Category: Fuel Storage & Distilling

Two Letters Re: How To Adapt To High Gas Prices

Hello, I am a daily SurvivalBlog reader from France. I’m writing this in response to Joel Skousen’s article on “How to Adapt to High Gas Prices.” I own a Volkswagen with a diesel engine (TDI). Here in France (and elsewhere in Europe) common rail [diesel engine] technology became really popular (about 60% of the new cars that are sold here use common rail technology) since it provided better mileage and better performance than conventional gasoline engines. However, there is at least two drawbacks to common rail: Firstly, the diesel fuel quality has to be super high. It passes through a …


How To Adapt To High Gas Prices, by Joel Skousen

In one of the most outrageous examples of price gouging ever witnessed, fuel prices have risen almost 10 cents per gallon per week now for more than a month. The American consumer is being held hostage to an economic and personal lifestyle that was established a century ago based upon an abundance of cheap oil and is now locked into our economic infrastructure. Most people have no ability to escape what is now upon us and getting worse. All of our cities are developed around the commuting lifestyle, allowing Americans to live in rural or suburban openness to escape pollution …


Letter Re: Can I Burn Home Heating Oil or Kerosene in a Diesel Engine?

Hello Jim, This is in response to the gentleman’s question about using kerosene in diesel engines. Yes, it can be done. I had two 55 gallon drums of kerosene that were reaching the end of their storage life. I also have an old Mercedes diesel car and ran the kerosene with some added lubrication in the vehicle and it worked very well. You are correct that kerosene doesn’t have the same lubrication values of diesel but that is solved by simply adding vegetable oil or biodiesel to to the fuel. I used a 10-to-1 ratio as recommended by another poster …


Letter Re: A Combustion Temperature Reference

Hello James: I came across these ignition temperatures in a reference book and thought they might be of use to others,. This may be useful for whatever folks may be doing with flammable materials or fuels at their retreat or at home. All ignition temperatures noted are in Fahrenheit: Cut Newspaper 446 degrees Cut filter paper 450 degrees Straw and sawdust 450 to 500 degrees Gasoline 536 to 800 degrees depending on octane rating Kerosene 480 degrees Natural Gas 1,000 to 1,200 degrees Propane 871 degrees Butane 806 degrees Paints and Lacquers (the flammable part isn’t the pigment, although the …


Letter Re: Can I Burn Home Heating Oil or Kerosene in a Diesel Engine?

James: Your article today about diesel vehicles still providing long term cost savings was quite interesting. The question I have, and perhaps [shared by] some of your readers is this: is home heating oil and kerosene acceptable fuel for a diesel engine? – Thanks, – Jim G. JWR Replies: Home heating oil burns fine in any diesel engine, but in may countries it is not legal to do so in a vehicle that is driven on public roads. This is a “road tax” issue. Aside for a red dye additive, the formulation of home heating oil is almost identical to …


Letter Re: An Oil Extraction Press that Could Prove Useful at Retreats

Sir, Though this PDF starts out explaining how to make “briquettes” for cooking fuel, it eventually shows a crude oil extraction press. This could be a handy tool for supplementing one’s diet with vegetable and nut oils and also for making biodiesel (or for use in a Straight Vegetable Oil powered engine). Regards, – Hawaiian K.


Letter Re: Advice on an Underground Fuel Tank Installation and Use

Mr. Rawles: Can you direct me to where I can learn how to bury 300 gallon fuel tanks correctly? Also, how to get the fuel out if there is no power. Thanks, – Mark T. JWR Replies: Unless you expect to use your fuel tank on a daily basis, then I recommend that you install just a manual (hand) pump. These are available from most tank dealers. If it will be buried in rocky ground, first put down a 4-inch layer of sand, to minimize risk of punctures during installation. Otherwise, burial is pretty straightforward. Be sure to read this …


