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Three Letters Re: Covert Home Power for When The Grids Go Down
Sir:
I am not an electrician, and I set as system like this up at my house three years ago. It kept our food cold, and the house tolerably warm for three days when the power was out. But I endorse a couple of important differences.
First, letting your car run at idle will run down your battery. The alternator doesn't reach full output at low RPMs, so you need to kick up the throttle a little bit. How much will depend on your car. I watch the volt-meter built into the inverter, and set the engine at about 1,500 RPM, because that's where the voltage stays high enough for the inverter. Also, make sure to check the output of the alternator. (I looked it up at an online auto parts store.) When my inverter runs at full power, it draws 100 amps at 12 volts. If you have a small alternator (smaller car), then 1,500 RPM may not even be enough to power the inverter. That means you're drawing amperage out of the battery when the inverter runs at higher power.
Second, I would never power the house by using an extension cord with two male ends. JWR was right to point out the danger of potentially back-powering the grid when plugging in a hot extension cord from the inverter. Even with the main breaker turned off, the neutral is still connected to the grid. Can you imagine the liability you would incur if you accidentally electrocuted a local repairman who was trying to get your neighborhood back online? He may even be one of your neighbors. I've made mistakes in my life (no one seriously injured because of them) and I can't justify the risk of injury when it's so easy to avoid. Because the average 1,200-1,500 watt inverter will only power one or two major appliances (or one furnace blower), I recommend that you plug those items directly into the unmodified extension cord from the inverter. Yeah, you gotta move the extension cord around a bit, but you won't hurt anyone and you don't need to worry that you might ruin your inverter when the grid does come back up.
Remember, the main objective is to survive the ordeal, hopefully stay warm, and not accidentally hurt anyone else in the process. - Dave in Missouri
Dear James,
I'm sure Tom H. meant well with his article on using power from a car to power a house, but I have some serious nits to pick.
1. When talks about getting the "largest cable size you can get", it really opens a door for disaster. Electrical cable needs to be sized for the current it will be carrying. If the cable you find is too small, you risk creating an electrical fire. If it's too big, you've wasted money. What you need to do is to have a handle on the power and current that the cable needs to carry, and size it appropriately.
Remember, Power (watts) = Current (amps) x Voltage (volts).
Add up your power requirements for a given voltage, and then determine your amp load.
Current (amps) = Power (watts) / Voltage (volts).
Here is a link that gives conservative estimates for the current carrying capabilities of various American Wire Gauge (AWG) wire sizes.
2. When adding up the wattage you need to support, don't go by the tag value on appliance alone. These are maximum values possible, and probably do not represent the power used under normal circumstances. This is a case where there is no substitute for actually measuring the power draw. The good news is that it's easy to do with a Kill-A-Watt (plug-in power meter). Before TSHTF, test each of your appliances by plugging the Kill A Watt electricity usage monitor into the outlet, and then the appliance into the Kill A Watt. You can see the power being used at that moment, and the power consumed over time. For good measurements, use a Kill A Watt or similar meters.
3. Assuming the proper breakers are thrown, and the proper wires sizes are used, the weak link in this system is not the inverter but the size of the alternator output. The system cannot sustain more continuous power output than the alternator can provide. The battery may act as a 'surge protector' by supply the difference when the demand is larger than the alternator can supply, but that will quickly drain the battery.
It would be wise to find out ahead of time how big your alternator is and plan accordingly. The good news is that there are after market alternators available for some trucks and 4x4s which are designed to output more power to run tools through inverters at remote work sites. Best Regards, - Bear in the Sierra
Mr. Rawles,
There are so many problems with the vehicle/inverter backup system presented in today's article that I felt I had to comment. You are to be commended for pointing out the foolishness of the power cord backfeed method, that can get someone killed in very short order. But there are other reliability/safety concerns the author does not address. These include vehicle alternator issues (overheating from insufficient air flow, diode current ratings, etc.), SLI battery limitations, connection issues, ground bonding, and transient inverter loading concerns.
For the record, I am a degreed electrical engineer and certified reliability engineer, and have over twenty years of experience with power inverters ranging from a few hundred watts up to 300KW (that's right, 300,000 watts). Best Regards, - John in Colorado
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Five Letters Re: Covert Home Power for When The Grid Goes Down
JWR -
The article written by Tom H. contains some dangerous advice and overlooks some important issues. He wrote:
"Next, cut the receptacle end (female) off the 120 VAC extension cord and install the replacement 120 VAC plug (male) to the cord. Make sure it's wired correctly. (Black to black, white to white and green to green). You will now have a cord with a [male] plug on both ends."
Such a modified power cord [commonly called a "disaster cord" or more aptly a "suicide cord'] is extremely dangerous, and should never be made. If one end is plugged into a power source, the other end now has exposed electrical contacts and anyone touching them is in danger of electrocution. Don't take the chance of killing your child, spouse, or even yourself by having such a cord around where someone could try to use it.
Tome also wrote: "After making sure the main power disconnect is off, plug in one end of the extension cord to the inverter and the other end into any 120 VAC outlet in your house."
Most homes in the USA have what is known as 120/240 volt single phase power coming into the house from the electrical company. A few may have 3 phase power.
Back feeding a 120 volt outlet with power will only energize 1/2 (or 1/3 if you have 3 phase power) of the 120 volt loads in your house. If your furnace, refrigerator, deep freezer, or other critical load is not on the same "leg" of your power panel as the outlet you are back feeding, it will not get power and will not run. Worse, if a load such as a furnace has motors that run from 240 volts, single or 3 phase, and power is applied to only one leg of the motor, it could damage or destroy the motor.
JWR added this advice: "The best and safest solution is to have a qualified electrician install a proper bypass circuit breaker panel that will eliminate any risk of a back feed!"
This is certainly true, and may be the only easy way to be both safe and meet electrical code when providing backup power to a furnace. There are some other solutions that are safe, however.
Here is an easy solution if your furnace only requires 120 volts AC at some reasonable amount of current. If you are competent to work on your own electrical panel (a working knowledge of electricity is a useful survival skill), you can determine which breaker powers your furnace, and disconnect the wire to the furnace from the breaker. Mount a small electrical box with a single 120 volt outlet on it next to your breaker panel, and feed it from the breaker that former fed the furnace. Drill a hole in the box next to the outlet and bring a short power cord with a male plug on the end out through a grommet (to protect the cord from damage as it exits the box). Run the other end of the cord into the breaker box and wire it safely to the power wires going to the furnace. When the short power cord is plugged into the new outlet, electrically the furnace is hooked up just as it was before you started.
If you unplug the cord from the outlet, and plug the cord into an inverter or generator, you can safely power the furnace with zero danger of back feeding the power lines. Back in 1999 I made such a modified power feed to my furnace, and tested it with an inverter powered from a pair of golf cart batteries. Because the furnace was a low power consumption type (hot water heat) I was able to get around two days of power for my furnace before the batteries needed charging. A large 50 amp battery charger would recharge the pair of batteries in a few hours. Therefore, I would only need to run my generator when I needed to recharge the batteries, or when I needed more power for appliances such as the deep freezer or refrigerator. If I kept the doors shut on the deep freezer and refrigerator, a hour or so of power
twice a day from my generator would keep them cold.
Tom wrote "A car that is quietly idling, parked in the driveway, is not going to stand out. ... As long as you have gas for the car, you are in business."
While most inexpensive generators make more noise than an idling car, they also use far less fuel. If you spend the extra to get a very quiet generator such as many of the modern inverter/generator sets, you can have both the quiet and low fuel consumption.
Blessings on you and your family! - RAR
Jim:
I think that Tom presented a very inventive idea, but I have personal reservations about it. I haven't actually tried this in a real world test scenario, so these are just theoretical observations:
1.) Under normal circumstances, the higher the load placed on the alternator, the more energized it becomes. As the current draw on it increases, the mechanical resistance required to turn it becomes higher. The engine RPM increases to compensate. Higher RPM, more sound. (If you ever want to see the max amount of power your alternator can put out, try to find instructions on how to "full field" it. I would not recommend doing this on a vehicle with computer controlled anything!)
2.) Power loss because of clip on jumper cable connection will be high. A secondary effect of this will be high heat problems in the DC side of the wiring, possibly enough to melt the insulation off the wire.
On a side note, when looking at jumper cables to carry with you, buy the larger cables (Lowest number AWG). Trying to jumpstart one of my vehicles in 25 degree cold that had been sitting for three months took me two pairs of "el cheapo" 12 gauge cables. Larger diameter cable = lower resistance and heat buildup = more electrons streaming into your dead battery
One way to decrease this would be to replace your vehicle battery cable connectors with marine style terminal ends (The ones with the wing nut and post on them) and securing the inverter to the battery with actual ring terminals. The more surface area you can get in the connection, the better. Be warned however, most marine style terminal ends I have used have a noticeably smaller inside diameter than regular automotive terminals. They will require some force to go over your auto battery terminal posts.
3.) If a running generator will make you a target, a running vehicle will as well. - A.R.
Dear Sir,
As someone who has both solar photovoltaic/battery bank and multiple generator standby power options at home, and at a remote airfield location without grid power, I would like to offer my opinion on the article "Covert Home Power for When The Grids Go Down" offered by Tom H on Thursday December 17th 2009:
The use of a vehicle based generator system does offer a number of potential benefits, most importantly the regular running, maintenance (hopefully?) and fuel replenishment aspects, not to mention a large and safe fuel storage capability - you do always keep your tank at least half full? Without these important activities the author is correct that small gas powered generators become nothing more than "garage queen's" - and expensive ones at that after a year or more in storage.
As with all things in life there are also unfortunately an equally if not larger number of negatives/limitations associated with vehicle based generator methods. The relative fuel economy of a small gas or diesel powered engine, compared with a typical car/pickup engine (and its' 12V electrical generation capability) is vastly different. The much larger vehicle engine capacity and all of the accessories attached to it (water pump, air conditioning pump, power steering pump, and all of the associated drive trains/belts for these etc.) take power, and this comes from the engine and the fuel, increasing consumption. When was the last time you had a vehicle with a pull cord "re-coil" style starter option found on most small gas engines?
There are other issues too, such as leaving your vehicle engine running (not overly covert?) and the risk of vehicle theft as most modern engines will need the key in the ignition to run (especially bad if someone is looking to G.O.O.D. and needs functioning transport with available fuel). If you do choose this option, do you have a spare key to lock the car with the engine running? You may want to consider fitting a wheel clamp or similar to deter someone driving off - you may already have one if you own a larger trailer or caravan/camper?
Connecting to the vehicle battery with jumper cables often stops you from fully closing the hood, or risk a short circuit if you do, so a raised hood may be another give away and can increase the noise signature of the running engine too. The longer the cables (and I agree that thicker is better) the greater the power loss, so shorter cables are better, but this then places the inverter at greater risk of being stolen - you also need to protect the inverter from any water/moisture ingress - even next doors dog relieving itself! Consider permanently fitting a high power 2 pole connector to your battery (e.g. Google "Anderson SB connector") under the hood and a matching end on your jumper cables. This can then be used to jump start other cars, power your inverter (winch, any other 12V appliance), and stops people from borrowing your jumper cables as they only work on your car now! This method also reduces any risk of polarity reversal/short circuit accidents.
One option seldom considered when using a vehicle based generator is the "extra battery method". Take a large car or truck battery (or leisure battery) and connect this using the jumper cables to the vehicle battery. This can be located inside the (ventilated) garage and you can use slightly longer and/or thinner jumper cables with this method. Connect the inverter (also now in the garage) to this second battery and it provides a "reserve of power" for heavy starting loads - recharging from the running vehicle once this is passed. Remember that 2,000 Watts of power from the inverter is around 200 amps at 12 VDC (there are losses in the inverter) so you are placing a considerable strain on the vehicles electrical system - how many vehicles are capable of continuously producing this amount of 12v power from their alternator system, and even if they are the considerable heat generated will not be so easily dissipated as there is little if any air movement that would come from a moving vehicle in normal operation? The radiator fan will cool the engine, but by doing so will blow hot air into the engine bay where the alternator is housed, right next to a really hot engine too. You may want to check the continuous rating of your vehicle's alternator output, and factor in the cost of repairing/replacing it verses the costs of a separate generator?
There are some very special instances with hybrid vehicles where they are capable of generating much larger amounts of electrical power (e.g. Toyota Prius), but these are the exception rather than the norm. If you have a Prius/Lexus then Google "Prius UPS" for details on these systems - they can even automatically start/stop the engine as power is used from their onboard battery systems, increasing fuel efficiency and running time. These really are the best vehicle based generator systems if you already have such a vehicle.
There have been many articles on the use of back feed "suicide cables" to power to grid down locations, and whilst these are functional there are considerable risks associated with this method. The best option would be in install a power inlet and transfer switch if at all possible. If you are going to use a back feed cable I would advise you to set up a check list of actions (for both connecting and disconnecting/returning to grid power), and follow these in strict order to ensure you do not cause a dangerous condition - remember it may be dark/cold when you are doing this and you may not remember exactly from memory what is needed - pilots (amateur and professional) use check lists, and they regularly practice their emergency actions, so take a hint from people who really need to get things right first time! I would also attach a brightly coloured plug or label/streamer to the "live" end of the back feed cable as a reminder not to touch this when the system is back feeding power. The location you choose to plug this in must consider risks from people tripping over the cable and pulling it from the receptacle - exposing the live pins. Anywhere that children may be able to access it is not even considered in my opinion!
A couple of options not considered are small diesel and propane powered generators. Diesel fuel stores for much longer than gas (especially with anti fungal compounds added) and once warm the engine can run on a variety of different "fuels" including cooking oil, heating oil, even clean engine oil at a push, but if you do not have anything else that is diesel powered it can prove difficult to "rotate" your fuel supply" (even if that is only every 2 - 3 years) and they can be much harder to start in cold climates. Propane stores almost indefinitely, you can use it on your gas grill in the summer and this can also provide standby heat and cooking facilities all year. A few medium sized propane bottles (a minimum of 2 - use one, plus a full spare) can be safely stored in a garage or shed, and far more safely than gas (petrol) IMO. The down side for both of these being that the generators are typically more expensive to purchase initially.
Please do not think that I am being negative with my comments. Any system is better than none, and vehicle based systems can and do work so long as you acknowledge their limitations in running time, security and power available etc. (I would not aim for much more than 800 to 1,000 watts continuous, even if you do buy a bigger inverter [~1,500 Watts] to allow for "start-up" surges). The components required for vehicle based systems can also be "recycled" into a more permanent fixed solar/battery/generator system as time and funds permit.
Whilst "modified sine" inverters are much cheaper than the "pure sine" variety, you should be careful with electronics/motors working from modified sine power. Ordinary filament light bulbs work fine, but some compact fluorescent lamps can flicker or make high pitched noises on modified sine power. Some items such as cell phone chargers and other "transformer-less" wall-wart power cubes can fail quite spectacularly on modified sine power, as can some satellite/cable boxes in my experience - if you can afford a pure sine inverter then this is the choice to make.
Finally it should be remembered that any small engine (gas/diesel/propane) can also provide considerable distraction when trying to get them to work after periods of storage, when after a few minutes it should have become obvious that it isn't going to start and that you should abandon it for now and implement plan B, only returning to it when this is working. (You do have a plan B, right?)
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time, and I hope and pray that the true meaning and message of Christmas will support you all over the holiday season following your loss of the Memsahib. Kind regards, Ian H. - NSoB (Nanny State of Britannia)
Jim,
The Army sent my organization a cheap generator several months ago as part of a bigger system. About a dozen of them went out to various Army posts to be used by civilian trainers, some of them have no military background. This week, several of our sites tried to start their little generators and were shocked that they were inoperative. (I am just as guilty as they are. We have all ignored our generators since September.)
There are basically two types of internal combustion generators out there, main power generators and backup generators. The difference in cost between the two types is substantial. Heavy duty power plants are more than ten times the price of a backup generator, so as a compromise, many of us wind up owning a backup generator of some kind. There are lots of little micro-generators around 1 KW, but I am not talking about those. They are really too small to be much help, but the larger ones can be very useful for keeping refrigeration or pumping water or any number of tasks when the grid is down.
The typical backup generator is about 6 HP gasoline rated for something like 3,500 watts and costs from 300 to 600 dollars. The following is specifically written about a "All Power" AGP3002D 3,500 watt gasoline generator, but since it's is a typical survival generator this will also apply to many different models and sizes. I am talking about any generator too big to carry but small enough to wheel (and has wheels). If it has convenience outlets instead of a wiring collar, and it's big enough to to run a freezer, I am talking about your generator. These are not top-of-the-line generators, but they are a pretty good if you take care of them and use them within their limitations. They are basically backup generators intended for short duration events. They should be fine for short duration crisis and in a total collapse, unless you have made a substantial commitment to storing fuel, your cheap generator will easily outlast your fuel supply.
There are two basic approaches to backup generator maintenance: You can maintain it constantly ready for action, or you can mothball it between missions. Most people don't really need to be able to push a button and have their generator come to life. In fact, if they can get their generator up within about half an hour, that's probably just fine. Also, most people need a backup generator very infrequently. Maybe less than once a year.
Mothballing is probably the best choice for most people.
To mothball a generator, drain out all the gasoline. You can let it run dry or drain it from the fuel filter (or disconnect the fuel line). Be careful. Gasoline is explosive. When you try to start it later, you will have to keep pulling the starter rope until you suck fresh gasoline though the system....be patient and keep pulling.
You can leave the oil in the engine (and probably should) but if it sits for a year without starting, you will need to drain the oil and replace it with new stuff before you use it. Look at the oil before you use it and use common sense. If your oil is ever black for any reason, it needs to be replaced immediately. The engine only holds a little over a half a quart (.6 liter for the model I have). Use regular 10W30 oil. No need to get fancy.
Protect the generator from the elements while in storage. You can leave it in a garage and haul it out when needed. If you must store it outside, you are risking weather damage and theft. Most of these things are not really made to sit outside in the weather, so try to store them in some kind of shelter.
When the grid power goes off and stays off long enough for you to use your generator, Oil it, fuel it and start it up. Plug in your stuff and smile smugly at your own cleverness. You should start it up at least once a year and it should work when you need it. That's pretty much all there is to mothballing.
Or, you can maintain your generator ready to use on short notice. That requires more work. Regular maintenance requires you to run it under load for about an hour per month. You will need to follow some steps to do it safely.
You should follow this procedure whenever you run the generator for any reason.
- Put in fresh gasoline. For maintenance run-up, about a pint of any kind of unleaded should be enough. Don't use much because gasoline has a short shelf life and turns into varnish (or technically....gunk) in a few months. You ideally want to burn through all your gasoline every couple of months, so only add a little and then run it almost dry every month. I think old fuel may be the most common cause of failure in small engines. Don't leave old gas in your tank or you will be sorry. I don't know much about fuel preservatives, but they seem to be unnecessary unless you are storing a lot of fuel. If you have only a few containers of fuel for emergencies, you can rotate them and burn the fuel in your car or truck. I only keep about 20 gallons and rotate my fuel every month. On my model, there is a fuel filter (glass bowl type) in the back. It has a drain plug for removing water. If you have a fuel filter bowl you really need to check this when you refuel and drain out the water if you see any. (it will be the lower layer...duh). My tank is sized to run the generator about 8 hours under a 1,500 watt load. It holds 4 gallons, so I can expect to need about a half gallon per hour of use.
- Check the oil level, You will need to change the oil after the first 20 hours of operation and then every 100 hours thereafter. There is often no oil filter so this is really important. You may need to siphon or pump the old oil out if there is no drain. The oil level is usually checked at a cap or plug at the bottom of the engine. There is no dip stick on cheap gas engines. The oil plug is slanted into the base of the engine so that when the generator is level, the oil level should be exactly as much as it will hold with the oil plug out. (like a lot of lawn mower engines.) If a few drops spill out when you open the plug, that's perfect but basically, if you can touch the oil with your finger without inserting it past the first knuckle, (an inch or so below the top) you have enough. Even dirty oil is much better than no oil. If you ever run it without oil you will be very sorry.
- Check the air filter periodically and wash it with soap and water when it's dirty. (if it's a replaceable filter, you will need spares). The manual on mine says to clean it every 60 hours, but in a smoky or dusty environment, you may need to clean this filter every time you refuel.
- Ground it! Generators are dangerous. You are supposed to ground it using a long grounding rod. You might be ok strapping it to plumbing, but a dedicated ground rod is usually safer. If you are in doubt, wet the ground around the rod with salt water (or any water)...about 10 gallons to increase conductivity. Sand is a terrible conductor. If you hit bedrock, drive it in horizontally for it's full length instead of leaving it sticking out. This is potentially lethal, so don't screw it up. If you get a kid killed, you are really going to feel bad.
- Turn on the engine switch (mine is on the control panel, but it can be anywhere. Push the choke as far as it will go if you have a manual choke. (Mine is hidden by the air filter. It will be on the same side).
- Pull the starter rope fast but smoothly until the engine starts. (crossing your fingers seems to help). When the engine catches, let it run a few minutes and then push the choke back to the run position. Let it run 5 minutes before attaching a load.
- Attach a load that draws at least 1,000 watts. An electric space heater or even an old steam iron will work for a load. I have always heard that running a generator without a load is bad for it, but I am not sure if this is just superstition or if it is fact. I have always used a load because I am a primitive, superstitious primate. If someone knows the definitive answer, I would love to hear it.
My generator is rated at 3,500 watts, but that's a lie. That's the start up surge capacity. My maximum rated load is only 3,000 watts, and it's not really big enough to run that much. My system is designed to run for long periods at half load, which is only 1,500 watts. That still sounds like a lot until you start counting up the watts you need. To figure out wattage, multiply volts times amps and that gives you watts.
Example: a typical Mr. Coffee (drip coffee maker) draws 7.5 amps at 120 volts. 120 times 7.5 is 900 watts.
Get a heavy duty extension cord for safety. Thin, long cords add a lot of resistance and can heat up under a heavy load. Your cord will need to be pretty long to reach outside to the generator, so get a good one.
Your generator is going to be noisy. If you are hoping to hide a cheap backup generator, forget it. They are much louder than expensive power plants of the same size. You might even need to wear hearing protection if you are working near the engine. I do. Hiding any internal combustion engine will be even harder if everything else in the area is quiet.
Cheap engines are not overly efficient, so they stink. They also put out copious amounts of carbon monoxide. You may want to set it up downwind and far enough away to not be annoyed. Under no circumstances run this thing indoors. Without adequate ventilation \a gas engine can kill you in minutes. - JIR
Hi Jim,
Just a few additional caveats to the article: Covert Home Power for When The Grids Go Down.
Running the 120 VAC electrical system from your automobile may seem like a relatively easy thing to do, but there are some hidden issues one must be aware of.
One issue is called Power Factor which happens when a reactive load (such as a motor) is running. In simple terms you can not simply multiply the current and voltage to get an equivalent power draw from the system. Depending on how the output of the inverter is designed and protected, you can even destroy the inverter outputs. This may happen with a motor that is two large, or by simultaneously running multiple motors. It's best to check the inverter users manual or contact the manufacturer for proper operation of inductive loads like motors.
Another issue that was already mentioned is inrush current on a motor when it is starting. The additional power is used to take a physical piece of material (the motor shaft and get it moving from a stopped position. Overcoming the inertia can take a bit of extra power. A good rule of thumb is 5 to 6 times the running current draw , keeping in mind that a 1 HP motor at 120 VAC will draw at least 6.5 Amps when running under a load. Motors may have this specified on the name plate as Locked Rotor Amps or LRA. A 1 HP motor under load can draw as much as 40 amps (4,800 watts) on startup. This can simply mean that the motor won't start, or can mean you've destroyed your inverter.
Even an incandescent light has some inrush current, so it is better when using more than one at a time to turn them on separately.
Back on the DC side you can do the simple math, but there can be a problem here also. A 1,500 watt inverter at full output will draw about 125 Amps (1,500 Watts / 12 Volts). A typical automobile alternator is rated at 50-75 Amps and the higher output alternators can output 100 or more. Keep in mind also that when supplying the higher power, the automobile engine may be more than just simply idling.
The main thing here is to know the limits of your system, which will typically be your alternator and DC power source, and know those limits (preferably by testing) before you need them. - LVZ in Ohio
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Covert Home Power for When The Grids Go Down, by Tom H.
There is much written about the Power Grids going down (for whatever reason) and how to prepare for that event. Recommendations have been made for the installation of a generator, solar panels, battery banks, inverters, automatic system switches, on and on and on. These systems range from a simple inexpensive plug in inverter for your car 12 VDC socket (which may power a lap top or a cell phone battery charger) to an extremely complicated self-sufficient system that will operate your whole house. The simple fact is that most people will not install such systems for a variety of reasons ranging from cost to placement and sometimes simply knowledge. Short of installing a complete off the grid system, almost every other solution will require some sort of hassle and inconvenience. If it is winter, the problem is compounded as it takes very large amounts of electricity to run electric heaters, electric stoves, etc.(anything that produces heat). The idea is to do what is absolutely necessary; conveniently, inexpensively effectively.
Many will buy a generator, fill its gas tank, start it to make sure it runs, place it in their garage, put a full five-gallon gas can in the corner and think they have the solution in hand. Over the course of a year, the gas will turn to kerosene, or worse, (gumming up the carburetor and eventually making the gas in the can useless). They will have forgotten how to start the gen set and connect it to the house; dust will gather on both. Without considerable effort and knowledge, this set up becomes useless. Any generator use will produce noise when in operation; broadcasting to all within ear shot that you are producing electricity and potentially make you a target. If you live in a small neighborhood in a city, as most do, this will be of particular concern.
With a little preparation, no ongoing maintenance and very little cost there is a more effective solution to powering part of your house, one or more appliances at a time, and not bring attention to yourself and enjoying the use of electrical power. This is particularly valuable if the power outage is in the winter. Powering only your furnace will keep you warm and keep your pipes from freezing. Most people reading this are already somewhat prepared in the areas of food, first aid, etc.
What Do I Need ?
In its most simple form, you will need the following:
- Heavy duty automotive jumper cables in the largest cable size (diameter of the wire) that you can get.
- A 12 VDC to 120 VAC inverter. For $200 or less you can buy this at a discount store, many auto parts or sporting goods stores, and a myriad of other places. Thy typically range in size from 1,000 watts to 2,000 watts in capacity, and are about the size of a small briefcase. The larger size is preferable to the smaller ones as they provide more power and therefore will power more items at the same time.
- A 120 VAC extension cord. This should also be of the largest wire diameter (gauge) that you can find.
- A replacement 120 VAC plug for the extension cord.
- Extra stored gasoline for your car.
What Do I Do With This Stuff?
First, locate the main power disconnect (breaker or switch) that connects your house to the Grid. This is normally on or in the meter box. Turn it off. In this condition, even if the power comes back on, you will have no power coming into your house. This also duplicates a Grid down condition. Under no circumstances turn the main power disconnect back on while the inverter is attached to the house.
Turn off all the sub-breakers in your house. (Hopefully you will have identified which breaker powers what items or rooms in your house). Do not turn off the main breaker in this panel. This second main breaker must be in addition to and separate from the main house power disconnect.
Next, cut the receptacle end (female) off the 120 VAC extension cord and install the replacement 120 VAC plug (male) to the cord. Make sure it's wired correctly. (Black to black, white to white and green to green). You will now have a cord with a plug on both ends.
The shorter you can make any DC cables, the better. (There is significant "line loss" in DC cabling, but not in AC cables.) Make the cords and cables as short as you can between the inverter and car. Do not modify the jumper cables unless you have the tools to do so correctly.
[Editor's Strong Warning: Putting AC power into an outlet in your house might seem like a simple solution, but it can create a dangerous "back feed" condition that could electrocute a power lineman, when an attempt is made to restore power to your neighborhood! It is ABSOLUTELTY ESSENTIAL that you turn off your home's main circuit breaker before energizing your home's wiring with any alternative power system. The main breaker should be "tagged out" with a prominent warning sign, or better yet both tagged out and "locked out" physically. The best and safest solution is to have a qualified electrician install a proper bypass circuit breaker panel that will eliminate any risk of a back feed! - J.W.R.]
Place the inverter on the ground in front of the car. Connect the inverter to the posts on your car battery (pos + to pos + and neg - to neg -) with the jumper cables. Make sure the connections are as tight as possible. After making sure the main power disconnect is off, plug in one end of the extension cord to the inverter and the other end into any 120 VAC outlet in your house.
At this point you should start your car. (Warning: Do not run your car in your garage, or you may get carbon monoxide poisoning.) When you then turn on the inverter, you will have 120 VAC going into your house to the breaker panel. Your car battery will start to discharge and may not have enough juice to start it later, so do not turn on the inverter without the car is running. As you turn on a breaker, it will send power to whatever is plugged into the outlets on that circuit, and those items will operate, unless they require more wattage than the inverter produces.
As long as you have fuel to run the car, the car alternator will charge the battery, which runs the inverter, which then produces 120 VAC power to your house. A car that is quietly idling, parked in the driveway, is not going to stand out. A car can often be idled safely for many hours in cold weather, but in warm weather, over-heating may be a problem.
What I have described is not the ideal, most efficient way to do this, but it is the least expensive and simplest way to have power while not alerting scavengers. As long as you have gas for the car, you are in business.
There Is A Catch
The inverter will only run items which do not exceed the wattage rating of the inverter. For example, if you bought a 1,500 watt inverter, it will only run 1,500 watts total at the same time. (e.g. fifteen 100-watt light bulbs). This necessitates you do a little homework. As you can see, you can quickly overload the inverter. Your electric oven, your electric dryer, and some other appliances will not work. (They require too much power, and are often on 220 VAC circuits.) [JWR Adds: And keep in mind that the peak current draw comes with an electric motor's start-up.]
Your furnace may take 1,000 or more watts to run the blower, the microwave may take 1000 watts, the your refrigerator another 1,000 watts, and so forth. You must know how much power is consumed by each item in your house, or you will quickly overload the inverter. If the tag on the appliance doesn't tell you how many watts it takes, it may tell you how many amps it draws. You can convert amps to watts by multiplying the amperage (it may say 2 amps) by the voltage (120 volts). This item will draw 240 watts. The amperage listed is almost always more than it actually takes.
As you can see, this arrangement will allow you to run individual appliances at the same time, but no more than the inverter will handle. You must do a inventory of every item that is plugged in and know what breaker controls each. If you have your refrigerator plugged into the same breaker as your furnace, the inverter may not power both at the same time. You will then need a bigger inverter. Unplug every item in your house that is plugged into an outlet, and know how much power you are using for every item. It may be that all you need to operate concurrently is the furnace and a few lights, or the refrigerator and a few lights. Do the math. You may not want to run lights anyway, as this will only draw attention to you.
If and when the grid power supply returns to normal, disconnect the inverter, from the car and then the house, turn your main house to grid disconnect back on, and you are back to normal.
A little organization, planning, and thought will allow you to continue on through a emergency without a lot of expense, undetected by the outside world.
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Two Letters Re: Generator Experiences During a Recent Nor'easter
Jim:
The letter about Generators today inspired me to write this email. I have owned generators for around 20 years for emergency backup and portable power uses. I use my generator primarily for powering sound equipment in the field. As a result I looked for a quiet generator. The very quiet generators all run at 1,800 RPM, but it is expensive to make a generator that runs slow and quiet, and the affordable portable generators all seem to run at 3,600 RPM.
When I purchased my current generator 10 years ago, Coleman had just started using the Briggs and Stratton "Vanguard" OHV engines in their generators. These I found to be significantly quieter than the
typical generator engine, though not as quiet as a 1,800 RPM engine.
With regards draining the fuel, I have found the key is shutting off the valve in the fuel line under the tank and letting the engine run until it starves for lack of fuel. It is not necessary to drain the
fuel tank or take other steps in my experience as long as the valve is closed and the engine run dry of fuel. My current generator has had fuel in the tank for its entire ten year life and starts on the first
pull every time. Of course Sta-Bil.
or Amsoil's gas stabilizer is always added to the fuel.
The most important issue for long generator life is clean oil. Oil gets dirty from dirt in the air. The engine on my generator has a dual air filter with both a pleated paper filter and an oil soaked foam filter. The combination seems to do a good job in keeping the engine oil clean.
It is also important to use an oil that does not break down under use, and that keep water in suspension so it does not rust engine parts. I use Amsoil's Synthetic Marine Oil in my generator, but when my current stock of oil is used up I will probably switch to the new Amsoil Synthetic Small Engine Oil. (I recommend Amsoil Synthetic Oils for all your cars as well.)
I have a plastic storage bin that holds spare air filters, spare spark plugs, and oil for my generator along with the needed spark plug wrench and a fuel siphon. I keep one or two 6 gallon gas cans out in
my shed (not in our garage or house for safety). Since all our vehicles have full tanks of fuel, I can always use the siphon to refill the gas cans.
Running the generator under load every few months is an excellent idea. Always start and stop a generator with no load connected. If your loads are connected during start up in particular the voltage
surges as the generator engine gets up to speed and settles to a constant running speed can destroy electronic equipment, and is not good for any equipment. Get the generator running at a steady speed,
and then plug in your power cords. Likewise disconnect the power cords before stopping the generator
Blessings on you and your family! - RAR
Mr. Rawles,
I live in Florida and have had quite a few encounters with week long power outages due to hurricanes. Four years ago I converted my portable generator to run on natural gas for only a little more than $200.00. I don't have to worry about ethanol contamination in the carburetor anymore. The conversion is also able to run on propane, or back to gasoline with only the re-gapping of the spark plug. It has a pull start and only takes one or two pulls to start after sitting in storage for months. Here is the web site where I ordered the kit. - Jim H
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Letter Re: Generator Experiences During a Recent Nor'easter
Greetings Mr. Rawles,
I just wanted to pass along a quick reminder to your readers who took the time and expense to buy a backup generator, but haven't taken the time to periodically test and maintain it. Here in southeastern Virginia, we are still recovering from what was called the "Atlantic Assault" by the hyperventilating reporters on the Weather Channel. To be fair, though, this was indeed a whopper of a Nor'easter that gave us flooding only a foot or so less than Hurricane Isabel in 2003. We lost power the evening of November 12, but luckily got it back 29 hours later even though we were told to expect several more days of grid-down living. But here's the kicker: on my street, only two of the four houses with generators could get them started. Of three other friends I checked with after the storm, there was one other [like me] that could not start his generator. So what's going on?
As many boaters unfortunately have also discovered, infrequently used engines are suffering significant damage to their carburetors from the ethanol in our gasoline supply. Extra precautions to completely drain fuel tanks, fuel lines, and carburetor float bowls are absolutely essential before putting the generator away for storage. Ask me how I know...
I was also guilty of insufficient testing and maintenance, but I discovered my mistake well before this storm. In early June I pulled my generator out for its yearly testing at the beginning of hurricane season. Yes, I know. Testing my backup power source only once per year was pretty stupid. Anyway, no amount of cord-pulling or carburetor cleaning would induce my generator to start. The gasoline had stabilizer in it, and even draining the old gas and using fresh didn't help. I eventually got tired of messing with it, and I bought a replacement carburetor via eBay for $70. After installing the new carburetor, along with a new in-line fuel filter from the marine parts store, the generator started on the second pull and ran like new.
I now have a standard monthly testing cycle for my generator that runs it under load for about half an hour. I also have a standard routine for servicing my generator after each use. This routine includes draining the fuel tank, pulling and draining the fuel lines, and fully draining the float bowl of the carburetor. I even leave the lid off the fuel tank for a few hours -- in a well-ventilated space -- to let it completely air dry. And I also have a new schedule for changing the engine oil. During heavy use, I change the oil every once three days (about 50 hours) of operation. Otherwise, I just change it once per year. Remember that oil is cheap and it's the life-blood of a small air-cooled engine.
So my generator was one of the ones that worked during the recent storm, and I was able to run 12-gauge extension cords to two of my neighbors to keep their refrigerators running, too. It was nice to be in the position of being able to help others rather than needing help myself. I hope your readers can learn from my mistakes and how I corrected them. - Mike in Virginia
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From David in Israel: Off Grid Alternatives to Utility-Supplied Electricity
James
One of the most troubling things I see when speaking to people about going off grid is how badly they want to keep all of their electrical appliances and just spend many thousands of dollars on a battery bank more appropriate for a U-boat and solar cells or generators to keep them topped off. Having had a minor role in a micro-satellite system design proposal one thing you learn when confronted by limited power supply is to either economize or do without.
The appliances you own for on grid use are not efficient. They are built to be inexpensive or if you are better off durable, even the fancy electrical appliances out of Europe with the Energy Star are in reality a big waste of power once you are paying by the off grid watt for solar panels and battery banks. There is no reason a normal family shouldn't consider an off grid option for their home. Even in a national emergency and societal breakdown it is very rare for supplies of diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, and LP gas to be unavailable for long periods at some price.
Dryer - Enemy number one especially in a large family, a solar clothes dryer is under $5 at nearly every hardware store, ask for a clothesline. Folding indoor drying racks are very popular in Israel. Even in winter indoor drying can be assisted by using a fan, it will also keep the air humidified. After trying the above and finding you just can't make it there are LP gas heated clothes dryers, but these still need mains power for the drum motor.
Oven/Stovetop - There is no reason to use electrical power for cooking. Excellent caterer grade ovens and stoves are available at most appliance stores which run totally on gas. Some may use an electrical ignition or thermostat but nearly all can be retrofitted either with a piezoelectric (no battery needed) spark starter or can just be lit with a match avoiding the danger of the old style pilot light since they now are equipped with a thermal safety. Most people find they actually prefer gas once they are used to it as it is a more even heat. We have had good success using MSR camping kerosene burners when the gas to our home was unavailable for a few weeks.
Hot Water - Nearly any off grid home will benefit from the addition of a solar collector in addition to a well-insulated gas water heater. Think about turning down the thermostat or using a secondary gas instant heating system and low flow shower heads to stretch your hot water supply.
Heating - Most stores and contractors can provide a wide variety of wood, pellet, gas, kerosene, or oil-fueled stoves and furnaces and space heaters. Insulation is key to keeping your alternative heat system from breaking your bank account.
Power Tools - Some older large shop tools can be powered by a PTO shaft or belt system. The possibilities from a gas motor, to steam, to hydro and beyond are limited only by your imagination.
