View Full Version : Be Prepared
I'm no longer in fairfax, but durning smowmageddon we were without power for 4 days but had the gas grills, gas water heater and a kerosene heater to keep us above freezing as we hibernated in the basement listening to the superbowl on the batter powered radio.
Being without power in 100deg heat would be worse. I'd think.
The Reaper
07-01-2012, 19:16
Most of the area around me was without power yesterday. We are on the same loop as one of the DoD facilities, so we had power up much quicker that those further out. From what I understand Verizon cell phones were out all through here as well. I got a ham license for this very reason. My mother lives in WV still, and she made the rounds to all her elderly neighbors to recharge their refrigerators with her generator. They don't expect power for at least a few more days. There are more than a few granola head types out here who are pretty smug about having solar panels and the such right now.
On the topic of solar panels, has anyone looked at the solar generators that are out there (example http://www.thousandsuns.com/solarpod-range/solarpod?gclid=CNj6jP_U-bACFUFV4AodWnccEw)?
We were fine with our store of water and such, but it really got me thinking about a generator.
Solar's price per KWH make generators look cheap.
The panels themselves are incredibly expensive and have a life span of 20-25 years. The batteries you need to store the power for cloudy days and nighttime are only good for a few years too. Good for emergency charging or occasional small items, not ready for prime time if there is a utility line within a mile.
I hope they eventually come down in price and improve in efficiency enough to be practical. You would still need a battery bank, charge controller, inverter, etc. and a genset. Right now, a community nuclear reactor is about as practical.
TR
Solar's price per KWH make generators look cheap.
TR
That's the problem with GREEN,, you pay 2,3 times as much..
We have friends on No Name Key, about a mile away. They have 40t'y some homes that never had power. Most gave up and sold. The ones that are still there are in the process of paying to have the island powered up. I think they chipped in 25K each to get the poles and will still get to pay to have their homes re-wired from DC to AC.
They think it will be cheaper in the long run..
Our friends were all solar, then switched to a 20KW Diesel gen set 5 yrs ago, and are now the chairpersons to push for power company to light them up..
Some people take longer than others...
Life without electricity is not kind to us in our modern hedonistic lifestyles.
That is why I recommend that everyone who can safely operate one get a generator. A basic unit which can run a few lights, fans, and maybe a fridge off an extension cord will run you $500-$1,000. Unfortunately, gasoline is dangerous to store in the home, and has a very limited shelf life. Even if you use fuel stabilizer, you need to rotate it at least annually. And, even if you store 25 gallons, that is only a couple of days of constant running for the 5KW gas powered generator.
If you have $5,000 or more, you can get a whole house model with an automatic transfer switch and hook it up to your NG or LP line. Note that if the power is out for an extended time, the Natural Gas lines will lose pressure when their generators run out of fuel and stop the genset. The LP is IMHO, the way to go, but it is more expensive.
Burning LP to power a 14KW genset at moderate load will use roughly 1.5 GPH of LP, or 36 GPD. That means it will cost about $100 per day to make electricity full time on about half my house (no dryer, range, ovens, water heaters, and only one of the HVAC units). The 14KW genset can, if used continuously, run about seven to ten days on a full 500 gallon tank under normal loads. The power company will provide power to everything for about $10 per day, so this is not something you want to do full time for an extended period. There are about 350 gallons of usable LP in a 500 gallon tank, and running it empty will currently cost roughly $1000 to fill.
You can use it for a couple of hours in the morning, and a couple of hours in the evening, and stretch it for almost two months, if it is full when you start. If we are without electricity for more than two months, we have bigger problems to worry about.
You can also use deep cycle batteries and an inverter to run small appliances like lights, fans, TVs, radios, etc. in the down cycle and recharge the battery bank when the generator is running. Or just use DC powered devices directly off the battery. You can buy most items in a DC version, if they are using a wall wart, or batteries, though some may be specialty items for camping, boats, or RVs.
I had a two tall pines less than 50 ft. from the house hit by a couple of lightning strikes recently. Ran in on the cable line and fried a lot of electronics. I recommend enhanced grounding, whole house surge protection, cable and phone line surge protectors, and point of service surge protection.
Still waiting to see if the trees die and have to be dropped. Hoping that I get to make the call, and they don't come down on their own.
Best of luck to those stuck in the dark and in this heat. Prayers out.
TR
We went months without power in my patch after a 2nd bad quake last year.
Here's some best practices that worked for us:
While PV may not be very cost effective, we have solar water heating and wetback woodstove heating that we installed quite inexpensively.
Stick N Click LED battery lights like these:
http://www.amazon.com/Ontel-SCN-MC12-Stick-Click-Lights/dp/B000J0NL8O
While it may not allow for the greatest illumination in the home, it does the job quite well when the alternative is a flashlight or nothing.
Diesel generators are typically more expensive, but pretty energy efficient compared with petrol.
When it comes to petrol and to a slightly lesser extent diesel, check insurance policies on quantities and conditions for home/garage storage of petrol/diesel. Depending on property layout and location a small external shed away from the house/garage can mitigate a possible insurance fire claim denial risk.
Energy draw on new appliance purchases such as deep freezer, fridge/freezer, and microwave may be worth taking into account to help manage a disaster plan with a gennie to reduce demand for limited petrol/diesel supply.
We mostly used click lights for light(recycling the rechargeable batteries with solar battery chargers) , woodburner/solar water heater for hot water, genset for keeping the freezer frozen(the bottom layer of the freezer containing ice filled containers for efficiency, extra freezer down time, and spare water in a worst case scenario), small lower draw microwave for cooking as well as a single burner LPG camp stove for cooking off of our LPG BBQ bottles.
It was a lousy period made much more comfortable than it would have been without a decent plan.
Destrier
07-02-2012, 04:19
http://www.vulcangasifier.com/
Check this out as well. It works, mine is in the garage. Runs a camp stove-BBQ and runs my gasoline generator with a converter on the carb.
Check this out as well.
Interesting,, Looks like a viable solution for someone in the boonies with access to FREE fuel in the woods??
What is the wood pellet/chip consumption rate??
What is the costs for the chips?
Can an inexpensive yard chipper provide what's needed??
:munchin
Diablo Blanco
07-02-2012, 23:08
Interesting,, Looks like a viable solution for someone in the boonies with access to FREE fuel in the woods??
What is the wood pellet/chip consumption rate??
What is the costs for the chips?
Can an inexpensive yard chipper provide what's needed??
:munchin
I'd be interested to know this as well and
o which type/brand of generator this setup works best with
o what additional maintenance would need to be performed, how often
o are there plans to make one online somewhere?
Destrier
07-03-2012, 05:01
A small wood chipper should would work well.
Some use pellets, not something I would do since there is a cost involved.
I am using hand cut small wood blocks, and pieces from the limbs of trees I log from the property. A full hopper is about a ten gallon pail and lasts about 4-5 hours based on wood type.
Which for me is going to be plenty of time to run my major appliances for the day and recharge Batts. However that is not tested yet and is still only my best estimate.
I am using soft maple primarily. Wood consumption also depends on what your fueling, I am fueling a small 5kw generator. It starts best with crushed charcoal and the wood on top of it in the hopper. I am currently testing using charcoal lumps from my wood burner and crushing them, that I get from the ash daily during the winter.
This system does require some labor, but when the alternative is zero gasoline or diesel available, time may be more available. The generator can still be run on gasoline by switching the valve. It can also be run on propane so I have a friend altering our intake to allow us to switch between, biofuel, a propane tank from my grill and the gasoline tank.
I am still in the testing stage but so far all is looking good. I plan on getting a dump truck of wood chips from a local logger that I worked with awhile ago briefly.
Gasifiers are not new technology. They were utilized in World War 2 and many homemade styles are out there. The United States sent about a million units to post WW@ Europe and they were thrown on tractors and trucks to keep the farms going etc.
The one I have acquired is from MAtt in Michigan and the unit is well built and the cost was reasonable. If your online looking there are some over the top expensive ones out there as well.
I will do more testing but mine is working out fairly well. The interesting thing to me is that the smoke from the gasifier is also turned into the biofuel-gas and enters the carb, so the only smoke is the exhaust of the generator.
A friend and I are also working on my inverter-batts etc to run the house. That will be another month probably even though I have all the equipment on hand.
Time is my limited resource at present.
Doing more horse fencing this week, I will try to post a few pictures of mine working next time I run it.
Apologies for the rambled post, am running out the door to feed horses and get fencing done.
A small wood chipper should would work well.
Some use pellets, not something I would do since there is a cost involved.
I am using hand cut small wood blocks, and pieces from the limbs of trees I log from the property. A full hopper is about a ten gallon pail and lasts about 4-5 hours based on wood type.
Which for me is going to be plenty of time to run my major appliances for the day and recharge Batts. However that is not tested yet and is still only my best estimate.
I am using soft maple primarily. Wood consumption also depends on what your fueling, I am fueling a small 5kw generator. It starts best with crushed charcoal and the wood on top of it in the hopper. I am currently testing using charcoal lumps from my wood burner and crushing them, that I get from the ash daily during the winter.
This system does require some labor, but when the alternative is zero gasoline or diesel available, time may be more available. The generator can still be run on gasoline by switching the valve. It can also be run on propane so I have a friend altering our intake to allow us to switch between, biofuel, a propane tank from my grill and the gasoline tank.
I am still in the testing stage but so far all is looking good. I plan on getting a dump truck of wood chips from a local logger that I worked with awhile ago briefly.
Gasifiers are not new technology. They were utilized in World War 2 and many homemade styles are out there. The United States sent about a million units to post WW@ Europe and they were thrown on tractors and trucks to keep the farms going etc.
The one I have acquired is from MAtt in Michigan and the unit is well built and the cost was reasonable. If your online looking there are some over the top expensive ones out there as well.
I will do more testing but mine is working out fairly well. The interesting thing to me is that the smoke from the gasifier is also turned into the biofuel-gas and enters the carb, so the only smoke is the exhaust of the generator.
A friend and I are also working on my inverter-batts etc to run the house. That will be another month probably even though I have all the equipment on hand.
Time is my limited resource at present.
Doing more horse fencing this week, I will try to post a few pictures of mine working next time I run it.
Apologies for the rambled post, am running out the door to feed horses and get fencing done.
Great info. I live on a few acres right now and have plenty of trees that could come down in the event of an overall power outage. My generator on the other hands is somewhat old, it is a mid 90's Generac 5400 series. However I think it would do the job in regards to operating minimal appliances and charging batteries. Something like this would sure come in handy if I could get my hands on a yard chipper.
Gold Eagle
08-06-2012, 06:46
The intent of this thread is to discuss Disaster Preparedness and assist members of PS.com with their personal disaster planning.
We do not specifically teach disaster preparedness or urban/suburban survival in the SF Qualification Course or SERE. Having said that, with a few exceptions, the survival needs are the same.
Last year, I was asked to prepare a briefing on Terrorism preparedness for corporate managers. One of the first things I noted was that the preparations were very similar to those for natural disasters, and that the disasters were much more likely at any given location than a terrorist act. I would say that any significant disruption of basic services to a large number of people qualifies as a disaster. The Department of Transportation defines it as any occurrence that causes damage, ecological destruction, loss of human lives, or deterioration of health and health services on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the affected community area.
Regardless of how you define it, the disaster preparation process looks something like this:
Disaster Preparation
1. Identify/prioritize likely threats or disasters.
2. ID resources (internal and external)
3. Develop Courses of Action using a decision making process
4. Initiate disaster preparation; acquire skills, materials, etc.
5. Establish responsibilities, conduct rehearsals, conduct internal and external quality assurance checks, document, revise and repeat.
How you prepare for disasters will depend on the threats you face and the remaining social structure you anticipate during and after a catastrophe. A disaster can be natural, or manmade. It could be pandemic, a hurricane, a wildfire, an earthquake, a flood, or a war. It is likely that sometime in your life, no matter where you live, you will be without normal amenities for an extended period of days, weeks, or even more. A facility based analysis of disaster threats would look as follows.
Disaster Analysis
Frequency of Occurrence:
• Highly likely (Near 100% probability in the next year)
• Likely (Between 10% and 100% probability in the next year, or at least one chance in the next 10 years)
• Possible (Between 1% and 10% probability in the next year, or at least one chance in the next 100 years)
• Unlikely (Less than 1% probability in the next 100 years)
Seasonal pattern?
• No
• Yes. Specify season(s) when hazard occurs:
Potential Impact:
• Catastrophic (Multiple deaths; shutdown of critical facilities for 1 month or more; more than 50% of property severely damaged)
• Critical (Injuries or illness resulting in permanent disability; shutdown of critical facilities for at least 2 weeks; 25% to 50% of property severely damaged)
• Limited (Temporary injuries; shutdown of critical facilities for 1-2 weeks; 10% to 25% of property severely damaged)
• Negligible (Injuries treatable with first aid; shutdown of critical facilities for 24 hours or less; less than 10% of property severely damaged)
Are any areas or facilities more likely to be affected (e.g., air, water, or land; infrastructure)? If so, which?
Speed of Onset:
• Minimal or no warning
• 6 to 12 hours warning
• 12 to 24 hours warning
• More than 24 hours warning
Potential for Cascading Effects?
• No
• Yes. Specify effects:
After living in Hawaii, Central America, the Caribbean, and the US on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf coasts, I can tell you that when the hurricane is a few days out is no time to prepare a plan and to try to buy your necessities. Given the projections, when Phase V of a pandemic occurs, you will be unlikely to be able to acquire sufficient quantities of supplies to make survival somewhat more comfortable. You need to identify required resources, determine what you have on hand and what you will require, prioritize them according to relative importance, likelihood of need, and consequences, and develop an acquisition plan to meet your needs in a logical fashion (in accordance with your means).
