idea right away,’ says Sarah. “Their lives were completely changed. Within three months, the children only needed to gather firewood once a week, and they were all in school. They had money for shoes. It was a catalyst out of poverty for them.”

Sarah’s Wonderbag, made of colorful African batik materials, is now available for online sales here in the US. It’s so simple to use that even a husband could do it, and it would be a blessing for a very impatient prone-to-burn-things wife (not that I know anyone who fits that description…).

A more codified, organized, and thoroughly modern version of the haybox, also available for online sales, is the “thermal cooker.” I learned of this marvelous contraption while visiting with an Asian family who lives near us. The woman of the family showed me a well-used metal contraption that I took for a 2-gallon water jug. But when she took off the top, I saw that inside was a metal pot with its own glass lid. She told me she used it every day to cook rice for her large extended family. The method was exactly the same as for a haybox, requiring about ten minutes on high heat to bring the rice and water to a boil. She said that she had another such pot that she used for keeping food cool. Of course—the same principles apply to both heating a cooling—the vacuum. So the Chinese thermal pot is sometimes referred to as a vacuum cooker.

And she reminded me of another beauty of her thermal cooker: no burning ever, so almost no work to clean the pot once it was empty. Yes!

Many homesteaders, preppers, and generally thrifty folks are aware of haybox cooking, by whatever name. So you can look up recipes and learn more about the specifics of cooking times and proportions from those who have explored this wonderful device in all its potential avenues. For me, lentil stew is about as good as it gets, and the dense hayboxed aroma reminds me of Spain.

The post Haybox Cooking on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

“Yes, I paid it.”

“Then why did the electricity go off?”

“Look outside and see if the streetlamps are off.”

“Yes, the streetlamps are off and all the other houses are dark as well.”

“The lights will probably come back on in a few minutes.  Why don’t you call it in to the electricity company.”

“OK… Honey, my cell phone isn’t working.  Try yours.”

“That’s strange.”

“Turn on the TV and see what’s going on.”

“Hey Dummy, there’s no electricity, remember?”

Tonight, Earth might be hit by a large solar magnetic event.  It’s highly unlikely to be strong enough to cause a nationwide blackout that will last for 1-4 years… But the chances of such an event happening in your lifetime are 25%. According to scientists, there is a 7%-12% chance of such an event in the next 10 years.

In 1989, electricity across Quebec, Canada and the Northeastern U.S. was blacked out by a solar flare.

In 1994, two Canadian telecommunication satellites were disabled by solar activity.  One recovered in a few hours, the other took 6 months and $50 million to fix.

FAA’s GPS-based Wide Area Augmentation System was out for 30 hours in 2003 due to space weather.

None of these were anywhere near the size of the 1859 Carrington Solar Superstorm which created fires in telegraph offices.  Over 150 years seems like a mighty long time to worry about something like this happening again, and even though the solar flare caused telegraph wires to spark, who cares?

In 1859, the solar flares that occurred in 1989, 1994, and 2003 would never have been noticed, because there were no electrical grids or satellites to disrupt.  Today they are ubiquitous.  We can’t live without them.  Every ATM transaction, telephone call, and corporate communication requires satellites and electrical grids.

But how likely is another solar flare of that size?  In July of 2012, a Carrington-sized solar storm crossed Earth’s path TWO WEEKS before the Earth was due to be in that exact position.  We missed the total blackout of Earth (which would last at least a year) losing all communication, refrigeration, light, electric heat, and AC, all of our jobs, access to all the money in the banks, and pretty much everything else society depends on by only two weeks.

Solar flares are benign to humans.  Prior to telegraph wires being strung from city to city in the mid-1800s the only evidence of such events would have been extreme Aurora Borealis lights viewable farther south than usual.     With each passing year, Western society depends more and more on sensitive infrastructure.  In 1921, an event that was much smaller than Carrington caused widespread radio outages and fires in telegraph offices.  Not much of a deal, but according to a study in 2008, if the same storm occurred today it would “result in large-scale blackouts affecting more than 130 million people and would expose more than 350 transformers to the risk of permanent damage.”

The real problem is the transformers—particularly the large, utility distribution transformers.  They are especially vulnerable to a large-scale event.  If they are blown out in large numbers, there aren’t enough in stock to replace them all.  Not hundreds for sure.  These transformers are GROUNDED to protect them from lightning strikes.  In a geomagnetic storm, Earth’s magnetic forces interacting with the passing charged solar energy cause a surge of electricity to COME FROM THE GROUND.  In other words, the exact mechanism that protects these million-dollar transformers from disaster will be the CAUSE of their doom in a Carrington-sized solar storm.

We aren’t talking about the little transformers you see on the pole outside or even the bigger transformers you see on the ground sometimes.  Multi-million-dollar, building-sized, custom-built transformers that take months to build and install are what we’re talking about.  Imagine if hundreds of them failed at the same time…

But there are other dangers.

This doesn’t even mention the multiple airline groundings due to “software error” at both the airlines and the national air-traffic-control headquarters or the suspension of the Dow Jones stock market that all occurred in 2015 with little to no explanation.  Was it a cyber attack, human error, or simply bad luck?

The problem isn’t that the risks of bad things happening has changed.  The problem is that everything is interconnected, and we are so dependent that the consequences of a systemic failure to you, personally, have increased exponentially over the risk to your great-grandparents.  What did they care if the telegraph wires burned up?  It had little effect on their daily lives.  Alternately, what do you care if the banking system collapses and you can’t get to any of your money for six months?  Big difference.

Risk assessment involves two primary variables.  Variable #1 is the likelihood of the event.  Variable #2 is the impact of the event.  What is the likelihood of a Carrington-sized solar flare shutting off power to the U.S. for months or years?  It’s very low for any given year.  Less than 1% probably.  However, what would the impact of such an event be for you, personally, and your family?  It could be deadly.

Let’s look at another likely crisis… a flat tire on your car.  What is the likelihood that you will get a flat tire on your car at some point in your lifetime?  Probably 100%.  Now, what is the impact of such an event?  A little inconvenience.  Even though a flat tire is highly likely—and you should have a spare tire and roadside assistance, or the tools and knowledge to change it—the event will not change your life.  An event like a Carrington-sized solar flare, however, will change life on Earth as we know it for months if not years.

As a prepper, I’m more worried about risks to our electric grid than most other threats.  The likelihood of war in the U.S. is very low, for instance.  Or the likelihood of a complete collapse of the U.S. governmental system.  These types of events take a very long time to develop and you could see them coming far in advance.

Yet, most of us have experienced that sound of the electricity shutting off in our home from a blackout.  A sudden sound of everything turning off at once then silence, darkness, and a small amount of rising fear as the air gets still and stuffy.  Analysis of Superstorm Sandy in New York and hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma showed that the average time it took to restore electricity to 95% of affected customers after a regional storm was 11-14 days, with many customers losing power for over 21 days.

News video showed “cellphone zombies” wandering the streets of New York looking for someplace to plug in their cellphone to charge.  Everyone learned that if you’re not already prepared before you hear the click and the power shuts off then you will experience panic, confusion, and unnecessary suffering.  Imagine if you went and turned off the electrical breaker to your house and left it off for 14 days.  Now imagine it was off for your entire region.  No restaurants, no grocery stores, no gasoline pumps, no banks or ATM or electronic transactions, no communications or TV, no running water, no sewage, no reason to go to work, no paycheck.  Just you and your family sitting in the dark and heat or cold with whatever food, water, and protection you happened to have on hand the instant the lights went “click.”

In 2006, the National Geographic Channel released a docu-drama entitled “American Blackout” which shows in gritty detail what would happen in a national, extended blackout.  The National Geographic Channel also has an entire section of their website set up to discuss the various topics related to such a blackout.

An extended nationwide blackout could be caused by a large solar flare, an EMP attack by as few as two nuclear warheads set off on the edge of space above America, or a successful cyber-attack on the power grid.  While these events are highly unlikely, so was the likelihood of both World Trade Center towers being completely demolished by a terrorist attack, two space shuttles (carefully watched over by thousands of highly trained engineers) blowing up, or the flooding of the entire city of New Orleans with no meaningful response for days causing well over 1,000 deaths.

What was the likelihood of a deadly earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia killing nearly 250,000 people and displacing over 1.75 million more followed just a few years later by another earthquake and tsunami in Japan that killed nearly 2,000, displaced 250,000, and caused a catastrophic nuclear meltdown?  The low likelihood of an event does not mitigate the devastating consequences the event unleashes.  If you are one of the 100+ million victims of a national or regional power-grid disaster you will want to be prepared.

So, all I’m saying is… HAVE A YEAR’S SUPPLY OF FOOD STORED… If not a year then six months, if not six months then three months.  It’s really not as hard as you may think.

The lights can go out at any time without warning and not come back on for weeks, months, years.  It is possible.

These pictures show what $202 worth of non-perishable food and some personal hygiene looks like.

156 items for just $202.  Average cost $1.29.

How many times have we taken the family out for a meal or an evening’s entertainment for more than $200?  Is there anything in these pictures that you wouldn’t use in a year?  Anything you wouldn’t want to eat?  How long can you live on 20 pounds of beans, 10 pounds of pasta, 40 tomato products, 40 fruit products, 35 vegetable products, 3 jars of pickles, 4 jars of salsa, refried beans, pork and beans, sauerkraut, 4 pounds of salt, 10 bars of soap, 3 tubes of toothpaste?

