[resistance is fertile]

Further to various messages and emails I thought it might be useful to start a thread regarding getting 'disconnected'!

I could go on and on about what we have done here or on other projects but it may be better for people to share their own experiences, and if anyone has any questions regarding things they want to do but dont know how, I can try to help.

I am lucky in that I design houses as part of my living and utilise a large array of different techniques to help them power, heat, drain etc. I am therefore able to look at lots of technical stuff and work with some good guys.

The main thing I would say is that different systems suit different sites and whats good for one person might not be elsewhere.

The other main point to stress is that its all possible using readily availiable, tried and tested equipment at a relatively low cost.

I would always advise against going to a 'specialist' firm and asking them to deal with everything as this is where you get in to 'payback over x number of years territorry' as if thats appealing!! you can often do this stuff at no extra cost to a 'conventional' system, or even cheaper, and start saving immediately.

The other reason is that paying for some firm to do it takes away alot of the fun, after all part of the appeal of being self sufficent in the fist place is to know that you managed by your own hard work and it definitely helps to know 'how' you did it so you are always in control if there is a problem.

I cant tell you how pleased we are every time we create a system that frees people from energy prices, oil dependency, hosepipe bans, and bills!!

[Fluffywelshsheep]

thats brilliant

[rustyme]

Hello rif,
           I have nearly 6 acres that has a river running through the bottom field , not a huge one about 10' wide and running quite fast. I intend to make a water wheel to run as a power take off  for mainly mechanical things, ie saw bench , lathe etc. I will run an alternator from it also to charge batteries for lights etc. even maybe a laptop ? There is no electric on the land and it would cost 3,000 to get it put on , and then all the bills there after....why bother? I have an old lister som genny which needs rebuilding but is basically complete and will provide 2.5-3 kva, plus it will run on any waste veggie oil I get plus any that I can grow, ie sunflowers etc. I plan to use a 20 ton hydraulic press to get the oil from the seed and use the solid waste as animal feed. I am in the process of planting lots of willow to use as fuel , either as logs , chips or charcoal , for home heating and for running my little forge and foundry. They will also be used to make baskets for use on the land instead of all the plastic ones that get used for all sorts at the moment . I will be growing as much feed for animals as possible ie mangels, comfrey, alfalfa etc. plus grains like wheat , oats, barley and rye. These will also supply bedding for animals and straw for thatch. The thatch will be going on most of the sheds and the house, which is going to be oak timber framed and wattle and daub . Sewage waste will be sorted by compost loo and willow/reed beds . I have spring water there , so most things are covered. I am at the moment setting up a cotton, hemp, linseed growing area. This should supply most of my needs for all material plus string rope etc. As with anything like this it takes time , and some things will work and others won't. Most should be fine though . The only thing is I have no money to fund these things so it is  very slow setting it all up. Still no problems , my time is my own .
 
cheers

Russ

[Fluffywelshsheep]

lol you need to open your 'plot' out to the eco helpers lol
bring your own food equipment sleeping tents etc and help build a dream
OOOOOOOhhhhhhhh maybe i could start a bisness, anyone want to help me out lol.

Linz

[rustyme]

lol... yes I should do that really .... especially with the very hard/heavy work. But half of the fun is doing it myself !!! All things get done , just not straight away,  . Plus if something goes wrong or doesn't work , it is only me who is to blame, well maybe the weather and a few other things , but mainly me ...

[resistance is fertile]

Thats great stuff!, we realised early on that it will take years, if not the rest of our lives, to get this place how we really want it. Its the journey though isnt it?, not the destination

Progress is always slow here at Quiet Waters, but hopefully always heading vsteadily in the right direction. The idea ws that we would only do things from funds raised here, so that we new what we did was economically sustainable, and like FWS's idea, necessity can bring forth some great innovation.

A good tip for folks looking to lower their dependence is to break your holdings requirements up into constituent parts and look at just aiming to provide for these. So a new greenhouse can be solar powered for lights or pumps, a new extension can be heated passively, or maybe all your lighting and low wattage use could be supplied.

This makes things more achievable, saves the real wasted use and as you gain knowledge and confidence in whats possible then you can move on! One of the greatest things about being fully off grid and dependent on our systems is that it encourages us to look at cutting use

[Fluffywelshsheep]

i would love to do this but money and oppion are alway a battle in this house,
I would love to buy a house in the middle of nowhere with plenty of land BUt hubby like to have a little civilisation around him i have no idea though lol

so we would have to find a suitable place 1st and it needs to be in the central belt of scotland area which really limits the possibliles.

[rustyme]

you hit it right on the head there ......it's the journey....and it will most likely take me the rest of my life too. People look at me sometimes , when I say what I am doing and want to do ...and they just do not understand why I don't just go and get someone in and do it NOW......They can not seem to grasp the fact that I WANT to do it ! , without paying thousands of pounds that I don't have. We all have our own ways of doing things, and I am not saying I am right and they are wrong !!! , just their way is THEIR way and mine is MINE....There is also the fact that if the whatsit hits the fan ,(and there is an increasing possibility that it will, one way or another ), it will hardly effect me really .
Even if things carry on more or less as normal, I will just live a far less stressful life than most , simple life for a simple bloke (very simple).  

[Fluffywelshsheep]

it's not the destination, It what you make of the journey that matters

[numptykevin]

Whilst I agree that the journey can be fun, for me, if it drags on too long, there is a very real possibility of loosing interest in the whole self sufficiency thing and ending up with some half baked mix of unfinished projects which have taken us no nearer to anything.

We have eventually found our ideal piece of Devon ( fourteen acres in the middle of nowhere, although we have not moved in yet  ) and I want us to be completely off grid and as self sufficient as possible.

I would like to see quick results ( a lifetime is too long to wait, life is for lazing around and enjoying the various fruits you have planted )and know that the job has ( hopefully ) been done properly. I like to think I am a reasonable DIYer, although recently I am more of a GSIer so I do not want to let the family down with my half baked attempts at self sufficiency blowing every gasket possible.

The sooner the house and all the house related projects are up and running, the sooner we can enjoy the space we have been craving.

Paying other people to do the job is probably not the best way forward, but after months of research, I have found very little good detailed information that I would be happy trying to incorporate into my new property.

If I destroy the daffodils, I will probably get a disapproving look from the better half, but if my solar hot water system does not "hot" the water, I forsee the stables being my bed for a good while !

[Rosemary]

I'm with you there, numptykevin. Every man to his trade!

[Fluffywelshsheep]

Everyone remember it's your own project and each to their own, It is down to the person to how they achieve it
and for them to be happy with it.