We are looking at building an off-grid cabin on our property, here in Northern Wisconsin. We ran into the same issues as you when wet built our shed, on the same property. I think we have settled on running traditional wiring in our future cabin build, and connecting that wiring to a battery generator/power station (like a Bluetti/Jackary/Anker, etc.). This way we can use traditional accessories in the cabin, and run them off a solar recharged battery backup, with a traditional generator as a further backup.
Yeah that sort of setup seems good if you don’t mind the work to do it. It’s modular and easily serviceable (or more likely, replaceable) which is about the best you can hope for.
I hear you on the crap to sift through, especially when it comes to durable finishes to withstand salty coastal air, rain, snow, the rest. If the underlying material is cast zinc or even aluminum, there’s little hope it will look good. I have had luck with fully 12V systems that require no inversion and making warm LED strip fixtures from ordered components. Definitely gets trickier when you want cozy indoor fixtures vs something someone would mount on their 4x4.
Quality is such an important word, and yet under valued. Quality is the most sustainable characteristic for a product to embody. How can it be green if it is not quality?
Often the low tech/historic solution has been thought through with quality in mind. Because they were not so into the buy/discard/buy again cycle.
Jeff try Milwaukee or Dewalt powered lights and items. We live near and amoung the plains community and they use these for numerous works. The have a publication named the busy beaver and lastly look up 12vmonster.com for lights.
We have an "off grid" establishment. I would not call it a cabin as such. More a tin tent. We don't live there but camp often. We are in Queensland Australia near Toowoomba.
We have some solar panels (second hand - there is no budget for these things), a charge controller and some lead acid batteries.
Most stuff is 12vdc or there abouts. Lighting, water pump, electric fence, camping fridge etc. 12v led lights are very easy.
We have a "whiff" of 240vac. A 1000W inverter. This runs my dad's now very old bar fridge. Only when we are there - it uses too much power to leave running when we are not there.
We are currently building an OCCA - Outdoor Covered Cooking Area. This with the lightest possible steel frame, no roof as such, solar panels forming the roof itself. Project is divided into two eras, BB - Before Bypass and AB - After Bypass. Beware the cardiologist...
I should do a story about it.
Then there was the much more remote place we had in the 1990s before any of these things like LED lights. I remember using the fluorescent like light out if a scanner. You had to improvise in those days. Worked OK but lots of EMI - wrecked radio reception. If you remember what a radio was?
Aladdin lamps were the go then. Beautiful strong light but burned about a litre of kero a night. Kept the shed warm though.
Possibly helps being a retired Electrical Engineer but all easy and safe if you stick to low voltages.
Our off grid nemesis was crappy hot water heaters. Is it really that hard to heat up a little water? Pressure change.. code 9 fault. Intake temp too low.. code 6 fault. Each fault was a total shut down. It got to the point where one would have to stand by the heater while the other had a shower.
On the boat we have a tank that’s heated by the engine cooling system. It’s simple, surprisingly fast and super reliable. In a location where a generator is part of the routine, this is a good option.
We started with a big inverter that was capable of running everything. 3000w? The fridge was by far the biggest draw. Then I learned that the inverter was eating amps as fast or faster than anything. We ended up with just enough inverter to run the fridge and a little more. I think it was 750w. And benefited by less generator time.
For just lights a little 200w inverter would be plenty. Less if you can put up with the led issues.
You're complaining about sifting through the crap available via the internet, and rightly so, but what do your local hardware stores have to offer? Or electrical supply places? Or residential solar install outfits? At least there are humans to help you wade through, and a possible return policy for non-functioning stuff. Call me old fashioned? They're simple, but those rechargeable LUCI lamps work well for me in power outage. I would think that would do in your small A-frame?
HARD agree on everything expressed here. Also agree that all the LED bulbs are crap. I will try these rough service incandescent you speak of!
We are looking at building an off-grid cabin on our property, here in Northern Wisconsin. We ran into the same issues as you when wet built our shed, on the same property. I think we have settled on running traditional wiring in our future cabin build, and connecting that wiring to a battery generator/power station (like a Bluetti/Jackary/Anker, etc.). This way we can use traditional accessories in the cabin, and run them off a solar recharged battery backup, with a traditional generator as a further backup.
Yeah that sort of setup seems good if you don’t mind the work to do it. It’s modular and easily serviceable (or more likely, replaceable) which is about the best you can hope for.
I hear you on the crap to sift through, especially when it comes to durable finishes to withstand salty coastal air, rain, snow, the rest. If the underlying material is cast zinc or even aluminum, there’s little hope it will look good. I have had luck with fully 12V systems that require no inversion and making warm LED strip fixtures from ordered components. Definitely gets trickier when you want cozy indoor fixtures vs something someone would mount on their 4x4.
Quality
Quality is such an important word, and yet under valued. Quality is the most sustainable characteristic for a product to embody. How can it be green if it is not quality?
Often the low tech/historic solution has been thought through with quality in mind. Because they were not so into the buy/discard/buy again cycle.
So, yes, candle lantern (safely and carefully)
Jeff try Milwaukee or Dewalt powered lights and items. We live near and amoung the plains community and they use these for numerous works. The have a publication named the busy beaver and lastly look up 12vmonster.com for lights.
We have an "off grid" establishment. I would not call it a cabin as such. More a tin tent. We don't live there but camp often. We are in Queensland Australia near Toowoomba.
We have some solar panels (second hand - there is no budget for these things), a charge controller and some lead acid batteries.
Most stuff is 12vdc or there abouts. Lighting, water pump, electric fence, camping fridge etc. 12v led lights are very easy.
We have a "whiff" of 240vac. A 1000W inverter. This runs my dad's now very old bar fridge. Only when we are there - it uses too much power to leave running when we are not there.
We are currently building an OCCA - Outdoor Covered Cooking Area. This with the lightest possible steel frame, no roof as such, solar panels forming the roof itself. Project is divided into two eras, BB - Before Bypass and AB - After Bypass. Beware the cardiologist...
I should do a story about it.
Then there was the much more remote place we had in the 1990s before any of these things like LED lights. I remember using the fluorescent like light out if a scanner. You had to improvise in those days. Worked OK but lots of EMI - wrecked radio reception. If you remember what a radio was?
Aladdin lamps were the go then. Beautiful strong light but burned about a litre of kero a night. Kept the shed warm though.
Possibly helps being a retired Electrical Engineer but all easy and safe if you stick to low voltages.
Be careful in those trees!
Our off grid nemesis was crappy hot water heaters. Is it really that hard to heat up a little water? Pressure change.. code 9 fault. Intake temp too low.. code 6 fault. Each fault was a total shut down. It got to the point where one would have to stand by the heater while the other had a shower.
On the boat we have a tank that’s heated by the engine cooling system. It’s simple, surprisingly fast and super reliable. In a location where a generator is part of the routine, this is a good option.
RonB.
Pender Harbour, BC.
We started with a big inverter that was capable of running everything. 3000w? The fridge was by far the biggest draw. Then I learned that the inverter was eating amps as fast or faster than anything. We ended up with just enough inverter to run the fridge and a little more. I think it was 750w. And benefited by less generator time.
For just lights a little 200w inverter would be plenty. Less if you can put up with the led issues.
RonB.
You're complaining about sifting through the crap available via the internet, and rightly so, but what do your local hardware stores have to offer? Or electrical supply places? Or residential solar install outfits? At least there are humans to help you wade through, and a possible return policy for non-functioning stuff. Call me old fashioned? They're simple, but those rechargeable LUCI lamps work well for me in power outage. I would think that would do in your small A-frame?