The survival saw goes that you can survive six minutes without air, six days without water, and six weeks without food. While that is generally true, in each of those cases, you will not be doing much effectively after the first third of the respective period expires. It is up to you to see that you and any dependents have their needs (not necessarily wants) taken care of. It is not the government’s responsibility to take care of you, regardless of what our entitlement society's members believe. Those who expect the government to take care of them, review the Katrina tapes. Do you want to be airlifted off your roof to move to the Super Dome? Even well-meaning citizens will scramble and loot when they think they are going to run out of food and water and they see others getting away with it. You saw the looting of stores. If you are going to be the only one on the block with lights on and a generator humming away, once the stores are empty, guess where they are headed?
Thanks to modern transportation and economic efficiencies, your local box store or grocery has no attached warehouse. Everything they have is on the shelf, and to save money and space, it is normally only a few days of merchandise. If you live in an area that occasionally gets snow or hurricanes, you know what happens to the perishables and common necessities like bread, milk, eggs, batteries, bottled water, etc. There will not be more stuff appearing on the shelf until the trucks (and drivers) can get from the warehouse to the stores, and the stores have enough workers to open for business. There will be no more coming to the warehouse till the trucks (and drivers) get it from the distributors and wholesalers. Due to “Just in Time” manufacturing, there will be no more for them until the manufacturers (or growers, in the case of food) get their workers back on the jobs and their parts and components from the sub contractors, or increasingly today, the ports where they are brought in. The component makers will need labor and raw materials. You can see where this is headed. In the US, we live about 48 hours from a disaster. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, you saw what is likely to happen in the event of a localized catastrophe, with the rest of the country outside of the few affected states available to respond. Society imploded. Imagine what it would be like if the region, the country, the continent, or the world, are all experiencing their own disasters and are not available to help. The mobs looting and roaming the streets looking for food, booze, drugs, guns, or victims could be your neighbors. You need to decide now if you are going to be a sheep, a wolf, or a sheepdog, and prepare accordingly.
Next, you need to analyze your most likely courses of action. Will you stay where you are or move elsewhere to unite with others or to get away from them? This is an important consideration. If you live in NYC, any disaster of more than a few days is going to be difficult to survive and will require a lot of planning and preparation. If you saw New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, you might want to reconsider planning to remain in an urban area during a catastrophe of any duration. There will be little food and clean water, and the wolves will be taking what they need from the sheep. If you are going to relocate, you need to prepare in case you are stuck where you are, and for your destination as well. This means that you will need to ensure that you have the ability to relocate, to include reliable transportation, adequate fuel, a plan to pack what you need to take and secure your home in a certain amount of time, a route (and timeline) that will not leave you stuck on the highway when disaster occurs, and that your destination will be ready when you arrive. If you saw the highways outside of New Orleans and Houston just prior to their anticipated disasters last year, you can see the fallacy of waiting too late to initiate your plan or of not having reliable transportation. This decision can have a number of branches and sequels, depending on the nature of the disaster, prep/warning time, etc. The time to work all of that out is now. If you live in East Nowhere, Oklahoma, you will also need to prepare, but you may not need to travel. Now is the time to sit down and war game what could happen, starting with the most likely/most dangerous contingencies. If you live in the Rockies, a hurricane may be unlikely and relatively less important to you than someone in Florida, who will not be very concerned with an avalanche or blizzard. Work your way down to the lesser events. Plan your fight, then fight your plan, but remain flexible. You always want to have a contingency plan or two. That hurricane may zig, rather than zag. The epidemic may start next month, rather than next year. You may be hundreds of miles from home when the disaster strikes and you may be in a completely different situation at that location, better or worse.
Is there a QP recommended way to store water in a Camel back type pack? Our water is from a well and treated only through a water softener and economical filter.
The Reaper
08-06-2012, 18:31
I would not want to leave even treated water in a Camelbak for more than 30 days.
I am pretty sure that you can add sufficent chlorine to keep it safe for that long. The correct amount would depend on the volume of water you were storing. Then rotate it every month or so.
TR
Day 4 so far of no power here in NJ. I am lucky that I only had some minor damage to my fence and believe in preparing.
I am sitting in my truck with my laptop/verizon air card plugged into a power inverter and have a few observations so far ( most pretty obvious but maybe worth repeating)
-Gas is next to impossible to get. Most stations have the gas in their tanks but no way to get it out. A couple resourceful guys down the street rigged up a hand cranked pump and were slowly getting gas out to people. No idea what they were paying. Defiantly was a reminder to look into getting a similar system for myself.
-Generators are loud. I can stand outside at night and pretty much pinpoint the houses that have them. I do not have one ( I will be checking craigslist a week or so after this all passes though ) but if I did I think I would only run it during extremely cold weather to keep the pipes from freezing in my house.
-Switching from a relatively healthy diet to a canned/shelf stable diet will reek havoc on your digestive system. I will spare the gory details but it is something to keep in mind.
- I am was more than prepared for this but my wife thinks it is just terrible what we are going through. I wish I would have thought of having more stuff on hand to keep her busy. Boredom is definitely a problem. I have yet been unsuccessful in getting her to sleep through the coldest/darkest part of the night and awake during the day. She is just not used to living without electricity. I can only imagine what those with kids are going through.
-Looting seems like only a minor problem around here. National Guard was called in pretty fast and curfew put in place. Neighbors are all usually outside during the day and keep an eye out on strangers that come through, which there is a lot of. I am assuming most of these strangers are contractors but I know that there are some wolves out prowling.
-Cell networks went down immediately. Luckily my relatives/family friends figured out to call and check in with a relative out of state. It probably is a wise idea to have something more formal set up. Trying to get a hold of someone in New York was next to impossible. It would make more sense to have a comm plan that involved checking in with someone a few states away instead of waiting for the stars to align and having two cells connect to each other.
The Reaper
11-01-2012, 19:46
Crue:
You don't need an inverter for a laptop, if you have the cigarette lighter charging plug for it.
We got hit hard by a hurricane in Hawaii many years ago. The motor pool POL point had no power and we could not pump gas. I took the cover off the base of the pump, got some jumper cables and a 1.5KW genset and hooked the power directly to the pump motor (hey, I was young and bulletproof back then). We were the only unit in the division with a functioning gas pump. If it is your supply, or no one has to account for the fuel, a 12v. electric fuel pump with a long inlet hose will work for siphoning or for drawing fuel up from the underground tanks. Slow, but it works.
Some generators are loud, especially cheap ones. Good portables, like Hondas and Yamahas, and good standby generators, like Kohlers, are much quieter. I have seen some that you had to put a hand on to verify that they were running. That (and the fact that the small ones sip gas) could make it very handy if you wanted to keep a low profile.
If you are eating the canned stuff to start with, there should be no upset when the power fails.
Board games for the wife, or a tablet with lots of books and movies. They run/charge off the lighter as well.
You can use a 12v. splitter in the car and plug in several things at once. If you want to cook, look at Amazon and search for 12 v. cooking or trucker cooking. They make 12v. slow cookers, coffee pots, immersion heaters, etc. I would run my car's engine when using higher draw appliances.
Or, if you have a deep cycle battery (do not use a car battery for this, it can't take the deep discharges), you can charge it off your car with jumper cables, and then use it as a portable power source. Just try not to run it out of power, it is hard on the battery. I prefer not to discharge mine below 50% unless it is absolutely necessary.
What is your normal heat source? Do you have gas, fuel oil, or a fireplace?
Ham radio with a patch should be able to work regardless of the networks. More modern is not always more reliable. Think PACE.
A good visible presence will discourage many looking for something to steal. You might want to keep your eyes open at night.
Glad to hear that you are alive and doing well. Hang in there and stay alert.
TR
It's interesting to note that within 24 hours some folks were hollering for Food, Batteries and Fuel.
More by 48 hours - and now in some parts - according to the news - it's starting to get real testy.
Food, Batteries and Fuel are things you use every day. When given notice that a major storm is going to hit your area how hard is it to start buying the basics a few days out? Too hard for many it appears.
Crue had a plan - it appears many of the neighbors in the greater area didn't.
Oh, well........
Glad you're surviving.
A couple observations to your points.. We have had two major and 11?? minor canes here in the last 16 yrs.
Day 4 so far of no power here in NJ. I am lucky that I only had some minor damage to my fence and believe in preparing.
I am sitting in my truck with my laptop/verizon air card plugged into a power inverter and have a few observations so far ( most pretty obvious but maybe worth repeating)
-Gas is next to impossible to get. Most stations have the gas in their tanks but no way to get it out. A couple resourceful guys down the street rigged up a hand cranked pump and were slowly getting gas out to people. No idea what they were paying. Defiantly was a reminder to look into getting a similar system for myself.
As we are on a rock, with boats, everyone has 6-8 gas cans(6-7 gal). They need to be rotated into the vehicles. Should last several days.
-Generators are loud. I can stand outside at night and pretty much pinpoint the houses that have them. I do not have one ( I will be checking craigslist a week or so after this all passes though ) but if I did I think I would only run it during extremely cold weather to keep the pipes from freezing in my house.
I have had a Honda 2500 for ever. It runs 12-14 hrs on 2.5 gals and is very quiet. They aren't cheap, but when your EL-Cheapo 5000 gensets from home depot run one(1) gal of gas an hour...
-Switching from a relatively healthy diet to a canned/shelf stable diet will reek havoc on your digestive system. I will spare the gory details but it is something to keep in mind.
Beans,, good fiber,, and they make music...
- I am was more than prepared for this but my wife thinks it is just terrible what we are going through. I wish I would have thought of having more stuff on hand to keep her busy. Boredom is definitely a problem. I have yet been unsuccessful in getting her to sleep through the coldest/darkest part of the night and awake during the day. She is just not used to living without electricity. I can only imagine what those with kids are going through.
My wife is an avid reader, storm coming,, she raids the local library for 8-10 books..
We also have neighborhood parties most every night. The comradeship is good mentally..
-Looting seems like only a minor problem around here. National Guard was called in pretty fast and curfew put in place. Neighbors are all usually outside during the day and keep an eye out on strangers that come through, which there is a lot of. I am assuming most of these strangers are contractors but I know that there are some wolves out prowling.
Be careful,, VERY careful of contractors. Warn all your neighbors to only deal with LOCALLY licensed and insured builders. South Florida lost 100+ million dollars from scam contractors during Andrew. Monroe country now has a ordinance that you need a unique county license, immaterial of any state or federal license your may have..
As far as prowlers,, not a problem when you can open carry on your property, besides it's 100 miles to the mainland on one 2-lane road..
-Cell networks went down immediately. Luckily my relatives/family friends figured out to call and check in with a relative out of state. It probably is a wise idea to have something more formal set up. Trying to get a hold of someone in New York was next to impossible. It would make more sense to have a comm plan that involved checking in with someone a few states away instead of waiting for the stars to align and having two cells connect to each other.
Our local code says ALL primary services (gas, LP, medical, radio and CELL) must have secured & sustainable self-powered systems. Also the Cell companies have 300 ft towers that are build to 250 MPH wind load.
Good Luck,, Be Careful...
It's interesting to note that within 24 hours some folks were hollering for Food, Batteries and Fuel.
More by 48 hours - and now in some parts - according to the news - it's starting to get real testy.
Food, Batteries and Fuel are things you use every day. When given notice that a major storm is going to hit your area how hard is it to start buying the basics a few days out? Too hard for many it appears.
Crue had a plan - it appears many of the neighbors in the greater area didn't.
Oh, well........
In light of what is being reported about the 'victims' of Sandy, I still amazed how very simple and minimal amounts of prep make the difference between the self reliant and the dependent.
Destrier
11-14-2012, 10:42
Ok, test day since it is now cold enough to run wood burner all day.
System currently on a pallet to move around until I make a storage pack
Batteries fully charged, started testing at 0900.
Switched house to batteries. Initial charge showed 25.8vdc.
House being kept at 68 degrees
Currently running 15 to 48 amp draw average, based on whether the wood stove fan and house furnace fan are running or not. Two computers running, Freezer, fridge, and well pump from time to time when using water. So far 2 hours 40 minutes into it and batteries still at 23.7vdc , With an auto shut off at 20vdc.
System
4 gel pack batteries hooked up in a 24vdc system.
Magna Sine magnum MS Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger
Mini Magnum Panel MMP
ME-RC Basic Remote Control
Hoping to get a minimum of 6 hours out of the system, that will hold me until I can add more batteries.
Badger52
11-14-2012, 11:59
Ok, test day since it is now cold enough to run wood burner all day.Thank you, very interested in following along with you how this proceeds.
In bringing your system up to 25.8VDC has that turned out to be pretty linear, in terms of being able to predict regeneration time based on discharge?
Destrier
11-14-2012, 12:17
Well just over 4 hours now, still at 22.2 vdc. The batteries, charged until the unit hits its auto shut off, the initial charge showed what it did, simply based on the capabilities of the batts. As far as duration, the temp is not super cold, but I started the wood burner at 0900, so the fan inside it to keep fire going and get water tank up to 170 degrees ran along time that first hour. So far its fairly nice watching it drain. With woodburner only turning on a lil each hour to keep water temp up, I am seeing a reduction in drain since first hour. It looks like I will hit my 6 hour goal fairly easily.
Are we going to get a picture or two of the setup?
