The importance of interchangeability, redundancy and spares living off grid

  • The importance of interchangeability, redundancy and spares living off grid

    Posted by BiggKidd on July 10, 2024 at 4:16 pm

    The title says it all. But to put a point on it and explain why. Yesterday the step down converter that changes the 48 volt power of my main power system down to 12 volts for a few items like the water pump died. So I had no water. A couple years ago when I built my golf cart I used the spare converter for the house to run the 12 volt items on my golf cart. I forgot to get another spare. So this morning I went and stole it off the golf cart to run the water pump and ordered another one. I also changed the golf cart from 36 volt to 48 volt so it would be the same as the house and could be used for power in a pinch. I always try and use the same types of equipment for interchangeability. If I didn’t do this there have been many times I would have been at a loss while waiting for new parts to be delivered. So if like me you have multiple power systems then using all the same equipment allows you to interchange parts when needed. This has come in handy many times. This works on many levels and in many ways. Like having similar vehicles for parts interchangeability and not needing to have so many different kinds of spare and wear parts on hand.

    potpourri_of_life replied 4 months, 3 weeks ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • EvW

    Member
    July 10, 2024 at 10:27 pm

    One is none, two is one, and maybe 3 will be enough!

  • MartHale7

    Member
    July 11, 2024 at 4:47 pm

    I have another water pump for my well sitting in my shipping container for …. “just in case”.

    I expect our China supply line will be destroyed when we goto war over Taiwan.

    I have purchased backups for the things I use most like bread machine, and my vitamix. I have bought multiple sets of shoes and socks, and I grab extra shirts when I am at the thrift store.

    My take on having not the same system is different. I have 12, 24, 36v solar, I am thinking I should be able to get one of the systems going if one breaks down I have 3 systems I can rebuild from the parts I can get…

    Having multiple solar systems has saved me till I could get the broken systems back up. I do imagine with war / bank fail on the horizon we have to think even more in these terms.

  • potpourri_of_life

    Member
    July 12, 2024 at 1:16 am

    I love your forethought, it is what makes one prepared to survive what might occur. We can’t plan the unexpected, but we can think outside the box for options while meeting our current needs.

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