For me, this is just what I decided to buy this morning (for no particular reason).  Add to that the multiples of syrup, ranch dressing, mayo, pancake mix, bread flour, other flour, yeast, oil, mac & cheese, jelly, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, rice, canned meat, etc., and you start to have something like a home food-storage solution.

Add to that 100 pounds of hard, white-winter wheat, 75 pounds of sugar, an additional 80 pounds of long-term-storage rice, 20 pounds of long-term-storage oats… and now you’ve really got something.  Add a goat for milk and chickens for eggs to make it complete.

Here is a simple exercise.  Go look in all of your drawers, the car(s), and in the cracks of the sofa and chairs for lost change.  Now gather up all the spare $1 and $5 bills sitting around your house.  Get all the change sitting on the clothes dryer.  None of this will be missed if you spend it.  How much did you gather?  Every six months or so I do this and I generally get around $50.

How much pasta and dried beans can you buy for $50?  Or how many cans of beans and vegetables can you buy for $50?

Everyone starts somewhere.  There are many online resources that discuss emergency food preparation, emergency water storage, emergency energy storage, and personal protection in the event of a disaster.  The good news is that there probably won’t be a crippling disaster tomorrow… but there might be.  There is almost zero chance of anything bad happening on any given day, yet every single day bad things happen.  The question is: Do you care?  Some people don’t.  They figure, “It will all work out.”  I, personally, prefer to be prepared.  Below are some preparations that I chose to do:

Keep emergency cash in your car and on your person somewhere other than your wallet or purse.  I wear a necklace with a micro-flashlight, a small knife, and $100 wrapped up in a tube.  I also keep the cost of a tank full of gasoline in my glove compartment at all times.  My greatest fear is getting 200 miles down the road and stopping to fill up only to realize I lost or forgot my wallet.  Now I’m stranded for no reason whatsoever.  Doing this costs NOTHING.  It’s simply cash.

Fill at least one closet shelf with extra food.  Clear out the top shelf of a closet and fill it up with rice packets, cans of food, tuna fish, extra spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and jelly, bags of bread flour or beans, and jars of pickles.  Whatever you eat regularly, buy extras.  This shelf of food might cost you $100.  But it’s $100 that you will use.  This is food that you will eat.  You are just keeping extra.

Store water.  Each adult needs at least one gallon of water per day (kids need some water too, I hear).  How you store this water is based on your situation.  If I lived in an apartment I would store gallon bottles or 5-gallon cubes in a closet.  If I had the space, I would get a clean 55-gallon drum and fill it up with water, maybe more than one.  I, personally, use 275-gallon IBC cubes to store my emergency water.  I have two, so I always have at least 500 gallons of emergency water.  I also keep at least three cases of bottled water on hand.  Some water storage is better than no water storage.  Store some.  You don’t want to be drinking water from the back tank of the toilet in order to stay alive.

Think about energy.  I live on a homestead so I have a 250-gallon propane tank, a 250-gallon gasoline tank, and a 1,000-gallon diesel tank.  When I lived in the suburbs I would keep at least three extra 25-pound propane tanks for my outdoor grill, and at least 30 gallons of gasoline stored in safe 5-gallon containers.  That way, I always had some fuel to cook and at least a tank full (or two) of gasoline on hand.  Another energy you might want to store is firewood.  The storage containers cost money, but the fuel is essentially free, because you will use it!  You want to cycle through your stored gasoline every 3-6 months.

Toiletries, medicine, candles, flashlights and batteries, emergency radio, self-defense weapons, and ammo. These are all very important preparations for a power outage (short-term or long-term).  You don’t have to be a “prepper” in order to be prepared.  For the entirety of human history, people have stockpiled what they needed for the winter, for whatever.  It has only been in the last 70 years that we have decided to live hand-to-mouth with constant trips to Walmart and Chili’s.

Since Americans eat out so much—grabbing a drive-thru breakfast on the way to work, then eating lunch out, and ordering a pizza for dinner—we have almost NO FOOD at home.  In the past, people would have a pantry full of commodities like dried beans and rice.  You would be hard-pressed to find more than 2 pounds of rice in an average American household today and probably no dried beans whatsoever.  If you don’t purposefully create emergency food storage then you are pretty much guaranteed to have none at all in an emergency.

Imagine how long just 25 pounds of rice would feed you; 25 pounds of rice is the size of your pillow and will store for years (if you keep it away from mice).  Rice, beans, tuna fish, peanut butter, bags of sugar and flour, two large boxes of instant pancake mix, plus 6 bottles of syrup, 5 containers of oats, 10 jars of spaghetti sauce, 10 pounds of spaghetti, extra vegetable oil, extra boxes of cereal, 20 rolls of toilet paper, batteries.  Most of this you will use eventually.  Maybe not the rice and oats, but they are super cheap and will keep you alive in a long-term emergency.

You don’t need to go buy $1500 worth of “Powdered and Freeze Dried Emergency Storage Food”.  In fact, I recommend against it.  Just buy extra of what you already eat first.  Like peanut butter, pancake mix, spaghetti, and pickles.  Then add some bulk staples that you probably won’t use on a daily basis but will save you in an emergency, like lots of extra rice and dried beans pasta.  Put them in 5-gallon plastic buckets at the bottom of your closet.

Don’t buy anything exotic, like MREs or freeze-dried meals, without testing and tasting them first.  I, personally, can eat MREs for three meals a day because I was in the Army.  I like them.  But most powdered foods give me diarrhea because I’m lactose intolerant and they use lots of powdered milk.  Many of these ready-made emergency foods are very expensive and taste bad!  It’s easier and cheaper to just buy 24 packets of Knorr Rice Sides than a big bucket of “Emergency Ration Rice and Cheese.”

Go find some spare change and buy something with it today.  Put some extra cash in your car for emergencies today.  Fill a container with water that you can drink in an emergency today.  Clear out a shelf in a closet for food storage today.  If you create the space for food and water storage then I guarantee it will fill itself up over time.  Nature abhors a vacuum.  You will find ways to fill that space with emergency supplies that you can use anytime.

Be prepared.  Stay Alive.

The post Darkness Tomorrow: No Electricity for A Year appeared first on Homestead.org.

I beat the utility company at their own game.  They offer a “free nights” package.  I combined that package with my solar panels, which provide most of my electricity during the day, and cut my electricity bill in half! Can you do that too? Let’s see.

The first major project we undertook on our homestead was adding solar electricity.  That was 5 years ago.  Before adding solar we had lots of assumptions and little real-world knowledge.  Here is what we learned.

What is Solar Electricity?

Stupid question?  Not really if you look at it from a homesteader’s perspective.  Your homestead really only does one thing.  It converts space and sunlight into useful products.  Vegetables, graze for animals that make meat, milk, or eggs, and fruit trees are different examples of this process.  Solar electricity is just one more way to convert sunlight into a useful product.

The basic components are solar panels, mounting fixtures, wire, and an inverter.  That’s it!  There is nothing magical or complicated about it.  I designed and installed my 3,500-watt solar power system myself.

Compare this to a chicken coop which combines building, fencing, feeders, waters, chickens, and feed into eggs. Just like you learned how to raise chickens, anyone can learn how to install solar panels.

The real question is this: Is Solar Electricity Worth It (the Cost)?

The question of costs versus benefits is another story entirely.  It really depends on what you are trying to accomplish, how much cash you can spend now, and how much value you will get later.

What are you trying to accomplish?

If you are trying to live completely “off-grid” then you will need to have a much larger solar array than would be required if you are just trying to supplement your electricity and save on your bill.  A solar power system for a home that is not connected to a utility provider must be much larger than one that is connected, and would require very expensive batteries that have to be replaced every 7 years.  Tesla is coming out with some new batteries, but they are expensive.  This article will not cover an “off-grid” system except to say they are expensive and require regular maintenance.

Most people who install solar are trying to save money on their electricity bill.  It is very possible to achieve this goal without buying a single solar panel.  Before I installed my solar panels I cut my electric bill by half through using window units instead of central ac, changing to an instant hot water propane system, and installing a large wood burning stove for winter heat.  Lots of electricity is simply wasted each month.  Go to LED light bulbs, zone ac, and non-electric sources of heat.  That’s a great start.  Every dollar in electricity you don’t use is a dollar you save.

After cutting all the waste and even spending some money on things like a more efficient water heater, we turned our thoughts to creating our own electricity.  That’s where solar power comes into play.

How Much Can You Save With Solar?

That depends on how much you are paying.  If you live in a very expensive state for electricity solar will save more than if you live someplace where electricity sells for 5 cents per kWh… that means kiloWatt hour.  Some might not know the lingo.  Kilowatt Hours (kWh) is how many THOUSANDS of watts you use in one hour.  That’s important.  It will come up again later.

We installed a 3,500 watt (or 3.5 kW) solar array on our homestead.  That means the maximum it can generate is 3.5 kilowatts per hour.  If the sun shines brightly enough to keep it at full power for 7 hours then I will make a maximum of 24.5 kWh in a day.  My system generates about 21 kWh per day.  If every bit of that power kept me from buying power from the grid, and my electricity rate was 10 cents per kWh, then I would save a maximum of $2.10 per day.

That’s right! $2.10.  About the price of a bottle of nice water at the local convenience store, or a Grande coffee from Starbucks. If the sun doesn’t shine that day then I save nothing.  Partly cloudy = partly saving.  My average Summertime savings per month is $40.

