Just a thought - not sure how you made out last winter. The tank sits on the ground and the water in the bottom should be warmed from the ground. If you put a bubbler in the tank (fish tank type should work) the bubbler should keep the water from freezing. Where I work we have a 100K fire water tank sitting on the ground. We used to have a heater ($1-2K in oil cost/month) and switched over to a bubbler. We have 6 inches of solid ice on the top and within 15 mins all the ice was gone. The bubbler moves the warm water from the bottom to the top. For the small cost of a bubbler, it maybe worth a try - Good Luck!!

Live your videos

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Waynette! Appreciate your support!

Sounds like you guys have an awesome plan on the water tanks and winterization. Its so unfortunate when you get an initial plan and hire someone to work that plan, and then, it falls through. Always have a plan B, C, D, E,....and so on. I was a Girl Scout for 10 yrs and a leader for 2, and our one motto was "Always Be Prepared"! I still kinda try and live that motto but, have also learned in my adult years that someone else has always got the Ultimate Plan, the way that ours lives will go. God will provide! Continue to lean on him and praise him! May he keep Blessing you all!❤🧡💛💚💙💜

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Amen! Thanks for your support P.J.!

I thoroughly enjoyed your vlog. Thanks for sharing your interesting off the grid lifestyle. So cute seeing all the animals 😃

Your video was so pleasing to me today because of all your interaction with all the animals. The added bonus is the education we all get from everyone's input in the comment section. It's wonderful how each day we can learn something new!

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sky!

You will get there on the water you have a great start

Everything takes time to build on the homestead. Keep it real. Love the stash..😀

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Eva! Appreciate your support dude!

Very cool brother enjoyed watching big thumbs up.. hope all goes well and your water dosn't freeze.. :) :D

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks 89! Appreciate it!

Cool how the goats are so eager to get to the milking station. Now that was a real mans wood splitter

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

WHen its milking time they are ready! haha.

So exciting about expecting babies the farm animals seem to be happy in content all ways nice to have a washing machine looks like you have a handle on the water

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your support!

Yes! We feel your pain in hauling water in the totes that you carry. Now we have a 200 gallon tank for the back of the truck. We go to Bonners Ferry for water in the winter. They don’t shut theirs down, costs $0.25 for 30-50 gallons. Good job on the water tanks! We plan on having big storage tanks too. Need to strive to be more self sufficient right? Have a great night!

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Good to know on Bonners water!

@BreakingFreeOffGrid

4 жыл бұрын

Imagine Acre Wood it’s at the fairgrounds 👍

@joshlower1

3 жыл бұрын

Just go to the river and get water from there.

One jobs at a time and it’ll all get done👍👍. Doing a great job mate🇦🇺🇦🇺

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your support Jimbo!

Might need to invest in a couple of snowmobiles... Have a wonderful evening 🌻🌻🌻

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Might be right. Thanks Chele Michele!

How did it work?

Have you heard of Paul Wheaton? He’s in northern Montana. I think he did a video or podcast on preventing water from freezer. And you might already know this. But the equation for rain harvesting is, 1,000 sqft roof, 2” of rain =600 gallons of water. I’d suspect y’all get some decent rain fall. Get as many of those 2500 gallon poly tanks as you can.

@dougprobert5378

3 жыл бұрын

I built a shed and insulated it , I live in north Idaho my water has never froze , wells are about 50.000 dollars my neighbors drilled a thousand feet, I get my water from my roof we filter it , but we dont drink it it's great for laundry , and showers love the simple life style

Would it be possible to burry the tanks below the frost line to keep it from freezing? Maybe you could combine it with a root or storm cellar. Just an idea.

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Good suggestion Julie! And one we are certainly considering for next year. This year, unforeseen circumstances are forcing us to use above ground tanks. The original plan was to have these cisterns fully enclosed in a heated barn structure, but things didn't fully work themselves out with the original builder, and we are late in the season to start that project now.

@juliebaker6969

4 жыл бұрын

@@LatchkeyKidX Man, not again. You wouldn't believe how many variations I've heard on that theme; The builder went bankrupt. The builder ran off with the money without paying for the materials. The builder did such a shoddy job it had to be torn down and started over. The builder didn't pull the right permits and it all has to come down. The builder died before the job was finished, but after it was paid for. The builder can't finish the build because his wife filed for divorce and put a hold on all his assets. The builder was jailed for tax evasion half way through the build. There's so many people who's plans and finances were decimated over problems of or with the builders.

@joshlower1

3 жыл бұрын

@@juliebaker6969 thats why you be the builder if your own shit

Wonder if putting a layer of hot compost around the tank then a layer of hay or straw then your blk plastic would help keep it from freezing.... might even give you warm water for your livestock :)

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

I saved a video the other day i need to actually watch where a couple did something similar, but i think they burried their tanks about half way. Im gonna watch tonight. Seems like a very interesting idea.

i would add that extra tank now and fill it from town , they have a water heater that you can run straight from a solar pannel without a battery

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

good suggestions! Thanks!

