The Campfire Trail: December 13 - DIY Homestead

December 13, 2022

Day 438 of the Adventure

It had to happen sooner or later and today was the day. Our primary heat system at the cabin is a wood stove. This is fine when we are there every day for at least part of the day. If we are ever gone for more than that, the stove by itself will not be enough. While it's odd to think of wood heat being the primary source, in our case, that's how we set it up. Our back up heat is electric base boards, which, as of this morning, had yet to be installed. That changed today. One of the isolated "on-grid" electrical circuits connected to the cabin was for the electric heaters. If we lose grid power at any time, the electric heaters will be nearly useless. I say "nearly" because we do have an alternative if they are needed during a power outage. (remember, wood is the main source) The solar and battery system could operate them for a short time. However, that would deplete the batteries pretty quickly. If needed, we have a pair of generators, either of which can power the entire cabin, including heaters and hot water, as long as our generator fuel holds out.

All of this, is of course, a system of redundant sources of alternative heat. From a self-sufficiency standpoint, we like the wood as a cost-effective way to keep us warm. It's likely that any other source will not be that necessary other than in times of emergency or simple convenience. For example, there are days when we travel out for most of the day. It will be nice to return home to a comfortable cabin temperature long after the wood fire has died out. Self-Sufficiency and preparedness are all part of our Cabin in the Woods goals. It's nice to know there are options!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “There's no harm in hoping for the best as long as you're prepared for the worst.” ― Stephen King

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Lost in the Dark (Colombia Dark French Roast)

SNEAK PEEK of our Upcoming OFF-GRID project

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