- I'm coming out of the cornfield guys.
Sometimes I just go in there and just hang out.
But I wanted to talk to you today
about how the systems here at the Homestead have been doing.
We've talked a lot about how the garden's been doing
but you know, if you remember, we've put in grey water,
we've put in rainwater capture,
we've put in solar and a couple other things.
And I wanted to talk to those of you who are interested
in those types of systems in your home.
Some of the mistakes that I made,
maybe where I spent too much money,
too little money, didn't invest correctly,
didn't sequence the projects right?
So in this video, let's walk around
and just troubleshoot exactly what I would
and wouldn't do again.
Kicking it off here in the pond, which by the way,
is really taking on a life of its own.
The rainwater collection system is the pride and joy.
That's the 5,000 gallon cistern, which is coming off
of the roof right here, coming over the capture system.
And there's a couple other rainwater tanks on the property.
So, you know, I really have to say I could have
done my initial setup here a little bit better.
This design here went through multiple iterations
before we got to this, which I think is a decent system.
So you have your leaf filter, right?
You have your first flush filter right here
and then you have the actual capture system
which comes all the way down and runs over there.
Chickens are going crazy right now
but what I'll say about this is as far as water capture,
grey water is gonna be your better option than rainwater.
If you're looking at it at a cost per gallon rate.
It's simply less effective to capture rainwater
because of the way you have to expend money
on storing it all.
Now that being said
it's sometimes not all about the per dollar cost.
Sometimes it's about the peace of mind.
It's about knowing if there's a shortage.
I've got 5,750 gallons plus more actually in the pond here
at my disposal that I can use to water the garden
or I can purify and use in my home if I want to.
But if you're starting out, let's check out the grey water
and I'll show you why that's a better choice.
So here it is.
This is the laundry water line
and laundry actually has a pump.
This has a pump itself, so you don't need to add anything.
And then what you've got is drop out to the sewer here.
So if I put it this way, it's gonna shut off this valve
which is where it's going out to the artichoke patch
and it's gonna just route it back out to the sewer line.
If I turn it this way, it's gonna go ahead and go down here
goes down through the floor and out to the front.
Laundry grey water, for an aspiring homesteader
or someone trying to be more self-sufficient,
is probably the best bang for your buck
you're gonna get for reusing water.
Number one, it's not a big life change.
You have to change a couple detergents
and soaps that you use.
We have a whole grey water FAQs video we did.
Number two, most cities have some sort
of rebate program where you can actually get money back
up to even the full price of the install.
And then number three, if you want to do it yourself
it's actually not that challenging of an install to do.
I'm here in the bathroom now
because those of you that remember,
remember we went a little crazy with the grey water install
and I also installed a shower grey water system
in which we have a toggle, like a little flip switch
that will actuate a turning mechanism below the house
and it will either turn and block off the sewer line,
allowing it to go out to the orchard, or it will block
off the orchard line, allowing it to go out to the sewer.
Kind of depends, like if you're using some products
in the shower you really don't want in the orchard,
then of course you would throw it to sewer.
I thought this was really good
because I was like, you know what?
I probably use more water in the shower
than I do in the laundry machine for sure.
So I might as well spare the extra expense
and go ahead and do that.
Well, I have to be honest, the shower is really small.
It is hard for me personally to be in.
I'm a pretty tall guy.
So I went ahead and designed an outdoor shower system
that I've been using a little bit more often.
I'll show it to you right now.
But this one also goes out to the orchard
and it outputs a little bit more water
through this rainfall shower head.
I think for most people going in with grey water, again,
I went a little overboard with the shower system.
I don't think it's a bad idea.
In fact, I think most homes should just be plumbed this way
by a matter of course, it's not a lot of extra expense
and I think as we see resources potentially get more scarce
in certain geographies,
you're probably gonna want a system like that.
So I'm not poo-pooing the shower, but I will say
for my particular use, I'm out here way more often
and it's coming right down in that drain right there
and going out to the orchard still.
So a good use of time and a good use of money for me.
Long story short, grey water, great starter.
Laundry, even better, go a little crazy if you want to,
then get into rainwater if you really feel
like it's an expense that's worth spending.
Now let's talk about solar.
So those of you who remember
I have a 14-panel system that I later upgraded
with another 10 panels.
So I have, I might have done more.
I think I'm either 24 or 26.
Needless to say.
There's a lot of panels up on the roof here
at the epic homestead and I've done a few videos
on updates from just a pure cost perspective.
Long story short, it's probably gonna pay itself off
in about 5.5 to 6.5 years, which is very aggressive.
And the reasons for that
is I got a pretty good deal on the system.
I also have a 22% credit against that expense
that came through the California government.
They basically just gave a rebate
against any solar that people put in.
So that was a good boon.
I took advantage of it the second
that it really came into play.
And I'm generating 1.4 megawatts
of energy every single month, at least during the summer
1.4 to 1.5, which is like far above what I actually use.
So you have to think about what your area is rich in.
California, specifically San Diego, is rich in sunlight.
We almost never have rain here and that's our weakness.
We almost never have rain here.
So I wanted to shore up my weakness
with the grey water system and the rainwater capture
and then take advantage of my strength
by completely wiping my energy bill to zero
and netting a positive return
after just five or six years of living here.
Really for the foreseeable life of me being
at this property 20, 25, 30 plus years
it's gonna be really, really nice.
And what's great is I can use, guilt-free effectively,
up to the amount I generate every month
'cause I don't really gain anything
besides accruing a negative credit.
So you don't get paid
for what you generate in excess of what you use.
So for me, that means I have a little more leeway here
in the garden to use some automated timers,
to maybe automate some certain things
about the chicken coop or the irrigation,
or run my mini split air conditioning
a little bit more often,
be a little more comfortable.
That's sort of the point of what I'm trying to do here.
It's not all about slogging through
and just kind of suffering your way through this
homestead mission or this homestead journey.
I'm trying to add as much of modern technology
and modern life that makes sense while not losing the fact
that we should know where our food comes from
and ideally produce a significant chunk of it ourselves.
Those are the three major systems
the water system and the energy system.
Other things I would say are
if you're going to do a project, do it right the first time
and consult with the best person in your area you can find.
And oftentimes with contracted jobs like this,
best often means they show up
when they're supposed to show up
and they do quality work and they communicate well.
They don't have to go above and beyond.
You just wanna find someone that you trust,
because look, if something goes wrong with the tank
or if something goes wrong with the grey water system
or all that solar up on the roof there, you better believe
I know the people that I hired to do the work
are actually going to come back
and fix it instead of just absolutely vanishing.
So I'd say that, and I'd also say prioritize.
You know, we all have our own budgets
that we're working with.
You want to do something that makes the most sense
in the moment.
Most bang for your buck.
That for me was putting, let's say
the shed system in first.
I needed a place to store my tools.
It enabled me to do the rest
of this garden in a much more efficient manner.
You'll notice that things like
my compost system that came in pretty late, guys.
I mean, I'm actually a little embarrassed at
how long it took me to get a compost system in,
but simply it was a lower return because I was doing a lot,
making my own compost in a simple pile for the time being.
And then now that it's fall,
you're gonna see an episode here pretty soon.
We need this bin to put a lot
of material in to get it ready for the spring season.
So you just gotta prioritize and you gotta pick
and choose your spots where you're gonna invest your money
and over time you will build a homestead
that you're really proud of.
So I hope this was helpful.
I wanna do a couple more videos like this where
I'm talking about how to think about it,
how to prioritize, systemize,
invest correctly in your systems.
So if that's interesting
drop it down below what you wanna see next.
Good luck in the garden and keep on growing.