Off Grid Water System

[@backcountrypreps6171]

Great channel...just discovered you and subbed. Im doing something similar in arizona. Arizona Unplugged... 48 acres totally offgrid. Just got dobe cutting a bunch of trees for a road to our build site .

[@brandonhanley8912]

Just a suggestion a hand pump or dc power pump to transfer water from portable truck tank to fill tube might be a time saver when you constantly are filling the tank everytime you go there. Good channel keep it up brotha. New Hampshire viewer fyi haha.

[@50Acres]

Thanks for the suggestion Brandon, that would be nice it takes about an hour for the water to gravitiy flow out of the tank. Love New Hampshire my brother lives there.

[@frizzledizzle6338]

I use swimming pool antifreeze in the RV - works like a charm and I find it easier to get.

[@JerrysThisandThat]

Those Kubotas are fun to use for sure. They make some pretty good equipment but they are quite expensive to buy up here in Canada.

[@50Acres]

It was really fun, would love to have something like that around when I needed it!

[@jefflocke9029]

Maybe I missed it but do you have a video on your grey water system? Love the cabin.

[@50Acres]

I haven't made that system yet but I will when I build one. Right now we just use a bucket under the sink.

[@Fit-HubIO]

Mad scientist of plumbing!

[@50Acres]

It does look like chaos down there, everything is kind of temporary...

[@marcofonseca4511]

Great ideas... why not rain water like a lot of people do? Just your preference?

[@50Acres]

Eventually that is the plan, I will plumb in another tank, and collect water off the roof. That was the big reason I did a metal roof.

[@UKHazzie]

So do you have to do that every night the temp goes below zero while your at the cabin?

[@damnedhumanrace]

Do you do anything to treat the water in the holding tank (anti-algae, etc.)? No freezing concerns for the underground tank?

[@50Acres]

I don't, it's covered with enough earth that it will never deep freeze in our climate. Maybe a think layer of ice at the surface at most.

[@BS.-.-]

Do you leave that tank full in the winter? What is your frost depth?

[@50Acres]

Yea I leave it full. I think my frost depth is 20 inches. Never seem to have any problem with the tank.

[@TheUserid82]

How far from the floor of the cabin to the mid point of the tank? Just thinking a yard hydrant could be used to suck water up during the winter using a pump in the cabin you can drain after use and when you close the hydrant handle the water in the pipe will drain back to the tank. Would give you access to most of the water without touching the winterized pump.

[@50Acres]

Thats a good idea, it's probably; about 6 or 7 feet if I had to guess. Would be nice to keep on hand in case the cheapo RV pump fails.

[@50Acres]

And the tank is almost right under where the kitchen sink will be.

[@TheUserid82]

@@50Acres Okay looked into it more and the cheap rout is a check valve on a pvc/pex pipe run up into the cabin with a small weep hole in the pipe above the valve to drain it slowly over a few hours. would let you hook a cheap self priming pump up in side the cabin for the weekend then disconnect and hang up to drain the water before it freezes up. If you do go with the hydrant idea you would need a really long one so very expensive or a custom made one where you buy the valve, handle, pipe and stainless push rod to get them to the needed length. Would still want a check valve but the pipe would stay full as long as the valve is open so no priming the pump/pipe every time. The valve is around $20 and the handle is another $30 so it would just be the pipe, check valve and rod that add the rest of the cost.

[@edwardwhelan8182]

Have you considered adding a one way check valve to the water tank? That way water flows in one direction only (i.e. Out of the tank) and prevents anything from flowing into the tank. For example, anti-freeze.

[@50Acres]

The pump itself is a check valve. But, those two way valves that I showed, if I want I can use the first one to flush the system with fresh water from say a milk carton in the same way I can suck in the anti freeze, and never have the valve open that goes back to the tank.

[@amberrivers81]

cool video

[@1STGeneral]

That water running at different places on your property would be fine for the pup. In the Appalachian mountains the locals say if it runs over a couple rocks it's clean enough to drink. We used to take food to a older fella living in a remote cabin he had a black poly pipe stuck in a spring running on top of the ground and only froze for short periods in long cold spells it came through the wall with a simple ball valve when asked about being safe to drink he said salamanders keep the algae from clogging the line and every so often one would make it through the valve a simple strainer hanging under the valve catches anything coming through

[@50Acres]

Oh yea my pup she would have drank anything she found, crazy dog. She passed almost exactly a year ago unfortunately. We've got a spring that we are going to pipe down to the cabin someday. I've shown some footage of it here and there.

