I know it would be a lot of re-work, but have you thought of digging a “root cellar” into the hillside to house your battery and water pressure tank? You only need to be a few feet below ground and it’s 55 deg year-round. Use the earth as your heater . . .
Failing is part of the learning process. Build a well house with proper insulation. This includes the ground. Put some concrete(insulation underneath) on the ground and this will help with lifting the whole well house as well. For Power, you can get batteries that are heated(renogy makes some) and get standalone inverter/PV charger combo. Ask help from RV folks, they have the same issues with PV and batteries. Great video as always.
This is a great series of vids at the property Brian. Regarding your exposed piping, yes, try to insulate them. But also drain them of water when you are not there.
First off this video is fun, also a note for helping in case you get stuck in the snow. Carry some kitty litter with you. It absorbs moisture and provides some extra traction if you get stuck. Some sand (won't melt anything) or salt should also work! Maybe not in super deep snow, but with the snow amount in the video you should be good. Also, they sell these traction panel things that you can keep in your truck or car. You just wedge them under the tire. Not sure if they actually work though, I have never used them. Good luck on everything though!
I have been watching you for years. While I love the other videos, this one was my favorite of all time. The challenges and the attitude towards them win the day! oh and it was pretty funny too.
Hey Brian, if you are concerned about driving in the snow you should consider getting a set of dedicated snow tires for the winter months. I have been working at ski resorts driving up and down snowy mountains for the last 5 years and the difference is truly night and day. Furthermore, you only run them 3-4 months a year so a set can last a good while and of course it saves the wear on your summer tires during the winter, so its really not that much more money over time just a bigger upfront investment. Some folks like studs but I wouldnt recommend them unless you drive in icy conditions frequently. Cheers!
Door threshholds facing outside usually have concrete under them to prevent your problem requiring the pick axe. You could use a few bricks or pavers to solve that problem cheaply.
Great video. BTW that Starlink router looks weak with no external antennas but its strong. I pick it up great in the house next door through really thick walls. For rural internet the upload speeds are my favorite part. Loved the game footage, I want to stay once Everstoke opens, but if my wife saw those clips our stay would be toast. Thats awesome your all out there building in the snow, its not to bad if you keep moving.
That game camera was sweet! All depends on your budget for the power. You could build a nice ol system for 5k with DIY china LiFePo4's and solar panels. Maybe 5kw? I have'nt started my full out off grid solar power study cost lol. Thats awesome on the starlink!
Even though the Starlink is still a bit janky, it's a game-changer for rural locations. My in-laws still live on their farm property and are a 1/4-mile from high-speed internet lines. Installed a Starlink last fall and it's the first time they've ever had something fast that didn't come with a stupidly low data cap. It is a bit flaky, though, depending on where the satellites are. Also glad they didn't have to put it in a tree. 🙂
I noticed when you playback your animal cam, it seems as if the animals all agree to designated times to use the service Rd. Not one aggressive encounter of species, Glad to see that you promote a peaceful work environment.
Still waiting on mine. No word on the estimated ship date after well over a year on the wait list. They were quick to give me a price hike already though.
Two thoughts on the freezing issue.. All those brass fittings could have been PVC, which doesn't look as good but a brass ball valve will run you 30$ Where a PVC one will cost you about 5. You could also make your pump house a bit bigger (i know bit late for it) but you could get a propane heater from Home Depo like a 20,000 BTU console heater or a smaller hotdog (shop style) heater for less than a grand hook up a 50# propane bottle to it set the thermostat at 55 and probably be good for 2 years before you have to fill the bottle.
The StarLink dishes have a built in heater to melt snow off. May not be able to keep it clear in a blizzard but works pretty well actually. We installed a few dozen in my area in the winter of 2021.
ball valves are the worst in cold climes. When you shut off the ball valve, it traps water inside. When it freezes, it swells and cracks the housing. Use gate valves
Loved seeing the animals on your place. I liked seeing the wildlife on my off-grid property too, but the number of trespassers really upset me! Sold that place.
