First Nights LIVING OFF GRID in the FREEZING COLD High Desert 🥶
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- We've officially moved into our remote cabin in the high desert! These are our first few (very cold) nights living off grid.
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Get a thermoelectric fan to spread the heat from the wood stove around the cabin.
Don't get discouraged.
Get a truck, and get a transport water tank .
You will need it.
The elevation is why your generator is not working.
You'll need to rejet it or have it adjusted to the elevation.
Mister buddy is a must.
Chainsaw a must.
At least 3 cord of wood for the winter months.
GOOD LUCK.
SOLAR SHOWER IS A MUST AS WELL.
Hi Nate and Shannon, just my experience living in the snow and somewhat wet conditions in the Lake Tahoe area, keep you wood burning pile covered. It is much harder to start a fire with wet wood, even just a little bit of moisture can affect the wood. Also, love the golf clubs in the tub and the fake faucets. Not sure why I thought it was really funny. Thanks for allowing us to follow your journey! 😄
I was going to suggest the same thing!
Definitely need a good shed for wood storage!
So true. Keep it covered.
A couple of things you might think about… A fan that works off of the heat rising from your woodstove. This will move the air about your cabin really fast and will make it more even heated. The next item I would suggest is a rechargeable USB showerhead. You can heat your water on the stove and then shower in the bathtub with the showerhesd. 1 gallon of boiling water will heat up 4 to 5 gallons of cool water to a decent bath temp.
In total agreement with the fan, Michelle. A few years ago an ice storm took out our power for a week, with the temperatures in the 20's and teens. It was then that we discovered how important our wood stove blower was. Without the fan, we had to sleep in front of the stove, in sleeping bags. With the fan energized, the stove heated the entire room to a comfortable temperature and kept our house from freezing. We now have a backup generator with the wood stove blower on one of the circuits. By the way, there are a number of those "heat powered" fans, that are energized by just placing the fan on the top of a stove. Have you had experience with these?
@@rosewoodsteel6656 That is exactly the fan I was suggesting.
Looking forward to cabin improvements and the tiny house build 😁
It really is a beautiful place. Given the determination you both have, I think you will make both little places pretty, comfortable & functional.
I love the winter time better than the desert it's so comfy and cozy
Freezing? Ick!
-San Francisco fan girl
My first Friday video 📹. Great to see you spend your first few nights 🌙 on the cabin. Look forward to future videos 📹.
great place to hang out-live /peace an quite/thanks much
Water delivered LOL what a life!
this channel took a surprising turn for the better, this foray into the desert is original and should prove interesting
Harbor freight has a drummand portable well pressure tank. Connect to water tank with 1" hose and run to your faucets . Check it out.
Will do! That could be a nice option
Oh my gosh I can't wait for these episodes. This is my favorite show right now.
I lived in a cabin in Northern NM for years. If you look around, you can find oak (best) or pinon firewood. It burns much slower and will last through the night better on cold nights.
...and one handsome wood stove!
You guys have an amazing view! Beautiful looking out that front window.
I'm sure you have a list of folks wanting to visit and some help with projects. Super awesome your doing this. Bless you two
Shannon’s sense of the ironic always cracks me up
Try an electric blanket. For only 40-90W each hour, you can stay super warm.
I’m always amazed when I get packages UPS delivers to us way out here. You need to go into town and get a PO Box the post office will inform you on how everything works. As far as your Mr. buddy heater I don’t know what elevation you’re at but propane is funny over 2000 feet elevation. My mister buddy didn’t work keep shutting itself off. I got a 30,000 BTU propane heater and that works excellent off a 20 pound tank. As I like to say every improvement you make is a game changer.
I lived on the central coast of CA for 12 years in a house that only had a wood burning stove. Not as cold as there for sure. But a cord of wood a year kept us mighty toasty. So happy for you both. What a great adventurous life you lead.
A cord! Holy Moly. We use about 3 or 4 cords a winter!
@@hhall3533 ya well, that was Central CA where you burn wood just to take the nip out of the air. No snow!
We have a Honda generator that starts every time, and it sits in the garage in all four seasons. It's probably 8 yrs. old. Just thought you would like to know that we've had good luck with that.
Love your "new" location! And it looks like you'll have some great learning opportunities. What fun! I'm looking forward to seeing the progress you make. 😀👍
You need an ECO fan atop of your wood stove to spread the heat throughout your living space. And you'll save on fuel.
Beautiful
Rain water is perfectly safe to drink. I’ve been drinking it all my life
I am overjoyed for you both with this new off grid property!! I love this place so much.
I think these upcoming videos will be some of your best. We are selling our house and painting the inside and doing fix ups…. When we get tired or burnt out we always think of you guys and your gusto to keep er movin’.
