Super Cheap Way to Prevent my Pipes From Freezing (It's Not Heat Tape!)

[@SeanInAlaska]

Mike, thank you again! I promise to use the heck out of it! There are so many things here in Alaska that will lend itself to that lens, I am so excited to try it out. This video cleared up an idea I had on wiring my indoor battery storage with a fan that would come on while I am charging the system, so that is a bonus! You may not think so, but you are like Yoda of the low voltage projects to me!

[@50Acres]

Hey Sean, no problem man, I hope you enjoy the lens as much as I have it's my go to lens whenever I want a special look to a shot. It also takes amazing photos. Also, I believe I have done your battery fan project, not sure if you saw this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6iokGaJj5hqf7c

[@OffgridwithJayandJen]

good work Mike, Sean will be sure to put that lens to good use. Make his videos even better.

[@SeanInAlaska]

@@OffgridwithJayandJen Thanks guys!!

[@GemCityDudeistPriest]

Another update on the dog - it was definitely cancer that it had, so that's probably why they abandoned it. It had surgery the other day but I haven't heard yet how it went. I'll keep you posted! Great video man.

[@gregj2647]

Thanks for the update

[@alexkasacous]

This makes me angry. A dog that friendly must of been in a home that someone loved her. How could someone abandon a loyal, loving dog? Really sad and angry.

[@stevelambert7496]

Hopefully the dog makes it and lives out his days comfortably

[@suewarman9287]

Question: why do most log-burners in cabins have those fans on top of them? To circulate the hot air?

[@plaintruth4637]

@@suewarman9287 yes

[@TonyGeneseo]

Grew up in an old farm house and we’d done the same. Ended up putting a piece of 3or 4” pipe on top of the fan so it was pulling warmer air from by the ceiling rather than the floor. And to be clear Mike, when I offer suggestions or experiences I’ve had, I’m only offering them to help or add to your existing ideas. Certainly not criticizing anything you do or your ideas. U know really like your channel a lot ! Take care

[@robertkline6311]

I look forward to watching your videos! They offer variety and they are informative and entertaining. Keep it up 👍

[@50Acres]

Glad you like them!

[@hithere7382]

Noctua makes the best small fans, thanks for not cheaping out too badly. I like their 12v Industrial 140mm 3,000 RPM fans myself. They're loud but I have room specifically for air cooled systems and nobody, not even dogs can hear them.

[@50Acres]

I really love their fans! Very high quality I use one of theirs with their PWM controller to exhaust my cooking stove and it works great.

[@yankey4]

Skillshare ROCKS!! I got my Membership from your last video from them. I have taken Wild Rabbit Productions, Aerial Cinematography Production & Drones class. Helped me get the skills to fly and shoot some killer videos. Right now I am Drone Surveying Guilherme Braghirolli class. SO SO happy to have found them. All thanks to you!! Thanks so much brother. God Bless.

[@50Acres]

Hey Bobby, nice man, I just started another drone course. glad you are enjoying the classes.

[@coreygillum12]

Your honesty is honestly the funniest humor. I get great joy from your channel bud. Keep it up. Good work.

[@gregj2647]

Thanks for the update on the dog. I’m sure there are lots of people that are interested in adopting it. Too bad you’re not closer or I’d consider it. My wife and I just moved to 10 acres in central Minnesota and have considered adopting older dogs that need a place to live out their lives. We lost our 12 year old lab back in May and have been dog-less since then. I enjoy your videos and your inventiveness on solving problems. Hopefully your fan will keep the crawl space warm enough to use the cabin year round. God bless.

[@50Acres]

I think it will find a good home, sadly she does have cancer. we're not sure if it is treatable yet. Glad you like. the videos Greg.

[@crazycritterlady8788]

Just a thought here, if the wood stove isn't lit to keep the cabin warm, and the fan turns on (unless you have the power completely off which things will freeze up without any heat or air movement), the fan will come on and blow only cold cabin air down into the crawl space. Things will still freeze then won't they? Just a thought. And thanks for the update on the stray dog, it's awful to think that someone would dump and older dog off on the road just because it has cancer and is old. That person should be del with! That is if they did indeed dump the dog, if the dog escaped then that's a different story. Glad your making the wife happy by getting her some running water and cabinet doors. Much love from So.Cal.💟

[@50Acres]

We will still need to winterize the cabin when we are gone this is just for when we are using it in the winter. We don't plan to keep it heated full time. The dog did have cancer, she went to the vet Thursday.

