Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire the joys of living off grid in the winter(RANT)

thanks Ed . we did without water, electricity when we first settled here so i guess we can again, i am just frustrated with fixing things only to have then go on the fritz again so soon. this lifestyle gets harder every year.

I tip my hat to the man that's trying/is living this way. No legtricity for you! Turn up the oil lamp & read something good. Hoping the wood stove is humpin & you get a crispy nights sleep.

Tomorrow will see the gens get fixed, or shot. Right?

Like living in “the good ole days “.

Sorry for your bad luck, Man and that’s a simultaneous pile of it you’re dealing with.

Sucks to be your own power company.

I can't imagine having to grow all my own food without any backup.

I have a number of neighbors there that are off the grid. Just a handful of years ago one replaced the plastic wrapped windows for glass...

Damn.

No solar and battery?

Instead of buying four or five generators that are basically junk anyway, and designed to run for a few hours at a time a few times a year, go get ONE good one. I would recommend a welder such as the Miller Bobcat. Puts out a constant 10,000 watts, durable as dirt, electric start, can get one that runs on propane, or one on diesel, or another runs on gas. I know for a fact that it is the rare exception for one of them to not last many years. AND if you break something you can weld it :):):)

If you can afford to go to AZ you can afford a generator that isn't a piece of [bleep]. This is why I buy once and cry once.... But what do I know

Sorry to hear you are struggling with your equipment. It is warmer in Boise.

Did you fire them all up once a month?

well i see red on the horizon this morning so may get some sun.
its 400 yards to my shooting range with 2 feet of snow so the dead machines are safe from gunshots as they are all in my garage.
thought i was buying once when i bought the Kohler 12k. upscrewed by not reading the fine print on the warranty. not covered unless grid tied and installed by a certified erecticion.
even if i wasn't joking about AZ i couldn't afford it.
Marlin, i know it may be warmer in Boise but it is still Boise. i moved here 25 years ago to git away from cities so when i drove through Boise, i just drove through!
the pile of gensets i referenced have been picked up over the years. the Honda and the Kohler have all been run at least once a month. its just winter and the law of the universe is that everything breaks down in winter!
now to sweep the snow off my panels and try to catch some rays!
ps. someone accused me of complaining, i wasn't complaining, i was whining,sniviling,pissing and moaning,grousing and muttering, but Not Complaining!

still awaiting on parts. starting to enjoy drinking coffee in the morning by coal oil lamp.
new genset is 4 weeks out. hoping for sunshine

Not enough sun from Dec to April typically to suffice this far north

I run a propane generator off a 1000 tank and charge 12 Trojan batteries

I get the $700 propane generator and replace every 5 to 6 years. My Honda gen runs my well pump and is 15 years old but only use a few 3 to 5 times a month

Costco has the duel fuel firman gens on sale now

Yes stuff always seems t go teats up in dead of winter

Search Craigslist for and older Onan gen out of a motor home. They typically have very few hours on them their built like tanks quit (run at 1800rpm) cheap and are simple to work on and run for thousands of hours.

You can usually find a 6000 watt for under 600.00. I have built up a few for guys on Drummond Island Michigan and they put gobs of hours on them. the first one I built up is now going into it's tenth year and has had one breakdown (coil).

If you do look for one try and find a 6.5NH, it is a 6500 watt gen. You can convert it to be a tri fuel machine so you have all kinds of choices when it come to fuel.

Another good choice for you would be to get an "ST" style gen head and drive it with an engine of your choice. These also a 4 pole generator that run at 1800 rpm.

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