Category: Fuel Storage & Distilling

A Water or Fuel Level Sensor Circuit, by Mike in Alaska

We live up in the Arctic. Water is not always easily available in this area, various events can cause power to go out for weeks at time … what could possibly go wrong? The following design is for a fuel or water level sensor circuit. It uses a 66F002 MCU (Microprocessor Control Unit) with a built-in Analog to Digital flash storage read-only memory (A/D Flash EEPROM) using a sensor that has a prism built into a lens in the form of a sealed IR (Infrared) detector. When the sensor is bare (dry) the logic input to the MCU is logic …


Fuels for Cooking, Warmth and Comfort – Part 4, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) Cooking with Wood and Propane We do not regularly use our house wood stove for cooking. We can, but since we installed the wood stove, it has not been needed. Recently, I was given an old, homemade wood stove from an old-timer’s cabin. The stove is very well made. I have it outside of the shipping container and use it to cook on. It is an extremely large stove inside and out. It stays outside and will likely never be indoors again. Whoever built it, put several feet of ¾ inch steel …


Fuels for Cooking, Warmth and Comfort – Part 3, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 2.) When the 2024/2025 woodstove season started, I had roughly seven cords of stacked, seasoned wood in the shipping container. We use about two cords of wood each winter. My goal is to always have at least two years of firewood on hand. To me, three years is an insurance policy. If I am unable to gather firewood one summer, I do not need to worry. I will simply gather more the following summer. I also store everything I need to gather, cut, carry, and split wood to prep it for storage. Our log splitter, chainsaws, axes, …


Fuels for Cooking, Warmth and Comfort – Part 2, by Lodge Pole

(Continued from Part 1.) Tools for Cutting Wood at Home Wheelbarrow or manure cart- I use these to haul wood and cutting equipment. Occasionally, someone will offer me free firewood they cut some time previously. Sometimes, if it is seasoned and not split, the wood can be heavy. In these circumstances, I will use a furniture dolly, but I try to never cut and/or haul anything that large/heavy. Hunting/Boy’s Axe – I prefer using a two-pound “boy’s axe” because it is extremely light, and easily maneuverable. This is strictly used for delimbing. Splitting maul – I use these not only …


Fuels for Cooking, Warmth and Comfort – Part 1, by Lodge Pole

Before buying our home, we rented it. The first winter living there, I had forgotten to call and get a propane fill-up. When I checked the tank level, it showed 1%. I called the propane company, explained that I needed a fill-up, and was told they could not service me for another week or more. The only exception was if I agreed to be placed “on route”, which meant they would fill my tank when they were in our area, every two weeks. We needed propane to stay warm since our only heat was an HVAC system, so I agreed …


Modernizing an Old Coleman Stove, by Lodge Pole

A few months ago, my father gave me some camping gear he bought in the 1970s when he and my oldest brother started camping.  He gave me a red Coleman lantern, and a large, green Coleman, dual burner stove.   I remember using both pieces on occasion when he took me camping as a young boy.  On the last camping trip we did together, when I was in college, neither the stove nor lantern would work.   It was a dark night, and our food was cold. Both pieces were put on the shelf for many years. I have rebuilt many stoves …


Circuit Breaker Panel Labeling, by Free Loader

Most people’s circuit breaker panels that I’ve seen (including my own) are poorly labeled regarding where each circuit breaker’s current actually goes. Many panel descriptions are either very vague about what circuits are on each breaker or they aren’t labeled at all. Usually, this happens because the person who installed the panel was in a hurry to finish the wiring and never returned to label them properly. When they did label them, it was often with something vague like “east half house” or “basement.” These descriptions aren’t very helpful when you’re trying to locate the specific breaker for a particular …


SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: How Americans Heat Their Homes. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit and Maps.com.) JWR’s Comments:  In the Midwest, natural gas is popular in urban areas, and propane in rural areas. Despite the advent of electric heat pumps, propane is gaining in popularity in the southeast and Texas, where higher electricity rates and power outages have made many residents reconsider their home heating options.  The extended grid power failure in Texas in February, 2021 was a wakeup call for people who rely on electricity for home heating and cooking. The supply of natural gas was also partly disrupted, but propane users …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.  This concludes the article.) Critical Replacement Parts for the Long Term The single most common reasons small engines fail to operate at all or correctly is attributed to their fuel system that include water in the fuel, old fuel, or cracked fuel lines. And number one for chainsaw problems: old, dry and brittle fuel pump diaphragms inside the carburetor.  At one time the only affordable way to correct these problems was to install a rebuild kit.  However, there are other causes that make a carburetor less able to function such as fine deposits and internal corrosion. …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) We will also need a narrow flat file, preferably one with a smooth side so as not to dull the chain teeth.  This file is need to set the rakers for the depth of cut.  A raker gauge is expensive, but you will need at first to help make sure than enough material is removed to lower the raker height and allow the teeth to take a big enough bite of the wood to cut efficiently.  If you file the raker too low, then the chain will cut too aggressively and may  slow the saw engine …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.) Aftermarket Saw Parts While original equipment is preferable, because of the dominance of Asian manufacturing, name-brand components are now often made in Asia and no longer in the country from where brands go their start. This is a sad fact.  A more happy fact is the increasing quality of the aftermarket parts. While somewhat inconsistent in quality, the aftermarket parts are also sold in the U.S. under different brand names. Thus, they have raised the bar of the quality needed to compete in the aftermarket. The quality of Chinese parts in certain sectors has improved.  And …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I believe this could be an important article. Few preppers in my region in the cold Intermountain West possess an adequate supply and ability to keep their chainsaws in operation for more than a year or two.  This area of prepping is overlooked or underappreciated.  I suspect that as many folks will freeze to death during the first winter after a collapse as those who die of malnutrition. In the cold north, the risk of dying from hypothermia is greater than the risk of being killed by a gunshot or a bacterial infection.  This is a huge hole in the …


POL for Preppers and Shooters by Dr. Rick

POL is a military acronym for “Petroleum, Oils, and Lubricants.” And “Petroleum” in military lingo generally refers to all types of fuels, but we could rename it for our purposes as “Protectants” or “Preservatives,” which is part of the subject of this article. The in-depth study of oils and lubricants is rather scientific and in the domain of applied mechanical engineering. The products mentioned in this article are simply ones that I have found “that work” in my 60+ years as a hobby machinist, gunsmith, and shooter. I am simply sharing. I neither endorse these products nor receive compensation from …


The Final Countdown: Last-Minute Readiness Checks – Part 2, by Michael X.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Water List This is an item for the first three days. This is super important and needs to be one of the first items confirmed. Check locations and condition of water sources: Bottled Water/Stored water containers Well water (power dependent) Lake water – are there containers to carry and larger containers to store lake water? Is there a rainwater collection option available? Is the Berkey/Filtered water system ready? Can the tub be successfully filled with water from the system before the power goes out or the line pressure is gone? Can I …


The Final Countdown: Last-Minute Readiness Checks – Part 1, by Michael X.

Hypothetically, (of course), assume for a moment that the proverbial fan has been hit. Now you have three days….or two weeks….or two months…until the consequences of the event hit where you are. Good luck guessing how long it takes to hit you. Are you as ready as you can be? Are you sure? How do you know? How and when it hits you, whatever it may be, may be based on three key things: the type/cause of disaster, your proximity to the disaster or populated areas, and the stability of your systems (electricity, water, fuel, and human support systems). THE …