by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Oct 17, 2017
The costs of off-grid systems have come down over the years. However, solar power is still no small investment. But there are significant savings to be had by reducing our electric energy footprint. So, to put first things first, we’ll take a look at ways we can...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Oct 15, 2017
Yeah, I’m kinda excited about our tropical fruits growing in central Alabama. But I also needed to post something to test out our new email delivery system. The previous email system quit working when we changed hosting accounts (along with a bunch of other...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Aug 20, 2017
In order to build more familiarity with off-grid solar systems, we take a high-level overview of my home solar system. House Cleaning Blog Subscription & Contact Forms Now Fixed You can subscribe to the Higher Octave blog -> HERE. You can contact me via the form...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Aug 19, 2017
When connecting multiple solar panels into an off-grid energy system, there are a few wiring options: parallel, series, or a hybrid (a combination of the two). In this blog, I’ll show you the basics of wiring solar panels in parallel and in series. Then, using my...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Aug 15, 2017
Much of the Higher Octave audience would consider themselves “self-reliant” or “self-sufficient”, or at least striving to be so. I, too, am in that camp. But a series of recent personal events has caused me to consider a balance to this...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Aug 9, 2017
How do we get our typical household 120 VAC current from a 12-volt battery? Let’s take a look at a simple inverted system which provides that function. Warning!!! All content of this podcast and/or blog is for educational purposes only. Use at your own risk....
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Aug 8, 2017
When we rely on solar power for our off-grid system, how can we have power when the sun isn’t shining? Let’s take a look at a very basic system with a battery. This is the third episode in the Going Off-Grid series. To start at the beginning, go to episode 9, Going...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Jul 29, 2017
What is the simplest solar system? Let’s take a look at one. Though it will not take our entire house off-grid, we can get our feet wet as we work towards understanding off-grid systems. This is the second episode of the Going Off-Grid series. To start at the...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Jul 28, 2017
Since this is the 2nd time I’ve replaced this Radian board, I thought I’d video the process. Warning!!! All content of this blog is for educational purposes only. Use at your own risk. Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects involving electricity, construction and...
by Lance Knoechel - Head Homesteader | Jul 19, 2017
One of the most frequent questions I get is, “How do I go off-grid?” This is the first episode in a new series that will help YOU answer that question. Listen to the Podcast...
