Wow, soft on the eyes and interesting to follow along on the ride of your life's way to live life on those terms of endurement. like a modern day pioneer. Love your vids, its a way of trying something not so easy but in various ways possible for those so determined. To each their own lot in life. Thanks for sharing all your interesting methods and skills and insightfullness regarding your way of life.
Thanks for your reply. The questions I asked you answered & must say again you have it all together. Yeah a helicopter would be great! I wish you well on your venture. Bless You.
No doubt if people had to haul their water like this, theyd definitively be more conscience of their water consumption. Modern living and convenience of turning on a tap has the big downside of people becoming thoughtless of how much they use. Great stuff Ariel!
You can say that again..myself a new subscriber enjoy her videos a lot...It is to admire such a smart ,intelligent young lady with so much values... Sadly we barely see such greatness...
I see some comments that it seems like a lot of work. Work... are you kidding me? Work is going to work 60 hours a week plus commuting two hours everyday just to pay a a ridiculous amount of material crap that means nothing to you. That is work. Going to fetch water once a week and spending your day how you want to is not work at all. You live like this and you will never work again.
For my camper I do the same thing. I purchased an extra RV water pump and I use that to move the water from the jug into the camper. Just connect two short hoses and supply 12 volts to it and you are moving water. You might think the pump is expensive but you have a spare pump in case the pump dies in your tiny house. Those jugs are heavy and with the pump you can leave them on the ground. No more transferring water from jug to jug either. Good luck. Great video!
I had a place where I had 3 55 gallon drums inside the tiny cabin. It was easiest to fill up a 55 gallon drum in the bed of a small 4WD pick up, and using a 12vdc Shurflow pump, pump it directly into the cabin. This could be done in subzero temperatures. In warmer temps it could be gravity fed. Gravity fed is slower and risks becoming freezing. Staying up right, the 3 55 gallon drums would easily fit under a counter top. I kept water consumption to no more that 7 gallons per day, and melted snow to reduce consumption. 30 gallon drums are smaller in diameter and might work under a counter top that is less than 20 inches wide. Love your place ....nice!
@@FyNyth It would be easy to increase your water capacity by adding a few 30 or 55 gallon drums to the exterior in back near your propane tank. a 12VDC Shurflo pump, or via gravity and pump that water into your tanks. With a 30 or 55 gallon drum in the rear of the van to deliver the water efficiently to your storage tanks at home, makes this feasable. The extra capacity during warm weather could also help supply the garden. I have 3 drums that are on a mound of dirt with a flat spot that is about 2 feet high. This gives me gravity fed water source to water the garden, or to feed the outdoor kitchen sink. I also wash clothes with this water that is warmed up by the sun. It is multi purpose.
Ariel, I envy you. I am 62 and since I was a child I have wanted to live in a tiny home in the countryside and since I found your channel I can live out that dream through your lifestyle. Thank you for your channel.
I have a boat that is often anchored out so I have a water problem similar to yours. Instead of loading jugs into the dinghy, removing them from the dinghy, filling them, loading them back into the dinghy, unloading them onto the boat and then pouring them into the tank, I use a bag. The bag is the type used in boats and RVs when water is stored on odd shaped compartments. I put the bag in the dinghy and fill it at the dock. Then I go back to the boat and use a pump that is similar to the one you have in your tiny house to pump the water into the tank. No carrying and no lifting. You can find 15 gal poly drums that are about 26" tall and 14" diameter. They are usually available from places where you brew your own beer for $10 - $15. The malt syrup is shipped in them so they are food grade and only used once. Two or three of these would easily fit in your van. A Shurflo pump and some vinyl tubing are all you need to move the water to the tank in the house. You could buy a pump similar to the one in water system in your tiny house. With lots of snow and very cold temps, a spare pump might be nice. I have given water transport a lot of thought, the tank on my boat is 350 Gal. Your water jugs appear very blue in the video.
I love it all. I don't think I could deal with only having 35 +10 gallons of water in the house. I don't think I'd cook because I'd need the water for cleaning and washing my hands. I'm glad you have constant water at your new place.
first time viewer, you are wonderful !! You give me hope for the future of America . I have never seen anyone of your age so resourceful and independent! lots of people could learn from you. I couldn't be more proud of you if you were my daughter, be strong and good luck!!
Hi, Ariel. I tried to post this on your laundry page, but I don't think that it took, so I'm posting it here. I use the same laundry set-up in my tiny, and I have to port in my water, too. I absolutely love both my tiny machines, and they fit into my soaking bath tub, made of a plastic horse-trough. (Way more comfy and practical than those galvanized metal ones. Keeps the water warmer, and has slanted sides for comfort. No seams to leak, and it's a pretty green.) Back when I had a water hook-up, I bathed once a week, (for 60-90 minutes. Such luxury!) and used the water to soak my clothes until the water got cool, and then rinsed with vinegar. I use a plant-based liquid dishwashing soap, because I live on the edge of a wetland, and I break out from soap, too. My spinner is supposedly faster. If your Nina ever breaks, I recommend the Panda. Laundry-Alternative doesn't sell it any longer, but I found it on Amazon when looking, just in case of failure. It's pricy, ($179) but it's 3200 rpm, and built well. I have the feeling that the reason they break is that people don't use common sense to learn to balance their load. I'll bet you're a pro at it! I can't believe how dry things get. I used to use it with a conventional washing machine, and I got 2-4 additional quarts of water out of my clothes before drying them in a conventional dryer. Took half the time to get them dry. I take about an hour to finish a load in the WW, just because I let it sit and soak, too. I spin it a few times as I pass it by, perched on a wide shelf that rests on the tub. Handy for drainage, and keeps the sink free. I'm finding that agitating the clothes is less necessary than using warm water. It's like the dirt just melts away. And my clothes are softer without detergent. That stuff is awful! I hadn't realized until I stopped using the 'modern' laundry method how it ruins clothing. I tote my water in one-gallon jugs, and more frequently than you, but then, mine is within walking distance, and I have one of those little folding carts to lug them up the dirt road. It seldom freezes here, but it rains all winter. (PNW) My cold-weather adventures are nearly over. I am old, and arthritic. This lifestyle prevents me from 'freezing' my bones. More people should have composting toilets and have to tote. They'd appreciate so much more of life and nature. When I was a child, I wanted to live in the former chicken coop that my grandmother had in the back yard. It had a multi-paned picture window, and benches inside for us kids to play in. My home is about three times as big, but then, I have a kitchen and bath. Grandma would be proud, and confused. lol She came from the 'old country' to escape all that, and live in a big house. Then again, she had 7 kids. I live alone, in peace and quiet. Ahhhhhh. I've been following your adventures for years, and so enjoy all of it. Thanks so much for sharing. I had forgotten about soap nuts. It was a 'hippy' thing when I was young, and they were hard to find, so I didn't. I thought it was a scam, but I wish I had persevered then. I'll check them out now. Never too late to learn. 'Confound the establishment, think for yourself' has been my motto for a long time. lol Apparently, you, too. It's a great way to live.
