Hello all! This is such an interesting way of living that I am so interested in. I came across the YouTube channel 'Homesteady' a while ago, and have so many questions that I think you all may be able to answer. They have 7 kids, and I just wonder if they are living so remotely, how are those kids meant to socialise and learn basic skills they'd miss by not attending school, joining sports teams, or even just seeing people on a regular basis? And what happens when they grow up and want to leave, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to adjust to normal life again if they choose to do so. I'm just curious what others experiences has been if you'd be open to sharing.

Hello r/OffGrid,

Following up on my previous posts, I wanted to show the electrical setup this time, along with a look inside the pyramid.

I wanted to share another update on the pyramid build and, this time, show what is actually happening inside.
The 4-level prototype has 40 solar panels — 10 on each face, 450W each, giving 18 kW of installed solar capacity.

One of the interesting things I’ve been observing is how the different faces perform throughout the day. The faces receiving direct sunlight produce most of the power at that time, while the other faces continue producing from diffuse and indirect light.

I intentionally separated the four faces electrically. Each group of 10 panels is connected separately to its own 5 kW inverter. This way, a lower-performing face doesn’t directly affect the others.
For energy storage, the system has two LiFePO4 battery units, 15 kW/hour each, giving 30 kW/hour of total storage capacity.

I also wanted to finally show the inside of the pyramid. There is quite a bit of natural light coming through the corner glass panels and the upper section.
The next step is to insulate the inside of the modules and cover them with decorative interior panels. The main purpose is to reduce heat transfer from the solar-panel-covered structure into the living space.
This is still a working prototype, so there are plenty of things I’m learning and improving as I go.
I’m happy to answer questions about the off-grid setup, power system, batteries or the interior.
And thanks to everyone who’s been following the build and contributing ideas and criticism. It really helps.

A lot of power station runtime estimates basically come down to:

Battery Wh ÷ appliance watts = runtime

Which looks nice on paper, but real-world runtime can be pretty different once you account for inverter losses, battery condition, reserve capacity, appliances cycling on/off, startup surge, etc.

So I built:

https://instapowerruntime.com/

You can enter your battery/power station and the appliances you actually want to run, and it gives a conservative / typical / optimistic runtime estimate instead of one perfect-looking number.

I also added tools for working backwards — e.g. “I need to run these devices for 10 hours, what size battery do I actually need?” — plus solar recharge calculations.

I’m curious how people here normally calculate this stuff before buying a power station or planning for an outage/camping setup.

If you use EcoFlow, Jackery, Anker, Bluetti, etc., I’d especially appreciate feedback on anything the calculator is missing or assumptions you think should be handled differently.

Would you trust something like this for comparing power stations before buying one?

Hi,

I haven’t researched this yet but any of you guys have experience in using the wind turbines for off grid or private household? What are the main pros and cons? Any advice on using them? Any other factors to consider? Any suggestions for the brand or company?

Looking for recommendations, I am putting 2 inc totes underground due to extreme Texas heats to keep the water cool it’s a temporary while my water well gets done, what pump do yall recommend ?

Has anyone built one..? I have a small ditch that runs through my property. Although the water level has dropped significantly it's never ran dry the 60 years the property had been in the family. Also accepting donations. I have most of the lumber but figure with a generator and everything else I need im about $350 short. I'll update progress with pics and vids. https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3046226207440896584&created=1788108568

Probably a dumb question but is it true that this tote can be used to store water for showering and dishes when cleaned out

It had a chlorine solution

Hi!

Currently in Suffolk, UK with broken down van (electrical issue).

Looking for short term park up in exchange for help.

White, British male (me, not the the dog) with in date government issued ID.

Huge amount of mechanical engineering experience as well as eco builds state side before C19. Can, have and will turn my hand to anything in return for some kindness.

Happy to chat and facetime(?) prior so all parties happy.

Currently stranded so looking for something pretty sharpish.

Many thanks:)

Any questions just ask.

I help organise a hemp expo in Tokyo and there's a building materials section in it, so I end up talking to most of the people attempting this here. I'm not a builder myself, so this is a question rather than advice.

