More On Utilities

I mentioned in previous posts that I was going to disentangle myself and my homestead from the utility companies. Especially our water and sewer system. While convenient, utilities lull you into a sense of complacency, then dependency. In the case of the electric company, power and light at the flick of a switch and easy food storage like freezers and refrigerators make life very easy. So, you stay connected for the time being till you get some alternative power sources squared away. Twenty years later, electric power utilities are still very convenient.

Electricity will be produced on my homestead with help from the St. Maries River. Some home hydro-power will power my communications like computer, radio, TV and Satellite. Although I may not keep the TV and Satellite. Right now, however, I am using television as a babysitter, keeping a family member happy and out of my hair for a while each day. Food will not be stored in the freezer, but will be canned or dried. Lighting will be propane, candle and oil lamps as well as battery powered LED lighting. Generators will power battery packs and a small freezer and or refrigerator may be maintained. The generator and hydro-plant will also power tools and the smithy.

Water will be the worst utility to replace. Not because it is particularly hard to provide for yourself, but because the waterboard here like to behave as though they are little lords in their little kingdom. Fernwood, having no zoning laws and the water and sewer district being a private, non-regulated entity, can't force a customer to remain hooked up to their system. Not that there won't probably be a fight. Legal, that is.
Of course disentangling from the water and sewer district will be my first task. You can't use the sewer system if you aren't on water. My place has no septic system, but there is a way around the sewage situation. Composting toilets can be purchased or plans to make them are on the internet. I'll try my hand at making one first. I'll test it for a while, then decide if it will work. That's first on my list in the disentanglement process. If the toilet works, I'll install one in each bathroom. That's not the entire sewage works, of course. This is just the first stage. Once completed, we'll move on to the next stage. Stay tuned.

Check out North Woods Traders store at http://northwoodstrader.ecrater.com/ . Nights will be getting longer and colder. More movies rarely seen and unavailable on DVD are being posted.