Off grid...

I would be interested in forming a group and building a place like that in the northern part of ontario. If not in a group i will be doing it on my own this fall with a existing property i have. I grew up in a house just like that, we had hydro but the hole house was heated with a small wood stove and still is today, I pile the wood for my parents every year. when I retire in ten years I will be living in the north compleetly off the grid.

thumbs up to that! 😀

I agree with WIldernessreturn: "Now, my question to everyone is this, why do you need so much power? Reduce your needs and you reduce what you need to run, less power used equals less power needed."

Remember that at some point in the past, EVERYONE was "off-grid." Before deciding how many watts you need, decide what you need power for.

Personally, I'm thinking only about LED lighting, and a computer.

Everything else can be done manually, with wood-fuel, the sun, etc. Water? Rainwater collection into cistern; or, hand-pump well. Heat? Cooking? Wood stove. Dishwasher, laundry? What... water + heat + big sink? Solar-hot water? Maybe a bicycle-powered washing machine? Drying clothes outdoors when above freezing, indoors when below.
A friend of mine who's planning on going off-grid in the next few years is looking into a bicycle-powered generator, he gave me the impression it could easily power a TV {not sure on the product, sorry}.

I plan on going with an Earth Fridge, and/or root cellar, and, possibly look into an ice-house (i.e. create a cellar with two distinct halves, pack one with snow over the winter, you have a fridge for the summer, repeat).

Once you scale down, it seems to me that a modest collection of solar panels and wind-turbines keep you quite well powered.

I'm still hoping to find land with a fast running steam so that I can hook up my own micro hydro plant, with high and low pressure turbines. A bank of batteries for storage. Excess power? a solenoid valve regulator controls the flow of water... no need no speed. Water freezes up? Charge up the wood gas generator.

Theres a piece of property with a really nice waterfall in its backyard on HWY 518 east of parry sound. That I am sure could power a Hydro Plant on a small scale. I dont know what budget you are looking for but this ones a bit pricey to me,nice waterfall but cabins are crap I think for the price you should be getting at least a nice home. anyhow check out the 10foot waterfall...

http://homes.point2.com/CA/Ontario/Muskoka-District/McMurrich-Montieth/47989281-Real-Estate.aspx

I would be interested in forming a group and building a place like that in the northern part of ontario. If not in a group i will be doing it on my own this fall with a existing property i have. I grew up in a house just like that, we had hydro but the hole house was heated with a small wood stove and still is today, I pile the wood for my parents every year. when I retire in ten years I will be living in the north compleetly off the grid.

thumbs up to that! 😀

I agree thumbs up to that as well, all of it.
My situation has changed, I am now looking for a place off grid again, long story and I do not feel like sharing.. grrrr

I'm still hoping to find land with a fast running steam so that I can hook up my own micro hydro plant, with high and low pressure turbines. A bank of batteries for storage. Excess power? a solenoid valve regulator controls the flow of water... no need no speed. Water freezes up? Charge up the wood gas generator.

dont mean to rain on your parade here but forget water turbines unless youve got a drop of 18 meters +....i looked into it when i was having the lake installed, it has a control which lets out water with some force i may add, but theres nothing on the market that would take power from it...

Maybe not huge scale but this micro hydro bucket will make steady power all the time. Better than wind or solar as it will be almost constant. That's great because it creates a base load you know you can count on all the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn1EtGRRkSo
You could scale it up depending on your water flow to maybe 45 gal. barrel diameter (24"). Larger diameter should mean more leverage on the turbine blades so you could use a larger motor/generator but you need the volume of water to fill it. Or simply use 2 of these systems instead of a single. It's proven with all the important ratios worked out. Damn good idea either way.
I've also seen small systems using a furnace type fan housing that the water dumps into with a PM motor. Steady 200 watts.

You won't buy any of this stuff off the shelf but that doesn't mean it won't work.

My friends Cam and Michelle Mather live completely off-grid. The hydro wires end 4km from their home! For more information you chould check out http://aztextpress.wordpress.com/
Michelle just wrote an article for Canadian Living magazine (April edition). They have seminars at their home and they will show you their whole setup - solar and wind power and you can ask all the questions you can think of!

that micro hydro plant is an awesome idea, thanks for posting!

Has anyone left the grid in an urban area? And if yes was there any resistance from the city or the utility companies?

I turned the water off in my city house for a bunch of months a couple years ago and spent some time up north. When I got back I had a whole bunch of letters from the city stating that they were attempting to enter my home to inspect my water system. I guess they thought I had bypassed the water meter or something. When I called them and told them that I had just been away and had shut my water off they still insisted that they needed to inspect my home. I told them no way. They sent me a few more letters which I ignored and I never heard from them about it again.

Reminds me of the story of a guy in the states that took his house off the grid in the city and called the power company to come and remove the meter. Not only did they not remove the meter but they refused to cancel his electric and kept billing him the minimum fee. Apparently they sighted some vague 'safety' BS. Wish I could find it to post.

I did however find this story about off grid residents being threatened with jail if they didn't reconnect:

http://offgridsurvival.com/livingoffthegridcrime/

I'd love to be off the grid in the city and send the electric utility a lawyer letter demanding they get rid of their damned RF spewing smart (dumb) meter off the side of my house.

I found a company the deals a great deal with the Mennonites in the states. Many of there product are low tech, Aladdin Lamps (60 watt oil lamps) wood stoves, gas powered fridges. For the HVAC tech’s out there, if a fridge can run off gas (heat) so can Air conditioners. Anywho here’s the link, I sure that there is something similar in Canada.

http://www.lehmans.com/store/catalog?Args=

Of course we have gasifiers to build, to power the generator, and the residual heat for the fridge, A/C, water heater....

If there is a HVAC out there I really like to share some idea's.

Another product that I am really interested in is the Sloatube daylighting system. In which I think is great for windowless rooms and/or under ground storage area's. I've seen a few houses around London with them.
http://www.solatube.com/

I found a company the deals a great deal with the Mennonites in the states. Many of there product are low tech, Aladdin Lamps (60 watt oil lamps) wood stoves, gas powered fridges. For the HVAC tech’s out there, if a fridge can run off gas (heat) so can Air conditioners. Anywho here’s the link, I sure that there is something similar in Canada.

http://www.lehmans.com/store/catalog?Args=

Of course we have gasifiers to build, to power the generator, and the residual heat for the fridge, A/C, water heater....

If there is a HVAC out there I really like to share some idea's.

I am still looking for a Canadian Company the closest I can find is Lee Valley Tools, they are pricey as well as Lehmans in the US