If you thought it’s impossible to live completely off-grid, take a look at this video. It features a family of 7 that has achieved complete off the grid status in Northern Canada. With less than $25,000, the couple with 5 girls managed to build their own off-grid cedar post house together with all of the amenities a home of this type requires. That includes a couple of solar power systems, one small (for the lights and phones) and a large one (for the fridge and other big appliances). Take into account that the family has a backup generator for use in the snowy periods or at times where there is too cloudy, that’s only 40 hours per year. There is also a firewood and wood stove for cooking and heating. Watch the entire video and discover how fulfilling an off-the-grid life can be.
Is there a way to follow Jeff Rose and their girls? I’m just interested in how they live.
Great little set up!
Have you ever thought of putting a Wetback in your fire? We have one and it heats all the water we could use for showers every day. (we live in New Zealand) and they are quite a common thing for rural people to have in their fires.
Erm, what do you mean by a wetback? ‘Cuz around here a wet back is a derogatory term for an illegal alien(not that they don’t deserve it).
Some places call it a wetback, some call it a firepipe or back boiler, basically a tank/piping system that takes the heat from the sides and/or rear of the fire to heat water, which can be stored, often in an immersion tank, which may or may not have its own electric coil to boost the hot water.
I think he means a tank to heat water using heat from the wood cookstove. No need to bring the stupid political correctness BS into every situation. Use your head!
You are doing a great job and it looks like everyone is enjoying it, I know I would. Thank you for being on the internet I hope to see more of you.
Awesome setup. If I was young enough and knew then what I know now you would definitely have some neighbors. Enjoy your summer and best wishes.
Very nice setup, and I appreciate the honesty about the limitations. Curious if you there were problems with the “authorities” (i.e. building inspectors, etc.) about by-laws, or are you far enough out there that they leave you alone?
I would so love to live like this but have NO family members who would support me in this! So glad for those who can!
I want to live like that!
I think he means a copper water pipe that is wrapped either around the stove or around the chimney in coils that actively heats the water any time the stove is on. In Canada, that is pretty much always between the months of September to April/May.
Jeremiah Thompson you are a fucking asshole
Love this, I lived off grid for 18 years in the Yukon, check out my book North of Familiar: A Woman Story of Homesteading and Adventure in the Canadian Wilderness. You guys are awesome!!
A lot of wood-cook stoves have a reservoir built onto the stove for heating water for cooking and whatever. No stove is complete without an iron teakettle for heating water.
Total Asshole!