Be Prepared - Page 9

mugwump · 06-25-2006, 19:56

Curious about your family rally point. Are we talking something like a vacation cabin or ???

MtnGoat · 06-25-2006, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by mugwump

Curious about your family rally point. Are we talking something like a vacation cabin or ???

mugwump,

I know for us, we use the mail box at our House. Until now. I have never thought about vactions?? That is a really good point. We are taking one next month, its a house so I will be planning the mail box too. KISS, easier for the kids, wife and I. Outside of a house I don't have anything, we camp a lot. With mountians and the beach, etc. Planning for a RP is defiantly needed to be plan for vacations.

jatx · 06-25-2006, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by mugwump

Curious about your family rally point. Are we talking something like a vacation cabin or ???

It's a home in a semi-rural area with good interstate access. We've agreed to meet there and not wander all over tarnation looking for each other. (My family is scattered across three states.)

My personal bug-out spots are areas of national or state forest that I know well and that get little traffic. I've decided on three in advance so that I have options depending on weather and other factors. All three are places I could go for a long, long time without needing to make contact with anyone else.

**Pete** · 06-26-2006, 05:57

OK Guys;

It's that time. PMCS time. The equipment will do no good if it fails to start/work when you need it.

This weekend will be a good time to drag the generator out and check it over. Put a dab of gas in it and crank it up. While it's heating up check your primary power cables making sure you have enough to lead to the windows outside the equipment you want to run. The smaller extension cords? Know where they are stashed. Total up the watts on the equipment you want to run.

Me, I like to shut the gas feed line and run the generator out of gas and then suck the remaining gas out of the tank. Then check the oil level. Remember to open the fuel feed line next time or you will wear your arm out pulling the cord.

While the generator is cooling check all gas containers for servicability. Go over all gas lanterns and stoves. Check and lube all leather/rubber/plastic seals on the pump. Are they multi-fuelers or white gas only? Crank them up similar to the generator.

All equiment running on gas/oil mixes, like chain saws. Do you use the fuel every week, like in your weed wacker, or has it been sitting since last year. In the saw? Bad news, better try and crank that puppy. A tree down and blocking your truck in is not the time to find your chain saw has old gas and will not crank.

When all that is done go over your food/water supply. If you have a large pantry and rotate your supply - good. If you keep an emergency stash check the experation dates. For those of us who have to squint, write the exp. date on top with a black marker in a date you can understand.

Last - battery check. Types needed, amount, on hand and then rotate.

I did this last weekend in prep for the Hurricane season. Are you ready?

Pete

mugwump · 06-26-2006, 06:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

OK Guys;

It's that time. PMCS time. The equipment will do no good if it fails to start/work when you need it.

This weekend will be a good time to drag the generator out and check it over. Put a dab of gas in it and crank it up. While it's heating up check your primary power cables making sure you have enough to lead to the windows outside the equipment you want to run. The smaller extension cords? Know where they are stashed. Total up the watts on the equipment you want to run.

Me, I like to shut the gas feed line and run the generator out of gas and then suck the remaining gas out of the tank. Then check the oil level. Remember to open the fuel feed line next time or you will wear your arm out pulling the cord.

While the generator is cooling check all gas containers for servicability. Go over all gas lanterns and stoves. Check and lube all leather/rubber/plastic seals on the pump. Are they multi-fuelers or white gas only? Crank them up similar to the generator.

All equiment running on gas/oil mixes, like chain saws. Do you use the fuel every week, like in your weed wacker, or has it been sitting since last year. In the saw? Bad news, better try and crank that puppy. A tree down and blocking your truck in is not the time to find your chain saw has old gas and will not crank.

When all that is done go over your food/water supply. If you have a large pantry and rotate your supply - good. If you keep an emergency stash check the experation dates. For those of us who have to squint, write the exp. date on top with a black marker in a date you can understand.

Last - battery check. Types needed, amount, on hand and then rotate.

I did this last weekend in prep for the Hurricane season. Are you ready?

Pete

Thanks for this Pete.

Now see if your wife/son/daughter can start it and hook it up if you're not around. That's what I'm working on now, and not just the generator. I've given up on the spousal unit but the son and daughter are trainable.

PMCS?

jasonglh · 06-26-2006, 08:36

Some generators can be upgraded to electric start by adding a ring gear and starter motor with the pull rope being backup. Handy for someone like my 80 year old grandmother who doesnt need to be yanking on a pull rope.

**Pete** · 06-26-2006, 14:12

I like to run the gas out of the system for long term storage. I don't like to be draining gas while it's running and a bit lazy about restarting it after I shut if off. The way I do it has about a teaspoon of gas left over from the tank to the shutoff valve.

No mechanic here, but I've been told that stuff with carburetors stores better with no gas in them. The gas evaporates and deposits a type of varnish. Also old gas makes stuff very hard to start. My weed wackers wack me more than the grass when I try and start them - my weak spot.

