Six months off grid. Too hot or too cold

Actually its more like nearly 8 months off grid. I have not been posting very frequently because we have been mostly hunkered down on the farm. A good lot of rain and one snow fall have made it harder to get off the grass and onto the road.


So finding a spot with good enough internet coverage to post has to wait til we come into the township.

Could easily slide down the hill to the dog pens on a rainy day. Love the dogs but I don't want to share their accommodation.



I have been contemplating the management of temperature off late.



So... In the caravan surviving the temperatures is all about windows, ventilation and shade. Funnily enough the principles for hot and cold are similar. Shut the windows to keep the temperature air you want in or out. Cover the  sections you want to protect and run the fan to ventilate and dry out moisture.



Ok it is a bit more complicated than that.

In the hot NT we close windows during the day, open them at night and have shade cloth  over the exposed walls to protect from direct sun. If all else fails we fire up the generator and run the air-conditioner for an hour or two. Shade cloth over the fridge side off the van  helps the poor thing cope. Cold  drinks live in the fridges.Our caravan wears its summer annex. Shade cloth walls pegged out wide to catch the breeze.



Right now, with the snow fields only a two hour drive away the caravan is wearing its winter coat. Shade cloth over the hot water heater side to keep off the frost and thick canvass walls on the annex. These keep out the rain and on sunny days heat up to create a heat source that can be let into the caravan. We open up windows and vents when the sun shines and shut them all as soon as the temperature drops in the afternoon.

If all else fails fire up the generator and run the air-conditioning on heat.



Managing humidity is the same no matter what. Run the fan, use dehumidifying crystals and check  the cupboards regularly.



Mind you if you had seen me washing all the dishes in a saucepan this morning from a kettle of boiled water, pouring a bit more in every minute or so you might have got the impression that managing the cold is not quite as easy as I make out. You see we run the gas water heater for showers then turn it off to save gas. By morning the water is if not frozen then pretty close. The stainless steel sink is about that cold too. So I wash dishes in a tiny container and top it up.



All is wonderful however cos Mr Fix It has installed a second hand wood fire in the shed. Somewhere warm to be till bed time.



Morning views make it all worth while.



Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move

Six months off grid. Water, water where's the water

I read caravan magazines and online forums when ever I can. A reoccurring theme of discussion between the free site-ers (caravan speak for off grid camping) is access to water.  Where to get potable water as we travel and ways to reduce usage.



Our caravan has 180 litre water tanks and if we are careful and have very fast caravan type showers  we can last 4 days before the water pump stops delivering. 

Our spot on the farm is a cracker. Views to die for. Sheltered from the worst of the wind. But..... No town water.



So  K has been lugging water containers back from town almost every trip. 2 by 25 litres at a time. I have gained new respect for how strong K is despite his light build. He heaves these 25kg containers up above the tailgate. One day I thought I would show my appreciation for my caravan hot shower by sneaking the containers into the ute and fetching water. All went well until I was ready to lift them back in the car. I couldn't get them up high enough. After a very frustrating 5 minutes I conceded defeat and completely rearranged the front and back passenger area and jammed one water container into the front passenger foot well and seat belted the other in place. Very careful driving back to camp.



The transfer into our tanks is handled by pump set up Mr Fix It put together from a caravan 12 volt pump, water pipe, hose fittings and washers. The pump is housed inside a plastic box and hangs off the water heater shroud next to the water inlet. The water is pumped through a filter first.



I really appreciate the water that comes out of my caravan taps and try to make it last. Short showers, wash dishes once or twice a day, resist the temptation to rinse everything and wipe dishes with paper towel first instead. We use shower water to  wash clothes  and the cold water that comes through before hot water makes it to the shower head is saved in a bucket sitting in the shower and goes to  fill the flush tank on the toilet.



Rain provokes a wonderful dance where we chuck a bucket under the best water drips off the annex and transfer it to the tanks and containers. This exercise is supposed to save K trips into town, but we get plenty of exercise running in and out.