[@crazycritterlady8788]

Thank you for clearing that up. BTW the cabin's looking really awesome! You've come a long way. I don't think I would of taken all the precise care that you have. I get antsy and just want it done, I'd rush things. So kudos for taking your time and doing it slowly the way you really want it.

[@Bex-rg8pj]

I love the coat hooks inside by your front door. Nice touch.

[@justinneely8045]

So many cool little gadgets to help things move along. Well done. And I do remember watching that loft fan video. I didn’t think it was a train wreck!

[@50Acres]

Haha thanks Justin! It was a good video but when it took off mostly people were focused on the noise!

[@1gatomon]

The shots at the start are really nice the house is looking really good..

[@johnsloan4987]

Ya, Sarah is coming back. You’re great but we love Sarah too.

[@criticaltemperature3343]

Hi Mike. The batteries in the thermostat are to close the contacts of the built in relay and illuminate the screen only. That's why when the batteries die the heat doesn't work. I've had to fix the plumbing in houses that froze because of batteries. And yes, R is power, W is heat, Y is cooling, G is the blower in a typical HVAC system.

[@hithere7382]

We used to replace those batteries once a year to avoid that but nowadays the thermostats have full blown LCD color displays and have no batteries, they run off the mains and the whole house UPS and then the generator during an outage. Kind of obviates the batteries but in return one probably has to replace the thermostat more often. IDC though, it shows all kinds of cool stuff about the air conditioners and the furnaces in the house, how fast the furnace fans are moving, how many cfm they're moving, and the static pressure they experience. It also shows some other stuff and keeps up with 2 week and lifetime hours and cycles on components.

[@criticaltemperature3343]

@@hithere7382 I agree, "the wired for power but communicate wirelessly" thermostats are very nice and have many features but I was referring to the basic wired, non communicating thermostat like the one Mike had in the vidio. It's probably a Honeywell 4110 or 5110 (non programmable), it needs a minimum of 4 wires for heat and cool with batteries, 5 wires and it won't need the batteries.

[@mrofnocnon]

Quality workmanship of the cabin is obvious.

[@50Acres]

Thank you!

[@suepeterson5675]

Just a reminder to check digital read out on the thermostat occasionally . With cold weather the battery will weaken & needs to be replaced. Lithium batteries are best . ( talking from what happened to me ). Enjoy what your doing. Thanks for sharing. 👍👍😊

[@50Acres]

Yea good point!

[@thekingtroll2]

Nice video! I heard two bleeps and was worried you might lose your family friendly status. haha. In Ohio, we had a small farmhouse in Somerset, Ohio. The winters when I was a kid were pretty bad. People don't understand country life and what you have to do to make things work. For now, you closed off that area under the cabin. When I was a kid, we'd also put bales of straw up against the foundation to keep the ice cold air from coming in.(One one side of the house). It actually worked. When you are poor, you learn to adapt and make do with what you have. I think most people will agree, going through hard times just makes you stronger as you age in life. We've been there, done that and can pass along knowledge along the way. Like your attic fan video. It was creative and showed people how to have something affordable that worked on solar power. I showed a few friends that and they were impressed. So people not only watch, they learn. One guy I know uses his solar on a grow tent. He starts the seeds in there and the plants get big enough to transplant or even to continue growing so he can use them in winter. (basil).

[@50Acres]

Ha, can't be corrupting the youth now can we! I have seen the hay work first hand, it can even prevent the ground from freezing. It's pretty amazing what a bit of insulation will do. Glad you liked the attic fan video, and thanks for showing it to your friends. It still works pretty good and it's nice now that its automated. I would love to eventually make a homemade dehumidifier. Now that I have the excavator I can trench for ground source cooling some day.

[@VelvetRedRoses]

@@50Acres Ground source cooling -- now that is something of interest. We do not have A/C at our cabin because summers are cool in the mountains but August gets pretty warm. We had an unusual amount of rain making it necessary for us to purchase a dehumidifier. With windows closed, it got quite uncomfortable especially with the heat produced by the dehumidifier.

