Your gites lovelŷ jane how long have you been running a gite?
My solar panels have given me hot water all summer and through until December…although water moderately hot in December. Now the oil fed boiler it taking over heating the hot water. Wouldn’t like to totally rely on solar hot water in the winter months, although it is possible with a kettle as back up!
Thank you John,
Surrounded by farms here and down hill from them so touch wary but well is 13m deep and looks so fresh when it’s pumped up…
Feel it’s safe to use for washing up in the rosieres but wouldn’t drink it untested. I do have piped water and a low consumer but good to know it’s there. Rainwater from the house is caught and feeds into the well so there for the garden and animals…filtration plant and uv sounds interesting …
Hi Elaine,
The water from a well can vary during the seasons so more than one test is usually better but with the average cost of the test at €45-50 two test would equal or even be greater than the cost of using the tap (if it's available) You could buy a sodastream to add the fizz as that's exactly what the bottled people do and then at least you aren't contributing to the world wide plastic bottle and transport fiasco.
There are some quite good bacterial/pesticides etc test kits so you can do the basic your self but a small filtration plant with UV would give you a guarantee.
It wasn’t the cost, which was the issue, although it was steep.
It is more to have the choice and do our bit.
We have a system which uses solar, we are south facing, but it is topped by electricity if i s very dark and cloudy.
We also have an oil boiler, as we have two houses which are separated by a barn.
We use the smaller one as a gite. www.relax-in-rural-burgundy.co.uk .
Wow sounds excellent if hard work to begin with. How many years will it take to recover your initial investment Jane? Or is that not an issue…
I like the idea of knowing if the well water is safe to drink but actually drink bottled water as I like a bubble…
My bath is no more than a vertical shower so water consumption pretty low…I can Always take well water and fill the rosiere reservoir for hot water …now we are getting back to basics!
How do you find your solsr water panels perform this time of year?
It took about a week. We have layers of granite here in southern burgundy and drill bits broke. We also discovered a constant supply of flowing water, so had a forage installed instead of rainwater harvesting.
If you wNt to use your wTer supply in the house, the lovely french charge you for the privelege of using your own water.
We use the heating to heat half of our house or the swimming pool. In summer we can rwverse theump to cool the bedrooms.
Was the geothermal very disruptive Jane? How far down did they go? I have heard its superb but have no experience of it.
Elaine we do pretty well the same as yourself. Jim has started a large orchard and we have a big potager and chickens. We have geothermal heating and solar panels for hot water.
Hi Ivan,
My self sufficiency embraces different physical needs. I have a working well now for the garden and animal’s water (I intend to Get it tested this year for human consumption).
I have solar panels for hot water (but also an oil-fired boiler as winter back up)
The human waste is dealt with via a reed bed system which filters and clean water is released back on the land.
I have a wood burning stove in the lounge plus the rosiere …and 3 hectares of beech/mixed broad leaf woodland.
A wildflower garden for the joy of them and to have cut flowers in the house…seed saved this year for further development…
My orchard has eating and cooking apples, plums, nectarines, white and red eating grapes, pears, walnut and hazelnut trees (all recovering from previous owners goats) so they are poorly but have been given a good pruning and feed last year.
the potager has been moved and the berry/raspberries/strawberries re-planted.
Have made raised ‘lasagne’ beds using a lot of rotted muck plus a straw/leaf mulch all ready for planting up this year…introduced a second freezer last year in preparation -))). Plus there are 8 laying hens (do you know you can freeze eggs)
Indian runner ducks to gobble up slugs and two bantams that look very pretty…
All of this plus rose my fell pony who is very generous in what she contributes…
Wow Elaine, yes I love the ring and seeing trough the fire !
I used to have a similar one back in Italy though your is super-clean and very classy !!
1934!
Just curious about your self-sufficient lifestyle: you growing your own veggies? Besides that what crops to sustain?
Grandma had a Hotel so it was used to feed up to 120-130 guest at peak season.
If I could go back in time and get that kitchen moved to my future house I'd be considering it.
Cheers :)
Ha…ha… Gulp…that’s big! Yes you have a large plate on top with removable rings so you can make stir frys or flash cook. The large oven is 40cms long and 26cms deep and high.
Been really impressed with performance so far but definately not a quick cook…takes around 30 mins to get upto 180 Celsius then very quickly picks up temperature.
Fun to cook on but I am not cooking every day preferring to batch cook then freeze.
Thank you Jane
Elaine, it is quite beautiful.
Do you have any pictures to share?
Was just about to say when I saw the Icon :)
Very nice, but not sure I understand where you cook!
It has got a big cooking surface on the top correctly?
I recall my grandma's large cooking oven that looked more like this : https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/f7/32/e3/f732e397c24dc2ac0e5e0d90c1266851.jpg
:))
There is a tiny little icon bottom left very very small on original post…that’s the piccie…it’s just another step Jane towards self sufficiency. Everything takes time but health is a priority and if cooking on wood affects ones health it’s a definite no no.
Elaine, haven’t got the picture, but glad it is working for you.
One main oven and another smaller box which doesn’t get so hot. Sorry about your asthma . It has always been a dream for me to cook this way but do have an electric/gas back up. Cannot say I have noticed any change in air quality but lounge is definately dirtier wih the woodburner.
I prefer to batch cook/bake when it’s going and use the top of my woodburner (which is on 24/7) to heat up cooked food/cook milk puddings.
I like the idea of knowing I can cook anything off the rosieres and having almost 3 hectares of woodland that brings a great feeling of freedom. There is a picture attached to post so you can see it…
This is very economical, but it is obvious that you are not an asthmatic!
We have had to stop using our wood burning stove as the particulates are an irritant.
Do you have just the one oven, which you can use to cook things at the same temperature?