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SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Posted By James Wesley Rawles On In Snippets | Comments Disabled

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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A paper published by ScienceAdvances: Microplastics in the bloodstream can induce cerebral thrombosis by causing cell obstruction and lead to neurobehavioral abnormalities [1]. JWR’s Comments: It was not until centuries later that one of the key contributing factors to the fall of the Roman Empire was identified as their extensive use of lead water pipes. Perhaps the history books of the 22nd Century will mention our global over-use of plastics — as well as food additives, vaccines, and gluttony — as the origins of the global health decline plaguing the 21st Century.

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Why Congress Needs To Swiftly Pass Concealed-Carry Reciprocity. [2]

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Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large) has released a free short story for you to enjoy. It has been released through the website of one of his publishers: Skjaldmóðir by Michael Z. Williamson and Jessica Schlenker [3].  Mike says: “There will be a different version next month, in a different dialect for comparison. This was originally published in Fantastic Hope, four years ago.”

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For just the next two weeks and while supplies last, Next Level Training (one of our loyal long-time advertisers) is offering their SIRT Performer Bundle [4] at a discounted price of $199. (That is 36% off the normal price.) The bundle includes a SIRT 110 (Glock clone) Performer laser training pistol, a G-Spot Fire Starter Kit, and a Training Knife. No coupon or coupon code is needed. Supplies are limited, so order soon.

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Reader A,F. had this comment:

“I just enjoyed the article (Breaker Panel Labeling, by Free Loader. [5] In his final , he mentions the challenge of marking spaces if working alone. I have been in this situation numerous times and will use a noisy device indicator such as a vacuum cleaner or a radio to signal that the desired breaker has been opened or closed.  Another option is to plug in a long extension cord terminated with a lamp then place the light within your line of sight.  If using the lamp method then verify that a loose fit and gravity haven’t caused the plug to fall out of the outlet as could happened.”

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And on the same topic, “BXD” wrote:

“The January 31st post “Circuit Breaker Panel Labeling, by Free Loader [5]” – correctly and precisely labeling each circuit breaker is a terrific idea. Labeling circuit breakers is great, but there’s an advantage to labeling the other end of the circuit as well. It is very helpful to label each receptacle and each switch with the circuit breaker that receptacle or switch is on. The advantages of doing so are:

  1. It identifies which circuit breaker controls that outlet to make generator use, troubleshooting and future repairs, easier
  2. In an emergency – a dangerously failing appliance, for example –  it makes it easier and faster to turn off power to that appliance
  3. It informs the homeowner about how the circuits were laid out during construction, indicating possible overload conditions.
Regarding #3, the NEC (National Electrical Code) specifies one duplex receptacle per every 12 feet of linear wall (measure wall length around corners, alcoves, etc.) but does not specify a maximum number of receptacles per circuit. Electricians will often wire a house in the easiest way for them, often using the architect’s plans as a “guide, not a command,” resulting in one breaker controlling a circuit that has receptacles and switches in multiple rooms.
Klein Tools offers an electrician’s tool to make that task easier: “Klein Tools 80016 Circuit Breaker Finder Tool Kit” available from Amazon, Home Depot and others, for about $50.  A common AC-powered radio and a 50-100 ft extension cord can also be used, although it involves a lot of walking; a second person equipped with a walkie-talkie makes the task much easier. Whenever I have moved, one of the first things I do is find, and label, which receptacle and switch is on what circuit breaker, which is much easier when there is no furniture in the house. Were I to ever build a house, I would specify five  things: first, nothing but 12 gauge wire for all 120 volt circuits, second, a lot of “home runs” to put the receptacles in a single room all on one breaker, and one separate duplex receptacle in each room all on one circuit to enable power distrbution to each room with a backup generator, all ceiling fans and ceiling lights on their own generator-capable circuit (it’s a given that there would be standalone circuits for refrigerators, freezers and furnace, to make generator-powering them easier), and instead of the NEC-specified 12 feet between receptacles I would specify 8 feet (the 12 foot rule is because an appliance with a 6-foot cord can be located anywhere along a wall and reach a receptacle without using an extension cord; I want more receptacles because “there’s never an outlet right where you want one”, and it’s much cheaper to put more receptacles in during construction than coming back years later to add some).
Why 12 gauge for everything? 12 gauge handles up to 20 amps, although NEC specifies no circuit should be loaded beyond 80% capacity, meaning 16 amps (1920 watts) total load per circuit; NEC also specifies all lighting circuits to be 15 amps (1440 watts at 12 amps, which is 80% load), and there is no problem putting a 15 amp circuit breaker on a circuit capable of handling 20 amps.  While 12 gauge is about 40% more expensive (locally, at retail, a 250 foot roll of 12/2 NM wire is about $0.50/ft and 14/2NM is about $0.36/ft), that adds around $500 to the materials cost of a 2000 square foot house – 1/4 of one percent of total $200K build cost –  the labor for wiring will be the same. There will be a minor additional expense for 20 amp-rated receptacles over basic 15 amp-rated ones. It also means there cannot be any wiring mistakes – for example, putting a 20 amp breaker on 15 amp-rated wiring, or running 15-amp 14/2 on a circuit that should be 20-amp 12/2 (think “hot tub” or jacuzzi)  and it allows avoiding the frustration of having to unplug this item to allow plugging in that one to stay within the circuit draw limit. Home runs will add more to the wiring cost than using only 12 gauge wire.
As for labeling each receptacle and switch, it’s a few hours of work but useful; for one house we lived in there were two switches that we never learned what they controlled. Some receptacles are installed as “split-tab”  receptacles – the connecting tab between the “hot” terminal screws is broken off, allowing each side of the receptacle to serve different purposes; this is most often done where one half of the receptacle is controlled by a switch and the other is constantly powered, allowing constant power at that receptacle and the convenience of switching a light on or off that is plugged into the other half of the receptacle; if the previous resident doesn’t tell you about these circuits, it will drive you crazy until you trace them back to the switch and/or circuit breaker panel because it’s sufficiently uncommon that most people won’t think of it. As for the labeling, every time I’ve moved there’s several weeks of entering a room and hitting the wrong switch; labeling them reduces this.”
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I recently had a request for an interview with The Times of London. I have been so badly misquoted and mischaracterized by other journalists that I now turn down most interviews. Here is how I replied:

