Become Self Sufficient.
Unfortunately, interruptions in the council water supply are becoming quite frequent in South Africa. Normal living without running water is much more difficult than being without electricity, simply because water is a fundamental daily necessity for life. In addition to
In our recent article on methods of desalinating water using solar power, some videos were included which showed simple home built devices. They used the sun’s power to distill pure drinking water from contaminated water sources, such as sea water,
Flat plate solar water heaters are very simple devices, which use solar energy quite effectively to heat water. This article discusses, at a limited conceptual level, a simple cost effective DIY design for a flat plate solar water heater. How
A very large proportion of people living in rural areas, and poorly run municipalities do not have access to safe drinking water. In addition, South Africa is currently in the grip of a periodic drought, which is especially severe in
How to estimate the energy generated by a solar system, given its location on earth and the system design, as well as validate that any estimate provided by your contractor is reasonable. Different places on the planet get different amounts
We noticed that most people visiting the site are interested in the blog articles and calculators. So we have decided to focus on those. OffGridDIY has thus become a blog discussing the subject of becoming more self reliant at home.
During an extended power failure most people want their security systems to remain fully functional. Security systems are also often prioritised when people are selecting which parts of the home should be converted to solar power, to become completely self
How to Decide on Which Appliances or Parts of Your Home to Convert to Solar or Battery Power as well as What Size Solar System is then Applicable Taking your entire home off the grid can be very expensive. It
The Benefits of Closed Combustion Wood Burning Fireplaces One of the best ways to heat your home is using a closed combustion wood burning fireplace. Provided they are properly installed, closed combustion fireplaces are very efficient. A very large proportion
A Discussion of Various Protection Practices in Off-Grid Solar PV Systems For may people, the concept of solar power is a new and potentially exciting subject. Particularly given the rather dismal state of the national grid in South Africa. But