Why didn’t I put in a larger solar array?  3,500 watts is fairly small.  Why not put in a nice, big 10,000 watt unit?  Wouldn’t that save me almost 3x as much, $120 per month.  No.

Some Solar Saves Money, Too Much Solar Means You Have to Sell the Excess Back to the Utility Provider.

It turns out that we only use about 20 kWh of electricity during the part of the day when the sun is shining.  We installed a system that only matches our daytime use.  We did not install a system that would generate Extra electricity to sell back to the local service provider.  Why not?  Break-even analysis.

Utilities generally buy electricity back at a reduced rate – about 50%.  There are endless variations on how this might occur, but we will use that as an example.  If my electricity costs me 10 cents per kWh, and I off-set (meaning don’t use) 21 kWh per day, then I save $2.10.  If, however, I have a solar array that is twice as big as I need (42 kWh per day) and sell back the extra 21 kWh at 5 cents per kWh, then I only make $1.05 for the portion I sell back.

Let’s do some math.  If I spend $3,500 installing a 3,500 watt system that saves me $40 per month, then the system will break-even in 7.3 years.  After that it will make a profit.  If, however, I add an additional 3,500 watts to sell back, then it will take 14.6 years for that additional cost to be paid off, because I’m only getting paid half price for electricity I sell back.

How did I win?  I signed up for a “Free Nights” electricity plan that charges 15 cents per kWh, but doesn’t charge between the hours of 9 pm and 5 am.  The sun is full strength in Texas by 8 am in the Summer, and blazes until 6 pm.  That means I am only paying for electricity between 5 am and 9 am, then between 6 pm and 9 pm. That’s 7 hours.  Other than that my electricity is either free because it’s solar or free because it’s free (“Free Nights”).

Is that convoluted?  YES!!  That is how you should think about solar electricity.  Convoluted.  It is a resource that has both benefits and costs.  It is not a magic wand.

To complete the example above.  If I use 1,000 kWh of electricity per month (which is about what we use on average) or 33 kWh per day, and that electricity is spread evenly throughout the 24 hour day, then I use about 1.4 kilowatts of electricity per hour.  I will say that bluntly.  Our homestead uses 1.4 kilowatts of electricity per hour.  Solar covers that during the hours of 8 am to 6 pm.  Free nights covers it from 9 pm to 5 am.  That leaves 7 hours of electricity use TIMES 1.4 kWh TIMES 15 cents per kWh.  The result is $1.47 per day TIMES 30 days = $44.10 per month in billed electricity use (if the sun shined every day, which it doesn’t).

Whew!  That was a lot of math.  I’ll save the details on the next one.  Without the solar and paying 10 cents per kWh the same electricity would cost $100.  So I’m saving a maximum of $56 per month.  Throw in rainy and cloudy days and we get to the average of $40 per month that my solar array saves me on my bill.

Why is That Worth the Trouble?

Why would anyone go to all that trouble to save just $40 per month.  First $40 per month is almost $500 per year.  How many eggs would I have to sell to make $500 in a year in PROFIT, not just sales?  How much goat milk?  Etc?  I don’t have to feed my solar panels or milk them.  They simply take up a little space.  About the same space as a chicken coop and yard.

Next, solar panels last at least 20 years.  How much did electricity cost 20 years ago?  How much will electricity cost 20 years from now?  Installing solar is a way of spending TODAY’S money in order to save money today and even more money tomorrow after inflation makes electricity more expensive.

Finally, my solar electricity system gives me the ability to have “some” electricity in the event of a total power outage by the electric company.  This is because I bought an inverter (Sunnyboy brand) that has a special power outage bypass circuit.  In my case I can turn on a “blackout” plug in my house that provides 1,200 watts of electricity as long as the sun is shining on my solar panels.  This is great for running fans, satellite TV, laptop and charging our cell phones during the day.  Once the sun goes down we have to use a generator or candles during a blackout.

You Can Have Solar Too, Maybe… 

Laws, utility regulations, building codes… assuming they are the same as here, then you too can have solar.  Here’s how.

First, if you just make a single phone call to a solar installer and say “I want a solar electricity package” they will be happy to come out and sell you one at full price plus installation.  My system costs about $3,500 to install myself.  If I called someone else it would be closer to $7,000.  Then instead of taking 7.3 years to pay for itself, it would take 14.6 years. Install it yourself if you can.

What do you need?  Buy a book, visit websites.  The first website I recommend is the one for SunnyBoy Inverters.  They have a great site and I highly recommend their inverters.  I use one because they have that magic “blackout” circuit.  Most inverters don’t.  What’s an inverter?  It’s the thing that turns solar electricity into usable electricity.

You will need Solar Panels.

I buy mine from Craigslist.  New panels on Craigslist in Houston or Dallas are going for $175 each for 305 watt solar panels.  If you set up a system like mine with 3,500 watts of panels, that is 12 panels.  12x$175=$2,100.

You will need an Inverter.

I bought a SunnyBoy 3000-tl-US inverter 5 years ago for $1,500.  Today the same inverter, new on eBay goes for $700 including shipping.  $700

Wire and Breaker Boxes

You will need a Solar Combiner Box by the panels ($50), heavy 6 gauge wire to go from the panels to the inverter ($200), and various other bits and pieces ($50).  $300

Solar Panel Mounts

I used pipe and pipe clamps to install my solar array in my field.  It cost me about $300 in material.  Depending on your solution it could cost $300-$500.  $400

TOTAL COSTS FOR A 3,500 WATT SOLAR ARRAY AND 3,000 WATT INVERTER LIKE I HAVE:  ABOUT $3,500

If you have someone do it for you I think it will cost twice that much, but I haven’t called any installers lately.  Maybe it will only cost $5,000.

Won’t I Electrocute Myself?

I certainly hope not!  The solar panels that are generally used for grid-tie systems like this run at 36 volts per panel.  They will all be combined (12 of them) to make about 432 volts going through the wire.  That’s enough to kill you!  That’s why there are breakers on each end.

I installed my panels on a cloudy day, so they wouldn’t be making much electricity.  I wore rubber gloves, so I couldn’t get shocked.  And I didn’t install the breakers or fuses until I was sure it was all connected property.  If you can install a ceiling fan without electrocuting yourself, then you can probably do this as well.  It is more complicated, but it still just one step at a time.

The solar panels have two wires, each with a special plug.  The plugs make them safe to handle and ensure you cannot plug them into each other incorrectly.  It’s pretty idiot-proof.  The inverter comes with instructions.  If you have ever connected a wire to a breaker box and fuse then you can probably understand the instructions.  I just followed the instructions.  SunnyBoy also has an 800 technical number that I called when I had a question.  Easy!

Technically installing the inverter yourself might void the warranty, but warranty-schmarranty.  We’re homesteaders.  We don’t need no stinking warranty!

It’s Not Magic, It’s Just Electricity

Do your own math.  How much does electricity cost?  How much will it cost in the future?  I want to install things on my homestead today when I’m making money that will help me in 20 years when I am living on savings and Social Security.  To me it’s a form of savings through infrastructure.

My homestead is paid off.  So I have no mortgage.  I decided to cut my electricity use from 2,000 kWh per month to 1,000 kWh per month by becoming more energy efficient first.  Then I spent $3,500 to install solar which cut my remaining bill from about $100 per month to $55 per month.  Solar is a part of my homesteading plan, not the entire plan.  Only you can decide what elements fit into your homestead plan.

The post Is Homestead Solar Worth It? Real World Answers about Solar Power appeared first on Homestead.org.

We all know solar power is energy from the sun.  Without getting too technical, it is helpful to have a basic understanding of how solar systems work.  The typical solar system is designed with a layer of silicon cells, a metal frame, glass casing, and wiring.  Silicon has conductive properties that allow it to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity.  Working by what is called the photovoltaic effect, when light hits a silicone cell movement occurs within the electrons, causing a flow of electricity.  When sunlight hits the solar panels, the energy of the sun is converted to DC electricity.  The inverter on your solar system converts the DC electricity into AC electricity, suitable for powering appliances and other devices.

There are four main components of a solar system, regardless of the size you choose. These components are the panels, charge controller, inverter, and batteries.

The most cost-conscious solar panels are made up of 60, 72, 120, 132, or 144 cells.  The cells are the small squares that comprise each panel.  One of the most important aspects of your solar system is determining the size of your solar array, which involves determining how much electricity you need based on the size of your home and the appliances you want to power.  Do not let this scare you away from solar energy.  Solar calculators online will take the numbers you give and determine the appropriate size for your needs.

The charge controller is what manages the flow of energy from the panels to the battery bank.  This device also ensures the batteries are properly charged, which will help your battery bank live longer.

The inverter is responsible for converting the DC electricity stored in your battery to the AC electricity necessary for powering your appliances and devices.  They come in various sizes, depending on whether you will be powering smaller or larger loads, as well as the number of loads you will be powering simultaneously.  One important thing to remember is the inverter needs to match the voltage of your system. If you are using a 12-volt inverter, you need to have a 12-volt battery pack.  The online solar calculators also makes it simple to determine the size of inverter you need.

When purchasing your system, a hybrid inverter system may be a good choice.  The hybrid inverter system has inputs for solar, grid, loads, generators, and a battery built into one device.  This system works well with lithium batteries and most of them allow you to charge batteries from a generator.

The final of the four major components is the battery.  You have a choice between lead acid or lithium.  Lithium is the more efficient and safer option.  Lithium batteries can be stored without ventilation, are maintenance-free, and do not need to be fully charged.  They are also designed for a significant amount of charging cycles.  Look for a lithium battery pack with a built-in battery management system (BMS).  The BMS constantly monitors the state of the battery and will force the battery to shut off if there is a problem.

