It seems I throw this expression around a lot, and it was only brought to my attention recently that not everyone knows what it means. So here it is: living off grid means your property is not connected to county services. There are no lines or pipes coming onto the property and there are none going off your property. Water is either delivered by large trucks to fill your water tank or pumped up from your well to fill your water tank. Your runoff water goes into a septic tank and is then dissipated into the earth. Your power comes from either solar panels, or a generator, or a combination of both.
In the suburbs, for example, all houses are in neat rows with power lines supplying electricity, telephone, cable, and internet. Easy access to the homes is provided by well-maintained and well-lit streets. Each home has its space and owners can manicure. No unwanted plants, for example. If a tree grows there, it is because someone wanted it to. This can be cool. You can have a Chinese Maple in your front yard and in the backyard a nice oak for a treehouse, as well as a lemon, an apple, or whatever you like. No poison oak to be found. I like the sound of that.
People who live in the suburbs don’t usually think about how it all works, not until something goes wrong that is. Then they simply call a specialist in to fix it. You wake up one morning and the garage is flooded. You call the plumber and all is well again. If damage was done, you call a cleanup company specializing in this kind of issue and you’re good to go. Not many people want to know how it was fixed. The plumber may tell you the pipe burst leading to the washing machine, and all night water was filling your garage. But most people in the city or suburbs don’t have to get their hands dirty to make the system or fix it. If the power grid gets overworked because too many people are watching TV on the internet and running the air conditioner, you might have a brown-out or a scheduled power interruption for maintenance. This is the grid you are connected to. Being off grid means you are not connected to this system.
The challenges come in when you have to set up your own system and maintain it. If something goes awry, it’s up to you to make it right again. This is where people who want to move from the city, “flatlanders” as I call them, to the mountains and off grid, often have the most trouble.
So think twice before you give up the cozy life. It is not for everyone. However, if you do take the plunge, it is one of the most rewarding things that you can do. I know it was for me when I moved off grid. And days when PG&E turns off the power do not matter as much.
Catch ya on the country roads.