[@dorothy.e.d]

When you showed the clip of your old video it triggered a memory of when the magic hammer told you “get a haircut you hippy” lol

[@50Acres]

😂

[@buildlife]

This is a great idea. Do you have any kind of heat in the cabin when there's no fire or does it just stay warm enough inside?

[@50Acres]

I have a propane heater also. We will still winterize it when we are gone, but now at least we can use the water when we are there in the winter.

[@VelvetRedRoses]

@@50Acres I would think hard about not putting the air back into the cabin but send it outside instead. The reason is that there is always mold in a crawl space to think about, and you don't want to allow a direct path for mold to enter the cabin. Love your videos. We have a cabin in the NC mountains similar in climate except it's about 10 degrees warmer. We are blessed with having a walk-in basement at the cabin but still winterize when we are gone but fortunately no problems using the water while there.

[@BobHannent]

Does the propane heater stay on when you are away on low? Otherwise isn't that fan doing very little?

[@50Acres]

@@BobHannent it won’t do anything if we are not there burning the wood stove. There has to be a heat source going. We will still winterize when we are gone, this is just for while we are there.

[@edwardjanowiak]

I didn’t read all the comments so if this has been addressed already this is a another comment about it but at the end of the video you mentioned a return air path. I would highly encourage you to do that as creating a negative pressure in the cabin is not gonna help with the drafting of the woodstove. Even a slight de-pressurization as a fire goes out creates the potential for carbon monoxide. Re-burning the products of combustion is a real concern. I like watching your videos I don’t wanna see them come to an abrupt end. And thanks for wrapping those extension cords properly, I think you know what I mean.

[@peterdebad1]

Thank you Mike for the tutorial on keeping the pipes from being frozen. Always enjoy the channel and looking forward to the next update. Stay safe! Peace!!

[@50Acres]

No problem Peter, thank you you too!

[@maggiesue4825]

I agree about getting the kitchen cabinets done. The kitchen is gorgeous already - finishing those cabinets will be the piece de resistance!!

[@rgarizonahomestead2729]

i remember that video it was a little loud for sure but you fixed that problem. great video and hope it works to keep the water going. have a great day as well

[@jakes1292]

Interesting way of geting heat below the cain. I like that it worked! My old rental had a carbon monixide vent in the wash room. When it was closed the heating bill went up. Translating that to a cabin I fugure a "cold" well to the cabin will also work to basically preheat the p-traps and batteries. Using a diesel cab heater in the lower space I am using the exhaust pipe to preheat the space and the fresh air is pulled from the cld space and floated up. Not the right way to skin the cat but another way to look at it. Love the 24V dc Propane heater installed!

[@50Acres]

Yea this actually works quite well and since I have a thermometer with a temp sensor sitting down there I am constantly checking it. On all but the coldest nights it stays above freezing even without the fan on.

[@karlsoffthegrid1378]

I wasn’t quite sure that the insulation would keep the pipes from freezing but I think that fan is going to do wonders. Good job

[@sharkyshark1]

Is the cabin always warm? from my understanding it is only used/heated like one ish day a week? If so then a fan alone probably won't be enough, but I'm unsure of the current usage of the cabin, or what the future usage will be.

[@dougmc666]

The thermostats prior to the 1970's were on/off switches. Modern digital thermostats do exactly the same thing, they're on/off switches - so your relay needed a power source to work.

[@50Acres]

I would have like to use an older Tstat if I had one lying around.

[@estellaknox4488]

Your videos are nice,clean love the projects you do God Bless

[@50Acres]

Thank you! You too!

[@Roy-iu5em]

Two concerns come to mind while watching; 1) your screen will eventually clog up with dust and such since the fan is so close to the floor. You might have to put a filter on the fan or run a pipe to it from another air source, perhaps higher in the room/cabin(where the air may be warmer anyway?). and 2) ....got distracted and lost thought #2... Things seem to be progressing well. I continue to enjoy your efforts!

[@50Acres]

I think I will put another screen on the top side of the fan. Thank you!

[@Roy-iu5em]

Curious as to your thoughts about integrating something like a blower/hair dryer to the situation, on an intermittent timer perhaps? Just a thought... best of luck!

[@50Acres]

@@Roy-iu5em I don't have the electricity available to use any resistance heat. If you had grid power that would be possible.

[@Bex-rg8pj]

Cool for Sean. I know him from MBF channel.