[@1STGeneral]

Sorry to hear that I've been binge watching your videos your property looks perfect for a dog (four legged family) our chihuahua that was given to us by an older friend that passed lived to be thirteen. He attacked a bear that had no idea what had him by the chest I had to throw rocks at them before he let go. He really had no fear if I was on machinery he was in my lap and no holding on to him he always kept his balance really a unique fella

[@50Acres]

@@1STGeneral Yea she was a great dog, right now we are possibly adopting a lab/golden mix who flunked out of guide dog school... Your dog sounds nuts!

[@timklassen421]

harvest rain water off your roof into your cistern or holding tank during summer months make sure you put in a over flowline for tank so it wont over fill just a idea hope thats okay

[@50Acres]

Hopefully down the road I will get to do that. I already have a spare tank my neighbor got me that I'm planning to plumb in.

[@matthewward7619]

Hey nice vid. Try and go for rain water cause its cost affective and its free

[@50Acres]

Yea, I will that was one of the big reasons I did a metal roof!

[@OffgridwithJayandJen]

You didn't say that you put antifreeze down the hose that is between the tank and the pump did ya??? Just making sure antifreeze is not back feeding into your tank. wouldn't be good for you or the pup.

[@OffgridwithJayandJen]

I rewatched, guess if you are using pump to suck it in and push it to the cabin you would be ok, but I would still think small amounts of could back track. I understand the valve shuts off the direction to the tank, just being overly cautious.

[@50Acres]

That very first valve (3:05 in) that the green garden hose is connected two has two shut offs so I first turn off the shut off that prevents the anti freeze from back flowing into the water tank. Then I open the valve that allows me to draw in the anti freeze into the pump. If a little bit does back flow it's not a big deal because it's RV grade (proplyne glycol). But if I really want to be safe, I can just use the green hose to flush the system first with fresh water.

[@OffgridwithJayandJen]

Gotcha, I winterize and work on pools and hot tubs for a living. I have a good idea of what you are doing, just seems risky, but like you said, RV antifreeze is suppose to be safe i guess lol

[@Dingbat217]

You can use non-return valves to prevent that from happening even if you open the wrong valve.

[@rc3291]

If you can drain the water out why put in antifreeze?

[@50Acres]

I have to use the RV antifreeze because I can't drain the water out of the pump part.

[@L1vR-1948]

thanks 👍👍👍 :-)

[@SaintJames40]

Do you ever notice algae builds up inside the tank at all?

[@50Acres]

I haven't seen any water issues, I prevent light for getting to the tank I think that helps.

[@ohske]

👍👍👍🙂👌

[@matthewward7619]

Why didn't you went with rain water. Its a whole lot better and it's cost effective cause all you just need is spouting, tank and a pump and that's it

[@50Acres]

I made this system so that it could become rainwater collection once I had a roof. But at the time of this video I didn't have a roof yet to collect water from.

[@brandonhanley8912]

Watch engineer 775 on KZbin showers you how to heat water with your wood stove.

[@brandonhanley8912]

Shows *

[@50Acres]

I love that channel, will check that out.

[@mainlawcafewv7681]

unusual.

[@janonthemtn]

Love the video. I live in upstate NY and looking for a home for a 1 yr old altered male Plott Hound, friendly with other dogs, people,(good with children, but he is big so bigger kids>better) he's 70 lbs See his photo at Jan Levine@janonthemtn. I got him from a family who could not keep him, they had him from a puppy. They got him from rural area around Buffalo NY.

[@carlschmiedeke151]

Why not just put a heater in it, so ya don't have to dick with the antifreeze shit, & I'd box off that whole area ,& keep heat tape on everything ,or a heater, to keep pipes from freezing, but I definitely wouldn't dick with that antifreeze shit

[@50Acres]

I don't live there full time and I don't have electricity to run heat tape. The RV antifreeze only needs to go into the section with the pump and it's set up so I can thoroughly flush it with water. I don't like using it but it's supposedly food grade stuff.