Sounds like an absolutely lovely setup and life! I hope you're able to continue it as long as you want to. Thanks for the Panda tip. I've seen them but never heard directly from anyone who used one.
Honestly, I would be taking along a couple of solar showerbags to fill as well. As long as you have sun and the temps aren't crazy cold, I'd be taking some nice warm (at times hot) showers while I could, even if I had to fill the bags with water from the creek. I would find a spot where I could make a shower stall with a tarp wrapped around three trees, where I would suspend the tarp with carabiner clips through the grommet holes like a big triangular shower curtain. I would take one of those S hooks from those black bungee straps and tie it to one of the trees at a level where when I hook the bag onto the S hook, the end of the bag's hose is high enough for me to shower while kneeling on a piece of closed cell foam. Very comfortable, and more than enough warm/hot water to do the job! Heck, I've waited until dark in one of my camp grounds ..... hung the bag from a limb and got a good shower, all in the dark with no one the wiser ~8^) I'm almost ...... almost ....... thinking about using those shower bags to shower even when I'm at home, but I'm prolly too lazy, plus I would need a pretty good hook in my home shower to support a couple gallons of water or so, although It certainly can be done! Would not want to try and hang that bag off the existing showerhead bend. Sorry for the long winded explanation, and oh btw, I bet you can heat up one of those showerbags on the dash of your vehicle in no time! Take care.
I've used those shower bags, and they do work pretty well. But here where most nights, even in the summer are below freezing, and there's snow on the ground for about 8 months out of the year, there's just not many times that showering outside would be comfortable. :) Or maybe I'm just not tough enough.
Practical and gets the job done. If I was in your situation I would likely look into getting a small trailer and put a 300 gal IBC tank on it. That's about 2500 lbs of water, so you need a trailer rated for that, or step down to a small IBC.
This is the first video I have watched on your channel. You describe everything so well. I appreciate your ingenuity. It was nice being on the van ride along.
Get yourself a cheap, skinny 15-20 foot hose and bring it with you and load those just where they sit in the van. Put a "splitter" shut off nozzle on the end so you don't splash water all over the van going from jug to jug. Will save your BACK big time!! I did exactly this for years! Much faster too!!
THANKS FOR GETTING BACK TO ME AND ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. GLAD YOU ARE ABLE TO GET WATER YOU HAVE A GREAT LANLORD.ENJOY ALL YOUR VIDEOS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING WITH YOUR FOLLOWRS.
Nice video. Nice to see your neighbours yard. You've found a workable solution. If it were me, to save my back and my hips, I would tweak a few things. At the neighbours I would make the hose a little longer and fill the containers in the van, with a second tap/shutoff near the van end. At your property I would trolley the containers to the inlet. Then I would leave them on the trolley and use a battery powered pump to pump in to your house tank. Better still have a 30 plus gallon tank in the van and pump it direct from where you park your van to the house, weather permitting. I'm sure you've thought of all this stuff and your young and fit, but just be kind to your 60 year old future self and mind those hips, knees and back.
I so admire the way you have set up your homestead and marvel at the things you have accomplished! I am going to agree with Coffee though, as a fit 25 year old I hurt my back accidentally loading pods onto an aircraft in cold weather and it has hurt off and on ever since and I am now 60. Even lifting and jerking those shifting weights only every 10 days could short out your shoulder, back, elbow joints or wrists. Protect yourself now so you can continue to do more amazing things far into the future, pain free. Filling a 30 gallon barrel while it is in the van (attach a spigot to the bottom of the barrel) then draining it via hose while still in the van can save your skeletal structure a lot of stress. Work smarter, not harder as they say.
Thanks for your concern guys, but since I go lift much more weight than this regularly for fun, I'm not too worried about it at this point in my life. I do try to lift things safely.
I'm only 42 and already I am sorry I wasn't kinder to my younger body, joints, skin, hearing etc. I have felt the same in my body from 17 to 38, but at 38 noticed things just not quite as easy as they used to be. You can do things safely and avoid injury like you are doing, but you can't stop joint wear and it's cumulative. It's a balance, doing stuff and being active like you are doing will help you live longer then someone sitting on a couch watching TV all the time, but you might have a few more aches and pains later on. If it were me I would try and cut out the actions that negate themselves e.g. you arrive at your neighbour's yard with the jugs in the van and then jugs are in the van when you leave again. Taking them out and putting them back in again is needless with a longer hose. Ok, enough from the safety police. Please keep making videos, I enjoy them so much.
Those are some good ideas for efficiency. My only issue is the big tank in the van. If she had an accident a 30 gallon tank, which weighs about 250 pounds, could become a big heavy projectile. A morbid thought I know, but still an important consideration when hauling something.
Yes, you are right, an unsecured weight would be very dangerous. I'm sure there would be tie down points in the van. She is already carrying 24 gallons at the moment, but the journey is only one mile. The weight may help with traction in the snow.
