# Poll: Anyone Live Without Electric?



## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

It would be interesting to know where the members in this forum come from.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

For me, the three back- to -back hurricanes in Florida in 04 showed me I could not only live well without electricity, I could prefer it. When the power was restored after Jeanne, I was dissappointed in getting back all the noise and shuffle. But I didn't have any experience at all actually living off grid and without electricity until I moved to Tennessee. My intial system was 12 volt and 240 watts with a 600 watt Samlex inverter. I currently have 780 watts in a 24 volt systemm an additional 365 watts in panels that are not up yet and plan on getting 390 watts in panels more for a total of 1535 watts. My original goal of a 1 kw system wouldn't do well through a Tennessee winter.


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

Tango, where's the choice for "NO electric"?


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Well trying to figure out where I fit in. I leave in town on the grid. Our weekend homestead is off grid. Can't see spending the $7000+ for them to bring power to me. We do have a small system now. Only 1 - 50 watt panel hooked up to 2 - 75 AH batteries. It's enough to get use through a weekend unless I need power tools. Then I fire up the generator. I do have 2 more 50 watt panels that I could hook up, just haven't had the need to. 

Eventually, when we move out there full time, we will hook to the grid or install a larger system.


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

Not sure were I fit in. Planning to install a small system for lighting & as back up for the shallow well pump. I'll stay connected to the grid as the expense of installing a system to accomodate all of our meager electric needs is still beyond the budget. Better to start slow & build up then to sink in a fortune & not have it meet our needs. Also learning about solar hot water hoping to install a pre-heat system to further reduce our energy needs.


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

Quote..
"My original goal of a 1 kw system wouldn't do well through a Tennessee winter."

My smokin' 512 watts gets me through the whole year.. In Ohio.. :rock: :happy: :rock:


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

We were off grid at a previous place, from 1976 to 1989, with a wind generator and then PVs. We currently are grid connected, with a grid-independent battery/inverter system for most of our usage, capable of being charged by the grid when it isn't sunny or windy. May become grid tied if we add more generating capacity.


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Steve L. said:


> Tango, where's the choice for "NO electric"?


No electricity at all could be off grid but I should have made it clearer, sorry. I'm glad you wrote in your situation. There have been many times with my 12v system that I was without electricity. It does keep life simple


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

12vman said:


> Quote..
> "My original goal of a 1 kw system wouldn't do well through a Tennessee winter."
> 
> My smokin' 512 watts gets me through the whole year.. In Ohio.. :rock: :happy: :rock:


LOL, it is one of the ironies in my life that in Florida, I was grid tied to the nth degree in an all electric house and now that I have solar panels I'm in Tennessee where four days of overcast sky, becomes a challenge.


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

Tango said:


> No electricity at all could be off grid but I should have made it clearer, sorry. I'm glad you wrote in your situation.


 That's the one voted for. 



> There have been many times with my 12v system that I was without electricity. It does keep life simple


 Sure does. :dance:


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## Milkwitch (Nov 11, 2006)

I lived for about 15 years without electricity. In a cabin about half a mile off the road. 
Life changes interfered: got divorced, son moved out on his own, I lived alone for long time and loved it.... then had to give up cabin when I got PG with DD. I just couldn't manage the work PG. (Single parent) I could not do it physically now, but I so much miss the quiet calm that pervades life with out the electric! I will one day do it again!


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## 12vman (Feb 17, 2004)

Tango..
My first attempt was with 196 watts. That was a tough 2 yrs! Ran the genny alot during the winter. (Ruined my first set of batteries too..) I learned from my mistakes and it pretty much molded my current lifestyle. I figured out what I wanted and built my system to support it. I don't have alot but I have enough..

I plan to install a corn burner for heat and I'll need to grow a little more to support it..

When I first started, There wasn't any power lines around here at all. Now the area has developed some and those power lines are everywhere! I vowed to never hook up! This is too much fun!


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Was a tough 20 months for me but I think about that toughness with a bit of appreciation. I've done a few things for myself, that have shown me even I can get things done  

I think its way more fun too 12vman  But I admit that the 13 w flourescent light over the stairs that lights up the stairs in the dark (no handrails yet) and the keyboard so I can type (before I would have to squint and lift the keyboard closer to the screen when I couldn't hit the key I wanted) is also nice. I've posted before that even though I now have outlets throughout the house, I have nothing but the computer and phone plugged in, like I had before with just the 240 watts. 

For heat, I've a woodstove that radiates warmth. It is wonderful. Since I am surrounded by woods, the woodstove made more sense here. Wish we could all live closer. The kind of person who can give up the mindless culture for a bit of simplicity and peace, that is the kind of person I'd like to be friend's with


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I shure do like your last sentance . . . . . . . . . . 
You betcha.


(don't know how to do the quote thingy)


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

I would like to get off grid, and only use electrcity for ligts, and tv. I would like to build an ice box to replace our refrigerator. I would like to can evrythiing, and get rid of the freezer. I can can everything except burger. I havent figured out what to do with that yet. I want to buy a wood cook stove to replace our electric cook stove. When the kids are grown I want to close off part of the house so I dont have to heat so much, and hopefully a wood cook stove will heat what I need. I want a hand pump water well. 

Some dairy farmers years ago built their barn right over a creek. They would place full milk cans in the running creek to keep them cold. I dont have that option on my place. I want to milk cows again someday, so I suppose I will need electricity to run the milk cooler.


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## mtn.mama (Apr 20, 2007)

Michigan farmer... I don't have any ideas for you about burger, except fresh meat, good aging and grind when you want it. The rest of your dream is attainable, and its all well worth the effort!
Lisa


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## Steve L. (Feb 23, 2004)

michiganfarmer said:


> I can can everything except burger. I havent figured out what to do with that yet...


Check out the thread below, michiganfarmer.

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=183044


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## kabri (May 14, 2002)

We are planning our homestead now which is so far away from electric that it would cost probably 20k or more to hook up to the grid. I think that will buy us a lot of solar panels and a nice generator instead! I'm so glad to hear from others who are already doing it, thanks for the encouragement!!!!!


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## Tango (Aug 19, 2002)

Jim-mi said:


> I shure do like your last sentance . . . . . . . . . .
> You betcha.
> 
> 
> (don't know how to do the quote thingy)


At the bottom right hand of the post you want to quote is a "Quote" button. If you click on it first, before clicking on "Reply", it will bring you to a reply screen with the text quoted. I usually delete everything but the bit I want to quote and make sure the poster's name and the brackets around the word "QUOTE" on each end of the text are there. It will look like this: 

QUOTE=Jim-mi]I shure do like your last sentance . . . . . . . . . . 
You betcha.


(don't know how to do the quote thingy)[/QUOTE

except that I removed the very first bracket, [ , and the very last one, ], to show you what it would look like.


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## Chuck (Oct 27, 2003)

Not by choice, but here in Panama the power goes out at our house about once a day. Kind of a pain at first, but we're getting used to it. Yesterday our water went out for about six hours, and as soon as it came back on the power went out. Grrr.... man were we spoiled in the states!


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## chickflick (Oct 20, 2003)

Tango said:


> Wish we could all live closer. The kind of person who can give up the mindless culture for a bit of simplicity and peace, that is the kind of person I'd like to be friend's with


Awwww... Tango!!! :buds: 
(hey... there's no 'hugs' on here???? :shrug: )

Well, anyway.... my 'stay' in Houston's 'midless culture' is wearing THIN. (still searching for 'home').


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