Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Prepared to Fail


Living an off-grid life makes us highly connected to our electrical power.  While the majority of Americans have little understanding of what it takes to deliver electricity to their light switches and outlets, we get our hands dirty with the process every day.  Literally.

One of the benefits of living off-grid is never taking electricity for granted.  Our electrical power system was built one step at a time.  At first, we had no power of any kind.  We learned to love the silence, to rise with the sun and to sleep with the night.  With no electricity to complicate the perfect rhythm of nature, we embraced life's simplicity and wholesomeness.  Ours was a life in perfect tune with creation.

But, life is never static.  We longed for what most people take for granted.  Running water, flushing toilets and electric lighting.  Although our life was simple, it was hard.  Hauling water, lighting lamps and heating water on the cookstove takes time and energy.  Washing clothes by hand may be somewhat therapeutic, but it is a whole, heck of a lot of work!

And so, Sir Knight began plotting our course out of the 19th Century into the 21st.  He began by wiring our "shouse" for electricity.  Once the wiring was done, my husband started our generator, flipped the breaker, and brought light to our previously dark existence.  Oh the joys and wonder of electricity!  While the generator ran, I was able to enjoy an almost normal lifestyle.  I washed laundry in our washing machine, filled the tub to bathe little people filled our pressure tank with water.  I flushed the toilet, listened to music and danced and sang my way through my housework.  However, after hours of listening to the hum of the generator, it was sweet relief to shut it down.

No longer satisfied with electricity only when the generator ran, we knew we needed batteries to furnish our electrical needs when the generator was off.  Batteries added a whole new dimension to our off-grid life.  More than just a matter of securing batteries, we needed inverters, cables, charge controllers and a battery charger.  Buying a used inverter/charger off Craigslist, Sir Knight bought cable and spent a weekend bringing us ever closer to independence.

Of course, once we had batteries, we were convinced that we needed another method of charging.  While our generator had it's place, we wanted a less expensive, more independent method of charging our battery bank.  A wind turbine was our first "alternative energy" investment.  Although not thrilled with it's output, the wind turbine sold us on the economic benefits of alternative energy.  Soon, we were constructing a large solar array in our front yard.  With the addition of solar panels, we had to buy a larger charge controller, larger breakers, a huge DC disconnect and yet more cables.

With our fully integrated off-grid system, it sounds like we have it made - right?  Well, the truth of the matter is that, like any electrical system, our alternative energy system is fragile.  If any component in our system fails, the whole system goes down.  We are always on "Red Alert" when it comes to electrical power.  If the generator dies and it is the dead of winter, we are done.  If a cell goes bad in our battery bank, we are done.  If an inverter dies, we are done.  If our charge controller goes out, we are done.  And it is never a matter of "if" a component goes out, it is a matter of "when".  No alternative energy system is fool-proof.  Every component is capable of failure.  And they will always fail at the worst possible time.

These failures have been good for us.  We have had generators (to numerous to count) fail.  Even our backup has failed!  We have had batteries die, inverters give up the ghost and charge controllers fail right out of the box.  Basically, every aspect of our alternative energy system has, at one point or another, failed.  Why has this been good?  Because we have learned how to make do, how to take nothing for granted, how to always have another way to do just about everything.  We have never had the opportunity to get lax in our preparedness efforts.  While for most people, an off-grid scenario is something they plan and prepare for, we live it every day.

One of the most valuable lessons we have learned while living off-grid is how to respond to "emergencies" quickly and efficiently.  We have learned to trouble-shoot, make do and find another way.  These are skills that our children will take with them throughout life, regardless of their circumstances.

Living off-grid has taught us that there will be failures, there will be challenges and there will be hardships.  But, we are connected to life in a way that few will ever know.  Our failures, challenges and hardships have been good for us.  They have strengthen our faith, honed our intellect and prepared us for the bumpy road of life.

Our off-grid life has taught us that part of being prepared is being prepared to fail - and that's O.K!

24 comments:

  1. As I write the e;electric company another check for over $300.00 I envy your complex simplicity. Our bill will only get worse as the heat cranks up here in Florida. We have a son with medical equipment needs so it is hard trying to prepare for the worst, I think Papa Bear has enough batteries and solar panels to meet his needs if needed.

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    1. " We have a son with medical equipment needs so it is hard trying to prepare for the worst, I think Papa Bear has enough batteries and solar panels to meet his needs if needed."

      I too have medical equipment that needs power. A couple of years ago I bought a small solar electric kit and deep cycle battery just to run this equipment. Actually doing it and discovering what did and did not work was a learning experience. I determined to run the medical gear totally off-grid solar, and now two years later I am almost there. I thank God we still have power from the utility company and a generator to fall back on.