[@darlenedouglas5148]

That's quite an awesome 👌 idea! I saw where someone hooked up something similar in their pump house when they were worried about the pipes freezing. They've had no problem with their setup in northern Idaho. Great job & video, Mike!!

[@50Acres]

Thanks Darlene glad to hear it worked!

[@Off-Grid]

Interesting. Good luck from our off-grid homestead to yours!

[@50Acres]

Thanks, good luck to you too!

[@deannaoverstreet4146]

So happy for you and Sarah! God bless you!

[@travishat8760]

Almost to 60,000 subs. Congrats! And yes, I found you and became a sub because of the cooling radiator fan video. Watched you and then decided to build a cabin at my hunting property.

[@50Acres]

It's crazy to me that I'm almost at 60K. I hope you have been enjoying building your cabin.

[@da1shark]

For your return air you could add another fan blowing into the cabin. I did something like that in my closet where I have my internet, security and NVR devices. One computer fan blowing hot air out and another one blowing cool air into the closet. My issue was getting the heat out and cooling down the space. In your case, the heat rising through the floor return vent maybe enough for the air movement. If not, then maybe you could add another fan to aid in the air movement. Just a thought.

[@50Acres]

That’s a good idea. I can drive it off the same relay too

[@cpwatching5647]

I saw that attic fan install video. Did not know it was so popular. Good for you! I though about it but did not want to say anything. "Minnesota Nice" ya know.... :-) Did Kyle say anything? Probably not. I enjoy your videos. Take care.

[@50Acres]

Yea that one really took off, I'd say half the subs on this channel found this through that video. Didn't hear anything from Kyle's, but kinda wanted to give it to a smaller channel anyway.

[@geoffupton]

you know, its great how you solve these problems! who would think of using a computer fan to help set the climate under the cabin?! thats brilliant! certainly not what i thought you were going to do! 😁 a teeny little side thought... condensation during summer, will that be a problem? we used to have a kids program over here in the 70s called the wombles, they found stuff and made it into new stuff, im thinking your reminding me of them 😊 (btw thats way cool!) you take things (pc fan for example) and use em for something different! damn that is bril! of course, if you want to think a bit more "modern" your a macgiver/a-team! 😁

[@NeilPost71]

Check out The Boss of the Swamp channel. He has a cabin in New Hampshire. He uses bubble foil wrap to insulate under the cabin. The mice don't bother it and it retains the heat amazingly well for super cheap.

[@50Acres]

Yea I've seen those, I might use that for the rest of my floor.

[@sandravanlankvelt7975]

@@50Acres GREAT IDEA!!! I love the Boss of the camp especially his song at the end about his dog named Frankie lolol.

[@loduke3905]

I absolutely love this, kind of brilliant really. Just bouncing off your concept and design, it gives me a bunch of ideas on how I might tweak it for my own cabin. I might use PVC pipes and then extend the pipe through the wall up to the peak or as high as I could get it without it showing. You could use, say a 2” pipe but then add a small section of larger pvc so you can house the fan in the pipe and then revert back to the smaller pipe as it extends further up the wall. In theory, by using the pvc pipe you’re able to funnel the “hotter” air from higher up in the building and push that down into your little insulated crawl space. This might also work during the summer months by pulling the coolest air from the ground and in the insulated crawl space as you’d assume it would be even cooler, so in principle the fan could be reversed and pull the cold air up into the cabin pushing towards the peak and since cool air drops it would help cool the cabin. By using the pvc it might help the fan last longer as it’s not on the ground picking up and sucking all of the dirt, dust, lint, and grime from the floor as well as the moisture from them the shower and bathroom. You could also add some control and up the efficiency by adding maybe a make shift “valve” or seal much like a damper, so that way you can open and close it inside the pipe. So when you don’t want a hole in the building or don’t want to run the fan you can simply close the “valve” and it seals it off? Just thinking out loud honestly. I also like the idea of adding a return air exchange to recirculate the air. I think I would add one of those cheap little Wi-Fi or “smart” Chinese thermostats so I can control it w my phone, that way if necessary I can cut the fan on or off, outside of the thermostat’s settings or just in case there’s something going on w my battery or panels. I’d probably also add a cheap little thermometer inside the insulated crawl space which would allow you to view the temp, humidity, carbon monoxide etc all on my phone so in case the thermostat was broken or I’m worried something isn’t working I know what’s happening and can override the thermostat and turn it on or off, plus it’s nice to know what the temp is where the plumbing is. I have a Govee thermometer in my little TH cabin where my lithium batteries are, I can set an alert at a certain temp, humidity or other perimeters and it will notify me on my phone as well as make a sound on the little gadget. There’s a bunch of little neat things you can do w it and it’s cheap, like ridiculously cheap. What a great video and such a smart idea. And to be 💯 it’s something I would have NEVER thought of, so TY. I had been looking at using a 12v radiant heating pad they use in chicken coups to heat the small section of piping where my water comes in from an IBC tote into a 2’ x 4’ exterior utility shed that is insulated with 1” foam, it that holds my 12v pump, accumulator, on demand tankless water heater and water filters. I had also thought about possibly using one of those 12v self contained Chinese diesel heater’s and having the exhaust pipe go through and out the utility “shed” to utilize the heat that comes off that exhaust pipe on it’s way out of the “utility shed”. None of the exhaust would be let in to the utility box but rather just running through it and then is exhausted further outside of the little box. This would also allow me to have minimum holes in random areas of my tiny cabin. I have to say I really like your idea better and might incorporate this in another project I have coming up. So TY again good sir!