You need a rocket stove with a copper coil for heated water. The copper is expensive, but if you use a coil with the same diameter of your inside stove pipe you can always reuse it there later on.

@haunted5594

4 жыл бұрын

Set up a thermal siphon in the tank and if it's going to be sub-zero, run the rocket stove to heat the water and the mass you are going to insulate with.

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Great thoughts Haunted! Im gonna check some YT videos out tonight!

@haunted5594

4 жыл бұрын

@@LatchkeyKidX the Outsider has a good one and there are quite a few more. I heat all of my hot water in the Winter through a waterblock and my wood furnace.

sounds like you are in my climate. See some posts from bonners...thingking idaho. I have a place in Republc WA...struggling with your same issue. How did it work out?

@LatchkeyKidX

2 жыл бұрын

We had no issues with the tank. The Pex under the house did freeze for about a week at the coldest part, but the tank never froze besides a small sheet of ice at the top which would melt in between fillings

I LEARNED ONE THING LIVING WITH MY DAUGHTER IN VIRGINIA SEVERAL YEARS AGO . WHEN YOU HAVE TO CHOP WOOD EVERYONE NEEDS A WOOD SPLITTER. YOUR BACK IS A PRESHIOUS THING AND IT WILL GO QUICK IF YOU DON'T TAKE CARE OF IT.

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Gail! Ill try to remember that!

@joshlower1

3 жыл бұрын

If you have a strong back its fine. Be a man.

If your going to keep that tank there. You need to get it off the ground. If that tank freezes it wont defrost until july.

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

It is on some foam insulation, so far so good, but i think what really saves us is our usage. We cycle through the water regular enough that it doesnt sit for long before its being cycled and refilled.

Do you have enough wood on your place that you won’t need to buy firewood in the future?

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

For the foreseeable future yes Jimbo. We have very dense timber. Mixed young and old growth.

@jimbog8327

4 жыл бұрын

Imagine Acre Wood . Nice. That’s a cost you don’t need🇦🇺🇦🇺

Still pondering on how my water system is going to work 🤷‍♀️

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Good Luck HHA! Lots of ideas out there and different options!

@shirleyhoward1051

4 жыл бұрын

@@LatchkeyKidX All utilities are there, but Im not sure I want to use them. Financially it does not make sense to drill it wouldn't pay for itself till I'm 80. I also want to be prepared for shtf situations and I dont like the quality of city water. I'm pretty sure I have a freshwater spring so a springbox may be the solution. Please be careful of legionnaire's when dealing with a hot water supply. I'm thinking about using two really large stainless pots welded together with a pop off valve and heated with lard candles, outside of course, but you could keep adding wicks till you get the right temp range, just a thought.

what about wind power?

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

In the future we plan to try a turbine and see what it does for us for winter. We dont get tons of wind, but we do get some. It will be something for when we build the earthship.

I wish I was closer I want a puppy lol. Hubby would not be happy I already have 4 dogs lol

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

They should be really pretty pups! Weimaraner/GSP cross. Both parents are pure bred.

@dinahkayesmith432

4 жыл бұрын

@@LatchkeyKidX now I really want one

@dinahkayesmith432

4 жыл бұрын

How much are they going to be

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

@@dinahkayesmith432 Shoot me an email!

Cat has Burmese in her. I used to have one as well.

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Thats awesome! I dont know much about cats. I do know she is very pretty.

@haunted5594

4 жыл бұрын

@@LatchkeyKidX is she talkative? Mine was called Moopie and Sqiny the Sqink and a few other names as well.

@LatchkeyKidX

4 жыл бұрын

Not really talkative, she is a bit neurotic at times. SOmething is up with one of hers eyes, She was born with it. its kinda lazy at times is the best i can describe it. I dont think she sees well out of the one, and compensates, so she has some weird movements that come across a bit neurotic if that makes sense?

@haunted5594

4 жыл бұрын

@@LatchkeyKidX she may have a problem with that eye, but being crossed isn't one of them. That's normal. Mine did as well and not all the time. Just like Siamese cats. My cat was a bit odd as well, but she was beaucoup interbred. That's one of the reasons she had so many different names. She also had a major issue with licking. God help you if she decided you needed washing! She would start and if you tried to pull away, she'd just sink her claws in hard. Talk about neurotic, lol. Doesn't matter, they are beautiful and a good friend. Enjoy.

Let's connect new friend 😃

Like my neighbors off grid. Always has generator going. What assholes!

@LatchkeyKidX

2 жыл бұрын

Lol imagine having neighbors so close they can hear your generator…

How did your system hold up?

@LatchkeyKidX

3 жыл бұрын

Held up great. We sold the place in November, but the new owner still uses it as well.