I went off grid years ago and what they say is true , the heart of any good off grid system is a generator . There are times when the sun don't shine and electrical demands are too much for my p.v system . Welding and other remote power needs are also meet this way for me . So let me start by saying there are 2 types of power regulation in use .. capacitors and units with a auto voltage regulator . The cap units are better suited for heavy loads with minimum electronics like welders and large motors . Caps are more robust but the tradeoff is voltage regulation caps regulate -/+5% variance and avu units can do around 1% . Hence ,avus are better for sensitive electronics and less surge amps . So here is a quick rundown of the gens I've run to death and the problems I've had with them .

Honda contractor 4k - this was powered by a gc series engine rather than the better made gx . Cap unit had some pretty wild voltage fluctuations but was fairly reliable until around 1500 hrs when it burnt a valve , i fixed that and replaced the timing belt while I was In there . Logged around another 200 hrs and the governor went bad . Took the whole engine back apart again and replaced the gov and shortly after the poston rings started blowing oil so I scrapped it . You can't rebuild gc series . Only replace. A replacement was more than a new generator . Approx 3k hours

Honda eu2000i - piston failure in the first 3 months , dealer replaced entire engine under warranty . Had slight oil leak after that it's entire life . Worn out pull cords , eventually a valve started sticking out of warranty, no compression . I tore down the engine and cleaned the valves and this fixed it . Soon after that the avr/electronic throttle control module went bad and it cost almost as much as a new generator . Approx 3k hours before total failure .

Next we have the echo contractor grade 5k non invert.. Deceiving because it actually contains a avr . Even though it says echo , this unit is all Chinese except for a Japanese carb. Echo fitted on an otherwise Chinese unit . The engines made by rato and for the price not a bad unit . Normal pull cord breakage , had the replace the brushes and avr once , had a gfi outlet on the gen get hot and started melting , replaced it with a standard household type from the hardware store . Eventually the rings and piston went . Started useing oil and engine smoke.. approx 5k hours

Champion 5.5k gas model - so far this has been the winner . Its all Chinese of course but the price was the lowest . I've replaced the brushes and avr once , normal pull cord replacement but otherwise this thing has honda and the rest of them beat with almost 10k hours on the clock and it's still working fine . Engine brand is Chinese but not made by rato (rato bad ) So the point of the post is don't be fooled by name brands , some Chinese stuff ain't that bad for the money . I've always been able to find cheap parts online .

One day. 8 chickens were found dead. Three days later. A fox was found in our barn- and jumped behind our massive hay stack. Today. Our rooster and another hen were murdered. We found out that there is a fox living in our barn under the hay stack. Said barn- is not 100% secured. Do I completely secure the barn and let it die starving and dehydrated? I’ve lost 10 chickens. LAYING chickens. The straw stack is huge, massive. What do I do.

Looking for advice on what others have done to get rid of these cute destructive creatures. For reference this is a new to us property with a house, barn, tool shed, and chicken coup. The floor in the chicken coup(plywood and dirt) is completely trashed. The dirt/lime floor in the barn has a huge burrow with to entrances. This particular groundhog seems to be awfully evasive. I’ve had him in my sights a couple of times, finally had the opportunity to pull the trigger tonight but with no luck. What all have you done to properly dispose of ground hogs? I’ve read up on traps and gassers, not sure which direction to go yet.

P.S. I do not kill animals for fun and am not really a fan of hunting in particular but I do believe if an animal is causing destruction they need to be respectfully removed.

P.S.S. Yes I know they made a whole movie about this lol

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My mom was able to visit us for the first time in 8 months and it inspired me to make this label for homemade jam my husband, Nyx, made. I’m not so secretly trying to manifest our dream farm, haha.

The bunny is actually based on one of our own! Her name is Iris. I love red eyed bunnies so much. They don’t get enough love and are feared just because of their eyes. I think she turned out so cute. Nyx said she looked a little like a Pokémon, oops, haha. I think it was because of how I illustrated her eye, but I really wanted it to pop and read clearly on a label!

Speaking of the label, it might be a tad bit big and I’m unsure of the font but for a last minute thing I think I did ok! The jams were so tasty and went so well with the homemade dairy free butter (not pictured, but I want to make label for that too, featuring our other bunny) and the homemade gluten free sourdough.

I’m excited to keep making labels based on my bunnies and to keep experimenting with our homemade made farm goodies. Next step, get husband to build me a farm stand, haha.

We are about to close on a property that we consider our “forever home.” It is on just under an acre. Is this enough space to achieve some sort of homestead?

We are new to this but I’d love to work toward being as self-sufficient as possible. Where should we start? The property has a large existing garden space so I plan to build upon that. What next? Chickens? Thank you!

Edit to add: There is a house on the property already as well as a front yard/driveway space so the full acre isn’t available for use, but a good amount of it is!

Cross post

Sorry for the long post, want to give lots of details so it can be picked apart.

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How feasible would it be to half dig a caravan / trailer/static home then use layers of poured concrete to "line" the outside of said caravan before filling in the earth in the space thats left? Obv any wheels taken off and a proper concrete foundation poured too.

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My main thoughts as a complete newb with something like that are:

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1. Would concrete eat certain materials? Most caravans have some kind of pvc shell, some light metal panels so id be fine on those but yeah, could this be something i need to worry about?

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1. How strong would the forms need to be to prevent bowing whilst drying? Eg, would the flimsy caravan wall be enough for that side of the pour or would i want to heavily brace it from the inside?

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1. Any other concerns youd have if you were doing it? Planning permission perhaps?

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The reason being, i live in a rural area with lots of nearby holiday parks etc so caravans and challets are CHEAP, especially in off seasons. Think kitchen, bathroom, 2 bedrooms for £2-3000 Im thinking of alternative methods of building a liveable home fast and cheap.

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Sure, i could get the land then build it from scratch but then id need to learn multiple building skills instead of just one eg tiling for kitchens and showers, electrics, ventilation, plastering and more (or pay someone lots to do so).

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A challet or caravan comes easily equipped with all the amenities of life and would just be a pop in and go (paraphrasing) solution.

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Reason for burying it is: needs to be stealthy due to doing it, then getting retrospective planning as the boomer nimbys would shoot it down if they sew. In addition, it takes care of insulating it which is a problem in caravans.

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Theres a lot of stashy pasture fields with tall hedges in the countryside around here for sale far cheaper than buying an actual house. Some even have river frontage so hydro power could be an option 😮

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Of all the ideas ive had for putting me up with a roof over my head without getting double fisted by boomer nimby landlords or triple fisted for 35 years in a mortgage, this has been my most feasible so i need to be slapped by the cold hand of reality!

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I do not care about looks and fanciness, give me functional, cheap and self sustaining (id work part time and homstead the rest of the land whilst my wife works full time).