[@50Acres]

Thank you! I’m glad you found it clever. I’ve actually been planning to use a similar concept to solve the issue of our loft becoming uncomfortably hot in the winter.

[@douglasschuler9604]

We used to use 100 watt light bulbs in our lift station control panels to keep the start and run capacitors from freezing . Even did this with some water lines too.

[@jennifergraham612]

Good job there with the insulation, and jigging up the monitor system, ,it's coming along nicely.

[@50Acres]

Thanks 👍

[@dragonflyhill5748]

Oh man, that wood grain in that table top is really something.

[@ronsmith1364]

look at the previous build vlogs & checkout the live edge mantel..

[@leahstaska2515]

Always so happy to see another video up on your channel. So true about learning a skill during COVID. Glad you mentioned skill share.

[@50Acres]

My pleasure!

[@ajbugge]

Thermostats: R and W connections. Usually red and white wire but the way I remember it is Ready for Winter (R&W). Do your future plans include hot water and if so are you looking at on demand heaters or RV style hot water heaters? Also, I forgot to tell you I ordered the same Brunt boots and used your promo code. Been using them for a month and a half and I’m very pleased with them.

[@50Acres]

Hey thanks Anthony, I think I am going to use a on demand one. I really want one that's propane and 24 volt DC but cant seem to find one. Glad you mentioned the boots, I want to follow up on them in a video. I love mine also, so much that I bought another pair and paid for them out of my own pocket. I need to remember to follow up on them in an upcoming video.

[@ajbugge]

@@50Acres most DC powered on demand heaters use 12 volt. You could always use a step down transformer to convert 24 to 12 just for that particular heater. All your wiring would be the same. Just a thought. Keep up the great videos man. Everything is looking great and with the state of the world these days, you seem to have your own oasis.

[@DeterminedDIYer]

You're probably going to have to take the fan up periodically to clean the screen out from dust and stuff. idk if you should have caulked it. or maybe stapled the screen on the other side?. Very ingenious way of heating your plumbing though. :)

[@billjenkins687]

You can also add a fan guard to the inlet. Keep spare fans on hand.

[@randyfredricksen5963]

Great timing for this video..maybe you heard a Polar Vortex is headed your way! I've heard good things about Skillshare, glad they are onboard with you.

[@50Acres]

Looking forward to trying it out in some extreme cold temperatures! I have enjoyed skillshare, i like collecting skills!.

[@PlanetMojo]

I guess this may work in a somewhat warmer temperatures. We have lows down to -40°, and unless you were pumping hot air into that crawl space, it would freeze solid. We use heat tape with thick insulation around it in SW Wisconsin. Heat tape is pretty cheap and it works, but if your climate will allow this this will work as well 😊

[@50Acres]

This only works when we are present and heating the cabin. When we are gone we will still have to winterize the cabin.

[@IggyDalrymple]

You could also bore a vertical hole in the soil maybe 20 or 30 ft deep and install a geo-thermal water-pipe loop (insulate the top 3 or 4 ft of the hole),

[@nightsong28540]

Keep up the nice work, you're doing a wonderful job. Stay safe, be careful, take it easy and keep warm and dry.