Hey! Thanks for the great video. I was in a very similar situation to you (jaw dropping similarities) and found a great solution. Take it or leave it as you deem fit. I was hauling water from a, not-so-close-neighbor's garden hose. I used 6 gallon jugs and put them in the back of my astro van and so on just as you showed here. This is what I did: I bought a trailer for $350 and secured two 55 gal potable water tanks that I got for free. I then connected the two tanks at the bottom and installed a spigot. Now, I could simply put the hose in the top and wait 7-8ish minutes for it to fill. I'd tow it (behind the astro) over and connect it to my water intake. This was slightly higher than the spigot so there was always some water left behind but that was okay because my tank capacity was only 100 gallons. This made things so much easier for me and I only had to haul water for me and my partner's use every 3-4 weeks or so. Hope this can help with any future solutions!
I live in NH and it's cold here and we get snow but not as much as you get. Your house is close to mine in style. I also have a Tumbleweed but I made the mistake of building it myself which took over three years and I got the honor of doing the inside by myself. Lots of bruises and cuts anywhere from having a ladder slip out from under me to driving a saw across my finger. BTW I am 61. Any older and I'd be headed for the nursing home. All and all, I love my tiny house. I do own land in NH and my goal is to hopefully one day clear it out and put my house there. I too love photography. You take some awesome pictures!! You are in a photographer's paradise where you live!!! Beautiful!!
Living off grid requires a little extra effort. I'm impressed you have done it for three years. You demonstrate an authentic off grid life style. Physical work is healthy and our ancestors had to work much harder to survive. I enjoy your videos.
Awesome video. You have that down to a science for sure. Guess you have to have it that way to be organized. I use to haul water for cattle in the back of a truck with 4 55 gal barrels. Took forever to fill and boy could they drink it all fast.
Great improvisation! We used to haul water, then we had a rain colection, and finally the well. Your ability to work with what you have is certainly inspirational. Thought...@ 18:18 try flipping the steps so the long side is vertical, best of luck on all your ventures:)
If that creek is close then using a Berkey water filter would be an added bonus water source for you. If you only used it to bath or wash dishes that would really save on gas money and trips to the water source. Excellent video.
I am absolutely loving your videos! I will catch up randomly as opposed to starting from #1 & working my way through to the present. Living off grid has it's way of being it's own gym membership. It's also good that you have access to clean fresh water & don't have to worry about purifying or filtering. Great set up you have there! I love your tiny house! :-D
Great video! I've been bringing in 2 to 4 gallons a day for 3 years. RV h20 system & tank are 30 yes old & don't work. I have a faucet in my RV space so easy to fill & carry in from yard. At 71 I'm strong but not up for more than 1 gallon jug per hand or 1 in arm & 1 each hand.
This is great stuff Ariel! I just found this on you tube. SO much to learn here in living off the grid and you show us viewers so clearly what works best for you in that cold yet lovely natural mountain environment. (And all by yourself too?!)
I Would triple my containers... Fill them all ,there is room in the van . Buy a Dolly for transferring the water instead of carrying it .Once a month chore , In time you could get a hernia... Carrying this weight ... Dolly Time faster also Easier ... Just a thought . Love your setup !!!
Thanks! But then I'd have to store all that extra water somewhere it wouldn't freeze for the whole month and I just don't have space for that. Also, most dolly's I know of don't roll well on uneven dirt and rocks, but I lift much more weight than this regularly for fun, so I'm not too concerned about it. :)
great way to live! when draining jugs into house, for a little extra height, maybe flip your steps over on ends, may give you the extra height you need. Love watching your videos, btw, I'm currently starting to do all this! I can't wait to get more done. Working on solar panels now. -Lisa
Yup, I do flip it in the winter. But in the summer I need the open base of the steps down so it doesn't crush the flower underneath. :) Congrats on your progress!
My off-grid place in AZ that I hope to move to next year has a community well; I'm allowed 250 gals/month. The only catch is, they don't want you to draw water more than 3x/month. So, I'll have to either get a pickup truck or something I can trailer/haul around 80 gallons at a time. 640-800 pounds of water is NO joke, so I'll have to get a big container, then pump it into 55 gallon drums. One neighbor bought a 5,000 gal container with a pump. I'll figure it out, and your vid gave me some ideas. THANKS!
your wooden box looks like you can turn it around where it will allow your water jugs to be higher then your water port. Flip it and give it a shot for the next fill.
I like your idea, in the winter that should work great. In the summer I will still set the step/block this way so as to not crush the plants growing in the planters. Set this way, it's open from the bottom.
Been watching lots of tiny house vids and I keep finding my self coming back to your channel, always tells/ shows me what I wanna no ! Great stuff thanks for the vids 👍
Hi🤗 It is good to watch you and to listen to you. Glad you have good neighbours with clean water. Better to carry that than the polluted water that runs through the community system. I do want to say that you could get an earth basement close to your house. It is easy to dig out and it temp is about 4-6 ° not fahrenheit, all is year around. All farms had one and some still do in Skandinavia. You could store a lot of water close enough to dig down and insulate some rubber pipes. If you plan to stay at a location for many year, I would have consider that. But as long as you have snow, you have water in case your not able to drive to collect water. And as you say, millions have to walk and carry water for miles. Meny have only polluted water. So I guess it all come down to be thankful for what we have do have. And that goes with meny things in life. And seems to for your thinking. I am downsizing my self, and your lifestyle is inspiring.
Thanks! I'd love to have a root cellar/basement someday. But being easy to dig out depends on what the ground is like under where ever you are. And here, it's lots of boulders, and then solid granite. ;)
Maybe your block step can be set on its long side so the jugs can sit higher. Thank you for the video. I salute you for all your work and determination.
I like your idea, in the winter that should work great. In the summer I will still set the step/block this way so as to not crush the plants growing in the planters. Set this way, it's open from the bottom.
