Off the Grid heating and cooking for cheap/free so you have more Power left over

I find all of these alternatives to be of interest but most of all the rocket stove is very appealing for use during the winter in my barn.. As hot as the summers are becoming it is possible to bake cookies on the dashboard of a car or truck.. With all of the old junkers I have it would be possible to go into the cookie business during at least 4 of the warmer months.. Using a bubble wrap type of solar heater for a hot tub or outdoor Jacuzzi will get the water so hot that a person isn't able to get into it, well over 120 degrees during the summer... I have never met another human being that didn't know something that I didn't and could therefore learn from, That includes white trash, river rats, hillbillies and hippies that live comfortably in some very unlikely places under less than favorable conditions...

Originally posted by hypervigilant
I have never met another human being that didn't know something that I didn't and could therefore learn from, That includes white trash, river rats, hillbillies and hippies that live comfortably in some very unlikely places under less than favorable conditions...

Well said, sir (or madam). Innately lazy people can sometimes come up with the best time-saving devices and simple methods for things the rest of us struggle to perform. While one may not approve of the lifestyle (or the individual living it), the information provided or knowledge gained from that individual is not necessarily to be ignored.

Originally posted by whitewave

Originally posted by hypervigilant
I have never met another human being that didn't know something that I didn't and could therefore learn from, That includes white trash, river rats, hillbillies and hippies that live comfortably in some very unlikely places under less than favorable conditions...

Well said, sir (or madam). Innately lazy people can sometimes come up with the best time-saving devices and simple methods for things the rest of us struggle to perform. While one may not approve of the lifestyle (or the individual living it), the information provided or knowledge gained from that individual is not necessarily to be ignored.

Many of the people I am referring to are very industrious and hard working but live in an area economically limited due to the socioeconomic nature of the established community that favors the old established families... It is seldom that they let those from elsewhere compete.... Those that have brought in new businesses that were successful had something occur that put them under and an old money family member will soon open the same type of business in its place.... The good ol' boy system will always be alive and in power behind the Pine Curtain of East Texas..

reply to post by ~widowmaker~


I think they are simple to set up but you have to keep a temp differential between one side and the other. They have a couple of videos on their site showing how they work.

They also have a plug and play charger which you just place over a heat source and hook up a 12V battery for charging. It costs about $310 shipped in the US.

This thread has me remembering bits and pieces of what I read in Mother Earth News in the mid to late 70s.... Am I the only one that can remember how Ronald Reagan had the solar panels on the White House removed after he was elected ?.... Damned if I don't think this country would have gone in a much more productive and environment friendly direction if Jimmy Carter had won the 1980 election and the Bushes had burned in hell.

reply to post by daskakik


Are these the same things that can be used in computers where one side is extremely cold the other is extremely hot? For over clocking cpus in the negative degrees ? ^^

reply to post by ~widowmaker~


Yes but in that application they are being used in reverse. When you apply a voltage to the module one side gets hot and the other gets cold. They are what is used in portable refrigerators/warmers like this. They are not very efficient but I guess they are ideal for overclocking because you don't need to pump liquids into your computer, lessening the risk of a leak and a short circuit.

Can I ask you guys a question? Be honest. do you feel that for adults this information is silly? Do you feel that it's Bullsh|t?

I posted this same info on a solar panel forum.. you know.. to help people save energy on solar, ( and that's what the title was) and they banned me saying " too many links. too much bullsh|t."

I ask, because i don't really understand what the beef was. I was only trying to help people with solar that might not have thought of these things. There is more to the story, of course ( a professional electrical engineer of 30 years) who is a major poster on that forum named Sunking told me solar will cost 10 times more than using utility from the grid. I asked him why he believed this and why he is a major poster on that forum if he doesn't believe in solar power) But i don't want to turn this into a conspiracy against another website. The forum is called solarpaneltalk.com if you want to check out Sunking's posts but they deleted my posts with his replies.