A cooler to put the bluettti in would cost zero battery power and probably work better. Plus you could run the wires through the drainage of the cooler
@@MTBTrek34 heat requires sustainable power, which this location does not offer. Solar will never work, besides snow-covered solar panels, there are way too many days without sunshine during the winter. Direct power to a rural piece of land that will require 100% trenching which could be 1000-8,000 feet I'm guessing is pushing $50-$100K plus.
If you ever want some help with solar/off-grid power, I've been building 3 different systems lately (Truck, and 2 cabin systems) and I'd be happy to help. Hell if you just want my schematics/BOM/etc for them I'd be happy to toss them your way and give you my 2c from what I've learned. If nothing else you can look it over and decided whether or not it's useful. All of mine are actually designed to power starlink as well, and the cabin ones are designed to be good enough to power some fairly beefy compute hardware as well.
I would love to hear a general overview of sustainable power off-grid. Doesn't the fact the land is covered with 200ft trees and snow for 5 months cause an issue? His location is already fighting direct sunlight with trees plus the winter can bring weeks without much sunlight. I've seen home off-grid power from streams and rivers, but that project was close to $400K. Any online resource information?
Hello Brian I just found out mountain biker out here in Phoenix Az had an accident on South Mountain trails. What I found out on his Facebook said he has a tibial plateau and a fibula fracture
new(er) sub to the channel, about 5 months or so. Just went back and watched all the Everstoke vids, awesome project. I might have missed it, but I know you keep saying Northern CA. Im guessing this is a bit north of Sierraville? Are you still in the Bay for your primary residence?
Just for future reference that starlink cable is just a normal cat6 cable with proprietary ends on it. Really dumb idea to squeeze every dollar out of customers when they need a new or longer cable. You can splice cat6 in the middle and just use the ends. Those predators on the game cameras were amazing!!!
Talk to the power company and find out what it will cost. You have power lines going through your property, and it might not be as expensive as you think it will be.
You need to hook up a deep cell lead acid battery to your other system. Will give you cold weather reserve and hopefully keep the bluetti from "going to sleep"
No bigfoot footage yet . A propane backup generator would solve most of your problems with a tank big enough to last the winter . Heat tape maybe a good option wrapped around your water pipes
you should have tree house masters tv show come build a bike themed tree house. you could bike from up high similar to the trail like Bentonville, coler.
Well Brian I admire your determination and persistence !!! It's not easy in the Snow country to make all your requirements come to life...but you are well on your way...I heard that Elon needs more money so the monthly fee will go up for your Internet service....$10 or $15/month.....maybe if you signed for long term your fees may not go up just yet....way to hang in there Dude!
Keep an eye on that tree you topped for the starlink dish. I imagine you did enough damage to it that it's going to die within the year. Don't need it coming down on top of anyone or anything in a wind storm in subsequent years.
Every project has 3-4 layers … call that scope creep. Feels like you back up 5 steps to go forward 2. ARgh. LOL. I live on 6 acres and live with that everyday. I think in terms of 5 and 10 years now when driving projects on the farm. Enjoy.
Geothermal and biomass, it's not that tough. Geothermal, big plastic pipes with either air or fluid picking up heat from underground. You have an excavator. Biomass, big pile of wet leaves, wood chips, food scraps and other waste, it's composting but you capture the heat. You have TH-cam? Think about a 250 gallon propane tank and a propane generator.
Build your own lifepo4 battery. Check out diy solar with will prowse. He has a youtube channel but also owns the biggest solar forum on the net. Its super easy and you save a ton. off grid doesn't have to mean compromise with the right setup you can have a hot water heater and all, and if you build your own batteries you will be surprised how cost effective it is. If you are looking to buy batteries then SOK is probably the best for the money. Battleborn is a rip off
Bro you picked a damn zoo to build a trail in.......there's a company called Edison something or other but they make really good batteries for solar.....a solid setup will run about 13 k but your gonna have to really learn the system because you need a computer to control it ...the batteries also need regular maintenance
I know it would be a lot of re-work, but have you thought of digging a “root cellar” into the hillside to house your battery and water pressure tank? You only need to be a few feet below ground and it’s 55 deg year-round. Use the earth as your heater . . .
the mountain lions are incredible! i always love the game camera shots
cool treetop idea!!! really neat video of the homestead!!!