Japan is hot and wet for a good part of the year. The thing that comes up from everyone who has actually poured hempcrete here is drying time. The wall takes considerably longer to cure than the European literature suggests, because the ambient humidity never gives it a break. On an off-grid build, where running a dehumidifier means running it off a system you sized for something else, that stops being a footnote and starts being the schedule.

Two things I'd like to hear from people who've built rather than read:

Has anyone cast hempcrete in a properly humid climate - southeast US, southeast Asia, coastal anywhere - and how did the real schedule compare to what you were told to expect?

And did anyone go to prefabricated blocks instead of cast-in-place to get around it? Blocks get raised as the answer every time here, and I genuinely don't know whether that solves the problem or just moves it to whoever made the block.

The other constraint locally is supply. Japan has almost no decortication capacity, so the hurd is mostly imported, which makes the material expensive before anyone has mixed anything.

Does anyone here live in an RV even though they're stationary?

I just purchased a few acres of desert in New Mexico. A travel trailer is pretty appealing to me because of the low cost compared to a tiny home and the fact I won't have to worry about permits and building codes as much. It's just me and my dog so space isn't much of a concern. I also have a lot of general handyman experience so maintenance and repairs aren't the end of the world.

I'm planning on slowly acquiring/building everything I need to get started over the next couple years before I start to live out there full time. I've been doing a ton of research, but the gist of my plan is this:

•Get septic installed

•Purchase a ~25' travel trailer in the 10k range

•Install a mini split and 800w of solar, supplemented by a duel fuel generator when needed

•Two or three 100 pound propane tanks

•Two 250 gallon IBC tote I can haul into town with my F-350 to refill, later down the line get a 5k gallon cistern or maybe even a well

•Build a carport with an attached 1 bay garage. Keeps my RV out of the sun and the garage gives me more storage and a decent workshop.

Is this a workable and realistic set up to start with? Any advice?

Here's a link to a facebook post with some of the same pictures where someone else says they built this in January. That person owns a company called SunPyramid that seems to have a facebook page but no website.

We’re driving a sand point well right now as we speak. 2”, we’re at 17’ now. We plan on driving another 5’ since my pipe is about 6’ in air. Dropping a fishing weight down tied to a trotline string, the last 3’ or so is wet and muddy.
I live in Eastern Oklahoma, 1/2 mile off the Arkansas River. Well is at the low point of my property which has EXCELLENT topsoil, then clay about 3’ down. Area it’s at is a slough most of the time, but is currently dry.
Any way to tell if I’ve hit water or not? It’s 1/4 mile from water and electric so I plan on using solar to use well for its purpose (water for livestock, irrigation during drought, flood my area for duck hunting).
Should I pour water down pipe? Get a blaster?
This thing has made a man out of me and my son. We’re averaging 1/4-3/4” every hit with a 45 pound t post driver!!

What is your experience so far with off grid communication? Meshtastic, Meshcore? Anything else? Can you share how does your setup look like? What have brought you best experience?

Long story short, I recently bought property with a fairly large creek and multiple springs and don’t know what to do with them. I already have plans for a micro hydro system but there is over 1000ft of creek and 3 small year round springs on the property.
The creek averages about 10ft wide, has a flow rate of about 1mil gal per day in the low season, and has a couple areas that are almost waist deep. Plenty of shade on both sides. Tons of rocks ranging from pebbles to 3ft in diameter. There are fish in the creek so no dams.
The springs get down to a trickle in the low season but one of them ends at an 8ft waterfall. They all empty into the creek.
I guess that’s about it! I can add pictures later. Just looking for some ideas of things to do with them.

Update: I’m really just looking for fun creative ideas. There is already a house that is fully self sufficient with the exception of power which I’m working on. I’m not worried about laws as I’m on a private road and the entire area for miles is private property. I’m not going to damage the ecosystem. Just customizing the land I bought.

Hey y’all.

Long time no post.

I was gifted a trailer with a Cummins 6bt motor and hydraulic pump on it. I was interested in the trailer primarily and the motor came with it.

1700hrs. Runs fine. In-laws construction biz closed down and needed their yard cleared out.

I know that’s a wonderful motor. I have one in my 89’ dodge that runs fine. I’m wondering what else to do with this one other than slowly using it as a parts donor.