The traditional rooftop solar systems that we are familiar with are connected to the local grid and, not only must they meet a number of technical requirements before installation, renters must clear it first with their landlord.  This may be a possibility if you are footing the entire bill, as it increases the value of the property, but it is not a financially sound idea unless you certain you will be living in the same location for at least ten years.

Miniature solar systems are a much better idea for renters.  They are simpler to maintain, there is no permit required, they require less maintenance and have a lower initial cost, and they are easily relocated.  There are multiple mini systems to choose from, including the plug-in system, off-grid panels and battery systems, portable panels, and appliance-specific solar panels.

Plug-ins are miniature systems that connect to the wiring in your home and synchronize with the frequency and voltage of your power grid.  These units can be easily connected to a suitable power outlet and generate enough energy to power multiple electronic devices and LED bulbs.  They do not produce enough power for high-power appliances such as washing machines and air conditioning units, and you will need to have an electrician ensure the outlet has a circuit with enough capacity to carry the current.  You will also need to inform the landlord, as this system connects to the property’s electrical system.

The off-grid panels and battery system, however, is completely independent from the grid, making it a popular choice for both renters and homeowners who happen to be in remote or rural areas with unreliable service.  In this system, one or more panels are used to charge a solar generator or a battery with USB charging ports and outlets for small appliances.

The portable panel option, generally used for extended camping trips, is also good for renters wanting to explore solar energy.  This system uses one of the smallest panels available and, although it only has a few watts of capacity, it is ideal for keeping smartphones, tablets, and other small devices charged.  Even if you are not interested in running your home on solar power, this is a great system for weather or other emergencies that may affect the grid.

You can also find many appliances with built-in solar panels that do not require an outlet to work, including AC units, refrigerators, freezers, and clothes dryers.  Of course, the original solar-powered clothes dryer is the laundry line, but sadly, this also isn’t permitted in many rental situations.

Renting as a homesteader, whether an apartment or a home on a tract of land, provides endless opportunities to get creative.  Technology can help us in our quest to live a more sustainable and self-sufficient lifestyle, regardless of our location.  Learning about and utilizing solar energy options allows us the freedom to lessen our dependence on a fragile grid and take one more step toward the totally green and totally clean lifestyle homesteaders everywhere dream about.

The post Solar Solutions for Apartment Homesteaders appeared first on Homestead.org.

I wake early on a Saturday morning to a chill in the air, the thermostat on the wall showing a cool 56 degrees. I step through the door into the furnace room where my bare feet meet the cold, painted concrete floor. A lift of the handle and the furnace door swings open. Waiting inside is a teepee of kindling flanked by two sticks of cordwood. Nestled deep inside the teepee is a fire starter made of compressed wood fiber and a flammable binding agent. I prepared the setup a couple of days ago anticipating a planned cool down according to the television weatherman. I crack open the small metal ammo box which holds my store-bought fire starters, a large box of “strike anywhere” matches, and a couple of butane lighters. I strike a match and thrust the burning stick beneath the kindling and ignite the fire starter. Close the firebox door and adjust the thermostatically-controlled draft, and I walk back into the house to prepare the morning coffee.

By the time the first water makes its way through the basket of grounds and touches down inside the carafe, I hear the near-silent wisp of the blower and feel the warming heat beginning to fill the room. For some people heating with wood is the only option available. For me, it is a personal choice, and I’m thankful for the decision each winter month when I receive my utility bill. But it goes much deeper than that.

On a cold winter day when I walk into the furnace room on the back of my house and I feel the warmth and smell the faint scent of wood smoke in the air, I’m instantly taken back to my grandpa and grandma’s farmhouse and suddenly I’m six years old again. On these cold winter days, the Ben Franklin stove which stood proudly in the living room of the tiny house was always going, working in tandem to keep the place warm along with the wood-fired cookstove in the kitchen. In the mornings, the house always smelled of fresh-cured bacon, thick slabs grandma had carved herself from the belly of a hog raised right there on the farm and now sizzling in a black cast-iron skillet.

Nowadays, as a special treat sometimes, on a Saturday morning when we’re working around the place my wife will fry up some salt pork and make a big “farmer’s breakfast” for the family. There’s few things in life that I can think of that would smell any more inviting than a wood fire burning in the furnace or fireplace and salted bacon sizzling on the stove.

But like so many basic things in life, heating with wood isn’t nearly as easy as it might appear. Anyone who’s ever relied on wood for heat can testify it’s a lot of hard work. Still, it’s one of the most cost-effective and renewable ways of staying warm known to man. A stand of timber can renew itself in about 20 years on average. Just a few trees can provide enough wood to heat an average-sized home for an entire winter. In many cases, firewood can be scavenged for free at logging locations, or from landowners looking to remove some trees. Most times the trees are already down and the owner of the wood simply wants it removed from the property. Just keep in mind that all free things aren’t necessarily gifts. All wood will burn, but not at the same rate and efficiency.

Heating with Wood: Know Your Fuel

Just like men, not all wood is created equal. As an example, seasoned oak is ideal for heating but I wouldn’t want to drive a nail in a dry oak board. Hickory makes good ax handles and is also ideal for firewood. Cedar is a good bet to line a closet or dresser drawers but I wouldn’t want to fill my homestead woodstove with it and try to sleep through the night. The fire would be dangerously hot for an hour or two and then the house would be freezing by sunup.

Fuel wood should be considered based on recoverable British Thermal Units, or BTU’s. As a brief explanation, BTU’s are a measure of energy and one good way to compare woods for burning. We also want to consider ease of finding, harvesting, lighting and the amount of creosote each produces. But back to BTU’s, scientists say one unit is the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water from 39 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. A fair comparison can be made by looking at the heating capability of equal amounts of the more common species of wood. For this comparison let’s use 128 cubic feet, an amount commonly known as a “cord”.

Here’s where things can get squirrely. The measure of a quantity of firewood, and the name by which it’s referred to, changes based on geographic location and local traditions. Where I live in the Ozarks a rank is a stack of seasoned wood four feet tall, eight feel long and made up of 16-inch long pieces. But some folks call that a “rick” of wood. Using that amount as a reference, three “ranks” or “ricks” totals what is commonly called a “cord” of wood. Following that train of thought, a cord equals 128 cubic feet of wood. But not only are the names different from place to place. In different areas wood is bought and sold in different ways. Where I live most wood is sold by the rank, but sometimes a wood cutter will sell by the pickup truck load. The buyer has to be able to look at the load and tell if he or she is getting a fair price. Each year I cut a portion of my own firewood and buy the rest. If I’m purchasing from a new supplier I will have a rank or two delivered, or one truckload. I’ll go the extra step and stack that first load to assure I’m getting what I’m paying for. Honest wood suppliers will give you an accurate amount and a little bit more for good measure. In the early years of our marriage my wife and I cut and sold firewood for extra income. We’d always give the customer a little more than promised, and we quickly grew a customer base that stayed with us until we moved on to other endeavors.

Now back to the comparison of woods based on recoverable BTU’s per cord. According to Hearth.com, hickory offers the most heat by volume. Cottonwood is the poorest choice for heating. Here’s a comparison of the most common wood species.

The only softwood I use is pine and cedar lumber scraps I cut and split into small pieces for kindling. I cut the pieces about six to eight inches long and split to about the thickness of a pocket knife and smaller. When I have an available hour or two in the fall of the year I cut my pine and cedar lumber scraps to length on the table saw or with a circular saw. Then I sit in the garage or outside under a shade tree and split the kindling with a hatchet. I’ve even invited a buddy over, who also heats his home with wood, and we work together at splitting enough kindling for each of us while at the same time shooting the bull. I fill a couple five-gallon buckets with the pieces and seal with lids. One bucket sits near the furnace at the ready until empty, at which time I replace it with another. Two buckets will usually last me through most winters.

Another use for pine is as a fire starter. Sap-rich pine knots can be busted into small pieces and used to ignite kindling. Grandma used to keep a dozen or so pencil-sized strips of kindling soaking partially-emerged in a coffee can half filled with lamp oil to use as fire starters in her wood cookstove. While I’m a big fan of the traditional ways, I tend to go the more modern route and rely on store-bought fire aids. Each fall I buy two boxes of fire starters made of compressed sawdust. They come in roughly four-by-eight inch slabs perforated to be broken into smaller squares of about two-by-two inches, and each square will burn for about five minutes – plenty of time to ignite dry kindling and wood. I keep the fire starters with my matches and a butane lighter or two in a waterproof Army surplus ammo container that sits beside the furnace. In nearly 20 years of heating with wood I’ve never had the fire starters or matches draw moisture inside the sealed box.

How to Light the Fire

Any good Boy Scout can name a half dozen designs of stacking tinder, kindling, and wood to start a fire. It’s been a while since I went through Scouts, and even a dozen years since my son was in a troop, but I assume earning one of the badges still requires starting a fire with one match. Fortunately starting a simple fire in the heating stove doesn’t require that level of survival skills, but still, using a few proven techniques makes it more of a sure thing.

Here’s how I do it. With all but the first fire of the season (at which time the stove has been completely cleaned following the previous winter) I’m usually dealing with a furnace firebox that contains a bed of ashes. My furnace has a fire grate that holds the wood up well above an ash box with a separate draft and cleaning door below. The goal is to build a fire that will burn hot enough but not so hot as to waste fuel. To do so I’ll start by using a fire poker to scrape clean a small area of the fire grate, about eight-by-eight inches or so. That gives me a good area for the draft to move past the flames. The remaining bed of ashes helps nestle the firewood and cause it to burn slower.

