Off Grid

Don’t tell me to stuff it!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Laura

I am catching up on the Tiny House community while I am in Hamilton and I have the luxury of a full time internet connection.

I found this interview with Dee Williams.  Dee has been living full time in her 84 square foot Tiny House (on wheels) in Olympia Washington, since 2003.

I think that she and I have more in common than having dogs named Rudi… but I have come to understand that we Tiny Housers all have things in common.  I can’t speak for us all, but I have noticed, largely, that we do not wish to participate in consumer culture, we think about what we consume and we try to lead our lives simply and sustainably.  More than once I have heard Tiny Housers speak to the issue of simplification because they want time with those who they care about, more than they want stuff in their lives.

“I think stuff is a huge distraction from your character”  Dee Williams

Categories: Environmentalism, Family, Friendship, Materialism, Off Grid, Simple living, Sustainable living, Tiny house, View | 3 Comments

Second Major Off-Grid Electric Purchase of 2012

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Laura

I went to Brewer’s Marine in Hamilton yesterday afternoon and I have to say, it is a very cool store for a Tiny Houser like myself.  Sadly, their webpage does NOT do them justice at all – it is not navigable unless you know who makes what you need.  Still, they are very nice in when you visit them there and they have all sorts of GREAT Tiny Stuff for people who are downsizing (or for you smart folks that are started or are starting small).  One of the really cool things was a tiny dish rack.  I already have one that folds so I am good but if I would have seen this first…

Tim helped me out MASSIVELY with what I need.  He tested each of the lights for brightness and counselled me about my wiring needs.  He spent a full half hour with me so that I would get exactly what I need and be happy with my purchase.  You simply don’t get service like this from huge corporations.  Again, another reason why I buy from small business when I need stuff.

The 12v items here are the ones I purchased (They are in the order shown and listed below):

– waterproof connection box (which is where the wires from the battery will come in and become divided)

– LED spot light to light the dog garden (bright but a little costly)

– 16 gage coated wire ( I could save a few cents a foot using single wire but I thought this would be neater)

– 3 LED reading lights with rotating heads and build in switches.  Two for the main floor and one for the bedroom.

– LED Tiny light for the Tiny In house

– LED 12 bulb interior/exterior light for the cloth porch

– LED interior/exterior-underwater for the North door

– 4 toggle switches for the lights that do not come with these built in

– 12v receptacle plug

The total cost was $427.70 which would be ~$100 less if I had not purchased the spot light for the dogs.  Not cheap, but the items are guaranteed for 10 years and I am great at keeping receipts.

After I left there, I went to Guillevin which is a little electrical supply store to purchase 100 feet of  metal (then PVC/both rodent and weather proof) coated wire to get from the solar panel to the battery case.  I needed a hundred feet of this and along with the Marrettes the cost was $93.17.  Holy expensive stuff that wire, but still, I have everything (I think) I need for the job now.

With the solar already hooked up, charged, working, tested and ready to go, the only thing that I have to do is install the stuff that I bought.  It means that I have to tear THO apart to get this stuff installed.  It will be a big mess, but I think I will do this one light at a time.  As well, I think that having lights, real lights without the tiny battery waste is certainly a positive.  Marine deep cells that I have for the solar system simply last a lot longer and are loads stronger; at least this is what I have read and understand to be true.

Anything I am forgetting?  Any volunteers for the installation or anyone who wants to learn along with me for your own purposes?

Categories: Environmentalism, Money, Off Grid, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment

THO In Charge!

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Laura

The battery is charged.  The lights are all in a state of go so I plugged in the inverter and got a green light!

Then I plugged in my cell and charged it.  It worked, interestingly, the draw was not large enough to be noted as a charge being needed in the big marine battery of the solar system.

Then I plugged in two computers to charge, this made the fan of the inverter turn on intermittently and it also allowed the solar panel to give more energy to the system.