Water pressure - In many areas there is not enough wind for a windmill to keep a water tower full so an electrical or gas pump might work better once all factors are evaluated. If your retreat is located below the summit of the hill it would probably be much easier to install a pool or cistern on the summit to provide pressure for firefighting operations even if your pump is destroyed, for every foot of elevation .433 pounds of water pressure is required for filling your tower or cistern and this pressure is returned when water is used in your home or property. Anyone living in a wilderness area should have in addition to a gravity fed water system of at least 1,500 gallons and a 300 gpm capacity, and at least one portable reservoir. There are portable swimming pools that are the same as US Forest Service uses for firefighting, and a gas powered portable pump for emergency firefighting. Descending water can be run reverse through some pumps generating electricity making it a very effective and inexpensive way to store electrical power once your battery banks are full.
Refrigeration - Most readers if their inventory their refrigerator will find mostly leftovers or things which actually will last until consumption without refrigeration. There are high quality kerosene and LP gas powered absorption refrigerators, some with secondary mains power optional, available from a few suppliers even in the US.
For those with the skills required to build and test a system which can withstand 250 psi anhydrous ammonia, copying the old Crosley Icy-Ball chest refrigerator-freezer is a thrifty option. Since anti-drug manufacturing laws make obtaining anhydrous ammonia difficult, an icy-ball can be built with drains on the absorptive water side to self distill ammonia from cleaning solution. A warning: Ammonia is a dangerous respiratory irritant and any homemade system should be used with caution and kept and recharged outside in case of leakage. One DIY design includes a shutoff valve to keep the ammonia from reabsorbing until the valve is opened allowing it to be stored in a charged condition.
Before refrigeration people would buy eggs and milk fresh in the city or if they could have chickens and a cow or goat would produce their own. A chicken is easily consumed by even a small family once cooked, in less than a day.
A water evaporation cooler cabinet is another very cheap option for keeping food.
Lighting - Gas mantle lighting once found in most urban homes is not difficult to implement using either camping lamps and piped gas or better yet certified indoor lamps. While in college I worked in a gun and camping shop which sold a reverse fitting for refilling disposable Coleman LP gas cartridges from the older non-tip over shutoff bulk tanks making camp lights highly practical for hanging. It must be remembered that gas lighting presents an increased fire hazard so precautions including avoiding clutter and considering the floor and wall surface must be taken into account. Battery powered florescent and LED lights and LED nightlights are also useful for reading and small tinkering. Metal halide lighting is much more power friendly than incandescent if large areas require illumination for security purposes.
Communications - Your radio communications system should have a redundant battery bank and power supply should your services be required in an emergency. It should be remembered the operating rule of just as much power as required and the usage of low power consumption modes like CW. Tube systems are notoriously wasteful of power and tubes have limited life so these should be kept as backup systems in most cases. Only power up satellite Internet systems after you have typed up all the e-mails and set them up to send immediately after going online. There are offline viewers which will call up all the web sites you normally visit and grab them all for later viewing.
Television sets, satellite receivers, and large stereo systems are wasteful of electrical power if left on. A small notebook computer for occasional movies and an MP3 player for music will save many valuable watts. Unplug or employ a disconnect switch [or power strip with switch] on all electronics unless they are in use. This will protect them from power surges in addition to eliminating sleep-state power draw. [Also know as a "phantom load."]
Telephone - If your retreat can obtain telephone service a secondary redundant system connecting you to selected neighbors can be set up in some areas by ordering an old style alarm or bell line to one central home, this is usually cheaper than a line with actual telephone service, and should work in most telephone systems even if the central office with its redundant power goes offline but the wires are still intact. The Telephone company will either splice the wire pairs at the neighborhood box or at the closest central office, officially only for alarm systems, it is possible to set up anything from long run Ethernet or simple voice lines with an old style "everybody rings" party line. This will not save off grid watts but is a good way to add redundancy to your retreat.
Safety - Install at least two combo carbon monoxide sensing smoke alarms in your home in addition to a smoke alarm in every occupied room. In these alarms, install long life lithium batteries and check on the first of the month and every time you change to or from daylight savings. DO NOT use rechargeable batteries for your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms!
Due to the higher fire risk using flame-based alternatives to electricity I even more strongly recommend installation of fire sprinklers in all rooms, flame hoods over all cooking surfaces with automatic sprinklers that have a manual activation, and at least two standpipe and hose cabinets with 100 gpm gravity flow minimum per standpipe, ABC-rated fire extinguisher, gloves, goggles, and Nomex face shroud. Install outdoor standpipes and stocked hose locker for wildfires, a charged mobile phone for 911 (BTW, you need not have an active calling plan to use a cell phone to call 911 in the USA) and if you have to retreat from interior firefighting. Most importantly have an evacuation and rendezvous family accounting plan and volunteer with the local volunteer fire department, learn when the fire is just too big to fight by yourself.
With an engineering eye it is often possible to reduce your home or retreat electrical requirements to an inexpensive few hundred watts once alternatives are considered. Shalom, - David in Israel
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Solar Electric Vehicles for TEOTWAWKI, by Pete Montgomery
Having been a “prepper” for more than 25 years, growing up in Florida where you had to be prepared for the inevitable annual hurricane, I have experienced many powerful storms, with the associated loss of power and the joy of waiting in line for gasoline. These experiences have cultivated a growing interest in solar power and how it relates to providing power in an emergency situation. Until recently photovoltaic (PV) power solutions were out of reach and electric transportation was just a pipe dream. I always wished that I could have a motor vehicle that didn’t depend on the “grid” for its power, i.e. gas, diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol, etc. With recent advances in PV technology and electric vehicle technologies, that wish is now a reality.
In the mind of the “prepper”, PV power has always been a viable means of providing power to his or her retreat, dating back as far as the early 1970s. Early visionaries put largely inefficient banks of PV panels on their homes or barns to utilize the sun’s endless power. However, back then, the primary drawback was the enormous price tag and limited power that first generation PV panels produced. Until recently PV options have remained principally out of reach; however, with the advancements in solar technology and falling prices, as well as tremendous increase in quality and efficiency of PV panels, energy directly from the sun is now reliable and affordable for the average consumer.
With never-to-be-seen-again Federal Tax incentives, PVs are certainly worth a closer look. Just think of the uses for solar on the family farm/retreat or even the home in the suburbs. Power the well, produce all the power needed for the home and sell what you don’t need back to the grid for peak prices. The uses are virtually endless around the home but what about getting around on the homestead? Why not take advantage of the sun’s limitless power with the vehicle you drive?I’m not talking about those fancy space-age looking gizmos that you’ve seen gliding along on the Salt Flats someplace in Utah. We have developed something more functional and far more cost effective for the average person or family that wants an alternative means of transportation.
The new PV vehicles that are being produced by several manufacturers in the US are classified by the IRS as Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), most of which can be used on any road, meaning, any public road that is posted 35 mph or under and allowed by local ordinances. These LSVs are quickly gaining national attention and are completely “Street Legal”. Likewise, there is an “off-road” or ATV classification of the LSV, which can be driven on or off-road while still qualifying as a “Street Legal” LSV. You must be a licensed driver to operate a LSV on any public roadway.
The uses for this type of vehicle on the retreat are endless, not to mention they are a lot of fun to drive. What’s even better is the “fill up” is free; all you have to do is park your LSV in the sun to let it recharge, free of charge. [JWR Adds: Keep in mind, however, that it would take more than two days of full sun to recharge a LSV's batteries that have been deeply discharged. Also, like any other lead-acid deep cycle battery bank, you will need to buy a new set of batteries once every 4 to 7 years, because of inevitable sulfation.]
This year I had the opportunity to go to work for Long Drive Solar, LLC a company that markets and sells street legal, PV electric hybrid, low speed vehicles (LSVs) for “on-road” and “off-road” use. As long as you have sunlight, you have reliable transportation.
The product line starts with vehicles that may appear similar to a standard golf cart all the way up to 24-seat trams. These vehicles are powered by strong 5.5 horsepower motors, use Curtis charge controllers and a powerful 48-volt battery bank with eight large 6 VDC batteries, (8-Trojan T-145s, producing 260 amp hours), self-adjusting drum brakes, turn signals, headlights, taillights, brake lights, horn, seat belts, and DOT-appoved windshields. The factory installed 210 or 230 watt solar panel is state-of-the-art, giving you higher performance, greater range, and substantially longer operating time between battery charges. Long Drive Solar has a wide range of on and off-road tires for just about any terrain or environment. Every vehicle has a 120 VAC plug-in charger, in case you ever need a conventional charge. However, under normal usage, you’ll find that the sun is all you need to keep your vehicle fully charged and ready to go.
Options include just about anything you can think of including AM/FM radio, CD player, wood grain trim, etc. But the one that I like the best is the 12 VDC to 120 VAC power inverter. This lets you have a 110 power outlet anywhere you can take the vehicle, as the solar panel acts as your own personal portable generator. Most models sold by Long Drive Solar have been certified by the IRS and are GSA approved.
So what’s the difference between a standard golf cart and a Low Speed Vehicle (LSV)? Golf carts are not street legal [in most jurisdictions], and most have a top speed of around 10 mph, whereas the LSVs (by law) must travel between 20 and 25 mph. The golf cart motor is normally just 3 horsepower, while our LSVs are 5.5 horsepower, and up. There are many additional difference, so when you go to buy your LSV, make sure you get the right vehicle for your money.
Long Drive Solar has several models to choose from but the one that works best for a retreat application is unquestionably the Scout. The Scout is designed for on or off-road or trail use. It has 8” ground clearance to the axles, and an unusually-high 19" ground clearance to the bottom of the deck, off-road knobby tires, brush guards/bumper, front basket, and top rack (if you don’t use solar, however, I strongly suggest the solar option). The Scout comes in 2, 4, and 6 seat configurations and can also have a box body on the back for hauling hay, firewood, garden produce, or other items. This is clearly the way to go for a rural retreat.
One of the most frequently asked questions is how far and how fast will these vehicles go. As previously stated, to qualify as an LSV, the vehicle must go between 20 and 25 mph. As to “how far”, most standard golf carts have a range of about 20 miles on a single charge. Our LSVs are constantly charging the batteries through the solar panel and have an average range of 80-100 miles [in a day] on a single charge. That mileage may vary depending on terrain and driving conditions. Either way, you can count on a minimum of at least a 30% increase in performance. I’ve driven the one I have for several months and I have never had to “plug it in”, not once.
Federal and State Tax Credits
With the Federal and State governments pushing to implement “green technologies”, this opportunity is just right for those interested in buying a vehicle that is a self-sustaining, affordable means of transportation. Although a vehicle like this costs between $7,000 to $10,000 dollars (with a solar top), thanks to Uncle Sam and your local State government you get an early Christmas present in the form of huge Tax Credits. Depending on which State you live in, you could get your “dream-come-true” off-road vehicle for a net cost of zero; that’s right, zero. If you happen to live in Oklahoma, you have the ability to capture up to 120% of the actual cost. Yes, you can actually make money by purchasing one of these vehicles. Other states, like Georgia, Hawaii, and Florida benefit in the 70-80% Tax Credit range. Go to www.dsireusa.org and http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/ to find out what your State offers as Tax Credits.
Note that the largest part of the Federal Tax Credits expire on December 31, 2009 and will likely mot be renewed, therefore, all electric vehicles must be purchased no later than December 31, 2009, to take advantage of this tax credit. Individual State Tax Credits vary, some end at the end of this year, while others extend until 2015. Please check with your local State Tax Commission on the time lines.
So where can you buy your LSV?
Here’s where I get to plug our company and some of our competition. If you go to our web site LongDriveSolar.com, you can find a lot of good info and can take a look at some of our products. Long Drive Solar has its corporate offices in Atlanta, Georgia. We also have a large Dealership in Oklahoma City and dealer representatives located throughout the US. Please give us a call or contact us online. Some of the other companies that provide quality products are Tomberlin Vehicles, Eco E ATV, Bad Boy Buggies and several others. Note: Long Drive Solar is the only company in the US that sells a factory installed solar system on most models of their LSVs.
Beware before you buy: When you go to buy your vehicle, make sure that your dealer provides you with certification from the IRS that their vehicle (and specifically the model you are buying) qualifies for the Federal and State Tax Credits. Make sure you check with your tax accountant regarding any paperwork you will need to get from the dealer, so that you can legally take advantage of the tax credits.
One other important note: All electric vehicles are not created equal with respect to the Federal tax credits. The IRS has many different levels of tax credits on the same vehicle. The amount of credit depends on the amp rating of the battery bank; the higher the amp rating, the higher the credit, so make sure you’re getting the most power and the highest available tax credit for your dollar.
For those of you that lean toward the “green movement”, and believe me I’m all for renewable energy, these vehicles can help with your LEEDS certification points as well as helping to offset your personal carbon footprint.
If you have always wanted a reliable means of transportation with a renewable source of energy it would be well worth your time to take a look at the new forms of sustainable transportation on the market today, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime Tax Credits that could make your solar vehicle absolutely free [after you complete your taxes for 2009]. Believe me, my solar LSV was looking mighty fine when gas was pushing $5 per gallon.
From my perspective this type of transportation is something to consider. Just remember, do your homework and buy the best you can afford because one day your life may depend on what you have invested in.
If you would like to learn more about any of the products or technology talked about here please feel free to contact me at:
pmontgomery@longdrivesolar.com
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Two Letters Re: How to Capitalize on Urine, Car Batteries, Wood Ashes, Bones and Bird Schumer
Jim:
Car batteries are designed for one thing and one thing only - delivering a bunch of power for a very short period of time. Said time is measured in seconds, not minutes, hours, or days.
I have been living "Off the Grid" for fifteen years, and can assure your readers that vehicle batteries can only handle 3-5 complete discharges before they are useless, i.e., after but a few discharges they cannot be recharged and expected to hold said charge. Ergo, they are the wrong choice for any task where discharge exceeds the constant charging input into the battery. They will not last, and the monies and the time procuring and cabling such will have been wasted.
If one intends to utilize batteries and a charger of whatever source to power lights or equipment of any sort, only use "Deep Cycle" types as the plate construction used in these is designed for multiple deep-discharges. The number of discharges varies given the size of the battery itself, and can range from as few as 100 to well over 2,000. Yes, in the case of batteries, size matters.
Another little hint: When engaged in the mathematics of power generated in relationship to end use, whether from solar, microhydro, wind, or fuel powered generators, remember that when using a battery to "store" generated power, factor in a loss of 6% of the power produced due the requirements of the chemical reaction in the battery. Period. And never forget that "Volts X Amps = Watts". If you don't model your production and usage with these numbers in mind, say goodbye to your batteries.
On the way out the door, one more bit of advice, this on "Phantom Loads." Many of the appliances we buy today are never actually "off", even though one believes such is the case. A few decades back, the appliance manufacturers decided to stroke our egos because having to wait a few seconds for an appliance to "warm up" was frustrating. Now such a wait would border on a personal insult. We demand "instant on" from everything, and this comes with a price. Even "off", many of your appliances consume power. Either you pay the power monopoly for it, or if "Off the Grid", you deplete and perhaps even destroy your batteries.
The easiest way to find how much your favorite appliance is robbing you is to buy a little device called a Kill-A-Watt [electricity usage monitor]
, about $30.00 or so, available at hardware stores and places like Lowe's and Home Depot. One plugs it into the wall and then you plug the appliance into it, with the appliance still "off". Much to your surprise and then chagrin, a little digital readout tells you how many "watts" that appliance uses when it's "off". Pardon the pun, but the results will "shock" you. That television that is presumed "off" may well be using 30-40 watts constantly, 24-7-365. Add in stereo components, computers, printers, and all those other things that we believe make life worth living and pretty soon we're talking about real money. And if you are dependent on a battery bank, well, you get my drift. It's more than just money.
Solution? Whether "Off the Grid" or dependent on a power monopoly, put all such appliances on power strips, and when you want them truly off, shut down the power strip. Then "Off" really means "Off". There's no point in paying for something your aren't using, and if out there pioneering, ignoring this will destroy your batteries, Good Luck! - J. Mo
James,
I noted with concern one item in the recent blog article: How to Capitalize on Urine, Car Batteries, Wood Ashes, Bones and Bird Schumer, by Jeff M. He recommended using car batteries for lead to cast bullets from. As a caster myself I have learned that this is an extremely hazardous thing to do. The lead plates in car batteries are impregnated with arsenic and calcium to aid the the chemical reaction to generate electricity. Melting these down will generate arsine gas which is highly poisonous. He also recommended using lead wheel weights. [Traditional lead alloy] wheel weights [made before the recent switch to zinc] are the preferred metal for most bullet casters. While they contain about a quarter of a percent of arsenic they do not contain calcium and do not generate arsine gas when melted. Safety First!
God Bless, - Jim E.
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How to Capitalize on Urine, Car Batteries, Wood Ashes, Bones and Bird Schumer, by Jeff M.
Throughout the last few centuries, mankind has been building and building up, combining raw materials and energy to create... stuff. This stuff is scattered all over urban population centers, and many of it can be used for basic life-sustaining purposes. I thought I'd write in and share some information I've gathered over the years in my work and in my hobbies, as it relates to sustaining life if you're trapped in an urban area. I'm enumerating the primitive uses of some very basic components for those interested, this wasn't meant as a guide for building any of this stuff, further research is definitely necessary and DO NOT try any lab chemistry without becoming an expert first and observing all the appropriate safety precautions. [JWR Adds: Handling strong acids and bases also necessitates wearing goggles, extra long gloves, long sleeves, a safety apron, having proper ventilation, and having an eye flushing bottle (or fixture) and neutralizers close at hand!] I hope this inspires others to share similar uses for modern waste.
Many urbanites will not have enough room to grow self-sustaining gardens in the soil in your backyard, with the limited growing season, and even if you did it would become a target for looters. Construction of a greenhouse in your backyard with adequate security may be a worthwhile compromise. Using hydroponics in your greenhouse will maximize your yield. Hydroponics requires that you're moving fluids around in a growing medium, and this movement requires electricity in the simplest setup. It also allows you to maximize your space by eliminating huge buckets of soil. One downside to hydroponics is that it requires more advanced technology, and most often an energy supply. Another downside is a requirement for more specific fertilizers.
Car batteries can be used to power your food supply and your home, a typical setup is a very sturdy shelf to hold rows of the deep cycle variant. You can calculate how much energy you'd need to power your appliances but a better setup for survival would be to only power a single DC circuit, with some very energy efficient appliances; LED lights, laptop computers, radios, flashlight battery chargers. I have a circuit wired in my basement which can be switched to backup power, so for me it would just be a matter of wiring an extension cable out to my greenhouse.
The equipment to build a battery backup system is widely available, it's very mature technology and has been very easy to afford with the increased usage of solar energy. Solar panel prices have also dropped almost 40% in the last couple of years. I recommend that someone with the cash to spend, who has already bought a long-term supply of food and other essentials, build themselves a photovoltaic backup system to keep your electronics running for years, using deep-cycle marine batteries for storage. It happens to be the cheapest form of storage, the deep cycle batteries are available from Wal-Mart and Costco at the best prices.
I recommend some form of sustainable electricity. Most fuels will go bad with time, the easiest fuel to reliably store is propane and many homes are equipped with propane and natural gas powered backup generators. Propane is extraordinarily cheap right now as well. A 300-to-500 gallon propane tank can be bought used for around $500 in most places, and propane is selling in my area for $1.79/gallon. Propane is produced from natural gas and, along with coal, are the two fossil fuels we're least likely to see a shortage of. Regarding solar, you don't need a 5,000 watt solar panel farm to power your essentials. Just one large solar panel on a pole will be enough [to provide charging] for your odds and ends DC-powered electronics.
If you intend to use scavenged car batteries for home power, you will need to come up with a scheme to charge them. If you charge a random collection of batteries off of one charger some of them may overheat and explode. You need to have an individual charging circuit for each of them, a temperature probe is good but not necessary. The best way to do this with a generator setup is with a multiple-bank charger or charging station, or with multiple charge controllers in a solar setup. It would be a good idea to have backups, so you might as well have one charge controller for every battery. If you're running a generator, it is especially important that you use a battery backup system, as it allows you to use the energy more efficiently to charge up a battery bank which you can use for days to power efficient appliances.
Another interesting thing about car batteries is what you can do with them if you're not using them for power. Car batteries contain two main ingredients, sulfuric acid and lead. Sulfuric acid is used in many industrial processes. It's a source of elemental sulfur, and these strong acids are used to convert many other substances to something usable.
Hundreds of years ago people made saltpeter for formulating black powder by urinating in a jar and adding straw to it (almost too easy, huh?). A more industrious method would be to mix straw and manure into a pile and urinate on it regularly to keep it moist. This was called a "niter-bed". After a year, run water through it and then run the resulting mixture through a wood ash filter, and then air dry the resulting mixture in the sun. Any failed batches could always be used as [the basis for a larger quantity of] fertilizer. Your urine contains nitrogen in the form of a chemical called urea, which means it also makes a good fertilizer (1 part urine and 10 parts water immediately applied makes a decent fertilizer). The urine/straw mixture would change over the course of a few months to contain nitrates, mostly a chemical called potassium nitrate, or saltpeter. Wood ash contains mostly potassium compounds and can be used to convert remaining nitrates to potassium nitrate. Potassium nitrate is a powerful oxidizer. Mixed with a fuel it forms the ingredients of many fireworks such as bottle rockets. Black powder is made with a mixture of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur. Sulfur can be found on the electrodes of the car batteries, or it can be produced through electrolysis of the sulfuric acid. A good rocket fuel is 60% potassium nitrate and 40% powdered sugar, should you have a need for rockets, perhaps as a signal flare.
You can buy potassium nitrate over the counter from the hardware store (Lowe's and Home Depot). It's known as stump remover and is available in 1lb bottles. If you're doing that last minute shopping, it might be a good idea to swing by the pesticides shelf and buy all the stump remover while you're getting your fertilizers and everything. Potassium nitrate has an NPK rating of 13-0-38.
In the 1890s, widespread use of "smokeless powder" was adopted, which is about three times as powerful as simple black powder. This was a result of a substance called nitro-cellulose or guncotton, which is which can be made from cellulose and nitric acid and some
other chemicals by means of nitration. Nitric acid is a very useful substance. Nitro-groups or nitronium ions can be added to certain chemicals to create explosives. Compounded with hexamine fuel tablets (Esbit fuel), it forms [the equivalent of ] RDX explosive. Compounded with glycerine, it forms nitroglycerine, that with added stabilizers forms dynamite or blasting gelatin. (Not to be confused with trinitrotoluene (TNT), which is generated by the nitration of toluene.) The most useful application of nitric acid though is in making smokeless powder, commonly just called "gunpowder" today, which is a compound of nitrocellulose and a number of other proprietary ingredients. It can be made from cellulose and nitric acid and some other chemicals by means of nitration. [Reader M.H. Adds: Doing any of this will take considerable study and storing some other chemicals, since nitric acid just by itself will not (to any significant degree) nitrate organic compound such as glycerine, hexamine or toluene. For details, see the book titled "Chemistry and Technology of Explosives" by Urbanski (available online).]
The government has made it difficult to purchase nitric acid without a valid reason. You can make it out of sulfuric acid, from the car batteries, and potassium nitrate, from the niter beds. You will need some basic lab equipment to do this, a glass distillery connected to a vacuum pump (a vacuum distillery), and a hot plate. With the leftover parts of the car battery, mainly lead [and wheel weights as a source of antimony for hardening], you can mold lead bullets. The lab equipment required to perform some of these reactions is useful in many other processes, such as an ethanol distillery, so it may be something you'd want, regardless. Take care that you don't cross into illegal territory with your experimenting. Potassium nitrate and black powder aren't controlled substances, but at some point gunpowder becomes classified as an explosive and requires a permit to manufacture. [JWR Adds a Strong Proviso: This summary information is provided for educational purposes only. EXTREME safety measures must be taken, and all the legalities and zoning issues must be researched, permits obtained, et cetera. Also, be advised that the instructions presented in many of the published references on do-it-yourself explosives making have insufficient safety margins. For example, the set of directions on making nitroglycerin in the book The Anarchist Cookbook, could best be described as a "recipe for disaster." It will get you killed or at least maimed, in short order!]
Another interesting thing I'll mention is that handgun calibers and muzzleloaders are better suited for lead bullets with no copper jacket, since they travel through the barrel slower they can be made softer. Forming a copper jacket around a bullet is difficult and expensive. [JWR Adds: One notable exception to this is making jackets for .22 caliber bullets, which can be made with discarded .22 LR brass and lead wire, using commercially available forming dies.] I think it's also worthwhile to own at least one muzzle-loading black-powder rifle, and bullet forming equipment. Manufacturing guncotton is not nearly as easy as black powder. You can no longer readily buy black powder [in gun shops] today, it is less stable and more expensive to ship. Even the modern muzzle-loader propellants (like Pyrodex) are smokeless powders. So, you may find black powder is all people are using one of these days, as they can make it in their backyard. Either stockpile thousands of primers or use a flintlock style rifle.
I mentioned that urine can be used as a fertilizer, nowhere is this more true than in a hydroponic system. Plants need three main chemicals to grow, all three of which must be in a soluble form. urine is easily the best source of nitrogen in soluble form. Potassium can be gathered from wood ash easily by running fluids through it. Phosphorous is the hard part, and many fruiting plants need phosphorus, so it is the area where you focus the most energy. Bone has phosphorus in it, and a commonly used fertilizer for plants is bone meal in the form of calcium phosphate. Bone meal has an NPK rating of 4-12-0. Bat guano is one of the best sources of phosphorous, and bird droppings ("Bird Schumer") can similarly provide a good supply. Be careful with bird droppings though, many contain diseases especially pigeons. You may want to boil it first. Match heads can also be used for their phosphorus content, if for some reason you have thousands of matches with no barter value.
Back to urine fertilizers: When you urinate into the water your urine and many other nitrate fertilizers begin to break down into ammonia, which needs to be filtered out. If you've ever maintained a koi pond you know this can be accomplished with the use of a bio-filter. Another way to do it is with an aquaculture setup, which means connecting a fish hatchery to a hydroponics setup. The fish and the plants thrive off of each other. This has evolved into it's own industry called aquaponics, and has proven to be a commercial success, mainly to serve as leafy plant production on top of a primarily fish producing setup. If you get sick of eating that dried corn, try feeding it to a 55-gallon barrels full of Tilapia. Tilapia has been the preferred fish stock as it will eat a wider range of things, but the temperature must be kept warm. It's possible that even in colder climates a greenhouse would provide sufficient trapped heat to keep the fish alive.
Many of these techniques can form the foundations of exciting hobbies such as model rocketry, aquaculture, hydroponics and gunsmithing. I strongly encourage you to absorb some of these hobbies in your life, if they appeal to you. [Do plenty of research, and get lots of practice,] especially when it comes to something sensitive like fish or hydroponics. Beginner's mistakes could spell the end of you if you're depending on this for your urban survival. I've opted to fortify my suburban home on a quarter acre and optimize it for survival, with over two years of food storage for me and my family to get started and enough energy to cook it. If this is all you can afford then make the most of it!
Letter Re: Making Do at a Rural Vermont Retreat
James,
While I could wish to be west of the Mississippi, my wife and I will have to retreat where we are. My elderly parents are nearby, and my wife has made it very clear she has moved for the last time. Vermont is where we will be for the foreseeable future.
We live within a rural town of approximately 2,000 residents. We are about seven miles outside of a twin-city with a population of 28,000. We lack like-minded neighbors both in faith and preparedness. We hope our far-flung family will be able to rally here, but are realistic about their chances. Not an ideal location, but we work with what God have given us.
We own 60 acres, mostly wooded with some pasture, up and three miles out of town on a dirt road. Our home is close to the middle of the land, at the end of an 1,100 foot driveway and it is not visible from the road. The driveway could be easily blocked if necessary. We have cleared good areas around the house without giving up our privacy. We heat with any of three sources, wood, pellets, or oil. Our neighbors include a medical doctor and a nurse/midwife and two miles down the hill is a dairy farm with 400 head.
We have three spring-fed ponds, (one is stocked with trout), a deep artesian well and a developed spring with a concrete cistern. We use a small greenhouse to extend our short growing season and have apple trees and blueberry, raspberry and blackberry bushes. We can and dry fruits and veggies, I hunt and we both cook. We have about 18 months of food in storage (dehydrated, canned, frozen and grains) and expand our larder as we are able. We used to be cold weather tent- campers and have all of the equipment that goes along with that sport in both propane and white gas.
Our arsenal is varied, deep and redundant. It includes four muzzleloaders and supplies; they are hunting and hobby rifles, but they will still put food on the table or provide defense in a pinch.
We have much on our “things to do” list. Fuel storage is a problem in quantity due to permitting issues. We do have the fuel oil tank in the cellar for the tractor, but gasoline will be limited to our cans. Our only generator is small, only able to power the pellet stove, a couple of lights and a radio. We do hope to add solar in the future. Our home is not as defensible as I would like due to glass windows and doors and we lack man-power for long term survival.
We will never be as ready as want to be, but we will be as ready as we are able. Our greatest assets are Jesus and each other. - B.C.
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Letter Re: Thoughts on Preparedness in a Diverse Community
I just met this past weekend with a group of " preparedness folk." They are on a farm about 30 miles from here. I have become interested in the subject after reading One
Second After (a New York Times best seller, highly recommended!) and some writings by James Wesley, Rawles. I was surprised at who they were and the mindset I encountered. A few observations:
1) The root idea is that whether or not some disaster hits, we are far too dependent on a very fragile and tenuous energy and distribution grid. Raising your own chickens, goats, vegetables, rabbits, turkeys, pigs and cows is preferable (and more nutritious and tasty!) to standing around in a Kroger (think "post-Katrina") looking at the empty aisles.
2) They were "green" but green in a good way, and not the fashionable mindless silliness coming out of the "environmentally conscious" crowd. (Sorry if my contempt shows here)
I am talking about using a local stream to turn a box of old alternators from junked cars to produce current to charge batteries, building a steam fired boiler to run a generator, and lots of other cool ideas that are scavenged from junkyards...., including using a scrapped walk in cooler from a convenience store for a chicken coop (no insulation needed, and less heat source needed during cold weather).
3) The mark of an "advanced" society is division of labor, with the dependency on each other coming from specialization of labor being more efficient and less costly. However, we have evolved into a society of urban dwellers who produce nothing necessary for root survival needs. Cities are extremely dependent on everything being trucked in, and the ones who make the most money are the ones most efficient in distribution rather than production (think "Wal-Mart"). If that distribution system is disrupted, due to a failure of the electrical grid or a fuel supply disruption, we would be helpless. These folks recognize that.
4) I did not meet any tin foil hat folks, which surprised me. There were realtors, veterinarians, an auto parts distributor, a programmer, a cop, and a contract security guy (a "Blackwater" type, although he never worked for Xe). They were just normal folks living their lives, but concerned about the potential for future instability of a calamitous nature.
5) I was surprised at the political make-up of the group. I expected to see a bunch of rabid Republicans, fearful of antichrist Obama and the New World Order, blah, blah, blah. Rather, they were amazingly cynical of any politics, and were just as critical of Reagan (for different reasons) as Obama. Their attitude was more that of folks just trying to live their lives while being confident that their best shot at any change would come from being fiercely independent and doing what they could to remain so.
6) I was probably the biggest Bible Thumper out there. No religious zealotry at all. In my life, I have encountered a lot of religious whack jobs. I expected this crowd to be a magnet for them. It wasn't
7) I was also surprised about their attitude about guns. I expected to find a bunch of hyperventilating folks screaming out "Molon Labe!" as a password or something to enter the farm. Instead, I encountered a crowd of mostly ex-military guys who understood that guns are tools. They all hunt (mostly deer, but also squirrel, turkey, dove, and some varmints), and they all believe that they have a duty and a right to protect their families themselves and their freedoms and rights against all who would challenge them. Their attitude was that you would no more expect to defend rights and freedoms without guns than try to change a tire without a jack. Especially enlightening to me were the remarks of the contract security guy who worked security in Kosovo. Rather than sitting on his pile of weapons fervently wishing for social collapse so he could play "Rambo" or something, he just emphatically declared that if you ever lived in a society where the social order even partially breaks down, you will want to prepare for it here, but no one in his right mind would wish it.
7) The final funny observation is how close these guys are with all the ex-hippie counterculture who have moved south from Chapel Hill as the area has become completely yuppified. In fact, one of the guys there at the group was just a total stoner who had essentially moved down to smoke his own hydroponic, live cheaply, eat his own "organic" produce, and shoot, prepare, and jerk his own venison. The two types of "fringe" groups have a sort of affinity for each other, even if many other ideas are polarized apart.
The whole group of folks were not now living on the farm. There are only three families there. However, they are all affiliated with it and looking to it as a kind of resource/preparedness area in the event of:
1) a major earthquake (we sit on a huge fault line in North Carolina. I never knew that)
2) a failure of the oil distribution system
3) a major currency collapse (my bets are on this one as having the best odds)
4) a major terrorist attack on the US.
5) ..... you fill in the blank.
My wife and I are not moving down there (smile), but we are interested in some people whose ideas about simplicity and "back to nature" mirror what we would like to see ourselves. I think "survival" is an improper goal for a Christian. We are supposed to be "dead" already, having surrendered all this stuff anyway. I do think that "working with your hands so that you may have something to share with those in need" is a proper goal for myself, though. I am looking forward to interacting more with these folk.
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Letter Re: A Safe Method for Connecting Home Backup Generators
JWR,
I've mentioned before a gizmo called a Generlink which allows a lot of flexibility when using a generator for backup power. This device is installed behind your power meter and, depending on the capacity of your generator, allows you to power any circuit in your home via the selective use of the circuit breakers. It's especially useful in that nothing has to be re-wired in the house to safely use your generator. It does require some planning for installation in that your power company will have to agree to it's use and will probably want to install it, mine was installed by my local power co-op for free. Regards, - K. in Texas
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Letter Re: Survival Notes from the Dominican Republic
Jim,
I've recently read several of your books and found them both interesting and educational. I would like to offer some personal insights based on my experiences from living in a small rural town one of the larger Caribbean islands. Most of my notes are cheap solutions used by people in developing nations all over the world. There may be better ways, but these work and cost next to nothing.
Water:
There is something especially disturbing about opening the faucet and hearing a sucking air sound. Not being able to shower, flush, or wash dishes is the worst.
One or more 55 gallon drums and 5 gallon plastic buckets are essential items to have. When you see that hurricane on the news, put the barrel it in the shower and fill it up right away. Add a few capfuls of bleach to make it keep longer. Expect the quality of water from the town water supply to drop. Rainwater collection should be set up right away. If possible the roof should fill a large cistern with a pressure pump. A gravity tank should be put on the roof.
Washing up from a bucket is easy enough. A small plastic cup and a five gallon bucket makes is easy. If the water is cold don’t try to heat up all the water. Bring a good sized cooking pot to a near boil and add it to the cold water. A person can wash easily in 2 gallons of water.
Pouring about two gallons of water rapidly into a toilet from a 5-gallon bucket will flush a toilet.
Washing dishes from a bucket without using gallons of water is tricky. It takes some practice to do it right. If you don’t stack your dirty plates and wash them right away, you only have one dirty side and no dried food.
It is very easy to contaminate your water supply. Dirty bucket bottoms and careless bathing are common causes, be vigilant.
Food:
Our community is an exporter of meat, milk, eggs, rice, vegetables and we have a 365-day growing season. Most families have a garden plot to supplement household food. Storing food is always wise but not nearly the problem it is in some other locations. Much of our farming is done with hand work.
Power:
We have daily blackouts here and most houses have invertors with battery backups. Since we have occasional power most people do not have generators but just charge when the lights are on. Most businesses have diesel generators.
A 2.5 KW inverter system with 4 deep cycle batteries will keep a few lights on, a laptop and a fan or two for about two days and costs about $2,000. The better systems run on 24 VDC. Here we are all very aware of vampire appliances [aka "phantom loads."]. All those VCRs, TVs, microwaves, wi-fi boxes, alarm systems, clocks, all pull a significant load. You need to learn your house circuits and unplug and turn off the breakers for things you don’t need. Low wattage bulbs are essential.
Running a generator for about 4 hours will charge most battery systems. Your generator will need to be at least twice the capacity of your inverter. Operating like this you can have basic lighting for the cost of about 2 or 3 gallons of gasoline a day. Running a refrigerator off a battery backup system is just not cost effective. Many people have put up both solar and wind systems as a way to produce some additional power to keep the batteries topped off.
A few simple solutions: Computer UPS systems usually operate on a 6 or 12 V battery. It is very easy to open one up and connect a large battery by running wires through the back of the case. This will give a much longer run time. While you have the case open, take a pair of pliers and crush the annoying power alarm beeper. The charger on these systems is very small and will take a very long time to reach a full charge. An off the shelf battery charger will speed things up. Alternativel,y your car can be used to charge the batteries (12 VDC only)
Guns:
While being armed is important, life is so much easier when there isn’t a conflict in the first place. Some people always seem to have problems wherever they go and need to pull out weapons while others seem to walk through the valley of death without a care in the world. Spend some time researching body language, and read books on interpersonal relationship skills. Besides improving your life right now, it could change a potential fatal firefight into a new friend.
Police:
When we have a crime wave, the police set up road blocks coming into and out of town. Rarely does this cause any real problems for honest people but you do need to have your paperwork for your car or firearms on hand. A smile and a friendly face makes things go much smoother. Acting aggressive or angry will get a messy and thorough search of your person, passengers and your car at a minimum. Knowing your local police makes a big difference. Sometimes we are asked to “help them out” which is code for a bribe. Either pay it with a smile, say sorry but you can’t today, plead poverty, or turn back. Fighting it just is not worth the trouble.
Crime:
Most traveling gangs are small and short lived. They rarely survive an encounter with police. It is very hard for a crime group to survive outside of their own neighborhood where they have local knowledge, a place to sleep and the support of family and friends. On the flip side the crimes committed by these people are usually the most brutal.
Local criminals gangs are much harder to control. Often these are well-connected individuals or gangs who are very good at remaining undetected. Some of them are drug smugglers, cattle thieves or burglars. Persons who are well liked and respected in the community are usually left alone. If you see large gangs forming, seriously consider leaving the country as it is a no-win situation.