*puts starlink up a tree* , "oh look! A thunderstorm! Starlink fried"
Love your positive attitude.
I can’t believe the amount of wild live captured on this trail cams! Beautiful
brian your infinite positivity is always inspirational! i came for the MTB vids, and have stayed for the positive!
That is actually super awesome footage Man :)) keep on going…
Love the game camera footage, so cool you have so many creatures, the mountain lion is awesome as is the bear!!
Failing is part of the learning process. Build a well house with proper insulation. This includes the ground. Put some concrete(insulation underneath) on the ground and this will help with lifting the whole well house as well. For Power, you can get batteries that are heated(renogy makes some) and get standalone inverter/PV charger combo. Ask help from RV folks, they have the same issues with PV and batteries. Great video as always.
This is a great series of vids at the property Brian. Regarding your exposed piping, yes, try to insulate them. But also drain them of water when you are not there.
I’m going to need you to wear those glasses whenever you talk to the camera from now on 😅
First off this video is fun, also a note for helping in case you get stuck in the snow. Carry some kitty litter with you. It absorbs moisture and provides some extra traction if you get stuck. Some sand (won't melt anything) or salt should also work! Maybe not in super deep snow, but with the snow amount in the video you should be good. Also, they sell these traction panel things that you can keep in your truck or car. You just wedge them under the tire. Not sure if they actually work though, I have never used them. Good luck on everything though!
So cool that you got Starlink at Everstoke. I love how you mix technology with everything you do.
I have been watching you for years. While I love the other videos, this one was my favorite of all time. The challenges and the attitude towards them win the day! oh and it was pretty funny too.
I agree!!
I love these Everstoke progress reports. It’s interesting to see how your project develops.
Hey Brian, if you are concerned about driving in the snow you should consider getting a set of dedicated snow tires for the winter months. I have been working at ski resorts driving up and down snowy mountains for the last 5 years and the difference is truly night and day. Furthermore, you only run them 3-4 months a year so a set can last a good while and of course it saves the wear on your summer tires during the winter, so its really not that much more money over time just a bigger upfront investment. Some folks like studs but I wouldnt recommend them unless you drive in icy conditions frequently. Cheers!
Door threshholds facing outside usually have concrete under them to prevent your problem requiring the pick axe. You could use a few bricks or pavers to solve that problem cheaply.
Love the game camera shots!
Trail cam is very cool👍
Great video. BTW that Starlink router looks weak with no external antennas but its strong. I pick it up great in the house next door through really thick walls. For rural internet the upload speeds are my favorite part. Loved the game footage, I want to stay once Everstoke opens, but if my wife saw those clips our stay would be toast. Thats awesome your all out there building in the snow, its not to bad if you keep moving.
"My pets heads are falling off".......LOL! Classic!
That game camera was sweet! All depends on your budget for the power. You could build a nice ol system for 5k with DIY china LiFePo4's and solar panels. Maybe 5kw? I have'nt started my full out off grid solar power study cost lol. Thats awesome on the starlink!
Even though the Starlink is still a bit janky, it's a game-changer for rural locations. My in-laws still live on their farm property and are a 1/4-mile from high-speed internet lines. Installed a Starlink last fall and it's the first time they've ever had something fast that didn't come with a stupidly low data cap. It is a bit flaky, though, depending on where the satellites are. Also glad they didn't have to put it in a tree. 🙂
Wow that mountain lion!
Very subtle Dumb and Dumber reference had me cracking up
I noticed when you playback your animal cam, it seems as if the animals all agree to designated times to use the service Rd. Not one aggressive encounter of species, Glad to see that you promote a peaceful work environment.
Did you happen to notice the lion walking softly? That's called stalking prey.
“My pets heads are falling off” reference 🤣😂
That mountain lion was looking healthy
Still waiting on mine. No word on the estimated ship date after well over a year on the wait list. They were quick to give me a price hike already though.
that mountain lion though.. great content as always!
Awesome stuff Brian 🤩😍👍🔥
So cool!!!