Inspirational 👍
Pretty cool.
Been catching up like 7 episodes…congratulations and digging the new opening logo scene :)
The Nate Hulk Scream...I wanna clip that, hehe
Beautiful property. Watching how you chop wood...better have a good first aid kit for leg and eye injuries handy.
Golf clubs in the bathtub, I don't know why that made me laugh so hard. We had a dip in temps & some snow & ice where I live. Hopefully better weather for you guys soon. Looking forward to your journey in this next chapter. 🙏✌
Very nice land congratulations.
I spent a good part of a Northern Wisconsin winter in a hunting cabin with a old wood stove. Temps around -10°f. Incase u don't know you should get the house really warm before bed, then fill the stove with hard wood and shut down all the VENTS so it burns slowly and by morning you should still have enough coals that u just have to add wood. Another interesting idea I've seen was a radiator system built from a water heater. Very cheap and safe. 😎
If you starve a wood stove for oxygen, you will get soot build up in the pipe, which again will highten the risk drastically for a fire in the pipe/cabin. They seem to be far away from any fire station, so they must be very carefull when using both the wood stove and propane heaters. I would not have built a DIY radiator system. It can explode from the pressure in the system if you don't know what you are doing.
@@milcotto4153 I would re-read my comments. If you start every day with a hot fire that doesn't happen. Plus it's customary to clean your pipe every once in a while. Also the person I know with the water heater heat, put it in 30 years ago. Nothing blew up. Plus I'm sure they would confirm any info before they did anything.
Hi Nate and Shannon. Another great vid. Just a quick note. You talked about possibly going to get a generator. You mentioned, though good, they are expensive. Before you put that money out, it would be an idea to go to Harbor Freight and take a look at a Predator. I've had one for over three years, and for me the best money for the product. Got it on a sale day, so it was $700. I also got the 2 year warranty, which if anything happens, just bring it back and they give you a new one. No service shop, no repair. And it runs quiet, about 55 decibels. There are a lot of reviews from other RV'ers for this unit. Long Long Honeymoon did a review, as did many others. I think it's worth looking it up to see if this may be what you need, for what you want to do. Thanks.
Haha that is exactly what we ended up doing! We bought a 2000W Predator a couple of weeks ago. It has been amazing so far!
Glad to read this. See you soon.
Generators usually have a special setting on the carburetor for higher elevations... I'm sure you'll get it running!
Genny is running rich with the thin air. Gotta adjust to let more air in and/or less fuel.
I really like the cabin!
Watching you guys makes us smile.
It's all a little overwhelming the first several months. And the "strange" factor, new place, new climate, will wear off fast. I'm excited for you, it's a beautiful situation.
I'd love to come and stay
Love them Walmart pies
wood stoves work very well. Have worked with many. Still get the buddy. You might need it.
Thank you for taking us along on your journey. A story... back in the late 1990s my husband and I decided to build a shed with a loft on some camping lots we own. My husband took some inherited hand saws and had them sharpened. I showed him a gas generator, but he said, we don't need that. I went back to the store and bought the generator when I got paid. After the piers were in and the floor, we were getting ready to build the rafters and he got through two cuts with the hand saws and I said could you help me unload a few things. He said why did you bring the power tools, there is no electricity out here? Then he saw the generator. He just shrugged and said "A big job deserves a new tool." That generator still works, but it is louder and uses more gas than the newer ones. Thank you again for taking us along.
Thank you for sharing your story. You might want to look into a quality diesel heater, very efficient and inexpensive to heat the home. I love wood stove. If you have a choice buy the hard firewood which has higher heat value - higher heat, cleaner and longer burn.
Looks like you are just east of Albuquerque nice area but lots of snow in winter.
Cozy!!! J
Lived a cabin for 22 years in Boulder Creek calif.2 fans.Recommend a rechargeable batter powered fan to setup by your stove to push the air out from behind your stove or hang above and push down.Easy fix is pick up some cheap aluminum sheets and place them all behind your stove to reflect the heat!
I can't wait to watch the build.
Happy for you two, looking forward to seeing the progress
Yes it does get cold in the desert!! Don't forget the summers it may get hot..Looks like a nice spot!
So beautiful there
We have electricity and a heat pump but in our A frame cabin the best source of heat is still our wood stove. Keeps us toasty warm as long as we can keep a good wood supply. You got to keep it going though.
Love the new adventure, can’t wait to see all the different videos coming up.
Bless you two. Lots of adventures ahead. Nate, if you are vigorously active outside, you will warm up. I used to chop wood at -35F and found myself stripped down to my sweat shirt truly sweating. And I was a skinny little thing. Other bonus of working outside now is snakes would be too cold to move much.
