Table of Contents
How to Choose a Clothes Washer for Your Off Grid Home
August 11, 2015
We just purchased a new MAYTAG MAXIMA X Front Loader 4.7 cubic foot unit that is rated to consume 108 kWhs of electricity per year assuming you do eight (8) loads of laundry a week (Canadian Energuide Rating) and use the “NORMAL” setting. Our own testing shows it consumes 140 watt hours per load at […]
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Why use HE Laundry Detergent?
May 5, 2015
For years we have been told that our front loader washing machines must use special HE (High Efficiency) laundry detergent. No…not just any liquid or powder soap will do. It must be approved for HE (high-efficiency) washing machines. Blah, Blah Blah! Here is the reasoning: High efficiency washing machines must meet a certain standard when […]
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How to Choose a Dishwasher
July 14, 2013
You might be thinking…. Why is someone who lives off the grid (and an energy saving nut) talking about a dishwasher? The reality is that homesteaders and solar homesteaders don’t want to live like we are in the stone ages. Dishwashers, like clothes washers and refrigerators are a part of living in this modern age. […]
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Dump Loads for Solar, Wind and Microhydro
May 2, 2013
Dump loads a.k.a. diversion loads are are an important part of the off grid electric system. Almost all wind and water turbine installations will require them and most solar installations can benefit from a dump load. As we discussed in the dump load intro, a dump load is simply an electrical device (load) to send […]
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Using an Electric Heater as a Dump Load
April 12, 2013
A common question I get asked is “Can I use a standard 120/240 AC heating element or hot water heater element as a DC dump load for my wind turbine/water turbine/solar system?” (Wondering what a dump load is? Click here) The answer is yes but don’t expect it to consume (dump) as much electricity as […]
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Choosing a Gas Range
March 19, 2013
Most people would expect purchasing a gas range is straightforward. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Please Note: Do not buy an “off the shelf” gas range for your kitchen if you live off of the grid or use a generator to run your home. They use an electric glow plug to light the oven. […]
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How To Eliminate Phantom Loads
March 19, 2013
Phantom loads are plaguing the world and are a huge problem for those of us living off the power grid. What is a phantom load? Everything possible must be done to eliminate phantom loads or at least reduce them. But how do we do that? The simplest way to eliminate a phantom load is to […]
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Make Your Water Filter Efficient
March 19, 2013
If you don’t have access to clean water in your off grid home, nothing else will matter. Some will be fortunate enough to have crystal clear and potable water directly from a spring or well but most of us will need some type of water filter or purification system. The problem is most of the […]
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How to Choose a Refrigerator
March 17, 2013
Your refrigerator could be the largest consumer of electricity in your off the grid home. Selecting the right one for you is less about aesthetics and more about size versus power usage. Less than two decades ago it made sense to purchase a propane refrigerator for two reasons: Solar electricity was prohibitively expensive AC power […]
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Circulating Pumps for the Off Grid Home
March 16, 2013
It is almost inevitable you will need at least one circulating pump for your off the grid homestead. Whether it is for radiant home heating, keeping fish alive in a aquaponic or aquaculture system or making a home-made air conditioning system, circulating pumps are very important. If you go to your local hardware store and […]
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How to Choose a Freezer
March 15, 2013
Adding a freezer to your off the grid home might be too much of a power hog but you might be surprised how efficient today’s freezers are. Selecting an efficient freezer is much like selecting the most efficient refrigerator. There are essentially two types of freezers available at your local appliance store: Chest freezer Upright […]
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How to Choose a Gas Tankless Water Heater
March 13, 2013
A tankless gas hot water heater might be a good choice for your off the grid home. If you are not familiar with the tankless hot water heater they are a box shaped unit that heats water instantaneously as water passes through it rather than heating water slowly and storing it in a large tank. […]
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What are Phantom Loads?
March 12, 2013
If you live off the grid you will need to reduce your power consumption as much as possible. Any unnecessary power consumption is known as a phantom load. Learn about phantom loads here.
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Make Your Refrigerator More Efficient
March 8, 2013
Whether you are in the process of purchasing a new fridge or already have a fridge there are ways to make it more efficient. First you need to figure out which type of refrigerator you have, coil on rear or condenser on bottom. We will add photos to show the difference as soon as possible. […]
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Ivan Labs El SID DC Circulating Pumps
March 4, 2013
The Ivan Labs El SID circulating pumps have been the best choice for solar hot water and radiant heat for the past few decades. For solar hot water they are used to pump water from the solar collector(s) to the heat exchanger and from the heat exchanger to the hot water tank/heater. In a radiant […]
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Choosing a Pump for Your Aquaponics System
February 5, 2013
Choosing the correct pump for your aquaponics systems is as important or more important than choosing the right fish, bed material, tank size and grow bed size. Without the right pump your fish will die, your plants will die and your fun will come to an end very quickly. Some folks simply head to the […]
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