Two thoughts on the freezing issue.. All those brass fittings could have been PVC, which doesn't look as good but a brass ball valve will run you 30$ Where a PVC one will cost you about 5. You could also make your pump house a bit bigger (i know bit late for it) but you could get a propane heater from Home Depo like a 20,000 BTU console heater or a smaller hotdog (shop style) heater for less than a grand hook up a 50# propane bottle to it set the thermostat at 55 and probably be good for 2 years before you have to fill the bottle.
How many hurdles? You overcame them Brian, gotta say loving the Everstoke videos.
not long before snow cover obstructs the starlink once again. Seems like it will be a constant struggle. Beautiful area you are in though!
The StarLink dishes have a built in heater to melt snow off. May not be able to keep it clear in a blizzard but works pretty well actually. We installed a few dozen in my area in the winter of 2021.
Yeah like Beans said, they are heated. That was the cat reference BK mentioned. Previous models made for nice heated cat beds for feral cats.
@@thebeans66 oh, thats pretty cool!
@@1975lap ahh... makes sense now.
@@thebeans66 that won’t stop a lightning strike destroying it
I was told you can't hook up satellite to trees, they move to much in the wind. That was with dish network anyways, but same concept.
Why? Why did the tree need to die, Brian??
you are living one of my dream
ball valves are the worst in cold climes. When you shut off the ball valve, it traps water inside. When it freezes, it swells and cracks the housing. Use gate valves
Loved seeing the animals on your place. I liked seeing the wildlife on my off-grid property too, but the number of trespassers really upset me! Sold that place.
Please put up link for the new power supply
Purchase some tire chains, and you will be surprised how far you can make it in a 2wd vehicle.
Dang! been waiting over a year for my StarLink! lol. Now the price has increased to $110 a month and 550 for equipment.
Wild life is so cool!
Great update. Really interesting. I hate to be "that guy", but what will happen to the Starlink in a thunderstorm...? 🤔
A cooler to put the bluettti in would cost zero battery power and probably work better. Plus you could run the wires through the drainage of the cooler
Dude you crack me up! Nothing was going right but you kept a good attitude, love to see it
Renogy has self heating Lithium batteries. You might want to look into that.
perhaps insulating the inside of the enclosure :) with some sort of manual damper that you can open during the summer months :)
Insulation is a start but without heat, the inside temp will be the same as the outside.
@@EpicRev1 heat...that goes without saying :)
@@MTBTrek34 heat requires sustainable power, which this location does not offer. Solar will never work, besides snow-covered solar panels, there are way too many days without sunshine during the winter. Direct power to a rural piece of land that will require 100% trenching which could be 1000-8,000 feet I'm guessing is pushing $50-$100K plus.
@@EpicRev1 my other comment was to use a wind turbine if it is windy enough...
Don’t get frustrated Brian .you’re getting there one step at a time.keep up the good work.!!!!!!!!!!!!👍👍👍✌️✌️
Is that Starlink not a target for lightening now that it is mounted at the top of a tree?
If you ever want some help with solar/off-grid power, I've been building 3 different systems lately (Truck, and 2 cabin systems) and I'd be happy to help. Hell if you just want my schematics/BOM/etc for them I'd be happy to toss them your way and give you my 2c from what I've learned. If nothing else you can look it over and decided whether or not it's useful.
All of mine are actually designed to power starlink as well, and the cabin ones are designed to be good enough to power some fairly beefy compute hardware as well.
I would love to hear a general overview of sustainable power off-grid. Doesn't the fact the land is covered with 200ft trees and snow for 5 months cause an issue? His location is already fighting direct sunlight with trees plus the winter can bring weeks without much sunlight. I've seen home off-grid power from streams and rivers, but that project was close to $400K. Any online resource information?
Hey Brian, are you going to make it to Sea Otter this year?
mountain lion was after that deer.
Hello Brian I just found out mountain biker out here in Phoenix Az had an accident on South Mountain trails. What I found out on his Facebook said he has a tibial plateau and a fibula fracture
new(er) sub to the channel, about 5 months or so. Just went back and watched all the Everstoke vids, awesome project. I might have missed it, but I know you keep saying Northern CA. Im guessing this is a bit north of Sierraville? Are you still in the Bay for your primary residence?
