* Miscellaneous useful OFF-GRID info thread
Submitted by Jefferson2 on Wed, 09/15/2010 - 11:38Someone posted how to make a "rocket stove", in a particular thread one day. I was so impressed by it, that it left me wanting more useful info. I thought I would make an off topic thread to try and learn more.
I am interested in useful info on how to live comfortably off the grid, in case of an emergency. Anything and everything is welcome. Solar, aquaponics, ethanol/alcohol making, water filtration, gardening, home brewing, survival tips, food storage, and just handy info in general.
I will try and maintain the thread and keep suggestions in certain categories.
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ALTERNATIVE SHELTER
Earth bag House (Thanks RonPaul4President)
http://www.earthbagbuilding.com/resources.htm
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AMMO RELOADING AND SUPPLIERS
Ammosmith has great reloading instructions
http://www.youtube.com/user/ammosmith
Ammoman has great deals on ammo
http://www.ammoman.com/
So does Centerfire Systems
http://www.centerfiresystems.com/ammunition.aspx
And finally AIM Surplus
http://www.aimsurplus.com/?18
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ANIMAL CARE, FENCING, AND OTHER EQUIPMENT
BackYardChickens (Thanks FishyCulture)
http://www.backyardchickens.com/
Assorted animal care equipment (Thanks DaleinAdaOklahoma)
http://www.premier1supplies.com/
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AQUAPONICS
What is Aquaponics?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqS9ZXUPz2k
1 MILLION pounds of Food on 3 acres. 10,000 fish 500 yards compost from Growing Power Chicago (Thanks Fishyculture)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV9CCxdkOng
Austin Aquaponics Meetup Group (Rob Nash)
http://www.meetup.com/austinaquaponic/
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BEE KEEPING
Backyard Beekeeping (Thanks Stillwater)
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/144236
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EDIBLE PLANTS
This guide covers wild edible plants of British Columbia, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and the Rocky Mountains. (Thanks TenaciousE)
http://northernbushcraft.com/plants/index.htm
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FIRE MAKING
9 Ways to start a fire without matches (Thanks vincebodie)
http://www.lewrockwell.com/spl2/start-fire-without-matches.html
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HEATING FOOD/COOKING
Great Depression Cooking(Thanks Fed Up With The Fed)
http://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking
Here is the rocket stove video..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSMR2ANIZ7E
I thought the alcohol stove was pretty cool too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fStsgTremmI
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ETHANOL/ALCOHOL/BIOFUEL PRODUCTION
**Note While it is NOT illegal to share information about distilling, you are supposed to obtain a license to be able to do so legally.
The Manual for the Home and Farm Production of Alcohol Fuel
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_manual/m...
Youtubes of various stills
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go3USwVIqfs&p=9FB79BBB0A6D5E9...
Here is a site that sells stills.
http://www.revenoor.com/GenWebPage.ihtml?formid=1
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FOOD STORAGE
Canning Supplies and books
(Thanks Fed-up_with the Fed)
http://www.canningpantry.com/
http://www.canningpantry.com/ball-blue-book-canning.html
Need to preserve some meat? (Thanks TenaciousE)
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:yTaVcIj...
*You can get "mixing salt" at the feed store
5-10 bucks/50lb bag (Thanks Odell Equipment))
The Dry Store
Food drying Products and Information (Thanks Fishyculture)
http://www.drystore.com/page/page/1346972.htm
"This is the best I have seen on how to dehydrate."
(Thanks ntwbn)
http://www.dehydrate2store.com/
Food Storage Calculator
http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7624-...
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FOOD SUPPLIERS
Church of The Latter Day Saints (LDS)
* This is where we got our Storable food. Their website says for "members", but they sold to us.
Distribution Centers
http://www.providentliving.org/location/map/0,12566,2026-1-4...