Destrier
11-14-2012, 13:13
23540Here is the Pallet and set up for batts. Generator is next to it and cable running from Inverter to wall that is underground to main house breaker box 80 feet away. Goal is to add a 1 gauge connector to be able to disconnect the batteries and have them in a self contained pack that one guy can load/unload. At present, I can put pallet on my ATV trailer or Horse Trailer and move the system to wherever. Have considered getting one of those electric chainsaws and using the system when I cannot acquire fuels. Someday, a solar panel would be nice, but for now the gasifier and generator will have to do.
The cables are long, so I can place the system on a trailer etc.
Ok, 5.5 hours low bat shut off kicked in, My 6 hour goal not reached, but I did keep house temp at 68 and ran two computers, with outside temperature at only 48 degrees the system is adequate. Colder outside temps, will probably reduce current system to around 5 hours running the house, fridges, freezer, wood burner, well pump, interior fan in ducts. Good enough to get sleep at night but not luxury.
Will invest in 4 more batteries over next year and that should fix me up.
Now to get gasifier input valve all setup. For gasoline, gasifier and propane. Currently can only run generator with it.
Destrier,
Is your well pump "on demand" from the tap or a "lift pump" to a storage tank?
We are 100% off-grid on a Solar/Propane set up. The well pump would be our biggest drain on the system, so I left if off and use a generator once a week to top off our 1500 gal. storage tank. A small pressure tank feeds the house.
Pat
Destrier
11-14-2012, 14:13
The well pump is on demand. The house also has a cistern from when it was built in 1830 but I have it empty at present. In the garage, we have a 250 Gallon portable water tank we can toss on a trailer and fill with a second well that is below the garage, and a hand iron pump in the garage. I could probably do better in that department, I like the idea of pumping only when using the generator from time to time. I will look into it.
Modifying the existing cistern seems the easiest route. Thanks
I'm thinking that, since we only use about 100 gals. a day, running the pump off the solar system for about 10 min. a day is doable.
Some pix:
The Reaper
11-14-2012, 19:49
Destrier and PSM:
Very nice set ups, gents.
Concur with PSM, better to do your big loads (or charging) with the occasional generator run and use the batteries for the heat circ, fans, lights, etc. The refrigerators and freezers will probably be fine with an hour or two twice a day, if you fill the excess freezer space with nearly full water jugs.
Obviously, solar is a lot easier and more practical in AZ than in NY, and vice versa with the gassifier.
Heckuva battery bank there, PSM. What is your system, if I might ask, and what is the life span of those batteries?
Thanks!
TR
Heckuva battery bank there, PSM. What is your system, if I might ask, and what is the life span of those batteries?
Thanks!
TR
On the roof we've got 15 220w (3.3kW) Sanyo panels, feeding 24 2v Surette 1380 (1075ah) batteries for a 48v system. The charge controller and inverter are Xantrex XW series with a Xantrex power distribution panel.
With heavy use (over 50% drain) the batteries are supposed to be good for 8 to 10 years. We have all LEDs for lighting and all Energy Star appliances. Our heat pump is a Daikin 1.5 ton mini-split. Even in the worst of the Summer heat, battery voltage never dropped below 50v, so we may get 10 to 12 years out of them.
We have all the regular appliances except an upright freezer. We wanted to see how things went for a year just in case we needed to go to a propane one. It looks like a regular freezer will be fine.
My only unusual chore is topping off the water tank once a week. And I may be able to do away with that soon.
Pat
Badger52
11-15-2012, 04:25
Very nice indeed PSM. Thought, work & money, efforts rewarded. Thanks for the details on that. Remain interested to see how Destrier's setup continues to work. And this remains a great thread.
As TR indicates solar a very workable thing in what is one of my favorite areas.
Shortly up here as the mercury drops it's gonna be "ok, guys, is there anything we need to get down to Huachuca for?
Last night I attended an Advisory Council (school board) meeting at our small local Catholic school. The principal proudly announced that within a day or so after the Sandy Hook murders, our school had an "active shooter" policy in place. I asked her how many drills or scenario practice sessions the students had participated in. Deer in the headlights. "The sheriff's dept. and assisant police chief helped formulate the policy," was the reply. Yes, but have you actually practiced it? "Uh, no, but we will!" Typical bureaucratic response. As former and current SF soldiers, most of us have encountered "active shooters" from VC/NVA to Taliban. We should have a pretty good response system in place. To incude personal EDC firearms, knives, etc. However, what about your wives and kids? A lot of wives won't carry guns and my 15 year old can't take my 1911 to 5th period algebra. So I believe we need to ensure that our family members and local schools and churches are ready for an active shooter scenario. A plan is good, but if you don't rehearse it....... IADs, IADs, IADs. Until it becomes automatic. Starting with basic situational awareness to last ditch counter measures. The local Chamber of Commerce had an open to the public class on active shooters. It was geared to everyone from kids to people with CC permits, as my state is heavily armed. My family attended. After the course, when we went to a restaraunt, I started asking them where were the exits? Why did you sit here? What would you use for cover? etc. My kids enjoyed it and still talk about SA, etc. There is also a pamphlet available from Amazon called "Navy SEAL Tips, How to survive an Active Shooter." By Brandon Webb. (Damn SEALS saved the world!) It's geared toward regular civilians and isn't bad. Of course, none of this stuff will guarantee survival, but we all know that a plan and some training is better that making it up as you go. I would encourage all of you to contact your local schools and ask them what kind of plans they have made and humiliate them it these plans aren't rehearsed like the mandatory monthly fire drill.
Beef
Just to let you know some places are taking this more seriously. A plant I have been working with recently is currently developing their plan with local, state, and fed LEOs. Once developed, they intend to share and practice this plan with everyone on site to include contract and temporary personnel. I let them know that I have personal contacts that provide this type of training as well and they were quite enthusiastic about getting in touch with them as well. Should I work there long enough I will share whatever results come of this effort.
I'm glad to hear that. Of course a chemical/POL plant in South LA is not a place I personally would want to intiate a mass shooting. I image several guys named Boudreaux would take exception and my efforts would be short lived! LOL! Commercial and industrial people seem to be more proactive on this than our schools. Which is problematic.
Mountain House has suspended their minimum advertised price for September. Safecastle, Ready Made Resources, and others have deals with 40-70% off and free shipping. Various restrictions apply, usually full-case (6 can) multiples only, but there are some legitimate deals out there.
The Reaper
09-01-2013, 13:42
Mountain House has suspended their minimum advertised price for September. Safecastle, Ready Made Resources, and others have deals with 40-70% off and free shipping. Various restrictions apply, usually full-case (6 can) multiples only, but there are some legitimate deals out there.
Great deal!
Thanks for the tip.
TR
There has been a price revolution in handheld ham transceivers (requires a ham no-Morse technician’s license or better). The latest generation of Chinese handheld dual band (2m/70cm) transceivers match the Japanese Yaesu and Icom models feature for feature at a fraction of the cost. For example, I just purchased a BaoFeng UV5RE Plus off of Amazon for less than $40 delivered. If you’re willing to go the Ebay route I think you can get them for less than $35. The user’s manual is unintelligible chenglish, programming the presets manually is a total pain and it won’t take a 3 min, 3m bath like the Yaesu can and still survive. That said, it’s the bomb, otherwise. I’ve been having great luck using it even in hilly, forested terrain.
Note that you can get yourself in trouble using the UV5RE. Freqs that you shouldn’t have access to (and people put a lot of effort into accessing via circuit surgery in the high-end HTs) are available out of the box. You can transmit on GMRS, FRS, and MURS frequencies at full power--4W-5W depending on who’s doing the testing. (That’s against all the rules for those freqs and according to FCC device certification you’re not even supposed to have access to all of those on the same transceiver.) It includes a Sanyo scrambler chip that is normally found in wireless phones. Using this feature is optional and can be assigned on a frequency basis, but even so voice scrambling on ham bands isn’t legal, either. The no-no list goes on.
All that said, if you pay attention and have a tech license you can use all of the (legal) frequencies and features without violating FCC regs. For example, you can program a FRS preset and specify it uses the appropriate low power setting with no scrambling—perfectly legal. It has scanning capability (2 freqs/sec vs. 100/sec in a dedicated scanner and no trunk-tracking, but still, it scans), accessories are dirt cheap (battery packs, speaker mics--$9 wtf?, AAA and AA packs, antennas, 12v adapters, etc) and there is a large pool of users to smooth out the bumps (accessory modification advice, some guy wrote a ridiculously good user manual, etc.). And there is an outstanding free program called CHiRP that gets around the convoluted manual programming of presets by allowing everything to be entered into a spreadsheet and uploaded to the device—but you’ll need a $7 programming cable (everything associated with these things is inexpensive).
Check them out, there’s tons of stuff on Google. Be aware that there are a boatload of different versions (some of the older ones can be had for $15, new!) and some of the early teething problems are solved in the later models. Search for UV5RE Plus…I’d start w/ the Amazon reviews.
I have been using mine as a Fire scanner in my local area in Michigan. For the price it was cheeper than buying a scanner at Radio Shack! Cool acceseries.
Father in Law who works on radios for the FAA is impressed too.
Heard of a few that had issues with theirs.
A buddy has one, seems to work good.
AL
I've also purchased 10 of the Baofeng "BF-888S UHF FM Transceiver Walkie Talkie Two-way Radio CTCSS/DCS" tranceivers, with chargers, for $160. (That's the total cost--$16 a pop for a single-band FM UHF handheld tranceiver.) At first flush they all seem to work. They're quite simple with only 16 channel presets, which I see as a big plus given their intended use. There's an amazingly well-written review on Amazon.
They are pre-loaded with GMS, MURS, FRS, and Marine frequencies out of the box but they are illegal for anything other than the 2M band operated by someone with a technician ham ticket. (They transmit at 5W and aren't FCC hardware-certified for GMS, MURS, FRS, Marine.) The plan is they won't be used in anything other than extraordinary circumstances (grid down, WROL, etc.) when they'd be handed out to neighbors to create a cheap "AGRIC Alert" system as used by Rhodesian farmers during the troubles there.
They're kind of a pain to program but a guy has figured out the proper incantations for computer interfacing HERE (http://forums.radioreference.com/budget-entry-level-transceivers/250280-baofeng-bf-888-s.html). See the RollingJ post, #10 in the thread. Once you set one up the rest should be easy to clone. Haven't done it myself with the 888 yet.
One BF-888 ($16) with an add-on j pole antenna and one Argent ADS-SR1 simplex repeater ($80), along with a cheap 10W mono-crystalline solar trickle-charger (charger should be sub $100 w battery and charge controller from what I can see--should all fit, less the panel, into a 30 cal ammo can) placed on a 1100 foot hill near my place should make all of the local farms accessible. The ADS-SR1 has a pretty amazing feature set that opens a world of possibilities for creating a cheap, medium-range comm net in even hilly, wooded terrain.
I'll post an update when I have the repeater assembled and tested.
Peregrino
09-30-2013, 19:22
Concur with all. I just ordered the Wouxun KG-UV6D v2 at http://www.wouxun.us/item.php?item_id=307&category_id=66 for all of the reasons mugwump just listed. Yes, it is more expensive but it also has a better reputation in the HAM community.
For anyone considering purchasing one of these radios - I STRONGLY recommend getting your HAM Technician license. Two weeks ago I spent a week of evenings reading the ARRL study guide and 20 minutes taking the test on the following Saturday morning. Painless. Had my results before I left the test site and my license the following Monday. A simple investment of time and $15 that will allow me to build experience legally and interact with a community of hobbyists that can help me improve my skills BEFORE I need them. To be blunt - knowing the rules and abiding by them makes life easier and flattens the learning curve. When the SHTF, all bets are off - do whatever you have to do to communicate (emergency - e.g. threats to life, etc.). And that is recognized in the law. Until then, I'm going to practice "squeaky clean".
Other then getting into the Ham radio area, just for the better frequencies, etc.
You'll soon find-out there are a lot of like minded folks out there that are in the loop of being prepared. Not only ARES/RACES teams but also look into CERT teams.
I have been on the air since 1980 and seen many radios come and go. I have learned that a radio is a tool and like a good knife it is only effective if the person using it is skilled.
AL KA1FFO
Badger52
10-01-2013, 08:39
Concur with all. I just ordered the Wouxun KG-UV6D v2 at http://www.wouxun.us/item.php?item_id=307&category_id=66 for all of the reasons mugwump just listed. Yes, it is more expensive but it also has a better reputation in the HAM community.
Fine choice; have 2 Wouxuns. Picked up 2nd one dirt-cheap from someone who couldn't be bothered with the Chinglish manual. KG Commander (free software) and 8 minutes later the radio was cloned.
For those who may charge these things up & put them away for whenever, take the charged batt pack off the radio. Just sitting on the radio over time will often drop .5 to .75 volts off the charged pack. Just a thought for those who may want truly fully-charged packs when they need 'em.
Congrats sir on getting your ticket. :lifter
ODA CDR (RET)
10-01-2013, 08:47
Searched various threads here and could not find the info. Would this charging system work for recharging batteries. Goal Zero Guide 10 plus. I like the pack-ability of it.
Ebay link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370891153568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
Searched various threads here and could not find the info. Would this charging system work for recharging batteries. Goal Zero Guide 10 plus. I like the pack-ability of it.
Ebay link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370891153568?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649
For it's intended use of charging a few AA or AAA or a cell phone, then yes. My daughter is using this exact one trekking in the Himalayas. She charges batteries for her gps, flashlight, and iPhone 4S.
