Susannah755

Those are interesting structure to be sure. Some will work better than others depending on altitude, climate, latitude, etc.

In Northern climates, you would need to have a heating sources as well as plenty of insulation in the roof, walls and floors. Otherwise, you would loss too much heat. I would suggest the addition of some form of awning to the shipping container type shelters. It looks like most of the structures displayed in this website were built will little concern for the cost. A $10, 000 renovation on a $4, 000 shipping container seems a bit much, you could buy a decent RV for similar money.

Having said that, knowing about alternate forms of shelter is very important. Trying to have a glamourized seacan, just because you saw it in a magazine once may not be the correct pursuit, but knowing that a shipping container can be modified to live in is.

Many nomadic tribes through human history have lived through terrible weather conditions in just tents or yurts.

Thanks for starting this topic.

Mountainman

Yes the RV may be cheaper in the end, BUT, I have worked in a company that build RV’s and I would feel much safer in a shipping can made with 1/8” steel that can withstand 60000 lbs stacking strength.

Valid Observation.

If you have the land to bunker in with a few seacans as earth homes, you will be much further ahead of those who will have to evac with their temporary home in tow.

Love the yurts....
http://www.yurtinfo.org/faq.php

I don't have an alternative BOL or the funds to purchase sea containers or RV, so I'm hoping to stay in my home, but...I also have to think about bugging out in an emergency.

Bonus...They had a sale on at the local camping store (it's prepper heaven without freeze-dried food there) and I've just purchased a nice little tent for the "oldie & my daughter to sleep in" for $120.00au - just in case we need to bug out in an emergency.

Earthbag
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BkCjhyAL-o&feature=related

Those tree houses made me weak in the knees. *shudders*

I like the idea of carving into a hillside, as long as there were multiple entrances.

Question to those who have bug out home that they use occasionally in the winter and is off grid

I am seriously considering a remote location but call me a pansy or whatever, but I want running and hot water during the winter and do not plan on heating the place to keep pipes from freezing up. Also do not want to do winterization gig because I plan on going up to it every few weeks. So nice comfortable situation without the drama and dangers associated with winterizing after two days use.

So for starters, I figure I need a well system that is inside the house, and the septic pipes need to be straight, so stuff flows right out from toilet, sink and shower drains to septic systems. This is something I figure can be done/ no usual U water traps under sink, but instead straight line downwards.

Does anyone have experience or know of water piping concepts for taps....also any idea on toilets that will not trap water ? Be it in the bottom or from the water tank?

I plan on solar, wind and a generator for power, wood stove for heat.

To help with heating of pipes or faucets, I guess I could use the solar system to power heated pipe cables, For potential trouble spots that can’t be entirely self draining and that may have some moisture lingering.

Perhaps a tall order to fill but this board has lots of experienced folks, so hoping you have experience or have seen systems like this. Thanks in advance

Those P traps in drain pipes are there for a reason. If you straight pipe it to a septic tank, your BOL will smell like, well a septic tank!
Just pour something into the pipes when you leave to prevent it from freezing. Plumbing antifreeze is pretty cheap, but I am sure there are other options you could figure out.
As far as I know, all normal toilets have the P trap built in...perhaps consider a waterless composting toilet.
If you want to run pipe heating cables on solar/wind, I'm sure it's just a question of sizing your power system and of course $$$

Sh*t, i forgot about the smell factor on direct link duh!!!!! helloe. earth to clarence, ya dunce!

ya i figured the battery bank would be important and is not something i will be frugal with in having enough of. ts more the funny methods of getting things wrapped to catch all the funny spots that would freeze. for ptrap, i have a good supply of winterizing fluids for the house and if i need to use the same thing for future cabin, so mote it be 😎

thanks Denob, hope to hear from others on tricks and work arounds

Forgetting about the toilet for a moment...as for sinks & showers, maybe you could rig something up with a small holding tank & valve system like they have on RVs?
I doubt grey water would produce much sewer gas.
Just a thought, or actually an after-thought.

Forgetting about the toilet for a moment...as for sinks & showers, maybe you could rig something up with a small holding tank & valve system like they have on RVs?
I doubt grey water would produce much sewer gas.
Just a thought, or actually an after-thought.

Thanks, grey water was the plan all along, depending, I may send to greenhouse for three seasons.
Much appreciated

the water feed system has a lot of options, it depends on location.
Gravity fed, hammer pump, a well with pressurizing hand pump, etc.
For the crapper, you can design a couple of options with no ptrap but convenience will be sacrificed.

For avoiding all p traps, it’s harder more maintenance and honestly quite inconvenient but that can be done as well.

The more I think about this, the more I like the idea of an RV setup. The toilet sits right on top of a holding tank...no P trap (at least mine doesn't have one). When the holding tank starts to fill up, you open a valve and out it goes to a septic tank.

Denob and Nagol, thank you both for feedback.
Question to denob, how the odor factor with holding tank under the toilet?

For the well, I was planning on conventional electric submersible. Plan on building structure over the well head so things are protected from the cold as much as possible when not in use. Six, eight.. inches of blue styrofoam all around it etc. if I size solar electrical enough, I should be able to put in minimum heating coil. It will take some good planning and some rejigging of conventional piping, but things will all need to drain by gravity and not have things pool up and pop in the cold. Frost freeze valves everywhere.

Ideally, I would like to get to it once a week in the winter, different times of the week as well, this should help with vandals.. obviously not a guarantee but a small help.

If in the end I do need a low amount of heat to keep things at 38 degrees, I may use propane and then fire up wood stove upon arrival. Thinking small 25 X 25 type structure and as simple as possible but with running water and conventionalist toilet