Building Ecotopia: Living without Electricity, Part 4

by Chuck Hall

If you're planning an off-the-grid home, one of the considerations is water usage. Getting water to your home without electricity doesn't have to be a problem. If you have a well, you can use a good old-fashioned hand pump. Another alternative would be to install a cistern and a rainwater catch system. With a cistern, all the rainwater that usually goes through the gutters and out into the ditch is instead captured for later use. By installing a filtration system, this captured rainwater can be used in the home. Such a system is gravity-fed by installing a valve in the bottom of the cistern. This means that the bottom of the cistern would have to be situated above the water tap.
Using a cistern as your primary water supply would require careful planning and conservation. If you have a garden or plan to water your lawn, it helps to route the gray water from your showers, baths, and sinks into the ground by installing a piping irrigation system. That way you're using the water twice. I wouldn't recommend using a cistern without a well or city water backup unless you live in an area with a lot of annual rainfall. Even then I'd be cautious. As global warming continues, weather patterns are changing all over the world. Regions that have had a lot of rainfall in the past may no longer be as wet in the future.
Would you like to get rid of that electric washing machine without having to by a washtub and a scrub board? The Laundry Alternative (www.laundry-alternative.com) has a solution that doesn't require scrubbing by hand. Their portable washing machine, the Wonder Wash, is hand-operated and can wash five pounds of clothes in minutes. The secret is its pressurized laundry compartment. The pressure forces the detergent through the fibers in the fabric, getting them clean in record time. It uses a fraction of the water a traditional washing machine uses, so a Wonder Wash is indispensable if you're practicing water conservation. The best part is that the Wonder Wash can be had for less than $50!
There are still quite a few electronic gadgets in the average home, but many can be substituted for battery-operated alternatives. Battery-powered radios have been around for decades. Even televisions and computers have become compact, portable, and battery-operated. Cell phones have virtually eliminated the need for a home telephone. If you're living electricity-free, you can always charge your cell phone in the car. If you go to the extreme of living without a car as well, you can buy a charger for your cell phone that works on solar power. Solar Style offers one for less than $60 at: www.solarstyle.com.