All you RV boondocking solar bunnies have got the right idea and maybe the ONLY way to conserve and live without expensive utilities off the grid.This lady tried it and Florida shut her right down. :(Note to self for the lady......don't do national TV interviews how one CAN live off the grid. :Whttp://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/%E2%80%98pure-evil%E2%80%99--city-caps-sewer-of-woman-fighting-to-live-%E2%80%98off-the-grid%E2%80%99-234050584.html;_ylt=AwrBEiGzLg1T_FQAfnzQtDMDI have one of those new meters on my new Florida home I just bought where I park my RV now for winter and I went back up north last month and because my meter wasn't spinning for a week they were all up and in my stuff about it.

There are plenty of people that live off the grid in their own home.Reading the article you linked to, it would seem this woman broke the law (for example knowingly using the sewer without paying for it).

I'd commend her for her efforts but she certainly hasn't gone about it in the correct way. The story indicates that she was using the municipal sewer without paying a sewer bill, had been doing so for over a year.Can you expand on who and what was going on with your meter? A weeks worth of abnormal activity shouldn't set off any alarms for a utility. I mean we all go on vacation.

The last time I checked into it with the local utility it was perfectly legal as long as there was a way to isolate your house from the rest of the grid. I believe that requirement was to keep linemen safe when they were making repairs and assumed that no power was available in that sector.

kcny wrote:There are plenty of people that live off the grid in their own home.Reading the article you linked to, it would seem this woman broke the law (for example knowingly using the sewer without paying for it).I agree, if she doesn't want to live on the grid, then find property where she can live off the grid without stealing services from the sewer authority.

Don't try living off the grid in your own house!

65 Replies

AprilWhine
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
Jarlaxle wrote:
avan wrote:
No longer RVing, I haven't posted for a few years but do lurk every couple of weeks or so.

There's a bit more to this story. This lady is thriving on the publicity. Now that in and of itself is OK by me. As a FTer for nearly 15 yrs, living 'off the grid' is just fine with me too.

But she was on the news again last night in a full blown, all smiles and laughs, screw everyone interview. She has found a SOLUTION! Imagine this for your neighbor be it at your home or campground.

She proudly showed her five gallon bucket lined with a plastic bag. She then demonstrated that she puts a bit of detergent in the bag and places an unmounted toilet seat on top of the bucket which she can then use for all her excretions. When full, or on trash day (assuming she pays for trash pickup and doesn't use her neighbors trash receptacle) she places the bag in the trash for the trash workers to deal with. She very obviously thought she was a smart cookie instead of an ahole.

How is that any different than throwing away cat litter, or a bag of dirty diapers?

You don't get the diseases associated with raw human sewage from cat litter. And baby poop is not the same as adult poop in either quantity or quality. The straight poop.
Fizz
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
Simply a person who has no clue on how the world around her operates.
coolbreeze01
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
I think the woman just wanted to mooch the sewer and let her neighbors pay her share.
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Mar 02, 2014
avan wrote:
No longer RVing, I haven't posted for a few years but do lurk every couple of weeks or so.

There's a bit more to this story. This lady is thriving on the publicity. Now that in and of itself is OK by me. As a FTer for nearly 15 yrs, living 'off the grid' is just fine with me too.

But she was on the news again last night in a full blown, all smiles and laughs, screw everyone interview. She has found a SOLUTION! Imagine this for your neighbor be it at your home or campground.

She proudly showed her five gallon bucket lined with a plastic bag. She then demonstrated that she puts a bit of detergent in the bag and places an unmounted toilet seat on top of the bucket which she can then use for all her excretions. When full, or on trash day (assuming she pays for trash pickup and doesn't use her neighbors trash receptacle) she places the bag in the trash for the trash workers to deal with. She very obviously thought she was a smart cookie instead of an ahole.

How is that any different than throwing away cat litter, or a bag of dirty diapers?
free_radical
Explorer
Mar 02, 2014
Living off the grid in the city without using sewers could be done only if one had composting toilet,but then you'd also need some kind of storage tank for grey water and
have it pumped out every so often,,,I'm guessing boats have something like that?
Dog_Folks
Explorer
Mar 01, 2014
I'm confused. How did a thread about living off the grid turn to a discussion on sales tax?
dave54
Nomad
Mar 01, 2014
AO_hitech wrote:
Interesting. I'd bet that almost no one knows about this and even fewer pay it. The web site you doesn't even give an easy way to determine if it is required. Just some examples. There is a link to a 60 page document that would require a significant investment in time to understand.

Bottom line, this law is not enforced for individuals. Should it ever be enforced, it will likely be repealed as 90%+ of people in California are guilty...

BTW, I was still correct, sales tax is NOT required on Internet purchases, and sales tax collection is a requirement of the seller.

In California if you make an out of state purchase, or from the internet, the purchaser is supposed to claim it when you file your state income tax and pay up. No one does and the state Franchise Tax Board is not enforcing it.

We regularly shop in Reno where we pay Nevada sales tax. People in the northern border counties shop in Oregon where there is no sales tax. People shop in the nearest large city. It just happens in many areas the nearest large city is across state lines.
rockhillmanor
Explorer II
Mar 01, 2014
mich800 wrote:
AO_hitech wrote:
Interesting. I'd bet that almost no one knows about this and even fewer pay it. The web site you doesn't even give an easy way to determine if it is required. Just some examples. There is a link to a 60 page document that would require a significant investment in time to understand.

Bottom line, this law is not enforced for individuals. Should it ever be enforced, it will likely be repealed as 90%+ of people in California are guilty...

BTW, I was still correct, sales tax is NOT required on Internet purchases, and sales tax collection is a requirement of the seller.

It is not that you are not required to pay the sales tax in your home state. It is that the government cannot strong arm the internet retailer to collect the sales tax on out of state purchases. Trust me, every retailer would prefer to NOT be the tax collection agency.

Florida is in the process of passing a law about sales tax on internet sales. But then again how they are going to enforce it 100% is another days discussion.
mich800
Explorer
Mar 01, 2014
AO_hitech wrote:
Interesting. I'd bet that almost no one knows about this and even fewer pay it. The web site you doesn't even give an easy way to determine if it is required. Just some examples. There is a link to a 60 page document that would require a significant investment in time to understand.

Bottom line, this law is not enforced for individuals. Should it ever be enforced, it will likely be repealed as 90%+ of people in California are guilty...

BTW, I was still correct, sales tax is NOT required on Internet purchases, and sales tax collection is a requirement of the seller.

It is not that you are not required to pay the sales tax in your home state. It is that the government cannot strong arm the internet retailer to collect the sales tax on out of state purchases. Trust me, every retailer would prefer to NOT be the tax collection agency.
AprilWhine
Explorer
Mar 01, 2014
Back on topic:

Here's a link to the rules for disposal of biological waste in Florida:

EPA Biological Waste Disposal Rules

And an arrest in FL for improper disposal of raw sewage: Five years for improper disposal of raw sewage

By trying to live "off the grid" in a populated area, she is endangering the health of everyone around her.