Snow collection is the same as rain collection. It’s just heavier. It always melts. And you can barrel it. Our snow season in the desert, we get 80 gallons and more. But the first 80 gallons we fainted. We can’t track the gallons now because we are busy on other projects. But when it snows we love the water production.
Sounds like you have a system that works well for you! Melting and storing snow water is a very energy and space intensive setup when it's around freezing at night most of the year and well below zero for months. Everything would have to be internal to prevent freezing and bursting and there's not space for that in my house.
Fy Nyth well your system is smaller than ours. Ours is fairly simple. But the metal corrugated roofing is primary for weight and holding the snow. We are fortunate that we have maybe two weeks to a month or two below freezing. And we also use what they call bathtub flooring which is a large thick plastic, or rubberized style plastic that we use for shade areas. It’s very strong and thick. And the snow it will hold well. And then pools of water and viola it melts and then the gutters route it to 250 gallon cisterns which are small compared to the ones we have seen. We too have a conscious consumption table with a low usage. Lower than most people and almost in the range as you. But we are more people in our family so our consumption will differ of course. We do use our grey water for our gardening. And I think you are doing a fabulous job. But I wanted to let you know the possibilities. It depends on how long you stay some place as some of the structural issues you can’t just move in a minute. Like the larger tanks. What helped me when it was just me was a 5 gal hot pot since we do a lot of meals on a tiny wood stove. And we remove the top layer of snow. And with a small shovel scoop the inner snow before the bottom layer. It melts on the stove and then we allow it to cool. Then pour it into the Berkey filter and we have drinking water for the week! That is the simplest is to just prepare enough to use. And yah it’s time intensive. But not as bad as it could be lol. But that is the price people pay for automation. Good hard work can be overwhelming. But it’s worth it when it’s for you!!! I applaud your work.
My kind of girl! You should find or make a small wooden crate to set up on the step block or put something under the step block to raise it up and then you would have the level you need to let the water completely drain. You could also fabricate or possibly find some metal brackets that could be mounted into the wall of your tiny house. I love your tiny house. Really cute......your house is cute too.
Thanks! All winter I just flip the block the other way, so it's no big deal. But in the summer, I need the whole to be down so it doesn't crush the plants underneath.
You could run a long garden hose down to the creek in the summer and then pack it up for winter. Another option I would do if I were in that situation is purchase a large 20 gal. Or more poly tank you could fit in your van and fill that at your water location, then drive back and back up to your home and either siphon into your home or get yourself a small rv pump and pump it from your tank to your home. This would eliminate the need to carry your water jugs.
If I used creek water, that would add a need to filter all of it before it went into my tank so that would actually make me more work than the well water that I know is clean. I do pump creek water in the summer for irrigation of the garden and watering plants. :)
I'm very impressed by your ability to work around less-than-ideal living situations. You are an incredible woman, and you would be *VERY welcome* in my part of Texas if you ever get the urge to live in the Lone Star state.
Yeah, it's something in the dash somewhere. I see it as just part of the "character" that develops when you drive a nearly 20 year old vehicle with 235,000 miles on it. ;)
Yes, I used to own an Astro, Safari Van with a 5 speed manual transmission. I turned it into a tiny motor home, and drove it for over 20 years until it rusted right out. Great vehicle for hauling water and wood etc.
Wow, soft on the eyes and interesting to follow along on the ride of your life's way to live life on those terms of endurement. like a modern day pioneer. Love your vids, its a way of trying something not so easy but in various ways possible for those so determined. To each their own lot in life. Thanks for sharing all your interesting methods and skills and insightfullness regarding your way of life.
You are welcome.
Thanks for your reply. The questions I asked you answered & must say again you have it all together. Yeah a helicopter would be great! I wish you well on your venture. Bless You.
Schmevvy Schmidt mms
No doubt if people had to haul their water like this, theyd definitively be more conscience of their water consumption. Modern living and convenience of turning on a tap has the big downside of people becoming thoughtless of how much they use. Great stuff Ariel!
Water is abundant, it's more important they learn to take care of themselves period in this NewNormal that ain't new at all...SHTF
That picture of breakfast and your work ethic is why you look so good. Your channel is habit forming.
You can say that again..myself a new subscriber enjoy her videos a lot...It is to admire such a smart ,intelligent young lady with so much values...
Sadly we barely see such greatness...
I see some comments that it seems like a lot of work. Work... are you kidding me? Work is going to work 60 hours a week plus commuting two hours everyday just to pay a a ridiculous amount of material crap that means nothing to you. That is work. Going to fetch water once a week and spending your day how you want to is not work at all. You live like this and you will never work again.
I agree!
People don't know the Matrix is real, it's so much easier to get up and accomplish taking care of yourself, family and hopefully your homestead.
For my camper I do the same thing. I purchased an extra RV water pump and I use that to move the water from the jug into the camper. Just connect two short hoses and supply 12 volts to it and you are moving water. You might think the pump is expensive but you have a spare pump in case the pump dies in your tiny house. Those jugs are heavy and with the pump you can leave them on the ground. No more transferring water from jug to jug either. Good luck. Great video!
I had a place where I had 3 55 gallon drums inside the tiny cabin. It was easiest to fill up a 55 gallon drum in the bed of a small 4WD pick up, and using a 12vdc Shurflow pump, pump it directly into the cabin. This could be done in subzero temperatures. In warmer temps it could be gravity fed. Gravity fed is slower and risks becoming freezing.
Staying up right, the 3 55 gallon drums would easily fit under a counter top. I kept water consumption to no more that 7 gallons per day, and melted snow to reduce consumption. 30 gallon drums are smaller in diameter and might work under a counter top that is less than 20 inches wide. Love your place ....nice!
Sounds like you had a good system setup.
@@FyNyth It would be easy to increase your water capacity by adding a few 30 or 55 gallon drums to the exterior in back near your propane tank. a 12VDC Shurflo pump, or via gravity and pump that water into your tanks. With a 30 or 55 gallon drum in the rear of the van to deliver the water efficiently to your storage tanks at home, makes this feasable. The extra capacity during warm weather could also help supply the garden. I have 3 drums that are on a mound of dirt with a flat spot that is about 2 feet high. This gives me gravity fed water source to water the garden, or to feed the outdoor kitchen sink. I also wash clothes with this water that is warmed up by the sun. It is multi purpose.