This one is the current king of the mountain if all you need is USB charging --> Instapark (http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Solar-Charger-Reviews/Instapark-Mercury-10)
ODA CDR I should add that she said she would just carry an extra set of energizer ultimate lithiums for her light and a Solarwrap Mini if she had to do it again. The Solarwrap is tiny and weighs next to nothing. She saw another trekker using one...just unrolled it and hung it on his pack all day. String on one end, dab of Velcro on the other so it doesn't get twisted. Said the battery was usually fully charged when they stopped for the day. It's USB only though, so no aa charging.
All that said I think your original goal zero would be better if you're thinking mid to long term. One warning: daughter unit's first one died after two charges. It was instantly replaced, but make sure you test it thoroughly before you depend on it.
Well paint my toenails and call me Sally. AA eneloop chargers using USB. Guess I never looked. Lots of options open up using these little AA/AAA chargers I guess. USB AA charger (http://www.amazon.com/Rayovac-Everyday-Use-Position-Discharge-batteries/dp/B003D7LHK4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1380646319&sr=1-1&keywords=usb+battery+charger+aa)
This would sway me back to the Instapark for $50 (especially if you already own some AA recharg. batts) because it has a monocrystalline solar panel (sig. better in cloudy conditions and partial shade) vs the polycrystalline (set up under trees with dappled shade, power output drops more than is proportionate to the portion of the panel shaded) on the goal zero.
I've been researching this pretty extensively because I need 10W solar for the emergency comms net I'm planning. Neither of these work for me because I need 12v out for my charger but I have settled on a 10w monocrystalline panel.
ODA CDR (RET)
10-01-2013, 14:17
I need a cigarette socket (female) that has a USB connection on the end. Looking to use a cigarette lighter charger that can hook up to the solar panels via USB. Can't seem to locate that animal. They can be found all day long male plug with USB socket. Any help here???
You won't find a USB to female cig because it's going from 5v (USB) to 12v (Cig) and that can't be done without wasting a boatload of power and producing a lot of heat. Male cig to USB can be easily found because they're going downhill--12v from the car to 5v for the USB.
12v solar panels directly produce 12 - 17 volts output. These guys who sell solar charge stations with 5v USB only are making a marketing decision and converting the 12v from the panel to 5v USB.
You can hook a 12v female directly to the output of a solar panel if whatever you plug into the cig can handle 12-17 volts DC. What are you trying to power?
If you need 12V out...
You can find a cheap monocrystalline panel and directly hook the output into the input of a battery pack:
This (http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-Systems-Individual-Solar-Panels-3---19-Watt-(9)/c1_25_39/p251/Solar-Cynergy-5W-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html) is a good 5W mono panel (small 8.7" x 10.4" about a sheet of paper) and is a good deal at $30. Ask about connection wiring before you buy.
This (http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-Systems-Individual-Solar-Panels-3---19-Watt-(9)/c1_25_39/p1885/Solar-Cynergy-10W-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html) is twice the power--10W--for about half the price but bigger.
This (http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-XP8000-Universal-Adapter-External/dp/B0029U2WZU) 8000 mAh power pack has an input up to 19V so the panel can charge it directly. It has 9-12V output (for your cig socket), USB for phones etc, and 16-20V output for laptop computers. The trick with this power pack is, people are using it without a charge controller because it's apparently built in. I'd put a diode between the panel and the battery so you don't lose current backing up into the panel when it's dark...or just unplug the battery when you aren't charging it. Easy peasy.
That's all you need--a 12v solar panel, an Energizer pack, a bit of wiring, and the cables to plug your devices into it. It might all fit into a large single revolver pistol case or jerry-rig something out of tupperware.
Cake_14N
10-02-2013, 07:59
Consider one of these: BiolLite Stove (http://www.biolitestove.com/)
I have one along with the grill and it is awesome. I also have the GoalZero system and the stove outperforms hands down.
I can charge 2 sets of AA batteries in the time it takes to cook a meal and heat water to do the dishes. Plus, I no longer need to carry fuel as the BioLite burns wood I pick up from around my camp.
As soon as REI gets the Kettle Pot I am going to get one. The stove will fit inside the pot saving more room in the pack.
Downside to the stove is if there are fire restrictions you can't use it. Much of New Mexico was under those for most of the summer and USFS did not budge on their ruling on stoves. White gas was ok, but wood burning stove was not.
Just my 2 cents.
cake
I thought I was all clever and everything with "my" handheld tranceiver-simplex repeater idea. I just found maybe 20 YouTubes on the subject. :rolleyes:
This guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJsIFgp8G_c&list=PLjU0RtaogO9m1F37fkSVOlpkqzHonmU84&index=6) works up the battery and panel requirements for solar charging. He's pretty long-winded and says "charger" when he means "charge controller" but even if you're starting from scratch you'll understand the issues by the end.
The farm owners contiguous to my property think about a grid-down scenario quite a bit. It's an expensive and complicated proposition to plan for continuity of operations for a large farm and there are many moving parts. One of the biggest is fuel. They guys around here who prep are serious about storing diesel. Serious.
The guy next door uses 2300 gallons of diesel per year. He wants enough fuel on hand to keep things going for two years. Two years is his planning window for a low-probability, high-impact event (financial collapse, pandemic, CME) and with a longer timeline would give him sufficient time to switch over to using soy/sunflower pure vegetable oil and biodiesel for critical processes. It would be pretty drastic in the longer term--e.g. culling 2/3 of his dairy cows, shifting from corn to sunflowers and potatoes--but he thinks the plan is do-able. He figures using all the land available in our hollow we could keep 600 people alive the first two years and 400 for years 3-5/6. Then it would all depend on how fast equipment degraded and draft animals could be obtained (accompanied by another 10-20% drop in the people the land could support--animals need to be fed).
Here's hoping it never happens, eh?
Anywho...diesel. My friend claims (and my research on the web backs up) that the new ultra-low-sulfur diesel--besides causing a host of problems in older equipment like decreased power, lower lubricity, fuel system leaks, clogged fuel injection systems, and incompatibility with lubrication oil--stores very, very poorly. If there is any zinc or copper anywhere in the delivery/storage path there is accelerated formation of sediments, gels, and soaps. And because it picks up water so easily, ULSD grows biofilms at a much faster rate than high-sulfur diesel. Biocides (Tri-D, BioKleen) help in the short term but not much. And no, you just can't add sulfur back into the fuel, it doesn't work.
The guys around here who store for SHTF are buying high-sulfur (>5000 ppm) home heating oil instead of the current diesel being sold (<15 ppm). Heating oil is just diesel fuel that's been dyed red to indicate it's untaxed and not for on-road use. With biocides added they think they can get years of safe storage and with the epoxy-lined collapsible-membrane tanks and automated fuel polishers some are using, up to 10 years.
In any type of emergency the EPA issues immediate waivers to allow home heating oil to be used for transport purposes so you wouldn't be breaking the law in a short-term blip like a hurricane.
Even now it's getting difficult to find high-sulfur fuel because many larger refiners have switched all production to ULSD but it's worthwhile to search around. Note that newer diesel car and truck engines can be damaged by HSD (the catalytic exhaust systems killed, injector woes). Check your equipment and the impact of HSD before you use it.
If you can't find or use HSD, consider accelerating your rotation schedule to use your ULSD every 6 months if no additives are used and every 12 months if they are.
Southern-style snowstorm: Gridlock, kind neighbors
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WINTER_WEATHER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-01-29-07-10-58
"ATLANTA (AP) -- Students camped out with teachers in school gyms or on buses and commuters abandoned cars along the highway to seek shelter in churches, fire stations - even grocery stores - after a rare snowstorm left thousands of unaccustomed Southerners frozen in their tracks........"
I wonder how may people thought as they were getting ready for work "Gee, maybe I'd better throw a couple of old blankets and a bag of snacks into the trunk. Never know what could happen."
This snowstorm is a great example of the lack of preparedness that people typically have whenever there is a situation out of the norm.
My buddy called me yesterday telling me his wife could not find milk, eggs, or bread at any grocery stores.... It will be a good thing to ask clerks what could and could not be found yesterday/today in stores...Most people just lose their minds in the most mild of inconveniences.
Snowmageddon, has caused the death and end to Fayetteville NC and total destruction of Ft Bragg and the Airborne :rolleyes:
Had I not had any food or blankets in my apartment my wife and I would have starved to death and then frozen to death during the last 12 hours :rolleyes:
As a September baby, I fully realize...winter snowstorms, blizzards and cold weather...can sometimes create a lot of unintended consequences...;)
Not all bad !!
Be prepared ! :cool:
Wasn't that the title to this thread !
The Reaper
01-29-2014, 13:45
It occurs to me like the worst situations always seem to occur to those who are unprepared.
For those who are ready for it, trouble seems to visit a lot less frequently.
If it does, the outcomes are almost always a lot better.
TR
I did manage to almost set my house on fire checking function on my camping stove. A little fuel leaked out.
So far in my area of louisiana most folks have stayed in. Thankfully we drive in ice so rarely that no one is "used to it" and the vast majority were driving very slowly. The few fast drivers quickly took themselves out of the equation by sliding into ditches completely clear of the road with minimal vehicle damage.
Many around here tend to have deer in the freezer or a neighbor with the same. The grocery store rush did happen here, but not much completely gone other than eggs. They were still pumping out enough king cakes to keep everybody well supplied.
I did manage to almost set my house on fire checking function on my camping stove...
Hence, the screen name pyro! ;)
Pat
Hence, the screen name pyro! ;)
Pat
LOL, you owe me a keyboard or at least the mouthful of Elijah Criag I just spit on the screen ! ;) :D
Picked up 2 wouxun kg-uv3d radios. Still have to find a local class to get my ticket...
The manual is predictably crappy, can anyone point me to a good guide? I will get the clone cable and program but would like to be able to do it manually....
Nonstop24/7
01-29-2014, 21:37
This topic of survival planning and developing of our own plan is of the utmost importance.
So often we wait until it's standing in line, waiting on some incompetent government " we are here to help you" dude.
Let's face the facts. Breaking this all down into our individual situation, location, and type of emergency, we all need some expertise like Reaper to assist.
A lot of very important points are raised in this article and IMHO we could sure use some more of it.
There is so many levels of this type of planning, how can it be simplified?
I feel like there is plenty of talent on this site with much experience and ideas.
Hopefully, the thread will continue!
Nonstop24/7
MRE's: This is more a question... I saw mention of a bulk order you all did awhile ago. Was this cheaper than the MRE's that you can buy in the commissary? We like having MRE's around as 72 hour kit and camping food and I keep a few in the cars, but DANG they're pricey. My husband flat refuses to bring any home from work. I'm not going to push his ethics on this one, but... can't I find them cheaper somewhere besides the commissary?
While you might find some cheaper elsewhere, they will likely be several years older. In this, you get what you pay for, only if you get them from a good source. There is an app about MREs, what's in them, and how old they are.
Badger52
02-03-2014, 06:12
Picked up 2 wouxun kg-uv3d radios. Still have to find a local class to get my ticket...
The manual is predictably crappy, can anyone point me to a good guide? I will get the clone cable and program but would like to be able to do it manually....A couple of the study guides for your FCC ticket are available online and you can bang away at practice exams to your heart's content here. (http://www.qrz.com/hamtest/) Be sure to also study for the General license; much of the Tech material is repeated (albeit phrased differently) on the General. At an exam session you can keep taking tests for the same session/fee as long as you pass them. The General opens up a much larger realm of possibilities. Honest, they are both within your grasp.
I have also a couple of .PDF's that are user guides for the radio you are talking about that aren't so much in "Chinglish." One is somewhat large (455K); will see if I can put them up here. They are good little radios in terms of bang-for-buck. Any units not being used/charged regularly, keep the charged batteries OFF them else it will be useless when you go to pick it up. Many of these types of radios are that way.
The KG-Commander program is a good one and you can save different freq sets for whatever you've ferreted out if you need to change the mission of the radio - but there are alot of channels available in the radio.
Hope this helps.
Don't MRE's bind you up? During an emergency that lasts for more than a few days, who wants to suffer from constipation while trying to stay warm amongst other attempts to stay comfortable?
Plus I have also looked into those Biolite Stoves too. Seems to be a great idea for outdoor use.
Don't MRE's bind you up? During an emergency that lasts for more than a few days, who wants to suffer from constipation while trying to stay warm amongst other attempts to stay comfortable?
(Errant information in red)
Do you want to be caught with your pants down?
It might be a little uncomfortable, but those minutes every day can probably be better used doing something else.
(If I am in error please correct me)
Peregrino
02-04-2014, 18:30
(If I am in error please correct me)
Yes - You are in error. Constipation is not a laughing matter. In fact - any health problem is a matter of concern in a survival situation. And MRE's aren't as bad as legend would have the uninitiated believe.
Yes - You are in error. Constipation is not a laughing matter. In fact - any health problem is a matter of concern in a survival situation. And MRE's aren't as bad as legend would have the uninitiated believe.
Peregrino,
Thank you for the correction, and subsequent removal of ignorance. I have to change my kit a little bit.
I've found MRE's to plug me up a little, but not to an uncomfortable degree.
There are screaming deals right now on genuine USGI woodland camo modular sleep systems. A used/excellent MMSS with patrol bag, cold weather bag, Goretex bivy sack, compression bag, and ground pad can be found for $79 + shipping. New ones are going for $125. Search Amazon and Ebay for the best deals.
I've purchased several very good/excellent sets from here and there and haven't hit a dud yet. No holes, damaged zippers or snaps, not even a name or unit marking. One guy recommended washing in front load washers only which I've done without a problem.
For you folk who live in the frozen northland these legitimate -40F bags are selling at don't-miss-out prices. Yes, the complete system is heavy at 11-12 pounds and bulky at about 1 cu ft and my 6'4" frame isn't the best fit. But...remember that stretch of -20F last winter?