On the cleaned grate area I’ll put two fire starter squares down. Then I’ll grab a handful of kindling from my bucket and build a simple teepee or lean-to shape over the starter squares, leaving plenty of space between the sticks for air flow. I’ll lay a couple regular-sized pieces of firewood down each side of the kindling teepee, and span the gap between the two with a couple of smaller pieces of wood hovering above the teepee. Now my fire setup is ready to ignite. Oftentimes I’ll build the setup in the stove the night before I intend to light the stove. The next morning it’s a simple as sticking a match to the fire starter, closing the firebox door and cracking open the draft. Within minutes the fire will catch up and the stove’s blower will kick on pumping cozy warm air into the house.

Just like no to woods sharing the same potential BTU’s, not all wood ignites the same either. Woods that ignite fair to good include hemlock, ash, white birch, elm, and hickory to name a few. Wood that is hard to light includes cherry, black locusts, beech, apple, red oak, and sugar maple. As mentioned earlier, not all free things are necessarily gifts. I often see ads in the newspaper or on local blogs or hear someone on the radio giving away free wood for the cutting or hauling. While that can be a great way to get in the winter’s wood, just realize that if the trees you’re getting for free are sugar maple, apple, beech or some other ornamental “yard” tree it might not be the best option for heating.

What to Heat With

Options for using wood for heat haven’t changed too much in the past 100 years. While stoves are not the primarly focus of this article, let’s talk briefly about what’s available. Efficiency has improved with newer designs, but we’re still left with the same few options … open fireplace, fireplace insert, free-standing space heater, or a furnace connected to ductwork. Sure there are pellet stoves and multi-fuel combination heaters that burn pellets or corn, but for this article we’re focusing on burning sticks of wood.

Of those choices, the space you wish to heat will best dictate the heater you choose. Homes with basements are great for wood furnaces with attached ductwork. Not only does such a system effectively move heat up and through the house by the air in the ducts, but you also can capture some of the residual heat that radiates from the furnace and flue pipe as well to heat the main level floorboards. Our home was built in the 1880s and has a thick stone foundation crossing beneath the middle of the house where the original back wall stood. I’ve never been a big fan of carrying firewood into the house, so we opted for a wood furnace installed on an attached, glassed-in sun porch. We ran the lines through the attic with the ducts in the ceiling. It’s not the best situation, but it’s what suits our situation the best. Homes with open floor plans or other heat sources with the intention of using wood only as a supplement in one area can be good candidates for free-standing stoves. And positioning the stove in the correct area of the home can send heat up a staircase to heat upstairs rooms as well. Open fireplaces are romantic (my wife tells me), but nearly any fireplace can benefit from an insert to maximize efficiency.

For guidelines on locating and installing a wood-burning unit consult your home insurance provider. Companies will have mandatory guidelines on setbacks and materials used, and failure to install a wood burning unit the right way could result in having your insurance policy canceled, or invalidated in the case of a heat-related incident. And it goes without saying that you should clean the chimney at least once a year, at the start of the heating season, and more often if your system is prone to creosote buildup. I have my own brushes and rods and do the chore myself, but even hiring a chimney sweep for an annual cleaning and inspection would still be cost-effective protection against a costly and potentially deadly fire.

There’s an old saying that “He who cuts his own wood warms himself twice… once when he cuts it, and once when he burns it.” My research hasn’t revealed who actually made that statement first, but I assure you whoever it was knew something about heating with wood.

The post Heating with Wood on the Homestead appeared first on Homestead.org.

But do fires really just pop up whenever you rub sticks together for a few minutes?  I once witnessed a demonstration at Wolf Creek Indian Village by a guy dressed in Native American garb.  He rubbed sticks together and started a spark that lit a fluffy piece of shredded bark; he held the burning fluff in his hand for an instant and blew on it causing smoke to plummet out, then the fluff ignited into flames.  It was like magic!

However, I find this scenario completely ridiculous now that I have a woodstove and have gone through the experience of trying to start and maintain a fire.  Even with the use of a lighter, fire starter logs, lighter fluid, and crumpled papers, building a fire that lasts for more than a few minutes is a challenge and a learning process.

Now that I know this, I believe that a scenario from the show “Naked and Afraid” is more realistic.  In case you have never seen it, don’t worry—this is a survivalist reality show, not pornography (the private areas are pixelated).  But even so, perhaps their self-consciousness over their nakedness is somehow hindering them in building a fire.  After all, the guy at the Indian village was wearing some pretty swanky buckskins.  All I know is that people on Naked and Afraid usually spend an average of two to three days trying to build a fire by rubbing sticks together.  By the time they succeed, they are usually naked and dying, because they can’t sterilize the water they gathered in their palm-frond bowls.

I’ve also heard the theory that the first man may have discovered fire when a tree or some dry grass was struck by lightning.  I guess that is plausible.  I just can’t figure out what prompted him to run out and throw a piece of meat on it.  Maybe the lightning caught the tree on fire and the caveman threw a carcass on top of it to put it out, the sweet smell of burning flesh triggered his appetite and, well, the rest is history.  Maybe I should put a lightning rod on my woodstove…

There is actually quite a bit of science involved in building a good fire.  I mean, even if you have a lighter or matches, the process of getting a fire going—and keeping it going—to warm your house on a constant basis, involves many factors like the type of wood you use and how well aged it is; how it is cut; how it is stacked in the stove; the tinder you use; how your chimney is set up for drawing air currents; and whether the doors or windows of your house are opened or closed.  Then you have to make sure you hold your tongue in the right position when you light it.  Well, maybe not that last part.

I decided to install a woodstove because I looked around at all of the fallen trees on my little hilltop and started imagining my electric bills withering down to nothing.  But first I needed to find a way to cut those trees up.  I found that axes aren’t nearly as easy to use as they appear to be in the old westerns, and when it came to using an old chainsaw someone gave me, I found myself to be pull-cord challenged.  So I went out and bought an electric pole-saw and about 60 feet of extension cord.

The first winter, I trudged through the woods behind my house looking for fallen trees and stretching the cord as far as I could.  Some trees would cut like butter, while others pinched the chain on my saw, causing it to fall off.  I suspect this has to do with a combination of impatience, lack of chainsawing technique, the fact that I bought the cheapest chainsaw on the shelf, and my inability to understand certain concepts that seem so clear to others, such as “tighten the screw on the chainsaw, but do not tighten it too much.”  I have problems with those shades of gray.

At any rate, whenever my chain fell off, I would have to pull off my gloves and protective glasses, pull out my wrench and go through the process of putting the chain back on.  Needless to say, at first I was pretty excited to find that certain logs I encountered in the woods were downright soft and fell apart like a well-cooked pot-roast.  This is when I first learned the term “punky.”  No, this time it doesn’t refer to disgruntled teenagers playing loud music, but soft rotten wood that burns quickly, but way too quickly.  It is also often full of ants, termites, and grubs, who tend to scream, grab their baggage and run for the hills (or your floorboards, in the case of the termites) once the flames start licking at their sticky little feet.  I guess that sort of foretells another problem with punky wood: the bugs that have any sense will jump off and hide in your house before you stick them in the woodstove.

For a few years, I ran out of trees that were within the length of my extension cord, so I ordered my wood from some people who advertise in the trading journal.  Those people would explain to me which woods they had available and whether they were woods that burned high and fast or low and slow, so I began wondering how I could identify the trees around my house.

First, I got out the old leaf key to determine what type of trees I had. Unfortunately, fallen trees rarely have leaves, so I began to try to analyze the bark (I also wondered if I should be sniffing the wood like I once saw Al Borland do on the show Home Improvement, or perhaps licking it).   I’ve still got a long way to go in figuring out how to identify wood, but I did find some information on the Internet about what types of wood are best.

After scouring the internet for information, the best and most complete advice I found on which woods are best, was from a chimney sweep.  I found a website for Master Sweep Chimney Service in Redwood Valley, California, and it had a very comprehensive guide to log types and other burning issues, such as what causes the most creosote build-up in your chimney.  Well, I guess it makes sense that the guy who has to clean the stuff out, learns what causes the biggest mess!

All of my life I have been told that you shouldn’t burn pine because the sap causes creosote to build up in your chimney, but Chimney Sweep Guy explains in his article that it is all about the drying process.  It turns out,  that moisture, not sap, is what causes creosote, but pine that hasn’t been aged at least a year will hold that water in the sap.  He explains that if the pine is aged for at least a year, it will cause less creosote buildup than many other woods, because at that point, the dried sap acts as an accelerant and it burns really fast and hot, which in turn heats up the chimney more, causing less condensation of water, which is what actually causes creosote buildup.  On the other hand, if not dried properly, pine will hold more water in its sap, and this is why fresh pine causes creosote buildup.  He says pine and fir are usually fine after drying for one year, but hardwoods such as oak need to be dried for over a year and up to three years.

When it comes to choosing logs, you have to decide if you want a fast, hot fire or a slow, long one.  For me, it’s a matter of economy and the ability to sleep through the night without having to restoke the fire.  Steve Nix, a professional forester and natural resource consultant who maintains a forestry/forest/tree information web site for About.com, explains that you will get longer lasting fires from wood that is very dense such as hardwoods.  So if you happen to have the advantage of being able to see what leaves are on a tree before you cut it, then you should know that hardwoods come from trees that have broad leaves (deciduous) and softwoods come from trees like pine, fir, et cetera (evergreens) which have needles instead of leaves.