Ariel, I envy you. I am 62 and since I was a child I have wanted to live in a tiny home in the countryside and since I found your channel I can live out that dream through your lifestyle. Thank you for your channel.
where theres a will-theres a way.youve got this.it keeps you in shape and cures cabin fever.hehe win win.ty for sharing
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, SMART, AND LIVE SIMPLE, LOVE YOUR WAYS , YOUR HARD WORKING, VERY WISE YOUNG LADY
Thank you for sharing your water system. I plan on being off grid and trying to figure out a water system.
I have a boat that is often anchored out so I have a water problem similar to yours.
Instead of loading jugs into the dinghy, removing them from the dinghy, filling them, loading them back into the dinghy, unloading them onto the boat and then pouring them into the tank, I use a bag. The bag is the type used in boats and RVs when water is stored on odd shaped compartments. I put the bag in the dinghy and fill it at the dock. Then I go back to the boat and use a pump that is similar to the one you have in your tiny house to pump the water into the tank. No carrying and no lifting.
You can find 15 gal poly drums that are about 26" tall and 14" diameter. They are usually available from places where you brew your own beer for $10 - $15. The malt syrup is shipped in them so they are food grade and only used once. Two or three of these would easily fit in your van. A Shurflo pump and some vinyl tubing are all you need to move the water to the tank in the house. You could buy a pump similar to the one in water system in your tiny house. With lots of snow and very cold temps, a spare pump might be nice.
I have given water transport a lot of thought, the tank on my boat is 350 Gal.
Your water jugs appear very blue in the video.
I love it all. I don't think I could deal with only having 35 +10 gallons of water in the house. I don't think I'd cook because I'd need the water for cleaning and washing my hands. I'm glad you have constant water at your new place.
first time viewer, you are wonderful !! You give me hope for the future of America . I have never seen anyone of your age so resourceful and independent! lots of people could learn from you. I couldn't be more proud of you if you were my daughter, be strong and good luck!!
Welcome! Thanks for joining us and your kind words.
What a beautiful little home!
Wonderful way to live!! Enjoy!!
Hi, Ariel.
I tried to post this on your laundry page, but I don't think that it took, so I'm posting it here.
I use the same laundry set-up in my tiny, and I have to port in my water, too. I absolutely love both my tiny machines, and they fit into my soaking bath tub, made of a plastic horse-trough. (Way more comfy and practical than those galvanized metal ones. Keeps the water warmer, and has slanted sides for comfort. No seams to leak, and it's a pretty green.)
Back when I had a water hook-up, I bathed once a week, (for 60-90 minutes. Such luxury!) and used the water to soak my clothes until the water got cool, and then rinsed with vinegar. I use a plant-based liquid dishwashing soap, because I live on the edge of a wetland, and I break out from soap, too.
My spinner is supposedly faster. If your Nina ever breaks, I recommend the Panda. Laundry-Alternative doesn't sell it any longer, but I found it on Amazon when looking, just in case of failure. It's pricy, ($179) but it's 3200 rpm, and built well. I have the feeling that the reason they break is that people don't use common sense to learn to balance their load. I'll bet you're a pro at it!
I can't believe how dry things get. I used to use it with a conventional washing machine, and I got 2-4 additional quarts of water out of my clothes before drying them in a conventional dryer. Took half the time to get them dry.
I take about an hour to finish a load in the WW, just because I let it sit and soak, too. I spin it a few times as I pass it by, perched on a wide shelf that rests on the tub. Handy for drainage, and keeps the sink free. I'm finding that agitating the clothes is less necessary than using warm water. It's like the dirt just melts away. And my clothes are softer without detergent. That stuff is awful! I hadn't realized until I stopped using the 'modern' laundry method how it ruins clothing.
I tote my water in one-gallon jugs, and more frequently than you, but then, mine is within walking distance, and I have one of those little folding carts to lug them up the dirt road. It seldom freezes here, but it rains all winter. (PNW) My cold-weather adventures are nearly over. I am old, and arthritic. This lifestyle prevents me from 'freezing' my bones. More people should have composting toilets and have to tote. They'd appreciate so much more of life and nature.
When I was a child, I wanted to live in the former chicken coop that my grandmother had in the back yard. It had a multi-paned picture window, and benches inside for us kids to play in. My home is about three times as big, but then, I have a kitchen and bath. Grandma would be proud, and confused. lol She came from the 'old country' to escape all that, and live in a big house. Then again, she had 7 kids. I live alone, in peace and quiet. Ahhhhhh.
I've been following your adventures for years, and so enjoy all of it. Thanks so much for sharing. I had forgotten about soap nuts. It was a 'hippy' thing when I was young, and they were hard to find, so I didn't. I thought it was a scam, but I wish I had persevered then. I'll check them out now. Never too late to learn.
'Confound the establishment, think for yourself' has been my motto for a long time. lol Apparently, you, too. It's a great way to live.
Sounds like an absolutely lovely setup and life! I hope you're able to continue it as long as you want to. Thanks for the Panda tip. I've seen them but never heard directly from anyone who used one.
Another beautifully done video.
This was another good video, Luke. Grandma Mary
Honestly, I would be taking along a couple of solar showerbags to fill as well. As long as you have sun and the temps aren't crazy cold, I'd be taking some nice warm (at times hot) showers while I could, even if I had to fill the bags with water from the creek. I would find a spot where I could make a shower stall with a tarp wrapped around three trees, where I would suspend the tarp with carabiner clips through the grommet holes like a big triangular shower curtain. I would take one of those S hooks from those black bungee straps and tie it to one of the trees at a level where when I hook the bag onto the S hook, the end of the bag's hose is high enough for me to shower while kneeling on a piece of closed cell foam. Very comfortable, and more than enough warm/hot water to do the job! Heck, I've waited until dark in one of my camp grounds ..... hung the bag from a limb and got a good shower, all in the dark with no one the wiser ~8^) I'm almost ...... almost ....... thinking about using those shower bags to shower even when I'm at home, but I'm prolly too lazy, plus I would need a pretty good hook in my home shower to support a couple gallons of water or so, although It certainly can be done! Would not want to try and hang that bag off the existing showerhead bend. Sorry for the long winded explanation, and oh btw, I bet you can heat up one of those showerbags on the dash of your vehicle in no time! Take care.
