will this work (Bangor: appliances, how much, house)

[boonelsewhere]

i have a choice to build close to the street with power hook up, or in the wood with nice water view but no power(or spend $60k to get it).
my decision is to build in the wood with the view, at first will use stand by LP generator to run house hold power and later hook up to power when it get closer. generator is very expensive to run, the small unit 8kw will consume 1 gallon of LP per hour that is about $4-5 per hour, this is out of the question to run 24/7.

NMLM suggested why not use generator for 1-2 hours to charge battery for 12 volt appliances and pump water to the elavated tank for later usage.

i like the idea, but will this work.

[Bydand]

That works just fine. Biggest thing is to learn how to conserve the limited power the batteries will provide and the limited water the tank will hold. It has been done for a long time in the remote hunting, logging, and fishing camps all over the place.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

It's working today in Northern Maine. Lots of people do it. Get a couple of solar panels to keep your batteries peaked up.

Bangor Hardly gets $17 a foot to bring in power.

Eastern Maine Electric gets $3.85 a foot to do the same.

[shadowfax1997]

$60K is certainly a lot.

I would guess for a third of that you could setup solar panels and a battery system. I don't know much about this setup though. I did check into panels on my house as a supplement, but the payback was 25 years. Not a good enough investment.

I would also check into heating water through solar - assuming you have decent sun access and orient the house correctly. Insulate well. And perhaps collect rain water for uses such as a toilet, thus not needing to run pump as much? I don't know how efficent/cost effective that might be.

[peachie_in_maine]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

It's working today in Northern Maine. Lots of people do it. Get a couple of solar panels to keep your batteries peaked up.

Bangor Hardly gets $17 a foot to bring in power.

Eastern Maine Electric gets $3.85 a foot to do the same.

I'm interested in solar panels and what they can do for me.

[Nor'Eastah]

One of my favorite issues of Home Power magazine had an article written by a guy who lived off-grid on the coast of Oregon. Not much sun there! He had a great system going - a deep-cycle battery bank which he charged up for an hour each morning with a diesel generator. He did all his heavy electrical work (tools, laundry, etc) in the morning when the generator ran. When he turned it off, the batteries were topped off and good for the rest of the 24-hour period, including lighting at night. So yes, a system like that would definitely work.

What interests me is the attic water tank that supplies gravity-fed water during the day/night. What sort of a tank is this, and how many gallons would it need to hold? How much reinforcement would the attic need to hold the tank when full? I recall that NMLM described that it had a shut-off system like a toilet, and that would be easy. I'm just concerned about the weight of water over the ceiling.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

My people use a 50 gallon plastic drum for gravity feed water. It weighs less than 400 pounds because it never gets above 40 gallons due to the float mechanism in the barrel. That's like two people standing beside each other.

Deep cycle batteries are the way to go. I recommend at least six. Use low wattage lighting like those new curly bulbs.

Diesel generators are quite economical to buy and run. Check out the new style Lister generators.

http://psychicworldusa.com/Lister_Gen/Lister1.html

They burn 1/4 gallon an hour.

Copy the URL before somebody deletes it.

[Nor'Eastah]

Thanks for the info, NMLM! I'm sure we can scare up a 50 gallon barrel somewhere. The 400 lbs doesn't sound like a problem. Diesel generators come highly recommended but I understand that diesel gels in cold temps? Can it be kept liquid in winter? I wouldn't want to store it inside the house!

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

My people use a 50 gallon plastic drum for gravity feed water. It weighs less than 400 pounds because it never gets above 40 gallons due to the float mechanism in the barrel. That's like two people standing beside each other.

Deep cycle batteries are the way to go. I recommend at least six. Use low wattage lighting like those new curly bulbs.

Diesel generators are quite economical to buy and run. Check out the new style Lister generators.

http://psychicworldusa.com/Lister_Gen/Lister1.html

They burn 1/4 gallon an hour.

Copy the URL before somebody deletes it.

What about freezing in the attic. The more insulation you have the colder the attic stays. I don't know about your house but a water barrel in my attic would freeze solid.

[boonelsewhere]

Originally Posted by Bydand

That works just fine. Biggest thing is to learn how to conserve the limited power the batteries will provide and the limited water the tank will hold. It has been done for a long time in the remote hunting, logging, and fishing camps all over the place.

thanks Bydand,
i remember in the previous post you recoment minimium 14kw, i went with 8kw since my plan is to have a few things connect to the system (no ac, no heating, no washer/dryer ). it main purpose is to charge battery and pump water to the water tank, and it use about half of LP per hour. I don't know the detail (at full load, partualy load, etc.)

thanks NMLM,
i know,i can always count on you.

as for diesel generator, i just don't want to have another thing to deal with since we will use LP for cooking and water heater.

BUT 1/4 gallon per hour might make me think about it.

My people use a 50 gallon plastic drum for gravity feed water. It weighs less than 400 pounds because it never gets above 40 gallons due to the float mechanism in the barrel. That's like two people standing beside each other.

Deep cycle batteries are the way to go. I recommend at least six. Use low wattage lighting like those new curly bulbs.

Diesel generators are quite economical to buy and run. Check out the new style Lister generators.

The 650 RPM Lister Generator

They burn 1/4 gallon an hour.

Eastern Maine Electric gets $3.85 a foot to do the same.

will they just run the line or you have to buy electric from them.
i think,Bangor Hydro Electric provide the service in the area.