For those who understand physics, Nix lists the following as the best burning firewood species.  He lists their BTUs per cord and their density, both of which are a bit Greek to me, so I ran to the dictionary to find out what a BTU is.  BTU stands for British Thermal Unit and is based on the amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.

Best Burning Woods for Heating:

Hickory – 25 to 28 million BTUs/cord – density 37 to 58 lbs./cu.ft.

Oak – 24 to 28 million BTUs/cord – density 37 to 58 lbs./cu.ft.

Black Locust – 27 million BTUs/cord – density 43 lbs./cu.ft.

Beech – 24 to 27 million BTUs/cord – density 32 to 56 lbs./cu.ft.

White Ash – 24 million BTUs/cord – density 43 lbs./cu.ft.

Drying logs

I spent last summer cutting up all of the trees that had fallen in my woods, assuming I would be able to use them this winter.  I thought, for sure, they had been lying around for long enough to be properly dried.  However, when I began searching for answers I found that the required length of drying time mentioned previously is only part of the drying process.

Just lying in a horizontal position for a year doesn’t necessarily dry out your wood.  The logs should be halved or quartered and stacked, uncovered, in the driest place possible, up off the ground, not too close to the house to protect it from possible termites.  Even though the nice, fresh cuts look prettier, the grayer-looking wood with lots of cracks is the wood that is properly dried.

In addition to the higher creosote issue with wet wood, I found at Wood-stove.org that the more moisture is in a log, the more energy it takes to heat it.  Freshly cut logs are supposed to have about 50% moisture before they are dried and 20% after, meaning they will generate around twice the energy when they are dry because they won’t be using that energy to heat the water inside.  Wow!  I think I understand now!  I believe that may be the cause of one of the problems I have with keeping a fire going.  Unless it is wood that I have purchased by the cord, most of my wood really hasn’t been aged properly.

Ignition

When it comes to lighting your fire, I’ve heard tell you can make fires with flint; steel wool and a battery; rubbing sticks together; or with a magnifying glass.  I saw Anthony Hopkins do the magnifying glass thing in a movie once.  That was cool.  But, assuming I’m in the comfort of my own home, I prefer to do it the old-fashioned way, with a lighter and a piece of paper or maybe one of those long matches.

Kindling

When it comes to kindling, I’ve tried it all.  I’ve hacked the bark off of logs for kindling, gathered sticks, crumbled up old students’ essays, and I’ve purchased those fire-starter logs.

One winter, I collected the cardboard tubes from inside my toilet paper and paper towels and filled them with the sawdust I created when cutting the logs.  It all seems to work pretty well as far as the initial rush of flames, but the wood products are more sustainable than the toilet paper tubes.

In scientific terms, it is said that “kindling should have a large surface to volume ratio, and more bulk than timber, so it will ignite easily,” which means that a bunch of twigs works well because the twigs have a lot of surface area in between and around them, thus more places for air to get in, and fire loves oxygen.  I found that information at a WikiHow site, which I find ironic because as an adjunct English professor, I always tell my students not to use such sites for their research.  It makes sense though, and the information was edited by Michael, Jack Herrick, Lisa Radon, Ben Rubenstein and 157 others.  I don’t actually know Michael, Jack, Lisa, or Ben, but those 157 others sort of tipped the scales in their favor.

Tinder

Tinder is the fast burning stuff you usually ignite first so that it will ignite the bigger logs and get your fire going.  It’s the shredded bark the guy at the Indian village used, or anything fluffy that lights easily from shredded paper to dryer lint.

I must note that I have a preference for those small brown fire starters that you can purchase for about a dollar and divide into fourths.  But a quick search of the internet also showed me many many ideas for how to make your own fire starters.  I found something about using coffee grounds, paraffin, and molasses melted together and poured into wax paper cupcake holders.  Another suggested cotton balls rolled in petroleum jelly; and then there was sawdust and paraffin; dryer lint and candle wax; pinecones and paraffin… The big question is: is the most commonly used ingredient (paraffin) cheap enough to warrant the effort of making homemade fire-starters?  Well, I looked it up and a 10-pound slab of paraffin is about $18.85 and then you will need coffee grounds (presumably free after using for coffee) and molasses for a couple of dollars a jar, while a readymade box of fire starters is $26.66 for 9 pounds.  So, if you’ve got some time on your hands, it might save you a little bit of money.

(Call it pessimistic, but I’m always a little skeptical of everything that people say saves money.  For instance, when I see shows about extreme couponing, I wonder if these people are really saving any money considering the gas and time that they spend, and whether they ever get wholesome food like meat, fruit, and vegetables, or if they only get 15 tons of Twinkies to store in their garage until they expire.  But, at the same time, you have to consider the fun factor.  Many of those extreme couponers see this as a fun hobby they can share with their friends, trade coupons, shop together, and so forth.  I get that.  But I digress.  Back to the fire!)

Air and Smokey Air

The last thing I feel should be mentioned regarding the maintenance of a fire in your woodstove, is air.  There are a few different theories out there about air and ways to get enough air-flow to feed your fire, but then, with air, comes the problem of smoke.  Wood that hasn’t been seasoned properly may smoke more than usual, or it could have to do with the up and downdrafts from your chimney, or maybe your chimney isn’t drawing right because it is too cold.

You can help a chimney draw by crumbling up some paper, lighting it and holding it up your chimney, if you have access that way.  With woodstoves, that isn’t quite as easy as it is with fireplaces.  Also, some say leaving a window cracked in the room can help balance out the air circulation and help the chimney draw better.

I personally have found the issues of air and smoke to be my biggest fire-starting problems.  I try to leave the woodstove door open for a while in order to help the air circulate and get the fire burning well, but soon the room is full of smoke.  In fact, if I die in a house fire, when they come in to investigate, they’ll find that I had five smoke detectors and two carbon monoxide detectors in the house, all of which were long ago hidden in closets and covered with pillows because I just couldn’t handle the constant beeping whenever I had a fire in my woodstove.

Homestead Heating Safety

The post The Mysteries of Fire (Including How to Sustain One in Your Woodstove) appeared first on Homestead.org.

Solar power converts energy from the sun into power.  As a homesteader, you are already using solar power.  The plants in your garden trap energy from the sun in their leaves and use that energy to change water and carbon dioxide into glucose, which is used by plants for energy.  When you hang your laundry on the line, you are using solar energy to dry wet clothes.  The ability to capture the sun’s energy is in our DNA.  Human bodies build specialized proteins that transform light energy into chemical energy.  All this is to say, we shouldn’t be intimidated by solar energy.  We use it every day.

Solar energy can be harnessed either directly, using photovoltaics, or indirectly, using concentrated solar power.  Photovoltaics involves using photovoltaic cells which convert light into an electric current.  Concentrated solar power involves focusing a large area of sunlight on a hot spot with mirrors or lenses.  Solar energy can be used for water heating, cooking, and ventilation for heating and cooling.

The simplest solar project for beginners is a box cooker.  A box cooker, or haybox cooker, is handy when you lose electric power or when the summer temperatures make indoor cooking unbearable.  This is easy enough to do with children and efficient enough to cook a meal.  If placed in direct sunlight, the box cooker can reach temperatures of 195-302 degrees Fahrenheit.  There are many diagrams for a box cooker online but the simplest and least expensive require only an insulated container with a transparent lid.

Another passive solar project that allows you to remain comfortable in extreme temperatures while reducing your dependence on the grid is a solar, or thermal, chimney.  A solar chimney uses solar energy to increase ventilation.  This is a passive system, meaning it does not require any mechanical devices to work.  As the air in the chimney warms from the sun it rises, creating a draft effect that pulls fresh air into the building.

The simplest solar chimney is usually painted black and positioned on the side of the building that receives the most direct afternoon sunlight. The chimney needs to extend past the roofline in order to allow the air inside to rise which creates the draft. For maximum efficiency, build your solar chimney with materials that have high thermal mass.  These materials include concrete, brick, and natural stone.

Aside from running your entire operation with solar power, the addition of a solar greenhouse is a practical addition to your homestead.  Traditional greenhouses heat cold air (at night or in the winter) with electricity, propane, or gas.  A passive solar greenhouse relies entirely on radiant energy from the sun.  That energy is typically captured with dark-colored, water-filled barrels.  The more barrels, the more heat you can capture.  The heat trapped in the water during the day will slowly radiate into the greenhouse as the temperatures drop.  The addition of fans will help circulate the heat throughout the entire greenhouse.

When designing your greenhouse, you want to maximize the sunlight coming in with south-facing walls and roofs made of glass or other clear materials and minimize heat loss on north-facing walls and roofs.  The north-facing walls and roofs should be constructed with non-transparent materials, such as siding or shingles.  To increase efficiency and minimize resources, it is a good idea to attach the solar greenhouse to the north side of an existing structure.

In order to capture the sunlight needed to heat the greenhouse, place dark-colored, water-filled barrels along the north-facing wall.  Depending on your geographic location (Alaska will receive less heat than Florida), and the amount of direct sunlight during the day, the passive solar greenhouse will be 10-34 degrees warmer than the outside air.  Even if you do not want to build a structure large enough to grow plants through fruition, this is an excellent way to get a jump on the growing season.  A two-to-four-week addition to your growing time allows you to increase the income you make from your homestead.  If you use your greenhouse at the end of the growing season, your income will increase even more.