Two Letters Re: Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation

Mr. Rawles: I checked the archives as well as your advertisers for the NATO-style metal ratchet clamp style fuel cans that NC Bluedog recommends, no luck. Do you know of any sources for this product. The Scepter brand jerry can that Ready Made Resources sells are great, but owning 20 of those cans becomes cost prohibitive. Keep up the great work. – PN JWR Replies: Try searching on “German Army Gas Can”, since most of the NATO specification gas cans are German (Bundeswehr) military surplus. OBTW, beware of the French Army surplus cans that use a different type filler neck. …


Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation, by NC Bluedog

Given that liquid fuel costs are climbing dramatically, and likely to continue rising, I would like to share some of the practices for fuel storage we employ. For our homestead, liquid fuel equates to four items, namely: Propane, diesel fuel, kerosene and last but not least gasoline. For each fuel, there are specific uses, distinct storage requirements and longevity considerations. Let me discuss each in order: The primary furnace in our house runs on propane. Currently, we use electricity for water heating and cooking. Our annual propane usage is between 500 to 800 gallons per year depending on the weather …


Letter Re: Fuel Rationing as a Deciding Factor in Activating a Remote Retreat

Sir: Living in North Dakota, I am always amazed at the number of 300 gallon fuel tanks that are for sale at farm and ranch auctions , usually with the angle iron stands . Hard to disguise but effective on retreats if they can be secured. [Used] underground tanks are a lot tougher to find. [They should be carefully examined before purchase, to be sure that] they don’t rust out and leak fuel into the ground. I found your site from a link on on Michael Bane’s Down Range TV web site. – G.L. in North Dakota


Letter Re: Fuel Rationing as a Deciding Factor in Activating a Remote Retreat

Hi Jim, Something that has come to mind as someone with a bug out location and bug out vehicle is that specter of fuel rationing. Now, my Bug Out Vehicle has a ~60 gallon diesel capacity which gives me approximately a 1,000 mile cruising capacity – depending on load. I keep my tanks full at all times and stabilized. As someone with a remote “country home”–that requires fuel to get to–I’m very concerned about having enough fuel to make it to my location. Fuel rationing is a new “breakpoint” that I’m adding to my bug out SOPs, as a trigger …


Two Letters Re: Getting from Point A to Point B

Mr. Editor, First, [E.I.D. presented] lots of good hints. I like the idea of getting good trail bikes and using them regularly to keep them and your self in shape. But I have long though the best comprise for distance, energy cost, and speed is a four cycle “road/trail” motor cycle. I emphasize four cycle so you don’t have to go looking for two cycle oil. Most get well over 200 MPG and have 2 gallon or larger tanks. That is a long ways. Most of the moped type things he suggests are two cycle engines. Not a good thing. …


The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy

In the past week I’ve had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: “I could spend days looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there are hundreds of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes the “Rawlesian” philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?” I’ll likely add a few items to this list as time goes on, but here is a general summary of my precepts: Modern Society is Increasingly Complex, Interdependent, and Fragile. With each passing year, …


Letter Re: The Importance of Acquiring and Learning to Use Traditional Tools

Jim, For those readers that have livestock they need to prepare for the day when hydrocarbon fuel may not be available for tractors. I would suggest a buck rake and a pull-behind sickle mower that a horse could pull. It beats cutting hay by hand. These items can often be picked up at farm and ranch auctions. Enough hay can be put up for a few cows, horses and sheep for the winter months when snow may cover grazing ground. I would recommend a treadle sewing machine. Clothes will need to be mended and taken care of until society gets …


Your Vehicle and TEOTWAWKI, by TD

I have seen some (sort of) like minded people who are actually driving around in brand new vehicles. This would not be so bad if they were even in the least bit mechanically inclined, but they’re not. So on top of, they can’t fix it themselves, they haven’t even begun to buy the extras they will need when the SHTF. I honestly think that if you can’t lift the hood of your car and name at least ten components, you are in over your head. The first thing I learned was get a Chilton’s Manual for your year, make and …