Home Security:
This is a very safe country, but it is safe because people here do no depend on the police and protect themselves. With that in mind I have noted some of the more common security precautions here.
My experience here is that a house with lights on and occupied is the house that is left alone. Your best defense is to be the least interesting but hardened house in a occupied community. Vacant houses attract soft criminals and people who need a place to sleep. Most Dominicans always have someone home in the house. Night time home invasions are rare but they do happen. People who do this time of crime are extremely dangerous experienced and hardened criminals.
Isolated houses are at the worst risk for the most serious attacks. A gated community, walled yard, electric gate, bars on the windows, dogs, even armed security guards are all common place here. Country people live in small groups of three or more houses with the fields surrounding them.
Your most vulnerable time is being ambushed entering or leaving your home or car. When designing your landscaping, don’t build easy ambush points for attackers. This sort of thing doesn’t happen much in a small town.
Protests/Strikes/Riots:
Occasionally when the power or water is out too much, the citizens will organize a protest/strike/riot. Often the organizers are union leaders or other non-governmental community leaders. The usual format is to shut down the with road blocks and burning tires. Much of the bad behavior is more for show than reality but trying to pass the road blocks will result in getting your vehicle wrecked by the strikers. It is important to know why people are protesting and to be sympathetic to their cause (in many cases it is well justified). Their intention is to cause just enough of a disruption to get government the government to resolve the problem without getting arrested. Trying to pass the roadblock means that you are disagreeing with the reason they are striking. Know your local area for alternate routes and don’t try to travel during strikes.
Dogs:
Good dogs are essential. A pair of large dogs of a known breed are a very significant deterrent. Rottweiler, Doberman, German Sheppard, pit-bulls are recognized and avoided. Dogs differ widely in personality. Be sure yours matches your needs. Be aware and realistic of their shortcomings. I know too many people who depend entirely on a easily circumvented dog for security. Professional thieves routinely outmaneuver, poison, or shoot dogs.
Don’t overlook the value of small "yippy" and intelligent dogs like Chihuahuas. They are light sleepers, a second set of eyes and ears and are cheap to feed. They often work well with the bigger dogs.
Watch your dogs. If your dogs suddenly become sick, it may mean they were poisoned and you should expect a robbery that coming night or the following day. Look for your dog before you pull into your drive or get out of your car. If there has been an intrusion it may be hurt, nervous, missing or dead. This will often be your first indication of an awaiting problem.
Community
After a disaster (hurricane, flood, earthquake) the best thing for everyone is to keep the community together. Building a good reputation and personal relationships with neighbors and community leaders will make all the difference when resources are scarce and people are scared. The people who are capable leaders and community contributors often get first dibs on any help that does arrive and the right to make decisions on how goods are distributed.
Filling sandbags, organizing relief, passing out information, providing power, clearing roads, etc will make friends and build relationships that are not soon forgotten. This sort of thing can really bring a community back together in a hurry. We all depend on each other and leadership through positive action is a great way to rebuild. Just as looting is contagious, when people see others working together and helping, they are apt to join in. I have seen this numerous times here.
Transportation
Propane is subsidized here and is significantly cheaper than gasoline. Many people have adapted cars and trucks to run on both fuels using a special carburetor. As propane stores well this is a good emergency option for transportation, cooking, and power generation. Additionally propane machines can run on biogas and syngas.
While horses are very common here there would be a shortage if things really went bad. They did become proportionally more valuable as the price of fuel shot up.
I rarely see wood gasification mentioned as a alternative fuel supply. (See the Wikipedia page on wood gasification) This is an excellent modification that was used heavily in Europe in the 1940s. In my opinion, for most people this is the best solution to combustion engine power after a complete breakdown. Both alcohol and biodiesel require working farmland and refineries.
Post crash employment:
Anyone who can provide alternative sources of food, power, fuel or light will do well. A little Google work will show what technologies work on a small scale and provide business opportunities both now and after. Additionally, people here who can repair things never seem to make much money here but they always have work and food on the table.
Currency and hyperinflation:
After a major bank failure here, the currency here devalued by a factor of four in about two years. As the slide begins there are lots of opportunities to buy up things at old prices as many people price things based on what it cost them, not what the replacement value is.
As prices shot up, wages lagged way behind. Interest rates sky-rocked. Food prices shot up. Skilled labor prices went through the roof. The economy stopped dead because it becomes impossible to price things and nobody wants to work.
At the end of the slide the asking prices for everything got just crazy high, and the bid prices so low that almost no transactions took place except as acts of desperation.
Three years later, the currency has stabilized. Interest rates on loans are still slowly retreating. Merchants learned to price goods on replacement cost. Prices are often quoted in USD instead of local currency. Asking prices never really came down, but bid prices slowly rose up and as the spread reduces the economy starts to move again. Salaries are paid in local currency, but pegged to the USD for stability.
I wasn’t expecting to write such a long letter but maybe some of this will help people prepare and know what to expect. Sincerely, - S.H.
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Two Letters Re: Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Ike, Rita, and Katrina
Mr. Rawles,
I just finished reading Patriots, all I can say is thank you. A few things I'd like to add to what TiredTubes said about hurricane preparedness:
First, when my wife and I first moved to Florida we had little knowledge of hurricanes and their impact. However, due to great parents we had been brought up to always be prepared. So we read and made preparations for ourselves. We lived in an apartment at the time (now we live in a 1960 block home with hurricane panels and a new tile roof) and I asked the apartment manager about logistics of preparing the complex for storms. I could easily tell that this manager of about 200 units had never been asked this question. I asked if maintenance installed the hurricane shutters or do the residents? If the residents do where are they located? At which point in time is the decision made to batten down the hatches? Just blank stares, no answers. I should point out our plan was to protect our valuables as best we could but we would be bugging out. If you live in an apartment or condo complex get the info on the managements plan, and if they don't have one, offer to help form one it will likely come out better if you do.
Second, help other areas after a hurricane, more specifically go to areas affected, even if it requires some travel. The reason is two-fold: A) It's what a Christian, or any moral person should do if able to. B) If you have not experienced a hurricane first hand you will glean countless lessons just cleaning up in the aftermath. Soon after moving to southeast Florida for school the west coast of Florida was hit by hurricanes Charley and Frances. My wife and I both drove over to help out with our church group. Take your own gas, food, water, ice, tools especially the tire plugger and 12 VDC compressor, supplies you want to be a help, not a burden. If there is room take extra supplies and come home in an empty vehicle. With a little common sense I learned things that I'd never have thought of had I not seen the aftermath. You can develop an eye for weaknesses, something a book or web site can't provide alone. A small example is the fact that I was the only one on my street who took five minutes to dig his mailbox up out of the shallow sand and put it in the garage (what's that crazy guy doing?) but then it didn't end up as a missile like some others, when we were hit.
Third, creature comforts. When we were hit by hurricane Wilma (not necessarily high on the Affairs Hurricane scale but 3rd costliest hurricane in US history) we were prepared but lost power for 17 days. Thankfully the freezer stayed cold, the lights stayed on and the gas supply lasted. However, at the time my wife was pregnant with #1 daughter and not feeling well, what added to her discomfort was the fact that most generators cannot run a central air conditioning system and it was hot and muggy. A fan can only do so much for an expectant mother. For us relief came in the form of a friend who had a window air conditioner unit which our generator could handle. This provided a room where my wife could comfortably rest and I could have decent sleep to recover from the post-hurricane cleanup. The units are not excessively expensive and can provide a welcome relief.
Thanks again, - Steve B.
Dear Editor,
Be sure to test any UPS/generator combination before you have to rely on it. Many off-the-shelf UPS units will not accept or pass on incoming power that is not pristine in terms of frequency and voltage. Many lower end generators do not put out pristine power.
I have tested several combinations of generators up to $500 and UPS units up to $200, none would work together reliably.
Higher-end UPS units such as those for commercial data centers can usually be configured for a wider range of incoming power quality, from puritanical to promiscuous.
Bidding on eBay might land you a deal on a 2KW or greater commercial UPS that needs a new set of batteries. Batteries are not expensive, though they are almost always sealed lead-acid types that will need to be replaced every five years or so given gentle treatment.
It is no substitute for a proper battery bank and inverter. -Vlad
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Lessons Learned from Hurricanes Ike, Rita, and Katrina, by TiredTubes
In September, 2008, Hurricane Ike--a Category 4 hurricane--pounded the Gulf Coast of the southern US. Some coastal communities like Crystal Beach no longer really exist. Inland, life was severely disrupted. For those of us on the South Coast hurricanes are a frequent reality. We were quite well prepared, but used the disruptions and dislocations as a test and opportunity to tune up our preparations.
1. Be ready to help others and to accept help We didn't need much during Ike, but the power went out before a neighbor finished boarding up his house. My 1 KW inverter, hooked up to his idling truck provide the juice for a Skilsaw and a few lights; allowing him to finish. Usually it is skills and not "stuff" that helps others and yourself. Besides strengthening a neighborly friendship, the number of damaged houses was probably reduced by one.
2. Keep your stuff squared away.. I repaired a few generators during and after Ike. I observed that every one suffering from lack of use; i.e. gasoline that resembled turpentine in the carburetor. People were at a complete loss to understand this. My daugher-in-law owned one of the generators that I repaired. She ignored my admonition to change the dirty oil ASAP and then once every 50 hours. Early in the next week it [ran out of oil and] threw a rod. She was in the dark for another week. Just a $2.99 quart of oil would have saved discomfort, ruined food, etc.
My portable genset, loaned to my daughter, was ready to go; fresh oil, filters, valves set, exercised, load tested. It started on the first try. I came to check it and change it's oil as soon as it was safe to travel. The first thing that I did was turn it so the exhaust faced away from the house! She had placed it so that the starter rope was in a convenient spot. At least she had, like I had asked, chained and locked it to a foundation pier.
After every hurricane Darwin gets a few through accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. Don't join them. If you have a generator, get a carbon monoxide detector in case the wind changes and wafts exhaust in your windows.
Our own [permanently-installed] genset uses natural gas (a tri-fuel generator)
which in the majority of cases is superior and much cheaper to operate. Over the 11 days that we didn't have power it consumed $100 worth of natural gas. I estimate that an equivalent amount of gasoline would have cost more than $300. I stopped it every 75 hours for oil and filter. If your genset doesn't have an hour meter, then add one. There are some inexpensive self contained hour meters made for lawn equipment that work very well and require no hard wiring. It's really the only practical way to keep track of operating time, without which, intelligent maintenance is impossible.
I noticed that many generators, some still in the box, on Craigslist following Hurricane Ike at bargain basement prices. I recommended to a friend he latch onto one of these and purchase a dual-fuel gasoline/natural gas carburetor] kit. Ants can profit from short-sighted grasshoppers.
It goes without saying have all your vehicles filled up and serviced so they can be depended upon with out much attention. Pay particular attention to cooling systems, oil changes, tire pressures, belts and battery terminals.
Develop a pre-event SOP: When we hear of a hurricane in the Gulf, we pick up loose items like branches that can be thrown by high winds and cause damage (aviators call this rubbish FOD), trim trees, check prescriptions, recharge everything rechargeable, treat the swimming pool with "shock" chlorine, get all the laundry and dishes done, get all the trash out for pickup, take “before” pictures, etc., etc., etc.
3. Have backups for your backups. The portable generator above was our backup to the natural gas-fueled genset. Then an inverter and ups. After that is a 100 Watt solar array I've been tinkering with to provide power for security lighting,etc.
My daughter spent up to two hours a day foraging gas, mostly waiting in lines. She found out that the problem with gasoline-fuel generators is gasoline! It's expensive, in short supply (when it is needed most), and it takes gas to go and get gas! Needless to say I rounded up the parts and the portable is now a dual fuel machine. Had it been able to use natural gas then she could have stayed home and been one less person waiting in line. And the machine still retains the capability to burn gasoline!
Since gasoline became hard to come by (it was impossible to get for a week after Rita) but diesel fuel was plentiful we did any necessary traveling in my old diesel Mercedes (which is EMP proof, BTW).
One important word on generators: Treat yours like it is the last one you'll ever get. Try and get a good one, I prefer either a Honda or Briggs Vangard engine. My Vangard portable is approx 10 years old and absolutely dependable. The difference is methodical maintenance. Keep the manuals, and read 'em ! Keep the oil changed, keep a fresh spark plug, keep spare [oil, air, and fuel] filters. Most importantly run it under load once a month. Unless it's new, pull off the cowling and clean all the dirt and dust from fins on the cylinder jug. Closely examine the starter rope, the fuel lines, et cetera. Replace 'em if they ain't perfect.
If you get a permanently installed generator carefully consider installing a manual transfer switch and other upgrades. With the exception of automatic "exercising" fully automatic generators these add a layer of complication and cost.
Don't store gasoline in the machine other than enough for one periodic test run. Develop a ritual on test runs: such as every other payday, or the last Saturday in the month, to reduce it to a ritual. I run mine monthly whilst cutting the back yard lawn. (The mower makes more noise.)
For storage between test runs: On portable gensets [with the ignition off, slowly ] pull the cord until you can feel that the engine is at the top of the compression stroke. This is where the engine feels like you are pulling it through a "detent". It puts the piston at the top of the bore and closes both valves. This protects the cylinder from moisture. If you store gasoline then use stabilizer, after six months burn it in your car and replace it. Few experiences are worse that trying to clean out a carburetor by a dim flashlight whilst being consumed alive by salt marsh mosquitoes. Trust me on this. BTW, I've had better results storing "winter" blended gas, since t has more light fractions and starts easier year round.
If you use gas cans; stick with metal, preferably safety cans. Plastics are slightly permeable and it will go bad much faster in a plastic can. On that note, [in humid climates] don’t keep spare spark plugs with the machine. This is because in outdoor storage the insulators can absorb moisture [and the metal parts can corrode]. Keep them inside or in a sealed can with some silica gel. An old one-quart paint can is ideal.
If you have a dual-fuel machine, then break the engine in on gasoline and make sure it operates properly on both fuels under load. Keep the necessary connectors for gas operation on the machine so that you don't have to go searching for that 3/8ths-inch pipe nipple with a flashlight.
Use high quality oils, and have enough. Don't forget to also store plenty of 2-stroke [fuel mixing] oil and chain oil if you intend to use a chainsaw. Maybe store some extra for your neighbors that are less prudent. I use Rotella brand synthetic oil and Wix brand filters, and have had good results with them.
Make sure you have enough oil, filters and plugs for at least two weeks (336 hours), or longer. Don't forget about your equipment after the crisis is over: There are valves to set, oil and plugs to change, etc. Even if you own two generators and have enough flashlights, automatic emergency lights, et cetera, things can, and may likely go wrong. Small children usually do not take kindly to being plunged into total darkness. Unless it is TEOTWAWKI, keep the candles in the cupboard, especially if there are small children about.
4. Double your plans for helping other people. Several relatives from coastal areas evacuated to our house (approximately 50 miles inland). I keep a 55 gallon drum of stabilized gasoline to fill up their cars to get them home. This was a lesson learned after the Rita evacuation cluster. How much food you will go through will surprise you. It finally dawned upon us that we almost always eat dinner (lunch to you Northerners) and sometimes breakfast away from home. So what we consumed whilst hunkered down seemed out of proportion.
We also sent some food home with people to hold them over. I was able to "lend" a retired neighbor enough generated power to keep his freezer, television, and fan going. He was genuinely happy. This also meant that he was one less person in line for ice, food, and so forth.
5. Keep a dial up phone line around, after 24 hours the cell phone tower generators started running out of propane, the cable modem (and the cable) went down with the power. Remember how to make that dial-up modem work.
If you're not a Ham radio operator, then find out where the local hams conduct their emergency nets, and listen on your shortwave radio (HF) or scanner (2-meter and 440 band) and you'll know a lot more that the local television news truck can find out.
If you have cable television, then keep a traditional antenna handy. If you live near a major market the local AM news station, then it is probably a good bet. Have a good UPS, plug the computer and the desk lamp into it. If you have a cordless phone, plug it into the UPS too. The UPS will take the "bumps" out of the generator's power; your computer will thank you. Make sure you test the UPS periodically by plugging in a 100 Watt lamp and pulling the plug on the UPS. I find I need to replace that UPS battery about every 2-to-3 years.
6. Plan for the guests. Have plenty of soap, have a small flashlight (preferably with rechargeable batteries) for each guest. Have things other than television to keep youngsters occupied. Try and get plenty of rest. You'll probably be plenty busy after you can poke your head out again. In this vein don't forget dishwashing supplies, laundry supplies, baby supplies, etc. If it's a predictable event such as a hurricane, have all the dishes and laundry done. before it hits.
A television in a room by itself will keep the racket contained from those who want to read, play games or just sleep. If you have the space, then a “quiet room” where people can just rest, read, be alone, have some privacy or get a fussy to baby to sleep cuts down on contagious stress.
7. Make sure you are medically prepared. Have a rather complete first aid kit that includes a backboard and splinting materials. There will be plenty of cuts,scrapes, bruises, sunburns and sore muscles in the aftermath. Have Band-Aids, 4x4s, neosporin, peroxide etc. Have plenty of acid reducer and immodium on hand (stress and unfamiliar cooking), have at least two weeks of prescription drugs on hand [and preferably much more for any chronic health issues]. Have a good assortment of Tylenol, cold and sinus preparations, BenGay [muscle ointment], good multivitamins, etc.
8.Be extra, extra, extra careful. You getting sick or more likely injured can really mess things up for everyone you have prepared for. Not to mention that the local fire/ambulance is probably already overtaxed. Be extremely careful handling fire and fuels. A lot of us are not entirely fluent in using chainsaws, small engines, fixing roofs, trimming trees and moving debris.[JWR Adds: safety equipment including heavy gloves, kevlar chainsaw safety chaps
, and a combination safety helmet with face shield and muffs
are absolute "musts"!] Don't get in a hurry unless there is a threat to life. Be hyper cautious, be very aware of your surroundings and things that can go wrong. Don’t toil alone. Make sure you have a clear path to beat a hasty retreat if things go wrong. Wear those gloves, safety glasses, boots and maybe a hard hat.
Don't overtax yourself. Getting a fallen the tree off of the roof today avails you little if it triggers a heart attack or heat stroke. Ask God's assistance and start over tomorrow.
Keep fire extinguishers near the gas generator, in the kitchen, and near the camp stove.
Avoid using candles at all costs, and absolutely prohibit smoking indoors for the duration. Have more than enough battery smoke detectors around.
9. Be ready to make temporary repairs.. The missing shingles, damaged windows, etc. Have some plywood, a few 2x4s, some Visqueen polyethylene sheeting, batting boards, duct tape, a tarp, some nails, and so forth around. If you happen to have a good cordless drill, then you'll find sheet rock and deck screws are very superior to nails. If you're squared away then you already have this stuff , but a neighbor might be in need, so buy extra.
Debris creates flat tires for quite some time after many events. Have a tire plug kit and a 12 VDC compressor in each vehicle. Repairs to structures, especially roof repairs guarantee nails in tires. Be ready for them..
Have everything rechargeable recharged. Make sure you have some traditional non-power tools, I have a handsaw that I've had for decades, a good bow saw, ax, maul, sledge and an old eggbeater style hand drill still get regular use.
10. If I had my choice of just one utility it would be running water. Fortunately where we reside is served by a well run rural utility district which has prepared well for hurricanes. Failing this, in addition to stored water I have a portable gas utility pump (Robin brand) that can pressurize our water system from our pool and has sufficient capacity for a fire line. The pool got a good jolt of shock a day before the storm hit.
11.Keep some cash money handy. For a few days [with no utility power] there were no functional ATMs, and no way to use credit or debit cards.
12. Keep a low profile. About a week after Ike a passerby indignantly asked "How'd you get your lights turned on?" This showed his ignorance on several levels. He seemed to think someone just had to flip a switch downtown and "shazam!" his lights are on. I couldn't make him understand there has to be an unbroken physical link between a power plant and consumer, this seemed to aggravate his obvious helplessness. Telling him that we had been making our own juice seemed to irritate him. I wonder who he voted for? People with this mindset (that the world owes them something) could be a genuine liability in a real catastrophe. (BTW on a news show during a piece about energy, I actually heard a lady refer to natural gas as “just another dirty fossil fuel”) and not be challenged on the facts. Little minds scare me. I think that the hyper-liberals would love to use the heavy hand of government to force the ants take care of the grasshoppers. Keep a low profile. The best advice I ever heard on the subject (I believe it was Howard J. Ruff
) was to "keep your principles public and your actions private".
13. Keep a notebook, keep a record of what happened, but especially keep a record of preps you overlooked or screwed up, or stuff you ran out of, or skills that need to be added or honed. That's where most of the preceding information came from! Also keep tabs on what's scarce after an event. Gas was scarce, but diesel plentiful after Rita. In contrast, after Ike there was plenty of fuel, but few operating stations due to lack of power. (There was a "mandatory evacuation" during Rita which turned out to be a fatal traffic jam for a few poor souls which quickly emptied the filling station tanks.) Out our way the local Wal-Mart made a heroic effort and opened up on locally-generated power, two days after Ike. The sheriff’s department was there to “maintain order”. (Let’s just say that they actually wear brown shirts here.). This event was a lifetime opportunity to study the varied behaviors of people under stress.
There were plenty of canned goods and auto supplies. But fresh fruits and veggies were a little thin, no meat due to lack of refrigeration for a few days, batteries, Coleman fuel, trash bags, paper plates, disposable diapers, formula, and nails evaporated. The pharmacy was closed.
Even with the numerous mistakes we made, we were able to stay safe, secure and comfortable and help others while "victims" were standing or idling their car engines in lines. It was an opportunity to try things out under more or less controlled conditions. WTSHTF there will not be controlled conditions!
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Letter Re: Lamar Alexander's Solar Homesteading E-Book
Jim-
Your recent link to an item in the Preparedness Forum (100 things that go first...) led me to other parts of the forum where I found a link to Lamar Alexander's Solar Homesteading e-book.
Besides the videos/pictures etc. an e-book is offered for $5. What a bargain! It is full of useful practical ideas, for example: a barrel-in-a-barrel digester that he uses to fuel his gasoline generator which he had converted to run on natural gas; how to dig a "driven-point" well; a solar dishwasher. And on and on. Your readers will want to get this e-book! BTW, I have no connection with LaMar Alexander. - Bob B.
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Letter Re: Getting Self-Sufficient in Wyoming
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I was recently given your novel "Patriots"
by a like-minded friend in Wyoming. I read it once for pleasure, then twice with a highlighter, notepad, and Google. It's a wonderful resource, and I'm looking forward to the new book ["How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It"]. Reading "Patriots" left me proud to be an American, and revitalized something I felt I had been losing in the recent years. This is a wonderful country, and I have faith that there are still a bunch of decent God-fearing people who will stand up for her when needed.
I was 20 when I moved here from Baltimore, to run a cattle ranch that my father had the foresight to buy in the late 1980s. It became the working family "retreat" where I lived full time, and my parents lived half-time. I am forever indebted to Dad for my life. He was my best friend in more ways than can be counted. He passed at age 68 in late 2007, of a digestive cancer. I will always wish I had more time with him on earth.
Life in Wyoming has been wonderful for me, as I developed good self-sufficiency skills and eventually (starting 1995) built a passive and active solar/wind charged earth-bermed home. I remember back in 1984, when Dad (in the computers/operations research field) bought our first PC - an XT with dual 5.25" floppies and 128K of RAM. The first thing I did as a teenager was make my lists of things I'd need to go survive in the woods! I have no idea where those thoughts came from - it was absolutely natural. I'm currently forty, and pretty shocked by current events and economics.
What are we doing? Is hyperinflation around the corner? There are two things my dad taught me long ago, that I always use to analyze everything...
1) Nothing is free.
2) If you have to lie to accomplish your goals, maybe you'd rather reevaluate your goals!
Now I'm building marine-grade expedition campers that can operate far from civilization, and restoring old mechanical diesels in my spare time. Next spring and summer my projects will be a good root cellar, a rebuild of my wind charger, and a new small barn for our goats and chickens.
Thank you for the inspiration. I hope one day to shake your hand. God Bless, - Darrin in Wyoming
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Letter Re: A Nation of Improvisers--More About Everyday Life in Communist Cuba
First our prayers are with your family in these dire times.
The first thing about surviving in Cuba was that we did not see it as "surviving", it was more like living, we did not know anything else, as the media in Cuba is tightly controlled.
I remember as a child we did not have glue so we made glue out of Styrofoam and gasoline, just mix them up in a glass container that you could close to preserve and that's it (if you go a little crazy on the gas it would be too liquid and take forever to dry). Canning was done basically with pressure cookers because there was nothing else, so all the knowledge of our grandparents was very handy and since you can't buy a new house we all live together, so it was very common to live in the same house with your parents and grandparents and sometimes your uncles and your cousins. You learn not
to throw away anything useful, screws, bolts, nuts, washers, you never know when you will need them and there is no hardware store available. Food scraps went either to the pigs or chickens or if you did not have any, you give to someone that has, that becomes a bartering tool you can say you will take care of the food and get some part in the profits when they are killed.
I know that a lot of people are amazed at how we kept old cars running, but trust me, it wasn't that big of a deal, a little bit of ingenuity goes a long way. I'll go later into more detail.
We were born with the system, so there was no getting ready like we are doing now, and believe me, no matter how ready you can get, if the S*** really hits the fan and it's TEOTWAWKI, you will run out of things, and even if it doesn't and we are stuck in the middle, then you need people because there is no way you can learn everything.
Your best bartering tool is your knowledge, if you have a trade, mechanic, electrician, construction, carpenter,... that is a life saver, the people that had a harder time were teachers, musicians, economists, etc.
They could not trade their work for nothing. For instance if you are good working with metals you will find someone to get the metals and that person will join with you and you can make parts for cars, if you are a welder you can also join in, remember that old cars were very simple, no hydraulic steering, no power nothing. It was basic carburetor, spark plugs, distribution and engine. An alternator is not that hard to fix, it basically a motor, the parts that wear down can be made again, maybe not the same quality as the originals but they will do. You can also adapt an alternator from another car (we had Russian cars coming in, including some WWII jeep-style Russian vehicles), they are mostly 12 VDC (some trucks are 24 VDC).
A good mechanic will make an adapter so you can use the transmission from a Russian built jeep and make it work with an old American car.
My trade was electronics (we use to call electronics to anything below that 24 volt and electrical anything above) so I will get in when they needed the electrical system of the car fixed, again it is very simple; remember no computers or anything like that in those cars. Here is a link of how a car alternator and a bicycle dynamo were used in the mountains to produce electricity, no means to store it so it was to use immediately, but when there is no power even a radio is an amazing thing. (See this YouTube segment: La Cuchufleta - Alternative Power Generating in Cuba.)
I also fixed radios and television, I used to buy old radios and television and use the parts to fix the other ones.
Later on when computer UPS [devices] became available, by available a mean people started to steal them from the government and sell them in the black market, then we can hook up a battery and get electricity when the power went off, which was very common. No deep cycle batteries, just whatever battery you could get.
Other people were real artisans; they would make shoes with leather and old tires, and let me tell you, they were super nice and expensive.
The hardest thing of all was to get food, because you need food to survive, you can live barefoot but not on an empty stomach, at least not for a long time.
When you were able to buy rice (the amount they give in rations, every family had a ration book, was minimal, so again black market) you would buy a good amount as much as you could afford because maybe next month the guy was in jail or it was impossible to get.
The rice you got was not stored properly so you always had to first put it on a table and go slowly through all the rice to search for small stones and foreign objects, then you put the rice in water and keep moving the rice with your hand and look for bugs, worms, they float and would come to the surface. I still remember as a child that grandma would call the children to "escoger el arroz" (that is what the cleaning process was called).
Milk was always boiled first, that way you could use the top which has more fat to make butter (you saved it till you had enough). If for some reason milk was spoiled and not drinkable you would make a dessert with it, I have to get you the recipe if you are interested.
After you ate the inside of oranges and grapefruits, you would use the rind and cook it in water with sugar and it was an excellent dessert.
To have some variety, you will get spaghetti, crush them and leave them in water, next day it was kind of a soft mix in the bottom, get rid of the excess water, add sugar and an egg and you could make pancakes.
Alcohol is consumed in Cuba in enormous quantities, I have no statistics, but it was relatively easy to make with a small homemade distillery (again quality is not a great concern), and I guess it's a good way to forget the problems, although it brings another problems.
People would fight for the simplest of reasons, and there is no 911, and you better not be the weakest link because your family is in for a rough time because no one will respect you. Criminals would typically give you respect if they know you and you respect them and they knew it was not going to be easy to take on you or your family. If not you would be the target of thieves all the time.
Those are my experiences living in a country in permanent crisis, you would have times when power was on for whole days, and times when power was on for only 8 hours a day, times when it was relatively easy to get meat, or bread and times when it was almost impossible. There is no planning, everyday will bring a new challenge and you have to adapt, and only your knowledge, wits and Faith are going to help you through.
Unless we go down into total collapse - War, in which case all bets are off and nothing will ever prepare us for that because it would be the law of the jungle, whoever is stronger will survive and then you better have a strong group of family/friends or you will have to join a group, because alone you are pretty much gone.
Read the accounts of Somalia and Serbia so you have an idea. I know more of Somalia because my father served for two years (in the 1970s) in the wars between Ethiopia and Somalia, Cuba sent troops there to fight on the Ethiopian side.
I'd also like to respond to a misinformed comment in the article "Developing Our Family's Survival Strategy, by FBP". Cubans cannot grow 70% of their own food as a country, let alone in the cities. Cubans eat a lot of rice, beans and potatoes, there is no place in a city to grow enough of that to supply a family, much less a whole city.
The population density in Havana City, Cuba is 7,908.5/sq mi,
By comparison:
Detroit, Michigan - 6378.1/sq mi
Los Angeles, California - 7876.8/sq mi
So can those cities provide more than 70% of their own food? - ILR
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Two Letters Re: Construction Without Electricity
Jim:
The recent Construction Without Electricity article reminded me of a stint spent with the Amish here in southwestern Missouri. I worked making buggy wheels, but one of my duties was to ride a stationary bike which powered a one cylinder compressor so they could spray paint the buggies. The buggy shop owner wanted to run a compressor off his windmill to a pressure tank but the community said that was going too far. With that kind of set up you could run all kinds of air tools. It smacked of being "too modern". So I rode the bike. - Anonymous
Sir:
Regarding the article by Curtis M. (Construction Without Electricity): as a long time devotee of antique hand tools I must mention that one of the most important items to own when using cutting tools (saws, chisels, drills, planes, etc) is a proper set of sharpening instruments. This would include sharpening stones, files, gauges and fixtures. Without the ability to sharpen a tool, it will quickly become useless. In addition, learning the techniques for sharpening the various types of tools will allow a person to save time and render the best possible edge. Thanks with prayers and best wishes to you and your wife. - Jacketch
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Letter Re: Battery-Powered Dirt Bikes
Dear Mr. Rawles,
Your family is in our prayers, and we hope everything is going as well as possible.
Imagine my surprise today as approximately ten dirt bikes drove by me up the street, but weren't making any noise. I expressed surprise to the friend in the car with me, who responded with, "Oh yeah, there's a company that makes battery powered dirt bike motorcycles, just around the corner."
Out of curiosity, I headed around that corner and discovered that they were having a large open house, with free dirt bike rides, information on their products, and free hot dogs. Naturally, always looking for a way to "store" food, I eased over to the BBQ grill for a hot dog. At the same time, I admired the appearance of their motorcycles. As it turns out, they have lithium ion batteries packed into a container about the size of a pick-up truck battery. These will power the bikes for approximately two hours. If you're wealthy enough, you can have an extra, charged battery nearby that you can easily swap out for another two-hour run. It seemed eerie watching these bikes drive around, making only the amount of noise that a small child's remote-control car would make. They have three or four models, some for the street and some for off-road use, and one that is a hybrid. They aren't cheap, as they vary in price from $7,000-9,000K. They sort of reminded me of when I was a kid, when the first Honda Trail 90s came out, but with a lot less noise. As I plan my retirement home in Oregon, I anticipate it will be off grid, with solar panels providing most of the power, and these battery-powered bikes would fit right in, especially since my property is rather steep. One of the salesmen indicated that they sold two bikes to a couple of farmers in Northern CA who like the idea of being able to approach someone tampering with their crops fairly quietly on a motorized vehicle.
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Letter Re: Preparedness for Living on a Chesapeake Bay Island
Mr. Rawles,
I am just now (pretty late in the game, I know) becoming aware of the impending collapse and have begun reading your blog regularly (it is the first thing I read in the mornings now). I realize now that I must prepare as much as I can and have a question about my current location. I live on an isolated (no bridges, ferry and airplane transport only) Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It is somewhat densely populated for its size, but everyone knows each other and most residents hunt and fish and have their own boats. Many residents are quite self sufficient and the crime rate is virtually non- existent. I realize we are downwind of several nuclear targets (DC is only about 70 miles away as the crow flies) but this area (the Delmarva Peninsula) and this island in particular are sparsely populated. I recently bought a house here and cannot afford to move anywhere anytime soon, and if I could, I could only get to rural western Virginia, West Virginia, or Eastern Kentucky at the furthest. The only benefit of my current locale is that in the event of a collapse, it would be isolated and looters would be unable to get here. On the other hand, there would be 500+ residents and little or no fuel to power fishing vessels after current supplies run out. The climate is mild and we could get by with little or no heat in the winter. Much of the surrounding land is swampland and not conducive to agriculture. There are few firearms on the Island other than a few shotguns for duck hunting. I currently own a Glock 21 (.45 ACP) for personal protection and am looking into rifles. I would like an M1A but probably could not afford one. How could I make my current situation more suited to riding out a crisis? Any response will be greatly appreciated. Very Respectfully, -
R.T.
JWR Replies: A few things come immediately to mind:
- You should stock up on fuel for your own use, and for barter.) Coleman white gas has a 6+ year shelf life, and can be used in engines as well as lanterns and stoves.
- Stock up on two-cycle fuel-mixing oil. (For chainsaws and older outboard engines.)
- Have a large propane tank installed, and make sure that it is has a wet leg. (So that it can be used to fill smaller containers.)
- If you don't have one already, get a tri-fuel generator, and a photovoltaic power system if you can afford it.
- You need a long gun for defense. Even if it is just a well-used "beater" Mauser, Mosin-Nagant, or Enfield bolt-action, that is better than nothing. And in essence, what you currently have is almost nothing.(Don't bring just a pistol to a rifle fight!)
- Stock up on non-hybrid gardening seeds. (Several of my advertisers sell them.) Also, build up your topsoil!
Your situation is unusual, but not unique. Make the best of the local resources, and organize with your neighbors to provide a common defense.
One could safely predict that in the event of a "slow slide" depression, you may see a situation develop similar to that of present-day Roatan Island (off the coast of Honduras), where burglars and even home invasion robbers commute to the island from the mainland via ferryboat.
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Construction Without Electricity, by Curtis M.
I watched the second episode of the [reality television show] The Colony, [that is currently airing on The Discovery Channel]. I found one part of it especially idiotic. They had a bank of automobile batteries for electrical power [to power an AC inverter.]s They did not have a way to charge the batteries yet, and they were still using a circular saw and a Sawzall to construct different things, among them was using a Sawzall to cut tread out of tires for shoes. They were building some thing out of plywood and they were cutting the plywood with the circular saw. All jobs that could be done with a handsaw, the tires are best cut with a hack saw. I remember back when I entered the work force, I worked for my father in construction. The circular saw had just taken hold but mainly they used hand tools in construction. I can remember using a hand saw till I thought my arm was going to fall off. It was not that circular saws were not around, they were, but cost so much that labor was cheaper. I can remember visiting jobs that my father was on and seeing several men using a ripping hand saw to rip 2x6s and 2x10s. Could you recognize a ripping hand saw if you saw one? They have fewer teeth per inch than a cross cut. A cross cut saw can be used to make a rip cut, but it will be slower. Ripping is where you cut with the grain of the wood. I remember my father’s carpenter’s tool box. It contained three hand saws; one cross cut, one rip saw and a cross cut that came to a point instead of being blunt, two planes, one door plane (large) and a pocket plane, a set of wood chisels, a plumb bob, a framing square and a nail set. There was also a tape measure and a folding carpenter ruler--it was an 8-footer. He also had a 16 oz carpenter’s hammer and a roofing hatchet and a brace and bit. How many people know what a brace and bit are? It is a hand drill used mainly for wood. (But with the right bit metal is not out of the question, it also depends how much labor you are willing to do.)
Seeing this episode of The Colony got me to thinking about hand tools and the fact that when TSHTF there will probably not be any electricity. Having experience using hand tools and a system of cordless power tools to use in an emergency would be a good thing. My favorite cordless power tools are Dewalt brand, specifically the [later variety with the] 18 volt battery. I checked the Dewalt web site and found 47 18-volt tools with a few duplicates. Dewalt makes a battery charger that runs on 12 volt DC current. I have a portable battery pack that can jump a car’s battery or run 12 volt devices i.e. Dewalt 12 volt DC charger. I can charge two 18 volt batteries before charging the battery pack. The battery pack can be charged by a variety of ways. Bicycle power or photovoltaics or a generator, or plug it into my truck. Currently I have a Dewalt drill, circular saw, Sawzall, and two lamps. Hand tools are two hand saws (cross cut), a set of chisels, framing square, speed square (smaller), a set of mechanics tools, assorted files, draw knife, three hand axes, key hole saw, a set of duct tools (to make air conditioning ducts) assorted clamps, saw horses, and several utility knives. Tools that I want to acquire are a good brace and bit with bits, a one man cross cut saw for cutting trees, and wood planes.