Winter is coming.
Latest score by the Coupon Queens (pronounced KOO-pin, of course). A nice hand crank forge and blacksmith tools. They paid exactly $0 for the whole lot with a promise not to sell them. We have a young man in town who is learning the trade and the lady who passed them on was tickled that her husband's tools would be put to use.
We're on a mission to gather up every hand tool, manual and horse drawn farming implement, farrier tool, and blacksmith item in the area. The Queens are currently negotiating for a 1920s-era milking machine that can be belt-powered off of a Listeroid 6/1 running vegetable oil. If you've got an old farm implement as a yard ornament and you're within a 100 mile radius, expect a knock on your door and a twisted arm.
28830
Get this book, preferably the Kindle version as there are oodles of hyperlinks --> Prepping for a Suburban or Rural Community: Building a Civil Defense Plan for a Long-Term Catastrophe [Kindle Edition] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EJXTWCQ?btkr=1). It's only $2.99.
There is some discussion of the usual stuff: defense, food, yadda yadd but only vague recommendations...very little is concrete à la "get clean water like this" or "set up your farms like that." The real focus is on organizing your community now to mitigate future disasters. Figure out what works for your circumstances and environment. Set up a structure now. Have plans to more easily establish a post-disaster polity and maintain rule of law if the worst happens.
We've followed a lot of his advice, establishing committees for water, fuel, sanitation, medical care, scrounging, law, defense, Amish relations (ISYN) etc. But the real gold nugget is his detailed advice on establishing a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Tax exempt, as in charitable donations to the organization are fully deductible. Some money is going to have to be spent on this stuff, and the tax-exempt status takes out some of the sting. It's a pain in the butt, but worth it in the end.
And you know that surplus military gear that Uncle Sugar is spreading around on the LEOs? Well State and local organizations can apply for grants and materiel if they have their ducks in a row and decent relations with the State and County governments. Hesco barriers, sandbags, diesel generators, fuel filters and groomers, medical consumables, storage racks and shelving, fuel storage blivets...there are lots of goodies out there. You're gonna need a lawyer or a paralegal with OCD though...tons of paperwork.
Anywho, the book is highly recommended, more for the tone and philosophy than concrete prep advice.
PS - A kid on the water committee (working on his Eagle Scout--they still do that out here) is standardizing a way to increase the yield of filtered water from 8 gals/day up to 60 gals per day using 2 x 5 gal buckets, a ceramic filter, a Schroeder valve, and a bicycle pump. He didn't invent the method, the plans are on the Interwebs, but sourcing enough materials for a community, negotiating prices, creating clear construction and maintenance instructions, purchasing and storing the bits and pieces--it's a big job. How many filters are needed for a community our size? Where are the filters to be emplaced? What are the manpower requirements to run these? What's the 5-year plan when the filters are worn out? It really goes to show how the author of this book is right...it will take a lot of folks pulling together to save a town if the worst goes down.
PPS - we can see weeks in a row where the high temp never gets above 0F. The heating committee is working on a plan to turn water heater tanks into efficient volcano wood stoves. What tools, skills, materials are needed for the job? What do we need to stockpile? What will likely be available in local stores if we prevent looting? Stovepipe costs an absolute bomb! What are safe alternatives?
You get the drift.
Link to the seminal book on rocket mass heaters, still the most highly ranked book on the subject at Amazon. As far as I can tell, it's a legit distro of the pdf (per a couple of forums on the subject). The author claims to cut firewood requirements from 4 cords per winter down to 2/3 cord. All for $50 in salvaged parts and a weekend's effort. I'm looking hard at this.
The pdf opens onto a couple of blank pages. Scroll down a bit...it's there.
Rocket Mass Heaters (http://lockiemartin.wikispaces.com/file/view/Rocket%20Mass%20Heaters.pdf)
.
Guy next door planted 3 trial acres of potatoes and they're all harvested...a little late. He averaged 22,000 pounds of spuds per acre. State average is 34k lbs/acre, so we have a ways to go. We also ruined about 10-15% when harvesting but that's why you practice when everyone is still smiling. Wastage will drop a lot with hand-harvesting. We're learning the crop now because we'd be replacing some soybeans with potatoes if we were feeding a horde.
Seems like a lot of taters but when you figure 440 50lb sacks per acre into 1000 mouths it goes fast. When potatoes were the staple food of the Irish they ate on average 6.5 lbs per day along with a quart of milk. (Spuds + milk is nutritionally complete.) So those 60,000 lbs of spuds would support only 25 people for a year, assuming they could also get a quart of whole milk per day as well.
Also, that's a lot of burlap sacks. Storage would have to be distributed, as no one has the time or money to build enough root cellar space to store a mountain of spuds. A dark closet would be fine, given the temps most folks will likely be able to attain in the winter.
We're rotating the spuds to some of my marginal sandy land next year and trying some turnips, parsnips, onions, and neeps on his test plot.
Volunteer
09-19-2014, 22:51
Sirs,
On the off-chance you may not have already heard of this elsewhere, some of the cheap radios are beginning to show symptoms indicating memory reliability issues. Although attractive at first glance, they may not be the bargain they appear to be.
Some details concerning the issues here:
http://hamgear.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/wouxun-reliability-issues/
Might be worth considering smaller Vertex, Icom, Kenwood VHF portables instead.
Personally I use an Icom IC-F30GT, 256 channels, narrow band with all VHF statewide LE, FD, MED and the majority of ham repeaters for NorCal, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Similar models also safe for use in explosive atmospheres.
Respectfully,
Volunteer
That report is pretty weak IMO. Not saying the anecdotal report isn't true, or that Chinese QC can't be spotty, but the comments are instructive.
I have a Yaesu HT. It's nice and I like that it's waterproof. But the HT I carry around the farm is my cheap-ass UV-5R. When I use it, I use it a lot. No problems so far in over a year. Does everything the Yaesu does and if it gets lost/trashed I won't lose any sleep.
Like everything, it depends on your use case. For what you seems to be using them for, a more expensive HT makes sense. For me, not so much. Yaesu/Icom are nice but when you can buy six UV-5Rs for the cost of one Japanese HT? No way. These things are hammers to me. You can put 20 x Baofeng 888-S with chargers and twenty spare batteries in a garbage can for less than $400. They all worked when I programmed them, but if a few are dead if I ever need to pass them out I won't be bothered.
I also have a case of Yugo SKS I bought when they were going for $84 apiece. Same idea. Would I rather have ten quality ARs? Well, yeah! Too pricey though. What is the patrol coverage of five, 2-man teams armed with SKSs and a cheap HT for each team (that only needs to hit our simplex repeater anyway) vs one guy with a nice BCM M4gery and an ICOM? No comparison.
"Quantity has a quality all its own."
Good to see a ham posting here. I'm not slamming you or your post. Keep an eye on the issue and let us know what develops.
I'm still looking into rocket mass heaters and found the following summary page. Some good stuff here. It's nice to see some plans using standard HVAC duct and fittings. I'm all for expedient and scrounged materials, but if the SHTF there's going to be a lot of unused ductwork from forced-air furnaces waiting to be repurposed.
Good rocket mass heater collection (http://www.richsoil.com/rocket-stove-mass-heater.jsp)
.
I went through the car kits last weekend just to check everything out, replace old protein bars, etc. I was surprised to find that all four butane lighters had totally frozen strikers wheels, rendering them useless. Trying to break them free by running the striker along the pavement just abraded a flat spot on each wheel. These weren't Bics but were Costco specials. Took the striker assembly off of a couple of them but couldn't identify the problem. I always worried about leaks, not the striker.
Both of the AA Maglite Mini LEDs were dead as well, one with a leaked battery and the other with I assume the same problem but the end cap was seized to the point I couldn't get it off using a Leatherman.
To round things out, mice had chewed into one pack and eaten all of the energy bars.
The Reaper
11-06-2014, 22:07
I went through the car kits last weekend just to check everything out, replace old protein bars, etc. I was surprised to find that all four butane lighters had totally frozen strikers wheels, rendering them useless. Trying to break them free by running the striker along the pavement just abraded a flat spot on each wheel. These weren't Bics but were Costco specials. Took the striker assembly off of a couple of them but couldn't identify the problem. I always worried about leaks, not the striker.
Both of the AA Maglite Mini LEDs were dead as well, one with a leaked battery and the other with I assume the same problem but the end cap was seized to the point I couldn't get it off using a Leatherman.
To round things out, mice had chewed into one pack and eaten all of the energy bars.
I too, have found a mixed bag with the bulk cheapo lighters. I have also had the flints in the Spark-Lites dissolve into powder as well.
For the money, Maglites are better replaced with whatever cheap Chinese LED you can find on Amazon. Buy several and test them out before you put them in the kits. You can save on batteries and add a couple of spares with the change, if Surefires are not in the budget.
Mice are a bitch. Mason jars or Nalgene bottles, maybe?
TR
(1VB)compforce
11-07-2014, 07:34
For the money, Maglites are better replaced with whatever cheap Chinese LED you can find on Amazon. Buy several and test them out before you put them in the kits. You can save on batteries and add a couple of spares with the change, if Surefires are not in the budget.
TR
I've had good luck with these. You can catch them on sale at home depot for $15. Four settings (low, high, strobe and off). Standard AAA batteries (3) for power. Hard metal case similar to maglite. I've got them everywhere in the house and car. I've had and used them for about 2 years now and haven't had a failure. At $5-7 per light, they are a good bargain. I'm linking to Amazon for the description, but they are cheaper to buy through local purchase.
http://smile.amazon.com/Duracell-Durabeam-Lumens-High-Intensity-Flashlight/dp/B00D3Y3JEE
Thanks for the recommendation. I have to pass on these because they don't use AA batteries. I made a hard and fast rule a while back: if it doesn't run on AAs I don't buy it. That extends to flashlights, scanners, handheld transceivers, etc. I still have only Surefires/CR123 as weapon lights because I haven't bought any lately. Any new ones would likely employ AAs.
AA batteries have made a quantum leap. Look at the new Energizer Ultimate Lithiums: lightweight, 15 year shelf life, 3-8 times the standard lithium run times (they say 9x) depending on the application, and a good discharge profile. They're currently expensive but prices are already coming down. For everyday use I have buckets of 2700 mAH rechargeables and the means to charge them when the nightlight won't work.
TR - yep, I tried out a couple of the Chinese 1 x AA flashlights that use the Cree seconds. Found one I liked and bought 20 when they were 3 bucks a pop. Haven't had a problem with the two I use regularly but it's always a Guangdong crapshoot. The car kits are going to get one of those to go along with the headlamp.
Lighthouse
02-17-2015, 17:10
Anyone know the guys running this? thinghttp://www.crisisapplicationgroup.com/
They say they are former QPs and offer some training. Seems interesting.
I'm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with travel often meaning driving on lowly traveled roads which go through long stretches of non-populated areas with a lot of areas that have no cell phone reception. I have put together for each member of my family a survival kit that will sustain life very comfortably for 2-3 days, regardless of temperature, and sustain life less comfortably for at least a week.
Cold weather gear is an important item to have available at least half of the year here. I vacuum seal cold weather clothing for storage in each family member's emergency bag, which stays in their vehicle year-round. The clothing takes up SIGNIFICANTLY less room vacuum sealed.
You have to be careful of the type of insulation the garment has if you are going to vacuum seal it, as some insulations can require 24 hours or more of time before the insulation regains its loft, particularly down.
Thinsulate works just fine for warmth right out of the vacuum seal packages, however.
In the survival bags for each family member, I have individual vacuum sealed bags with polypro tops and bottoms, fleece tops and bottoms, polypro balaclavas, thinsulate watch caps, thinsulate gloves, fleece and wool socks, and water and wind proof Frog Tog tops and bottoms.
Each family member also has an arctic weight Wiggy's sleeping bag, which is also vacuum sealed to reduce bulk, in their vehicle. Wiggy's offers vacuum sealing as an option when purchasing bags. The bulk of the bag is reduced by at least a factor of 5 when vacuum sealed. I have had good luck buying pre-owned vacuum sealed Wiggy's bags from Ebay, which saves some coin over buying new.
Between the cold weather clothing and the sleeping bag, each family member should be able to shelter in place and maintain adequate body warmth for extended periods of time in weather as cold as -60 F, colder by double than anything ever experienced here in the past 25 years.
Water storage in a climate with -20 t0 -30 degrees F for a few weeks at a time and months of temperatures below 32 F can be difficult. I have found that the SOS emergency water packets, which are 4.227 oz mylar water bags, maintain integrity down to -30 for prolonged periods, can be unfrozen fairly quickly if placed against the body, are small enough to allow them to be packed around larger items in a bag, or in
small void spaces in a vehicle, and are still usable after going through months of sitting inside of a hot car in the summer. Each family member's survival bag has at least 1/2 of a gallon of water in it.
Each bag also has the other requisite survival kit items: redundant firestarting methods, tinder, a good knife, a multitool, a folding camp saw, a small first aid kit, a water filtration unit with the instructions laminated to prevent against water damage, an MSR Dragonfly camp stove with instructions laminated, portable pot for cooking or snow melting for water, food (lifeboat rations/MRE's/Mountain House), whistle, signal mirror, mil-spec strobe light, road flares, etc.
The bags are a little too large and much too heavy to be considered humpable by any of my family members, but that doesn't matter and is partially by design, as the training I have given to each family member is to stay with their vehicle under all circumstances that allow it.
One additional item I have purchased for each family member is an emergency PLB for each person. They are supposed to be stored in the vehicle when not on their person, and be activated if no help has arrived in 18 hours. I have had an older ACR electronics PLB for a number of years and put it to use once, which saved my ass. The older models were on the bulky side, which made carrying it a little difficult.
