How to live off the grid: Everything you need to know

Since you are reading this article, I assume that you are planning to try off-the-grid living, or at least you are interested in this lifestyle. It sounds nice and easy. Move to the woods, build a cabin, throw on some solar panels and wind turbine for power, and drill a well. Then start raising chickens, cows, and pigs, and sit on your front porch while sipping coffee and staring out at the beautiful natural wilderness around you. But it’s not that easy. It takes planning, preparation, and work to make the move off the grid. And once you are there, the work will continue with the maintenance and upkeep of your homestead.

Let’s make this as simple as possible by breaking down, step-by-step, the most important things you need for off-grid living. It all goes back to the basics. Living a sustainable life while being self-sufficient is key.

First, in my opinion, living off the grid requires you to shift to a whole new lifestyle. I believe this mental shift is one of the most important preparations you can make. Off-the-grid living is very different from life in the city, so before you start, you should better read articles about off-the-grid living as much as possible. Living off-grid means there is no electricity available. While this may seem like a dream scenario because almost everything surrounding you relies on electricity. You could imagine how inconvenient it would be, therefore, you must prepare enough items and materials. It is easy to talk about and say you’d love to live off the grid, free from the confines and drudgery of modern life. The idea of that kind of freedom can be enticing. It takes hard work though, and lots of it.

I have divided things you need to prepare into basic materials and useful items.

Basic materials:

Shelter

Shelter is a fundamental need every human being requires to survive. There are many choices for your off-grid home such as a traditional wood-frame home, a strawbale home a cabin, or even a yurt.

Water & Water Collection System

A good clean potable water source is extremely important for living off the grid. Since you will not have access to city water or municipal country water sources on your land so you must choose a piece of land that either has a natural water source or where it is convenient to haul water. In addition, a water collection system is required. This could be something as simple as a rain barrel water catchment attached to your home’s gutter, or a more complex cistern water collection system that collects all the rainwater from your roof.

Food

It is very possible that you will not visit grocery stores for a long time, so growing your own food is becoming a compulsory skill that you need to acquire. Ideally, it is wise to have a traditional garden, some raised beds, and a greenhouse full of fruits and veggies. Meat and eggs can also be produced on your homestead if you have them set up for livestock.

Courses To Try

Since you will live in places that are hours from the closest medical facility, it will be helpful to learn some basic first aid. And when you finish the course, buy a First Aid Kit. In the spirit of self-reliance, someone in your family should have some basic mechanical skills. Fixing a car, truck, refrigerator, etc. besides, basic carpentry will help you built your table, chairs, and bed by yourself.

Useful Items:

Solar Panels

Solar panels are one of the most efficient ways to generate electricity and are essential for off-grid living. They work by converting solar radiation directly into DC.

Gas refrigerators:

Since you are living far away from grocery stores, a refrigerator will be highly suggested to have because you will need refrigeration space to store food and keep them fresh. However, conventional refrigerators consume too much electricity, so a gas refrigerator is highly suggested for off-grid living. The sealed cooling system located at the rear of the propane-powered fridge holds water, liquid ammonia, and hydrogen gas and uses propane flame to heat the water and ammonia to its boiling point in what is called a generator. The gas material then rises into a condensing chamber where it cools and returns to fluidity. This fluid then flows into another chamber - the evaporator—where it mixes with hydrogen gas. It’s here that a chemical reaction occurs that pulls or absorbs heat from inside the refrigerator. Once the solution absorbs enough heat, the ammonia returns to a gas state, starting the process over again. This self-contained system doesn’t rely on mechanical, or moving parts, meaning these units remain reliable for years.

Having trouble finding a cost-effective refrigerator?

If you are looking for cost-effective gas refrigerators of great quality, Smad would be the ultimate smart choice. SMAD Electric Appliances Co., Ltd was established in 1999. SMAD is a professional manufacturer of home appliances integrating research and production, gas absorption refrigerator is one of the main/featured products of Smad. And we have a whole range of propane fridges available. There are 5 of them. The 3.5, 6.1, and 9.4 cubic feet models all have working freezer space of 0.4, 1.6, and 2.1 cubic feet, respectively. Smad’s triple threat of AC, DC, and propane makes it one of the killer versatile refrigerators available. Our gas refrigerators are perfect for all your off-grid living needs, meaning you can run it effectively in an RV, a tiny house, an off-grid cabin, or pretty much anywhere else you need refrigeration.