Another power source is air-powered equipment. The bicycle [frame] that runs an alternator could also be used to propel an air compressor. I know that there are drills and sanders, nail guns, and water pumps that are air powered by air. I think that a person could have both air powered and cordless equipment and use the best equipment for the job at hand. As shown in The Colony, having an old lawnmower around could be a power source by removing the lawnmowers blade and putting in a pulley and belt to run an alternator and an air compressor and tank. The lawnmower could provide two power sources, electricity to power cordless and air for air powered equipment. Most lawnmowers will run on Coleman fuel. Coleman fuel has a longer shelf life than standard gasoline. By having a lawnmower that runs on Coleman fuel, and supply of Coleman fuel, and using it to keep your cordless batteries charged up you could extend your supply of other fuels. Also the lawnmower is a simple engine that could be run on wood gasification. Now you have a power source of almost endless power; as long as you have wood you have a power source. [JWR Adds: Coleman fuel is quite expensive per gallon. In my opinion, if your goal is battery charging, the same funds that you'd use to buy a generator and Coleman fuel would be much better spent on photovoltaic panels. Well-sealed ones can remain serviceable for decades, and of course there is no expense for fuel, or worry about running out of it. Gasification is not very reliable, and of course you are still dependent on an engine with a limited service life.]
Most old hand tools can be salvaged. Old hand saws that have some rust on them can be oiled and scrubbed with steel wool and sharpened and returned to service. The same with old chisels for either wood or metal. Hammer heads can have there handles replaced. Old shovels can have there handles replaced. Same with axes, sledge hammers, picks. This can build a group of tools to use, at the same time saving money. Places to find old tools are Goodwill [thrift stores], pawn shops, and recycling centers.
As long as we are talking about salvage, here is a story from 30 years ago: One Friday while working for my father put me to cleaning up lumber, 2x4s and 2x6s. He gave me an old paint can and told me to save all the nails I pulled from the lumber. This was a large pile of lumber. I remember almost filling the can with 16 and 8 penny nails. Then on Saturday morning he woke me up early for a Saturday and we went to our hog farm. When I got in the truck I saw a couple of saw horses and the can of nails. First thing he put me to doing was straightening out the nails and we worked on the feed room using salvaged lumber and nails. Almost anything can be reused!
I can not tell you what you need for tools. I would think this list is a good starting point; a couple of handsaws, a couple of hammers, set of chisels, brace and bit and drill bits, mechanic's tool set, sledge hammer, framing square, straight edge, a couple of wood planes, cordless tools, a DC charger for the aforementioned cordless tools, and a couple of heavy duty jacks. Of course you'd also need a couple of shovels, pick, post hole digger and gardening tools. I think this would be a good start. I know that not every one will have the needed construction experience to use said tools but each group needs some one that has construction experience, that way you have a lead person on construction or repair/remodel project. Side bar: a great place to pick up hand tools is eBay.
If you do not have construction experience you feel you need then build a library of books on construction. This will give you the basics, but a better solution is to volunteer at Habitat for Humanity. A couple hundred hours spent helping build some one a home will go a long way. If you belong to a church or other place of worship volunteer when a building or remodeling project comes up, as I have. The other way to get experience is to check out your local community college and take a couple of courses in construction.
I remember going to a family reunion and seeing a table that my grandfather built. I was told that he built it with hand tools and that he did not use nails. The table was 80 years old when I looked at it. He did an excellent job. The joints were tight, and the table was in good condition. You could tell it was put together by someone who knew what he was doing. I wonder how much I have built will still be around in 80 years. Having a tool box filled with hand tools and experience with said tools could be vitally important when the electrical power go’s off line. Having other ways to generate electricity will also be important.
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Letter Re: Grid Beam Construction
Hi Jim, Memsahib,
"Gridbeam" is a building system that's been getting some attention recently among do-it-yourselfers. I've seen references to it on Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools and the Makezine web site. Gridbeam is described as a sort of "Erector Set system for adults". It's simply a length of squared wood, aluminum or steel with precisely drilled holes [at regular intervals] along its length. Holes are drilled in both directions so that they intersect in the beam's middle. Sections are simply cut to desired length and pieced together. Additional pieces can be designed and added on to connect pieces at different angles; otherwise all of your constructions are going to have a very square shape to them.
Although the proponents of the system seem to be suggesting that all sorts of things can be made from it, I see it as being most useful for basic functional constructions and low-tech prototyping.
Pros:
-Can be used for basic furniture, shelving, workbench.
-Prototyping of "ideas" for construction: build something, take it apart, re-size it. When it's put together how you like it, leave it as-is or take measurements to build a more aesthetically pleasing version.
-All pieces can be re-purposed later if needed.
-Design is non-proprietary and patent-unencumbered. The originator of it is simply trying to get the word out. You can take the idea of Gridbeam to any machine or woodworking shop and ask them to make it for you; if you're handy, you can make it yourself.
-Assembly of pieces is fairly simple.
Cons:
-Most of the things you'd make with this aren't going to be especially attractive.
I haven't used this myself at all, so I can't provide any sort of informed review. Take it for what it's worth. A quick web search will show other references to it.
Keep up the good work on the site, and have a nice day. - Brian
JWR Replies: I'm also a fan of grid beam for prototyping. The basics are a stack of grid beam stock, a bucket of nuts and bolts, a socket set, and a Sawzall
.
(Or a hacksaw if you aren't in a hurry). Just keep in mind that because of the perforations, the lateral (bending) strength of gridbeam is a bit less than that of standard square stock of the same dimension. As I mentioned in the blog last month, the reader-generated KK Cool Tools web site has posted a review of the recent book How to Build with Grid Beam
. This echoes my advice on building a very versatile stationary bicycle frame for generators, grain grinders, and even meat grinders. While welding is a great skill that I consider a "must', with grid beam you can fairly rapidly reconfigure prototypes.
Oh, and I'd also add one item to the "Cons" list: Sharp corners and protruding hardware. Be sure to file or grind down any rough edges and the protruding ends of any bolts--especially those that have been shortened!
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Preparedness Beginnings, by "Two Dogs"
I am a retired Marine Corps officer and Naval Aviator (jets and helicopters), commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and most recently, an aircraft operations manager for a Federal agency.
I graduated from numerous military schools, including the U.S. Army Airborne (“jump”) School, U.S. Navy Divers School, Army helicopter, and Navy advanced jet schools. In addition, I have attended military “survival” courses whose primary focus was generally short-term survival off the land, escape from capture, and recovery from remote areas. Like most Marine officers, I attended The Basic School, an 8-month school (only five during the Vietnam era – my case), which is still designed to produce a second lieutenant who is trained and motivated to lead a 35-40 man platoon of Marines in combat. This course covers everything from field sanitation to squad and platoon tactics, artillery and other ordnance delivery, communications, reconnaissance, intelligence, firearms training, and much more. Later, I attended the Marine Amphibious Warfare School and the Command and Staff College, both follow-on schools and centered upon the academic study of tactics and strategy as they applied to the missions of the Marine Corps. I flew helicopters offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and across the U.S. I found out first hand how thoroughly corrupted is the federal bureaucracy and the government, in general. Not a pleasant experience. I’d rather have been flying. I have bachelor's and master's degrees.
As a result, my wife of forty years and I seem to have been moving endlessly from place-to-place. Nevertheless, I have tried in each place to do what I could to maintain a level of self-sufficiency for my family that varied greatly with locations and personal finances. My intention here is to try to share some of the less-than-perfect ways that I have tried to accomplish that end.
Only in the last few years, primarily as a result of the political and fiscal situation in the U.S., have I begun reading some of the huge amounts of literature about how one can prepare for serious long-term off-the-grid survival. I have found that the preparation required to be ready for that contingency seems to be endless. I do not want to talk about all of those preparations. Others have done so very well, and besides, I’m not there, yet. What I would like to do is to talk to those, perhaps like me, who are not true survivalists in the commonly referred-to sense, but who are genuinely concerned about the future of this country, and might desire, like me, to begin to prepare. Perhaps my elementary and simplistic efforts might be of help to someone else who is beginning to think about the subject of preparedness. There are many scenarios that might require this, but the two that I am thinking most about are economic collapse and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. I’m building small Faraday boxes, but not doing much else for EMP.
My thinking on begins with my own estimation of the basic problems: shelter, water, food, fuel, and security. I view these as the most critical needs, whether living in a tent or other outdoor shelter or here in our rural home in West Virginia. Here I have and often take for granted what I have -- shelter, well water, a small stream, a pond, a rain barrel; canned, dried, frozen, and freeze-dried foods; fuel for the generator and portable stoves, kerosene heater and lanterns; factory-made and reloaded ammunition for any one of several firearms. Edible plant books. Gardening books. Encyclopedia of Country Living-type books. Reloading books. Hunting books. Tracking books. A few novels devoted to the “what ifs” of the future, including Jim Rawles' excellent "Patriots:
A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse", for example. Books to fill an entire bookcase. The Boy Scout Field Book sits right there next to the military survival manuals, as do Tom Brown's Field Guides, the The Foxfire Book series, a canning book, field medical books, and quite a few others.
Those are the basic things about which I think. I have been thinking about them for quite a while, in fact, longer than I even realized. Perhaps I’ve been thinking about them ever since I was a young lad. For example, my very first “survival book” was the Boy Scout Field Book, the original of which I still have (circa late-1950s edition). It is still a great reference if one is looking for an all-in-one manual for starting fires, making simple shelters, recognizing game tracks, tying knots, and much more. I note that it is still available on Amazon.com. (It’s probably been scrubbed to favor the politically correct, but don’t know [JWR Adds: Yes, I can confirm that unfortunately it has been made politically correct--with the traditional woodcraft skills showing any injury to innocent and defenseless trees duly expunged. So I advise searching for pre-1970 editions!] ) One does not necessarily need the SAS
Survival Handbook
or the U.S. Army survival manual. I have them and have read them. They do cover security problems, but then don’t cover other topics. Alas, there appear to be no “perfect” manuals, and the Boy Scout Field Book is no exception. But it’s not a bad beginning. And so I was beginning the journey even before I knew that I was.
I think that my first education in “survival” came at about fourteen. That’s when I first shot a .30-06, an old [Model 19]03 Springfield. It pretty much rattled my cage. Mostly, my older brother and I used to track and shoot small animals in the deep woods of Missouri as youngsters. We were “issued” ten rounds of .22 LR ammo by our father, a retired USAF pilot, to be used in a bolt action, single shot, .22 rifle with open sights. One would be surprised what that meager handful of loose ammunition could do for one’s choice of shots, one’s ability to be patient in waiting for the shot, and for one’s great satisfaction at having brought home six or eight squirrels for the cooking pot, having used just those ten rounds – and sometimes, but not often, less. My point is that the knowledge of firearms is, in my view, basic to the notion of preparedness and in surviving in the wild. And it need not be exotic or overly complicated in nature. One can surely attend modern schools that will teach one to double-tap a cardboard target or silhouette at seven yards with a semi-auto pistol, as well as basic and advanced tactical rifle courses, but very basic survival skill with a rifle can be had without much cost if one is committed to learning the skill and if one disciplines oneself. Start with only one round, and work up from there. As Col. Jeff Cooper used to say, “Only hits count.” In a purely off-the-grid survival scenario, I can envision that .22 LR rounds would be very precious, indeed.
Consequently, and even though I own handguns and rifles that will shoot .45 ACP, .44 Magnum/.44 Special, .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .380 ACP, .223, .25-06, .270, 7mm-08, .308, .7.62x39, .30-30, .30-06, and .45-70/.457 WWG Magnum (a wildcat), I shoot a .22 rifle and pistol more than all of the others, combined, and normally at least twice a week. And I’m hoarding them, as well as shooting them. I have the capability to reload all the calibers (except .22 LR/Magnum, of course) above, as well as shotgun ammo in 12 and 20 gauge. I wasn’t really thinking of “survival” when deciding to do this about twenty years ago, but was interested only in having the capability to shoot more, and to do it more cheaply. Yet it appears that much of that ammo could be used for barter. I had never even considered this until reading some of the recent “survival novels.”
My apologies. I’ve wandered into the weeds here, as I could do forever on my favorite subject. Suffice it to say that whatever firearm one chooses – and make no mistake, one is necessary in my opinion -- there are all kinds of reasons to choose one over the other, depending on the situation and the person. One must endeavor to shoot it well. Owning a firearm is of almost no consequence, at all, unless it is properly employed. Personally, I prefer a M1911 .45 ACP pistol and a 7.62 M1A SOCOM, while my wife is comfortable with the milder .38 [S&W] revolver and 20 gauge. pump shotgun. I won’t even begin to get into the debate over .223 vs .308 and 9mm vs. .45 ACP. Suffice it to say that in Vietnam I had the opportunity to see the effects of all of these, and I chose for my own security the .308 and .45 ACP.
Having got my favorite subject out of the way, I’ll talk about one that is likely even more important. Water. It is amazing how complicated this can be, and how many choices one has to solve this problem. I have not yet solved it. I have put up a rain barrel, and plan to get a couple more. It’s amazing how rapidly a 55 gallon barrel will fill in even a moderate thunderstorm. I got mine from Aaron’s Rain Barrels. http://www.ne-design.net/. I’ve camo-painted the first one to make it recede into the bushes that surround it.
We have a very shallow stream down the hill that I need to dam so that it keeps only about a foot-or-two deep pool for gathering some water. It flows into a large pond, of which we own half (The owner of neighboring property owns the other half.). But that’s over a hundred-yard trek downhill with empty buckets, and the same distance uphill with full ones. Now, while that is okay for a backup, in my thinking, because I’m going on 63 years, I prefer to have something closer. So my next “big” purchase will be a Simple Pump that allows one to drop a pump and pipe though one’s existing well casing down to below water level and extract water by means of a hand pump or DC motor attached to a battery which, in turn, will connect to a solar panel. This is much, much cheaper than a Solar Jack. At $1,200 for the hand pump capability (I’ll add on the DC and solar later), it’s a bargain, for me. See: http://www.survivalunlimited.com/deepwellpump.htm.
I’m not recommending it for anyone, yet, as I haven’t got one. It has plenty of good reviews, and I’m willing to try it. My apologies, but I am just talking about how I, for one, intend to solve my “water problem.”
I’ve also started collecting clear plastic soda bottles for use in Solar Disinfection (SODIS), see; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection. I’ve set up a rack for putting out the bottles in a sunny place. Again, that’s a backup, but I’ll use it.
I have bought three different water filtering devices, the best of which is the Swiss-made, all-stainless Katadyn Pocket Microfilter. It works wonders in that shallow stream and pond down the hill.. [JWR Adds: The same Katadyn filter model is available from several SurvivalBlog advertisers. They deserve your patronage first, folks!]
With the exception of the Simple Pump, these solutions are relatively cheap and effective, if not producers of great volume. So far, they are what I’ve come up with.
I won’t go much into the food problem. It isn’t quite as complicated as the water problem. I’ve either got to have it [stored], grow it, or kill it. I’ve started storing all kinds of Mountain House freeze dried #10 cans (with expiration date dates in 2034), two-serving meals from Mountain House (expiration dates circa 2016), and numerous grocery store-type canned foods (expiration a couple years), in addition to dried beans, rice, Bisquick (sealed in plastic bags with desiccant inside), salt, sugar (Domino, which are sold in one-pound plastic tubs), olives, peanuts, wheat, etc. Basically hit-or-miss, so far. I need to get this “food problem” organized and do it right. But it’s a start. I think we’ve got only about a 60-day supply now, for two.
I’ve got two Coleman two-burner stoves. One is a butane stove, and the other a dual fuel (white gas or unleaded gas), as well as several small backpacking stoves, the best of which is a MSR Whisperlite International
, which uses virtually all fuel (unleaded, white gas, kerosene, diesel, and maybe even corn oil). I was heavily into backpacking when we were stationed in Hawaii in the late 1970s, and still have all the gear. After having one knee replacement and hedging doing another, I’ll not be backpacking if I can help it. Nevertheless, I have two bug-out bags with essentials in them, ready to hit the trail if need be. I’ve saved up and bought two good Wiggy's bags and a couple of his poncho liners.
Concerning backpacking stuff, I can recommend a book that I read back then called The Complete Walker, by Colin Fletcher. I haven’t read it in at least a decade, but its import is such that I remember much of it. He emphasizes simplicity in gear. That is to say, don’t pack a tent if you can get by with a tent fly – which you cannot in cold weather. I’ve still got my old three-season tent, but am saving up for a four-season. And he emphasizes: don’t worry about pounds – worry about ounces. That is to say, if one is packing tea bags, remove the labels from the bags. Ounces. Remove all packaging material unless it is absolutely necessary (usually never). Don’t carry a “mess kit,” nor a knife, fork and spoon set. A spoon will do (I’ve done it) along with a pocket knife. Now I have so many knives of so many types that I can’t remember them. Personally, I’d go for a multi-tool. But it’s heavy. I never used to carry a weapon while backpacking. Of course, it was (and is) illegal in Hawaii, but I think one would be remiss in not doing so today. There was so much good advice in that book that helped me in the USMC, if nothing more than when packing my helicopter before a mission, or a car, trailer, or truck to move across the country. “Think ounces, not pounds.” I always think about Mr. Fletcher’s advice when I pack.
Anyway, I think I’ve got the camping stove angle covered in spades. That is, until the fuel runs out. Same goes for kerosene heater and lanterns (5). My plan is to pull out our pellet stove and replace it with a free-standing wood stove. Pellets are nice, but they must be bought, and the price is getting exorbitant, according to my pocket book. They likely will be non-existent in a crunch.
I connected a 12,000 Watt/50amp gasoline generator when we moved into this house nine years ago, as I have with every house in which we’ve lived for the last two decades. I’ve got it wired through a transfer box to the circuit-breaker panel, a job that I did myself. It works, and it’s safe. The main reasons for having this were to run the 220V[olt AC] well water pump and to run the refrigerator and our free-standing freezer during power outages. But I’ve got it wired, anyway, to nearly every circuit in the house, except the other 220V appliances – water heater and heat pump. It is somewhat selectable. That is to say that I can choose which circuits I want to power by engaging or disengaging the switches on the transfer box. The problem is that it uses gasoline. So in a long-term outage it would soon become useless. I’ve had the propane gas company come out to estimate what it would cost to get a dedicated 100 gal propane tank for the generator. It would be about $500, but then, in addition to the 50+ gallons of gasoline, butane tanks, and white gas that I keep stored in a separate outbuilding, it would make a great explosion when hit with a tracer round.
Which brings me to the subject of security. We live in a split-level home on about ten acres of forest. The property is surrounded by other similar-sized properties of seemingly like-minded individuals. I gleamed this because everyone out here shoots. The sweet sound of gunfire can be heard at times in a full circle. West Virginia, at least, has still got its priorities straight in this regard. But I digress. This is a frame house with half of it below ground in front, but framed in back, which faces the forest. The forest, itself, is a maze of downed pine trees blown over by the wind, interspersed with small saplings, vines and low brush. Not a likely avenue of approach for anyone but the most determined. For those who are determined, the downed trees would make excellent cover and concealment. So I have a security problem to solve there, as well as at the front.
I’ve started buying rolls of barbed wire and baling wire. Unfortunately, I do not have access to dynamite, which we used to be able to buy in a hardware store in the 1960s. We used it back then to blow stumps while clearing the land for our house. I am thinking of buying a bunch of used railroad ties to build cover in the back; I’ve thought also of bricks and sandbags. Problem is we’re reaching the point in all of this where the house would begin to look like a fortress, of sorts, to all but the most ignorant observers. So there’s a line here concerning security versus “normalcy” that I must cross sooner or later. Inasmuch as my wife is a few years older than I and is on constant medications, I’m afraid that finding a retreat (if we could even afford one) would be out of the question, as access to doctors, hospital and pharmacy are a necessity. Nevertheless I’ve got the bags packed and gear ready to throw into the pickup (Toyota 4x4 – like to have one of those older model American trucks, but I think they are getting rare, at least around here. And what there are will likely go to the Cash for Clunkers Program….grumble, grumble. What will they think of next?).
So it looks to me as if we are here for the duration of the crisis, or sooner, if they try to take the guns from my cold, dead hands. Speaking of, I still have to build a cache or two for guns and ammo and a few other necessities.
And since I’ve more-or-less made that decision (here for the duration), I’ve thought of organizing the apparently gun-loving neighbors. I’ve begun to buy walkie-talkies, if not field phones and commo wire. I’ve got solar panels and several batteries (need to get a mega deep cell or two, however) to run the small battery chargers and the CB radio. My shortwave is up and running.
I will have to wait to talk to the neighbors, whom I rarely see, much less know. I can just imagine the words that would come out of their mouths if I were to mention to them the notion of forming a security “company” and establishing a perimeter. “That old retired Marine down the road is nuts!”
So that’s what I’ve got to say. I do hope it at least stimulates some thought for those who are starting out trying to prepare, as I am. All of this shows me that one “problem” in this “survival” business leads to several more, and they in turn lead to even more problems. Lots to do. So I’m glad I’m retired. I’ve got time to think about it. If I were rich, I could do a lot more and likely in a far away place, but as it is, we do with what we have. I have to use the lessons taught to every Marine: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.
Long Live America. Keep the Faith. - “Two Dogs”, Col. USMCR (ret.) in West Virginia
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Gear Up -- Appropriate and Redundant Technologies for Prepared Families
I frequently stress the importance of well-balanced preparedness in my writings. All too often, I've seen people that go to extremes, to the point that these extremes actually detract from the ability to survive a disaster situation. These range from the "all the gear that I'll need to survive is in my backpack" mentality to the "a truckload of this or that" fixation. But genuine preparedness lies in comprehensive planning, strict budgeting, and moderation. Blowing your entire preparedness budget on just one category of gear is detrimental to your overall preparedness.
Another common mistake that I see among my consulting clients is an over-emphasis on either very old technologies or on the "latest and greatest" technologies. In the real world, preparedness necessitates having a bit of both. At the Rawles Ranch we have both 19th century technology (like hand-powered tools) and a few of the latest technologies like passive IR intrusion detection (Dakota Alerts), photovoltaics, and electronic night vision. My approach is to pick and choose the most appropriate technologies that I can maintain by myself, but to always have backups in the form of less exotic or earlier, albeit less-efficient technologies. For example, my main shortwave receiver is a Sony ICF-SW7600GR. But in the event of EMP, I also a have a pair of very inexpensive Kaito shortwaves
and a trusty old Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio that uses vacuum tubes. Like my other spare electronics, these are all stored in a grounded galvanized steel can when not in use.
Here is my approach to preparedness gear, in a nutshell
- Redundancy, squared. I jokingly call my basement Jim's Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR)
- Buy durable gear. Think of it as investing for your children and grandchildren. And keep in mind that there'll be no more "quick trips to the hardware store" after TSHTF.
- Vigilantly watch Craigslist, Freecycle, classified ads, and eBay for gear at bargain prices.
- Strive for balanced preparedness that "covers all bases"--all scenarios.
- Flexibility and Adaptability (Examples: shop to match a 12 VDC standard for most small electronics, truly multi-purpose equipment, multi-ball hitches, NATO slave cable connectors for 24 VDC vehicles, Anderson Power Pole connectors for small electronics--again, 12 VDC)
- Retain the ability to revert to older, more labor-intensive technology.
- Fuel flexibility (For example: Flex fuel vehicles (FFVs), Tri-fuel generators
, and biodiesel compatible vehicles)
- Purchase high-quality used (but not abused) gear, preferably when bargains can be found
- If in doubt, then buy mil-spec.
- If in doubt, then buy the larger size and the heavier thickness.
- If in doubt, then buy two. (Our motto: "Two is one and one is none.")
- Buy systematically, and only as your budget allows. (Avoid debt!)
- Invest your sweat equity. Not only will you save money, but you also will learn more valuable skills.
- Train with what you have, and learn from the experts. Tools without training are almost useless.
- Learn to maintain and repair your gear. (Always buy spare parts and full service manuals!)
- Buy guns in common calibers
- Buy with long service life in mind (such as low self-discharge NiMH rechargeable batteries.)
- Store extra for charity and barter
- Grow your own and buy the tooling to make your own--don't just store things.
- Rust is the enemy, and lubrication
and spot painting
are your allies.
- Avoid being an "early adopter" of new technology--or you'll pay more and get lower reliability.
- Select all of your gear with your local climate conditions in mind.
- Recognize that there are no "style" points in survival. Don't worry about appearances--concentrate on practicality and durability.
- As my old friend "Doug Carlton" is fond of saying: "Just cut to size, file to fit,, and paint to match."
- Don't skimp on tools. Buy quality tools (such as Snap-on and Craftsman brands), but buy them used, to save money.
- Skills beat gadgets and practicality beats style.
- Use group standardization for weapons and electronics. Strive for commonality of magazines, accessories and spare parts
- Gear up to raise livestock. It is an investment that breeds.
- Build your fences bull strong and sheep tight.
- Tools without the appropriate safety gear (like safety goggles, helmets, and chainsaw chaps) are just accidents waiting for a place to happen.
- Whenever you have the option, buy things in flat, earth tone colors
- Plan ahead for things breaking or wearing out.
- Always have a Plan B and a Plan C
If you are serious about preparedness, then I recommend that you take a similar approach.
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Community Disaster Recovery--Asking the Right People the Right Questions
I was pleased to see this post over at the Mountain Steps blog: A letter to our county commissioner about emergency preparation for hyperinflation. It is commendable to make such inquiries, but it is essential to ask detailed questions. Especially when contacting elected officials, vague, general questions tend to elicit vague, general answers, and hence most likely no action will be taken.
It is also essential that you do some research first, to direct your inquiry letter or phone call to the right individuals. Flunkies don't create or change policy, they just implement it. You need to direct your letter to someone that has the authority to make policy, and has the budget to implement it. (In some cases, this will mean separate contacts to whomever controls the purse strings.)
I recommend that you ask detailed questions, such as:
Do you have a back-up generator, and how many days of fuel do you keep on hand? What is your contingency plan to implement before that fuel runs out?
Can you continue to operate without grid power? If not, then what contingency plans do you have?
Is the city's water supply gravity fed, from end to end? If not, then what contingency plans have been put in place to provide water to utility customers, in the event of a grid power interruption longer than 48 hours?
And ask:
Are electrically-pumped filters used, or traditional gravity filters?
Then, if you discover that the water system is mostly via gravity, but it uses electric pumps only for pressurized filtration, then ask: If electrically-pumped filters are used, then has a disaster contingency waiver been established with the USEPA, (for turbidity and other standards), to allow bypassing of filters in the event of a grid-down emergency situation?
Similarly detailed letters or phone inquiries should be made to your local irrigation district, your fire department, power utility, phone companies (both cellular and land line), refinery, hospital, kidney dialysis clinic, coal mine, National Guard, grocery store, et cetera.
Do not expect the grid to magically stay up and running, Assume the worst case, and plan accordingly.
OBTW, one key word to search for when estimating the resiliency of your community's infrastructure is co-generation. Find out where the co-gen plants are, and their capacity!
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Letter Re: Power Failure Alarms
James;
I need your advice. I am worried about power failures, and even EMP while I'm sleeping. This could take out my security system, and leave my family vulnerable. Is there any sort of device that'll alert me if the power goes out? Thanks, - Nolan S.
JWR Replies: There are fairly inexpensive commercially-made plug-in power failure alarms available via mail order for under $15. (Or under $20 each at larger home improvement stores.) I recommend buying one for each bedroom, and one for your generator house. (The 86 dB alarm is not loud enough to be heard from far away, but having a light on for you at your generator house on a dark, snowy night is a very welcome sight!) Needless to say, these are a must for sleep apnea patients that use a CPAP machine, or for anyone else that uses other 120 VAC medical devices for chronic health issues. These alarms work fine for houses with grid power, or for houses with backup generators. (The alarm will trip before an auto-start backup generator kicks in.) If you have a grid-tied alternative energy system, you would of course need to plug one of these into an outlet that is exclusively grid-powered. If you live off-grid, you won't have any way of knowing, but then again, if your level of concern for such an event will probably be minimal.
If your specific concern is a power failure in the event of EMP, then you could always wire up a battery-powered traditional buzzer with a "normally closed" relay. (When the grid power is disconnected, the relay closes, and energizes the DC buzzer circuit.) That is 1920s-era technology that would be EMP proof.
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Survey Results: Your Favorite Books on Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills
In descending order of frequency, the 78 readers that responded to my latest survey recommended the following non-fiction books on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and practical skills:
The
Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery (Far and away the most often-mentioned book. This book is an absolute "must" for every well-prepared family!)
The Foxfire Book
series (in 11 volumes, but IMHO, the first five are the best)
Holy Bible
Where
There Is No Dentist
by Murray Dickson
"Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation"
Making
the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook
by James Talmage
Stevens
The
"Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course
Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival
by Jack A. Spigarelli
Gardening
When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
Tappan
on Survival
by
Mel Tappan
Boston's
Gun Bible
by
Boston T. Party
Seed
to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
by Suzanne Ashworth
Survival
Guns
by
Mel Tappan
Boy
Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911 (Most readers recommend getting pre-1970 editions.)
All
New Square Foot Gardening
by
Mel Bartholomew
When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
by Matthew Stein
Back
to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by
Abigail R. Gehring
Preparedness Now!: An Emergency Survival Guide (Expanded and Revised Edition)
by Aton Edwards
Putting
Food By
by Janet Greene
First
Aid (American Red Cross Handbook) Responding To Emergencies
Making
the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage
Stevens
Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
Cookin'
with Home Storage
by
Vicki Tate
SAS
Survival Handbookby
John "Lofty" Wiseman
Root
Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
by
Mike Bubel
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide
by Carol Hupping
The
American Boy's Handybook of Camp Lore and Woodcraft
Emergency
Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
by Cody Lundin
Seed
to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth
Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss
Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
by Maurice G. Kains
Essential Bushcraft
by Ray Mears
The
Survivor book series by Kurt Saxon. Many are out of print in
hard copy, but they are all available on DVD. Here, I must issue a caveat
lector ("reader
beware"): Mr. Saxon has some very controversial views that I do not
agree with. Among other things he is a eugenicist.
How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
Tom Brown Jr.'s series of books, especially:
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking
Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide)
Total
Resistance
by
H. von Dach
Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies
by Hugh Coffee
Living Well on Practically Nothing
by Ed Romney
The Secure Home
by Joel Skousen
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes
by Cody Lundin
The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfare
by John Poole.
Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book by Paul Tawrell
Engineer Field Data (US Army FM 5-34) --Available online free of charge, with registration, but I recommend getting a hard copy. preferably with the heavy-duty plastic binding.
Great Livin' in Grubby Times
by Don Paul
Just in Case
by Kathy Harrison
Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
How to Survive Anything, Anywhere: A Handbook of Survival Skills for Every Scenario and Environment
by Chris McNab
Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
by John & Martha Storey
Adventure Medical Kits A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine
by Eric A. Weiss, M.D.
Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener
Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook (superceded the very out-of-date ST 31-91B)
Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition
by Paul S. Auerbach
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
by Elliot Coleman
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by Abigail R. Gehring
Government
By Emergency
by
Dr. Gary North
The Weed Cookbook: Naturally Nutritious - Yours Free for the Taking!
by Adrienne Crowhurst
The Modern Survival Retreat
by Ragnar Benson
Last of the Mountain Men
by Harold Peterson
Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness
by John McPherson
LDS Preparedness Manual, edited by Christopher M. Parrett
The
Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging
Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
by James H. Kunstler
Principles of Personal Defense - Revised Edition
by Jeff Cooper.
Survival Poaching
by Ragnar Benson
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses
by Eliot Coleman
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Net Producer-Net Consumer Equations for Self-Sufficiency: Getting Out of the Pit
In a recent phone conversation with one of my consulting clients, I was asked why I placed such a large emphasis on living in the country, at a relatively self-sufficient retreat. I've already discussed at length the security advantages of isolation from major population centers in the blog, but I realized that I've never fully articulated the importance of self-sufficiency, at a fundamental level.
In a societal collapse, where you are in "You're on Your Own" (YOYO) mode, it will be very important to be a net producer of water, food, and energy. This will mean the difference between being someone that is comfortable and well fed, and someone that is shivering, hungry, and thirsty, in the dark.
If you were to create computer models of a typical suburban home as compared to a small farm, they would probably present two very different pictures:
A typical suburban home is an energy pit. It generates hardly energy other than a bit of garden waste that could be used as compost, or fuel. A farm house on acreage, in contrast, can often be a net producer, especially if the farm includes a wood lot. (Standing timber that is suitable for use as firewood.) Properties with near-surface geothermal heat, coal seams, or natural gas wells are scarce, but not unheard of. I've helped several of my clients find such properties. For some further food for thought, see this article by Lester Brown over at The Oil Drum web site: The Oil Intensity of Food
A typical suburban home is a food pit. Just picture how many bags of groceries you tote home each week, month, and year. Compare than with the net volume of food produced by a small farm, or the meat produced by ranch. (For the latter, a ranch that is large enough to produce its own hay and grain is ideal.)
A typical suburban home is also a water pit, dependent on utility-piped water. But with a spring, or with well water and a photovoltaic or wind-powered pump, you can be a water exporter--charitably providing surplus water to your neighbors.
There are are of course some work-arounds for these limitations, such as installing photovoltaic power systems and rainwater catchments cisterns. But it is nearly impossible for a family to be a net producer of water, food, and energy, when living on just a small city lot.
Consider the inherent limitations of life on a "postage stamp" lot:
Limited acreage means that your house will always be a net importer of home heating fuel. Unless you live on acreage where you have a wood lot for firewood, you'll end up on the wrong side of the production-consumption equation. Photovoltaics are practical for lighting and running some appliances, but the big energy loads like space heating, hot water, and kitchen range cooking exceed what PV panels can produce, unless you are a millionaire. Yes, there are substitute energy sources, but most of those--such as propane-but those-are also "imported." Hmm... Perhaps it is worth the extra time and effort to find a retreat property that has a natural gas well, a coal seam or that is in a geothermal zone. At least buy a property with a wood lot, so you can heat your home and water with firewood.
Limited acreage and a location inside limits usually means restrictions on raising livestock. You might find a property that has been exempted or "grandfathered", but without the room required to grow animal feed crops, you will still be a net importer. (You will be forced to buy hay and grain, rather than grow it yourself.)
In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to have a private water well in a neighborhood that is served by a public water utility. This usually has more to do with maintaining a monopoly, rather than any genuine worries about a public health issue. There are of course exceptions, such as older houses with wells, that pre-dated the advent of a water utility. In many jurisdictions, the owners of these wells benefit from grandfather clauses. If buying such a property, make sure that the grandfather clause exemption is transferable. (Otherwise, you will have to cap the water well.)
One of the great ironies of urbanized life in modern-day America is that there has been a great inversion. In 1909, it was dirt poor farmers that lived on acreage, while wealthy people lived on city lots. But now, in 2009, owning acreage is something that most people only dream of, for retirement. In the more populous coastal states, the price per acre of land that is within commuting distance of high-paying jobs has been driven up to astronomical prices.
Have you ever stopped to think why there are large Victorian-style houses falling into disrepair in some Inner City ghettos? This is because at one time, those neighborhoods are where rich people lived. They were nice, safe neighborhoods, and were conveniently close to work, shopping, and schools. But times (and neighborhoods) change. These days, most of the wealthy have long-since moved to suburbs or to the country.
If you decide that you must stay in the suburbs, then I recommend that you at least relocate to a stout masonry house that is on the largest lot that you can afford. When you search through real estate listings, some key phrases to watch for are "creek", "grandfathered", "mature fruit trees" (or "orchard"), "secluded", and "well water." Another key word to watch for is "adjoins". It is advantageous to own a property that adjoins park land.
As I've often written, I recommend moving to a house on acreage in the country--that is if you can afford it, and your work and family situations allow it. But I'll close with one admonition: Don't bite off more than you can chew. There is no point on living on acreage if you have a large mortgage, and no working capital remaining to build up the infrastructure for genuine self-sufficiency. In fact, that would be "the worst of both worlds", since you would have higher commuting costs, a bigger mortgage, and perhaps even a bigger annual tax bill. Owning non-productive land may be worse than owning no land at all.
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From Mike Williamson: Some Useful DIY Home Power Technology Web Links
The following links will be of interest to anyone interested in do-it-yourself (DIY) power generation and 19th Century technology. Most of these come from Lindsay Publishing. [JWR Adds: They are also one one of my favorites!] :
Generator and Inverters
Wood into Charcoal and Electricity (although the generator design is at best a temp make-work design while you scrounge to build a better one).
Gas Engines and Producer Gas Plants
DIY Wind Turbine Power Plant (The best DIY design out there, although you might find a cheaper copy elsewhere).
DIY Machine Shop (This is a Gingery design, not suitable for those that are clumsy)
Other Wood Gasifier DIY Books.
A FEMA-designed wood gasifier that will hold you over while you build something better, if you are lazy and wait until it is almost to late. Not even remotely the best design but it is quick and fairly easy to build. It is titled: "Construction of a Simplified Wood Gas Generator for Fueling Internal Combustion Engines in a Petroleum Emergency/"
I hope that folks find these useful. - Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog's Editor at Large)
Prefabricated Garden Sheds as Instant Shelters and Storage Spaces for Retreats
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Letter Re: Advice on Deep Water Wells in a Grid-Down Era
James,
I know that I have seen posts about deep water wells, but when I search I really don't see that many applicable posts. I am looking at a property where water [static level] is about 400 feet down. In a "grid-up" scenario, this isn't really a problem, but I am looking for "grid-down" options for using a well at this depth. Not knowing much about the specifics of wells, I am not having much luck searching with Google, either. Would you be able to cover some deep well basics and some options for grid down/solar/backup pumping, specifically for deep wells?
Thanks so much for the blog. I have been an avid reader (pretty much daily) for two years and have several copies of your book to loan out to friends. - John C.
JWR Replies: As per your request, here are a few deep well basics:
Solar and wind power are the best solutions for deep wells in a grid-down collapse. If you live in an area with reliable winds, a windmill used in conjunction with a large gravity-fed tank or cistern, is relatively inexpensive and trouble-free. Photovoltaics are getting less expensive with each passing year, but system complexity is an issue, especially with systems that use a battery bank. (To maintain water pressure during hours of darkness, you will either need to store water in a gravity-fed cistern, or you will need a battery bank, so that you can operate your well pump. )
Deep wells can be pumped with submersible AC pumps, but not submersible DC pumps. This is because the "line loss" (voltage drop) in DC cabling is tremendous. Even with fat, heavy gauge DC cables, if you start out with 24 Volts DC (VDC) at your battery bank, you will likely be down to just two or three volts at 400 feet! Given that sad fact, there are two good solutions:
1.) Use a DC-to-AC inverter top-side, and run AC cabling down the well shaft to an AC well pump. (Note: Many of these pumps require 220 VAC, so you will either have to use a much more expensive 220-capable inverter, or replace the pump with a 120 VAC model. (You may be an electrical neophyte, and asking "What type of pump do I have?" Take a quick look at your AC circuit breaker box. If the breaker labeled "Well Pump" is a pair of breakers that are ganged-together with a wire loop so that they'll be actuated simultaneously, then the chances are 99% that you have a 220 VAC pump.)
or,
2.) Install a jack
("cricket") type pump or a windmill to
actuate the sucker rod pump cylinder. Traditionally, sucker
rods were made from hardwoods
such as white ash.