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HOME HEATING
What is a Kachelofen? (Thanks Clintonj72)
http://www.kachelofen-usa.com/whatis.htm
More Kachelofen Books & Info (Thanks kmatesz)
http://www.masonryheaterstore.com/index.htm
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LAND FOR SALE
Landflip (Thanks Treg)
http://www.landflip.com/land.asp?listing_id=24977
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SOLAR
Home made solar experiment site.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXjMAItCMl0&feature=related
Everything you didn't think you needed to know about: Parabolic Mirrors and Fresnel Lenses: (Thanks Troy)
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/144584#comment-1537288
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WATER FILTRATION
Of course the Big Berky (Thanks TheBerkeyGuy, nice timing btw)
http://www.directive21.com/
Inexpensive Ceramic Drip-Filter Under 25 bucks
(Thanks AntiFed1791)
http://shop.monolithic.com/products/just-water-ceramic-drip-...
Some GREAT Water filter links and research by member, "economics31" (thanks)
http://www.dailypaul.com/node/144584#comment-1537243
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WATER PUMPS
The Amazing Brumby Pump (Thanks Hopefulfilled)
http://www.brumbypumps.com/
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WATER WELL DRILLING
D.I.Y. Water Well Equipment (Thanks DaleinAdaOklahoma)
http://www.hydra-jett.com/index.html
How to drill a well in your own backyard.
(not as powerful as above)
http://howtodrillawell.com/index.php
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LINKS TO USEFUL KNOWLEDGE IN GENERAL
Compendium of Useful Information
(Thanks entropypressStAt)
This is packed with all kinds of info!
http://www.energyconservationinfo.org/compendium.htm
138 Years of Popular Science (Thanks IPsecure)
http://www.popsci.com/archives
The Great Awakening (Thanks AntiFed1791)
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread500968/pg1
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VIDEOS AND LINKS-CORE SURVIVAL SKILLS
Final Survival Preparations Article (Thanks Liberty Belle)
http://neithercorp.us/npress/?p=710
The Art Of The Bug-Out Bag
(Thanks again Liberty Belle)
http://neithercorp.us/npress/?p=783
Analytical Survival Systems (Thanks entropypressStAt)
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnalyticalSurvival#p/p
The Survival Podcast
Good General Info (Thanks mdonato)
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/
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GREAT RELATED BOOKS
Mother Earth News Handbook of Homemade Power
(Thanks Livefreedom)
http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Earth-Handbook-Homemade-Power/d...
Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Acres-Independence-Handbook-Manag...
Survival Books (Free Online Downloads) Gardening, Wild Foraging and Self Sufficiency (Thanks Stillwater & Adap2k)
http://snardfarker.ning.com/profiles/blogs/survival-books-fr...
If you have a youtube, website, or a book, that has info regarding these subjects, it would be much appreciated.
Any subject as long as it's useful.
I will try to update as I can.
bookmarked
bookmarked
“We have allowed our nation to be over taxed and over regulated and overrun by bureaucrats, the founders would be ashamed of us for what we're putting up with.” Ron Paul
Nice Off-Grid thread
I’ll be checking it out.
I have a question for all you off-gridders – I would like to know how to make an inexpensive milking machine for my goats. Right now, I’m using a handheld auto-fill syringe and it works OK but I’d like to have an electric milker that does not cost an arm and a leg. Any ideas?
Jefferson?
All you had to do was ask me as a friend,I have been living this way for over ten years.I have the game down to a science.I have experienced things that most have not,Except maybe BigT,From what I gather he is living as I am,off grid for awhile now.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
O.K. or not?
You know what?It hurts my heart that we cannot find some common ground my friend.I have "Tricks" here with this subject that takes years to find out for yourself.I would very much like to be an "experienced" part of your thread here.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
So I must ask? Can you teach me?
I do need your help. Everyone here at the DP has a little to give but MUCH more to learn.
Help me my friend to learn how to live and help others.
I mean this from the bottom of my heart.
Jim
1976-1982 USMC, You can thank me for my service by voting for Dr. Ron Paul, President 2012
BMWJIM?
I'm on it my friend,Check your email contact from the DP.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
I can't explain why but, please contact me
at my personal address: jwhitehead2@charter.net. If I try to sign on the DP with this address it goes back in the past and ask if I forgot my e-mail address,
I haven't ,but maybe some of those days should be long forgotten. We all grow up sometime. LoL! Thank you my friend.