I've used those shower bags, and they do work pretty well. But here where most nights, even in the summer are below freezing, and there's snow on the ground for about 8 months out of the year, there's just not many times that showering outside would be comfortable. :) Or maybe I'm just not tough enough.
you have a very aggressive cricket in your camper van lol
Ahh the pleasures and quirks of driving a 20 year old rig with over a quarter of a million miles on it. :)
I’m glad someone said that. I was wondering where those sounds were coming from! Haha!
Practical and gets the job done. If I was in your situation I would likely look into getting a small trailer and put a 300 gal IBC tank on it. That's about 2500 lbs of water, so you need a trailer rated for that, or step down to a small IBC.
Love your matter-of-fact outlook on the ease of access to resources so many take for granted!
you are such an inspiring person, i absolutely love your channel and videos. Good Luck to you.
Why thank you!
This is the first video I have watched on your channel. You describe everything so well. I appreciate your ingenuity. It was nice being on the van ride along.
Welcome! Thanks for joining us here.
Thanks for sharing your adventures. I enjoyed watching several last night.
You are welcome!
I understand you great lady ,keep it up..
You are not hurting and one so have a great time . Neil
Great video and fantastic lifestyle. Thanks for sharing with us all.
Wow that looks so beauriful. I will have to visit Northern Wyoming.
All i have tp say is you are a very smart ambitious thrifty respectable young lady with lots of confidence and ideas love your videos keep them comin
Scenery is phenomenal
24 Gallons, every 10 days, only 75 gallons/month by my preecise calculation. You're in great shape hauling 14 gal at once! Hats off!
Get yourself a cheap, skinny 15-20 foot hose and bring it with you and load those just where they sit in the van. Put a "splitter" shut off nozzle on the end so you don't splash water all over the van going from jug to jug. Will save your BACK big time!! I did exactly this for years! Much faster too!!
That might work well if the lane/van parking were not downhill from my house. :)
Fy Nyth,, I do believe he was talking about when you Fill them,, leave in van and use a longer hose..
THANKS FOR GETTING BACK TO ME AND ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS. GLAD YOU ARE ABLE TO GET WATER YOU HAVE A GREAT LANLORD.ENJOY ALL YOUR VIDEOS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING WITH YOUR FOLLOWRS.
Nice video. Nice to see your neighbours yard. You've found a workable solution. If it were me, to save my back and my hips, I would tweak a few things. At the neighbours I would make the hose a little longer and fill the containers in the van, with a second tap/shutoff near the van end. At your property I would trolley the containers to the inlet. Then I would leave them on the trolley and use a battery powered pump to pump in to your house tank. Better still have a 30 plus gallon tank in the van and pump it direct from where you park your van to the house, weather permitting. I'm sure you've thought of all this stuff and your young and fit, but just be kind to your 60 year old future self and mind those hips, knees and back.
I so admire the way you have set up your homestead and marvel at the things you have accomplished! I am going to agree with Coffee though, as a fit 25 year old I hurt my back accidentally loading pods onto an aircraft in cold weather and it has hurt off and on ever since and I am now 60. Even lifting and jerking those shifting weights only every 10 days could short out your shoulder, back, elbow joints or wrists. Protect yourself now so you can continue to do more amazing things far into the future, pain free. Filling a 30 gallon barrel while it is in the van (attach a spigot to the bottom of the barrel) then draining it via hose while still in the van can save your skeletal structure a lot of stress. Work smarter, not harder as they say.
Thanks for your concern guys, but since I go lift much more weight than this regularly for fun, I'm not too worried about it at this point in my life. I do try to lift things safely.
I'm only 42 and already I am sorry I wasn't kinder to my younger body, joints, skin, hearing etc. I have felt the same in my body from 17 to 38, but at 38 noticed things just not quite as easy as they used to be. You can do things safely and avoid injury like you are doing, but you can't stop joint wear and it's cumulative. It's a balance, doing stuff and being active like you are doing will help you live longer then someone sitting on a couch watching TV all the time, but you might have a few more aches and pains later on. If it were me I would try and cut out the actions that negate themselves e.g. you arrive at your neighbour's yard with the jugs in the van and then jugs are in the van when you leave again. Taking them out and putting them back in again is needless with a longer hose. Ok, enough from the safety police. Please keep making videos, I enjoy them so much.
Those are some good ideas for efficiency. My only issue is the big tank in the van. If she had an accident a 30 gallon tank, which weighs about 250 pounds, could become a big heavy projectile. A morbid thought I know, but still an important consideration when hauling something.
Yes, you are right, an unsecured weight would be very dangerous. I'm sure there would be tie down points in the van. She is already carrying 24 gallons at the moment, but the journey is only one mile. The weight may help with traction in the snow.
So happy to see daily updates again!! Great video !!
You have a beautiful home! I envy your lifestyle....perhaps one day I will be able to live like this!
You are really good at explaining things. Very smart. You must have a scientific mind.
really enjoy your videos. you have a system that really works. Thanks!
nice well thought out video very informative and detailed and like the layout of your kitchen setup with your fresh water setup
Would you explain more about the heat lamp? It is electric? I need something for under the sink of my cabin when away or below freezing. Thank you
You are strong young lady! Eight lbs a gallon. Those two 7 gallon cans are 112 lbs. Guess it keeps you fit for sure. Great channel.
Nice to see you. Love love your channel.