More recently they've been made with metal or fiberglass. Even with ash wood,
their service life is measured in decades. The pump cylinders are made of brass
and
will last
many decades.
However, the pump
leathers will eventually wear out, so you should consider buying a
couple of spare sets and storing them someplace safe from mice and moisture/mold.
Unfortunately changing all of the leathers on a down-hole sucker-rod actuated
pump means yanking the entire sucker rod and then the
weight of all 400 feet of your service line. That is a lot of
weight, requiring a heavy duty hoist and of course all the usual "mind your
head, fingers and toes" safety precautions and protective
gear. Lifting a 1-1/2"
or 2" diameter 400 foot long
pipe is no problem for a pump company, but it would be a challenge for a typical
rural
family working with an improvised hoist. I recommend that you watch your
pump company man carefully as he installs the pump in your well for the first
time. You will notice that the crucial piece required is the flange that catches
the
pipe
unions
on each 20+ foot long section of service line pipe as they are raised or lowered
in the well casing.
I've previously owned a jack type pump, and in my experience I
found them problematic. I would much rather use an AC
submersible pump.
Shallow wells (say, 50 feet or less) can be pumped with a DC submersible pump. I generally advise my consulting clients to "hang" both an AC pump and and a DC pump, one above the other in the same well casing, for the sake of versatility an redundancy.
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Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Propane Storage
James,
Having a lot of propane on hand has some serious issues. Homeland Security via "Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act" (EPCRA) requires anyone that has more than 10,000 pounds of virtually any hazardous material (except for explosives and radioactive materials that have their own unique requirements), to report that quantity to the State Homeland Security Office, the local Fire Marshal, and the Local Emergency Management Manager yearly. These reports are open to anybody that wants to see them. (Now you know how the bad guy knows where the stuff is, all they have to do is ask and the Emergency Manager has to give them the information by law). I am not making that up, either. I am a member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (a county wide group with members appointed by the state) which is responsible for looking about, finding illegally stored material and requiring compliance. To comply with the act, I file what is known as a Tier II report to the three agencies listed above yearly listing propane, diesel, and gasoline quantities on hand and a set of plans of the operation showing where such is stored. So if being off the radar is important to you [then keep under 10,000 pound limit.] I always try to work within the system. Of course if the system fails, all bets are off anyway.
After several years of working on the project (more pointedly, working with the vendor), I have the capability to pump propane from a pair of 1,000 gallon tanks that are connected on the bottom for propane liquid connection. The skid based 12,000 pound full unit has a 240 volt power supply to the electric pump that does the work moving liquid propane from the storage to the smaller tank it is filling. If the grid is up, the pump will run on it, when the grid is down, I have an automatic generator that kicks in (that just happens to run on propane) that will power our main well and power the [electric] propane pump motor.
Of course with propane, there is always a security problem. You know, someone sitting up a high hill with an API bullet just waiting for the right time to set off the show. Big white tanks make an easy target. Hopefully, we will have our perimeter secure if there is that need. Take the advice though. Camouflage the tanks asap if Schumer gets spread by the fan. Otherwise, white or silver reflects heat very well and keeps your propane tanks happy.
I have also purchased a 250 gallon propane tank that I fabricated onto a skid using 2x6 rectangular steel incorporating a pair of forklift ports. I can pick this tank up with a diesel powered skid steer and since I had the small tank plumbed on the bottom for liquid with the proper connector, I can feed liquid propane by gravity 250 gallons at a time to any tank on the ranch. It is very difficult to talk your local distributor to participate in this kind of project because they are turning you into a potential competitor. But because I live 15 miles from the nearest asphalt road and over 60 miles to the nearest town. Power outages for a week are not uncommon. If the whole grid went down for a year, we would still have power periodically as we fill the stock tanks and keep the freezers cold. Overall, I believe we have a bit over 7,000 gallons of propane which would power our "headquarters" for many months and maybe years if used part time. It will keep indefinitely if kept comfortably cool with no additives needed.
Yes, I have a propane powered vehicle. However, if you put propane into a vehicle to use as fuel, you should be paying state tax on that propane (and federal no doubt soon). Therefore I would never suggest such an action unless you know your local state tax collector personally. I, of course fuel my propane powered vehicles at the local propane fill operation. Unlike Agricultural Diesel (Red) and Residential Fuel Oil (Green), Residential Propane has no marker to trace where it came from. The last time I filled my truck with propane, it was 2.70 a gallon with residential use propane being (summer rate) at $1.49. The trick of course is having the right nozzles. Being able to fill vehicles and small 25/35 pound tanks (BBQ tanks), is a really handy thing. Good luck getting those nozzles. They are worth more than silver by weight and they are made only of bronze. Again, the trick is to get your local distributor work with you. You can't just find this stuff on the internet, I know because I tried.
Propane fired vehicles have several advantages. Because propane is such a clean burning fuel, combined with synthetic oil in your crankcase, you don't have to change the oil very often. Perhaps several years between oil changes if you only use the vehicle sparingly. I have put over 10,000 miles on an oil change before and it really didn't look dirty though it may have lost some of it's lubricating qualities. Synthetic oil is more expensive but doesn't break down and stays much cleaner than oil in engines fired with gasoline and especially diesel fuel tanks. Propane wins hands down.
Another advantage, when there is the next mass evacuation, lines will form at any gas station that is open. There won't be any lines at your local propane distributor. Heck, if you get the right adaptor, you could hook a BBQ tank up to your vehicle. (That is illegal by the way but in a pinch......).
Most propane conversions enable dual fuel use. Either regular gasoline or propane may be used by my personal conversion. Just flick a switch, (hit the solenoid with a tech-tap once in a while) and your off running on the other fuel. My pickup has a 600 mile cruising range now. Two gas tanks, and an 80 gallon propane tank. Your power is reduced slightly but your mileage is similar to using gasoline.
Propane conversions are available for most gasoline engines including lawn mowers, boats, automobiles (there are even donut shaped tanks made to fit in the spare tire area), and trucks. Trucks enable a larger tank to be mounted forward in the bed. Mine fits nicely under a short tool box and it is impossible to see unless you look over the bed. It sort of just blends in.
Having said the preceding, it may not be easy to find someone who has the technical savvy to do an installation on your vehicle. Also, they tend to be fly by night guys who recycle many parts over and over again and do it as a sideline. (I'm not saying there aren't professionals out there, just a heads up). I would call the conversion about a 6 out of 10 if you like automobile work. About two days of dedicated "spare time" will do most conversions. Just make sure you don't route the propane hose next to an exhaust line or you might be driving a flare down the road and make the papers. So much for staying off the radar.
A good neighbor asked me if I was afraid when he saw that I was a "survivalist". I said "no, I am prepared". (My nearest neighbor is 4 miles away). Now he is also working on contingency planning with fall back plans to me if he fails. The guy shoots running coyotes at 300 yards, that skill might come in handy if coyotes become a problem. Signed, - Frank B. (15 miles from the nearest asphalt road)
« Letter Re: Growing Food on a City Lot |Main| Escape From (Fill in Your City Here), 2009, by Bill in Chicagoland »
Letter Re: Portable Oxygen Condensers
James,
I recently installed an AuraGen
system similar
to the current listing on eBay (#330329068735) onto a customer's Bug Out Vehicle
(BOV), a 1986 Chevrolet Suburban 1 ton (modified
with some parts that were originally incorporated in the M1008 CUCV).
This customer also is afflicted with COPD and
uses a 110 VAC Oxygen generator. The Auragen, being a military designed
system is far more durable, far more
rugged,
and most importantly, far more versatile than an inverter placed into any vehicle
electrical system. Being a mil-spec unit,.EMP is
also not an issue as it meets the military requirements for such use in medical
units for power generation.
At around $1,700 on eBay the end user can add about another
$500-to-$600 for install and miscellaneous parts. I personally have a PTO drive
system in my own
vehicle and have used it in several situations where, as some say "The
Schumer has
hit the rotating impellers", LOL,
powering some mission critical communications, networking, and telecom facilities
for other NGO customers. These are not cheap, but what price is reliable power when lives depend on it? Best Regards,
- Bob S.
« Letter Re: Anesthesia for Traumatic Times |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Two Letters Re: Protection from EMP Effects for Photovoltaic Panels and Communication Gear
Jim,
I'm not very certain Solar Panels or photovoltaic (PV)
Modules if you prefer) are up to surviving electromagnetic pulse (EMP).
Solar Panel manufacture is akin
to
basically
creating large scale photosensitive semiconductors and few manufacturers will
quote
even static electricity resistance,
much less EMP resistance. Additionally, most PV modules have bypass diodes
to protect cells. Some designs put these diodes in the junction boxes, while
others incorporate them more integrally
in the PV assembly.
Obviously the controllers are at great risk, but the modules themselves are
not free from risk.
About the only references to PV and EMP you can find are discussions concerning
space deployed PV Modules being at risk to solar flares, which have many characteristics
of an EMP event.
I just made some queries with contacts at University of Manchester and Michigan
Tech. They told me that there that almost no EMP test results have been released
to public domain, but
that their Aerospace departments feel that PV Arrays are vulnerable at
the junction level as well as the wiring diode matrix and controller levels.
The [PV-powered] satellite literature repeats the observation that even a minor
solar flare can wipe years to decades off of the life of a PV array and a full
coronal
mass ejection (CME)
will take the array out. Though an EMP [cascade waveform] is not exactly the
same radiation, the corollary is there.
Several of the Disaster Shelter Builders state that PV Panels are at risk in
EMP and include shielded storage for "after the event panels." I
wonder whether
that is marketing hype or good science? For now, this is the best that I can
find. - Steve W.
Mr. Rawles,
There is a very detailed 4-part article about EMP protection for Amateur Radio
equipment. It's a study that was done by the ARRL in
the mid 1980s. Product model numbers and such have changed, but the basic
concepts haven't. If you want to just skip to the recommendations, go to "Part
4 of "Electromagnetic
Pulse and the Radio Amateur".
In a nutshell,
they make the following recommendations:
1. Your equipment will not survive a direct lightning hit no matter how well
protected. EMP or near-misses can be protected against.
2. Install a high-quality surge protector on all AC power cords. You'll need
to shop around to find one with the highest possible rating.
3. Install coax surge protectors (available from most ham radio suppliers)
within 6 feet of the radio equipment to be protected.
4. Install a grounding antenna switch and keep the antennas grounded when not
in use. (Note: antenna switches are often used when folks have multiple radios/antennas,
such as a CB and ham radio or a 2 Meter VHF radio and a scanner. Make grounding
the antennas part of your checklist when shutting down the station after use.
5. Get a piece of Copper plate or thick sheet metal, install it on the wall
or workbench your equipment is on, and attach all equipment grounds and protection
devices to this. Install a good Earth ground, per their guide. This basically
consists of 2 or more standard electrical grounding rods connected with #6
solid Copper wire that is buried. I've found that the
electrical panel bonding lugs sold in [building] contractor stores work great
for this.
Finally, the book Nuclear
War Survival Skills by Cresson H. Kearney [Available for free download]
states that equipment such as hand held radios with short antennas (less than
14")
should be okay against EMP. Grid connected electronics would be more vulnerable,
and stuff with long antennas worse still.
Here are some quick links to EMP protection devices:
Solar Panel charge controller
protection.
Coax lightning protection (manufacturer)
Cheers, - JN-EMT
« Letter Re: Questions on EMP Protection |Main| Learning to Cook on a Wood-Fired Stove by Deborah »
Wood, the Alternative Energy for the Rest of Us, by Bill S.
Solar and wind electric generation systems are affordable and efficient, but
there are a many areas of the U.S. where wind systems are not feasible, and
few localized areas where solar systems are not feasible. A diesel
powered generator with a large underground tank is reliable, but under
adverse
conditions the tank could run dry. Fortunately there are two systems capable
of generating electric power with wood, a fuel readily available in most parts
of the country.
Gasification is a process of burning wood or other solid biomass in a specialized
combustion vessel (basically an upside-down wood stove) that generates hydrogen
and carbon monoxide (CO) gases as by-products of the high temperature combustion.
The exhaust gases can then be used to fuel an internal combustion engine. Gasifiers
were used across Europe during WWII to power tractors, trucks and buses when
gasoline was not available. The return of gasoline after the war caused gasification
to drop off the radar. A group of American pioneers have revived the technology
and made great strides in bringing this lost technology back to the market.
All
Power Labs in
California sells do-it-yourself kits and complete gasifier systems, known as
gasifier
experimenter's kits (GEKs). GEKs have been used to power cars and generators,
it is potentially a complete solution. GEKs are operating around the world.
GEKs
is an open source project, that is, the plans are free and users are encouraged
to experiment and share their knowledge. The design and operation of the gasifier
requires wood blocks/chips, pellets or similar sized fuel. Split firewood is
not an option when operating on a small scale.
The other option is small scale steam. Steam engines powered the industrial
revolution and were in use well after the advent of petroleum products and
the electrical grid. Mike
Brown in Missouri manufactures a range of small scale
steam engines, from 1-to-20 horsepower.
Operating a steam engine requires specialized knowledge and skills, steam is
dangerous in inexperienced hands. Mike Brown has a package of instructional
materials for sale and will insist you do your homework before purchasing of
one of his engines.
Steam engines require a boiler to generate the steam to drive the engine.
Boilers can be made from copper tubing and junkyard scrap for a few hundred
dollars
providing there is a metal worker in the neighborhood; plans and a how-to video
are available from Mike Brown. ASME-certified boilers are available in limited
quantities.
Both systems will generate electricity when gasoline, diesel and propane fuels
are unavailable, the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing . These systems
are best suited for short term backup power or as a supplement to a solar/wind
system. Neither system is “off the shelf” ready, they both require
back yard engineering skills and American ingenuity Both systems require a
stock of wood or other solid fuel to operate for any extended time. They both
require tending and maintenance. Relying on steam or gasification for a year-round
supply of electricity for a retreat is unrealistic in most cases . Note however
that life in the future may become very unrealistic.
But will these systems power a retreat? If you had a 3 hp steam system the
answer is yes. I did some rough calculations; in which I could be off by ±25%.
I am assuming a battery bank for storage. A 3 hp system steaming for 6 hours
per day for a month would generate approximately 400 KW. For comparison, 400
KW is less than one half of what the average American household uses in a month,
but far
more
than
most solar or wind systems will generate. We get by on less than 400 KW per
month and the retreat is all electric, including hot water, range and refrigerator
and I run many power tools in the shop. 400 KW is a huge amount of electricity
in terms of the creature comforts it can provide. Under emergency conditions
100 KW/month would drive a well pump, laptop, lights, radios and cell phone
chargers.[JWR Adds: Don't forget that when drawing DC power
from a battery bank, that inversion to AC with a modern inverter is about 80%
efficient in typical use, and they can be about 90% efficiency under optimal
conditions. To
understand
the concepts of kilowatts and kilowatt hours (KWh), see
Wikipedia.)
If oak were used for fuel it would take 13 cords of firewood per year (that
is a lot of wood). At $225 per cord it would cost approximately $3,000
per year plus many hours of manual labor. This is not what the modern American
considers
convenience, but under lock-down conditions you may be the only one within
100 miles that is powered up after a week. Under emergency conditions you will
be at home with enough time on your hands to stoke the fire every hour. I have
not done a similar analysis of the gasifier. A gasifier is a very efficient
use of biomass, I would expect you can achieve much the same results as a steam
system. GEK users will be happy to share what they know.
Gasifier
Pros: Technically within the range of the do-it-yourselfer. Will power many
internal combustion engines. Will burn chipped/blocked wood and forest scrap,
walnut shells and more. Waste heat from the gasifier and IC engine can be used
to heat water (which can be used to heat a home). The exhaust gas from the
IC engine is water vapor and there is no smoke, the smoke has been converted
to a combustible gas.
Cons: Requires small, consistent-sized fuel such as dry wood chips. Generates
carbon monoxide (CO), a deadly gas although this gas can be used to fuel an
outdoor stove. Cannot be installed within a living space (same with steam).
Limited
supply,
however
plans are free and a gasifier can be built with scrap steel and junkyard parts
by any welder/metal worker.
Cost: Approximately $1,000-3,000 (not including engine, generator or storage
batteries).
Steam Engine
Pros: The most reliable and simple of backup systems. Quiet. Steam can be used
for multiple purposes including space and water heating and making bio-fuels,
including alcohol. Can be powered with both solid and liquid fuels.
Cons: Requires a good bit of self-study. Potentially hazardous. Limited source
of supply for engines and boilers although both should last a lifetime and
be worth their weight in silver should it come to that.
Cost: Approximately $7,000 for 3 hp engine and boiler (not including generator
or storage batteries), the greater part of the cost for a manufactured boiler.
Steam engines are precision machines available in limited quantities. Cost
aside, it could be months before you take delivery, but remember patience is
a virtue. If time and money is of the essence then the GEK is the best bet;
a team of garage mechanics could have a GEK up and running in a week. GEKs
can be manufactured from plans without royalties, potentially a great business
opportunity.
« Mexican Flu Update: |Main| Wood, the Alternative Energy for the Rest of Us, by Bill S. »
Letter Re: Questions on EMP Protection
Hello Jim,
I recently finished reading [the recently-released novel] One
Second After [by William R. Forstchen].The potential realities of
this story can grab you. [In the novel] a young girl who dies because her insulin
supply deteriorated. Lack of adequate refrigeration degraded the quality and
effectiveness of the insulin.
I was reviewing some bug out literature and ran across a list of equipment
that included a portable 12 VDC cooler
unit. This would be great for transporting heat sensitive pharmaceuticals during
a move of some distance.
My question is this: What effect would an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack
have on this kind of machine? Does it contain modern circuitry that would be
susceptible
to the
EMP effect?
The second question:
Are solar panels susceptible to EMP effect?
I am referring to just the panels and not associated secondary storage, control
and electrical connections.
The third question:
The chargers that come with solar panels, spotlights, hand held radios, scanners
and the like seem to be simple transformers.
But do they contain any circuitry that an EMP wave would destroy?
I read your site every day. Cordially, - JWC in Oklahoma
JWR Replies: In answer to your questions:
Even if your refrigerator has some microcircuits, it is probably not at
risk to an EMP waveform, especially if it is running from a
stand-alone
12
VDC power
system. (Generally, devices that are connected to grid power are at greater
risk of EMP coupling.) But just to be safe, when your compact refrigerator
is not in use, you should store it in a galvanized steel garbage can (with
a tight-fitting
lid),
to act as a protective Faraday cage.
Solar panels themselves are not at risk, but charge controllers and
possibly inverters are, because they use microcircuits. Since protection via
zener diodes
is
not always reliable, the most practical solution is to buy a couple of spare
charge controllers, and store them in ammo
cans.
« Mexican Flu Update: |Main| The Information Junkie, by Dan H. »
Letter Re: Sale on Inexpensive Solar Rechargeable Lights
Dear Mr. Rawles,
This sale ends Saturday so maybe it's too late to share it, but True
Value Hardware stores around the country are selling boxes of six (6) solar powered pathway
lights for $11.99.
These would be great to use for an extended power outages - just bring them
in inside each night without the pole. There's two LED lights in each one,
and they will shine for 8 hours. I tried them out last night and was able to read
with
two of them. Using all six lights in the box lit up my small house enough to where I wouldn't need a
flashlight or lantern to get myself safely around.
I just thought I'd share since the price was so low. Wouldn't this be great
for those living in apartments? - Rod McG. in Virginia
« Letter Re: The Tightwad Gazette Books |Main| Snippets From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Communications and Monitoring Advice »
Letter: Re: Long Term Health Care Needs in TEOTWAWKI
Good Morning,
You may have addressed this previously, but I could use your
help on this issue. Our six year old daughter has significant medical needs
(none requiring
electricity thankfully) requiring us to shelter in place. We live outside a major
metro area and probably wouldn’t want to be on the roads anyway. Any comments
for those of us who fit this bill? Thanks - Jeremy
JWR Replies: Yes, this has been addressed. See this
letter in the archives, from 2007.
OBTW, be sure to follow the back-links there for the previous SurvivalBlog article
on
mid-size photovoltaic systems for medical needs such as sleep apnea CPAP machines
and small refrigerators
for insulin storage.
« Two Letters Re: My Experiment with a Field Gear Invention |Main| Letter Re: Adapting Family Food Storage for Gluten Intolerance »
Letter Re: Home and Ranch Methane Gas Generators
Jim:
I saw the following post concerning Gober ("dung") gas, dated 27 April, 2009,
over at Michael
Yon's web site:.
"During breaks from tracking training – I was sweating like crazy
in the jungle heat – I asked many questions about Afghanistan and Nepal,
and he talked about a simple way to make many of the Afghans lives easier. Most
Afghans don’t even have electricity. When he was about fifteen years-old,
his dad installed a “Gobar Gas” (methane) generator next to the
house in Nepal. The generator is simple: the owner just collects human and
animal waste, and through a fantastically simple process, the contraption creates
methane, which is then used for lighting, cooking, heating in the winter. It
also creates excellent fertilizer, all while improving sanitation. What’s
the catch? None that I’ve heard of. He said that his dad made the first
Gobar Gas system in his village, and today it would costs maybe $300 total
investment. Between their own toilet and four cows, they create enough methane
to cook, heat and light the house. More than two decades after his dad made
it, the thing is still working and doesn’t cost a single rupee to operate.
When the other villagers saw it work, hundreds of Gobar Gas systems popped
up around the village. I’ve seen these systems in use in Nepal, and photographed
one about five years ago. It worked like a charm. But this Nepalese man, a
British soldier, never saw a Gobar Gas system in Afghanistan, but he is certain
that the idea would take hold in the villages. My guess is that the only real
disadvantage is that the idea is incredibly effective, simple and cheap, and
so we probably wouldn’t want to get involved."
Wikipedia has an entry on Gober
Gas.
Regards, - Larry
JWR Replies: The usual safety (for piped explosive gasses)
rules apply, and of course the usual sanitation rules must be enforced, but
this looks like
a great set-up for anyone that keeps livestock. Aunty
Entity would be proud.
« Letter Re: Another "Patriots" Book Sighting |Main| My Experience with a Field Gear Invention, by Mike B. »
Letter Re: Bike Frame-Mounted DC Power Generators
James,
Just a follow-up to the question about bicycle power: If you do a Google
search on the phrase "bicycle power generator" then several interesting
options come
up.
One
is a web site that
offers
free plans.
JWR Replies: Just keep in mind that every hour spent trudging
away on a bike frame generator is an hour that you could also use doing something
else productive. Dollar for dollar and hour for hour, photovoltaic panels are
the way to go--they make power every day with minimal maintenance. I consider
bike-frame
mounted
generators fairly specialized devices for peculiar circumstances, such as when
someone is cooped up in a fallout shelter. My general advice is: Yes, go ahead
and build one, but make it readily adaptable to multiple purposes, by using
perforated box beam construction for the back half. This is similar to the
construction method often used for hobby-built electric go-carts and similar
projects. With perforated steel box beams, you will minimize the amount of
welding needed to fairly quickly reconfigure the back half. For example, you
could attach various pulleys and V-belts that can in turn be attached to a Country
Living grain mill, a meat grinder, or a metal grinding/sharpening
wheel.
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: Atheism and Choosing Your Neighborhood »
Letter Re: Learning the Details of Self-Sufficiency
Jim,
I'd like to add an additional perspective on the letter on "Learning the Details
of Self-Sufficiency" -- the conscious
competence learning model. I'd like to pull back the shade a bit on why 'just
buying stuff' and reading books isn't going to cut it when the balloon goes
up.
Many folks are 'buying things', reading books, searching the internet with
the thought that when the time comes, they will begin living the self-sufficient
lifestyle in the country. The aforementioned letter points out the folly of
this approach. I just want to take a step back and look at why so many people
are taking an unproductive approach -- it has to do with how people assimilate
new skills.
With a new skill set (like self-sufficient living in this example) a person
at first is unconsciously incompetent (stage #1). Here a person doesn't even
know what they don't know. They certainly don't understand the ramifications
of not having mastery of the things they don't know. Most people stop right
here. They feel safe. In fact, it's not until they go a bit further into consciously
incompetent (stage #2) when they begin for the first time to understand some
of the things at which they are incompetent; and begin to realize the impact
of their incompetence on their desired outcome.
Stage 2 lasts a long time because the more a person learns, the more necessary
skills they uncover, which skills they have no experience whatsoever. It's
not until you actually eat the beans you've canned, which were stored in the
root cellar you made; which beans grew in your garden, which garden you protected
from insects, which plot you cleared from the forest, fenced from the deer,
amended the soil, selected the correct variety of bean seed, planted at the
correct depth,with the correct spacing, at the right time of year, with the
proper sun exposure, etc. Then and only then will you have begun to
have some gardening experience -- for beans. Then you can begin to appreciate
that beans
are not carrots. Carrots have different needs, and hey, wow, I wonder if all
these different vegetables, grains and fruits have different requirements?
Gee, what would happen if I grew my garden in 'compost' I bought from a local
garden center and the entire crop failed, and I couldn't buy my veggies from
Wal-Mart? Last example was a true story for me as a local nursery sold me 10
yards of 'compost' which [later] tested almost zero for N, P, & K. My crops
bolted and died within three weeks.
Stage 3 is conscious competence. This is when you can perform a skill reliably
at will. I can put up more beans this year, I know how to do it; I know how
many rows of what dimension and how much seed I need. I want to put up some
dilly beans, I know how to do that too. I can cook using the blanched and frozen
beans I grew last year.
Stage 4 is unconscious competence. This is where you aren't even aware of the
skills you are using to produce the desired result. People who reach this level
of expertise often can't teach another person how to do what they are doing
because so much ability (not knowledge -- big difference) is assumed. Have
you ever seen a craftsman produce a beautiful result, and make it look easy?
Then you
tried and found, "Hey, this is harder than it looks!" That's what
stage 4 is, and where you need to be before you risk your family's life on
homesteading in the midst of a crisis.
We've only talked about beans so far; how about production quantity gardening
for the 20 or so veggies, fruits, and grains you're going to need? How about
producing pork? Chicken? Rabbit? Lamb? Can you breed, select, grow, cull, harvest,
process, store, and prepare all of these? How about dairy operations? Retreat
security? Redundant water systems in place? Redundant power systems in place
and functioning? Productive relationships with neighbors? Suppliers? I'd like
to give you a more complete list, but I've been doing this for years now, so
I don't even know all I know!
If you aren't doing these things right now, then you won't be any good at them
in a time of need. The only way to gain new skills is by doing.
Take advantage of whatever time we have left before things get much worse,
and go do it! -
Mr. Kilo
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Six Letters Re: Bicycles as Bug-Out and Utility Vehicles »
Two Letters Re: Pedal Power for Electricity Generation and Water Pumping
James:
As for using a bicycle as a PTO device,
imagine being asked to pedal uphill for hours on end, going nowhere, summer
or winter, until the power comes
back, this is the slavery of powering off of your bicycle, it works to provide
some feeble current, but there are much better ways to spend your man hours
and food calories. Notable exceptions are using a small wheel generator for
bike lights or small battery charging like mobile phones as you travel, BTW
you will need to add a rectifier and voltage regulator circuit since bike
generators produce AC power, an inexpensive friction generator will wear
on your tire, but hubs dynamos are expensive around $50 plus requiring a
wheel rebuild. You could power an old belt drive Singer sewing machine, or
flywheel for light machine shop tools, since these do not require such exertion,
there are plans available for using a broken bicycle to put the pedal drive
under your work table. If you want electrical power, then go with solar,
wind, or a water wheel. Don't be an energy slave. To move water make a water
tower,
cistern,
or pond on a hilltop and pump using wind power, since
it will be gravity fed you have available water in the storage and the pump
will run every time there is wind refilling the storage. Other options are
using a water wheel pump, or the very reliable inertial pump.
All the best to you and the family - David in Israel
Jim:
Back Home magazine published an
article on a bicycle powered water pump in their March/April 2009 issue
(#99). The issue is available online for $3.75. - Matt
« Letter Re: The Mexican Drug Wars Come to the United States |Main| Letter Re: Bicycles as Bug-Out and Utility Vehicles »
Letter Re: Pedal Power for Electricity Generation and Water Pumping
Hi Mr. Rawles:
Thank you so much for your efforts on this blog as well as Rawles Gets You
Ready. I have a question that I haven’t seen addressed. Are there products
out there based on pedal power? Meaning, I can’t afford a real alternative
energy system or a large storage area for gasoline. What I’d like is
a way to keep a few deep cycle batteries charged to power my rechargeable AA-size
batteries (do they make rechargeable batteries in any other size?), my cordless
power tools and other objects. There must be alternator/bicycle systems to
do that but I can’t find any. Also, I’d like to power a water pump
by bicycle so that I can draw water from my well or the creek a couple of hundred
yards away. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, - Joe F.
JWR Replies: Yes, there are several proven products. See the
SurvivalBlog archives. For battery charging, it is probably best to use
a fairly large generator to charge a pair of 6 volt DC deep cycle batteries.
Then, you can use that battery bank as a 12 volt power source for an
automobile-type charger for AA Batteries
. As I've mentioned in the blog before, I recommend standardizing with 30
amp
Anderson Power Pole Connectors
for all of the small (low current) 12 volt DC devices at your retreat and in
your vehicles. These genderless connectors are vastly superior to cigarette
lighter-type plugs and jacks.
« Letter Re: Recommendation for Kinder Goats |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: The Importance of Spare Parts and Maintenance for Preparedness
James Wesley:
One subject that I think is under rated in preparedness discussions
is spare parts. We all are focused on our armaments and basic survival materials
to
the detriment of being able to continue to use our tools and equipment when
they inevitably break. Even in the best-case scenario of a sever depression
spare parts will be often unavailable through normal channels. A good example
of this is to be found in cars. When I was young in the ‘50s and early ‘60s
there was an abundance of cars made in the late ‘20s and ‘30s in
remarkably good shape that were shoved into barns because of breakdowns, often
minor, for which parts were not available during the depression. These cars
were hauled out by enterprising young men returning from WWII and Korea and
turned into hot rods or just driven into the ground when parts again became
available in the ‘50s. As our economic system becomes ever more complex
and specialized, and as that built in disaster of “just in time” production
and distribution is used more and more, the inevitability of interruptions
in materials and basic goods becomes even more probable. Having spent a lifetime
living on farms, and particularly here in the western Upper Peninsula ("U.P.")
of Michigan where the nearest farm supply stores are down in Wisconsin a day's
drive away,
I have developed an acute appreciation of the necessity of having a good inventory
of parts on hand. So combine a disruption in supply with a remote refuge location
and the problem could become insurmountable and be very inconvenient if not
life threatening. So think in terms of two different plans: parts and
maintenance.
Spare Parts
In the parts department do you have spare wicks and globes for your oil
lamps? And lots and lots of mantles for gas lights which I do not recommend
for the reason that they are so fragile that bugs break them. Do you have extra
leathers for your water pumps? And handles for your axes, splitting mauls,
hammers and saws? These have a way of getting broke when used with regularity;
particularly when you are tired or exhausted which we will be if we are in
this situation. I heat with wood and do not own a wood splitter. I do it by
hand and have never broken a maul handle except at the end of the day when
I am tired and miss the block of wood with the head and hit it with the handle.
So count on breaking things when you are tired or in a hurry. Do you have extra
chains for your chain saw and blades for your bow saw. A good bow saw [or bucksaw]
is definitely a tool to have if gasoline is scarce or unavailable, or if you
want to cut wood without attracting attention. And do you have the files and
sharpening stones to keep them sharp by hand and the teeth properly set? You
might also want to practice these skills because they are skills. And boot
laces, gloves, wool socks and other warm and durable clothing that you do not
often use and replace but that will become something that you will use every
day under adverse conditions. Anyway you get the point. Stock up on daily used
items. For instance, last week the local hardware store had leather palmed
work gloves on sale at two pairs for a buck so I bought 50 pairs. I’ll
use them eventually even if nothing goes wrong, and if it does I’m covered
and I’ll have some great bartering material. Buy what you know you will
need and may be able to trade to those less provident.
Maintenance|
Maintenance is always a neglected area of planning. Most people
are poor at maintenance as a matter of course and some cannot even seem to
consider
it. Look at your home, equipment and tools and determine what you need to do
to keep it working, particularly under adverse conditions. Do you have the
tools, manuals and knowledge to fix things. Is your shop supplied with lubricants
and grease to keep the place running. My granddad liked to say “grease
and oil are cheap and parts and labor are expensive”, During the 1980s
I was a Trustee for the United States Bankruptcy Court and I handled most of
the farm cases here in the U.P. because I knew the business and could milk
cows. One of the things that struck me most was the almost universal lack
of grease guns on these bankrupt farms. It changed my feelings about my fellow
farmers plight to a great degree in many cases. A lack of daily maintenance
is a precondition to disaster. I own a lot of old equipment that gets used
hard, but it is well maintained and seldom breaks down because of grease, oil
and general maintenance. And maintenance of the area around you is also important.
Recently a most excellent article was posted in SurvivalBlog dealing with
keeping
the place neat and clean. It is well worth re-reading and considering.
A neat
environment helps keep you safe from injury and has an important psychological
component. Which leads to another point about neatness. Keep your stored goods
organized so you can find them. Plastic bins and totes with labels make things
easy to find and protects them from vermin, dirt and corrosion and makes taking
inventory a snap.
So get the spare parts you will need, and some to trade, and get them organized.
And maintain your home, tools, equipment, mind, body, marriage and family and
we will get through this time to come. And if we are wrong about the future we
will still be the better for it. - Ken S.
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Is it Enough?, by Axman
I remember the Great Gas Crises of the 1950s. I filled several metal five-gallon
cans with gas and put them behind the seat of my 1941 Plymouth 6-cylinder Business
Coupe. I got 21 miles per gallon with that peppy little car!
When Kennedy’s
Cuban Missile Crises came about I dug a foxhole in my Mother’s
back yard -- which she later filled in and used as a flower bed.
Then the Cold
War with Russia, where we rattled ballistic missiles at each other. I actually
built an above-ground fallout shelter out of a retired metal
dumpster
and a piece of conduit big enough to crawl through. A hill of dirt left over
from a construction job finished it. My shelter looked like an earthen igloo,
built in the high desert above Phoenix, Arizona . It lasted about 7 years,
until the new owner of the property took it down.
One day at a gun store I met a man
who was high up in our regional electric company. I asked him what would happen
if the Russians nuked Phoenix. He replied
that
if we were lucky, our electricity would be out for a few weeks to a few months!
If
they scored a direct hit, then it could be years before the power could be
restored!
Convinced, I went right home and started assembling my own small solar
electric system! Several years later the Berlin Wall was taken down. But
I kept my 'Small
Electric Company' operational. I still use it every evening! In addition
I picked up a pitiful little generator some guy had taken out of his motor
home.
Eventually
Y2K came
on the scene. I sold my little noise maker
and replaced it with a new Coleman 3,000 watt, no frills, short run generator.
It is just big enough to run the wife’s washing machine and any of my
shop’s
tools one at a time. This machine was a great comfort as the year 2000 came
closer. I figured on running it just 2 to 3 hours per week during the crisis.
That way, I would
not have to store large amounts of expensive, flammable gasoline. I still maintain
this generator in good working order by using it to power my electric chainsaw
2 or 3 times each year as I cut wood for our stove.
During the pre-Y2K months
an old Baptist turned-Mormon school chum convinced me
to
start a food storage program. So I went out and bought 3 or 4 cases of Ramen
noodles. In time I learned to hate Ramen noodles! My thrifty wife insisted
on recycling or rotating them through my digestive tract! I think I have finally
got her convinced to save the last case for our neighbors who fail to prepare
for the big one! I now buy canned pinto beans, pork and beans, canned corn,
green peas, green beans, potted meat, Vienna sausages, stuff I like or can
at least
tolerate! I figure on keeping 6 weeks to 3 months supply of food and water
on hand and rotating it every 3 years, keeping it no longer then 5 years.
This is an ongoing thing and saves us a few dollars as the price of food continues
to rise. Uncle Sugar just keeps printing money and devaluating our Dollars,
thus higher prices!
Now along comes the Mega Depression of 2009, [minor rant snipped] so this
then is my biggest challenge, just to survive this coming period of economic
disaster,
political turmoil, and civil unrest.
I am in the process
of improving
the latches on my exterior doors and outfitting a designated bug out vehicle
capable of sustaining our lives for 30 days. I am teaching my wife to use a
battle rifle and
improving my rain water barrels. I instructed my financial advisor to prepare
my investments for the worst, plus taking some independent action of my own
in
the way of trade goods, reconstruction skills and a small investment in precious
metals. I have talked up the need to prepare with friends, loved ones, and
neighbors. Is it enough? Only time will tell.
« Letter Re: Barnyard Junk: The Things that You Do and Don't Need for TEOTWAWKI |Main| Jim's Quote of the Day: »
Letter Re: A Carrington Event Space Storm--A Natural EMP Equivalent
Jim-
New Scientist magazine article recently published an important article
titled "Space
storm alert: 90 seconds from catastrophe." The article outlines
possible scenarios for the risk of solar storms that could severely damage
national grids and vital electrical and electronic systems. The effects would
be catastrophic and devolve societies into a desperate survival situation for
individuals.
One quote from the article:
"Over the last few decades, western civilisations have busily sown the
seeds of their own destruction. Our modern way of life, with its reliance on
technology,
has unwittingly exposed us to an extraordinary danger: plasma balls spewed
from the surface of the sun could wipe out our power grids, with catastrophic
consequences."