      May I strongly urge you to setup those solar panels and battery NOW and try it. It is much better knowing what does and does not work in a non-emergency situation than discovering things the hard way in an actual emergency.

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  2. i love electricity and what i use it for..ah! such convenience....but, sometimes it is just plain awesome to listen to the sounds of silence too.

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  3. Mine was $370 this month....(northern climate)and in my class today we had a discussion about what an EMP (caused by NK) would do to our country and society. At least one of my students who came in late immediately knew what we were discussing because he had (YES!!!) been watching and listening to the news on this for the last 3 weeks or so. We discussed everything from current gun legislation (one student works at a gun store) to lack of ammo on store shelves. We discussied pressure as it applies to conventional electrical generation AND food preservation. Only one student knew what an EMP was but he quickly let the class know what it was all about. I have to say I love electrical production, the theory behind it all (and what it does for us) and I love it when my students are starting to "get it".

    I also very much enjoy your blog - would love to have your stove. Looked at a used one last weekend, but it is just too rough to put in my house if I "need" it. I also understand your trials with your genset and renewable equipment. The $100K worth of renewable generation my employer has produced a total of 1,381kW between 3/4 & 4/5. About 1/2 of what our (personal home) use was during the same time period (and that 100k includes not batteries - I understand the frustrations there too)...... heating stock waterers, plugging in the tractors and running two well pumps takes a lot of "juice". The general population of this country is clueless when it comes to any of it.....

    God Bless you and your family and keep telling us about your life and experiences.....you have become one of the places I look to for strength after a "bad day". natokadn

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    1. Coming here after a rough day myself I have to say "Amen" to that last comment. Thanks for your blog Enola Gay- you are a blessing!

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  4. Thank you for all your posts! Your family is an inspiration to me when things get scary. I say to myself "if Enola ad clan can do it our little family can too because we have many comforts they don't, so suck it up and deal with it!" :)

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  5. If you have a lot of sloping land as we have and a year round spring a pelton turbine generates enormous amounts of electricity. My husband installed ours nearly 13 years ago and apart from a few problems initially it has worked flawlessly. He built an insulated stock pond at the one spring source and tops this up with a 'ram'? Pump that feeds water back up the hill from a second spring. It generates enough to run both our house and business which involves using heavy table saws etc.
    Initially it was a big investment costing over £8000 not allowing for labour that my husband and our sons provided but we have recovered our money several times over now.

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  6. Two jobs ago, part of my daily routine was the maintenance of three World War 2 surplus generators used as backup-they always started,and performed flawlessly. The same place had a ancient fire/burglar alarm that had 50-ish year old nickel-iron batteries that still had plenty of life in them (when I go off the grid, I'm giving some serious consideration to nickel-iron..you can still get them. Less output than lead acid and pricy, but long-lived).
    With LED lighting, you can reduce power consumption for lighting dramatically, and the prices are dropping for LED lights. I'm going to to with a 12 volt system, with small inverters where necessary.
    What is the most likely thing to fail in your system? I'm going to guess the generator and inverter. Not a lot to go wrong with solar panels, and lead acid batteries are pretty reliable if not overheated and allowed to run completely down too many times.

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  7. How timely to read this today (Thursday). I too lived without electricity for the first 3 years on my homestead, loved the peace and quiet, and wood heat is the warmest! But reading by cheap oil lanterns was a little difficult.

    Never could afford the solar route, but we now have regular line electricity. Took me 3 years to save for the line brought in, but it was still 1/4 the cost that I was quoted for solar, and even though I really wanted to stay off grid, the siren call of electricity after 3 years was just too tempting (and the thought of waiting another 9 years to save enough for solar, or actually longer because I assumed that the cost would go up in that amount of time) so I succumbed to the line!

    I still do without many things, though, like an electric washer. Just finished a 6-hour long clothes washing day, 5 loads, my 6 clothes lines are now full, and it was done in an old wringer washer. Filled with a hose from the cistern (ICE cold water), and drained with another hose into the driveway. That was 6 hours non-stop with my hands in icey water or holding ice-cold clothes. But before electricity, it took 5 5-gallon buckets, hand pumped and then carried and lifted up to pour into my machine to wash, then repeat with another 5 buckets to rinse, so my back (as sore as it is today) is still thankful for the electricity to run the pump to fill that machine with a garden hose now! Now if it just (PLEASE!) won't rain tonight, so my clothes will dry (Laughing!).

    Alinna B

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  8. Enola,


    (captaincrunch)


    I found this youtube. I suggest you check it out.

    Russian Boys Military Summer Camp
    .
    TopGunMilitary·290 videos

    In Russia they really have "mit's" (men in training) Meanwhile in the good ole' U.S.A. we got future drone jockeys spending 12 hours a day playing "Call of Duty" online who never touched a gun or got into a fist fight at school.