Can you put a rail water collection in a container home or tiny house
You are so well spoken
Love it
Hey! Thanks for the great video. I was in a very similar situation to you (jaw dropping similarities) and found a great solution. Take it or leave it as you deem fit. I was hauling water from a, not-so-close-neighbor's garden hose. I used 6 gallon jugs and put them in the back of my astro van and so on just as you showed here. This is what I did: I bought a trailer for $350 and secured two 55 gal potable water tanks that I got for free. I then connected the two tanks at the bottom and installed a spigot. Now, I could simply put the hose in the top and wait 7-8ish minutes for it to fill. I'd tow it (behind the astro) over and connect it to my water intake. This was slightly higher than the spigot so there was always some water left behind but that was okay because my tank capacity was only 100 gallons. This made things so much easier for me and I only had to haul water for me and my partner's use every 3-4 weeks or so. Hope this can help with any future solutions!
Thanks Ariel! I appreciate your videos and look forward to learning more from you!
Excellent video. I love it when you mix in still-shots with the video, too.
I live in NH and it's cold here and we get snow but not as much as you get. Your house is close to mine in style. I also have a Tumbleweed but I made the mistake of building it myself which took over three years and I got the honor of doing the inside by myself. Lots of bruises and cuts anywhere from having a ladder slip out from under me to driving a saw across my finger. BTW I am 61. Any older and I'd be headed for the nursing home. All and all, I love my tiny house. I do own land in NH and my goal is to hopefully one day clear it out and put my house there. I too love photography. You take some awesome pictures!! You are in a photographer's paradise where you live!!! Beautiful!!
Wow that's impressive! Not many folks have built their own homes these days so I think that's wonderful!
Thanks for the idea of the flexi-hose. I'm putting something like that together today.
How much passion the girl has; amaizing!
Keep making videos. Very interesting lifestyle.
Living off grid requires a little extra effort. I'm impressed you have done it for three years. You demonstrate an authentic off grid life style. Physical work is healthy and our ancestors had to work much harder to survive. I enjoy your videos.
Simpler, but yes often more work. And thank you!
Your videos are great - well presented, you answer just about everything, and very interesting.
Thank you!
Very nice!
Damn those crickets! Where did you get those water jugs?
Nice to see a young woman who is outgoing and handles things herself and keeps healthy and fit .
smmfh
Awesome video. You have that down to a science for sure. Guess you have to have it that way to be organized. I use to haul water for cattle in the back of a truck with 4 55 gal barrels. Took forever to fill and boy could they drink it all fast.
Wonderful, informative video. Thank you!
great video - love your go to attitude.don't let anything hold you back.good for you.
you could add a small weighted float to indicate low water level.
Some vans nowadays come with seatbelts. For your next van, check those out! ;-)
They do? Someday I'll have to buy a modern vehicle! ;)
I'm living in a cabin year round right now but i'm still all on the grid. you're inspiring me to get off it and see what happens! Cheers :)
Sounds nice! Best wishes on whatever you decide to do.
Way to go, girl. God bless.
You have some awesome photographs, Ariel.
Why thank you!
I enjoy your videos so much. I would love to live in a tiny house.
Great improvisation! We used to haul water, then we had a rain colection, and finally the well. Your ability to work with what you have is certainly inspirational. Thought...@ 18:18 try flipping the steps so the long side is vertical, best of luck on all your ventures:)
Good Stuff keep em coming lady.
If that creek is close then using a Berkey water filter would be an added bonus water source for you. If you only used it to bath or wash dishes that would really save on gas money and trips to the water source. Excellent video.
I am absolutely loving your videos! I will catch up randomly as opposed to starting from #1 & working my way through to the present. Living off grid has it's way of being it's own gym membership. It's also good that you have access to clean fresh water & don't have to worry about purifying or filtering. Great set up you have there! I love your tiny house! :-D
Wonderful. You are very right about the exercise thing.
Great video! I've been bringing in 2 to 4 gallons a day for 3 years. RV h20 system & tank are 30 yes old & don't work. I have a faucet in my RV space so easy to fill & carry in from yard. At 71 I'm strong but not up for more than 1 gallon jug per hand or 1 in arm & 1 each hand.
Wow! That is even more work than my system. Good for you!
This is great stuff Ariel! I just found this on you tube. SO much to learn here in living off the grid and you show us viewers so clearly what works best for you in that cold yet lovely natural mountain environment. (And all by yourself too?!)
Great video. Off grid in k.y. Here. If you had a bracket on the wall to hook thru the side Handel of the jug. To hold it
Just found your videos.Amaizing. Going Tiny soon .
Welcome! And best wishes on your own tiny house journey!
So interesting.
Love your little house..
I Would triple my containers... Fill them all ,there is room in the van .
Buy a Dolly for transferring the water instead of carrying it .Once a month chore ,
In time you could get a hernia... Carrying this weight ... Dolly Time faster also Easier ...
Just a thought . Love your setup !!!
Thanks! But then I'd have to store all that extra water somewhere it wouldn't freeze for the whole month and I just don't have space for that. Also, most dolly's I know of don't roll well on uneven dirt and rocks, but I lift much more weight than this regularly for fun, so I'm not too concerned about it. :)
Good video; terrific communicator.
great way to live! when draining jugs into house, for a little extra height, maybe flip your steps over on ends, may give you the extra height you need. Love watching your videos, btw, I'm currently starting to do all this! I can't wait to get more done. Working on solar panels now. -Lisa
Yup, I do flip it in the winter. But in the summer I need the open base of the steps down so it doesn't crush the flower underneath. :) Congrats on your progress!
My off-grid place in AZ that I hope to move to next year has a community well; I'm allowed 250 gals/month. The only catch is, they don't want you to draw water more than 3x/month. So, I'll have to either get a pickup truck or something I can trailer/haul around 80 gallons at a time. 640-800 pounds of water is NO joke, so I'll have to get a big container, then pump it into 55 gallon drums. One neighbor bought a 5,000 gal container with a pump. I'll figure it out, and your vid gave me some ideas. THANKS!