You may be interested in harnessing the power of the sun on your homestead but you’re not sure whether solar power is worth the investment of time and money.  If that is the case, you can test the waters by purchasing a small solar system.  You can go small with a device that produces enough power for your cell phone and computer or you can go a little bigger with a device known as a “plug-and-play.”  A plug-and-play is a small structure that is placed in a sunny spot and plugged into an electrical outlet.  The energy received from the sun via panels travels to your household and is used as electricity.  These devices are the simplest way to see how much of an impact solar energy can have on your electric bill.

If you have been on the fence about incorporating solar energy into your homesteading lifestyle, understand you have been using this renewable resource all along.  As with every decision you make for your family and your farm, you don’t need to follow conventional or commercial wisdom and panel your entire property.  But neither should you completely dismiss the opportunity to decrease traditional energy dependence.  Solar power is something homesteaders should understand, as it allows us more freedom to pursue the lifestyles we are committed to.  Whether you decide to use this resource all the time or only during an emergency, it is another valuable skill set to have.

The post Simple Solar Projects appeared first on Homestead.org.

I used to be the kind of dad who was constantly reminding the kids to close the front door to the house so as not to “let any of the bought air out!”  Now that we heat primarily with our woodstove our kids no longer have to worry when lingering at the front door on a cold morning.  To tell the truth, that little bit of fresh, cold air can be quite welcome at times.

Knowing that I provided the firewood through my own efforts makes the experience of a woodstove all the more enjoyable.  I can look at that fire and know that I cut that wood; I split and stacked that wood, and I… well I get to clean the ash pan later.  My point is that the cold winter’s night is a reminder of the hard work we put in during the early spring to have our wood split and seasoning all summer long so that it would burn just like it is now.  It is the work of the ant, endeavoring to prepare while others frolic and play, that is now enjoyed with great satisfaction.

Our family time is centered around the woodstove in our living room.  I find that my wife and I share our best conversation while watching the flickering flames through the glass front door of the woodstove.  We can dream up plans for future homestead projects while enjoying the comforts that this homestead project provides.  This is more than a subtle reminder of just how much a self-sufficiency project can affect our lives for the better.

The installation of the woodstove was quite a project for my wife and me.  We (that means she) picked out the porcelain tile that would match the décor of our house.  We installed plywood and cement board over the subflooring before tiling.  We installed cement board over the existing sheetrock walls and then tiled and grouted.  We then had a professional install the stove and stovepipe.  While all that might have been summed up in a few sentences, I can tell you that this project took over a week because we were only able to work a few hours per day.  This was a lot of work but one that we are happy to enjoy for many years to come.

Where You Can Get Firewood for Your Woodstove

The task of providing firewood is one that I personally enjoy.  As we began transforming our property into a homestead, a handful of trees had to be cut down.  I take some pride in knowing that those trees were not simply left to rot, but rather, were put to great use in heating our home and providing ash for our gardens.  We will be replanting other trees in our effort to be good stewards of this land we call home.

We will need to thin out some of the old-growth trees to allow for new trees to grow.  Much of our land was ravaged by the previous owner who logged many of the trees and left many more to rot.  We have been able to save most of these for use as firewood, but some will be cleared to one section of the property where they can compost and provide housing for whatever animal(s) should choose it.

We want to keep a good bit of our three-and-a-half acres wooded while affording us the room to garden and house ourselves and our animals.  So far we are quite pleased with the process and blending of these different environments.  As I cull some trees to make room for others I will turn them into firewood.  As storms damage some trees I will turn them into firewood.  This sized lot will provide some of our wood but may not provide all that we will need in the future.  This leaves me with the same question many urban homesteaders face, “Where do I get my firewood?”

Years ago, I owned a house that I heated solely with wood.  That property was only one acre with about a half-acre of trees.  I culled some of these trees for firewood in an effort to keep the wooded section healthy and appealing.  For some time, I would pick up trees others had cut down or trees that were damaged in storms.  I did this for about two years until I realized the futility of spending half a day driving all over the area for a couple of trees.  Next, I tried doing some cleanup work for tree cutters in the area.  Most people are under the impression that tree-cutting companies will buy the cut wood and haul it off.  This is not typically so.  These guys have access to more free wood than they can handle so they charge extra to haul it off.  They would call me and I would haul it off when they were cutting trees near my house.  This was truly a win-win situation.

Through some referral, I was able to contact a tree service company that would deliver 5 to 10 cords of firewood to my house.  If the trees were whole they would bring them in on logging trucks.  If they were cut up, they would deliver them in a large dump truck.  For a few hundred dollars I could have enough logs or cut rounds delivered to provide me with firewood for a couple of years.  Compare that price to what you may pay to heat your home during the winter using electricity or gas and you immediately see why this price more than acceptable.  Just recently I read a couple of ads online from folks who have hardwood “farms” that deliver logs in this manner.

Some folks might prefer to have split firewood delivered and/or stacked and that is fine too.  Whichever route you go, I would suggest you order your wood in the early spring or late winter (after everyone else has stopped their emergency/storm-type orders for firewood).  Planning ahead may get you a better price but more importantly, it allows the firewood to season all summer long.  This wood is much easier to light and burns better than wood split later in the year.

One option I would consider if you do not have trees for firewood on your property is to look for undeveloped land for sale with plenty of hardwood trees that you might be able to pick up cheap.  I would focus on land that is not desirable for development for one reason or another, which would make it more affordable.  On the other hand, if you looking for a retirement investment, such a property that might be in the growth pattern for a nearby city might be a decent, long-term investment.  You would likely pay more for the property now but remember you are going to provide yourself with firewood from this property for years to come.  Once you are ready to fund your retirement or use a larger, lump sum of cash you could sell the land.  It might even work best if you clear some of the trees and have them hauled to your property before the sale so that a developer can have easier access to the land and you get the benefit of the firewood for years to come.  This type of investment is speculative in nature (meaning you are hoping it will increase in value over time) but since this land will be your firewood farm, it is less risky, especially when you take into consideration the future costs of heating your home.

The Wood Shed

I have tried stacking firewood under tarps but really dislike this approach.  It never fails that the tarps either get blown partially off during a storm or they fill up with water.  The water is ingenious in its ability to run right into my shoe when I attempt to collect the firewood.  During the winter, the tarps would collect water and freeze solid making things even less fun.

On the last property, I built a lean-to-style shed to hold the firewood.  I built it just outside the back door of the house so it could be as close as possible to the woodstove.  This shed was 16-feet deep and 20-feet wide, leaving me with room to stack five cords of wood.  Living in Virginia at the time, we usually burned four cords, or less, per winter, leaving extra wood in case of an extended winter or as well-seasoned firewood for the following winter.  Here at our new homestead, we are using a metal carport.  At the moment I am using this shed as shade while I split firewood with a maul but, later I will stack the firewood properly.  The carport itself is nothing fancy, just the kind you often see for sale on corner lots, gas stations, and the like.  This carport was delivered and set up in a matter of hours but you may choose to build your own.

Firewood allowed to properly season in such a shed is easy to light and burns best.  You still may want to use some small kindling and/or paper to get a fire going under a couple of logs but well-seasoned wood does not take much work to light.  With that said, I will admit it, I cheat.

Rather than fussing with kindling a paper I just buy a small Duraflame starter stick or log and break off a small piece about the size of a domino and place it in the center of the stove.  I add a few sticks of kindling and place two pieces of oak firewood in a V formation surrounding the starter-stick chunk.  I then place a piece of poplar firewood across the V, effectively making an A, so that the starter-stick chunk is directly under the poplar wood.  This wood burns quickly and very hot.  The starter-stick chunk lights quickly and retains the flame long enough for the kindling and poplar wood to ignite.  I let this burn with the air damper wide open.  Once the fire is well established I add more oak firewood, cut back the air and flue to get a nice, hot and long burn going.

Ok, so I am not a fire-making purist.  I know my cheating with the chunk of starter stick seems wrong but sometimes we have to pick our luxuries and this is one my family and I all agree on.  One starter stick or starter log lasts quite a long time because we are only using a small piece and only when no coals are present.  During most winters you will probably have coals you can use to re-start your fire in the mornings.  We store the unused portion of the starter sticks in a resealable freezer bag so as to keep them from drying out.

How ever you choose to provide firewood or how you start your fire is up to you but the decision to install a woodstove should be an easy one.  Newer stoves are often much more efficient than older stoves so you might consider buying a newer stove rather than using some old woodstove you might find lying around.  I also highly recommend a stove with an ash pan.  If you go with the older stoves be sure to consider the R-value of the material under the stove.  Each stove has its own requirements and even the newer stoves vary quite a bit.  Some stoves require quite a bit, resulting in several inches of material between the stove and the subflooring.

Consider Installing a Hearth Gate on Your Woodstove

Once your stove is setup and fired-up, you, too, will find just how many people gravitate toward it.  This can include small children so be sure to provide some measure of safety to prevent them from getting burned.  We chose to order a hearth gate online that we like very much.  It looks like wrought iron fencing and has a childproof gate for adults to gain access to the fireplace.  This product is easily modified to fit most any hearth design you might need.

Heating with a woodstove is something we highly recommend for your homestead, but like any homesteading project, you are free to choose the degree to which you jump into it.  Whether it supplements or provides all of your heat is your decision.  Whether you provide the firewood or buy it already split is up to you.  There is no right or wrong, just what works best for you.  Whatever degree you choose I think you will find that the addition of a woodstove provides both instant and long-term satisfaction.