[@50Acres]

Thank you, I will

[@jackfntwist]

Really cool. Great idea with the thermostat. I wonder if you could just put one or two heat bulbs near the pipes for the heat source, with the thermostat switch. I wonder if your solar would power them.

[@50Acres]

The heat bulbs would be great but on a cloudy day or night time I’d run out of power.

[@royworks28]

Good idea Mike, putting the return air would definitely be wise. Making a return hole with a pvc pipe in it extending to 6” above the ground away from the fan hole would be better.I did a similar thing with my garage to my boiler room.the cabin looks awesome from the drone

[@50Acres]

Thanks Jason, I’m about to get started on this again so hopefully we can test it out soon and put in the return air path.

[@TheUserid82]

Almost forgot to ask have you looked into getting the spring/seep tapped? Getting a constant flow of water into the crawl space from the spring would keep the entire area warm along with giving you an unlimited supply of water even if you still wanted to filter the drinking water. Would want a trailer you could pull with the mini for that project simply for getting the gravel needed for the tapping project as if it is a spring you want to fill the area with gravel and if it is a seep you want to setup french drains to capture and funnel to the spring box. Then again a trailer you can pull with the mini would also be useful for rock collecting and other projects around the property. Capturing/tapping the spring is needed to know the pipe sizes you need as you don't want to oversize the pipes for that extra costs just like you don't want to undersize them and restrict the flow to the pond.

[@irenel.m.3238]

That was a great idea, good work🎆

[@50Acres]

Thank you! 😊

[@KrissBartlett]

Well Mike your a knowledgeable man very smart you know how to do lots of stuff im good at electrical but not good at timber work have done some but im just not good i like Kyle s Cabin to he is good

[@50Acres]

Thanks 👍 Kriss, I go slow and take my time and keep trying if it doesn't work out.

[@XSomby]

You could route your battery cooling fan/pipe down to the crawl space, too.

[@50Acres]

I actually ended up taking that fan and using it for this project

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Hi, you have the thermometer relay and fan but where is the heat coming from when the cabin is not in use, for the fan to blow into the area to warm it up?

[@50Acres]

Right now it still needs to be winterized if we leave. Eventually I will add a second propane furnace that doesn't need electricity and then if I choose I can keep it heated full time.

[@stevelambert7496]

Mike thank you I really enjoy your channel keep up the excellent content by the way did you ever give the dimensions of the cabin

[@50Acres]

Thanks Steve, I can't remember, the main room is 14 feet by 20 feet, the utility room is 6 feet by 14 feet, the bedroom is 8 feet by 10 feet and the little covered porch on back is 6x6.

[@TheUserid82]

If that PC fan isn't enough they make in duct fans and you can pipe the warm air to the pump then let it mix in the space. Is this bypassing the normal shutoffs? keeping the solar charging and having a DC side that stays active when everything else is off will let you keep the fans going and any security systems also going when you are away. I would still have a shut off switch for when you want to work on the system but it would just be battery to switch to fuse block for the always active systems like a DC fridge/freezer

[@50Acres]

No this will be off when we are gone, it will still need to be winterized between trips. Eventually once the rest of the floor is insulated I think I will be able to heat the cabin with a small 3-4K BTU propane heater that doesn't need electricity. But until then we won't keep the cabin heated while we are gone. I will likely wire a switch into this as well so it doesn't go on in the summer.

[@davidkilbourne5422]

Great video Mike! That cabin of yours and wife) is really cool. I'm just glad you guys can use it and get away of all the crazy things in the world. I had an old woman who told me she thought the world was all going to ____.She also told me that she thought my hair was so beautiful. Well I don't know about that but my hair is almost to my waist. I usually wear it in a ponytail. I think she was lonely and I asked her if she had a merry christmas! She told me she couldn't have family ,because of covid-19.I wished her well and she also gave me her phone number. I called her and she was a sweet lady and told me she would love to cook a special seafood and I told her she didn't have to but yes It was a dinner date. I don't know much about a whole lot of things but that lady was great person. She said she fought and beat all kinds of diseases I didn't want to ask her age but that goes to show you that just liking my hair made my year! And when this mess goes away I'll have supper with her and Maybe I can cook a meal for her. We will always be friends and I like talking to her. You don't meet many people like that , but she'll be a better person. And to me she's already made me a great person.