You are welcome! Best wishes with all your plans!
your wooden box looks like you can turn it around where it will allow your water jugs to be higher then your water port. Flip it and give it a shot for the next fill.
I like your idea, in the winter that should work great. In the summer I will still set the step/block this way so as to not crush the plants growing in the planters. Set this way, it's open from the bottom.
She could silicon a fitting on bottom of the jugs and sit it on the steps and that would be somewhat easier.
Fantastic video :)
Been watching lots of tiny house vids and I keep finding my self coming back to your channel, always tells/ shows me what I wanna no ! Great stuff thanks for the vids 👍
Perfect! I'm glad to hear it's helpful. :)
Hi🤗 It is good to watch you and to listen to you. Glad you have good neighbours with clean water. Better to carry that than the polluted water that runs through the community system. I do want to say that you could get an earth basement close to your house. It is easy to dig out and it temp is about 4-6 ° not fahrenheit, all is year around. All farms had one and some still do in Skandinavia. You could store a lot of water close enough to dig down and insulate some rubber pipes. If you plan to stay at a location for many year, I would have consider that. But as long as you have snow, you have water in case your not able to drive to collect water. And as you say, millions have to walk and carry water for miles. Meny have only polluted water. So I guess it all come down to be thankful for what we have do have. And that goes with meny things in life. And seems to for your thinking. I am downsizing my self, and your lifestyle is inspiring.
Thanks! I'd love to have a root cellar/basement someday. But being easy to dig out depends on what the ground is like under where ever you are. And here, it's lots of boulders, and then solid granite. ;)
Great video. You seem to have made the best of a somewhat challenging problem.
Maybe your block step can be set on its long side so the jugs can sit higher. Thank you for the video. I salute you for all your work and determination.
I like your idea, in the winter that should work great. In the summer I will still set the step/block this way so as to not crush the plants growing in the planters. Set this way, it's open from the bottom.
Interesting to hear how little rain you get. I live on the Isle of Man and we get plenty of horizontal rain!
Great video again!
I really love ur lifestyle it's so awesome!! U look so cozy and happy and healthy with ur lifestyle.. ur my role model
Snow collection is the same as rain collection. It’s just heavier. It always melts. And you can barrel it. Our snow season in the desert, we get 80 gallons and more. But the first 80 gallons we fainted. We can’t track the gallons now because we are busy on other projects. But when it snows we love the water production.
Sounds like you have a system that works well for you! Melting and storing snow water is a very energy and space intensive setup when it's around freezing at night most of the year and well below zero for months. Everything would have to be internal to prevent freezing and bursting and there's not space for that in my house.
Fy Nyth well your system is smaller than ours. Ours is fairly simple. But the metal corrugated roofing is primary for weight and holding the snow. We are fortunate that we have maybe two weeks to a month or two below freezing. And we also use what they call bathtub flooring which is a large thick plastic, or rubberized style plastic that we use for shade areas. It’s very strong and thick. And the snow it will hold well. And then pools of water and viola it melts and then the gutters route it to 250 gallon cisterns which are small compared to the ones we have seen. We too have a conscious consumption table with a low usage. Lower than most people and almost in the range as you. But we are more people in our family so our consumption will differ of course. We do use our grey water for our gardening. And I think you are doing a fabulous job. But I wanted to let you know the possibilities. It depends on how long you stay some place as some of the structural issues you can’t just move in a minute. Like the larger tanks. What helped me when it was just me was a 5 gal hot pot since we do a lot of meals on a tiny wood stove. And we remove the top layer of snow. And with a small shovel scoop the inner snow before the bottom layer. It melts on the stove and then we allow it to cool. Then pour it into the Berkey filter and we have drinking water for the week! That is the simplest is to just prepare enough to use. And yah it’s time intensive. But not as bad as it could be lol. But that is the price people pay for automation. Good hard work can be overwhelming. But it’s worth it when it’s for you!!! I applaud your work.
Nice and informative.
My kind of girl! You should find or make a small wooden crate to set up on the step block or put something under the step block to raise it up and then you would have the level you need to let the water completely drain. You could also fabricate or possibly find some metal brackets that could be mounted into the wall of your tiny house. I love your tiny house. Really cute......your house is cute too.
Thanks! All winter I just flip the block the other way, so it's no big deal. But in the summer, I need the whole to be down so it doesn't crush the plants underneath.
wow.. i love it..
You could run a long garden hose down to the creek in the summer and then pack it up for winter. Another option I would do if I were in that situation is purchase a large 20 gal. Or more poly tank you could fit in your van and fill that at your water location, then drive back and back up to your home and either siphon into your home or get yourself a small rv pump and pump it from your tank to your home. This would eliminate the need to carry your water jugs.
If I used creek water, that would add a need to filter all of it before it went into my tank so that would actually make me more work than the well water that I know is clean. I do pump creek water in the summer for irrigation of the garden and watering plants. :)
You have wonderful neighbors.
That I do!
That's how I get my water!! Also have 4 containers too!!
That’s must be a good workout carrying all that water!
A little "garden wagon" would be nice. I have one and love it.
I'm very impressed by your ability to work around less-than-ideal living situations. You are an incredible woman, and you would be *VERY welcome* in my part of Texas if you ever get the urge to live in the Lone Star state.
I use rain barrels to fill my tank which are gravity fed. For drinking I use city water in jugs. You seem very organized.
Wow, you have the life! I would love to live like that but I'm a little old to start doing it now. If they only had internet 40 years ago. 😨
pretty neat setup
Love the crickets in the van.
Yeah, it's something in the dash somewhere. I see it as just part of the "character" that develops when you drive a nearly 20 year old vehicle with 235,000 miles on it. ;)
Yes, I used to own an Astro, Safari Van with a 5 speed manual transmission. I turned it into a tiny motor home, and drove it for over 20 years until it rusted right out. Great vehicle for hauling water and wood etc.