“I’m respectfully declining your request for an interview. But in this e-mail I will provide you with a few key points for you to quote, as you wish.

Please treat the subject of the American Redoubt movement evenhandedly.

As you can see from my son Jonathan’s current article series in SurvivalBlog, most Redoubters simply want to escape the effects of statists/leftist politics (and policies) by voting with their feet.

One thing that leftists have right is their catchphrase: “Demographics are destiny.” America’s rural traditionalists tend to have large families. Meanwhile, most urban liberals don’t even procreate at a replacement rate. The combination of our internal migration and procreation are winning, demographically. Thus, “Red” states are gradually getting darker red.

I should mention that the division within the self-named “conservative” movements in the United States is profound. We have very little in common with the “neocons”. Despite their rhetoric, neoconservatives in practice are perpetuating big government, socialist policies, globalism, an interventionist foreign policy, and the status quo. The neocon RINOs — just like the Democrats — are beholden to banking interests. And they only give lip service to libertarian ethics. For some perspective, I see our situation as roughly analogous to that of the traditionalist residents of the Midlands in England. We feel betrayed by uncontrolled immigration, the statist/socialist urban cores, and the political elites that rule both major parties. And, much like the way that the Tories failed to follow through with the mandate provided by Brexit, the RINOs in the U.S. Congress squandered the new Republican majority in 2017. They simply carried on with “business as usual” and Big Government. I fear that this will be repeated in 2025. I see Donald Trump as a populist rather than a genuine conservative. Judging by his previous term in office, he has a track record of compromise (“The Art of the Deal”) instead of principled and stalwart forthrightness. He has a lot more in common with Boris Johnson than he does with Margaret Thatcher.

And I’d like to mention that though there are no formal ties, the American Redoubt movement is philosophically aligned with many state partition movements, such as the Greater Idaho movement. Take note that we are NOT secessionists. But we do see the wisdom of partitioning some states into new states within the Union, to properly and fairly reflect settlement patterns. Rural agrarian/pastoralist regions such as eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, northern Colorado, downstate Illinois, and upstate New York have very little in common with the urban/leftist cores of their respective states. Resetting state boundaries and forming new states of the Union will restore proper representation. There is nothing magical nor immutable about the number 50.”

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Reader J.L. suggested:

“I recently discovered the HomesteadRanger channel [6] on YouTube. Joshua Morris, as you would surmise, is a former Ranger. He is also an engineer. After he left the Army he built a farming homestead from scratch. I am convinced a lot of your readers would enjoy the interesting material he offers on the channel. Mr Morris also has his own website under the same name (HomesteadRanger).”

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Please Send Us Your Snippets!

Please send your snippet items for potential posting to JWR [7]. or AVL [7]. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact [8] form.