Do people.. adults.. think using stuff like this who are living off the grid silly or bullsh|t?

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


That made me think of this post on another thread.

The claim of solar being 10x more expensive seems wrong. I have seen $0.10/kwh being the average cost on the grid and solar photovoltaic is quoted at around $0.23 so that would be 2.3x. Also, taking into account that the things discussed on the vids that you linked are much cheaper than a photovoltaic set up, the cost advantage probably swings the other way.

Professionals, more often then not, are pushing their own products.

reply to post by defcon5


I think they are applicable to long term survival. It is a good idea to look at how the old timers did it but there's nothing wrong with improving on what they had/did.

Relying only on the sun for cooking is a bad idea but depending on where you are, in the US, you can have anywhere from 60 to almost 200 clear days. That can mean a lot of time and work spent on other things besides gathering and/or chopping wood.

reply to post by daskakik


Scenario two:


Scenario one:

reply to post by SeenMyShare

I guess you didn't understand my post. It isn't a choice of one over the other.

Where is the picture of the person spending tons of time and effort gathering and splitting wood?

reply to post by daskakik

I was too busy cutting, hauling and splitting wood to take a picture of it.

Edit to add: I heated a two story house when my son was 2 to 4 years old with just the sweat of my brow, a bow saw and an ax. He helped stack the wood. It's not easy, but it's not too hard either.

reply to post by SeenMyShare


You still don't seem to get it. You posted a striker and flint. Why not just rub 2 sticks together? Because it's easier.

So yes, it isn't that hard but anything that makes less work necessary should be taken into account. Besides the OP does have a couple of stoves posted. Also when your in mid summer do you really want to heat up one of those massive stoves just to heat up a meal?

reply to post by daskakik


Actually... you don't get it. K.I.S.S . Do what you know how to do. I know how to use a firestarter and can start a fire with it. I know how to cook with the cookstove. I know how to make a campfire, an improvised rocket stove and more. Also, the firebox on that "massive" stove is about 10" by 10" by 22", and right up against the first two burners.. You don't need a huge fire to warm up a meal.
I also know how to make and use a bow drill but that is NOT easier and neither is rubbing two sticks together.

reply to post by SeenMyShare

You are not going to keep it any simpler than a box with no parts to wear, no fire to start and no wood to gather, at least for sunny days.

By massive I meant the mass of the stove which takes a relatively fair amount of heat to cook the meal and after the meal is done it is left radiating heat into an already hot environment.

I also know how to make and use a bow drill but that is NOT easier and neither is rubbing two sticks together.

Actually that was my point. You opted for the more modern technology because of it's ease of use.

I'm not saying don't carry flint and steel. I'm saying that you should carry it as well as a magnifying glass. On sunny days you could start a fire without wear and tear on your flint and steel.

At home you could have a solar oven for sunny days so that the woodpile lasts longer.

reply to post by JohnPhoenix


maybe because these show you how to make something that even a kid could make and are cheap solar panels even with broken pieces starts at like 1k investment. also knowing how to hook up neg/ pos battery knowledge voltages wiring ect. that last lense parable, is like 10 pieces of wood and some plastic sheet and bam, insta death ray lol. simple, fast, pretty easy hammer/nail.

also was yours a D.I.Y and showed pic by pic how to do it, or was it set up like an infomercial with links to tons of stuff to buy? i dont know i have not seen it.

Great thread! the solar ovens and Fresnel lens cookers will be essential in a SHTF scenario because you can cook and not have any visible fire or smoke letting hostiles know you are there or giving away your position if you are in the woods. Of course a smaller one would be needed for if you are in the woods.

I love the plastic bottle lights simple ingenuity!

Rocket stoves are ok but a masonry heater is far better and more efficient. Rockets stoves still have to be fed constantly/ Masonry heaters one 30 minute fire will heat a house for 24 hours or better depending on size and design. Takes more skill to build but could be done out of adobe to cut costs drastically.