Wood Stove is Free Hot Water

Free hot showers for the past three weeks.  The weather outside is cold enough to keep the wood cook stove fired up almost twenty-four seven to heat our home.  With the wood cook stove heating the home, cooking much of our food, and heating our hot water, we have been able to wash dishes, do …

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Temporary hot water? Reality Check… We live off grid (part 3)

I have talked about hot water during the late fall, winter, and early spring months, but I have not really discussed how we have hot water when not using our wood stove.  This is another off grid reality check.  It's another one of those facts that separate our home life from those on the grid, …

Reality Check…We live off grid (part 2 our ghost tub)

When deciding what type of features we wanted for our home.  My wife really wanted to use items from the early 1900s.  One of our home’s oldest features is our cast iron, claw foot tub.  We always wanted a claw foot tub for our bath tub and shower. After searching re-stores and second hand shops, …

Reality Check… we live off grid (part 1: of our transition period)

Sometimes my wife and I have to remind ourselves that we live off the grid.  We do not receive any electricity from the power company. We make our own electricity using our solar panels and sometimes back up gas generator in a pinch. During evenings, I like to unwind by watching Youtube on the television.  …

Solving Cistern Pump Vibrations

For those who have visited my home, you can attest to the wall rattling, cistern pump that kicks on each time to return the house to the correct water pressure.  My wife and I elected to place the pressure tank in the utility room to prevent possible freezing of the home's water pipes in the …

The toilet, a topic we don’t like to discuss…

Having a flush toilet has been by far one of the most rewarding, peace of mind additions to our home.  We installed our flush toilet back in 2013 and have no regrets making the move away from our compost toilet.  Now, I must admit I never converted my AC composting toilet to DC.  I hooked …

“Beat the Heat” with homemade water guns

During the summer months in  Northern Idaho, many families spend substantial time collecting, cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood.  Our family is no different since we use firewood to heat our house, cook our food, and heat our domestic hot water in the winter.  The best way to beat the heat is not to be out …

Water, water every where nor any drop to drink…

Watering our orchard and garden has been a debacle these past few years.  Our Shurflo 24 volt DC booster pump made for small installations has been taxed beyond its recommended limits.  The pump is about what would be expected to use for a RV, and we have been using it for our 1,110 sq. ft. …

Domestic hot water from a wood cook stove, now that’s a hot idea.

All domestic hot water in our home currently is heated by the wood cook stove and stored in the tank behind the stove for later use. Since we have been using the wood cook stove to heat the home and cook meals, there has been plenty of hot water for showers, dishes, and laundry during …

I Love My Kitchen Sink

When we designed our kitchen, I was on the hunt for an old farmhouse late 1940’s kitchen drain board sink.  I love old vintage items from the past and had seen several of these sinks in homes when my husband, Mark, and I were living in Mitchell, Oregon.  I had seen one that had a …