I'm moving to a shack, with no power, on top of a mountain!

**007XX** · 28th July 2008, 14:29

Originally Posted by tri boy

Move down to the Waikato. We slap our women on the arse, and TELL them they're getting fat.

Can't bet "in ya face" honesty.

(doesn't help with their weight loss, but sure as hell helps with my running fitness).

Eh, that sounds like fun...maybe I should move to the Waikato!

Originally Posted by jrandom

You're bored today, aren't you.

guilty as charged your honour...

**DUCATI*HARD** · 28th July 2008, 16:56

Originally Posted by Steam

I'm moving to a shack on top of a mountain!
It has no electricity, no phone

well if its anything like my shack we have built your gonna love it,we have no power(but we do run a generator time to time),we have a flush toilet,and you can only access our shack by boat.am awaitng coal range,heres a few pics

**geoffm** · 28th July 2008, 22:13

If you have a small streamm, a ram pump woudl be good - they pump water uphill with basically no moving parts, so you could have water at the door. Rainwater is an alternative.
I woudl get batteries, a solar panel charger adn an inverter, and check out second hand caravan stuff for 12v fridges, gas cookers, etc. A 9kg gas bottle will last 5 months just running a gas hob. There are plans out there for making wind generators from Smartdrive motors - check out recent issues of the Shed magazine.
Wetback in the woodburner with a (second hand) hot water cylinder or several for storage. Add home made solar hot water heating and if the house has several rooms, some old school radiators hooked up to the wetback. You wil need a lot of firewood. Get a good chainsaw, hire a logsplitter, borrow/buy a car and trailer or run the whole lot on coal and get a ton or so delivered each winter.
An aquaintnace in Invercargill has an old Anderson steam boiler for heating (he likes steam) with automatic (IIRC) coal feed auger, as used in schools in the Old Days. Way to go for more heat than you will ever need.

**Steam** · 28th July 2008, 23:17

Originally Posted by DUCATI*HARD

well if its anything like my shack we have built your gonna love it,we have no power(but we do run a generator time to time),we have a flush toilet,and you can only access our shack by boat.am awaitng coal range,heres a few pics

Primo! Awesome! Thanks for the photos.

**peasea** · 28th July 2008, 23:19

Originally Posted by Steam

I'm moving to a shack on top of a mountain!
It has no electricity, no phone and it is currently covered in snow...
but it has a huge log-burner, an endless supply of firewood, and the rent is tiny.
It has a gorgeous view out to the sea, huge windows to the north, and plenty of room out the front of the shack for installing a wood-heated spa tub thing for naked drunken frolicking.

Rocking!

It is an old shearers quarters out the back of a friend's farm, he said I should move in and save on rent and stop the place from falling down. Nobody has lived there for about 20 years so it's full of rat shit, straw, and farming implements. Oh, and the old longdrop toilet has fallen down, I have to build a new one. I've got a bit of work ahead of me!

It will mean an end to my posting on Kiwibiker, but oh well, that's a small price to pay for such an awesome place to live. And only 7km from the city, so it's still just a quick commute to work.
It will remain without power or phone, as it's about 2km from the nearest power-lines, but I do get cell-phone reception out there. I think I will be using a lot of candles! or Tilley lamps.

The semi-knobbly tyres will go back on the bike, as there's a muddy 300m track to ride up the hill to get to the shack.

Fun eh!

Erm, words fail me. Just off to the fridge, back to the fire...........

**scumdog** · 28th July 2008, 23:35

Originally Posted by geoffm

An aquaintnace in Invercargill has an old Anderson steam boiler for heating (he likes steam) with automatic (IIRC) coal feed auger, as used in schools in the Old Days. Way to go for more heat than you will ever need.

The modern equal is a McKenzie boiler, same basic principle, only thing is you still need 'lectrikery.

**peasea** · 28th July 2008, 23:50

Originally Posted by scumdog

The modern equal is a McKenzie boiler, same basic principle, only thing is you still need 'lectrikery.

So, build yourself a hydro lake, take lotsa beer and urinate into said dam with all you've got.

Or get a generator, one of the two.

**DUCATI*HARD** · 29th July 2008, 10:44

Originally Posted by Steam

Primo! Awesome! Thanks for the photos.

your welcome

maybe we could see sum pics of yours

**Ixion** · 29th July 2008, 10:57

Originally Posted by geoffm

..
An aquaintnace in Invercargill has an old Anderson steam boiler for heating (he likes steam) with automatic (IIRC) coal feed auger, as used in schools in the Old Days. Way to go for more heat than you will ever need.

If you have steam you don't need all the batteries and shit. Just use a steam engine to drive a dynamo. I like steam. Good stuff. Some of those old Andersons (they were NZ made BTW, back in the days when NZ actually MADE stuff) had a bootstrap mode. You only needed external electricity (from a battery bank ) at fireup. After that the boiler generated its own lectricity.

The REALLY old ones didn't use electricity at all. You just had to hand prime everything.

**GaZBur** · 29th July 2008, 11:23

Originally Posted by peasea

Erm, words fail me. Just off to the fridge, back to the fire...........

Well Steam will have a fire and to keep stuff cold just leave it away from the fire in this weather.
Don't shoot rats with a 22 or 12gauge inside - it puts holes in the wall. A 410 guage may bounce shot back at you off hardwood walls. You need a real high power air rifle so you can shoot the rats that try to gnaw at your feet while you are asleep. Remember to aim high so you keep all your toes!

Good luck, and if you are so far off the beaten track and alone make sure that a friend will keep track of you every now and then in case you havent been seen for a few days and had an accident or misshap.

**DMNTD:Me** · 4th August 2008, 01:51

Good onya Steam...
I lived without mains power by choice for 11months at one stage when I was living up North. Was bloody awesome too,something I'll always remember.
I had a gas califont for my hot water and ran a water wheel from a small creek to charge the house's batteries.
To get a higher pressure from the hose (for the water wheel) simply run a length of 7/8ths alkathene,block off the end and then drill a 8mm hole in it. It'll produce a fine yet powerful jet of water.
Also do remember that a warm,dry yet well ventilated shed will be required to dry your cash crop plus if you're unfortunate enough to miss a male plant in your garden and it does its business thus seeding the rest...those rats are just fantastic for de-seeding!!
BTW....goats and possums are NOT your friends

**Griffin** · 4th August 2008, 16:10

Sheesh - no power, no mains gas supply, no TV, no puter / internet, no flushing toilet, no microwave, no instant hot water... sounds like a mini version of hell to me - except that you will be freezin your twanger off rather than burning to death. Good on ya - I couldnt do it

**enigma51** · 4th August 2008, 16:18

Originally Posted by DMNTD

Good onya Steam...
I lived without mains power by choice for 11months at one stage when I was living up North. Was bloody awesome too,something I'll always remember.
I had a gas califont for my hot water and ran a water wheel from a small creek to charge the house's batteries.
To get a higher pressure from the hose (for the water wheel) simply run a length of 7/8ths alkathene,block off the end and then drill a 8mm hole in it. It'll produce a fine yet powerful jet of water.
Also do remember that a warm,dry yet well ventilated shed will be required to dry your cash crop plus if you're unfortunate enough to miss a male plant in your garden and it does its business thus seeding the rest...those rats are just fantastic for de-seeding!!
BTW....goats and possums are NOT your friends

Selling franchises again are you?