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Transient Shelters, Part 6 |
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RV Features
At a minimum your RV will contain a bed (or beds), a table, and food preparation and storage areas. Larger, more expensive units will also have their own bathroom, a refrigerator, and may include a living room and a master bedroom. They may also have a converter, which changes the AC current found at camp hookups to the DC power needed to run most of the on-board appliances. Fancier units will have satellite TV, satellite Internet, slide-out sections (some slide out on both sides of the unit to make an enormous living room), and awnings. These road-hogs are usually big enough that they can also tow a small vehicle or a trailer loaded with ATVs.
RV Prices
New RVs can run from as little as $12,000 to as much as $2 million; $80,000 will buy a very large, practical, livable arrangement. (There are many for sale in my area for prices as low as $6,000.) Anything more than this is impractical, and the money would be better spent greening the mansion that the owners live in when they're not "roughing it."
RVs are great, especially if you actually have an off-grid RV unit. But let's face it: The majority of RVers are |
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Catchment Systems |
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A water catchment system (aka, surface-water containment system, rain-harvesting storage system, runoff catchment system) is an attractive alternative where groundwater is contaminated, wells can't be dug, springs can't be found, or where rainwater is low. These types of systems have been in use for thousands of years in countries with poor groundwater resources. Even in the desert, a short rain can deliver enough water to keep the household going until the next storm.
The most common form of storm harvesting is a simple rain barrel, fed by the downspout of the rain gutters or eaves of the building. There's a huge inventory of commercial rain barrels to choose from, some with their own roof-cleaner diverters (they divert the roof water until the roof has been rinsed off). By the way, metal or clay-tile roofs seem to be cleaner than shingled roofs. If you have a shingled roof, you'll want a roof-cleaner diverter and perhaps a pre-filter in the system before the water enters the storage device.
The water from a barrel is not pressurized, but can be used to water a garden via a hose from the barrel drain. Elevating the barrel (commonly on cinder blocks) a bit increases the pressure, but |
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Water-Source Hygiene |
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Pay attention to what's happening around your water source and its watershed. Watch for dead animals, contamination by human sewage, and chemical contamination.
Filter your water. Consider putting a filter/chlorinator system at the well head and installing purifiers on or before the faucets that will be used for drinking and cooking water. When it comes to filters, you generally get what you pay for. Expect to fork out some dollars for a good system and be aware that high-tech filtering systems require periodic filter replacement and water testing.
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Testing Your Water |
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Test any off-grid water before you drink it. If you can't test it first, you can use a combination of methods to treat and purify it: water treatment tablets from the local sporting goods store, or household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, 3 to 6 percent) at a ratio of 1 teaspoon to 5 gallons of water.
Lab samples for testing for microorganisms, ncluding Giardia cysts, and chemicals need to be fresh (less than twenty-four hours old). Use an independent testing service to do the tests. Comprehensive testing will cost a couple of hundred dollars. The local health department will be able to have the testing done for less, but getting the HD involved may be a mistake. If they shut you down, it could be nearly impossible to get them "uninvolved."
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Water Heating Devices |
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Storage or tank-type water heaters are the most common in the American home. They are usually 20- to 80-gallon capacity, and fueled by electricity, propane, oil, or natural gas. These units heat up water in an insulated tank and provide a large amount of water for a short period of time. The disadvantage of these units is that they use energy even when not in operation. The life expectancy of a tank is ten to fifteen years, but can be increased by replacing the tank's internal anode rod.
Heat Pump Heaters
These units use a heater/compressor and refrigerant fluid to transfer heat from one place to another. They are fueled by electricity, but the heat source is warm air in the vicinity of the heat pump. For this reason heat pumps work best in warm climates. They use less electricity because it takes less energy to move heat than to create it. They are available with built-in water tanks called integral units, or as add-ons to existing water heaters. They are expensive and complicated to install, so it's best to hire a contractor for this job.
Indirect Water Heaters
Indirect water heaters use the home heating system's boiler. Hot water is stored in a |
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