A New Life ON THE RIO GRANDE

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I have a 1949 Servel propane refrigerator ($450). Your gas company does not like these older models as they produce carbon monoxide (they're actually outlawed). Even so, I find a CO detector and an 8" vent in the wall behind the flame alleviates any problems. if you're lucky enough to find an old Servel, guard it with your life, but don't brag about it to your local gas man.

Since I have a large 250-gallon propane tank ($227 installed and filledyes, a concession to OPEC), I chose to use a conventional LPG 40-gallon water heater. The new on-demand type are great, but the venting for a yurt is an expensive pain and I find the heat generated by my traditional unit keeps the pressure tank, pipes and pump from freezing. Plus, the $200 price tag soothed my technological conscience. My water is stored in a 2,500-gallon, above-ground plastic cistern ($1,600) and is fed to the yurt through an in-line particle filter by a 12-volt Shurflo DC pump ($200). The pump is noisy even though it is mounted on a rubber "tire" pad, but as it only goes on when the water is running, I forgive the racket. A Sears 36-gallon captive air tank ($169) pressurizes the system to 40 psi and my pump runs directly off four, six-volt golf cart batteries ($200).

In the future the batteries will be charged by four 40-watt morphous crystal solar panels, as soon as I get $1,000 together to pay, for their purchase and installation. For now, they're charged by the 3,500-watt gasoline powered generator($729) that provided the power to build the platform, along with a deep-cycle battery charger ($150). I keep track of the charge inside the house using a $29 volt meter.

I am currently working on a water catchment system for the roof of the yurt. Meanwhile, every building has a barrel. Three thousand gallons lasts three to four months and costs $175 to have delivered.

I am purchasing an in-line Katadyn water filter ($275) from Lehman's, so that, no matter what, every gallon is potable.

I was creative with my sink and shower. The kitchen sink is a big cast iron, enameled 1930's double drain board wonder (is it possible to love a sink?) that I got for $90 with new faucets. The shower is made out of a 31 galvanized stock watering tank, with a drain punched in the bottom and a canvas curtain held up around it by a cage of plumbing pipe a bargain at $80, compared to $300 for a conventional cheapo, fiberglass stall. A rubber bath mat helps lessen the tub's chill on my feet.

My pride and joy is my 1949 Maytag Wringer Washer. This $75 electric beauty uses only 35 gallons for five sparkling clean loads and doesn't wear out my duds as fast as a conventional washer. The sun dries and bleaches my wash and imparts a fragrance no dryer sheet can match.

I have a 3"-above-the-ground drain from both sink and shower. It is encased in a box of 1" x 12" lumber stuffed with R19 insulation and running at a steep angle. It exits under the house on the upper south side. The pipe is exposed outside and is painted black. It never clogs, even at 3 deg F This summer I will plant herbs in the 20'x 20' section of ground below the outlet to soak up all that free water. I've heard about an easily constructed five-gallon bucket filter that goes beneath the kitchen sink. It is supposed to filter out particles, fats and gunk before the water goes to the garden. I'll be curious to see how it works and what its flow rate is.

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