[@50Acres]

Hey thanks David, thats nice that you were able to meet someone and make a friend during the pandemic.

[@JustLiving2018]

I love all your ideas, your very creative and thank you for sharing them.

[@50Acres]

Thank you!

[@alexkasacous]

Good solution Mike, thanks for sharing.

[@50Acres]

Any time Alex!

[@mmanut]

Hot air rises, using that computer fan is clever but you have the fan down on floor level where air temperature is the coldest. Maybe connect a 6 ft pvc pipe to the hole in floor and the fan at top of pipe this way you are supplying warmer air to the space under house. I bet it works. Just a suggestion. GOOD LUCK GUYS, Vinny 🇺🇸

[@50Acres]

Thanks Vinny, we'll keep experimenting with this and see what works!

[@douggibson9084]

Another great update, Mike. Thanks

[@50Acres]

You bet, my pleasure Doug

[@billytingen3567]

Hey Mike. That was very useful information. Thanks for sharing. Sarah will be happy. I admire that you are so very adept at wiring. It really gets all mixed up inside my brain but I like trying to learn. Next Month I will be attempting to build a Gothic Arch Greenhouse on my property and if that goes well, a Utility Shed. I am preparing the garden, fruit trees and nut trees, then next year, we will begin the house. Have a great week.

[@50Acres]

Hey Billy sounds like you are doing all the fun projects I want to move on to!

[@kevinwilliams8662]

Enjoyed the show

[@daviddarnell8898]

Use a tube for return air with inlet near the ground. Also make a bit bigger than air in hole to allow for friction loses in tube.

[@50Acres]

Good call, thats what I'm thinking

[@bobjoncas2814]

good idea, stay safe...

[@50Acres]

Thanks, you too!

[@TowerHand]

My two cents, typical forced air furnace pulls air from the return. It's more effective to pull the cold air from the space as long as the warm air can be drawn into the space. By flipping your fan over and adding a vent tube from the warm space to the bottom of the cool space it will be more effective.

[@VelvetRedRoses]

I think I remember reading that cold goes to warm when reading about insulation. I'll have to ponder that statement; may be useful.

[@FatherVinyard88]

Can we get some thumbs up for Mike bringing back the beard and long hair?!?!?

[@Chudhole]

Might get more airflow or volume with a little box under the fan. Maybe even funnel shaped?

[@AJ-ms1oi]

The big fan is how I found your channel :-)

[@criticalevent]

You probably could have skipped the secondary relay for such a small fan, but now you have something you could also trigger a heat source off of if you wanted.

[@50Acres]

I tried to get it to work without it, not sure if I had it wired wrong or what.

[@PeterKNoone]

Might want to consider conduit for wires that are outside. Rodents really love to chew on wire insulation.

[@lennylama]

"Act like an idiot, and everyone loves train wreck..." My wife says I went viral a long time ago lol.

[@briankleinkopf8557]

*LOL*

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Danke fürs Hochladen! 👍 Thanks for uploading!

[@judyduguay6349]

Love the white washed, I even did the white washed on my Cedar shingles on the outside.

[@gordonfleming7976]

Another great idea and project, till next time Mike, take care and remain well :)

[@50Acres]

Thanks, you too!

[@robj4727]

Love your innovation!

[@50Acres]

Thank you!

[@mykxtyr]

Don't dwell on the negative comments bro. Anytime you go public you are going to get trolled. Keep up the good work. G'Day from Australia ;)

[@50Acres]

I appreciate that

[@dianeandersen150]

Love the drone footage.Did you get that tiger picture yet?🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯💙💙💙

[@50Acres]

Did you see my tiger T shirt? I think I wore it in a video when I built the outdoor shower!

[@shirleymersereau7660]

CAN you put à Link on the relay And thé fan, good job And great idea

[@ourselfreliantlife]

The Oracle is all wise. Best to keep her happy.😁

[@50Acres]

She knows and sees all!!😂😂😂

[@shawnr771]

Good idea. Not sure that small of a fan will have sufficient airflow to offset the temperature under the cabin. Let us know. I have seen some larger computer fans from older server computers that are about 6x6 that moved a lot of air. I got mine super cheap but last time I priced one they wanted 96 dollars for one. This one will run all night on a big deer feeder battery. You might find one of those remote thermometers and install it under the cabin so you can see what the actual temp against how cold it is outside. In my opinion you do not need the return air. You would just be sucking colder air up into the heated space.