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  9. I have no idea why you put yourself through all this...I use electricity, but I am prepared with back-ups if it fails. why kill yourself?

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  10. As a kid I lived in a remote place. There were back-up gas lights built into the house for the regular occasions in which power went down. It was the during the Carter years so money was very tight. When the washer broke down we had to use an old fashioned wringer model. This was harder on my mom than anyone else, but I also got experience in trying to do things "the hard way" and I am so glad that I did. During this time I also got a lot of practice lighting and tending fires and some campfire cooking, also cooking breakfast for myself and my little sister. We learned a level of independence my peers were kept back from. During the late elementary years is when kids learn what is possible in life. The challenges and privileges of those years gave me confidence that stayed with me the 30+ years since then. Living off-grid is a great gift Enola and Sir Knight are giving to their children.

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  11. Enola,

    (captaincrunch)


    I borrowed a cell phone at work and called my congressman and both senators and told them to vote "no" on any gun control and immigration reform (Amnesty for Illegals) I am proud to say that my Senators' Ted Cruz and John Cornyn both tried to block the latest gun control bill. I wrote up a small post on this on my blog http://texasredoubt.wordpress.com/

    I urge others to contact thier respective senators and say what the think on gun control and immigration reform.

    Freedom...Use it, or lose it.

    (Yeah' we will probably lose to country to world govement, socialism and a global depression etc. but at least I can say I tried to hold things togather)

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    1. I like illegals, they work harder then "citizens"

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    2. That would end of people were not paid for doing little or nothing. My former boss fired someone because they didn't come to work for two weeks, no phone call, no note, just didn't show up. The state of Kansas awarded them unemployment.
      sidetracksusie

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    3. My DH emailed both of our represenatives and received an email stating that the NRA WANTED (one of them)to vote FOR it - we knew the other one would. We can find NO evidence of this so he called him out ON THE AIR on a local (but far reaching) radio station. The station wanted our evidence so my DH sent it to them. They want (have invited) the representative to come on the air to respond. (We will see if THAT happens.) In the meantime (unknown to me) my 84 year old father wrote the same rep and told him "so I see that you have decided that one term is all you want....." We need to totally and completely houseclean.....in Washington and elsewhere. And the new group needs to vote out the lucrative "retirement" and medical benefits.....we are too broke to afford it anyway......

      natokadn

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    4. Hey Anon,

      (captaincrunch)

      The Anon that wrote "I like illegals, they work harder than "citizens"

      I have lived most of my life in Texas border regions, I have seen 'both side of the coin" I dont have a problem with "Legal" immigration. I want to weed out criminals, gang members, etc. If someone earns their citizenship through hard work on a legal track. Thats alright with me.
      I dont know what part of the country you live in, but if you could see the "havoc" that illegals bring into the area and the damage and destruction on ranches and farms down here (from illegals trespassing) You may change your mind. In the bigger cities in Texas gangs of "car burglers" operate to steal cell phones, ID's etc. They target Mexican Americans, looking for drivers licenses and steal ID's and Socail Security numbers. Last I heard, if your Mexican American, your passport is worth $5000 on the black market.

      Of course our goverment controlled media and the airhead's in media that "drank the Kool-Aid" ignore all the gunfights, kidnappings, murders, sexual assults, stabbings, gang hits, cartels running amok, human trafficking, drug trafficking, corrupt law enforcment taking bribes. High speed chases with 20 illegals packed into stolen one-ton pickup trucks getting into wrecks, killing half the occupants.

      If you live within walking distance of the border, get burgler bars on your house, get alarms, video survillance, and carry and AR-15 with you with a 30 round PMAG full time. Anything thats not welded to your house will be stolen and dont be suprised if a cartel comes knocking and tells you to get out within 24 hours becouse they are taking your house and using it for dope and human trafficking.

      Welcome to the Border.....

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  12. Amen, captaincrunch!

    We also need to stop this "automatic citizenship" for babies born to women who make it across the border with 15 seconds to spare before going into labor. One of the evening network news shows interviewed two the other night who have graduated from college (thanks to all our tax dollars) but cannot get jobs because they are not citizens and do not have a SS number. It seems we (US)are so horrible and should right this, but why isn't it mentioned that their parent(s) are the real criminals and they have all been stealing from our overly generous government services all of their lives! Put the blame where it belongs! My ancestors arrived 150 or so years ago and all made it on their own. People are going to think I am cruel, but deport them, let them sign up and jump through the hoops to enter legally. PERIOD. Maybe with their degree they will find something they can do "at home" if they wish or they can persue citizenship the proper way- and be welcomed. If we were to do that and stop the handouts (that we are borrowing money to pay for) the hospitals along the border might have a chance of staying solvent and one of the government's largest expenditures (SS- Medicaid) should actually see some reductions. And anyone who says "oh think of the children' - how about - "oh, think of parent responsibility". Too many are just having more kids for a bigger check.

