Off the Grid
Stories from a disconnected life by Alanna Vitucci
You don’t normally pay attention to how important water is to a functioning home. Without water you can’t flush the toilet, take a bath/shower or cook.
Recently we learned this lesson the hard way – when our well decided to quit pumping water at 2 am on a Saturday morning. Having woken up to some rather alarming noises from our water heater, once the sun was up, we started trying to contact the pump company. Only to learn that they had no 24-hour service number, and normal hours of operation were from 8-5 Monday through Friday. (Note to self – when living off the grid always ensure that you have repair numbers handy.)
After several frustrating hours, we quickly learned that water for cooking and showers was a plus, being able to use the toilet was non-negotiable. So amid dire thoughts of having to drill a deeper well, or worse – that the huge aquifer that we lived on top of had suddenly become bone dry – we packed up the baby and decamped to my parents home in Scottsdale for the remainder of the weekend.
Come Monday morning I placed a very anxious call to the pump company and they promised to send a technician out right away. After eight hours of work we had a new pump and several hundred feet of new casing inside the well itself.
The verdict – phew – was not that we had a problem well.
Rather, when our home was being built, the company delivering the roof tresses had backed over one of our tanks. At the time, everyone thought there had been no damage to the well itself. It turns out everyone was wrong – as the well casing had been cracked in five places and the old pump working overtime to draw water out of the leaky well.
That evening I took a long, hot bath and thanked the gods that our well was still, well, well!
Alanna Vitucci is the President of Cactus Blossom Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm located in Ft. McDowell, Arizona. For additional information or to request a project quote, please log onto elance.com and search for CactusBlossomCom under the provider list. Or, contact her directly at 602.418.9068 / cactusblossomcom@direcway.com.
We’ve all seen the ads — beautiful, cheap land for sale. Wouldn’t it be great, we think, to get away from it all and relax in our own cabin in the forest, undisturbed by modern life?
There’s just one hitch. There are generally no modern conveniences either. No phone, sewage, water or electricity for miles and miles.
Until recently, building in such remote areas was often expensive at the very least, or downright impossible. Today however, more and more Americans are building off the grid lifestyles or vacation escapes.
A key factor in this shift has been the development of cost-effective off-the grid power generation systems such as solar technology, wind power and even propane. These systems are not new, but rather today’s companies have developed better ways in which to harness and store the energy they create.
But how do these systems work, and are they consistently reliable?
Capturing the Sun’s Energy
At the simplest level, solar energy systems are comprised of cells that are generally placed on rooftops. These cells collect solar energy and convert it into electricity, which is then stored in water tanks or batteries for later use.
The Power of Wind
Power generated by harnessing wind is one of the world’s cleanest power sources. “By connecting a spinning rotor (an assembly of blades attached to a hub) to an electric generator, modern wind turbines convert wind energy, which turns the rotor, into electrical energy.†Throughout the world, Denmark, Germany, China and India have invested in wind power to supplement their traditional power sources. And, in the United States, there are several large wind farms. The biggest of which is Altamont Pass, currently operating 6,000 rotors, in California.
Propane
Propane is a clean burning gas that is generally stored in a tank outside of the home and piped inside. Today, propane can be used to power just about any household appliance, from heating and lighting to drying and cooking.
So if you have one of these ads tucked away somewhere in the what-if pile on your desk, maybe it’s time to call back that realtor!
According to Bergey.com, off the grid power systems generally cost between $5,000 and $50,000, depending on their size and complexity. Given that solar and wind generation systems are dependent on the whims of Mother Nature, a redundant or secondary energy source is generally recommended. Once a consistent power system is established, it then becomes relatively simple to install a well and septic system to provide water and waste disposal.
So now that the dream can be a reality, what’s next? Head to your nearest bookstore for a cup of coffee and spend the next several hours pouring over books of log cabins. Then dream about snoozing in the hammock that will be hanging from the back our your new porch!