Jim
1976-1982 USMC, You can thank me for my service by voting for Dr. Ron Paul, President 2012
Jim I just got a kick back
from the email you gave me,Do me a favor and hit me one with my contact and it will give me the hook up.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
O.K Jim,I just tryed
I just sent one through DP contact.I will try again with the address you just gave me.Maybe we could get Mr Nystrom or another moderator to pull this email so you do not get hammered with spam.Give me a minute to copy and paste.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
This is such a great thread
it is a keeper.
Prepare & Share the Message of Freedom through Positive-Peaceful-Activism.
What a great topic..
and great information to read through. Perhaps we should have a section just for things like this. Maybe it is important you know...eating, surviving, and all things truly glorious.
The Art Of The Bug-Out Bag
By Giordano Bruno, Neithercorp Press – 09/22/2010
excerpt~but IMO this is a MUST READ in full article for putting the BOB in perspective and gear suggestions!
"The spirited survivalist draws on an inexhaustible well of determination. He is like a human avalanche, bursting through any barrier no matter how impassable it might seem. He never stops. He never gives up. He knows there is ALWAYS a way, an answer to any problem. He understands that most people who die in survival situations die on the inside first. They give in to the elements psychologically, and the rest follows from there."
"A bug-out event is definitely one of the worst scenarios I can think of, mainly because it involves so many unknowns. But, with a well planned BOB, a level head, and a defiant heart, nothing is impossible. You can live through it. Never forget it. It can be done!"
read in full:
http://neithercorp.us/npress/
"I think we are living in a world of lies: lies that don't even know they are lies, because they are the children and grandchildren of lies." ~ Chris Floyd
Added..
Thanks LB, and Fed up with the Fed...
http://www.ronpaulbrochure.com/
http://www.dailypaul.com/donate
Ball Blue Book
Great resource for canning supplies:
www.canningpantry.com
Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
($8 -- best price I've seen; can be up to $15)
www.canningpantry.com/ball-blue-book-canning.html
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” -- John Quincy Adams
Drilling your own water well
I read about this several times in Mother Earth and always thought it would be a great investment. Then I started doing a little "research" and found alternative ways that are much cheaper if you aren't having to deal with rock. When we build our new home I want a water well in the basement that I can pump manually if I lose electricity, and that brumby pump above that works with a simple compressor would certainly do the trick.
Expensive but well worth it if you had several wells that you could dig- http://hydra-jett.com/
Make your own driller much like the above for a very very cheap price- http://drillingfab.com/bestrig
Drill using water and air, very cheap but not going to go through rock. Great for sandy and clay soil- http://howtodrillawell.com/
basically the same idea here- http://drillyourownwell.com/
No matter which way you go, this would be a great investment. We all think about water filters and food, but what about the water? Besides if you have one of these setups, how in the world can the government track every well in America? They shut one down, drill another one.
Brumpy bump!
I have been chewing on this thread a while - (delighted to see my favs on the list!)I just got to the Brumpy pump - awesome!
Whatever else I said a minute ago, the last word I want to get in is
LOVE!
Thank you
for the aquaponics information you posted a while back. I've been reading/watching videos of Will Allen's operation in Wisconsin...
I was thinking of attending one of his workshops (since it's close by), but I don't think he has any scheduled for the rest of the year, and it isn't cheap (at least not for me right now). So I made a small donation to your project instead. I hope it will at least help a little with the cost of the website, and I can learn more by tracking your progress. I haven't started yet, and I just planted a garden for the first time this year, so I have a lot to learn...
Thanks again for bringing the information here, and for doing something positive.
isn't it!
They say you can use those for oil pumping too, and not have to run electricity, which is outrageously expensive. We haven't bought any wells yet, but hope to in the near future, and this would make it much more economical.
I go four wheeling with a bunch of semi-retired old guys who are semi-retired because they are getting $70 a barrel for sitting on their arses most of the time. Their main expense and complaint is running very expensive electrical wire and replacing very expensive pumps.
This will be great for water wells too. We need to add a link to the personal water well driller. Think I will go find it now.
bump
for later
oh I got some new stuff on my site I will post a thred
Patriot News
http://redpillpost.com
*
Stand up For your Civil Rights
http://SueBadCops.com
Excellent post Jefferson!