If you two do get too cold in the house, sleeping in the loft is much warmer, as is setting up a tent in the living room and hanging out in there til the woodstove is making things toasty again.
Writing to you from the cold, blustery, hailing "wet" coast of BC Canada. I'm worried the tarp over our new truck camper ( don't ask!) is going to blow away!
Yes, keep some wood inside for the next days burn, or two. Much more productive. Terrific place!
Nice place, I'm excited for you both. Can't wait for your next video. Take care. Sending love from the Philippines.
Sounds like a winner!
That was such a great choice to get that property. I am sure you will have a lot of visitors.
Interesting new adventure. I’m surprised those Nate, no ocean, no surfing. Of course Shannon is much more beautiful and interesting than a big wave. It’s going to be fun watching you guys new adventure.
I would recommend buying more firewood, and Axe and a maul for splitting wood. Are you going to be selling your tiny house or renting it out to support your cabin fix up?
Get yourself someone who looks at you the way Shannon looks at Nate 🤩
Some slot canyon hiking destinations are nearby with beautiful vistas of the surrounding mesas. Southwest of Sant Fe NM.
Yess!!! I have been waiting for this vid! I am so excited for you both and can't wait to follow your new journey ❤️🤗
You should look into a 48V server rack battery system Or Bluetti provides you with the AC300 with a couple of expansion batteries so you can store enough power for a week as a safety net.
Looks like a great cabin :)
Nate: You will have to do Serviver. How to chop up wood. Get a bigger tree stump. Helps as a base. (It's all about that base. No trouble). Sure is a new life going back to our roots, Caveman days. Before to start renovations to the house. Plan it well.
Thanks for sharing your videos. Sure was intertaining. "Action". Regards
I am so looking forward to this. This is my dream to find land where I can build what I want and have nobody around. The down side of this place looks like the wind and it will be interesting to see how hot it gets in summer. That cabin is perfect for what I want. How did you find this place? I feel like you guys may have been camping in your vans in this place as it looks a little familiar. Anyway, great job on finding this place and good luck.
Here's a self-serving idea: as well as renting the cabin and tiny house, have some rental boondocking spots for van lifers, maybe with a 7 day maximum stay.
Great idea! :)
Thanks for the videos. Suggest getting one of those fans that sit on top of the stove and uses the heat from the stove to power the fan.
Hopefully my family get to meet yous. You'll be our close neighborhood. The night skies is was I'm so excited to see when we move on the property. How many acres you have?
A wonderful video. Enjoy your new journey at home stead. Hopefully your guys find the new camper set. Cheers
curtains in layers can keep heat loss out the windows at night
You guys should get one of those water dispenser you put on a 5gallon jug I think that would be useful in a situation like this. 👍 great video
Nate, I've been following since you first started posting from the Element and I'm enjoying your new adventure with Shannon.
Do yourself a favor and get a proper chopping block. You're going to hurt yourself and break your hatchet splitting it on the rocky ground like you're doing.
very inspiring
Cool info abiut rainwater catching systems... I am unclear hiw the woamn before you got drinking water, if she chose not to drink it. Can one not drink it? Enjoy the wood stove! Glad it's working out well.
I’m all for the Honda generator! I have had several Honda generators over the years and I will honestly say the best generators I have ever owned! All I ever did to them was the oil change and minimal maintenance and they always started on the first or second pull. I was just wondering where your property is located, I think you said Arizona? I could tell it was the high desert. So excited to see where your next project takes both of you!
Get a very low wattage space heater for your solar generator (Bluetti?). Get 300 watts or less; they work great!
You must be kidding......
Even if you dont ever build an Earthship, earthbag structure there are a lot of systems they use that you could adopt to your situation. Like rainwater harvesting, solar, solar water heating and solar powered moisture harvesting. (Looks like thick solar panels but it collects moisture from the air). Either way I bet you will have a big trip to BigBattery in your future :)
THEY MAKE LITTLE FANS YOU PUT ON TOP OF THE STOVE IT RUNS OFF THE HEAT THEY WORK
1:23.. tonight we did order... I thought he was gonna say "Pizza". BTW .. how far is that place walmart, home depot, restuarants, human beings? If you trying to test Shannon's commitment .. this is perfect way. LOL
I would at least get a quote for having a well drilled.
I think that you both are doing the right thing, self sustainable. All the best. How close to town are you?
Beautiful place. I love it! But you haven't talked at ALL about your plans for the place, except to say that family or subscribers can come and stay. How much acreage is it? Are you renting? ...buying? Why did you get a tiny house when you have a cabin? Are you planning to build an off-grid community? Off-grid Air BnB rentals?