The newer models have come way down on size and weight however. The ResQLink+ units, which include GPS locating to within meters of the device, 24 hour broadcast ability, and a built in strobe light, are now small and light enough to fit in any shirt pocket, and cost less than $250.
If James Kim, who along with his family ended up stranded in southern Oregon in 2006 and who died walking for help, had had a PLB in his posession, they could have had help inside of 2 hours and the whole saga and death of Mr. Kim would have been a non-event.
I didn't know NC was #3 in use of solar power. You Green Berets may or may not be tied in to that energy.
I searched but couldn't find much, probably cuz I'm dumb.
What is the best, most durable (waterproof), under $500 solar panel system for charging auto/12V batteries?
Thanks. Love y'all.
I didn't know NC was #3 in use of solar power. You Green Berets may or may not be tied in to that energy.
I searched but couldn't find much, probably cuz I'm dumb.
What is the best, most durable (waterproof), under $500 solar panel system for charging auto/12V batteries?
Thanks. Love y'all.
Wow. For $500 you can power an RV. I have a $150 set up from Harbor Freight (may be more or less now) for our travel trailer. Again, it runs the whole trailer except the air conditioner. For just charging you are probably good under $100.
RV(dot)net is a good resource for information on stuff like this.
Pat
It was the first snow of the year here today, so I did a test run of my Mr. Heater Big Buddy to make sure it was still functioning. Everything worked out OK except for the fan that's part of the system to help circulate heat.
The fan isn't required for it to work, but it's certainly a nice-to-have. I'd bought some C and D-cell size adapters from Eneloop that use Eneloop AA batteries to run, but the design of the positive terminal prevents them from working in the Mr. Heater. There's such a tiny contact on the positive side I'm not sure they would actually work in anything, but I have nothing else to try them in. I'd tried to standardize on rechargeable AA and AAA batteries so I was hoping for success but I'm glad that I tested it first.
Is the Powerex line the best choice for rechargeable D-cells? Also, are there any solar chargers that will work with these that aren't Harbor Freight specials? I haven't seen any solar chargers for the D-cells that look high-quality. Price is somewhat a factor but I am willing to pay for quality.
Also on the topic of rechargeable batteries, does anyone have any suggestions for rechargeable 123as? I bought a dozen "Watson" brand 3v rechargeable 123As and a couple spare chargers. They are only 400mAh so I wasn't expecting them to run a light or anything, but I put them in my MSR MIOX and they will not even run that when fully charged. The MIOX was the main plan for using them so it's disappointing. Most other rechargeable 123a batteries I can find are 3.7v which is not what the lithiums run at so I think they would cause damage.
Thanks for the great information in this thread so far!
Old Dog New Trick
11-22-2016, 19:27
Mugwumps (all)
Don't know if it's been said but, batteries and for that matter all things that can be ignition sources like a butane lighter should be wrapped in nylon tape (electrical tape) as a moisture barrier to prevent corrosion.
If you wrap lengthwise at least one battery in a flashlight it will prevent any electrical contact or accidental contact and drain on the batteries.
Same with a 'bic' lighter. Moisture and condensation are enemies to flint and metal.
I also wrap my magnesium fire starters in electrical tape - one to prevent wear, second to keep the striker from falling off.
As Reaper said food in a plastic container.
Just wanted to say another thank you to everyone who's contributed to this thread. I've been preparedness minded for awhile but you all have gotten me to think this over from a few new perspectives and I greatly appreciate it!
Lessons Learned – Eclipse 2017
Have a checklist, follow it, and check it at least 3 times. I had 2, one for personal items and one for provisions for the trailer. The trailer one was less important since this was a road-trip with plenty of opportunities to pick up stuff at Walmart. The personal check list is where I dropped the ball. I went over it twice, once as I packed the items and again before walking out the door. Both times I missed the GPSs. Big mistake! The Tahoe's navigation system also decided to go on strike shortly after we hit the road. To view the eclipse, I found a county road 26 miles north of Torrington, WY, that placed us a few hundred feet from the centerline of the eclipse. Without a GPS, finding it would be difficult. Difficult, but not impossible because I had my smart phone. Yep, but no service because of all the people. OK, back to basics. I knew the county road number: 24. But the roads were numbered as streets for some odd reason, there was no county number on any of them. I had to get a little more basic, I remembered the shape of the highway we were on and the fact that there was a long straight stretch with Co. Rd. 24 going off only to the right. Found it, went to the top of a slight rise about half a mile and found our perfect spot!
Don't pass up a chance to top off your fuel and carry more extra than you think you'll need, because you'll need it. We topped off (I thought) at Cheyenne before joining Highway 85 leading to our target location. Round trip from the service station was only 204 miles. Normally, pulling the trailer, we easily get 300 miles. On the return leg in bumper-to-bumper traffic, top speed about 10 MPH, at 142 miles we were down to ¾ tank. At Yoder, we pulled over at a traffic control point so I could put the gas from our jerry can into the car. This is the fuel for our gennie which I filled once and topped off once so I should have had at least 3 ½ gallons. But, when my wife first filled the gas can, she put the nozzle all of the way into the can and stopped when it cut off. So we probably only had 3 gallons to start with and it didn't get topped off in Cheyenne. So, at Yoder, we only had one gallon left. Not enough. A sheriff deputy told us that the fire department had planned ahead and had extra fuel available. They gave us enough to get the Pine Bluffs and saved the day.
Golf1Echo learned not to take a manual transmission vehicle when you are going to be faced with 75 miles of 10 MPH bumper-to-bumper traffic. The next morning, at our camp site, he kept walking around in clockwise circles. :D
I'm sure that there is more and if I remember it I'll add it later. The fuel situation is the important part. I was taught, when faced with an evacuation, to only take enough fuel to get you to an area out of danger where topping off will not effect your neighbors' ability to get fuel also. Doing this may well leave you stranded in a bad location. Double it. And, in rural areas, don't pass a gas station without topping off ALL of your fuel containers and generator, if you have one.
Pat
Golf1echo
08-29-2017, 09:52
Traveling up into Wy for the eclips was similar to an evacuation from a disaster as the powers that be had no control over the numbers nor had they made accommodations for the crowds ie porta potties ( there were literally no trees up where we went to view),no water stations, no aid stations, emergency vehicles had challenges responding, etc...With 580,000 people in Wy and an estimated 1,750,000 people descending on them their infrastructure was taxed. http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/more-than-a-million-people-visited-wyoming-for-eclipse-early/article_93901bc1-4591-5350-95a9-571d97b23109.html
The benefits to driving a faster more full efficient vehicle were negated by the traffic between the stick shift and the turbo it made driving miserable in those conditions. Reminded me of the accordion of the early ruck runs and the front rotors will need to be turned or replaced now. Seeing a similar model vehicle with a blown clutch and it's occupants waiting for AAA was not comforting.
The adventure really made me think about fuel for a bug out situation. It took every bit of a full tank and some extra to get the 280 miles up to the viewing area and burned about three quarters of a tank traveling a fraction of that distance going back aprox. 50 miles. I was able to fuel up in Torrington on the way up however PSM was not going back as the Vol Firemen directed our traffic around the gas pumps. So I would have considered a couple of 5 gal tanks extra fuel before the event but to fill the tank it would have been 3-5 5 gal cans which I would consider a minimum now and the spout to fill with as well.
As mentioned the cellular signal was bizarre, while the phone would show one level signal the minute you sent a number it would drop off, fortunately we got in a couple of calls early and linked up well driving back we used radios.
Insightful adventure where the failures are poignant.
One more thing about carrying extra fuel, the CARB fuel cans made it difficult to add fuel from them. I had a long funnel that fit through the restricted filler neck hole . . . in the garage back home. We jury-rigged a funnel with a water bottle and hose that we use to add water to the trailer. I now have a proper funnel in the trailer and both vehicles.
Pat
(The firefighters below are adding extra fuel to the Tahoe. One is pumping and the other is holding the flip-up door open with a pen. I could have offered them my makeshift funnel but they were having so much fun. :D)
BigJimCalhoun
09-01-2017, 17:17
Following up on fuel, I live in the DFW area. As part of my job, I get a new car every 6 to 12 months. Yesterday was the swap out day and I got a new vehicle with 43 miles and basically no gas. When you drop below 40 miles remaining, our cars no longer show how many miles left to drive on the display, they just tell you go get gas. I drove maybe 12 miles looking for gas, but I didn't have enough gas to wait and get gas. I was thinking about PSM's thread above. Every station had either 30 cars in line, or has no gas left. I had to return the car and get my old one back as I returned my previous one with 7/8 of a tank.
The DFW area was in full scale panic mode yesterday, with Google phone alerts telling people to get gas, along with news reports showing 5 lanes x 15 deep at Costco. There were runs on food too. Some stations got replenished overnight but most I saw today still had no gas. Some people didn't come into work today because they had no gas.
The Reaper
09-01-2017, 20:00
Saw plenty of tankers refueling stations in West Texas today.
TR
The DFW area was in full scale panic mode yesterday, with Google phone alerts telling people to get gas, along with news reports showing 5 lanes x 15 deep at Costco. There were runs on food too. Some stations got replenished overnight but most I saw today still had no gas. Some people didn't come into work today because they had no gas.
I think it's induced panic. North Texas fuel comes from Ponca City, OK. Huston's product is pipelined to SE US and east coast. IIRC, most of Texas refined fuels comes from OK.
Pat
frostfire
09-23-2017, 21:52
http://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/mindset/lessons-learned-first-responder-hurricane-harvey/
came across a good AAR for not only responder but those awaiting rescue. I went to Alabama once and twice to New Orleans after Katrina. I wished I had read this AAR
Also from the same site is preparedness if caught in a mob
http://www.itstactical.com/intellicom/mindset/strife-happens-what-to-do-during-an-urban-uprising/
Move at right angles to the mob sounds like a logical tips.
Anyone here who've been caught (prepared or unprepared) in the midst of an urban uprising care to share their lesson learned?
I lived through a city/province wide ethnic cleansing riot in the 90's. As ignorant as I was, it was by sheer grace I survived. It did not compute in my head what was going on or the scale until few days later. Now I truly appreciate the mob mentality and how you can be seen as their cause of grievance just for being there and look "different"
It's hard to develop a brand new mindset quickly without making some stupid mistakes. Preparation both mentally and physically isn't something you can put off to the last minute. Important to have water, food, meds, and a full tank of gas (all the critical stuff) as a matter of habit. Also critical is to know how to get out of Dodge on routes that won't be choked by the hoards. If you choose to bug in (shelter in place) or bug out don't wait until the last minute to make your decision. The recent horror stories of traffic jams, no gas, and an approaching calamity should be vivid reminders. That said, it's not wise to exhaust your time worrying about things that probably won't happen. Obsessing is not planning. I live in a quiet rural town, but well within the driving range of the potential maniacs of DC. Being ready for the great whatever is a matter of course.
This is good gouge, frostfire. Thanks for sharing the post.
Badger52
09-24-2017, 06:16
Move at right angles to the mob sounds like a logical tips.
Anyone here who've been caught (prepared or unprepared) in the midst of an urban uprising care to share their lesson learned?
Unprepared. Was learning new 35mm camera & developing at the craft shop, so I was shooting boatloads of B&W. Encountering a little dust-up in the afternoon near the Farben Bldg. & found myself behind a police line while a bunch of commie-supported students played around. Students did an envelopment on the Polizei and I found myself on the wrong side of the lines. As I ducked down behind a retaining wall to change film an officer came leaping over to crack my head & I can only assume he thought I was preparing something to throw. He put a nice dent in the camera body I sacrificed to save my skull as I screamed "WTH!", then a few seconds later actually said "Excuse me" in English. I grabbed my shit & squirted out the side just as the place went full sporty with lots of CS and water cannon.
Simple lack of situational awareness & not keeping my head on a swivel. The movement at right-angle to the 2 jaws of the closing vice was done instinctually, not because of any tactical acumen on my part - but it worked.
(I got some great prints out of it, but the CBR NCO said that my exposure didn't count for recurring mask test - it does clear the sinuses though.)
Old Dog New Trick
09-24-2017, 09:30
^^^all remember if you get caught up in a massive movement of the mob you are going to have to go with them while sliding to the side (edge) before making your right angle exit.
Does anyone have experience with this app (Voxer) - specifically for communicating with clan for/during emergencies?
Interested in thoughts, observations, usefulness, experiences.
Features
• Walkie Talkie and Messaging
• Built for iPhone, Android, and Web
• One-on-One or Group Chats
• Hands-Free [PRO]
• Team Management [PRO]
• End-to-End Encryption
https://voxer.com/plans-and-pricing
Does anyone have experience with this app (Voxer) - specifically for communicating with clan for/during emergencies?
Interested in thoughts, observations, usefulness, experiences.
Features
• Walkie Talkie and Messaging
• Built for iPhone, Android, and Web
• One-on-One or Group Chats
• Hands-Free [PRO]
• Team Management [PRO]
• End-to-End Encryption
https://voxer.com/plans-and-pricing
We use Zello, which is the same. Works fine if the other folks know how to use HTs.
Pat
We use Zello, which is the same. Works fine if the other folks know how to use HTs.
Pat
Thank you Pat.
CloseDanger
09-27-2017, 20:25
https://concisemagazine.wordpress.com/2017/09/21/lessons-learned-from-harvey-irma-rescue-channels-on-zello-helping-one-another/
Lessons learned from Irma Rescue channels on Zello.