Just for future reference that starlink cable is just a normal cat6 cable with proprietary ends on it. Really dumb idea to squeeze every dollar out of customers when they need a new or longer cable. You can splice cat6 in the middle and just use the ends. Those predators on the game cameras were amazing!!!
Talk to the power company and find out what it will cost. You have power lines going through your property, and it might not be as expensive as you think it will be.
You need to hook up a deep cell lead acid battery to your other system. Will give you cold weather reserve and hopefully keep the bluetti from "going to sleep"
You need to use LTO batteries they will charge and discharge in negative 30F
If you put the star link at the top of one of those trees how are you going to clean it when the snow falls on it
It’s now $110 a month! Still worth it if nothing else! Which there isn’t where I live
"my pets heads are falling off" lmao I get the reference
No bigfoot footage yet . A propane backup generator would solve most of your problems with a tank big enough to last the winter . Heat tape maybe a good option wrapped around your water pipes
at least you have a nice camp fire. I like to go camping.
Why did you cut the tree down?
That was a big ass puma
7:36 Danger Kitty!
You need a solar heater on inside and top of your water things cooler
1:21 when you see some ore in skyrim
8:49 ohh that girl for Messi
We still need a name for our local mountain lion.
you should have tree house masters tv show come build a bike themed tree house. you could bike from up high similar to the trail like Bentonville, coler.
windmill?
Congrats, I ordered mine 5/5/21 and they emailed me an update that they wont ship to Aliso Viejo until 2023 :(
😂😂😂
WOW A Puma!
if it is windy...you can always get a wind turbine :)
Well Brian I admire your determination and persistence !!! It's not easy in the Snow country to make all your requirements come to life...but you are well on your way...I heard that Elon needs more money so the monthly fee will go up for your Internet service....$10 or $15/month.....maybe if you signed for long term your fees may not go up just yet....way to hang in there Dude!
Elon is a POS
I wonder if you guys get game tags on your property? If so, if you can bag some deer it can fill you freezer.
Keep an eye on that tree you topped for the starlink dish. I imagine you did enough damage to it that it's going to die within the year. Don't need it coming down on top of anyone or anything in a wind storm in subsequent years.
How much did that tree removal cost?
Every project has 3-4 layers … call that scope creep. Feels like you back up 5 steps to go forward 2. ARgh. LOL. I live on 6 acres and live with that everyday. I think in terms of 5 and 10 years now when driving projects on the farm. Enjoy.
What is the benefit of having internet out there at this point in the building process?
"My pets heads are falling off"..... Lloyd Christmas
Allow me to ask...why was it that you had to cut one of the oldest trees? I really hope it wasn't for the purpose of fire making
battleborn batteries has batteries that heat themselves.
Only 7 months? Must be nice. I'm over a year now.
Poor tree. :(
Where's Aaron and why'd he quit posting
$100 per month? Ouch! I guess I thought the point of Starlink was to be free or really cheap.
wolves and lion and bears? 😮
What’s up with taking down that 100 year old tree ? Good grief - why ?
Geothermal and biomass, it's not that tough. Geothermal, big plastic pipes with either air or fluid picking up heat from underground. You have an excavator. Biomass, big pile of wet leaves, wood chips, food scraps and other waste, it's composting but you capture the heat. You have TH-cam?
Think about a 250 gallon propane tank and a propane generator.
Lol, why did you cut down the tallest tree on the property? That’s your solution, not your problem! 😂
Build your own lifepo4 battery. Check out diy solar with will prowse. He has a youtube channel but also owns the biggest solar forum on the net. Its super easy and you save a ton. off grid doesn't have to mean compromise with the right setup you can have a hot water heater and all, and if you build your own batteries you will be surprised how cost effective it is. If you are looking to buy batteries then SOK is probably the best for the money. Battleborn is a rip off
shitters and wifi, the essentials
Surely your not off grid if you're giving yourself satellite internet access?
Maybe a propane generator and a large tank? Maybe $10k
Bro you picked a damn zoo to build a trail in.......there's a company called Edison something or other but they make really good batteries for solar.....a solid setup will run about 13 k but your gonna have to really learn the system because you need a computer to control it ...the batteries also need regular maintenance