I said this like two weeks ago. It's my only criticism of the channel. They really don't talk about their plans at all. We're 3 weeks in and we have no idea WHY they went off grid like this. Does it matter? Not really but that's why we watch the channel
@@ywkhgqo I would agree. Hey, It’s their channel and they can do whatever they want but it is pretty rando alot of times. I dcontacted them as I have a tiny and trying to figure out where to put it but not a peep. My main issue and probably why I will not be following this much longer is a real lack of back and forth. I am not stalking. Curious as to the how and all that. Why else would you follow a channel.
The story of how we got here is pretty complicated. We will tell it in a future video, when we are ready.
The property is 20 acres. We are not planning to live full time in the tiny house or the cabin. "AirBnB rentals" is probably the closest description to our plans for this project. We plan to create an off-grid retreat with multiple structures that we can rent out to visitors/ travelers!
I purchased the tiny house with the intention of it becoming one those vacation rental structures. It will also serve as a home base for us part-time, once we finish the build.
I realize that this whole change has been a bit random and has a lot of moving parts. We can't wait to continue sharing this story with you all over the coming months!
@@ElementLife cool. The reason for my curiousty on a selfish level is I am looking for a home for my tiny home. For my biz I travel alot and want a base and have lived in tiny homes and LOVE it. Any help would bne appreciated.
I must have missed your previous message. I don't really check IG or FB messenger often though. Email is the best way to reach me. Feel free to send me one and I'll get back with you as soon as I can! nate@elementvanlife.com
I think a diesel heater would be a great investment in winter.
You have to check out The Indie Projects and Hannalee Duggar they did what your going to do !!!!
Watch out for the VIPERS! Not so much in winter, but in summer.? Get yourselves a ferret? Also the spider's? Why don't you get yourselves a PO Box for deliveries? All the best for your new lifestyle ☺️
I have been in search of property for a while now, do you mind sharing how you found property.
Why not put tiny home close to cabin add a covered walkway or enclosed between? Easy way add a carport between?
You guys are doing exactly what I want to do.... For me, go off grid and build up a sustainable thriving Basecamp!!! Yeah without having a well drilled you'll be hauling water in often. I plan to get a couple of 275 gal caged cube for water and have them elevated on a platform for gravity fed water to my structure until I drill out a permanent well. Loving this new journey for you both. Adventure on my friends.
Get a heat powered fan for the top of your wood burner. No batteries, no usb connection, no electricity needed. The higher the heat produced the faster the fan rotates to warm the room(s)
You need lots of blankets and lots of clothes double socks and gloves and your all good
How did you find this place?
If you get a good LFP bank... Not much money these days, but prices have jumped with the world situation. A good inverter will run most power tools. The Bluetti is a bit of an urban survivalist device. What Shannon said about it not being that hard. With the stuff that is out there these days, it's just getting it done. I'd like to do a New Mexico swing next Fall, People say everything is booked up in the State Parks. Might have to stay at your boondock sites. You might be pretty far along by the Fall. I'm trying to make my van more cold capable. Don't know if you have enough scrub for wildfires. In the wind, they chew up everything. You might do some clearing.
They can't run power tools on solar and an inverter. They need the generator for that. What they can do is charge the batteries for battery operated powertools on an inverter. That will not require much energy.
@@milcotto4153 I'm assuming the our friends are ready to move to the the real world of off grid, which includes things like power tools and split heat pumps. That means a big battery bank, a big inverter, and some decent amount of solar. This is not big money. You can buy used 36v 8kwh EV modules from battery hookup for $800. You can buy a 10,000 (ten thousand) watt (36v) pure sine inverter from a number of sources, around $1200. So, for two thousand dollars, you can power anything. Most people go with LFP, but the used EV packs are cheaper. David Poz does a lot of tests of high wattage equipment, inverters and solar regulators. The two can be integrated. We are talking induction loads, start up loads, and a lot of RV generators can't start and airconditioner. This is a decent article on loads: It's their research and their decisions:
www.donrowe.com/usage-chart-a/259.htm
I'd love to stay out there for 2 weeks in your tiny house. I am serious. Me and my dog. I'm a retired single senior female veteran. I home base at my daughter's land in Arkansas. Please let me know how to make a plan to stay at the desert house. TY
should get a solar flood light for the outside.
Maybe put a rain gutter for water.
How are you going to get out of there if you get a lot of snow during winter? Are you going to plow the road yourself? How far is it to the highway? If you have to do the plowing yourself, you better start saving up for something to plow the road with. Something big...
By winter I’m sure they will be doing something else