Offgrid for 14 May: Wood-fired Griddle Build, Charge Controller Test, Tank Monitoring Tradeoff

Offgrid is a daily audio summary of the latest ideas, innovations, products, and hard-won lessons for living autonomously and becoming more self-sufficient in energy, tech, food, water, shelter, and everyday systems. This 3-story episode draws from OffGridCabins, OffGrid and moves through wood-fired griddle build, charge controller test, tank monitoring tradeoff. 1. Wood-fired Griddle Build Someone is trying to recreate a childhood cabin setup where a large griddle sat over a roaring wood fire and cooked exceptionally well, but this time in a smaller, simpler form. The practical question is whether the cooking surface should be stainless steel or cast iron, and what kind of compact firewood layout makes sense without turning the project into a full outdoor kitchen. Source link Discussion thread Source subreddit: OffGridCabins 2. Charge Controller Test A side by side test of two solar charge controllers in a small 12 volt off grid setup measured about 53 watts from PWM and about 74 watts from MPPT using the same panel, battery, wiring, and conditions. The author says the panel's real maximum power point was around 16 volts in that test, which helps explain why the controllers separated so clearly. Source link Discussion thread Source subreddit: OffGrid 3. Tank Monitoring Tradeoff A newcomer to off grid water storage has two five thousand liter tanks and is trying to decide between a simple float gauge and electronic monitoring. The post also asks about adding a smaller one hundred to two hundred gallon shed tank and using a float switch or pump to move that water into the main storage. Source link Discussion thread Source subreddit: OffGrid