From monitoring many Zello emergency rescue accounts, I have learned that this could be a great tool for the future for people in disaster situation (If they have Internet capability)
I thought I would share a prep list for those Whom desire to assist their fellow man in tumultuous times.
Zello has provided a service that allows one to talk to a group or privately (Even encrypted) with Whom they like to. In Harvey, it was used for those Whom needed help or rescue when their primary Civil Support services were not available.
In disaster, you do not know what kind of communications you will have. Cell towers, main line phone lines, cable service, Internet, Satellite communications, and even 911 could fail to be available. It could leave one with only CB and HAM operators to rely upon.
During and after these storms, many were without such ability and the Interet was the only way to communicate. Hence Zello filled the void. For may, they just wanted to chat with others to not feel so alone. For some, it was the only lifesaving tool they had.
Some ISP Providers like Spectrum and Xfinity did, to the best of their ability, provide emergency free Internet service where they could. Kudos to you for that.
Having introduced the context, I wanted to present you with a Prep list that presents you with an avenue on how you may contribute, and how to keep out of trouble with the Internet of things.
1.First mission is information flow. Inform and coordinate with Local, State, and Federal Authorities prior to sending someone into any situation – if at all possible. For dispatchers, phone is the finest weapon you have.
As a Civilian, you are merely and augmentation service or force. The State and Local Officials are your primary support group. In cases they are over-loaded, they may ask one of your groups for help but that rarely, if ever, happens. It is question of Liability few Government officials will want to address in the fog of a real event.
Duplicate calls, duplicate rescues, and mass confusion can lead to life threatening situations if the channels are repetitive. I learned some of what I tell you here from the Cajun Navy as they have been at this awhile. They have tried to provide an example of Private Civil Augmentation.
You have to be “Trusted” to talk on their network channels which means, you fill out the form to volunteer. After which, you get passwords. Being a Non-Profit, they would like to maintain their 5013C status. This means accountability must be up-held. In fact, your information has to be cleared through the Department of Homeland Security.
2. Verification. I observed several possible pranks or traps coming over channel. Once you verify it is an actual person in an actual flooded area that does not intend to rob you or worse. There are always a few bad faith calls.
Which leads us to
3. Privatization of service. This is set by Infrastructure Categories.
4. Channel control. You will want separate channels for functioning separation of information. Many rescue groups have a main chat room where everything is handled. This is not Kosher. All the jackals and jokers come about in an Emergency situation not recognizing that If you do interfere with a rescue, you may be sent to Prison.
You never have enough dispatchers
Take your calls separate from the room with friend request to verify and if they are pranking, kick them out of the room
Have separate, encrypted channels for private information.
Never let people know where supplies, water, food, or gas is going over public channels. This is how you get raided. Also Coordinate with local Authority when shipping such things.
Try to moderate your volume to %80 percent. Some calls you can barely hear, some will wake everyone up in your neighborhood.
Keep weather checks and regular info on other channels than your work channels. Anything you can get from weather channel or AM radio in your car. This information may be useful on the ground for rescuers, but it is of no use for a rescue channel when people are asking for a weather check every 3 minutes.
Keep the channels clear. Block and report abuse. Separate the chatter. Gotta keep them separated.
5. For those on the ground who need verbal communication, the following resources are available Dispatchers:
Zello
Crowdsourse
Gas Buddy
Google maps
Apple maps
waze
wink news
ventusky maps
windfinder
FEMA APP IS AWESOME!
Local power company outage maps
Animal Control
Animal rescue shelters
Shelter apps – Local shelters, Evacuation shelters that allow pets. They are Our Family too. Check shot records too.
HAM Radio
CB Radio
Firechat
Mesh networks
Morse code
White flags on roof-tops of houses
Local nuclear plant data sites
Local water treatment plants
local chemical company plants
Local food market corporate sites (Distro – disribution info if they post it)
Uhaul, storage, UPS, FEDEX, Pipelines, Railroad, Greyhound, Hubs. Airports, Ports and Port Authority, CoastGuard, National Guatd, Attourney generals office, Governors Office,
6. As a moderator. seeking clarity of information is the key. You can be the straw that stirs the drink, or the one that breaks the chain. Some operators having stress have time and need to blow off steam with their fellows. So, when OPTEMPO slows down, let them know each-other and chat. But if emergency comes about it is “BREAK – Clear Channel”.
Give them ten seconds to speak and block them. Yet be cautious, few may be real, but they can go to one of the main popular rooms to ask.
7. Access: HUBS. You are looking for a way to somewhere, and always looking for a direct path at expense.
But what if you were traveling somewhere and got stuck at the airport? You ask where the nearest HUB is to get you closer to destination. Sometimes, flying (Or driving, or via Train or rickshaw or whatever) is better than waiting in airports. Buses and trains, private planes, Mariner charter, Cruise Ships! Support them too! Any logistic line is safe haven.
Buses, Trains, Uber, Lyft, Airbnb could find a place a block away. Do not discount Local Militias.
If you are Legit, someone needs to perk an ear up. But if you clog LOGISTIC Trains or get in the way of even the Local Sheriff, you are in the wrong unless you can stress test your case.
7. Record what you do. You can take screen shots and pictures. If you called 911, you are going to want to remember when. Sometimes calls go UN-answered so you will want to be able to show something.
8. Sheltering. They will not be checking immigration status at shelter but they may check for warrants, naturally. They will also want to know if your pets have been vaccinated.
9. Be creative. Does someone attached to machines need to be evacuated when the power goes out? Or could you just bring them a generator.
The Elderly could require a range of specialized equipment. Sometimes contacting the manufacturer helps to get equipment where it needs to go.
Baby formula, diapers, and dog food always run low in these events and as always – Fuel.
Also, listen to Frefal! http://ferfal.blogspot.com/2017/09/reply-7-things-i-learned-from-hurricane.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SurvivingInArgentina+%28SURVI VING+IN+ARGENTINA%29
CloseDanger
09-27-2017, 20:28
Anyone please correct me where I may be wrong here.
This is an AAR. Use any of it in your Operations with the median, reproof, correct, or delete as you see fit please.
The Reaper
09-27-2017, 21:08
Not seeing much mention, but in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, cash is king, as banking services are down and will not be restored until power, communications, and personnel can return to work.
The government and the banks would like to move to a cashless society, but this is a situation where that would present a huge problem.
Credit cards may be of use before the full onslaught, but once the financial network is down, people will need cash.
The amount to have on hand would depend on what your needs are and how long the banking systems are out of service. The former can be a mostly known factor, but the latter is impossible to predict.
I would want to have at least a month's expenses in a cash emergency fund, secured somewhere you can easily access it during a disaster (not at the bank).
Texas, Florida, and particularly Puerto Rico, have proven this out. A small island with 3.5 million people and no power or comms and the banks and ATMs closed is not going to accept credit cards or provide you with cash.
In a long term disaster, or a financial crisis, cash may not have value for very long either.
Just another contingency to prepare for.
TR
CloseDanger
09-27-2017, 21:41
"Texas, Florida, and particularly Puerto Rico, have proven this out. A small island with 3.5 million people and no power or comms and the banks and ATMs closed is not going to accept credit cards or provide you with cash.
In a long term disaster, or a financial crisis, cash may not have value for very long either."
Cash is King.
Another reminder about banks. Not only may they not be open, but they may be as likely to flood as your own property including the non water proof safe deposit boxes. This may put important identity and few financial documents at risk if stored their.
Golf1echo
12-17-2019, 21:01
A good reminder this evening regarding mountain weather and conditions!! I do track several locations but didn’t expect these extreme conditions. -44f at Lake Antero here in Colorado, predictions of -25f in the Animas Valley overnight. Avalanche warnings, many extreme up and down the central mountain range with several killed and others rescued so far this year... early for that even here. Many of these areas are remote however not uncommon to travel through some of these areas to get to ski slopes. Last season on a few occasions highways were closed, including I 70. Poignant reminder to have a vehicle kit and contact plan.
Beyond typical items that come to mind and good vehicle maintenance.
A charge method or extra battery, insulated water and food, tow straps, a radio or commo device (besides cell), signal kit, traction devices, etc...
Last season ended up in a situation were a dozen or more folks were stranded in deep unplowed snow. They were coming down from my huts so while they had gear their supplies were diminished. We all worked together to get them going but ended up very wet, should they have not gotten out they would have been vulnerable.
Observations:vehicles traveling on the road way were not stopping and wisely so. Vehicles had gotten very stuck as well as a wrecker blocking others. State response was overwhelmed ...
https://www.fox21news.com/weather/it-reached-44-tuesday-morning-in-central-colorado/
https://www.fox21news.com/news/state/considerable-threat-for-avalanches-in-mountains-continues/
Edit: Times I've found chem heat ( pocket warmers...help with keeping batteries in fobs and cell phones from draining so quickly), bic lighters, a lock oil with coolant very helpful...more for a certain pad lock but also for vehicle locks as well as extra keys kept in wallet or personal bag. Things can get hectic going in and out of the truck when shoveling, pushing, rigging, the possibility drop your keys in deep snow, etc...
Old Dog New Trick
12-17-2019, 22:29
Timely bump!
All be safe this winter (global warming is a bitch) be prepared!
frostfire
03-21-2020, 11:40
Thank you TR for starting this thread
I must say I never took it 100% seriously until very recently
Pretty interesting since my colleagues except for one vet are allergic to firearm/ammo/violence etc
Folks are leaving and I’m staying behind to turn off the light after everyone flies out.
Always fancy Alamo/Benghazi ending.... just never foresaw the “jihadist” would be invisible and bullets can’t kill em :D
utmost respect for those Wuhan,
Italy and healthcare staff everywhere else that dons space suits to work
Cool n all for photo op....
Not for hours of work! And knowing a breach in isolation protocol can get your colleagues killed!
N I thought mopp suit was bad
Graffiti
03-22-2020, 19:25
Some useful navigation apps if the mobile networks are congested in your area... what3words and navimii (integrates with what3words), both work offline.
https://what3words.com/clip.apples.leap
https://www.navmii.com/
My wife joins COSTCO for a year every few years and goes crazy stocking up on staples and personal hygiene stuff so we are well stocked with shower gel and TP. What surprised her on her recent trip to the grocery store and Walmart was that liquid detergent and dishwasher detergent was sold out. That's one thing we didn't stock up on. We will from now on.
One other thing is distilled water was sold out along with bottled drinking water. That is a big problem for us since our electricity comes from 24 flooded lead acid batteries and they get thirsty in the summer. Another lessoned learned! We do have plenty of gasoline in jerry cans for the 5.5k Generac portable gennie and the auto back-up gennie is propane.
ETA: We also have a 3.5k Champion gennie (which can run the house) and an EU2000i Honda generator (which can't).
Badger52
03-30-2020, 18:53
My wife joins COSTCO for a year every few years and goes crazy stocking up on staples and personal hygiene stuff so we are well stocked with shower gel and TP. What surprised her on her recent trip to the grocery store and Walmart was that liquid detergent and dishwasher detergent was sold out. That's one thing we didn't stock up on. We will from now on.
Kinda hard sometimes to get a window into what makes people buy what. During the initial :eek: around here, we had the usual everything BUT toilet paper (till the log chain caught up, which it has). Distilled water (humidify wife's O2 concentrator) was left alone; big bottles of regular water left alone. People sure loved that Dasani stuff or something.
One thing I did notice that I thought odd. People had cleaned out any kind of sprayer or squeeze bottles of any kind of disinfectant or bleach. But they left the regular size Clorox bottles - from which one could refill their sprayers and are much cheaper in the mid/long run - alone. I wonder if that's a generational thing. Everything's a disposable.
:rolleyes:
The Reaper
03-30-2020, 20:18
Chlorine bleach is pretty corrosive.
Not all spray bottles will work with it for very long.
Bleach also loses its potency pretty quickly.
It is good while it lasts though.
Pool shock is also handy, and more concentrated, but it too goes bad with time.
I recommend diesel, propane, or natural gas for generators.
Gasoline storage sufficient to power long-term needs is an expensive and time-consuming chore.
Diesel has some of the same issues as gasoline, and natural gas is dependent on the power to its distribution system.
At this point, for the long-term, I propose solar primary power with a battery bank and a smaller LP generator to handle higher load periods and to charge batteries. It isn't cheap though.
TR
Gasoline storage sufficient to power long-term needs is an expensive and time-consuming chore.
TR
The gennies are just 'available', I mostly only use them when we need to shut down the solar system to clean the cables and terminals. The gasoline gets mostly used in the vehicles and replaced. The propane gennie is the go-to back-up. The portable is a back-up to it. And the propane failed once (during a weekly exercise period) so the portable was there to replace it if needed.
Also, before this event, I was in the process of changing over to lithium batteries but my supplier/installer is shut down. Bad timing.
At this point, for the long-term, I propose solar primary power with a battery bank and a smaller LP generator to handle higher load periods and to charge batteries. It isn't cheap though.
TR
agree with this, been looking at having a off grid tool shed that I could use all power tools and equipment with panels during peak sun and some type of generator to charge batteries at night and run 12 volt RV lighting. even looking into steam power for the generator on duel truck Alternators. would not need something this big http://solarhomestead.com/our-steam-engine-battery-charger/
because I would not run a whole house on it.
https://otherpower.com/steamengine.html more this one is what I am thinking about
I recommend diesel, propane, or natural gas for generators.
Gasoline storage sufficient to power long-term needs is an expensive and time-consuming chore.
Diesel has some of the same issues as gasoline, and natural gas is dependent on the power to its distribution system.