The last photo shows the solar panel with the cloth porch in the background.  The wiring will need to go about 100 feet to gain access to THO.  For this to be up to code the wires need to be buried but in the stones this would be very difficult work indeed!  Also this would make the job of moving the panels so that they can catch better light depending on the season, darned near impossible.  The battery expert told me that rodents love to chew wires that are left outside and suggested that we encase the wires in plumbing tubes – but this is ugly stuff and also pretty awkward to move. I wonder if the wire which is encased in metal might work?

If anyone knows, I would very much appreciate feedback!

Categories: Off Grid, Ontario, Simple living, Sustainable living, Tiny house, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment

The Lightbulb Above My Head

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Laura

So, I finally started the hooking up of the solar system.  The battery is hooked up to the panels and hopefully charging/charged. After reading about solar systems a quite a bit, I decided to put in a full 12 volt system into THO and use 12V LED lights and install only a single outlet for the inverter which I can use when I wish to charge my phone, computer, or run a small vacuum – whatever.  I decided to go this way because then I do not waste energy on adapting to a different form unless it is in use.  This, I decided on a long time ago but I found that finding LED lights was something that was nearly impossible to do.  The on line companies that I looked at seem confusing and really meant more for cars than off grid situations.

Yesterday when I was putting the battery into the yacht battery box (to keep it dry) the lightbulb went off in my little head!  Marine supply!  Of course!

I promptly called the good people at Vandervoort Hardware in Kingston because they carry a good deal of marine supply and spoke to the man who runs this section.  He said, yes, we have them.  We carry lots of LED lightbulbs, and a couple of lights, basically you come in and order what you want and in three or four business days they arrive.

This morning I arrived at Vandervoort’s just as they opened and he pulled out the catalogue.  Turns out that THE marine supply store in Canada is called Brewer’s, and they are located near one of my favourite cafe’s on Guise Street in Hamilton, Ontario.  Oh the irony!  This is just a few blocks from my house there.  The guy said, you might as well go there because there you can touch them, look at them and also see the price tag.  Gotta love a small business man who sends you somewhere else when they know you can do better there.  He also said that there are three distinctive types of LED lights so I should be mindful when I select them because it will make installation easier.   So, I guess I will take a trip to Hamilton next week!   It will also give me the opportunity to look a the Dickenson marine stoves too and since I want to see my niece and nephew off to Germany, it works well.

 

Categories: Environmentalism, Off Grid, Ontario, Simple living, Stuff, Tiny House Ontario | 3 Comments

Kitchen Update

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Laura

Yesterday Tiny House Ontario had the kitchen removed by yours truly.  There are a bunch of reasons why I this needed doing.  One is that the floor is not level so I needed to level under the cupboards.  I also wanted to get the counter tops in their permanent location despite the fact that the two existing cupboards are not staying forever.  The next reason I did this is I think that by raising the base of the cupboards two inches (plus the amount needed to level them – another half inch).  I believe that this will give enough clearance for the drawers when I eventually install the permanent floors, because the cupboards will not have legs. I sawed off the base of the current cupboards too  because I want to have some room under the counter top for a few things.  In this space I will, eventually install the sink, and a two burner propane unit. I will also do as my grandpa did when he build his kitchen which is to install a pull out cutting board.  This will allow for a little extra counter space that can be pulled out when I want it, just like a drawer.

The job is not done, but at minimum it is in a more completed state of transition. I was one board short to fix up the top and also when I took it apart I realized that I am a very crappy painter… sigh.

I thought it would take a half hour but it took three hours.  Still it looks pretty tidy now, so it is awesome!  I am glad to have it behind me.  Well, most of it anyway.

I got things put in there and as soon as I did, The Bad Little Wolf went sniffing at the cooler… I thought it was a pretty funny reaction when I asked him what he was doing!  So I include this image as well.

Categories: Dog, Off Grid, Ontario, Tiny House Ontario | Leave a comment