Clean equipment and new gas makes stuff easy to start.

BoyScout · 06-26-2006, 19:35

When I was by myself, all I needed was a multi-tool and a fire starter and I could hike to the lake after moving away from there. Over the years my dad and I have been coming up with useful tid-bits of primative skills to one-up each other. Right now I have two kits for my family, we still use the diaper bag for my girl for "accidents" and one for me and my wife. Here we can and have gotten everthing from massive tornadoes

, large scale fires, to terrorist attacks in central Oklahoma. There is even a fualtline ruuning through the state. One thing have not noticed is the psycological effects of children. May be that's another thread it is a concern of mine.

Monsoon65 · 07-01-2006, 17:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete

I like to run the gas out of the system for long term storage. I don't like to be draining gas while it's running and a bit lazy about restarting it after I shut if off. The way I do it has about a teaspoon of gas left over from the tank to the shutoff valve.

No mechanic here, but I've been told that stuff with carburetors stores better with no gas in them. The gas evaporates and deposits a type of varnish. Also old gas makes stuff very hard to start. My weed wackers wack me more than the grass when I try and start them - my weak spot.

Clean equipment and new gas makes stuff easy to start.

What about using that additive you put in gas for when you're storing your equipment. One of the names it goes by is "Stable". I've used that in my gas storage container and I haven't had any problems with my mower yet.

**The Reaper** · 07-01-2006, 17:40

Sta-Bil is good stuff for engines, and stored fuel, but even it has an expiration date.

Untreated gas has a shelf stability under normal conditions of about three months before breakdown begins occurring. Storage in hot climates accelerates the process.

Sta-Bil treated gas will last up to a year or so, though I would not use it then in an expensive or high compression engine. Carbureted, inexpensive, or low compression devices like mowers or weedeaters would be the best use for it.

Lower distillates like diesel tend to last longer than gas before breaking down.

Theoretically, 100% ethanol sealed tightly should last almost indefinitely.

The closest thing to a stable long-term internal combustion fuel source would be a liquified gas like LP or natural gas. Two 1000 gallon tanks buried in the ground should last small users a long time.

HTH.

TR

JGarcia · 07-02-2006, 16:27

I know there are lotsa people that beleive, when and if a nuclear exchange happens that its game over. And perhaps thats true for those of you in large urban areas. But most of the country is not a large urban area.

TR touched on Potassium Iodide earlier, many of you know why its important to ingest this. But perhaps others don't. The sites I am about to link are selling stuff, but primarily they offer volumes of information for your immediate study. This link is to an online pamphlet titled: "You will survive doomsday" : http://www.radmeters4u.com/survival/...sday/index.htm

In my opinion this is a good source of quite a bit of free info:
http://www.ki4u.com/guide.pdf

I am not pushing their products, its just that they have more information than they do products.

Lastly: http://www.webpal.org/webpal/d_resources/list.htm and http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/other/nbc.htm

**The Reaper** · 07-04-2006, 10:22

Good info NG_M4_Shooter. I tend to think a nuke attack as a pretty low probability right now, but the severity of the consequences are enormous.

We seem to have drifted quite a bit from survival med gear, but I am satisfied that it at least made people think and perhaps evaluate their personal preparedness for a medical emergency. In summary, IMHO, med knowledge and training is a better asset than med gear without the knowleedge or training.

On to defense planning, which should evoke a spirited discussion from this crowd.

Some members of this board have more firearms than fingers. Others have a few, some may have none.

The intent here is to discuss firearms for personal/home defense in a lawless situation, and possibly how to make your home more defensable.

For a person who has no firearms, and possibly little training, what would be a good first purchase, particularly with an eye toward keeping the budget low and defensive capability high?

We can expand from the first firearm through those who will want to amass a battery.

Recommendations?

TR

JGarcia · 07-04-2006, 10:29

My guess is a twelve gauge shotgun? Pump action, short (not illegal) barrel. The types of ammunition are numerous and available, difficult to miss at short range. Doubles as a good pugil stick. Looks like a 'hunting' weapon. Like a tight shot group from a submachine gun.

Buying guns was always a fight with the missus, until I figured out how to make it a tax write off, "Hunny I either spend that $2K or pay it to uncle sam." TR, glad you approved of the info I posted earlier.

Doc · 07-04-2006, 10:42

I like a 12 gauge pump too. Put number 4 shot in one and you've got a heck of a good home defense gun if you are taking on a few people or less like in a home break-in type situation.

If you have chaos and riotting going on, I'll go with my M-4 (semi-auto) as my primary and my .40 cal pistol as my secondary weapon.

Let it rip potato chip.

Doc · 07-04-2006, 10:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Some members of this board have more firearms than fingers.

TR

LMAO!

How about fingers and toes TR? After all, this is a SF Board.

You know it's bad when I had to stop myself today from going down and getting yet another gun. LOL

HOUSEHOLD6 said I looked depressed after not going.

Good thread TR.