Could off-grid standby equipment such as power generators or solar cells also
be damaged? See the
National Academy of Sciences report. (After registering,
you can download a free PDF file of the report): Best Regards, - Gregg T
JWR Replies: I've received more than 20 letters in the past
48 hours from readers concerned about this article. In my opinion, this natural
"EMP-like"
effect is just another reason to get prepared. The probability in any given
lifetime is quite low, but the impact if it were to happen would be
devastating.
Most home non-grid-tied photovoltaic,
micro-hydro, and wind power systems will probably be safe from a Carrington
Event. (The field strength and coupling effects will be roughly analogous
to that of nuclear
EMP.)
If you have a microprocessor-controlled battery charge controller, then one
fairly
inexpensive
measure is to buy
a spare. But for most of us, buying a spare large inverter is
cost-prohibitive. In the event that your large (whole-house) inverter get
fried, then perhaps your could plan to revert to DC-only
system, and store a couple of spare small inverters for crucial
AC loads.
As with any
other "EMP redundant" radios and other electronics, you should store
your
spares
in ammo
cans, all-metal
cookie
tins,
or similarFaraday
cage structures.
« Three Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle |Main| Note from JWR: »
The 19th Century Home Retrofit, by Y. Cornelius
By now most SurvivalBlog readers have gone about your preparations for your
ideal home or retreat cabin, all storage food and tools acquired, fuel stored,
generators
ready, PV panels carefully concealed and hooked up to the battery bank. You
and your family or group are ready to handle the coming collapse, but are
you really? Are you ready to do without? Without that generator when
the fuel runs out, or a critical piece is worn out and a new one cannot be
had? At some point
your supplies will be used up, storage fuel consumed and there may not be any
to refill your tanks or more realistically you may be priced out, or it will
be too dangerous to “run-the-gauntlet” and get more. Can you manage
in your place without electricity? Can you cook with wood? Do you have space
enough to process the abundant food you grow and must preserve either by canning
or other means? Can you move throughout your buildings without being seen from
the outside?
My point, is your place set up to function as a 19th century homestead?
My wife and I bought an old New England farmhouse many years ago, it is nothing
fancy and looks like so many others in our area, it is a traditional connected
farmhouse meaning that the buildings are all linked-up, yet they have different
roof lines and are of different sizes. It is best summed up as a “Big
House,
Little House, Back House, Barn” and this is the title of a wonderful book
written by Thomas C. Hubka which details the reasons for the ways structures
developed. (If you want a leisurely read on the history of these buildings, I
highly recommend this book.) Anyway, we bought this type of farm house and have
been in the process of renovating it over many years, although the renovation
could more reasonably described as going back to the future. One of the many
wonderful things about an old house, and when I say old I mean over 150 years
old, is the ability to reuse much of the lumber in the walls, floors, and ceilings
or the masonry whether it is brick or stone, Ours is a timber frame with some
masonry on the exterior and is incredibly well built and has a brilliant house
plan. I realize that many people are not up to the task of going through this
sort of process, but you could build your current retreat or home to some of
these specs. Our home for example was built just after the War of 1812 it was
fully functional for a family of eight with room for boarders/labors and or relatives.
The kitchen is large while many of the adjacent rooms are small (less space to
heat) all the rooms are situated around two large central fireplaces and have
thimbles to allow for a small wood stove in each, the rooms can be closed off
when not in use, thus not taking valuable heat from other areas. In the basement
there is a large hole in the floor; it was a cistern, but was allowed to fill
in with junk, perhaps it was considered a “sump hole” by later inhabitants
since there was evidence of long overworked pumps in under the silt and gravel.
I have cleaned this up and now have a source of water right in the house, (this
water will still need to be treated since it is technically surface water being
only ten feet below grade), but it still offers water for cleaning or for our
animals.
There is a large “root” cellar to store food stuffs and
canned goods. (It could double as safe room or vault if needed and may well have
been at one point since the opening is nondescript and hidden from plain sight).
Also there is a summer kitchen, at first I wondered why this was necessary, it
appeared to be redundant, but further study enlightened me to the fact that this
area was a vital part the home complex. First it served to allow a large un-insulated
cook area that was necessary during the harvest time to allow heat to escape
from the constant fire in the cook stove during the canning, it was also a place
that field labors had their meals prepared and ate without having to clean themselves
up much and not dirty up the regular kitchen. The buildings between the summer
kitchen and barn (sometimes it is one long building divided only internally or
there are up to three distinct roof lines and end walls that divide them) any
how these areas were used in a variety of ways to allow a small cottage industry
to occur, in-fact these were simply work areas that were sheltered from the often
harsh and wild weather we experience. One could be for wood storage, for tools
(a sort of machine shop), or areas for processing wool from sheep. The point
is not to recreate that lifestyle but to utilize that mindset and build similar
multi-purpose structures.
Our Home:
We have “renovated” our home to fully function without electricity.
Now, we have multiple generators, a significant storage of fuels and food. I
and am currently finishing up with the PV panels and battery bank/inverter set-up,
going through all the motions to secure some sense of normalcy; but in-fact we
do
not “need” those items to exist here, they are an extra. We can heat
with wood and with a solar hot water system connected to baseboard radiators
as well as a copper coil running through the wood fired furnace [for when there
is not solar gain or during a heavy snowfall]. (The hot water moves via thermo-siphon
no electricity needed only check-valves to keep the hot water moving in one direction).
Our kitchen is “modern” but if the power is out we can cook on our
wood fired cook-stove, it is about 120 years old and with a little “TLC” is
now fully functional not to mention beautiful to look at. We can also bake in
a bee hive oven built into the massive central chimney which I rebuilt and lined
with modern flues. I left one of the original fireplaces, installed airtight
doors and an exterior air vent, while on the other side made the other fireplace
into a large wood storage container.
Overall, your retreat needs to be functional without electricity, things will
eventually break, or you simply run out. Focus upon knowing how to live your
life with little to no electricity or “conveniences”. The primary
goals must be on heating your home and preparing food without petrochemical
fuels, most modern homes are particularly horrible in this area. Change your
mindset; you cannot store enough for the really long haul.
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Life's Lessons and the Foundations of Preparedness, by A.B.
We may soon depend on all of what we have learned over the years. Putting
all of the threads of knowledge together into a tapestry of self-sufficiency,
and survival capabilities, is part of the lifelong quest for our family’s
security. We learn from many sources and experiences such as: family, church,
friends, teachers, teammates, co-workers, reading books and SurvivalBlog, and
hopefully from our mistakes.
Preparedness Skills from our Grandmas and Grandpas
The foundation for preparedness begins with my childhood in Michigan. We
lived in Lansing where my great-grandmother was next door and my grandmother
lived
next door to her. My father was born in great-grandma’s house after
the family moved to the city during the early 1900s. My sisters and I spent
weekends and summers alternately at my mom’s family dairy farm, which
was just outside of the city, and at my dad’s family cabin “up
north”. These were the richest times of my life. We knew all of our
grandparents and some of our great-grandparents very well. My great-great-grandfather
still
lived in the old log cabin when I was born in 1956. We have been fortunate
to have had five generations alive consistently from then until now. The
wealth of love and knowledge you gain from your extended family is irreplaceable.
The “old timers” told stories of hardship during the great depression
and the dust bowl era (we live an area that was the largest prairie east
of the Mississippi.) Memories of crop failures with tales of early and late
frosts
were passed down. There were also hunting and fishing stories passed down
as we learned to hunt and fish with older family members. There were bigger
than
life lumberjack stories and stories from Prohibition and the World Wars.
I learned to safely handle and accurately shoot a .22 rifle with peep sights
when I was six or seven years old. I walked the roads with my grandpa squirrel
hunting. We ice fished on local lakes and went to Tip-Up
Town USA every year.
All
of
this adds to ones persona and the early experience helps awaken the necessary “survivalist” traits.
On a working dairy farm you rapidly learn about life (and death). Animal
husbandry and caring for the land lead to sustainability. Animals do become
food and
harvesting the crops sometimes seems little reward for the hard work. The
milking must be done every day and chores do not wait. As a kid I learned
to drive
tractors and pick-ups to and from the fields. We mowed, bailed and then stacked
the hay in the mow. Alfalfa, oats and corn were the field crops. Pigs, chickens,
and sheep were raised along with the dairy cows and we cleaned the barns
and spread manure.
Knowledge is passed down from generation to generation such as when to plant,
where to plant, when to harvest, and how to raise the animals. There were
many topics of conversations at the Sunday breakfast table. Many things are
debated
and discussed after chores and before Church. Most times the conversations
continued outside the Church after the sermon. It was the only time you saw
the other farmers. When you are a little guy you tended to be quiet, pay
attention and learn.
Grandpa was a farmer and Grandma was a one room school teacher. Grandma also
taught vacation bible school during the summer break. Us kids learned how
to tend good gardens and helped preserve the food we raised. We took care
of the
barn animals while the uncles milked. We hauled water to the bull pen and
helped milk as we got older. Survival skill sets from the farm come from
being part
of a close knit community with a solid work ethic. There are strong religious
underpinnings with good people engaged in caring for one another as well
as the animals and the land.
Preparedness from "Roughing It”
The log cabin “up north” had a well-house for getting water and
an outhouse for getting rid of water. There was a wood fired cook stove for
heat and kerosene lamps to play cards under. There was a red checkered oilcloth
on the table with cane chairs around it. The place was originally homesteaded
by my great-great-grandfather in the late 1800s (a few electric lights
were added at some point.) We used to go up on Friday night after Dad or
Grandpa got out of work. The next morning started with an awakening trip to
the outhouse
and then fetching a bucket of water from the well house and kindling for
the wood stove. On a cold morning you stepped lively until the fire was going.
Once the stove was hot, Grandma would cook buttermilk pancakes on a griddle
that my great-grandmother had used in the lumber camp. Eggs and bacon sizzled
in a cast iron skillet. Clothes were washed on a washboard in a wash tub and
then
hung
out to dry. You took a bath in the river. During the summer we would fish
morning and evening and water ski on the nice days. The family summer vacation
was
spent camping in a tent along the river or at a state park. The old cabin
was also used for small game hunting in the early fall and deer camp in the
late
fall / winter. We would take walks in the woods and look for morels and other
edible things like may apples, hickory nuts or raspberries and huckleberries.
Animal tracks were learned and followed with hopes of a glimpse. Life was
considered sacred unless needed for food and being a part of nature became
obvious. A
leave no trace and waste nothing ethic was being born.
Opportunities for further wilderness and pioneering skill development were
provided by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. My mom and dad were actively involved
in Scouting when I was growing up. Teamwork and sharing responsibilities
for the group were learned. Outdoor cooking and keeping things sanitary were
heavily
emphasized. Food poisoning is no joke – we had one patrol that damn near
killed us with their meal. We learned to wash our hands and boil the crap out
of everything. Hiking and backpacking skills were beginning to be developed
in the Scouts. We day hiked a 20 miler once a year on the Johnny Appleseed
Trail - the Scouts version of the death march. You had to carry a full pack
if you wanted the patch. We also hiked the Pokagon Trail in northern Indiana
and learned to camp in the winter.
While living in Pennsylvania (later in life) I started winter backpacking with
a few of my buddies. We went in the winter both for the solitude it offered,
and
to learn the special skill sets required for survival in the cold. There
are beautiful views from Seven Springs and other spots along the Laurel Highlands
Trail during the winter. This experience then led to the development of technical
mountaineering skills. The books Basic Rockcraft, Advanced Rockcraft and
Knots
for Climbers were memorized along with study of the book Mountaineering:
The Freedom of the Hills. Skills were practiced and ingrained.
My first solo backpacking / climbing trip came in the summer of 1980 in the
Organ Mountains of southern New Mexico. I later solo climbed most of the
4,000 and 5,000
footers in New England (many in winter). I met a like minded climber on one
of those hikes and we made a summit bid on Mt. Rainier in June of 1998. I
also began
the solo circumnavigation on the Wonderland Trail that year. I set the first
tracks both that year and when I completed the circuit in June of 2001. Map
and compass skills were required. Primitive camping
while carrying everything you
need to survive for two weeks is a tough proposition. It was tough in my 30s
and 40s. It’s even harder now that I am in my 50s. G.O.O.D. to
the deep woods is doable but it would be a hard life.
Responsibility and Teamwork
We learned to be responsible and self-sufficient during our childhood. We learned
to play without other kids around and had chores to do for our allowance. I
learned to gather the wood and light a fire as soon as I was old enough. You
pumped the
water and filled the reservoir if you wanted warm water for washing up. You
learned to use guns and knives as tools while you learned hunting techniques
and cleaned
the game for the table. Being a responsible hunter meant taking ethical shots
and using what you kill. Catching and cleaning fish, then cooking or smoking
them were all part of being a good fisherman. To go along with these survival
skills you also need the ability to share knowledge and work as a team.
Most of the skills you learn will help you to fend for yourself one way or
another. The only problem is summed up with the statement “no man is an island”.
You will need others sooner or later. My sisters and I developed basic teamwork
skills while setting up camp. The girls helped mom and I helped dad. We had a “system”.
This was carried further in Scouting. Some Patrols set up tents while another
set up the kitchen. These valuable lessons were used later in life as I went
through boot camp and during service in the military. I served on small boats
as part of a search and rescue team in the USCG.
Teamwork helps to overcome the steep learning curve and high risk of being
a self-sufficient survivalist. You can do things as a team exponentially quicker
and safer than you can by yourself. Your bunkmate becomes your partner in boot
camp and later becomes your shipmate. You learn “one hand for yourself
and one hand for the boat”. As a team you can survive what would kill you
alone. In a bad storm someone has to steer while someone bails out the boat.
One person couldn’t do it. Avalanche in the back country is another perfect
example - by yourself you are probably dead. Doing things alone is great - but
it may cost you your life. Skill and knowledge can’t cover your a** like
a buddy. It’s nice to have someone else on the rope with you; they are
your only hope.
Teaching everyone at least something you know and learning from everyone something
you don’t know can only make the group stronger. If someone gets sick
or is tired someone else can step up. CPR is
a good example here. In the back country one person can’t help himself.
One person helping may bring back the life but it better happen quickly. Two
people allow you to send someone for
help while
rendering aid until you are too tired to continue. Three people allow almost
indefinite support. Two can alternate CPR while waiting for the one who left
for help to return with the defibrillator. If help is real far away, then it’s
done. There is a point of no return. Remote locations usually cross that point
which is a distinct disadvantage (unless the SHTF).
Without teamwork you will usually die if something bad happens. Everyone has
to be a good shot. Everyone needs to be able to render first aid. The group
is only as strong as the weakest link and precious resources are spent covering
someone’s a** that’s not up to speed. Teach and learn and cross train.
Remember what you did as a kid and don’t sell the kid’s of today
short. Teach them the skills they need and allow them to grow into the responsibility.
Being part of a team or extended family that functions like a team is fun. The
action of being responsible for one another is at the root of any team.
The
Prepared Family
The family is the primary source of knowledge. Some survival skills to learn
right along with reading, writing and arithmetic are: swimming, knot tying,
fire building under all conditions, where to get water and how to make it safe
to
drink, safe gun handling and accurate shooting, hunting in fields and the woods,
fishing in rivers and on lakes, first aid, camping, boating, gardening, making
things “homemade”. You can’t start learning or teaching these
things too soon.
10 years ago we moved back home to Michigan after living all over the USA.
I had come home for my Grandpa’s funeral and was returning to New England.
Something was wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it. That’s when
the light came on and as I drove it became apparent that I was going the wrong
way – both figuratively and literally. We were chasing the so called “American
Dream”. Losing my grandfather and returning to the north woods had shown
me where home really is. It is with family and God and where your roots are.
I had drifted away from the true values I had learned early in life.
I resigned my position, cashed out the 401(k), and bought the homestead from
grandma. We planted 24 fruit trees and installed irrigation systems for the
gardens. We
pruned the grape vines back and tended to the asparagus beds. My wife renewed
the old flower beds and I have replaced the split rail fence. We re-roofed
everything. The folks put down another well up the field and had another septic
system installed
for their travel trailer. We had a 100 amp power drop installed and we also
buried a power cable from the field to the trailer for a 12 volt system (small
scale
solar and wind).
I once again could use guns after living in the tyranny of Massachusetts. (I
refused to get an Firearms ID card so my guns never left the house in 16 years.)
I taught a niece
and nephew to shoot with the same .22 that grandpa used to teach me with almost
50 years ago. My nephew, now an 8th grader, got his first deer this past year.
No one believed him when he came home and told them. He did it on his own.
Things have now come full circle in our life. My grandma lives with us in her
old house through the summer. My sisters are both Grandmas themselves now and
they are taking care of our mom and dad. The kids have great-grandparents and
a great-great grandmother. My understanding wife of thirty years and I live
here on the homestead as stewards of the family heritage. The whole family
gets together
up here once or twice a year. We know how to provide for and take care of each
other. If the SHTF my sisters and the rest of the family will head up here
to the homestead and once again adopt the ways of our Great-Great Grandpa and
Grandma.
Everything we have learned through our lives will serve us well. Skill sets
from the north woods and from the farm are derived from living simple, living
manual
and living with nature as part of nature.
We used to fall to sleep on a feather tick mattress while listening to rain
tapping over our heads in the loft of the old log cabin. Bedtime stories were
told as
we drifted to sleep and the whippoorwills sang into the night. We didn’t
think that the day would come that just about all of what we learned from our
family and from our life would come into play. Thank God for our tight family
and all of the distilled knowledge passed down to us. I now live in a home
built over the site of the original log cabin and now we have 7 generations
since my
great-great grandparents first cleared this piece of land. It looks like we
will be talking of another “Great Depression” soon and the complete
cycle renews. Do we learn from our mistakes?
Preparedness Skills and Materials
We’re preparing for the future and I hope to teach what I can to as many
people as I can before it’s over. We can survive well if we draw on one
another’s strengths and knowledge. It starts with the family and moves
out to the extended family then to the neighbors and on to town folk and into
the blogosphere. Many people have grown up in similar circumstances and have
similar experiences. We must practice our learned skills and trades all of
the time to stay fresh and perpetuate our way of life. We must keep acquiring
new
skills and more materials for survival. Preparedness is a constant quest.
Survival trades that I've learned:
ASE Certified Master Auto Technician
Journeyman Machinist and Apprentice Welder.
Experience with all aspects of house construction from framing to finish work,
including house wiring and plumbing for water, gas and DWV systems.
Professional ditch digger and home brewer of beer.
Survival tools, equipment, and material acquired over the years:
Comprehensive set of Snap-On hand tools, diagnostic equipment and garage.
Several redundant computers and complete wi-fi coverage with satellite internet.
All of the carpentry, plumbing and electrical tools needed to build a house.
All of the tools required to garden both manually and with gas engines.
Fence building tools and supplies.
5,500 watt gas generator.
Wood stove and saws, axes, mauls, wedges.
Stores of food, bits of gold and silver, books and manuals, and lots of lead.
Survival firearms battery:
Auto-Ordinance Model 1911A1 .45 ACP (I qualified Marksman in USCG)
Stag Arms AR-15 with 20” Bull barrel, 5.56 (I qualified Expert in USCG)
Marlin .22 WMR (squirrel / varmint gun)
Mossberg .22 LR (shot this since 1962)
Ruger M77 Mk II .270 Win. (my deer rifle)
Winchester Model 94 .32 Win. Special (got my first deer with Grandpa’s
gun)
Mossberg 12 ga. 3 -1/2” Ulti-Mag in Camo (turkey / duck / goose gun)
Winchester Model 1897 12 ga. 2-3/4” (I've shot this gun since 1969)
Reloading equipment and supplies (loads for Barnes Bullets)
Survival Quest 2009 (the final pieces I'll need for grid down and
"zombies"):
Ruger M77 Mk II .300 Win Mag with optics
A manual water pump (the old pump is
gone)
Wind turbine and photovoltaic panels for water pumping and power generation.
Battery bank and inverter
More kerosene lamps
Night Vision for the AR-15
Radios
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Cold and Dark--An Account of an Ice Storm, by Steve S.
Preparations
In January, 2008, the outlook for people in the United States appeared bleak.
I told my wife that we needed to stock-up on food because I felt that the supply
lines were thin and vulnerable. I began my preparations by Internet search.
I found JWR's SurvivalBlog and I bought a copy of his novel. In the meantime,
I started buying cases of canned goods. I bought food that we generally ate.
I looked at the expiration dates of every purchase. I tried to buy what would
last through 2011. Not much would, so I bought with the idea of buying more
later, looking for one year at a time.
The pantry was full. I had read Jim's book, and had found many links
on the SurvivalBlog that helped me know how much of what to buy to be balanced.
I bought a freezer at Sam’s Club and filled that also. I noticed that
food prices were increasing at an alarming rate in August. They were up 18%
on same item purchases, on average. Later that figure would reach 35%. I only
talked about this to a trusted few. My wife was starting to wonder about me.
Soon thereafter, a Harbor Freight store opened in Jonesboro, Arkansas, my home
base. There, I purchased several more items I saw as essential. I got a two
burner propane stove with a center grill feature. I bought some LED flashlights,
ropes, staple guns, and other miscellaneous items. Being a hunter and former
U.S. Army officer, I had a lot of camping (survival equipment) on hand. Sleeping
bags were there, polypropylene long johns, butane lighters, three 20 gallon
and one 100 gallon propane tanks were filled. I use them for my barbeque grill.
I told my wife that we should buy a generator. She said that if I thought we
should buy it, that I should. I didn’t.
I found some water barrels at a local food processing plant. I now have eight
55 gallon drums. I found 4 red 35 gallon chemical barrels that were set aside
for gasoline. I had about six 5 gallon gas cans to operate my 4 wheeler, fishing
boat, and sundry other small engines like lawn equipment and field water pumps.
Day to day, I am an NRA certified training counselor/instructor. Starting in
November 2008, my business started to boom. I had a 300% increase in Arkansas
concealed carry classes. That hasn’t stopped to this day. I have a 35
acre facility that is a former bean field, surrounded by thousands of farmland
acres and two liquor stores. I have a 1,200 square foot building for classroom
and office space, a 52 foot trailer for storage. My plan for survival guns
was simple. All guns were to be military calibers. Handguns would be .45 and
.38 calibers. Rifles would be .22 rimfire, 7.62x39, .308 and .30-06 calibers.
Shotguns would be 12 gauge. Stocks of ammunition were increased starting early
in 2008.
Shelter, food, security. What is left? Communications. I bought a set of 25
mile range pair of Motorola hand held communicators with recharger on sale
for $38. Stores of batteries were laid in. Cell phones. Transportation was
what we already had. 2001 Dodge Durango 4x4 and a 2005 Chevrolet 4x4 extended
cab pick-up.
The Storm
January 28, 2009. KAIT –TV weather in Jonesboro, Arkansas is forecasting
a wet winter storm cold front with frigid weather following out of the Northwest.
When it began, the outside temperature was about 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Freezing
rain collected on everything in near biblical quantity.
I was awakened in the early morning of January 29th and you could hear branches
starting to snap with a sound like gunshots. Outside, you could see flashes of
light as one by one, the transformers on the light poles blew out. The power
was off. It was time to go to work. First, open the flue and light the gas logs
in the fireplace. Inside the house, the temperature had quickly fallen to about
40 degrees. I thought to crack a window for ventilation draft to reduce the chances
of carbon monoxide poisoning. Then I set up a propane heater and went about blocking
off all rooms except the den and kitchen, which were adjoining. I used 4 mil
plastic to cover two entrances to the den. The temperature quickly found about
62 degrees. We placed a carbon monoxide detector in the room to keep us from
being statistics. The propane stove was set up over the electric range for cooking
and a 20 pound bottle of propane was connected to it. I started thinking about
how I should have bought a generator.
By morning, we felt isolated in our home. Very few vehicles were moving. The
world outside looked like a war zone with ice-laden limbs and the things they
crushed. With no electricity, the phones didn’t work. We ate breakfast
normally. The whole world became our refrigerator. No cable TV so we cranked
up the radio and began to listen to the results. Reports of some break-ins started
coming in as people abandoned all electric homes for the designated shelters
in town. Outlying areas quickly ran out of gasoline and propane. Stores emptied
out their goods and shelves became bare. Generators and flashlights were nonexistent.
Batteries and power supplies followed suit. Many businesses were unable to sell
anything as their computers were down and lights and heat were out. Sadly, no
one has a backup plan for how to sell anything without electricity. Gas cans
were a faint memory. I checked on our neighbors to make sure they were coping,
and to exchange cell phone numbers. The telephone system actually works without
outside electricity if the type of phone you use doesn’t need 110 volts
from the grid. We had one emergency phone for that reason, and it was operational.
I wondered how many people knew about that?
The day passed relatively uneventfully. We had everything we needed to exist
in a minor disaster. Some people didn’t. A few died for their lack of
preparedness.
After the passing of the first day of “survival,” tree limb removal
became the priority, while everyone fought what southerners call severe cold.
It was the 30th of January. The temperature was unrelenting with nighttime lows
of 9 degrees and daytime highs of 20. I was able to venture out for things that
would be nice to have, like a generator. You see, with a generator, our gas furnace
would work. All you need it for is the electric blower. It was the only hole
in the preparations. I went in to the local Lowe’s, after checking a couple
of other stores. In the back of the store there was a line of about 13 people.
I asked why they were there. There was a truck inbound with 75 generators. I
got in line. Twenty minutes later I was in the electric department buying the
necessary wire nuts and power cords needed to hook my [newly-purchased] generator
to
the
power
panel in my house.
When I got home, the first thing I did was to disconnect the house from the grid
by turning off the main breaker, outside the house. You must do this before attempting
to connect a generator to your power panel. Failure to do so could kill workmen
repairing downed power lines and connecting transformers. To get things operational
quickly, I used the cord provided with the generator, which used four grounded
plug outlets. To operate the [selected] areas to connect, I bought 10
gauge wire. We turned off all appliances and I pulled out the circuit breaker
for the
selected
rooms. I disconnected the wire from the circuit breaker and wired it directly
to each wire with a male plug on the other end to mate with the wire from the
generator. I did this for the heater circuit, the den wall circuit, the kitchen
wall circuit, and the master bedroom wall circuit. The heater kicked on.
I offer one final note about using a generator. The operation book has a chart
in it showing the watts used by each type of appliance. You must calculate the
[load] amount used by your appliances. It has to add up to less than your generators
running wattage rating.
We were on a main highway in town, and we had our electricity hooked to the grid
after spending only a few nights without. Many in town were without electricity
for three weeks. In outlying areas, some are still not connected. The line crews
working to restore power were fantastic. Limbs still line the highways and yards
a month after the event began.
Lessons Learned
It was nice to be confident in the preparations that we had made. It was also
easy to see the holes in the plan. I now have the generator that I knew I would
need when the grid goes down. After the fact, I also bought the connections necessary
to hook up the generator just by turning off the main breaker, plugging the generator
to an installed wall socket, and cranking it up. Cell phones go down after only
a few days without a charge. I bought a portable power battery for that purpose.
If we had been out of power long term, the generator would have had to have been
used on a part time basis, at night. That means that daytime operations would
have been using only one or two rooms, again. When power goes down, the best
fallback is natural gas, if you have it. I am in the process of planning where
to install additional natural gas stubs for appliances that can be added. The
natural gas hot water heater was a blessing. It was on from the start. The warmest
place in the house was the utility room where the water heater is located. Remember
to have books and games for those evening hours when you would have been watching
television. Make sure all of your gasoline cans stay filled and stabilized. Make
sure
all of your propane bottles stay charged. Make sure you have plenty of batteries
for radios and flashlights. Make sure you have enough essential medicines. Roger’s
Rangers rules #1 rule is "Don’t fergit nuthin!"
I may have missed a few issues, but I want to talk about future plans. I am going
to install photovoltaic panels to run an emergency LED lighting system. This
would
be
a small solar panel, probably 45-60 watts [and a deep cycle battery], as a precursor
to getting
a more comprehensive system. LED lights use very little electricity and they
are
very
long lasting.
More technology will be added as it becomes available. Reducing reliance on the
grid is the ultimate goal.
Final Words
You can war game and "what if" emergency situations as much as you
like. It is good to exercise your plan. The problem is that real situations
have a
way of
waking you up to the holes in your plans. Do not wait to begin planning for the
next disaster. People in tornado and earthquake zones know about being ready
for these things, but Mother Nature will have a surprise for you no matter
where
you are.
Prepare for the worst and pray to God that it doesn’t happen.
« Two Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle |Main| Letter Re: Idaho and Washington as Retreat Locales »
Letter Re: Selecting Retreat Properties--Pros and Cons of Buying Remote and Off Grid
Jim:
To follow-up on your
recent article, a very big “Pro” to buying
off-grid land that was not mentioned is that you will not have strangers
having
access to
your
property.
I am specifically
referring to the Meter Reader for the utility company. I have “country” property
on the Grid and have to furnish the Meter Reader a key to access the property
to read the electric meter. The Meter Reader comes once a month to read the
meter. I have not figured a way to deny them access. (Maybe you have a suggestion
on how to prevent the meter reader from accessing the property) This stranger
therefore has access to the property and also has a key to the gate and obviously
has some knowledge of what is physically located on the property since he traverses
the property to get to the meter. Being off grid puts you in a position to
be able to keep everyone off of the property which to me carries a lot of value.
- Carl D.
JWR Replies: Don't forget the propane delivery truck. But
at least that can be scheduled for once every couple of years, at your convenience,
and you don't need to give them a gate key.
« Letter Re: Pack a Property Tax Receipt in Your G.O.O.D. Kit, to Get Through Checkpoints |Main| Note from JWR: »
Selecting Retreat Properties--Pros and Cons of Buying Remote and Off Grid
I recently had a consulting client that hired me to do a search on his behalf
for a rural retreat property in southwestern Oregon. In the early stages of
the search, he asked about the pros and cons of buying undeveloped "off
grid"
properties that do not have utility power poles nearby. This summarizes my
reply:
From the standpoint of setting up a rural, self-sufficient retreat, an off-grid
parcel is actually advantageous, for two reasons:
1.) They are generally more remote and away from natural "lines of drift" and
hence are far less likely to be in the path of the Golden
Horde.
2.) Off-grid properties sell at up to a 30% discount versus comparable properties
that have grid power. On a large acreage, this savings is often enough to pay
for installing a photovoltaic power system
The downsides:
1.) Off-grid properties tend to be at higher elevation, since
it is just the "way out in the hills" properties that don't have
power poles nearby. Most of the low river valleys have long hence had grid
power. There are a few exception that I've encountered
2.) The property is unlikely to have line of sight to neighboring residences.
That can raise the risk of burglary if your retreat house is left unoccupied
for extended periods of time.
3.) There is remote (30+ minute drive to the nearest
town), and then there is very remote--a one hour+ drive to the nearest
town, part of which might be on either US Forest Service road or a road that
you have to maintain yourself. This could isolate you from commerce and social
interaction
especially in an era of fuel scarcity.
« Letter Re: Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals |Main| Note from JWR: »
Depression Proof Jobs for a 20 Year Depression - Part 2: Developing a Home-Based Business
Yesterday, in Part1, I discussed the "safe" and counter-cyclical occupations
for the unfolding economic depression. Today, I'd like to talk about one specific
approach:
self-employment
with a home-based business.
I posted most the following back in late 2005, but there are some important
points that are worth repeating:
The majority of SurvivalBlog readers that I talk with tell
me that they live in cities or suburbs, but they would like to live full
time at a retreat in a rural area. Their complaint is almost always the same: "...but
I'm not self-employed. I can't afford to live in the country because I can't
find work there, and the nature of my work doesn't allow telecommuting." They
feel stuck.
Over the years I've seen lots of people "pull the plug" and
move to the boonies with the hope that they'll find local work once
they get there. That usually doesn't work. Folks soon find that the most
rural jobs typically pay little more than minimum wage and they are often
informally
reserved for folks that were born and raised in the area. (Newcomers from
the big city certainly don't have hiring priority!)
My suggestion is to start a second income stream, with a
home-based business. Once you have that business started, then
start another one. There are numerous advantages to this
approach, namely:
You can get out of debt
You can generally build the businesses up gradually, so
that you don't need to quit your current occupation immediately
By working at home you will have the time to home school your children and
they will learn about how to operate a business.
You can live at your retreat full time. This will contribute to your self-sufficiency,
since you will be there to tend to your garden, fruit/nut trees, and livestock.
If one of your home-based businesses fails, then you can fall back on the
other.
Ideally, for someone that is preparedness-minded, a home-based business should
be something that is virtually recession proof, or possibly even depression
proof. Ask yourself: What are you good at? What knowledge or skills
do you have that you can utilize. Next, consider which businesses will flourish
during bad times. Some good examples might include:
Mail order/Internet sales/eBay Auctioning of preparedness-related products.
Locksmithing
Gunsmithing
Medical Transcription
Accounting
Repair/refurbishment businesses
Freelance writing
Blogging (with paid advertising) If you have knowledge about a niche industry
and there is currently no authoritative blog on the subject, then start your
own!
Mail order/Internet sales of entertainment items. (When times get bad, people
still set aside a sizable percentage of their income for "escape" from
their troubles. For example, video rental shops have done remarkably well
during recessions.)
Burglar Alarm Installation
Other home-based businesses that seem to do well only in
good economic times include:
Recruiting/Temporary Placement
Fine arts, crafts, and jewelry. Creating and marketing your own designs--not "assembly" for
some scammer. (See below.)
Mail order/Internet sales/eBay Auctions of luxury items, collectibles, or
other "discretionary spending" items
Personalized stationary and greeting cards (Freelance artwork)
Calligraphy
Web Design
Beware the scammers! The fine folks at www.scambusters.org have
compiled a "Top 10" list of common work-at-home and home based business scams
to beware of:
10. Craft Assembly
This scam encourages you to assemble toys, dolls, or other craft projects
at home with the promise of high per-piece rates. All you have to do is
pay
a fee up-front for the starter kit... which includes instructions and parts.
Sounds good? Well, once you finish assembling your first batch of crafts,
you'll be told by the company that they "don't meet our specifications."
In fact, even if you were a robot and did it perfectly, it would be impossible
for you to meet their specifications. The scammer company is making money selling
the starter kits -- not selling the assembled product. So, you're left with
a set of assembled crafts... and no one to sell them to.
9. Medical Billing
In this scam, you pay $300-$900 for everything (supposedly) you need to start
your own medical billing service at home. You're promised state-of-the-art
medical billing software, as well as a list of potential clients in your
area.
What you're not told is that most medical clinics process their own bills,
or outsource the processing to firms, not individuals. Your software may
not meet their specifications, and often the lists of "potential clients" are
outdated or just plain wrong.
As usual, trying to get a refund from the medical billing company is like trying
to get blood from a stone.
8. Email Processing
This is a twist on the classic "envelope stuffing scam" (see #1 below).
For a low price ($50?) you can become a "highly-paid" email processor
working "from the comfort of your own home."
Now... what do you suppose an email processor does? If you have visions of
forwarding or editing emails, forget it. What you get for your money are instructions
on spamming the same ad you responded to in newsgroups and Web forums!
Think about it -- they offer to pay you $25 per e-mail processed -- would any
legitimate company pay that?
7. "A List of Companies Looking for Homeworkers!"
In this one, you pay a small fee for a list of companies looking for homeworkers
just like you.
The only problem is that the list is usually a generic list of companies, companies
that don't take homeworkers, or companies that may have accepted homeworkers
long, long ago. Don't expect to get your money back with this one.
6. "Just Call This 1-900 Number For More Information..."
No need to spend too much time (or money) on this one. 1-900 numbers cost money
to call, and that's how the scammers make their profit. Save your money --
don't call a 1-900 number for more information about a supposed work-at-home
job.
5. Typing At Home
If you use the Internet a lot, then odds are that you're probably a good
typist. How better to capitalize on it than making money by typing at home?
Here's
how it works: After sending the fee to the scammer for "more information," you
receive a disk and printed information that tells you to place home typist
ads and sell copies of the disk to the suckers who reply to you. Like #8,
this scam tries to turn you into a scammer!
4. "Turn Your Computer Into a Money-Making Machine!"
Well, this one's at least half-true. To be completely true, it should read: "Turn
your computer into a money-making machine... for spammers!"
This is much the same spam as #5, above. Once you pay your money, you'll
be sent instructions on how to place ads and pull in suckers to "turn
their computers into money-making machines."
3. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)
If you've heard of network marketing (like Amway), then you know that there
are legitimate MLM businesses based on agents selling products or services.
One big problem with MLMs, though, is when the pyramid and the ladder-climbing
become more important than selling the actual product or service. If the
MLM business opportunity is all about finding new recruits rather than selling
products or services, beware: The Federal Trade Commission may consider it
to be a pyramid scheme... and not only can you lose all your money, but you
can be charged with fraud, too!
We saw an interesting MLM scam recently: one MLM company advertised the
product they were selling as FREE. The fine print, however, states that
it is "free
in the sense that you could be earning commissions and bonuses in excess of
the cost of your monthly purchase of" the product. Does that sound like
free to you?
2. Chain Letters/Emails ("Make Money Fast")
If you've been on the Internet for any length of time, you've probably received
or at least seen these chain emails. They promise that all you have to
do is send the email along plus some money by mail to the top names on
the list,
then add your name to the bottom... and one day you'll be a millionaire.
Actually, the only thing you might be one day is prosecuted for fraud.
This is a classic pyramid scheme, and most times the names in the chain
emails
are manipulated to make sure only the people at the top of the list (the
true scammers) make any money. This scam should be called "Lose Money
Fast" -- and it's illegal.
1. Envelope Stuffing
This is the classic work-at-home scam. It's been around since the U.S. Depression
of the 1920s and 1930s, and it's moved onto the Internet like a cockroach
you just can't eliminate. There are several variations, but here's a sample:
Much like #5 and #4 above, you are promised to be paid $1-2 for every envelope
you stuff. All you have to do is send money and you're guaranteed "up
to 1,000 envelopes a week that you can stuff... with postage and address
already affixed!" When you send your money, you get a short manual
with flyer templates you're supposed to put up around town, advertising
yet another
harebrained work-from-home scheme. And the pre-addressed, pre-paid envelopes?
Well, when people see those flyers, all they have to do is send you $2.00
in a pre-addressed, pre-paid envelope. Then you stuff that envelope with
another flyer and send it to them. Ingenious perhaps... but certainly illegal
and unethical.
