Heating a space efficiently, safely, and with little energy is the dream of any off-grid project. One Redditor had an innovative solution for this and shared the details of their unconventional system.
The key to warming up their off-grid greenhouse is compost, which is why the r/composting community of Reddit was graced with the information.
They explained that they made a coil of half-inch irrigation line — though they later switched to a polyethylene tube known as PEX — to sit in the center of the compost bin.
"The coil was then insulated, buried, and brought into the greenhouse where it would heat from ground level, mimicking a radiant floor system," they continued.
Then, they ran a line of floor coils through the greenhouse that ended at a 50-gallon drum used for volume and heat mass.
A 12-volt pump powered the system and automatically turned on when the temperature fell below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Impressively, when the compost bin was doing its magic — at least partly fueled by horse manure since the OP lives on a ranch — they were able to generate temperatures between 110 and 140 degrees.
A few tweaks later, such as increasing the size of the compost bin and adding a control circuit for pump regulation, they were able to achieve internal temperatures of 72 degrees even while the chill outside dropped to 15 degrees.
"I hope that this inspires someone else to play around and build on this idea!" the OP said.
It's an incredible example of ingenuity, and while this kind of system won't work for every off-gridder's needs, it demonstrates the potential to create pollution-free heating systems that require little power to operate.
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Definitely 👍 Another solution for interior heating for off-grid homes is a wood-burning fire, though these create harmful particle pollution and release nitrogen oxides, methane, and volatile organic compounds, according to Doctors and Scientists Against Wood Smoke Pollution. It's a similar situation for gas-fired heaters.
Electric heaters could also work, but these are energy-hungry, so they might not be a workable off-grid solution unless you have plenty of solar panels and battery storage.
In one innovation shared on Reddit, an off-gridder partially surrounded their property with greenhouses to make the most of the sun's heat.
If you can comfortably and safely brave the winter cold, heating system or not, there are many benefits to living off-grid. Not being connected to grid-provided energy means no bills dropping on your doorstep and an end to reliance on power that was likely created by dirty fuels.
This energy independence also makes your home more resilient in extreme weather conditions, as solar energy or a wind turbine can help keep the lights on when the grid goes down for everyone else.
Redditors were certainly impressed by the DIY heating system.
"This looks sensational," one said. "I'm so happy you got to do a project like this!"
Another added: "Absolutely fantastic, this is the kind of stuff I dream of, but neither am competent enough to do, nor do I have access to that much compost."
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