At this point, for the long-term, I propose solar primary power with a battery bank and a smaller LP generator to handle higher load periods and to charge batteries. It isn't cheap though.
TR
100% agree with TR
To Add: In several of the 13? hurricanes we lived thru in the Key's 20yrs ago We gained some insights.
1)Diesel tops for gen-sets, boats, vehicles BUT you need to understand your resupply chain and consumption. The state, county & FEMA set delivery schedules and priorities. #1, all fuels went to LEO's, FD's and medical facilities, then to food services like grocery store gen-sets. The same rules for gas & LP. If you want the fuel, understand your use rates and plan a large supply.
2)Solar has become the #1 but it isn't economical on a small scale. Again build at least 50% over your max usage and for the battery bank as big as you can, w/ a stand-alone diesel gen-set.
3)for small operations like a camp(under 500sqft?) there are good wind generator kits and battery packs that will keep the lights lit and modest charging abilities for tools and communications. Also well as on-site back-up to solar when the sun doesn't shine. Remember the wind blows at nite..
My $00.0002
PS: For the hardcorp preppers,, wind generators don't make noise..
PS: For the hardcorp preppers,, wind generators don't make noise..
Oh yes they do! Our nearest neighbor is about a mile away and when the wind is from his direction we can hear his easily. I chose not to do wind after visiting some sites that had them and listening to boats moored nearby that had them. "Not my thing."
Oh yes they do! Our nearest neighbor is about a mile away and when the wind is from his direction we can hear his easily. I chose not to do wind after visiting some sites that had them and listening to boats moored nearby that had them. "Not my thing."
Thanks.
I have been near a couple with 2-3ft blades and they seemed near soundless,,
OR maybe my hearing is as bad as the g-kids whisper to me :D
Thanks.
I have been near a couple with 2-3ft blades and they seemed near soundless,,
OR maybe my hearing is as bad as the g-kids whisper to me :D
It's the blades whooping like a Huey that's the problem. I've seen many new blade designs that are attempting to solve the problem, though. The other thing I learned was the added danger when maintenance is needed unless you invest in a retractable mast. It just didn't make sense for the little and inconsistent power it would provide.
I'm thinking that, since we only use about 100 gals. a day, running the pump off the solar system for about 10 min. a day is doable.
Some pix:
OK. We replaced the 24 red flooded 2v lead-acid batteries today with 4 12v lithium batts. I have another steep learning curve here, but so does our solar guy. This is his first lithium install. There are very few totally off-grid solar folks here and we are the only residential that he has. He has an orchard farmer that is interested in upgrading also.
I was quoting post 774 above. The before before pix didn't follow the quote.
Also, the price for replacement was almost identical. The lead-acid were still good for another year or so, but the market has been kind to me and I was fed up with the maintenance.
Badger52
10-17-2020, 04:52
OK. We replaced the 24 red flooded 2v lead-acid batteries today with 4 12v lithium batts. I have another steep learning curve here, but so does our solar guy. This is his first lithium install. There are very few totally off-grid solar folks here and we are the only residential that he has. He has an orchard farmer that is interested in upgrading also.
I was quoting post 774 above. The before before pix didn't follow the quote.
Also, the price for replacement was almost identical. The lead-acid were still good for another year or so, but the market has been kind to me and I was fed up with the maintenance.Thanks for the pic. Holy Cow! what a difference in footprint!
:lifter
for the OCD "I need more depth of coverage"
Wind turbines and solar-pannels can be augmented with a water-wheel system. :lifter
Water-wheel charging with a car alternator. The key is to use a drive wheel that is signifacantly larger than the pully on the alternator, like a 30+ inch bike rim?
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&ei=GeOKX5ivLIeb5gKvvZ7gDw&q=using+water+wheel+to+generate+off-grid+power+with+a+car+alternator&oq=using+water+wheel+to+generate+off-grid+power+with+a+car+alternater&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgQIIRAKOgcIABBHELADUOe4AVj _4wFghMkCaAFwAHgAgAGNAogBsQuSAQU4LjIuMpgBAKABAaoBB 2d3cy13aXrIAQjAAQE&sclient=psy-ab
Extended Use: rig a pump so the the generated power pumps water back up to your hooch :munchin
Sacamuelas
10-19-2020, 10:42
Also, the price for replacement was almost identical. The lead-acid were still good for another year or so, but the market has been kind to me and I was fed up with the maintenance.
I haven't found Lithium 12v prices anywhere close to Lead acid. Please post your source/business you are using for parts. I am very interested.
Also, I know you won't need as many amp hours with lithium compared to lead acid.... Are those 12v /50amp hour lithiums?
I haven't found Lithium 12v prices anywhere close to Lead acid. Please post your source/business you are using for parts. I am very interested.
Also, I know you won't need as many amp hours with lithium compared to lead acid.... Are those 12v /50amp hour lithiums?
I wasn't replacing 12v batts. We had 24 2v deep-discharge batts. The 2v batts were Rolls Surrette 1300+ Ah and each was roughly $400 and 130#.
And, since we put in 4 new Simpliphi batteries I figured that they were 12v but they are each 48v. (My solar guy rattles off numbers like I actually speak his language.) Each is 75 Ah for a total of 300 Ah. They each weigh about 78 pounds. They cost about $2500 each. (The total replacement price doesn't look the same at first, but the labor to install 24 batts is a lot more than to install 4. ;) )
The Reaper
10-19-2020, 11:58
24 lead acid batteries is a metric buttload of maintenance.
TR
24 lead acid batteries is a metric buttload of maintenance.
TR
That's why I replaced them early. In the summer I had to add water every week. And, because they were so tall, I had to wear a headlamp and use a turkey baster and mirror so I didn't under or over fill them. In the winter I only had to do that once a month. Four times a year I had to equalize them and that was dependent on the cloud coverage. And twice a year we'd have to go to the backup gennie so we could clean the terminals. All-in-all, it wasn't too bad but now I don't have to do any of that.
G2squared
11-09-2020, 00:38
I haven't found Lithium 12v prices anywhere close to Lead acid. Please post your source/business you are using for parts. I am very interested.
Also, I know you won't need as many amp hours with lithium compared to lead acid.... Are those 12v /50amp hour lithiums?
FWIW,
Lithium batteries will be more expensive, but it’s the trade off in maintenance and power cycles ( typically rated over 2000 full discharges, you kill lead acid batteries very quickly doing that) and draw capabilities that you’re paying for. I bought a few 108Ah batteries for replacing failed 6V 70Ah deep cycle batteries in my travel trailer. They were from Costco and cost about $700 each. They only weigh 28lbs so are easily removed for theft prevention. Also found a few smaller 20Ah units for running radios and the grill when outside away from an outlet so I don’t have to run a generator. The smaller ones can be found with little searching.
Solar is great but expensive initially. BEWARE (for those who don’t know) if going with the sales pitch from your local HD, many systems are being sold with no capability to generate power unless there is power on your incoming lines already. So if the power goes out, they are worthless as backup. The issue is around meeting code and protecting linemen doing repairs. Then installing the right power inverter that those companies don’t sell. It’s just stupid. But there’s a bunch of wall flowers out there feeling good about themselves for doing this type of install.
If you’ve got running water near by, then it’s the Gold Standard for self sufficient
power. Battery bank is still typically needed for surge loads, but a water wheel running continuously, even a small one, will make a lot of power over time.
G2
...power cycles ( typically rated over 2000 full discharges, you kill lead acid batteries very quickly doing that) and draw capabilities that you’re paying for.
G2
The SimpliPhi warranty is 10 years and 10,000 cycles if the Depth of Discharge (DoD) is limited to 80%. Five thousand cycles if the DoD is limited to 90% and 3500 cycles to 100%. So far, in the 3 weeks that we've been using them, we haven't gone below 95%.
Old Dog New Trick
01-19-2021, 12:56
Just rummaging around the garage today...
The “instructions” paper came out of that brand new butt pack which is probably from the ‘70s or ‘80s...:cool:
And a few books and new knife still in package from the wayback machine. :lifter
ETA: Man, this day just keeps getting better and better - last picture!
Badger52
01-19-2021, 16:49
ETA: Man, this day just keeps getting better and better - last picture!Money shot.
I took great knowledge from here,
Thanks, everyone for sharing your best experiance
5thgrp"C"
10-03-2021, 05:51
Can anyone help me find what I am looking for?
It's a photo/poster showing an insurgent fighter and talking about their training mindset, lack of shoes/boots, all the latest gear?
Thanks for the help
Badger52
10-03-2021, 06:46
Can anyone help me find what I am looking for?
It's a photo/poster showing an insurgent fighter and talking about their training mindset, lack of shoes/boots, all the latest gear?
Thanks for the helpI can't find a photo to go with it in my library, but you remind me of this posted previously hereabouts (by NousDefionsDoc I think):
Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you. He is training with minimal food or water, in austere conditions, training day and night. The only thing clean on him is his weapon and he made his web gear. He doesn't worry about what workout to do - his ruck weighs what it weighs, his runs end when the enemy stops chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows either he wins or dies. He doesn't go home at 17:00, he is home.
He knows only The Cause.
Still want to quit?"
NousDefionsDocI could see that in a caption at the bottom of the appropriate photo; can't find the dang pic (I miss my mind). With the right photo that could easily be made into one.
5thgrp"C"
10-03-2021, 09:44
Yup that's the one I was thinking of. Always enjoyed that training ideology, seems befitting in this age of interconnectedness and technology.
Yup that's the one I was thinking of. Always enjoyed that training ideology, seems befitting in this age of interconnectedness and technology.
There are several pix/posters online. Just search "Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you," then click on images. Few, if any, credit NDD.
Badger52
10-03-2021, 11:20
There are several pix/posters online. Just search "Somewhere a True Believer is training to kill you," then click on images. Few, if any, credit NDD.Yep. Last one on this. The deep-dive is in the Mindset sub-forum & the relevant 7-page thread is here (including discussion of Copyright to this site) (https://www.professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13340).
Now back to old guy making downed limbs smaller.
:)
That was so 2006.
Changed it for 2021
Somewhere a True Believer is tweeting about killing you. He is training with none GMO food and water, in air conditioning, Posting day and night. The only thing clean on him is his IP Address and he made his own web page. He doesn't worry about what workouts to do - he/her/them, weighs what they weigh, The run ends when the Police stop chasing him. This True Believer is not concerned about 'how hard it is;' he knows how to GoFund me. He doesn't go home or to work at 17:00, he is at home.
He knows only The Cause.
Using the old adage "One is none, two is one," I added a manual pump to our water well:
The Reaper
11-17-2021, 22:35
Using the old adage "One is none, two is one," I added a manual pump to our water well:
A very wise move for those who can do so.
Congrats.
TR
A very wise move for those who can do so.
Congrats.
TR
Thanks, TR. The best part is that the original well was drilled to 265'. The manual pump went down to 154'. We have a lot of water under us. We were never really sure until now.
Bump
Because this Thread is very relevent and needs to be updated with the current situation.
My new projects for this spring are root cellar and expanding the green house :D
Most my wood cutting is done for next year just need to finish splitting and stacking should have two years worth by the time is am finished running out of places to stack under my shed.....so I am going to start round stacking like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPZxLuM5jo
but under a large pine tree for the cover it offers will see how it works.
Javadrinker
03-09-2022, 09:57
Went solar; not to be green, but because of caring for aged in-laws and wife's medical condition; 150% and 2 batteries. Also had a connection for a portable duel fuel generator installed, 13000Kwh, will run the whole house including air con and heating and charge the batteries if the panels are rendered incapable.
Yes, I have been buying larger and more propane.
Badger52
04-11-2022, 19:04
Interesting article, and yet another example of what happens when Giant Corp. buys up small niche supplier, who gets lost in the big ocean.
Last month I sent off my seed order for the coming season and began wondering how I was going to store my harvest from the garden. Was I going to be able to find canning lids this summer?
Canning jar lids have been the most long-term and perplexing shortage of the pandemic's past two years. Shortages began with toilet paper, which eventually got resolved, moved on to such odd scarcities as no fruitcake mix for Christmas 2020 (which mysteriously reappeared in mid-summer 2021), and even some types of Girl Scout cookies this winter.
But since the summer of 2020, when supposedly everybody in America was staying home, planting garden and canning produce, lids for canning jars have remained in short supply.
Lois Thielen
This was understandable during the first several months of the pandemic until the canning lid suppliers could catch up with the unprecedented demand. But the scarcity of canning jar lids didn't change throughout the pandemic. Consumers kept wondering why there there were so few lids available and why they became so expensive.
What consumers didn't know was that canning lids (around since 1884) and canning jars (around since 1858) are no longer being made by Ball and Kerr, the two big manufacturers of American canning supplies. A few years before the pandemic, these companies had sold out to a mega-corporation called Newell Brands.
Full article by Lois Thielen at the SC Times here (https://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2022/04/04/why-there-shortage-canning-jars-thielen-ball-mason-kerr-preserving-supply-monopoly-gardening/7196524001/).
:munchin
The City of Los Angeles is wreathed in smoke while wind-driven fires hopscotch across neighborhoods like a drunken djinn trying to find its car keys in the middle of the night.
So a query. Are there any updates / suggestions / best practices that can be shared by the SMEs?
Given the way events unfold these days, should a reasonable base plan account for two or three incidents?
Depart CA:rolleyes:
You are doomed if you stay:p
Depart CA:rolleyes:
You are doomed if you stay:p
With my luck, I'd end up in a community filled with people who moved away from California to get away from X, Y, and Z without realizing that they had brought the X, Y, and Z with them when they transplanted to California in the first place.
But also, the Olympics are coming and I have every intention to medal in pontification.