Energy and Big Builds - The Off-Grid Build-Along Video Vault

Hot Water From Your Wood Stove

A salvaged stovepipe water heater rigged to a home wood stove, thermosiphon style, safety first

6 min

Hot water is one of the first comforts the grid takes with it. Your wood stove can give it back, through a two foot section of stovepipe with copper water line coiled between its double walls.

The heater here turned up at an estate sale, and it swaps straight into an existing stove pipe run, alongside cheap heat reclaiming tricks like old springs wrapped around the pipe to push more warmth into the room.

Pair the coil with a discarded water heater as the storage tank, set the fittings at the right heights, and rising hot water circulates on its own, no pump needed.

One rule is non-negotiable: a pressure relief valve. Steam building in a badly built unit can cause an explosion, so the relief gets built in from the start.

License: CC BY 3.0. From the original source. Full attributions on the credits page.

Off-Grid Cooling: Misters That Drop 102F to 85F

Texas farm tour of a simple misting setup that cools people and livestock without power

6 min

In a 102 degree Texas July, this farm's misting rig pulls the surrounding air down to 85 to 87 degrees, and into the low 80s under deep shade with water storage nearby.

The pressure comes without the grid: raise water ten feet with a bicycle pump for about four and a half psi of gravity feed, or run a small solar panel and pump.

The same setup keeps rabbits alive and even breeding through the summer heat, which is the difference between a livestock operation and a die off.

When the power fails in a heat wave, this is the line between heat stroke and livable shade for your family.