Survival essentials: 9 Off-grid appliances for your homestead

By zoeysky // 2022-11-14

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If you're living on a homestead, you might want to invest in off-grid appliances like a solar dehydrator and a manual washing machine so you can cook and clean even if the electricity goes out for several days or weeks. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com) Here are nine off-grid appliances that you might need on your homestead.

Composting toilet

A composting toilet is best suited for preppers who love camping or going on long RV road trips. You can also benefit from having a composting toilet if your off-grid home is temporarily out of running water. When installing a composting toilet, include a vent and a fan to help ventilate any odors out of the room. Connect the vent and fan to a solar panel so they can run even without electricity. A composting toilet is a comfortable restroom alternative. As a bonus, you can use the collected compost for your home garden.

Gas-powered lamps

When the power goes out, you'll need gas-powered lamps if you prefer using light sources that run on fuel instead of flashlights. Unlike flashlights that need extra batteries or constant recharging, you can light up your home with gas-powered lamps even without electricity. A gas lamp hooked up to gas can provide up to 11 hours of light.

Manual food processor

You can use a manual food processor to blend, dice, grind or mince raw or cooked food for easier meal prep. Since this appliance is manual, you only need elbow grease to operate it. Most manual food processor models have a crank that needs to be turned to rotate the blade inside the processor. Some models come with a cord that you pull instead of a crank.

Manual-powered washing machine

A washing machine is a very convenient appliance to have on your homestead. But when the grid goes down, you won't be able to use a regular washing machine. Fortunately, you can keep your clothes clean and smelling fresh with a manual washing machine. Once you're done with the laundry, you can just hang everything to dry on a clothesline in your backyard. Using a manual washing machine is better than doing the laundry by hand. You can look for larger, solar-powered washer-spinners if you have a big family and need to wash more clothes.

Propane-powered stove

With a propane-powered stove, you can cook complete meals for your family when SHTF. You can also get a stove that runs on other fuels, such as butane, if you like. For big families, get full-sized stoves and ovens that run off of propane, so you can easily cook big meals. (Related: 13 Essential non-electric kitchen tools for your off-grid homestead.) Alternatively, you can get wood-burning stoves so you can keep your home warm while you cook.

Solar dehydrator

You can use a solar dehydrator to preserve excess crops from your home garden or raw meat from the animals you're raising. While a traditional dehydrator uses a lot of electricity, a solar dehydrator can help you save a bit of money on your electric bill. Dehydrating food offers many benefits:

It allows you to storing fresh fruits and vegetables for use when they are not in season.
It can be used to create healthy and delicious snacks from fresh produce.
You can save money by drying and storing your own produce instead of purchasing foods out of season.

With a solar dehydrator you can dehydrate the following fruits and vegetables:

Apples
Bananas
Beans
Broccoli
Carrots
Celery
Garlic
Mangoes
Onions
Peas
Pumpkin or squash
Strawberries
Tomatoes

Solar-powered air conditioning

If you live in an area with hot weather and sweltering summers, you should invest in a solar-powered air conditioner. Solar-powered air conditioning can help you stay cool during hot summers. While a solar-powered air conditioner's running time has a limit, it can still help your family stay cool and avoid dangerous conditions like heat stroke.

Solar-powered refrigerator

A solar-powered refrigerator allows you to keep food and drinks cool even when the power is out. Some solar-powered refrigerators require you to have a solar system already in place, but you can also buy a large solar panel to run it.

Stovetop waffle iron

Having a stovetop waffle iron is great if you live with family members who love having waffles for breakfast. Use a waffle iron to make a tasty breakfast on top of your propane-powered stove. A stovetop waffle iron will save you space and electricity in the long run since modern waffle irons are large and take up a lot of counter space. Modern electric appliances are convenient, but they aren't always foolproof. But if you have off-grid appliances on your homestead, you can cook and clean even if the power is out for a long time. Visit Offgrid.news for more on useful appliances that you should have on your homestead. Watch the video below for tips on how to forage for food and medicine when SHTF. This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com.

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