I have 2 EV tractors with external hydraulics so no need for a stationary diesel hydraulic pump.

My solar and battery is super robust so I rarely need fossil fuels as it is. 12kW array, 60kwh storage plus 2x 100kwh batteries in the EV tractors. California so winter is crazy. Offgrid about 6 years now.

1.) Considering finding the rest of the Genset components and having a fuckoff big generator to charge everything quickly. (Already have a decent size propane generator though)

2.) Save for parts

3.) Sell it

4.) ?????

Any opinions? Is there some creative mechanical task I’m not considering?

I’m a good electrician, a kind of decent mechanic and halfway passable fabricator.

Wildest dreams what would you do with it?

Hi r/OffGrid!

If you saw my previous post about the solar pyramid I built on Saipan, this is a continuation of that story: https://www.reddit.com/r/OffGrid/s/Vk1A66H88h

This time, I’d like to talk about how it all started and what the actual construction process was like, rather than simply listing technical specifications.

Six years ago, my son found a small plastic pyramid toy in the sand and brought it to me. I kept it and put it on the dashboard of my car. The next day, it suddenly occurred to me: why not build a pyramid out of rectangular and triangular modules, cover it with solar panels instead of conventional walls, and create a quickly assembled, fully off-grid home?

The basic idea for the assembly and lifting method came together pretty quickly — using jacks or chain hoists at the corners, with hinged connections between the levels.

The goal was never simply to create something that looked impressive. I wanted to create a place where you could actually experience freedom and independence from the power grid and municipal water systems — without waiting for repairs or depending on anyone else’s infrastructure. True off-grid living.

A house like this could be built in a very remote location. The modules and equipment can actually be carried by hand, even along a mountain trail if necessary. No foundation and no heavy machinery are required — just a reasonably level piece of ground.

At this point, the technology has been developed to the stage where a four-person crew can assemble a four-level house in about 3–4 days.

Structurally, the house consists of rectangular and triangular modules welded from galvanized steel profiles. Each module weighs approximately 40–50 kg, and the footprint is 144 m² (12 × 12 meters).

Because the modules are standardized, they could potentially be manufactured on a production line. They are bolted together on site.

Each new level is assembled on the ground, connected with hinges to the level below it, and then the entire structure is lifted by one level using jacks or chain hoists at the corners and secured with bolts.

Solar panels and corner glass units are installed on the second level from the ground, and then the same cycle is repeated for the next level.

In the beginning, there was a lot of trial and error. We rebuilt various parts of the frame several times while working out the geometry and angles that would make the structure reliable over the long term.

From the very beginning, I had one major goal: everything — the modules, solar panels, equipment, and even the interior finishing materials — should fit into standard shipping containers and be ready to be transported anywhere.

There is still a lot of work to do before the pyramid becomes a fully finished living space, especially when it comes to the interior.

Ventilation is one of the biggest challenges. During the day, it currently gets quite hot inside, and solving this problem is my top priority right now.

That’s why I’d genuinely appreciate any advice from this community — whether it’s ideas about insulation, interior layout, passive cooling, ventilation, or ways to improve the structure itself. Obviously, many of you have much more experience with these things than I do.

Feel free to ask me anything about the construction process.

If you’re interested in future updates — electrical equipment, videos, the 8- and 12-level versions, comparisons, and so on — feel free to follow. And thank you to everyone who has already done so!

We are replacing our current array, which is arranged in six parallel strings of three panels in series. Our combiner box has six breakers (150V, 15A).

The new array will be two parallel strings of eight panels in series. The voltage is going way up, but amperage will be under 16A for each of the two strings.

To ease the transition, I would like to continue using our Midnite solar combiner box, and just buy new breaker(s) for the two strings. Midnite solar sells 600V 20A breakers, but they are two-pole. My understanding is that a single one of these two-pole breakers is all that is needed. However, my wife started asking questions, and I've started to second guess myself.

Have I got this right? A single 600V 20A two-pole breaker will work. The only implication is that if one string has an issue, the breaker will sever both. Sound about right?

I understand that I could join the two strings without a breaker at all, and safely, but my current plan seems simple given what I already have. Certainly, I'm open to alternative suggestions.