The post The Homestead Woodstove appeared first on Homestead.org.

Deep Water Culture, also known as Direct Water Culture or the Reservoir Method, is a hydroponic method of growing plants by means of suspending the plant roots in nutrient-rich oxygenated water.  Traditional methods of DWC use plastic buckets with the plant contained in a plastic net pot suspended from the center of the lid and the roots suspended in the nutrient solution.  An aquarium air pump, or air stone, constantly bubbles in the nutrient solution, oxygenating the water, keeping the plant’s roots from drowning.  DWC can be used two ways: in self-contained systems using individual buckets or with a system of inter-connected buckets using a separate water reservoir to re-circulate the water and nutrients throughout the bucket system.

The advantage to using a single bucket system is that if any diseases present themselves, they will affect just the plant or plants associated with that single bucket.  The disadvantage is that it is extremely labor-intensive to regularly lift each bucket’s lid to check on water, nutrient levels, and pH, especially with larger plants such as tomatoes.  Conversely, using the re-circulating, inter-connected system allows you to adjust the ph, water and nutrient levels in the main reservoir only, thus limiting the labor involved.  However, should a disease present within the system, it will affect all the plants in the system since the water is circulating throughout each bucket. Caught early enough, such an outbreak can be controlled and reversed, which is why daily inspection of your plants and equipment is crucial. 

With its simple design, DWC is the easiest of the three main methods of growing hydroponically to be successful with for the home grower. Plants tend to grow much faster because nutrients and high amounts of oxygen are continuously being fed directly to the roots.

Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) uses a thin layer, or “film”, of nutrient solution flowing over the roots of the plants.  All of the plant’s nutrient needs are met through the air and water solution washed through the plant’s root system.  No growing medium is used, except for what is used for allowing the seed to germinate.  The plants grow in channels, which are normally flat-bottomed runways cut into a slight “V” shape and positioned on a slope.  The nutrient solution is fed at one end, following the slope, and drained back into the reservoir tank to be re-circulated. The root mat develops partly in the shallow stream of re-circulating solution and partly above it.  This is an important balance to maintain, since the roots need adequate oxygen to survive.

This system uses a reduced volume of nutrient solution compared to other systems, and the solution may be more easily heated during the winter months to obtain optimal temperatures for growth, or cooled during hot summers to avoid bolting.

While this method seems at first blush to be the best of all hydroponic systems, it must be monitored closely.  The pitch and rate of the nutrient flow must be adjusted (usually between 1-3%) to get the correct combination.  Also, it is the most susceptible of all of the systems to power outages. Systems should not be too long in length (more than 15 feet), or the plants at the end of the line, so to speak, will not grow as well as the other plants placed in the beginning or middle of the line. Plants that work best with this type of system are smaller plants such as herbs, romaine lettuce, mustard greens, vegetative plants, kale, and oriental vegetables.

Ebb & Flow Technique, also known as the Flood and Drain System, works by temporarily flooding a grow tray full of plants with nutrient solution, soaking the plant roots for a while and then draining the solution back into a separate reservoir.  This is normally done with a submerged pump on a timer set to repeat the process a number of times within a 24-hour period.  The flooding simulates typical top-watering techniques.  Once the roots are watered, or “flooded”, the water drains back into the reservoir chamber, leaving the roots to sit in the moistened grow medium until the next flood.  The trick is to determine what the optimum number of floods should be in a 24-hour period.  You need enough waterings to keep the roots from ever drying out, but not so much to promote root rot or inhibit oxygen uptake.  The frequency of your timed floods will depend on many factors, including the type and size of your plants.

One disadvantage to this grow method is that your plants must all require the same amount of watering and nutrient type and strength.  You may find that you will need to set up may flood tables in order to grow a variety of plants.  A distinct advantage, however, is that plants can be manually watered during a power outage to avoid roots drying out before power can be restored.

When choosing a soil-less grow medium for this method, you’ll find there are many to choose from: clay pellets, rock wool, perlite, and lava chips are just some of the many choices available.  Home-growers interested in this option should research which growing medium would be best suited for the plants they decide to grow.

Creating an Indoor Grow Room for Gardening with Hydroponics

Creating an indoor grow room can be as simple or as complicated as you allow and the costs will fluctuate accordingly.  If you don’t have a greenhouse to operate from, a basement or spare room will work just fine.  The room should not be too large where you cannot control temperature.  Any enclosed space with electricity that is close to a water source will work fine.  Be sure to think about ergonomics when laying out the room.  Give yourself enough space for maintaining equipment and checking on plants as well as harvesting.  The room should be clean and pets should not be allowed in the room.  Most pets have access to the outdoors and carry mites and other enemies of a grow room.  Remember that the room does not provide natural protection from such pests and diseases like that which can be provided in an outdoor garden.  Hygiene is of the utmost importance.  Remove shoes and garments that have been recently worn outdoors before entering the room.  Your diligence will pay off if you can avoid a breakout of spider mites, aphids, or other pests and diseases in your room.

Lighting and Temperature for Growing Hydroponically

Regardless of the hydroponic technique you choose, if you are growing indoors, you will need to provide lighting.  Plants will require different lighting requirements depending on their stage of growth, but as a general rule, all plants require at least six hours of darkness for each 24-hour period.  In the younger, vegetative stage, plants require a longer light cycle than that of the flowering or fruiting stage.  T-5 lights are a good choice since they have a high output but don’t waste a ton of energy.  Plants can be placed closer to T-5 lights without fear of them being burned by extreme heat.  T-5s provide full spectrum lighting which encourages both vegetative and blooming growth.  Other lights only provide blue (vegetative) or red (blooming) light.

Temperature can be controlled in a number of ways and should mimic the temperature that the plants thrive in while in an outdoor environment. Ventilation and air circulation should be provided as well, to keep humidity under control.  By far, the equipment you choose for your grow room will be the most expensive purchases of your entire indoor growing experience.  Start small and make sure you enjoy growing indoors before investing in top-of-the-line, expensive equipment.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Growing Hydroponically

Regardless of which method you choose to use, there are advantages and disadvantages to growing hydroponically, as opposed to growing outdoors in soil.

Advantages:

• Roots receive nutrients directly – resulting in faster growth
• Can be grown in smaller areas – no need for roots to “spread out” to find water
• Growers have more control over the growing environment
• There is the opportunity for year-round harvesting
• No weeds to pull!
• Hydroponics uses considerable less water than other methods of growing
• Wildlife damage, insect infestation and disease are greatly reduced/eliminated
• Less labor is needed than traditional growing methods – hydroponic systems can be almost fully automated

Disadvantages:

• There can be more up-front and ongoing costs associated with growing hydroponically (i.e., equipment, lighting, electricity, etc.)
• Systems require ongoing maintenance
• Systems are vulnerable to power outages and may require generators if long-term power outages are likely.
• Not all plants can be grown hydroponically.  Growers must do their research and choose their plants accordingly.

Growing hydroponically has become a passion for many people – a passion some swear by for increased vegetable yields and quality.  You be the judge.  Do your research and get the facts.

One word of caution: there is a whole industry of medical cannabis growers that use hydroponics to grow their product.  Because of this, some people associate hydroponics with marijuana growing.  If you’re not licensed for this sort of thing or it’s not your area of interest, be aware that you may run into marijuana growing information while researching hydroponics.  Just be specific with your keyword searches in Google and you will find exactly what you’re looking for.  Here’s to tomatoes in December and happy gardening!

10 Tips for Successfully Gardening with Hydroponics

1.  Customize your growing environment to your plants’ needs. The correct lighting and room temperature are essential to the health of your plants.  If you are growing a mix of vegetables, more than one grow room may be necessary – one for heat-loving plants and one room for plants that prefer cooler temperatures.

2.  The temperature of your nutrient solution is crucial. Try to keep your nutrient solution at around 65°F for high levels of dissolved oxygen and optimum nutrient uptake.

3.  Plants grown indoors under lights will take up water at a greater rate than they take up nutrient. Regularly top up your tanks with water or 50% strength nutrient solution. Keep your top up nutrient solution in a separate barrel rather than using water straight from the tap (this allows the chlorine in the water to evaporate before use).

4.  Maintain the pH of your nutrient solution at around 5.8 – 6.2. Check regularly as it can rise as the plants feed. It’s perfectly fine to turn your pumps off for half an hour while you adjust your nutrient solution’s pH and strength.

5.  Drain your nutrient solution and replace with a fresh batch every 7 to 10 days for optimum yields. Obviously bigger tanks can get away with less frequent changes.

6.  Thoroughly clean your tanks in between crops with a soap solution and rinse thoroughly.

7.  An effort to limit the light allowed in to the container must be made.  Wherever there is light and nutrients, algae will grow. Algae eat the nutrients you are feeding your plants, and when pieces of algae die they attract fungus gnats. Fungus gnats are a whole other problem!

8.  Use a half strength nutrient solution to start your plants off, moving to two thirds to full dosage rate (as detailed on the bottle) after the first nutrient solution change (about 7 – 10 days after planting). This reduces the chances of “burning” or shocking your plants.

9.  When plants start fruiting, all but the smallest of plants will need additional support.

10.  Finally, don’t crowd your plants!  They will grow incredibly fast – give them plenty of room to grow.

The post Like Water for… Tomatoes? Year-round Gardening with Hydroponics appeared first on Homestead.org.