From all that I've heard, most franchises and multi-level marketing schemes
are not profitable unless you pick a great product or service, and you
already have a strong background in sales. Beware of any franchise where you
wouldn't have a protected territory. My general advice is this: You will probably
be better off starting your own business,
making, retailing, or consulting about something where you can leverage
your existing knowledge and/or experience.
---
In closing, I'd like to reemphasize that home security and locksmithing are
likely to provide steady and profitable employment for the next few years,
since hard
economic times are likely to trigger a substantial crime wave. After
all, someone has
to keep watch on the tens of thousands of foreclosed, vacant houses. (If not
watched, then crack cocaine addicts, Chicago syndicate politicians, or other
undesirables might move in!)
« Letter Re: Kids and Home Security |Main| Note from JWR: »
Perspectives on Prepping on a Very Low Income, by Kuraly
I was raised in a missionary family, on nine different mission fields around
the world. At the age of nineteen, I went out to serve the Lord on my own in
the former Soviet Union. I had no formal Theological training, but was accepted
by the missionary societies of my denomination because of my experience under
my father and my willingness to go to dangerous areas.
I married, and my wife and I have now six children. A few years ago, due to
some changes in my theology, I fell out of favor with my denomination and had
to return home to the USA. I was faced with a situation of suddenly having
to feed and care for a large family with: 1. no formal education/training/skills
of any kind and 2. very little understanding of the southern American culture
that I found myself living in. I was forced to take very low-paying jobs and
survive on a low-income.
With our savings we were able to buy a small rural house and 7.5 acres in the
southeast. We were able to pay cash, I wanted it to be ours with no strings
attached, regardless of what the future held. I figured that at the very least
we would have a roof and some plantable land. I bought in the area my parents
lived in to help care for them as they progressed in years.
Our income is very limited. I work at just above minimum wage. I work a full-time
job and another part-time job. I am thankful that the Lord provides.
As I studied current events I became concerned about the possibility of a world-wide
economic and/or societal collapse of some kind, or a societal break-down here
in the USA resulting from any number of possible reasons. I had witnessed the
chaos of the nineties in the former Soviet Union, had watched doctors and physicists
sweep streets and live off of potatoes and bread for months on end, and I was
concerned about my responsibility to feed my family should a similar collapse
happen here.
What can you do when you have very limited means? Actually there is much you
can do. It amounts to setting goals and getting your family on board with you.
The first thing I did was (after my wife and I had many long talks and she
began to see things in a similar way), I gathered the family around and explained
everything to them. I explained about our limited means, exactly how much money
was coming in, how much went to utilities, fuel, etc. I explained what I believed
the dangers were. I explained what we needed to do as a family. Let me interject
here that after being born and growing up on a third-world mission field, they
were far from spoiled children! They were accustomed to living in tight quarters,
washing in cold water, eating cheap, and basically just "roughing it."
My first priority was for two weeks worth of provisions. We began to buy a
few extra cans of food when we went shopping. I set a goal of 20 dollars per
week for prepping. Some weeks ten dollars of canned goods and/or dried foods
like rice, beans or noodles, and ten dollars in ammo or medical supplies. Some
weeks just food, some weeks just extra gasoline. We bought gas cans at thrift
stores and garage sales for a dollar apiece, Large scented candles (better
than nothing) at closeout sales and garage sales for 30 and 50 cents, and just
about anything we could scrounge that might come in handy if the lights went
out. It did not take us long to build up enough supplies to last two weeks
in an emergency. We had enough gasoline to drive to work for two weeks (if
needed), enough food for our family plus a little extra, and candles, radios,
batteries and other odds and ends to get by.
I had also along the way added
to my ammunition stocks for my Winchester .30-30, and my bolt-action .22 LR.
After we reached the point where we felt we had enough for a two-week catastrophe,
we began to focus on the six-month time frame. This opened up many entirely
new possibilities. since the food required for this amount of time was such
a major expense, we had to make sure that it would last for several years.
This raised the issue of long-term storage in buckets, mylar bags and oxygen-absorbers.
We had to save for months to buy an order of oxygen-absorbers and mylar bags
on e-bay! We found low-cost buckets and began to fill them with rice, feed
corn, corn meal, noodles, beans etc. Anything that was inexpensive. We taught
the children to like corn-meal mush and grits since they might get quite a
bit of it one day!
Gradually we worked our way up to 30 buckets. At this point I made a strategic
decision. I decided that we needed to invest our extra funds in gardening.
Not entirely stopping the food storage, but reducing it in favor of procuring
means and experience in growing and canning our own food. We began to buy canning
jars and lids to put away in the attic for the future. My father gave us a
tiller with a blown engine which we were able to get fixed, and we began to
garden. The first garden was not very well thought-out. Some things grew, some
did not. But we learned. We learned first-hand what pollination means and about
soil fertility. We learned about bugs and blight. We gained valuable experience.
We also invested in chickens, and watched some of them die, some of them be
eaten by neighbor's dogs, some get eaten by our dogs, and the hardy survivors
begin to lay eggs. We watched them eat their own eggs and learned to give them
calcium. We let half of them free range and half range in portable pens that
we built which have an open floor that we could move each day to fresh grass.
We learned how to make them roost and lay where they were supposed to.
We bought some rabbits and learned a lot, real fast! We experimented with many
types of portable cages for rabbits which would allow us to move them from
one grassy spot to another without giving them time to dig a burrow. Sometimes
we would wake up and find rabbit carcases torn to shreds, because a neighborhood
cat had gotten to them. My kids handled most of this, and they learned things
the hard way.
If you haven't figured it out yet, We were totally green. I spent my life traveling
and overseeing the translation of Christian literature into foreign languages.
My wife is a musician. We had zero experience at any of this, and no one around
that we knew to advise us. We had to learn everything from scratch. We bought
a goat and promptly saw it attacked and killed by a stray dog. That hurt,
financially as well as emotionally. After sending the dog to join the
goat "on the other side", I bought another goat. and then another.
These have survived. We have learned to care for them.
Gradually I am seeing my children grow confident in their relationship to the
animals under their care. Gradually we are learning the needs of these animals
and how to make them produce for us. If we had had some kind of hands-on training,
it would have saved the lives of a lot of animals, but we didn't. I am happy
to announce a much higher survival rate for animals that we bring home now.
I felt like I needed a greater firearms capability (what man doesn't?). I thought
long and hard. At first I bought a Mosin-Nagant since they were so cheap ($75)
and the ammo was dirt-cheap as well. I then began to consider what type of
semi-automatic I could afford. I looked at the prices of ammo which was very
critical since I would have to train my entire family to shoot. At the time
the best deal for us appeared to be the SKS rifle.
It was cheap (a good quality Yugo[slavian SKS] was less than $200), dependable,
semi-auto and the ammo was
very cheap at the time. I later added a cheap 12 gauge pump, and last but not
least,
a
17 round Bersa Thunder 9mm. After purchasing these guns I began to pick up
ammo for them when I could find it on sale. I have gradually gotten up to about
500 rounds for each of them.
I then turned my attention to our home and it's defense. While we live in the
country, we are close to our neighbors 100 yards +/-, about five miles from
a small town, about 15 miles from a large town, and about 90 miles from Atlanta
(upwind fortunately). My greatest concern is our proximity to the road. The
house is only about 65 feet from the dirt road in front of our house. A looter
or burglar/rapist could be at the door or windows before the dog barked. In
response to this my next expenditure is to be fence posts, fencing, and barbed
wire, along with a row of thorny bushes in front of the wire next to the road.
Our house is a soft target, offering no ballistic protection. My remedy/forlorn
hope is to have plenty of sand and gravel on hand, and to start checking the
thrift stores for pillow cases to buy and store. perhaps we would have time
to bag up sand bags and at least harden up certain corners or rooms of the
house. We also have several large piles of sandstone (we live on top of a mountain)
which could be placed strategically and then perhaps sand bags on top of that.
We could also cut logs and add that to the mix.
Our water supply is a [grid-powered] electric well. This is one of my biggest
worries. We have made it a priority to buy a generator at least strong enough
to run
the
well and freezers for an hour or two a day. I know that this is only a temporary
solution but is about all we can handle right now. I am very thankful for the
non-fiction writing contribution about the siphon pumps for wells such as mine,
that offered up new possibilities which I have not had time to address yet.
We also have a neighbor 1/4 mile away which has an artesian spring on his property,
though it has extremely high iron content. I have purchased two 330 gallon
plastic livestock watering tanks and several drums which I can fill at the
first sign of trouble. I can also load them on my little trailer and pull them
down to the neighbor's to fill up from his well. I just need to check on the
ramifications of the high iron content.
I am also trying to fill up as many containers as possible with gasoline. I
add Sta-Bil and plan to use/rotate it yearly (as long as the price stays low).
I would like to keep at least 250 to 500 gallons on hand at all times. I buy
old gas cans at yard sales and just found a source for cheap 55 gallon drums
with sealed lids ($3). I may start using them instead.
Our immediate plans are to build more pens and raise more chickens and goats,
maybe a pig or two. We also look forward to planting a much bigger garden this
spring and maybe use some of our hard-won experience of last year. We also
want to involve the kids in martial arts classes if we can afford it, as well
as herb-collecting hikes from the local community college field school (which
are free and fun). We want to spend more time with them in the woods and in
the garden so that they feel comfortable there and begin to think about survival
from their own perspective. We also are beginning to exploit the library for
free resources for them to study on various topics.
The future of this country looks grim. As Christians we have "read the
back of the Book" and we know Who wins. Our responsibility is to be good
stewards of the talents we have, perform our duties as husbands and wives,
mothers and fathers, and ultimately, to trust Him for that which is beyond
our vision and power.
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Two Letters Re: Alaska as a Retreat Locale
Jim,
For starters I would like to say that Jim you are dead-on with your Delta
Junction recommendation. I live near Delta. And it is some of the finest
farm land in the
world. everything grows amazing here. Some of the information in the previous
letters is wrong and I would like to clarify them . The growing season may
be a little shorter in days of light, but in total hours of light it is much
longer than other places. It gets light here in May and gets dark at night
again in late August. Some vegetables will grow great, some don't do so well,
Corn doesn't like it, but potatoes grow without trying. And as for isolation,
that's the idea. Things are harder to get, but you learn to live with less
and enjoy it more. As for power, at least in the Delta area you do not need
to worry about that in the winter, solar is awesome here in the summer, but
in winter the wind is ever present. I have four wind generators that I built
from old car alternators and Fan blades. I never had a loss in the battery
bank.
I live off of their grid anyway, so I am used to adapting.
As for the wood
situation, certain types of trees do incredibly well here, And they grow faster
not slower, I have trees that I know weren't there ten years ago and are over
twelve feet tall, Spruces grow well here, and birch is my main heat, I have
a fair sized house, and a new, catalyst stove and burn 5-to-7 cords of wood
per
winter.
Fuel is more expensive here, but it fluctuates like anywhere else,
buy when the price is low, and stockpile it. In this area it is common for
people to have a couple of 1,000 gallon tanks buried in their yard, Moose and
caribou ar always around as a meat source, as with buffalo in this area. (Yes
we have buffalo in Alaska). Along with Many other species of flora and fauna.
On the other hand Alaska is not a place for those who can not take care of
themselves. In this area it is not uncommon to see the temps dip below -60,F.
I have seen -72. It is dark all winter, And the stores never have what you
want.
There is plenty of water though, my well is thirty feet deep, and the pump
is set down to twenty feet, My suggestion for people who are thinking about
moving to Alaska is simple, Unless you have lived a subsistence lifestyle for
a while, are used to constant extreme weather changes, and can do it on your
own, stay where you are, or find some place else. As for me, I will never go
outside [Alaska] again, you can keep it. - Z. in Alaska
Mr. Rawles
I too am a long time reader and this is also the first time I have written.
I urge all of your readers to take head to Mr. Galt's letter concerning Alaska
as a retreat locale. It is harsh up here. I live in Delta Junction area and
love it. We have been here for over 10 years now and have our place set up
pretty well. We live off grid and in the bush, hunt, fish, trap, mush dogs
etc. etc. I wouldn't encourage anyone to try to move here and set up a retreat
this late in the game. We just went through a couple weeks of -50 to -60(Tok
recorded -78) temperatures then 70 m.p.h. hour winds that blew down many
trees and damaged a lot of structures. These things are a regular occurrence.
A lot
of Russian immigrants have moved from the lower 48 into the Delta area. Most
of the ones I have met seem to be good people but most live off welfare.
When the welfare stops we'll have problems. The bad bunch of them are thieves
already not just the Russian but Americans also. The Russian community has
a bad reputation for it though. Anyone planning to move here and find a job
might be in for a rude awakening.
The local jobs don't pay enough to live on the grid and the government jobs
stay filled mostly. Delta is profiting from a small military bubble economy
brought
about
by the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense
(GMD) program but with you know in office now all that could come to a
screeching halt at anytime. Because of the GMD program everyone around here
thinks their land has gold on it and prices it
accordingly.
Yes, Delta does have a big farming community. Most of the farmers get buy
living off of government programs and are deeply in debt. The ones that don't
live
off the program hurt. Most farms lay dormant wile collecting CRP checks.
I have heard that there will be no more new CRP contracts in the future. The
fertility of the farm land has gone way down too because of the climate here.
The cold doesn't allow much time for plant matter to decompose plus it's hard
to have crop rotation with only Barley. (Barley, hay grasses, potatoes, and
carrots are the main crops grown here.) For the last three years we have had
a frost in the middle
of August that pretty much killed any vegetables that were not in a green house.
Wells in Delta are any where from 40 to 450 feet in depth. If you buy land
where there is bed rock you may drill 450 deep and still get mastodon pee to
drink. Wells are at $50 a foot this year. Better plan on how to get water out
of the well when the power goes down. Currently heating oil is 2.23 at the
pump in town, more if its delivered. Diesel is currently $3.69. It hit $5 last
winter. Fire wood from Delta Lumber is $180 per cord until they run out for
the winter other sources are up to $250. The people from Delta lumber are great
people and will work themselves silly trying make sure no one goes cold. I
have seen one add for firewood for $300 per cord. Dry firewood is a must because
-50 the soot form green wood builds in the chimney thus creating chimney fire.
A friend of mine got burned out at -50 for that very reason. They didn't get
in enough dry wood for the winter. Luckily they were able to run to separate
garage and no one suffered any cold injuries. Finding a place to cut fire wood
now is getting hard to find.
Most people here are enjoying high power bills now since Golden Valley increased
their rates. The average size house power bill is running $300- $400 [per month]
in the winter maybe less if your really frugal. You have to keep your vehicles
plugged in. In a diesel that is like running a 1,500 watt electric heater.
Wind power is a possibility if your turbine can withstand the wind. Closer
to the mountains it has been 100 mph. The wind here isn't steady it is really
gusty, not good for turbine. Rent is running around a $1,000 and up for a three
bedroom home. Certified sewers are from $6,000 to $16,000 depending. Cost to
build is running around the $150 per square foot range and going up.
If you don't know how Seasonal Affect Disorder (SAD) will affect you, then
you's better find out before you try to make a permanent move here. Cabin fever
has been the demise of many people who move here and plan to live the wilderness
experience. The only cure for it is to be outside. It don't matter what the
the temp is you got to get out side when it's light. SAD has be the cause for
suicide, alcoholism, and drugs. People do the latter two to cope. I personally
have never had it. I have too much work to do. People who don't procrastinate
and get all there chores done and food stores in order for the winter and plan
to stay in the cabin for the winter suffer the worse. We don't procrastinate
but we don't stay in either. The cabin is only a place to warm up, eat and
sleep. Living is done outside the cabin. We trap, mush dogs, care for the horses,
cut more fire wood when it's not too cold, fire up the blacksmith forge, build
some log furniture. It is easy to get lazy and lethargic during the winter.
You have to fight the urge daily. We had a couple move in not to far from us.
I told the lady to make sure she kept the windows uncovered in the winter.
Well, they were the lazy type and didn't ever have enough wood cut so they
covered the windows and blocked out some of the cold but mostly the light.
They made
it though one winter but the next one they didn't. They pulled up [stakes]
and left middle of the winter.
As much as I love living here, if I were looking for a retreat locale this
late in the game then it would be some place more hospitable. We did move here
for the
lack of people and when things get even worse I expect people to start migrating
out of Alaska especially the interior. It requires a lot of hard work to live
here more especially so if your living off the land. How would you like to
cut 20 cords of wood with a hand operated saw and axe when you run out of gas
and or you saw goes down? Running chain saws in the sub-zero weather is hard
on them. Better get extra clutches for them. What about when the mosquitoes
bloom and you have run out of bug dope?
Hunting is decent here. The Russian community poaches a lot of the moose in
the Delta management area. They do it to eat. I am not knocking them for that.
When the SHTF it
will be even worse therefore even we will have to start going further into
the bush to hunt using sled teams to get there. If you plan to
have dogs and sled they require a lot of food. [Here they eat mostly] fish.
The salmon that makes it this far inland is [best -suited for] dog food. It
is pretty beat up by the
time
is gets
here.
The flesh is a faint pink to gray color as they are close to the end of the
life span. Anyone planning to come to Alaska to survive the upheaval better
have there you know what together or they won't make it. This land is unforgiving
and the least mistakes get big in a hurry. Sorry that my letter has gotten
so long but I want people to know what they are getting into if they come here
thinking
it's paradise. It ain't. but it's the life we love. People here are willing
to help if you are not stupid. Our favorite saying around here is "If
you gonna be dumb then you'd better be tough" - C.B.
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Letter Re: Alaska as a Retreat Locale
Mr. Rawles,
Although being an avid reader, this is the first time I have written your site.
The letters posted on your site today respecting Alaska as a retreat locale
raised a few possible issues in my mind. First of all, let me say that Alaska
is my favorite place in the world, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
However, as a retreat locale, one may want to think twice unless the situation
forces their location there. Also, it is important to remember that the conditions
and terrain in Alaska are very wide ranging, depending where you are. The
climate can range from arctic in the north to relatively mild in the south.
I have heard the climate in the south compared to that of the mid-Atlantic
states on the East coast.
Most parts of the state are totally without agriculture, but there is some
in the Matanuska-Susitna
Valley. The growing season is usually around 100 days
long, and can produce huge vegetables because of the length of the days. Some
vegetables do well there, such as potatoes, carrots and cabbage.
Therefore, if one intends to do any kind of farming in Alaska, the "Mat-Su"
Valley is where it is possible. However, there is a major drawback to this
fact,
from
the perspective of retreat logistics. The Mat-Su valley is one of the most
densely populated areas of the state. It has, as of late, been converting
to suburban communities for workers who commute to Anchorage. As we all
know,
the suburbs are a bad, bad place to be WTSHTF.
And even if one were to build a retreat in a section of the valley not yet
suburban, there is no way to
know that it would remain so for the next five years or more.
Prepping before the SHTF is
made more difficult by the state's isolation. Building materials, fuel,
food, guns, ammo, medical supplies and any other product must be shipped in
from the [continental] US or elsewhere.
This makes these
products not only
more expensive, but generally less available, especially outside of the urban
centers. Ordering off the web makes them easier to get, but the shipping
is still expensive. Fuel of any kind is the most expensive in the nation,
and
ammo is pretty over-priced, too.
Fuel, as one letter pointed out, is a major problem. Getting by without fossil
fuels is a main goal of most preppers, and it may prove more difficult in
Alaska. Solar is out, at least during the winter. Not only is there very
little light,
but it is less intense than elsewhere, due to the oblique angle at which
it hits the state (as it is so far north). I don't know a lot about wind,
so that
may be a possibility. If it was, any parts would be difficult to get. As
K.L.'s letter says, firewood is a possibility, but this raises three issues.
As he says, with no gas or diesel = no power tools to cut [and haul firewood].
Any broken hand tools would be irreplaceable, and even having extras is likely
not enough
when you plan to cut by hand and burn firewood for a very extended period
of time.
Hand cutting firewood is also time consuming.
Since it would need to be done in the summer, it would take up time for farming
and other chores. This might not be a problem if you are part of a large
retreat group, however. Also, felling trees, in any way, especially by hand,
is extremely
dangerous. I would strongly recommend a logger certification class for anyone
planning to possibly use firewood as a retreat fuel. Although the course
will focus on mechanical forestry, the safety principles are the same universally.
Third, unless one has a retreat on a very spacious lot, it is possible to
run out of firewood to cut. Trees grow much slower in Alaska People who
do not heat
their homes in this manner would be surprised at the amount of fuel a wood
stove can use in a winter. For instance, to heat the house on my family farm,
it
takes roughly 10 to 15 cords to get through the winter,
with a little to spare for safety's sake. And that is back in New York, not
Alaska. Imagine cutting
that much
firewood on a 25 acre lot for five years or more. One may be able to cut
off of their property, but that is a bad way to meet the neighbors, especially
after
TSHTF.
This letter ran much longer than I planned, and I would like to go on further,
but time prevents me from doing so. In short, think twice about a retreat
in Alaska. It is absolutely possible, but would present much greater difficulties
than other feasible places. In the lower 48, one can find the same type of
isolated area, but with:
Better farming conditions
Lower prices in general
A climate not requiring huge amounts of fuel for the winter
Ability to travel through the US without crossing international borders
(If they still exist after TSHTF)
And so forth...
If you think you can do it, then go for it. My wife thinks I'm trying to keep
it all for myself. - J. Galt
JWR Replies: Thanks for that input. I have my doubts about
the viability of the Mat-Su Valley in worst-case collapse. Its proximity to
the hungry, teeming
masses of Anchorage is troubling. Alaska cannot feed its population, even
in today's economy, and one can only wonder what it would be like grid-down,
with no
fuel available.
I encourage anyone serious about living in Alaska to look
at the
Delta Junction area, in Alaska's interior. I haven't been there since
the summer of 1980 (when I attended the U.S. Army Northern
Warfare School), but it struck me as a very productive agricultural
region.)
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Retreat Building Lighting Systems, by The Old Yooper
Lighting systems in a retreat home (not connected to the grid).
My home does not fit the definition of a retreat. I built it about 30 years
ago in the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) when the idea of a retreat location
was not on my radar screen. Only by coincidence has my home worked out to fit
a retreat definition, better situated them many, not as good as some. It is
quite secluded, the only house at the end of a dead end dirt road. It has never
had grid power run to it. The utility company wanted as much money to run the
power lines through the woods back to my cabin as the cabin cost me to build.
It’s not that I didn’t know that when I built the cabin, I just
did not think it was anything I needed to have at the time. This is not that
unusual in the UP as it may seem to most people. There are lots of homesteads
too far off the beaten path to have grid power connected up here in the UP.
The cabin is 2000 sq. ft. with three bedrooms, two baths, living room, kitchen
and dining room. Also a full basement, not included in the square footage above.
It is as modern as most houses today except for how every thing works. I will
only concentrate on lighting in this essay. In later essays (if anyone is interested)
I can explain cooking, refrigeration, heating, electricity, etc. I hope you
don’t mind my folksy/personal writing style; it’s just the way
I am.
Today we are heading into a monumental depression of historic magnitude. No
one truly knows how bad it will get or how long it will last. I think it was
Benjamin Franklin that said “prepare for the worst and hope for the best” and
that’s as true today as it was over 200 years ago. I know the subject
of lighting may seem somewhat mundane and even silly to some, put a few candles
away and we will be OK, they hope. But without sustained, reliable lighting,
day to day life can get pretty difficult at best. It’s important to try
to keep your home as normal as possible in the hard times ahead for you, your
family and whoever may be seeking refuge with you. All lighting systems take
energy of some form just as cooking and heating do, this is the first thing
to keep in mind when planning for your lighting systems.
As Mr. Rawles has said in the past “two is one and one is none”.
I have learned this the hard way, by experiencing a failure in a system. I
have four, separate, distinct and independent (from each other) lighting systems
in the house. So a failure of one or even two will not make my lights go out.
The first lighting system is AC electric. The cabin is fully wired for 110/220V
AC power, normal household electrical current. Supplied via gas generator,
wind
generator, and inverter/charger battery bank system, again if anyone is
interested I can go into greater detail about the electrical systems in another
essay. For the most part the electric lights in the house are compact fluorescent
with a few exceptions. One of the exceptions are the under-cabinet 10 watt
halogen lights in the kitchen. Ten watts is not much but there are 13 of them
under
the cabinets. I must admit that they are nice to have on and 130 watts is not
all that much either, however I tend to forget about them being on and along
with the TV and lights on in the living room, bathroom and a bedroom (kids,
you
know how that is) the batteries are drawn down much too fast. Well I can’t
use the kids excuse anymore, it's grandkids now. We all know how electric lights
work; you flip a switch and the lights come on. That is true with inverter
power also, as long as you use the right inverter system.
Just to be clear about electricity, it is by far the most convenient and at
the same time the most susceptible to failure of all the lighting systems I
use. I have run out of gas, aggravating at the time but not a major problem,
unless gas becomes unavailable? I have had generator and/or inverter system
failures; yes even the best will not last indefinitely. The worst electrical
failure I have experienced was lightning hitting the phone line coming into
the cabin. The phone lines are underground but the lightning hit it anyway.
It followed the line into the house, blowing every phone jack off the walls
and ruined all three of my phones. It also crossed over to the electrical wiring
and fried most every thing plugged in to wall outlets. NOTE: I have plug strips
supposedly with electrical breakers built into them, so I can turn off the
TV, stereo, and the like so they will not run down the batteries. All modern
electronics and appliances use power even when there not in use. [JWR
Adds: These are so-called
"phantom loads", typically caused the microcircuits for clocks and
other sub-modules.] The lightning went across these plug strips as if they
were hard wired in.
This
was a major
system failure. My homes owners insurance covered all repairs and replacements.
However in a TEOTWAWKI there would be no insurance and no repairs or replacements
unless I fixed them myself and, spare parts would be out of the question.
My second lighting system is propane gas. The cabin is plumbed for gas lights
in most of the main rooms down stairs and the master bedroom and bathroom upstairs.
These are gas mantle lights. To light them I use a Bic lighter under the mantle
and turn on the gas, and I have instant light. When I first installed the gas
lights, I would use a kitchen match (wooden matches), to light them. I soon
discovered I was very good at poking a hole in the mantle with the match; I
soon switched to a Bic lighter. Mantles cost about $7.00 each. They are about
as bright as a 65 to 70 watt incandescent light bulb. I have two styles of
gas mantle lights in my home. The first and the ones I started with are Humphrey
gas lights; I only have two of them. These are good dependable well made lighting
fixtures of sheet metal construction; the only drawback is there a little homely.
As far as I know there is only one style, a wall mount fixture. Humphrey gas
lighting fixtures can be found at most propane distributors and country hardware
stores.
The second gas lighting fixture and the one I prefer is Falks gas lighting
fixtures. These are a much more elegant lighting fixture made in Canada out
of solid brass. There are three styles of Falks lighting fixtures to pick from.
A single mantle wall mount, double mantle wall mount and a double mantle chandelier,
I have all three styles in my cabin. Both the Humphrey and Falks gas lights
use the same globes and mantles. I have several spare mantles and globes on
hand at all times. Falks gas lights can be ordered from Lehman's. The
cost for the single Falks gas light is about $80 US and $75 US for a Humphrey
gas light. Gas lights are just as bright as electric lights.
When I installed the gas lights I used 1⁄2” soft copper tubing
for main runs and 3/8” soft copper tubing off the main run for a single
lighting fixture. If you put in gas lights never use hard copper tubing that
requires soldering the joints. Only use soft copper tubing and flare fittings
that are designed for gas applications. Use a soap swab to check for gas leaks
at every connection. Never use a match to check for leaks. If there is a leak
(and there will be some) at a connection you can have an instant blow torch
on your hands, and that blow torch can just as well be in your face. If you
do not know how to install gas fixtures have a licensed plumber do them.
Both Falks and Humphrey gas lights use about .085 lb of gas per hour per mantle.
I think a little math is in order here.
One gallon of propane weighs about 4.23 lb.
A 20 lb. propane tank (type for gas grills) contains somewhere in the neighborhood
of 4.7 gallons of gas. If you did the math you will find that it isn’t
exactly 20 lbs., the numbers aren’t carried out properly to the last
decimal place.
Therefore a 20 lb. propane tank will run one mantle light for approximately
234 hours of continues use. If you ran a gas light for 5 hours a night one
20 lb. tank will last for 47 days. However refilling 20 lb. tanks is the most
expensive way to buy and store propane gas.
A 100 lb. tank will run one mantle light for approximately 1,176 hours of continues
use. And if you ran a gas light for 5 hours a night, one 100 lb. tank will
last for 235 days more or less. I’m sure someone will check my math to
see if it works out and that’s Okay, I make lots of mistakes.
I have a 500 gallon propane pig (tank) for gas, which is kind of a lot for
just lighting. I also use propane for other things in my cabin. The last time
propane was delivered last October it cost $2.49 per gallon. At that price
it cost approximately $0.05 per hour to run one light. Also propane will store
for ever with no degradation of the gas (it doesn’t "go bad"). You can’t
say that for gasoline, kerosene or diesel. A side note: I am told that we are
in a deflationary spiral, but the only things that I can see going down in
price is real estate and gasoline. Food, clothing, repairs of anything and
the stuff you need day to day haven’t gone down at all. (Just a little
whining).
My third independent lighting system; kerosene lights. I use two types of kerosene
lights in the cabin. The first is Aladdin lamps. I have four Aladdin lamps,
one is a Majestic Table lamp, and three Genie III shelf lamps one of which
is in a hanging fixture in my bedroom, and the two others are on each end of
the fireplace mantle. Aladdin lamps can be a bit temperamental to operate.
All Aladdin lamps are mantle lamps similar to Coleman Lanterns however they
use a round wick like an old kerosene lamp. The temperamental part, the wick
must be trimmed evenly all around the top. If it is not you will get flame
spikes (I call them horns) coming up into the mantle and if, (not when), these
little fiery horns touch the mantle it will start building up with carbon.
All you have to do is turn down thee wick so the horn is not touching the mantle
and the carbon will burn off the mantle. However if you don’t turn the
wick down, the mantle will continue to build up carbon and eventually put out
copious amounts of lovely black soot, to coat your ceiling and fill the air
with a witches' brew of noxious gas and smoke. On the bright side, Aladdin
lamps will generate the equivalent of a 50 watt incandescent light bulb and
at the
same time will put out about 2,700 BTU’s of heat, that’s a lot
of heat in the summer time from one lamp. In the evenings in the fall and spring
of the year, I can heat my cabin with nothing but Aladdin lamps (if it’s
not too cold out). A log cabin retains heat very well, and all my windows are
triple glazed. If you would like to try Aladdin lamps they are available
at many country hardware stores and Lehman’s by mail order. After making
it sound awful, I like my Aladdin lamps, it just takes a little practice to
learn how to use them. If you are going to use Aladdin lamps you will need
to stock up on Aladdin Chimneys, Mantles and Wicks. There are two types of
Aladdin Chimneys. The first is the Lox-On Chimney; I’ve had them last
for years and also had them break in a week. In my opinion the Heel-Less Chimney
is superior, it allows the glass to move as it heats up and cools off without
breaking. For about $12.00 a Gallery Adapter will convert a Burner to use a
Heel-less Chimney. Newly manufactured Aladdin Lamps come with Heel-Less Chimneys.
I have several table and wall mounted old fashion kerosene lamps. I also have
one very ornate Victorian hanging library lamp in my dinning room. It is solid
brass with a ruby red hob nail, glass shade, and lots of prisms. If it sounds
like my cabin is old fashioned, it is. One rule of thumb in lighting any kerosene
lamp, light the wick with a low flame and let the lamp and kerosene in it heat
up. As the kerosene gets hotter its viscosity goes down and flows much
faster. As the kerosene flows faster the flame will get bigger and bigger.
There is no reason for the chimney to soot up if you just start with a low
flame and let the lamp heat up. After the lamp is hot you can adjust the brightness.
If you plan on using kerosene lamps stock up on wicks and chimneys. The wicks
are consumables and no matter how careful you are chimneys break. Almost forgot,
every time the lamps are filled the wick should be trimmed, I trim the wick
just to clean it up flat across its top and I cut a small 45º angle off each
end of the wick, so the flame will have a domed appearance. If that is not
clear just experiment with it, you will learn as you go.
How mush kerosene should be stored? I am told that kerosene will last for about
15 years before it goes bad. In 2008 I used about 30 gallons of kerosene; I
use more in the winter then in the summer. In a TEOTWAWKI I would be mush more
conservative than I am right now. If you’re going to use kerosene as
one of your lighting systems I would suggest storing from 100 to 200 gallons
in 55 gallon plastic drums.
The last lighting system is just old fashion candles. Several years ago I was
able to acquire about 200 pounds of wax from a company I worked for. The
company applied wax to one of the products they manufactured. When they had
a product change on the coating machine they had to purge all the wax out of
the machine and put in a different formula for the changeover. The purged
wax was pumped out into five gallon buckets and discarded. It is amazing how
much stuff is thrown away that could be used in a grid down situation. All
this wax I have stashed will someday have to be made into candles. There are
two basic ways to make candles. The first is to mold (cast) them in a candle
mold. I have had one of these for a very long time; it casts 8 candles at a
time. The candle mold is simple to use. Just feed a pre-waxed string (wick)
through the hole in the bottom of each candle mold, bend it over so it will
not come out. Tie the other end to a rod across the top of the mold and fill
the mold with wax. Let the wax solidify, dip in hot water and pull out the
candles. Trim the string off the bottom of each candle and store in a cool
place until needed. Candle molds can be made fairly simply to just about any
length and diameter you desire. I have made 1” diameter x 14” long
candle molds. Use hard copper tubing, or PVC plastic pipe would work also.
Cut to the length desired and chamfer both ends inside and out side (de-burr
it). Take a cap that fits over the end of the tubing and drill a hole in the
center of it to fit the size of wick you have, or make. Use the same procedure
for casting candles above. After the candles are cast and hardened put the
molds in vary hot water to loosen the wax from the mold. Remove the mold from
the water and using a wooden rod with an end on it that fits the full diameter
of the candle push the candle out of the mold and let cool. The ends of the
candle will be flat, but this is not a drawback in my mind.
The second way to make candles is by dipping them. This way is a little more
cumbersome [and time consuming] and I don’t recommend it. But if anyone
is interested in hand dipping candles, just Google the subject to learn how.
One more safety concern, never melt wax in your house and never on your kitchen
stove. Melted wax is highly flammable. A wax fire is almost impossible to put
out with water; it just spreads the fire over the kitchen and all over you,
and anyone that is with you at the time. Do not take this warning lightly.
I make candles outside away from any buildings on a nice summer day. - The
Old Yooper
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Letter Re: Lessons from the January Ice Storm
Jim:
The Ice Storm that just plastered Kentucky brought some reminders of just how
bad things can get and how being prepared - in advance - is critical. Within
a few hours, everything became coated with a half-inch to an inch of ice:
roads, cars, trees, power lines - everything. Throughout the night, we heard
crashes as our neighbor's trees lost massive limbs. We knew it was only a
matter of time before trees limbs (which are not properly trimmed back by
our utility company in an attempt to cut costs) collapsed on power lines
and caused widespread outages. In the morning, everything had turned to crystal.
About a quarter million people were without power in our county, but almost
everyone in the western half of the state had lost power.
Our county actually did a good job of plowing and salting roads. Unfortunately,
it didn't help as hundreds of traffic lights weren't working. Traffic was snarled
badly and travel times easily doubled. Hundreds of businesses are closed and
loosing money every day the power stays off. Looking for a generator at the
local big box home and garden center? Forget it, quickly sold out. Ice scrapers,
gone. Gas cans, gone. Driveway salt, gone. Snow shovels, gone. The sales guy
told me they weren't going to get restocked for the rest of the season.
My daughter called from the university she attends about a four hour drive
to the West. Their whole city was without power and water. The university asked
students
to leave, if possible, and those who couldn't were sheltered in the campus
auditorium. They didn't have any cots so you had to sleep on the floor or in
the auditorium chairs. She wanted me to come pick her up, so as I headed out
the next morning on a full tank of gas, my plan was to stop at each significant
town on the way to check their power and gas pumping status. Each stop was
the same as the next - dead. As I neared the half-way point on my gas gauge,
not one city on the way had electricity. It's as if a nuclear ice bomb had
been dropped on the state. I turned back.
It's amazing when you fully realize how dependent our society has become on
electricity. We are being told it will take up to 7 days to completely restore
service in our county, which is completely urban. Out in the rural areas, they
say it will be two weeks or more. Temperatures have been dropping into the
teens at night. Lots of people I know have no alternatives to heat their homes
or cook food. Fireplaces, like mine, are electrically controlled gas logs.
I can't even light it manually. I've learned a lesson: get
what you need before you need it. Get extra. I will be buying a dependable
generator once this crisis
passes. My next home will be better equipped with alternative sources of heat
and power. - J.S.
JWR Replies: Events like the recent ice storm underscore
the need to be self -sufficient: Think things through, and prepare systematically:
Wood or coal fired
stoves with a horizontal cook top. Kerosene lamps and plenty of fuel, a backup
power
generator,
again
with
plenty
of fuel. Extra stored fuel for your vehicle (which would have allowed you to
make that 8 hour round-trip). Often overlooked in winter is the need for a
backup water supply, and water filtration,
even
if it mean
melting
buckets
of snow--which
is
agonizingly
slow and laborious.
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The Community Retreat, by Kathy Harrison
Establishing a retreat seems to be the dream of many survivalists but realistically,
evacuating to a retreat is not a proposition that is readily available to very
many. There are generally problems with finances as well as family commitments
to contend with. Many folks, like me, have spent years in establishing perennial
food plants, compost piles, garden plots, building small businesses and, most
importantly, forging important community ties that would not be easily broken.
Therefore, we would be well advised to explore how to approach ways to turn
our own residences into retreat communities.
The location of the community is of the utmost importance. Pulling off such
a feat off in a large city or an affluent suburb would be pretty difficult.
A small town in a rural location with a high proportion of families who already
raise food and livestock is your best bet. Such a town is likely to have a
well-developed sense of community, strong family ties and a faith-based community.
