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Alternative Heat

What are you using to heat your cabin, shelter, tent, house, structure you live in?

Wood stoves? Kerosene heater? Electric heater? Propane? Solar? Geo thermal?


I am curious to hear what you off grid folks do in the winter . In the suburbs you can just flip a switch and the heat comes on, but what if it doesn’t?

what is your preferred alternative heat source?

Since you’re asked about off grid applications i’ve done a lot of thinking, research and watched a crap ton of youtube videos for a cool offgrid heating option for my little cabins I’m restoring.

For my larger 24x12 cabin I’m going to build the floor up right from ground up and have a buck stove in the center.

For the smaller 12x12 cabins I was going to use a mini cubic but decided for the amount of money they want it’s kind of a cheesy set up especially since they want a fortune for their small diameter double insulated pipe and most people source them cheaper from boat supply places.

After some serious thought I figured I’d get a quality wall mount direct vent propane heater like a martin .
A couple 100# propane tanks should last quite a long time with the limited use Id have for the. during the cold months.

If if I started renting the cabins I would probably just get a 500# tanks and have a service come top them off as needed.

I don’t have natural gas and everything is off grid.

Still figuring out my solar systems but need to do some tree removal first for many reasons.

I’ve even contemplated hydro elecric power with a water turbine but I would have to dam up my creek for a more viable head pressure and I do t think that’s an option given today’s edicts of the king and what belongs to the king on the property you pay taxes on.

At this point I have my solar needs figured out for basic lights.
My cabins won’t have plumbing as they’ll be basic rough it camping but I do have an outdoor sink with 1000’ of water line tapped into the natural spring that runs up the mountain.
Built a pack it out outhouse ....you basically do your thing in a bagged bucket lined with cat litter and fine cedar chips.

So far my lighting needs are simple battery powered led strips that are plenty fine.
We also use oil lamps and candles just like they did in the old days.

It don’t take a lot of creature comforts to make me happy.

I’ve had several family
members and a few friends use the finished small cabin and they absolutely loved it for a fun weekend get away.

We have a fire pit , grille, pavillion and kids playground stuff.
It’s a great family escape/hunting camp.
 
Check out waste engine oil burning. Easy to make your own but will require some type of air blower that uses ac or dc. Heats very well.
 
I just ordered this. Assorted sizes, 6 ft of each width
 

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Rim fire guy with the cast iron stove reminds me of the cabin we had when I was growing up.
We had a pot bellied stove for heat, we burned wood during the day and would put a shovel or two full of coal in it for the night.

That coal always amazed me, kept us warm all night and became one hot cinder to start a new fire in the morning...... I miss that damned thing.
I remember coal was $6 a ton and they delivered to my uncles house,back in the 50's early 60's
 
I have forced natural gas as primary, natural gas wall mount as backup, 2 40lb propane tanks with heater as further backup, last resort, i have a large female neighbor lady

Here’s to hoping we don’t have to rely on our neighbors for heat.

Merry Christmas Buddy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
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