I was dead set on getting one of those fancy all-in-one solar generators until my neighbor Dave, who's been off grid for 12 years up in Humboldt County, told me to just piece together my own system with a separate panel, charge controller, and battery. He said those combo units are way overpriced and if one part breaks you're stuck replacing the whole thing. I spent about $220 total on a used 100 watt panel, a PWM controller from a local shop, and a deep cycle marine battery. Has anyone else had better luck building their own setup rather than buying the expensive all-in-one stuff?
I was out in rural Vermont and thought my setup was fine. Woke up to 10 degree temps and found the barrel completely frozen with a crack running down the side. Took me 3 hours with a heat gun to thaw the valve just so I could drain it. Anyone else deal with winterizing issues or found a cheap way to keep barrels from splitting?
I used to run six 55 gallon blue barrels daisy chained together to catch roof runoff. After 4 years of fighting leaks at the connections and algae growing in the clear hoses, I grabbed a used 275 gallon IBC tote for 40 bucks off Facebook Marketplace. Now I just have one tank with a screened top, way less maintenance and no more wrestling with those tiny barrel openings. Anyone else switch to a bigger single tank and regret it or love it?
Last month I got it in my head to make a passive solar food dryer using old pallet wood and a sheet of plexiglass I found. Three hours in, I realized I'd built the frame way too big and it looked more like a small shed. Now I've got 4 chickens living in it and my wife just shakes her head when I bring up the dryer idea again. Anyone else have a project go sideways into something totally different?
Put up two 400W panels in series thinking it was fine for my 12V system, but the open circuit voltage was way over the controller's max. Cost me $120 to replace it. Anybody else smoked gear by assuming series would just work?
I started collecting rain water off my 12x16 shed roof back in March, and I just measured my rain barrel storage at 100 gallons after a solid storm last Tuesday. For the first 2 years of my off grid setup, I was hauling water from a spring a quarter mile away in 5 gallon jugs. I only spent about $40 on a used food grade barrel and some PVC. That one change saved me like 3 hours of walking and lifting every week. Has anyone else seen a huge jump in efficiency from something this simple that they put off forever?
He said he spent $12 on it and now his filters stay clean through the whole rainy season, so I'm grabbing some this weekend after pulling sludge out of my downspout diverter for the third time in 2 months, anybody else skip this step and regret it?
This old guy named Frank down the road in Sedona saw me digging a trench for my washing machine runoff. He said 'you're just poisoning the ground slowly, pipe it above ground to your trees instead.' I was mad at first. But after 3 months of doing it his way, my apple tree is actually growing. The soap residue breaks down fast enough and the tree loves the extra water. I switched to a biodegradable castile soap and now I just run a hose 50 feet to the drip line. Anyone else deal with gray water critics and change their mind?
Last month I had a string of three overcast days in a row up here in the Ozarks. My little 200 watt panel couldn't keep up and my battery bank dropped to 11.8 volts by Thursday morning. I had to run the generator just to keep my fridge from going warm and losing a month's worth of venison. Has anyone else had to guess when to fire up the generator based on weather radar?
I kept killing my deep cycle batteries by draining them too low at night up here in Maine. Switching to a simple voltage cutoff relay for $25 kept them above 50% charge and now they last way longer. Anyone else use a low voltage disconnect on their setup?
I was checking out this off grid cabin my buddy's been working on up near Stowe, and I noticed he had his gutters feeding straight into a buried 55 gallon drum. He rigged up a simple first flush with a PVC pipe and a ball valve that lets the dirty roof wash go right onto the ground before the clean water hits the barrel. Cost him maybe 30 bucks total and he's got backup water for months. Has anyone else tried a cheap first flush system like that, or do you just filter everything after?
I've been working on my rain catchment system for about 6 months now. Started with just a single 55 gallon barrel under a downspout. This week I finally got my fourth barrel hooked up and connected them all together. That brought my total storage to 220 gallons, which is way more than I thought I'd ever need. It's already saved me from hauling water during a dry stretch last month. Has anyone else here set up a simple barrel chain that surprised you with how much water you collected?
I was out in my back shed near Flagstaff checking on my drum setup after a heavy rain. I lifted the lid to swap the first-stage filter and the whole thing burst - just a geyser of brown leaf water straight into my mouth and eyes. Turns out I had the intake valve open and the drum was pressurized (dumb mistake, I know). I spent the next hour digging through spare parts and rigged a pressure relief valve from an old sprinkler system. Has anyone else had a gravity-fed tank do something wild like that during a routine check?