You will also likely find a diverse set of necessary skills. Such communities
are generally located in areas that have climates suitable to growing food
crops. Hunting is often a part of the local culture so firearms ownership is
not seen as a problem. It has been my experience that a large number of survival-minded
folks find themselves living in this kind of locality. The question then becomes, “how
do we locate like-minded families and establish a network of support, with
possibility of barter arrangements and the sharing of skills and tools in such
towns?”
We began by attending a film series a few years ago. Free showings of films
such as The End of Suburbia, King Corn and Life At The
End Of The Empire were
shown. Each film was followed by a discussion group. Setting up this kind of
series can happen at a library or house of worship. Out of this format, a core
group formed, all with the sense that life as we knew it was unlikely to be
sustainable for the long term and that we needed to take steps to prepare for
the eventual change. We began meeting on a monthly basis. We are a diverse
group; some more interested in the implications of Peak
Oil, some with financial
collapse. Others are the local growers of organic produce and the breeders
of heritage breed livestock. We have no membership list, no rules of order,
no dues and no criteria for coming to our monthly meetings. We do follow a
loose agenda to ensure that we get some work20accomplished but much of our
time together is devoted to chit chat about current topics and sharing ideas.
One of our most successful endeavors has been our "101" classes. This
is a series of free workshops devoted to helping people learn valuable skills
from others.
We have had classes in raising chickens, canning produce, cheese making, mushroom
propagation, herbal medicine, knitting and many other subjects. The object
is to make all of us less dependant and share skills that might otherwise be
lost.
Recognizing that energy shortages are likely, we set up a panel of people already
alternative sources of energy. This was remarkably well-attended and led to
a day long event where folks opened their homes to people who wanted to see
each system in operation. We saw underground homes, photovoltaic systems, solar
heat collectors, wind powered homes and a couple of places that had been off-grid
for years. The tour ended with a pot-luck soup and bread dinner.
We consider helping each other as a given. We have helped each other get
in our winter wood supply, can an abundance of bulk purchased chicken and
traded
off tools, vehicles and equipment. When my husband scored some very inexpensive
sap buckets, he bought enough for many other group members. When I found
myself overwhelmed with peaches, three of us processed 50 quarts in an
afternoon.
A couple of us are really interested in wild foods. Together we gathered
fox grapes and put up 20 gallons of juice, harvested and dried over 100
pounds
of wild mushrooms and canned 35 quarts of wild applesauce. We are still eating
the fiddleheads we froze last May. Out latest project is to take a firearms
safety course together.
When a major ice storm left our town without power for over a week, we saw
an opportunity to check our preparedness level and hone our skills. Many
of us were also able to provide help and provisions to those who were less
prepared
including the elderly in our small town.
We still have work to do. We realize that we are not as well prepared for
medical emergencies as we would wish so some members are researching becoming
EMTs
and First Responders for our local volunteer fire department. We also see
the wisdom in becoming more involved in our town government.
I know this is not the kind of preparedness one generally reads about on
sites such as this but I think for many, this is the most realistic. Should
the worst
happen, we will be prepared to ride it out with friends and neighbors,
bonded together with common purpose and presenting a united front. - Kathy
Harrison
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Letter Re: Advice on Two-Way Radio Communications
Mr. Rawles,
I have read "Patriots," and am finishing up your ["Rawles
Gets You Ready"] preparedness course and I
have a question: What brand, or type of two-way communication do I look for.
I live in Kansas, about as far inland as we can go. I have several
family members in
the same small town and would like something that we all could communicate
with. Ready Made Resources recommends a GMRS system,
is that something to consider,
or are CBs
the answer?
I appreciate all that you post on your blog, consequently, I have just purchased
the "SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog" book to look back on what
I have missed since I started reading late last year. I have found your articles
to
be so
beneficial
to me
and have
recommended your site to others. Sincerely, - Thea
JWR Replies: I expect the Citizen's Band (CB) to be quite
crowded with "chatter" in the event of a widespread disaster. And
it will probably
remain crowded if the power
grid stays
up.
If you want a low-power system (assuming that you don't have a large PV battery
charging
system), I
would
recommend
MURS
band radios.
Inexpensive used MURS band handi-talkies are
available
from MURS Radios--one
of my advertisers. The MURS band radios have have comparable range to GMRS
band
radios, but the MURS band has far less traffic. (In many rural areas
the band
is essentially uninhabited.) Most transmissions in that band require no license.
If you want a higher-power
system, I would recommend buying using Marine Band radios
on
eBay. (There,
search
on "Marine Band Radio".) These do not require a license except
for "vessels over 65 feet in length". (But be advised that there are FCC restrictions on "inland" use. Reader Don K. mentioned that only radios that are "Type Accepted by the FCC for part 80 use may
transmit on radio frequencies in the Maritime Radio Services.
Equipment used for Land Stations must be specifically approved by the
FCC for this use; most shipboard equipment is not approved for Land
Station use. Fines by the FCC can be and usually are substantial.")
Since most Marine band radios draw
more current than a MURS handi-talkie, you will need a more capable backup
power system for battery
charging. I suggest
a
couple
of large 6 volt DC deep-cycle ("golf cart") type batteries for
each radio. The beauty of the MURS band and the VHF Marine
band is that they are both essentially "private
bands" in many areas. But of course don't consider them "secure",
since they
can still be detected and monitored with a multi-band scanner.
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Hurricane Lessons Learned and Some Advice on Getting Prepared, by Ken on the Gulf Coast
Sometimes it is not an option to relocate so you have to get prepared wherever
you are located. I am located on the Gulf Coast 60 short miles from New Orleans,
Louisiana. We were ground zero for Hurricane Katrina, so I have a first hand
experience of what can happen I will describe some things that I did right
and some things that I did wrong.
We were unable to relocate to a place like Idaho as we had elderly parents
who could not and probably would not relocate to a more appropriate survival
area.
My mother was born in 1930 the daughter of a sharecropper in the Louisiana
delta. They lived a survivor lifestyle as a matter of everyday life. She instilled
in me a fear of having absolutely nothing. Until her
death in 2007 she refused to run a dishwasher or air conditioner. She could
not bring herself to waste electricity, water, or anything for that matter.
She would not waste anything.
Although not as dedicated to thrift as my mother, I did inherit her fear of
hunger, and vulnerability to the unexpected. She died in fear of depression
era conditions returning. When she died I lost a valuable
source of survival information.
Because of my mother's influence, the day after Hurricane Katrina, we were
one out of 75,000 or so who had lights and running water 36 hours after the
storm. The following is what most people did wrong:
A lot of people had generators, the problem was that they only had a couple
of cans of gas. So they were all without power in less than 24 hrs. All of
the gas stations were disabled. No gas means no
power!
Nobody had enough food, they recommend three days, it took almost three days
just to get the roads clear.
No guns! I had friends who did not "believe in guns" that ended
up borrowing some weapons.
No dogs! Without dogs, you have no warning of intruders. Alarm
systems don't work after the batteries are dead.
The following is what I did right:
I had a natural gas generator installed. I was up and running less than 36
hours of the storm. It was also a mistake to select natural gas as a fuel source.
Upturned trees broke gas lines all over the region, it was only blind luck
that left me with gas pressure. A propane system would have been better.
I had drilled a water well. I was able to provide water pressure to my house,
city water was out for weeks. I tied the system back to the house by a simple
water hose going from a faucet on my pump to one on the house.
I had lights and water. Here is what I did wrong:
I evacuated the elderly mothers and dogs to an area 100+ miles north. Electricity
was out over the entire state, my motor home generator powered my sisters house
where I left our parents and dogs. I left the dogs at my bug out location before
I returned to the disaster area.
Mistake #1:
I sent my dogs elsewhere.
The other thing I was unprepared for were refugees. I call them refugees because
they would have gone hungry without the food in my pantry and freezers. I was
totally unprepared for the 16 families looking to me for
food and direction.
Some other things I did wrong:
I did not have enough food. I fed a lot of people. In a real end of life as
we know it scenario, I would have been forced to choose who I would have to
turn away. It's one thing to take care of people when you know help is on the
way, quite another when there is no help in sight.
Weapons: I loaned my old shotguns to all the people who did not believe in
the private ownership of guns. When gangs of illegal aliens and welfare recipients'
were roaming the streets, the folks who didn't believe in guns didn't hesitate
to request assistance.
I did not have a fuel source independent of the grid.
The following are changes that I have made:
I now have a Bluebird Bus motor home. It has a huge fuel tank that I can use
to run the house if the natural gas generator quits. It’s diesel generator
can put out 12 kw for a long time.
I have a much larger store of food.
I have a photovoltaically-powered water supply.
I have a bug out vehicle that has a 1,200 to 1,500 mile range. It has a propane
refrigerator. It has a water
system that can provide water pressure to my house.
I have dogs. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, thieves were cranking up
lawn mowers and pushing them up next to running generators after the storm.
They would then shut down the running generators and leave the running lawn
mowers while they absconded with the generators. You cannot stay awake
24 hours a day. Dogs do not miss much if anything. I can’t recommend
a breed of dog, but the following work for me: Miniature Schnauzers, Australian
shepherds, Catahoula Curs. If you live in the south and have some land you
cannot beat a Catahoula Cur. An Australian Sheppard is a close second for all
climates.
I have ten acres and good soil, I am putting in a very large garden. However,
I do not feel that I can overcome the huge welfare population we have here,
If things get out of hand, I plan to bug out. I now have an RV that has a tremendous range. It has a propane refrigerator, and full facilities.
I can literally live on the side of the road for weeks or months. It is equipped
to pull a full-size 4WD with
trailer. I have several bug out locations within four hours where I can evacuate
to. When I leave I will have dogs, food, tools,
and arms. I also have shortwave radios.
You have to develop a survival mentality,
you have to add to your preparation everyday. Each trip to Wal-Mart is an
opportunity to add to your supplies. The one thing I learned is that when the
storm hits,
its too late to think about being prepared. You have to think: if
a disaster strikes, how long can you feed and protect your family? I add
to my provisions
every day.
Start to prepare now. Think: food, food, and more food,
ammo, bandages, and unless you can
go without sleep 24 hours a day don't forget the dogs!
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Letter Re: Red Dot Sight Battery Longevity
JWR,
I have a red dot sight battery, lithium Energizer CR2032, which was
stored in it's original packaging in a refrigerator since May 1996, almost
13 years
ago. I recently opened it and have been testing to see if it would still work,
at present I have about 11 hours of use on it. I know this is anecdotal, but
the point is, if you use red dot aiming devices and it uses one of these type
batteries, it is probably worthwhile to store a good supply of batteries for
long term use. Regards, - K. in Texas
JWR Replies: Lithium batteries should be stored in a refrigerator.
But reader Shirley A.--who is an audiologist--mentioned that this is a
bad idea for zinc air batteries. She notes: "...do not store zinc
air batteries in the
refrigerator.
The
batteries are inert until the tab is removed. Once air reaches the hole(s)
on the back of the batteries, they become activated, hence "air-activated" batteries.
The humidity in a refrigerator will cause the protective tabs to become loose,
thus allowing air to reach the holes and activating the batteries.They will
all go dead in a short time. Zinc air batteries should be stored in a cool,
dry environment, like a dresser drawer. For the same reason, don't store your
batteries
(or your hearing aids) in the bathroom."
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Letter Re: Advice on Storing and Recharging Hearing Aid Batteries
JWR,
Thank you so very much for what you do! Your blog is the best resource
on the net for preparedness info, news and views that I know of! My 8 year
old daughter wears hearing aids in both ears,. How long can I reasonably expect
hearing aid
batteries to store? In the event of TEOTWAWKI, I would be
heartbroken to see my little girl unable to utilize one of our most precious
senses. I imagine many elderly folks may have the same problem. What a very
dangerous predicament to be in, the world falling apart, and you can't even
detect someone speaking to you, or creeping up behind you...
Any info will be greatly appreciated, once again thanks! - Matt C.in Northern
Ohio
JWR Replies: You probably missed the link in SurvivalBlog
a few months ago for a clever little
photovoltaic
button battery charger. Buy two or three of them. And of course buy a four
year supply of batteries, and store them in your refrigerator. Rotate your supply
religiously, using the FIFO method,
once established.
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Letter Re: Field Test with a MURS Band Dakota Alert Intrusion Detection System
James;
I just recently purchased a MURS band Dakota Alert and Radio setup from [MURS
Radio] that advertises
on your site. Needless to say I got a screaming deal! I live in the
Pacific
Northwest, literally in the middle of dense woods. My radios and sensors arrived
during one of the best snowfalls we have had in a while. All of the trees were
loaded [with snow]. The temperature was in the very low 20s. Our terrain is
mountainous.
Here are my results (which may be helpful to your readers who may be thinking
about purchasing them):
[Dakota
Alert MAT] Sensors: Solid
transmission to Base station (located in a metal building) at 3/4 mile. Longer
range not tested (It was cold, and I did
not require longer range.)
Hand held transceivers [handi-talkies (HTs),
[also made by Dakota Alert] to and from base station, solid to 1/2 mile,
sketchy at 3/4 mile.
Sensors to HT solid transmission to 1/2 mile sketchy at 3/4 mile.
HT to HT solid at 1/2 mile sketchy at 3/4 mile.
Problems:
The sensor does not have enough transmission time to finish the third [repetition
of the] "Alert
Zone 2" message due to [an error in] the speed of the person recording
the message. I contacted the manufacturer about it, and they said that all
their current units are all
this way. No one wants to be #2. (All other alert messages are fine) This is
not
a problem, but one does have to chuckle.
A cold vehicle (just started) dose not always activate the sensors. This is
not a tactical problem but is an annoyance.
Suggestions:
BNC connectors and pull up antennas are leaky. In addition to the manufactures
suggestion to add a packet of desiccant inside the sensors, I highly suggest
wrapping the BNC connection
and each segment joint of the antenna with COAX-SEAL.(A
hand moldable plastic.) This will insure total water proofing of the unit.
I plan on disguising my
[chromed,
collapsible] antennas by covering them
with gray heat shrink [tubing] and a little magic marker action, then sealing
the BNC with
coax
seal.
Since I live off the grid It makes no sense to run the base station (which
is 12 Volt DC) off my inverter. I wired it up to my 12V distribution network
that I use for all my comm devices Ham, CB,
etc. Just to play it safe I contacted the manufacturer about the maximum voltage
the unit could handle as I charge
my batteries at 14.4V. They recommended some sort of voltage regulation device.
You could "fab"one
up or as they suggested, use a [voltage] regulating cigarette lighter plug.
They said the unit would function at the higher voltage
but it would be hard on it, and reduce it's life expectancy.
The only drawback is that there are only four alert messages, limiting the
number of sensors you can use at one time. If you need more than four sensors
you will
need a second receiver. I plan on calling the manufacturer and suggesting a "record
your own message" modification. I am totally pleased with these
units. Thanks for listing them. - John
JWR Replies: Thanks for the review. Here at the Rawles
Ranch, we also
use MURS band
Dakota Alert transmitters in conjunction with some gently-used Kenwood transceivers.
We bought all of these components
from MURS
Radio. Programming the transmitters to match our MURS frequency was quick
and easy. We
have
been
very
pleased
with
their
sensitivity and reliability. These are great products that provide a low-cost
solution for
detecting
anyone
entering our property.
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Six Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Greetings Mr. Rawles,
I read your blog everyday and am learning so much. Thanks for your dedication
to helping prepare us for the future.
In reference to the recent article on home security, we lived in Argentina
for three years and we could all learn from their security measures. The first
house we lived in had steel shutters, as did everyone in the neighborhood,
and they were all shut at night. The doors have locks that automatically lock
when you leave the house. The small front yards usually have tall steel fences
with the same height gates. The gates were also locked at all times. Homes
that didn't have shutters of some kind, had bars on all the windows. Big dogs
were also the norm. The back yards were usually walled in by concrete block
walls sometimes 10 feet tall. At our second house, one of our neighbors had
concertina wire around the top of their walls.
It is a normal custom to clap your hands to alert someone you were at their
front gate. It would be very rude to try to enter someone's front yard without
being invited first, and is usually not possible due to the locks and dogs.
But, as new houses were being built, we were seeing less and less of the shutters
and bars, more American style houses were being built and that's a shame.
It was very difficult at first to live with these kinds of security measures,
but after awhile it became normal and comforting to know your house was secure.
Gun control is very strict and very few folks have guns, so home security was
very important.
Just wanted to share those observations with you. Thanks again for your hard
work.
Warmest Regards, - Beverly A.
Hello James Wesley, Rawles:
Feed lot panels are extremely useful for hardening windows against dynamic
entry.
For those who are not familiar with the product, feed lot panels are welded
wire product. They are typically 16 feet long. The height varies but is typically
54" high. The wire is very stiff (typically #4 or #6 gauge) and the wire
is galvanized for long life. The panels are inexpensive and semi-rigid.
We recently replaced a 13' x 69" bay window with a 60" by 60" picture
window (one pane) flanked by a couple of 60" high by 24" wide double
hung windows. Our primary goal was to increase energy efficiency by reducing
cold air infiltration during the winter and to improve our cross ventilation
during
the summer.
I had some fairly extensive conversation with the contractor regarding my desire
to have sufficient "beef" beside each window to be able to run several
5" x 1/2" eye-bolts beside each window (with the eyes of the bolts
aligned in the vertical direction), slide the trimmed-to-fit feedlot panel
over the eye-bolts, and then drop a cane bolt through the openings in the eye
bolts.
(Minor detail notes: Roof overhang requires that cane bolts be inserted from
bottom, but "drop in from top" is a more natural word picture. Also
desirable to use a cushioning material to hold panels away from frame of window
to eliminate scarring. Rubber or vinyl garden hose is a possibility.)
He was very happy to comply. Each window is framed in with 2x4s next to the
window frame, but then a 4x4 was bracketed into the top and bottom headers
immediately beside the 2X4s on each side of each of the three windows. Wood
is cheap.
Feed lot panels can be defeated. But defeating them requires time and tools...not
something typical home invaders want to expend/lug around. Feed lot panels
also help protect windows against airborne, flying trash during extreme wind
storms. They may be ugly, but they are cheap, durable and relatively easy
to install, given proper tools and some time and the foresight to have enough
wood to bolt into. - Joe H.
Jim,
I've already made numerous changes to my home and
property to thwart / limit any would be thefts and boosting the overall
security. A number of
ideas
came from your web site. Thanks.
Other than the simple measures of installing a Radio Shack microphone/speaker
and, locking the doors of my barns with snap links and walking out the front
and locking that door, I am worried for my horses if someone should try to
force their way inside and manage to stay very quiet. I'm very impressed
with my $149 Radio Shack investment, you can hear everything and my house
is 300
feet away.
Can you offer any additional advice on making barns more secure? I'm more
concerned about the horses than all of the tack and saddles. But those items
aren't cheap
either. Thanks, - Pete in Florida
JWR Replies: I do have one specific recommendation: Buy a
MURS band Dakota Alert infrared intrusion detection system. (Available from MURS
Radio, one of
our advertisers). Put one Motion Alert Transmitter (MAT) out
at the end of your driveway,
and one "watching" the front of your barn door. We
use Dakota Alerts in conjunction with matching frequency Kenwood MURS band
hand-helds here at the Rawles
Ranch on a daily basis. We have been very satisfied with their
quality and reliability. In our experience, this combination is ideal for detecting
intruders on likely avenues
of approach.
.
Dear Mr. Rawles,
First, as always, I am compelled to thank you for your service to all those
who would learn from your knowledge and efforts. My 2009 10
Cent Challenge contribution is forthcoming,
but it is only a small token of my appreciation in light of all that I have
learned from your excellent blog.
I wanted to add a note of my reality to your recent excellent comments on the
sorry state of home architecture in our country today. I live in a typical
recent-construction, middle class, Metro Atlanta home with a brick front facade,
and Hardiplank (a concrete-like product molded to look like wood siding) on
the remaining three sides. It is essentially three stories, with a "daylight
basement" comprising the first story. Many of the "weak links" that
you pointed out exist in my home, but we did install a fairly comprehensive
alarm system.
Last February, while my wife was at work and I was taking my son to daycare
(it was 11:15 a.m.), thugs broke into our house by kicking through the basement
wall! Evidently, the crooks suspected, or noticed, our alarm system, and tried
to bypass it by going through the wall. It would have worked if the dummies
hadn't opened the basement door preparing to depart with their loot. Of course,
opening the door set the alarm off, and they fled never having made it out
of the basement. They did steal an old rifle that I had recently bought, and
had left in a storage closet awaiting a good cleaning. All in all, we were
very fortunate.
I write not to simply share my story (which is, unfortunately, not very uncommon),
but to point out what I learned:
1. Though Hardiplank, and similar products, have many virtues, resistance to
invasion is not one of them.The concrete feel and appearance gives a false
sense of security. I was shocked to learn that the only thing between my "inner
sanctum" and the bad guys was the Hardiplank, fiberboard sheathing, and
drywall! Even if your 1st story sheathing were 5/8" plywood it would present
a much more formidable barrier!
2. If I had heeded my instincts, the burglary could have been avoided. I try
to live in "condition yellow", though I slip into white more than
I would like. That morning, while buckling my toddler into the car, I noticed
a rough-looking young man walking slowly up the sidewalk. By the time I had
buckled my seatbelt, he was ambling back down the street in the opposite direction.
All of the alarms in my head went off, but I didn't call the police to investigate
(something that they encouraged me to do in the future while discussing the
event). I did, however, step back inside and turn on the alarm, which I didn't
usually do for such short trips (things are different now). If I hadn't turned
on the alarm, I would have probably walked right into a home invasion in progress
(stupidly in condition white!) after dropping my son off. As it was, as soon
as I got the call from the monitoring service, I knew exactly what had happened,
and who had done it! During the frantic 3 mile drive home, my main concern
was, "what will I do if I arrive before the police?" At the time,
I had no firearm with me, which leads me to my final point.
3. Any time you walk into your home [after an absence] in condition white,
with no way to defend yourself, you invite disaster. Yes, I know it can be
terribly
stressful
to
admit to yourself that our society has "come to this", and some people
would rather just play the odds and hope it doesn't happen to them. I feel
that God was watching over me that day (by the way, the police were on site
when I got home - it had only been 20 minutes since I left the house) and gave
me a second chance. I guess I could remain in condition white, and hope it
doesn't happen again, but I have responsibilities. God gave me a second chance,
and I am committed to learning from this experience. You'd better believe that
I will arrive home in condition yellow to orange, looking for any hint that
something is awry - especially if my family is in tow! Oh yeah, and my next
house is going to be as solid as I can afford, and then some!
I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas, and will have a terrific new
year. Best Wishes, - SH in Georgia
James;
I have been an advocate for survivors of violent crimes. I would like
to point out some things that I have been tracking for almost a year now. (I
have 'home invasions" as a google search alert and get messages on this
topic many times a day). First, I have noticed that most of these invaders
are not so much interested in carting away ill-gotten booty from the residence
that they have invaded as much as the first object is to terrorize and torture
those in the dwelling. This is a major change in the high level of deprived
violence of these burglars who are now being reported as "home invaders".
The attacks are sadistic, whereas, twenty years ago true sadistic attacks
were more rare as the goal seemed to be to steal and leave. Second, these sadistic
home invasions are world wide. I have not yet figured out why this is so. It
is, however, concerning that no place seems safe from this bizarre rise in
sadistic violence. Perhaps it can be linked to violent video games? I am not
sure what else could link these acts world wide. Third, unlike violent home
crimes in years past, the home invaders are attacking during the hours when
it is more likely that the residents are home. (Most of these
invasions seem to take place between 11 PM and 5 AM). Clearly, unlike in early
times when
the criminal element wanted to avoid the residents, this new class of thugs
want that violent encounter.
I think this does require that decent folks to have a change in understanding
what is taking place. These criminals are not just getting the pleasure of
taking your property but they want to cause you and your family extreme fear,
terror, and pain. Passive conduct by the victims that might have allowed these
thugs to rob your home and leave you alone might have worked twenty years ago,
but I think today's home invaders first literally will want a pound of your
flesh. On a positive note, I have also read of numerous residents who have
successfully fended off the invaders by being properly protected within their
homes. I am 'surprised" that the media doesn't seem to do much coverage
of these heroic deeds of the victim defending himself or family members from
these sadistic invasion. - Advocate for Survivors
of Violent Crimes
Dear Mr. Rawles.
Regarding your post on Tuesday December 30, titled "Letter Re: Home
Invasion Robbery Countermeasures". I would like to see you elaborate on
the "Countermeasures" portion of the title. Specifically, could you
show some real examples that people could use as "force multipliers" similar
to this . Maybe you can do a post on with and without grid power in SHTF scenarios.
For example I live in a suburb of a city of about 80,000 people. I live on
a corner lot and have a fenced in back yard. What low-tech methods could I
deploy
to
allow full coverage around the perimeter of my property to signal of coming
trouble. It would help if the ideas were designed to not create an abundance
of false alarms and not alert the surrounding neighborhoods like a trip alarm.
I don't have a retreat location but I'm getting my finances in order to allow
a property purchase soon. If TSHTF tomorrow, I would need some simple ideas
to keep my family safe as long as possible.
BTW, I read your "Patriots" novel
and it was awesome! I am about half way thorough your "Rawles
Gets You Ready" course and it too
is great. Thanks, - Steve F. in Louisiana
JWR Replies: A corner lot is problematic. Depending on the
landscaping that is prevalent in your neighborhood, if it would not look
too out of the ordinary then you might consider planting a
"decorative" thorny hedge around as much of your perimeter as
possible, and install a
gate across the front of your driveway. Make both the
maximum height that you can get away with,
without being branded as the Neighborhood Paranoid Poster Boy. The gate should
have a spiked top of some sort, to discourage gate jumpers. Just inside the
gate, position a passive infrared Motion Alert Transmitter (MAT) for a Dakota
Alert. You should also plant thorny
bushes below each of your windows.
Motion-activated floodlights are inexpensive and very easy to install.(They
are available at home improvement and hardware stores such as Home Depot and
Lowe's.) If the power grid goes down, you really should bug out ASAP, but if
you are forced to stay, then solar-powered floodlights might
suffice. (But note that their reviews mention that they have a short service
life. So it is best to just test them but not mount them outdoors until needed.)
Under those circumstances, a pair of night vision goggles would be a must.
(And if you have those, you might want to retrofit your floodlights to use
infrared bulbs. Being battery
powered, your
Dakota
Alert
system
will
continue
to
operate without grid power.
But
of
course keep plenty of spare batteries on had for all of your flashlights
and other home security and communications electronics.
« "Little House" Books--A Great Homeschooling and Preparedness Mindset Resource |Main| Mobile Choices for Survival Retreats by T.D. »
Letter Re: The Recent Storm in New England--A Ready and Able Family
Hi Jim.
I have been a long time reader of your blog and have spent quite a
bit of money with many of your terrific advertisers. I am writing to tell you
about the serenity of my day in the midst of the hard hitting ice storm up
here in New England. Thanks to the information you present in your blog and
the preparation that I have taken over the last few years, all I had to do
to prepare for this storm the day before was two things - fill the fire wood
box and fill the bath tub for toilet flushing water.
I already had food stocked up. I had drinking water available. I had heat via
a wood stove. I had a generator. I had plenty of fuel for the generator. (I
was even able to loan a spare generator and fuel out to a friend.) I had fresh
batteries for the flashlight and radios. I had a scanner to listen to all the
emergency calls in the area. (You will realize how under-prepared your neighbors
are by all the assistance calls.) I had plenty of alternative lighting (candles
and LED lights). I had sufficient quantities of ice melt and sand on hand.
The great thing was that I wasn't stressed out before, during or after the
storm. My family mentioned over and over how terrific it was to be prepped.
I was fortunate that they were on the "let's get prepped" band wagon
with me over the last few years. I got to enjoy the ice sculptures of the day
and was able to help out someone else, too. The simple fact of all this is
that by being prepared you get to relax a bit during a potentially stressful
time. This wasn't an end of the world scenario but nonetheless the preparation
was almost the same. Being prepped for any emergency isn't
that hard to do and the resources you collect over time are useful in nearly
any condition.
It was actually a bit fun to see all this preparation fall nicely into place.
Thanks for all you do! - Relaxed in New England
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Food Items in Non-Food Grade Buckets? »
Letter Re: Some Disaster Preparedness Information for Asthmatics
Hi Mr. Rawles,
My son has asthma and I have had the unfortunate experience of not having power
when he needed a nebulizer treatment. Please inform you readers of the absolute
necessity of having power inverters and testing your needed appliances before
an emergency. Not knowing how sensitive a medical nebulizer is and knowing
that some equipment is sensitive to modified sine wave power from the cheaper
inverters was terrifying. Having the power out and an asthma attack at the
same time was bad enough.The prayer that I said when turning on our only
nebulizer plugged into a gizmo (my wife's word, not mine) that was attached
to a car running in the driveway with jumper cables was unique to say the
least.
Buy good inverters and test [them with your various electrical and electronic
equipment] before the
storm.
I now have several and we insist on our young drivers keeping their cars full
of gas.
My point in writing you was to inform your readers that everything in their
house can be ran in a emergency. Nebulizers are not very power hungry and can
be run with very inexpensive equipment. - GB
« Letter Re: Combat Conditioning Fitness Training |Main| Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness »
Letter Re: Some Disaster Preparedness Information for Asthmatics
Dear JWR
I am fairly new to prepping but as a lifelong asthma patient I quickly realized
that I cannot depend solely on my current nebulizer WTSHTF.
This is because it plugs into a wall and does not have any other alternative
way to work when
the grid
goes down. When I did some research, however, I found a beautiful thing.
There are now handheld nebulizers that have both AC and
and DC car
adapter abilities as well as a rechargeable [gel cell] battery. They cost around
$200 or slightly
more but I can tell you that this is a bargain compared to dying of an asthma
attack because there was no power and the hospital is not an option for one
reason or another. For other people who will want to do this kind of prep for
themselves or family members with asthma a prescription is required for the
medicine and also the nebulizer.
The most common issue though is to acquire this unit, it seems to be on backorder
from most of the local places I have tried. So for preppers
I advise start the process now if you need one of these. I was just
told today by one company that they haven't yet received their order that was
placed in August .
Respectfully, - SKT
JWR Replies: This is a similar requirement than the CPAP machines
needed by some folks with sleep apnea. (This
has been discussed previously in SurvivalBlog,.,and elaborated on further
in a
subsequent letter about refrigeration for insulin.) Thankfully, most nebulizers
have fairly modest current requirements.
« Letter Re: SurvivalBlog is a Money Saver |Main| The Practice Load-Up, by Papa Papa »
Letter Re: Advice on an Inexpensive Solar Battery Charger?
Hi Mr. Rawles:
In your comments to the family living in Trinidad & Tobago, you wrote: "As
your budget allows, buy a small solar charger for your AA and AAA NiMH batteries."
Do you have personal experience with any of these solar chargers? Can you recommend
any? Many thanks, - Larry T.
JWR Replies: Depending on your budget, solutions can run from "micro",
to "mini", to "maxi." These
inexpensive solar chargers sold by Ready Made Resources (one of our long-time
advertisers) work fine as a "micro" solution., but be advised that
they are not waterproof. I recommend setting these up on a windowsill, inside a
south-facing window. In my experience, it is best to buy at least two of these
chargers, since they charge slowly, via "trickle charging".
Moving up to the "mini" solution, there are these
6.5 watt flexible (amorphous), photovoltaic (PV) panels. Even modest-size
PV systems with a small deep cycle battery bank can make a huge difference
in providing small scale lighting and battery charging for crucial security
measures such
as
radios
and night vision equipment. There are so many LED lights, battery
charging trays, and various pieces of electronic gear available that will
run directly from 12 VDC or from a DC-to-DC
converter, that you might be able to skip the expense of a full-up system
with a large AC inverter.
If you have a bigger budget, Ready Made Resources (RMR) and other vendors
can also supply larger
pre-packaged PV power systems, either with or without an AC power inverter.
(Without an inverter, they will provide only 12 volt or 24 volt DC power.)
RMR even has experience designing "maxi" systems--6
KW or larger.
(BTW, they offer free alternate energy system design and consulting.)
Keep in mind that starting January 1st, grid-tied
PV systems will be eligible for a 30% Federal tax credit in the US. Many
states also offer their own tax credits. In some states such as Florida
and California, the combined Federal and state tax credits may reduce your
expense by as much as 70%, when all is said and done.
« Letter Re: UCLA's Eye-Opening Colloquium on the Worldwide Financial and Economic Crisis |Main| The MOAB Keeps Growing, and Growing »
Letter Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI?
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I recently became a fan of your blog and wanted to commend
you for your work in educating the masses. While I don't have a retreat, I'm
using a different
strategy and hope for your input. I live in western Maryland. Historically
we are fairly disaster-proof from natural disasters enjoy all four seasons.
My plan is to prepare (as best we can here) and after a disaster, claim a better
vacant property.
Two other thoughts: I recently purchased David Blume's book "Alcohol
Can Be a Gas" and intend to fuel my own flex fuel vehicles and have
a barter tool. Secondly, I'm trying to rig some way to attach a bicycle to
a generator
and store energy and provide exercise for my family - Thanks, Mark W.
JWR Replies: I regularly get e-mails like yours, mostly from
preppers on tight budgets that have hopes of finding "abandoned" properties.
It would take an incredible "worst case" situation with massive de-population
before properties would be totally abandoned. A vacant property still has an
owner--or at least has heirs of a deceased owner. And unless government totally disappears
in some anarchic spasm (which is highly unlikely outside the Horn of Africa),
there would still be due process and the normal legalities of properties being
seized for property tax delinquency, and then being sold at auction to the
highest bidder. Science fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein said it best: There
ain't no such thing as a free lunch (TANSTAAFL).
I recommend that you plan more realistically. You can prepare on a modest budget
by teaming
up with like-minded people in your area and buying contiguous parcels in
a covenant community to provide a local bartering base and mutual security.
Abandoned properties are more the stuff of daydreams than reality. But given
the continuing collapse of the United States real estate market, who knows?
There may be some very inexpensive foreclosed or even tax
delinquent parcels available at auction in rural areas in just a couple of
years.
There are several brand of bike generator stands on the market, including
the
U-Gen.
« Letter Re: Deflation Possibly Followed by Mass Inflation? |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Letter Re: A Suggested Checklist for Preparedness Newbies
Here's a beginner's list I made for my [elderly] father today:
Food
{Brown pearl] rice does not store well. Neither does cooking oil so that needs to be fresh.
No, Crisco doesn't count.
Coconut oil would be your best bet.
Wheat berries - 400 pounds - bulk order at your local health food store
Beans - 400 pounds - bulk order at your local health food store
Mylar bags
Spices
Salt
Country Living grain mill
propane tanks, small stove and hoses to connect
freeze dried fruits, vegetables, eggs and meat if you can find them.
Water
500 gallons
of water [storage capacity. Rainwater catchment is a common practice
in Hawaii]
Water filter
Cooking
Cast Iron Cookware
Firearms
FN PS 90
10 PS 90 magazines
5.7 handgun
10 FN 5.7 handgun magazines
5.7 ammo
Training: Front Sight four day defensive
handgun course. (Note: eBay sometimes has
course certificates for $100!)
Body armor: Nick at BulletProofME.com
Medical
Personal medications
Augmentin antibiotic
Up to date dental work
Painkillers
Bandages
Iodine
Anti-fungal spray
Finances
$10,000 cash in small bills
100 one-ounce silver coins (GoldDealer.com or Tulving.com)
Transport
Gasoline in 5 gallon cans or better yet, this.
Gas stabilizer
Mountain bikes
Air pump
Miscellany
Flashlights
Rechargeable Batteries
Battery
charger
Hand held walkie talkies
Topographical map of your area
Spare eyeglasses
Shortwave radio
Home generated power
12 volt battery system
Good backpack
Good knife
Good compass
Good shoes
Bar soap
Toothbrushes
Dental floss
Toilet paper
Fishing kit
Salt licks
Connibear traps
Regards, - SF in Hawaii
JWR Adds: The following is based on the assumption that SF's
father also lives in Hawaii: Because of the 10 round magazine limit for handguns,
I recommend that Hawaiians purchase only large
bore
handguns for self defense--such
as .45
ACP.
Both the
Springfield
Armory XD .45 Compact or the Glock Model 30 would both be good choices. The "high
capacity" advantage of smaller caliber
handguns
is not available to civilians in Hawaii, so you might as well get a more potent
man stopper, given the arbitrary 10 round limitation.
« Letter Re: When Unprepared Folks Show Up on Your Doorstep |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Adapt to Survive, by Elizabeth B.
You are incredibly mistaken if you think you can store up enough to see you
through bad times. You are wrong, dead wrong. When I say store up, I’m
talking, food, provisions, tools, barter equipment, and whatever.
The key to survival will be adaptation, just like in nature. Those who survive
will be those who can readily adapt to a changing environment. I know many
of you are sitting on little mountains of barrels, cans, packages and feel
like you have an edge. Simply put, you will not be able to squirrel away enough.
What happens when the stash runs out?
I was shocked to read this week (October 31, 2008) when a SurvivalBlog reader
wrote:
“Is there a good book that you can recommend on food storage for someone
like me that is on a budget and wants to "do it myself”, but not go
so far as ‘grow it myself?’ ”
How long will the bad times last? Who knows? What will you do when the stash
runs out? Barter those silver and gold coins that no one can eat?
Survival skills depend on knowledge and practice. If you have children, take
them out of soccer and dance classes and immediately put them in Girl Scouts
or Boy Scouts. Look until you find a good troop or better yet, join up, take
the required training, and begin your own troop. You will influence more lives
than you can possibly imagine. You and your children will have outdoor living
experiences that will see them through the rest of their lives. Did you ever
cook your food over a wood campfire and lie on the ground scanning the night
sky for meteors with the smell of smoke and coyote yelps lingering in the air?
Scout troops teach children community living and cooperation, both critical
survival skills.
Read everything you can until you become familiar with survival concepts and
theory. Then you need to begin to practice, practicing daily. First of all,
move out of your apartment into a house. If you can’t afford to buy,
then you shouldn’t be storing food. Rent if you can’t buy. You
don’t have enough room to practice and store your supplies in an apartment,
no matter what anyone says.
Here is a short list of skills you and your loved ones need:
* Water: Harvesting, storage, filtration, sterilization
* Gardening: How to plant, save and store seed, ma