    We are a LONG way from the southern border, yet there have been several children killed in car accidents in which the driver of the violating vehicle was an undocumented alien (no license or insurance of course).....some pretty sad stories. One family lost all of their young children(3)..and the offending driver was uninjured.......and facing only deportation. She will be back soon.

    natokadn

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  13. Hey natokadn,

    On any potential immigration reform, anyone who would get "amnesty" should have to pay a BIG fine for being here illegalely and go to the end of the line for "legal" immigration (no waivers on the fine)

    Any arrest, criminial activity, whatever and instant deportation. We got enough dirtbags of our own to deal with so, shape or ship out I'd say. Living here is a prevelege, dont screw it up or your out. That means license and insurance too. I'm tired of paying for "uninsured motorist insurance'

    By the way, in El Paso Texas years ago. Moms would have thier kids at the county hospitol, get citizenship for the kid and green card for mom and welfare for the kid. Then mom would use a friends of relatives address for the welfare in El Paso. Mom would then go back to her house in Juarez, Mexico and collect the welfare. Later in the kids life. Mom would drop the kid off near the bridge (border) at a school bus stop and be educated at our expense on this side of the border. This of course could go on for many, many years.

    I know all this, becouse I used to live in El Paso.

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  14. I wouldn't have a problem with that (end of line) either. More severe restrictions BECAUSE your parents were criminal? Possibly paying back the $$ to the SS Admin. that they/their families stole from the American Citizens? While the kids have no control over where they were born mama might think longer if it meant no money and a decreased chance of getting here.... What about tossing the Gov't workers who made/make sure they have job security by ADVERTISING and telling these people HOW to steal from the Am. Taxpayer? A few more ideas......

    natokadn

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  15. Enola , Sir Knight and everyone else.

    (captaincrunch)


    The Senate going to vote for eight different gun control bills today as I understand it.

    Nows the time to call your Senators and tell them what you think and how they should vote, also remind them of the election in 1996 and how we cleaned out the House and Senate after the first ban in 1994.

    We need to fight thease people in the Senate, House and in the Courtrooms. Our enemies will chip away at parts of the Second Amendment to the point it will be worthless. At that point you can darn well bet the First Amendment will be history and every other amendment will be hollowed out.

    I realized I have fallen out of favor with many people on this blog, I am a rude, crude, obnoxious, opiniated, beer drinking South Texas Redneck. I still hold to my thesis that this country is doomed, but Im will still fight for the Constitution untill my last breath. Im the guy on the Titanic that telling passengers to get in the lifeboats right after the collision with iceberg as Im running down below to seal off hatches to try and slow the rate of the sinking and maybe save a few extra lives.

    By the way, if you want to prove me wrong about the fate of our country, get out and vote, call your Senators and tell them that if they vote for any gun control, come next election. They will be fired!

    If all gun owners in American voted for Romney back in November. We would not be having this discussion right now.....

    Tell them Senators a rude, crude, obnoxious, beer drinking, South Texas Redneck told you to raise some hell.

    (captaincrunch)

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    1. Romney (LDS) is no less SATANIC then our current president. Your guns and/or second amendment will not save your soul..

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    2. Hey Anon,

      (captaincrunch)

      Its Not my job to judge who's better, Catholics, Christians, Protestants, Jews and Mormons. Personally, I think we got bigger things and greater enemies to worry about.

      Yeah' Anon. I will tell you what. I will use my guns to keep my soul where its at, so I can finish my business on this Earth.

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  16. captaincrunch

    I enjoy your comments and find us on the same side of the fence. While I was raised in a very Blue (and $$ Broke state) that I left at age 18, I know the difference between right and wrong, that a tool is only as good as the craftsman (or criminal) holding it and that the truly evil can cause death and destruction in a shorter time with tools other than what the anti-second ammendment folks "want" you and all of us to believe.

    There is a whole lot more in this world that is really black and white while everyone wants us to think it is all gray(emotional)and fuzzy. While I may not be able to convince others of this they are entitled to their opinion and I to mine. When their opinion tramples my Constitutional rights (or mine theirs) we have a problem. PERIOD. In this country we have a problem. My Uncle would now be 100 yo and predicted that all this would go down 15 to 20 years ago. I have to agree with you that the US is past the tipping point. It was a great country and the founding fathers set it up to be so, but it has been destroyed by the very people who will "trade personal liberty for secruity" and find they can "vote themself public money" and do so. Once upon a time charity or public assistance was something that people were not proud of; now double/triple dipping (stealing) is a source of boasting and personal pride.

    Yes, captaincrunch, I am willing to listen to what others say, but I guess if you are on disliked for your opinions I will be too.

    natokadn

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