I set up a rain barrel last spring to water my garden, but after every big storm it would overflow and flood the side of my shed. I spent way too long thinking the problem was the barrel size or the downspout filter. Turns out I had the overflow hose positioned wrong it was too low and clogged with leaves. I moved it up higher and added a simple screen over the outlet last week. That one fix stopped the flooding and now I actually collect all the rain. Anyone else had a stupid simple fix like this take forever to find?
Found out from a YouTube comment on Will Prowse's channel that some panels can spike way above their rating on cold sunny days, and now I'm wondering how many other newbies have toasted their gear learning that the hard way?
I spent a solid 4 months trying to get my rainwater collection working without it turning into a mosquito farm. I thought just slapping a barrel under a downspout would be enough, but then my water went green and slimy. I tried bleach, I tried screens, even tried some fancy mesh from a gardening store. Turned out the real fix was adding a first flush diverter and a dark tank that blocks sunlight. It took me three different setups and a lot of wasted weekends to figure that out. Has anyone else spent way longer than expected on a simple off grid fix like this?
I was building my cabin near Asheville and had to decide between a $800 composting toilet setup or a $4,000 septic system. Picked the composting option because I thought it would be simpler, but after 2 weeks the smell was unbearable and I was dumping solids wrong. Anybody else had to switch methods mid-stream after realizing their first choice was a mistake?
For years I just let all that roof runoff go to waste, figured it wasn't worth the hassle of setting up barrels and hoses. Then last April after a dry spell, my neighbor in Vermont showed me his setup with a 55 gallon drum and a simple spigot... he watered his whole garden for free during a drought. I finally built my own system last month, cost me about $30 for the barrel and a screen, and after one good rain I had enough to keep my tomato plants alive for two weeks. Any of you use first flush diverters or just let it all go straight in?
I was getting cocky about my little solar setup... had a 100 watt panel running everything fine for months. Then a raccoon chewed through my controller wire while I was gone for three days. Came back to dead batteries and a freezer full of spoiled venison. Now I wrap all my external wires in metal conduit and set a trap line. Anyone else have critters mess with their gear?
Old Bob down the road said I was overthinking it and just needed a basic charge controller. So I went with his advice and got a cheap PWM controller for my 400 watt panel array. Three months in and I kept overcharging my deep cycle batteries because I had no real read on their state. Turns out a $40 battery monitor would have saved me $200 in replacement batteries. Now I'm wiring in a Victron monitor this weekend and kicking myself. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from someone who's been off grid forever?
Last spring, my neighbor Bob told me to hook a deep cycle tractor battery to my small 100 watt panel instead of the fancy lithium one I bought. I laughed and said no way, that thing is meant for a farm truck. But after my lithium battery died in the freeze last November, I tried his idea as a backup. It actually worked fine for running a few lights and my phone charger for 3 days straight. I figured the voltage drop would kill it, but it stayed steady around 12.4 volts. Has anyone else used a cheap lead acid battery from a tractor or lawn mower for a small off grid setup?
Last month I helped a friend set up his first off grid cabin, and he kept buying these expensive charge controllers from random brands. I told him to just get a basic PWM controller from a reputable brand since his panels are only 200 watts. He spent $120 on a fancy MPPT one with Bluetooth and it gave him errors for 3 days straight. I swapped in my old $25 PWM controller and everything worked perfect. Why do people think they need the most expensive gear for tiny solar setups? Has anyone else noticed beginners overspending on stuff they don't actually need?
He was telling the clerk he used cheap food grade barrels but didn't wrap them in insulation or bury them deep enough. I've been planning a rain barrel system for my cabin in Vermont and now I'm thinking I need to double check my setup before winter hits anyone here dealt with this specific issue?
I thought I was being smart saving cash on a composting toilet for my cabin up near Flagstaff. Spent around $180 on one of those no-name brands with good reviews, figured how bad could it be. First week it worked okay, but by week three the separator thing broke and the smell was unreal. My buddy has a $600 Nature's Head unit and after using his setup I felt like a fool. I ended up ripping mine out and ordering the real deal, plus I had to buy new compost medium. Has anyone else had luck with the budget options or is it always a waste of money?
I set up a 500-gallon rain barrel system off my shop roof back in 2021. Thought I was being smart by piping the overflow straight into a French drain. After a few heavy storms my barrels were always nearly empty and I couldn't figure out why. Turns out I had the overflow pipe connected at the top of the barrel but the intake was below it so all the water just siphoned right back out. A 50 cent check valve from the hardware store fixed it overnight. Anyone else discover a dumb plumbing mistake way later than they should have?