[@50Acres]

I just got back from a trip, I had a little time to test it, it brought the temperature from 34 to 40 in an hour. I need it to be colder to give it a better test.

[@shawnr771]

@@50Acres great.

[@sunnylandcamper]

Wasnt looking for this but its on my list of 2 dos

[@user-gu2zh7yp1t]

I just built a cabin by myself on 10 acres over the last year, also on piers. I'm just finishing up wiring. For testing purposes, do you see any problems if I go from my vehicle battery, to 200w inverter, to extension cord with cut end in a 15A breaker to backfeed main panel powering a single phase so I can test all the circuits on that phase?

[@50Acres]

For testing purposes that would probably work fine. Or you could use a multimeter and test for continuity. If you search that I’m sure a lot of good videos will pop up.

[@rotattor]

Nice job, would have been nice to use a dump load from excess solar to a small heater and fan ( 500 watt ceramic ) when you aren't there heating the cabin as well of your axial fan setup. Did this for my ice fishing hut, got tired of cracked pump housings and split pex pipe, having a backup is great piece of mind. Cheaper too, diaphragm pumps are expensive. Cheers from Ottawa Ontario PS. can't put the shack on the ice yet with only 8 inches of ice so far in this region, so it's drinking in the garage with the boys for now !

[@50Acres]

A dump load would be really nice, I’ve explored doing that for hot water heating but it’s actually quite complex to make it happen with the solar charge controllers I’m currently using.

[@jlsinchina]

Great work.

[@sandravanlankvelt7975]

Dang I am sooooo confused red, black, yellow tape holy cow!!! Which way does it go....up, down and all around. Look mom the fan is blowing.....BACKWARDS LOLOLOL This is I think your funniest video I have seen I think? God's blessings to you and GREAT J O B!!!

[@joshbannon8989]

Good idea too keep the pipes from freezing.

[@50Acres]

Thanks Josh

[@toddbaumann3980]

You may want to make a dome of screen over that fan so stuff dosent fall in or get sucked in and plug up that screen under that fan just a suggestion

[@davidbalgosky4107]

You screwed the board with your thermostat on over top of the wire to your lightbulb ? Did I see that correctly?

[@50Acres]

yea, thats an old 12 v bulb and those wires are orphaned. Pulling out those wires and wiring in a new 24v bulb to a switch down there is on my projects to get done list.

[@Military-Museum-LP]

Good advice. Thanks

[@50Acres]

You bet!

[@ED3]

Hope this works great for you. Have great week.

[@50Acres]

Thank you! You too!

[@robertnelson8479]

I was cracking up for the bleeped words. Sometimes you got to swear to make sh*t work.

[@50Acres]

they definitely help!

[@ronsmith1364]

history of swearing.....

[@patmatt975]

I usually use blue for common. Some use black.

[@50Acres]

Yea, I looked it up after I made that video, saw that it is usually blue.

[@murraymitchell22]

You need to move that fan on top of your stove. It works best when the top is cooler. Put it to th side and let it push air across the chimney pipe.

[@50Acres]

Thanks for the tip!

[@VelvetRedRoses]

Yes, good tip. Thanks!

[@mikewinn1484]

This will only work when you are there right? There won't be any heat on when you aren't. The fan won't run your battery power during that time will it?

[@50Acres]

Yea this will only work when we are there. We won’t heat the cabin while we are gone so there wouldn’t be any warm air to move.

[@OGKingz]

Hey! Started a channel like yours but i have a question , i have an off grid property and it loses power a lot in winter how can i keep my pipes from freezing any tips? Thanks

[@OGKingz]

would you hookup a heater to a battery?

[@50Acres]

Winter is very tough, what I do is drain my system while I'm gone and just let the temperature drop.

[@geruner]

Short and sweet... nice.

[@50Acres]

Thanks!

[@lucillekenney8311]

What are those beautiful red/orange rocks off to the right at the beginning of the video?

[@50Acres]

Those are rocks that I pulled off a hillside from another section of my property. Over the years the creek has dug its way into the ground and it leaves these rocks sticking out of the hillside. They are a mix between sandstone and limestone.