If I had to pick just one thing that most people in modern life absolutely take for granted day in and day out, it would have to be hot water. Getting water out of every tap, all around you, and on demand is one thing, but hot water? It’s really heavenly when you think about it.
Whether it’s the bliss of a hot shower or bath or just getting your dishes extra clean, hot water just makes life better. But you’ll only get hot water, as a rule, if you are living on-grid. The moment you cut the cord, hot water becomes a premium commodity.
Luckily, there are specialized off-grid solutions for keeping your water piping hot and with no monthly electric bill. I’ll tell you about five of them below.
Wood-Fired Water Heater
Still one of the very best ways to get water when living off-grid is through a wood-fired water heater.
Typically taking the form of an old-fashioned boiler, just one made to modern standards, these units are exactly what they sound like. Operated much like a wood-fired stove, these units directly heat a large cistern or other container of water.
The great thing about these units is that they are simple, easy to understand and operate, and use a readily available fuel that can be had almost anywhere.
The downside is that they usually heat up the water screamingly hot, aren’t very efficient, and will necessitate ventilation and cleaning much in the same way that the aforementioned wood stove will.
If you’re already relying heavily on wood for heat or are living somewhere where other fuel sources aren’t available or practical, these still make a lot of sense, though, and they tend to be highly reliable and long-lasting.
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Propane Water Heater
These water heaters are available in two basic types: in-home and out-of-home. Propane water heaters use, what else, liquid propane for fuel.
They tend to be highly efficient and versatile, and even cheap models offer precise temperature control and extraordinarily good output for their size, up to 160,000 BTUs.
These units, whichever type you go with, are a great option for going completely off-grid without giving up modern amenities like temperature settings and safety features such as leak detection and remote control; the electronics are typically powered by batteries.
Again, if you are already largely dependent on LP fuel or it is cheap and widely available in your area, consider this a go-to choice.
The downsides of these units are that they tend to be significantly more expensive than the other options on our list and that installation of some (but not all) models will require skills that the average homesteader doesn’t have.
Solar Water Heater
Solar power has long been a mainstay for folks living off-grid, and many of those same advantages can be applied to heating up water.
A solar water heater doesn’t use electricity, though; instead, water is held or circulated in a series of pipes that are exposed to the sun.
Typically painted black or some other dark color to maximize heat retention, the water is slowly but surely heated to piping hot, upwards of 120°F. It can then be directed, collected, or released from a tap as usual.
Solar water heaters run the gamut from the very simple, almost primitive, to the surprisingly sophisticated.
A simple solar water heater is something like a camp shower, little more than a plastic or rubber bag that holds a few gallons with a hose or shower head attached and a simple valve that can be turned on or off.
More sophisticated models will have a large tank and an array of pipes attached to it, and sometimes a small, solar-powered circulating pump.
Often roof-mounted and with a capacity of dozens of gallons, these units can supply an entire household with plenty of hot water on demand as long as you don’t use it wastefully.
Environmentally friendly, very durable, and quite adaptable to different homesteads, these are a great option for any place with a high solar index. Obviously, they are less useful in places that have perpetually cloudy weather or get fewer hours of sunlight.
A major concern with these solar heaters is that they’re typically fully exposed and outdoors, meaning that freezing and bursting during the cold season can be a major hazard.
Thermosiphon Heater
If you like to DIY your solutions or appreciate a clever exploitation of physics for problem-solving, you should definitely look into thermosiphon water heating.
I know it sounds like some piece of forbidden technology from a cheap sci-fi novel, but it’s a real thing: a thermosiphon is basically the combination of a wood-fired rocket stove and a large, two-tank water system. Water is drawn from the “hot” tank, situated above the stove, and sent through copper piping that is coiled around the chimney of said stove.
Rocket stoves run incredibly hot and are incredibly efficient, and the water is heated up almost instantly and sent back into the tank.
The physics of the situation cause this hot water to rise to the top of the tank while the cooler water is displaced and sent lower to be drawn through the pipes, heated, and sent back.
The cycle continues until the fuel runs out in the stove or the water in the tank reaches the desired temperature.
In any case, as long as it’s connected to the plumbing or accessible via a tap or other outlet, this hot water can be freely drawn from the tank and used for whatever purpose.
This is a solution that can be fashioned yourself if you are crafty and have access to basic water storage and handling components. It also works very quickly and requires nothing but a little bit of wood to function.
The downsides are similar to that of a typical wood-fired water heater: you’ll have to chop wood, load the stove, and keep it burning when you want to generate hot water.
If you’re also installing such a system inside, you’ll need to provide for ventilation and safety as usual.
Point-of-Use Heater
The last option for off-grid, electric-free hot water is one of the best choices for folks living a minimalist lifestyle or those who want a mostly plug-and-play solution.
A point-of-use heater, also called a faucet heater or under-sink heater, is pretty much what you’d think based on the name: this is a small heater system, with an attached tank or tankless, that uses propane or electricity to heat water instantly on demand when you turn the tap on.
Obviously, a propane heater fits the bill, but before you throw a penalty flag on the notion of an electric heater on this list, keep in mind that these energy-efficient models are suitable for running from a whole-house battery bank, generator, or even solar power; many of them run on 120V.
The advantages are obvious when it comes to ease of logistics, ease of installation, and portability.
The downsides are that they are not a whole-house solution, fairly expensive for what they are, and the fact that many of them are limited concerning how hot they can heat the water or the flow rate when hot water is demanded.
Tom Marlowe practically grew up with a gun in his hand, and has held all kinds of jobs in the gun industry: range safety, sales, instruction and consulting, Tom has the experience to help civilian shooters figure out what will work best for them.