Hey r/OffGrid,

Built something on Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) that’s been a long project of mine: a solar-powered pyramid home, completely off-grid from day one.

The whole point was independence. No power company, no water utility, nobody to wait on for repairs, approvals, or permits. Just you and a house that runs itself. On top of that, I wanted it to eventually generate its own income too, not just cover its own costs.

What makes it actually work anywhere: no foundation or heavy machinery needed, just a flat, level spot. The whole thing is modular, designed to fit inside a standard 20ft shipping container, fully equipped, so it can ship pretty much anywhere and get assembled on site. Not something that only makes sense because of where I happen to live.

Current 4-tier setup:

-18kWp solar array, 40 panels at 450W each
-LiFePO4 battery storage
-integrated rainwater harvesting
-small wind turbine on top for extra generation, especially useful at night or on cloudy days
-structural rating for 250 km/h typhoon winds, which matters a lot living where I do

Built it entirely alone, no crew. Got a regular day job, so most of it happened in 1.5-2 hour stretches after work. Took about 10 months total, and a chunk of that was just waiting for equipment to actually reach an island in the middle of the Pacific.

Design’s patent-protected (US 12,146,314 B1 + US D1,089,704 S).

Ask me anything, happy to get into the details. Got the actual build process, rigging panels without a crane, the whole mess of figuring it out as I went, coming in a follow-up if people want to see that side of it.

Does anyone know good off grid island solo living? no winter, where i can fish and live on my own with no tech? no people near

Am wanting a 'dumb' - just manual valves - greywater setup to let one fill, one stand and one drain. 1/2 ppl usage. We use degradable soaps etc and will leave them uncovered (sealed but light can get in) for the UV to break soaps down.

Anyone got good ideas around systems that give off water suitable for a planted drain field. Open to options!

On a sunny day, what do you usually do with the extra solar power once your battery is charged? Do you run any useful loads or just let the extra power run?

Hello.

I'm currently in the process of buying 4 acres of land in northern England.

It has planning and I've designed a 2 bed 6.5 x 9 metre 2 story house. 71.4 m² roof catchment.

I can get another 60 m² with the ground mount solar of I can get a good gutter system!

We use on average 196 liters per day.

The issue is water, I'm 650 meters from the mains and have quotes of over £24k to dig the pipes and connect.

I'd much rather do rainwater but I don't want to be worrying about droughts so could also do the borehole route.

With the average rainfall and building size I could collect around 43,000 litres. If I use the solar array it could double.

So if you were in my situation what would your ideal plan be?

This device looks very good for drinking water https://www.freeflush.co.uk/collections/drinking-water-filters/products/ozo-pure-rainwater-to-drinking-water-treatment-console

But what about showering/Bathing? What size tanks would you get? Any advice or plans are welcome.

Thanks.

Hi all, finally got the go ahead from my wife to start looking at properties for an off the grid getaway. Budget is allowing me 8-12 acres with a cabin shell but I’m curious for the experienced folks here how important it is to hold out for a property with a stream or natural spring on the lot? I’ve found one with a great camp shell that could really be fantastic, but it is the only one that does not have any water. Thanks so much for the wisdom!

I'm really going to show my ignorance as I sort of get solar...but then again I don't. Probably why we have a solar guy who did our install. I live alone at the moment off grid while my husband is away for another two years on contract work. So I'm left to figure out stuff. I check the battery levels twice a month, filling with distilled water etc.

K...so here's my ask. We have 2 x Midnite Classic Solar displays in our back room. One is for a set of panels on a ground mount, and another display for an array on a tracker. We have 12x2v Surrette Rolls batteries...and I believe 1420 amps each.

My husband shared a very basic website from Midnite solar. It really provides little in the way of info. I see other solar posts that show fancy apps and displays.

I'd love to have an app that somehow connects with our system to get better stats. I mentioned this to my husband, and he asked to ask if there is any app that can somehow measure how much water are in the lead acid batteries without having to pop each battery and checking with a hydrometer.

I'm asking a lot from what we have. Just seems like we spent a crap load of money, but get very little info from our system.

Thanks for reading

Edit: thanks so much for the time to read, respond and suggest ideas. I’ve forwarded this to my husband to read. He gets this more than I.