My caravan twin tub is the best water saving thing. It does a wash in 15 litres plus a bit extra for rinsing. So two showers worth of water.



A great event happened in the water department this week. K put a rainwater tank on a shed and it rained.  We pumped water from the tank to the caravan for the first time.  Champagne moment.



Cheers Sue



A Ferg on the Move.

Six months off grid. How am I going to cook.

 

 

Gluten Free bread. Risen and baked in the BBQ

 

It's actually closer to seven months now since our caravan home was attached to mains power and water.  I have been reflecting on the whole process.

We are very used to living in a 20 ft long space. We have mastered the gymnastic like moves that are required for two people to get ready in the morning, passing over and or past the bed the five or six times it takes me to find everything and get presentable. Takes K a lot less moves than me, but .....

Managing off grid living long term takes a bit more than basic gymnastics.

I'm not a baker per se, although I do make bread for K. I have always used the stove top, microwave and my portable electric oven for roasts and such. Had to rethink the whole process. I have had to go back to planning and getting meat out of the camp freezer in the morning to defrost.  This is a right pain because I have always been a "goodness it is time to cook dinner. Lets open the freezer and see what is there" type of cook. Love my microwave. 30 minutes from the freezer to the plate.

No electricity connection.... ok lets think about this.

Now if you think the solution is a camp fire...not for me. Not that I can't bbq and camp oven ... I just don't (fire restrictions most of the summer anyway) I am a very strange camper. I don't like smoke. Happy to look at other people's camp fires. Fire is fascinating. I just like it behind the glass door of a combustion stove. Happy to cook on top of one of those.

So what do camp fire allergic off grid cooks use. .... The hooded bbq, portable gas burners and the 700watt microwave when the sun is shining to charge the batteries.  The trick is to conserve what ever power source we are using.  So check the volt meter to decide if I reheat in the microwave or on the burners.
I love the days the sun shines....then my microwave can be used sparingly to heat things.

Otherwise it is gas from the bottles or the canisters.
K put a thermometer in the hood of our bbq. This has become our oven. When it is going everything for the meal gets cooked in it. We have two metal rectangular tins that fit side by side in it. Meat in one, vegies in the other. Dinner in 40 minutes.

Dinner in the BBQ. Lamb curry in one side, vegies in the other

 I bake gluten free bread for K, scones and last week even a cake in the bbq.

Chocolate  cake in the BBQ. Just needs hot chocolate syrup and cream

The first few attempts were a bit brown on the bottom. The trick is to protect bottom of the pan with several layers of metal foil and to use a plate or rack to get some air space from the BBQ plate.

I usually rise my bread inside the car. In the summer that is the warmest place and ideal for the job. No fuel expended to rise the bread dough. But in this cold weather  the car is freezing inside. So the BBQ goes on for 5 minutes  or to 50 degrees C and then is turned off.  The bread is put in wrapped in a wet tea towel and I cover the BBQ in an old towel. Bread rises. Grab it out almost risen, pop the tin under the BBQ while I reheat BBQ to baking temp, bread in and bake an hour.  Does the annex smell good!!!!!  Heats the annex up as well. Can sit in there with a coffee, a book and the smell of baking bread. Heaven.

Another trick to saving cooking fuel is not using too many pots. We have a 26cm square pan that is oven proof and has removable handles. K hunted for a couple of years for this. I use lots of metal cooking foil, so I can separate veggies and meat and use the same pan. I even rehydrate dried peas in the same pan wrapped in foil with water or stock. This works in the BBQ or on the portable burners or stove top.  I like to cook in the annex as I hate residual cooking smells in the van and in the summer hot things should be outside. However now in the winter heating a kettle up inside the caravan at night does warm it up some.



Old towels work to keep things warm while Mr Fix It finishes what ever project he is inevitably attached to when the food is ready. 

One of the things that off grid cooking has done for me is increased my exercise. In the van, grab a pot, out of the van, turn on the the burner...opps forgot the lighter.... oops left the pot behind. You get the picture.


Cheers Sue

A Ferg on the Move