This just in from Lew Rockwell dot com:
9 Ways To Start a Fire Without Matches
What he said!
http://www.tragedyandhope.com
http://www.im2moro.com
Thanks..
I added your info, as well as Dale's. FIRE AND WATER!!!
http://www.ronpaulbrochure.com/
http://www.dailypaul.com/donate
Thanks -- looks interesting...
...will look at with more detail later.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they attack you, then you win!"
GANDHI
This is really good
Thanks for putting it together.
Repent, for the reign of YaHUaH is near!
Regarding the kachelofen, here are some videos
I collected a while ago. They give a good visual introduction to how they work.
The Masonry Stoves of Europe gain a Strong Foothold in North America - Article
Videos
Biofire Kachelofen (Tiled masonry oven)
Biofire Kachelofen
European Masonry Heaters
Austrian Kachelofens
Kachelofen - family gathering around heater
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Miscellaneous link
Survival Books (Free Downloads) GARDENING, WILD FORAGING AND SELF SUFFICIENCY - This link was originaly posted by adap2k.
Btw, great idea for a post ... love the comprehensive posts. :)
Level the playing field with ROBERT'S RULES and a good recording device:
http://www.dailypaul.com/142513/roberts-rules-video-library
Alternative Cancer Therapies
http://www.dailypaul.com/226732/alternative-cancer-therapies...
yep, that will work!
I am not sure if it is explained in the text or not, but the thing to know with this type of design is that it drafts naturally. [heat rises. cold sinks] therefore, it will take awhile to get going [drafting] if you baffle it very much.
AND FOR AIR TO GO OUT THE FLUE OR CHIMNEY, THERE MUST BE AN INLET FOR "MAKE UP OR COMBUSTION AIR"!!!
failure to provide combustion air can result in death.
The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.
Thanks for the important warning.
The 2nd video talks about the air vent underneath the core at 1:45 and also at 4:15 he talks about the initial burn that is done to check for leaks. He also mentions that importance of having an expert put together the masonry heater.
You make a good point about the baffles. I remember reading that if you have too many baffles it will cool the air too much towards the end so you won't have complete combustion; this will result in a buildup of soot.
Level the playing field with ROBERT'S RULES and a good recording device:
http://www.dailypaul.com/142513/roberts-rules-video-library
Alternative Cancer Therapies
http://www.dailypaul.com/226732/alternative-cancer-therapies...
Thermal Mass
It also takes a day to get it producing heat yet takes very little to maintain it once hot.
"They used to come get you and lock you up because you were insane, Now they come get you and lock you up because you are sane"
Thanks for the info. Most
Thanks for the info. Most people do not know what a Kachelofen is. They are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and one of the most efficient heating sources ever, plus they are truly ancient with their roots going back to the Roman Empire and before.
People, if you do not know what a Kachelofen is...read up!
================
Who is John Galt? Vote ███ ███ 2012!
Definitely. It's pretty amazing
what they were able to do with the knowledge of the principles of heat transfer and the thermal properties of various materials. When I was putting together my Global Gardener post, I listened to an audio cd where Bill Mollison talked about a town in Germany that fired up their masonry stoves with bundles of coppiced black willow branches. Apparently, they had been maintaining a forest of coppiced willows for a few hundred years as a sustainable fuel source. He also mentioned that when the menonites immigrated to the American prairie they adapted their masonry heaters to burn prairie grass for fuel. Talk about a renewable resource! (couldn't find any other references on that info)
Level the playing field with ROBERT'S RULES and a good recording device:
http://www.dailypaul.com/142513/roberts-rules-video-library
Alternative Cancer Therapies
http://www.dailypaul.com/226732/alternative-cancer-therapies...
Great Thread
Thanks for consolidating all this info into one thread. A great resource.
Also, I think folks should learn how to can/bottle their own food. Lots of resources on the web and videos on youtube. Just search "home canning".
Also, if you do not know any Depression era folks, check out "Depression Cooking with Clara" on YouTube. She's quite a charming ol' gal with neat stories and recipes from the Great Depression.
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” -- John Quincy Adams