Category: Home Power

Some Hidden Threats to Critical Infrastructure, by A.C.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the security of critical infrastructure, particularly power grids, is paramount. While geopolitical tensions often dominate headlines, there are some extremely concerning threats that aren’t getting as much play as they should: the potential for foreign actors to exploit vulnerabilities in seemingly innocuous imported components. In the essay, we’re going to chat about some recently uncovered instances of undisclosed communication devices embedded in critical infrastructure components, such as solar inverters and port cranes, highlighting the severe risks these “backdoors” pose to national security and even you as a private citizen (prepper or not). We’re also going …


Preps Starter Kits for Reluctant Families – Part 1, by A.F.

For years, my father and father-in-law would tell us that they had everything under control to handle the natural disasters common to their areas. Healthy pantries, stored gasoline and propane, plenty of firewood, tractors to clear debris or snow, four-wheel drive vehicles for movement and most importantly generators for their wells and freezers. Yet, after each big weather event both of them would tell of what they didn’t quite have ready or of supplies that they should have had. I got into the practice of calling them before inclement weather to ask if they had water and fuel ready or …


Prepare For The Consequences, Not The Disaster, by 3AD Scout

Many Preppers are often asked “what are you preparing for?” The responses are anything from a simple weather event to an extinction-level event. Having been in the field of disaster planning and response for 24 years, I cannot tell you the number of times someone from the public would call looking for our tornado plan, or flood plan, chemical spill plan and on and on. The reality is, many entities do not have disaster specific plans but rather general emergency operations plan that address the similar consequences of several different disasters. With that said, there are exceptions such as entities …


A Primer on Backup Power – Part 3, by R.H.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) 6th Backup Option: A Permanent Mid-Size Solar System This system is advertised as an auto-transfer battery/inverter system that is designed for modular build, which provides the ability to add additional batteries and inverters as your system needs grow. It is a way to start with a solar backup and grow to a full power system in the future. [JWR Adds:  If you plan to eventually expand your system then choose modular, expandable components.  For example, select modular stacking inverters.] As with most systems, these systems are basically composed of a power generation …


A Primer on Backup Power – Part 2, by R.H.

(Continued from Part 1.) 1st Backup Option: The Portable Engine-driven Generator The portable engine-driven generator is the most common tool for power blackouts. It comes in a range of sizes and features with an accompanying range of prices. Often used on job sites where electric power is absent, these can be bought almost everywhere. It will make a very accessible backup for your fridge and freezer, even on a minimal budget. As is demonstrated by the news stories of generators being sold out, and of their theft during weather-related disasters, you’ll also need to think in terms of security for …


A Primer on Backup Power – Part 1, by R.H.

Introduction Our modern world has been built on the copious use of inexpensive energy. Along with motor vehicles, electricity is the major foundation of modern civilization. Because of electricity, our lives are easier and safer. We do things and live in ways that would amaze our ancestors. My father had told me stories of growing up on the farm without electricity, but it took my own experience to make it click and understand how crucial it is to have a stable source of electric power. It was in 1998, and the power had gone out, again. While our local grid …


Success and Loss: Hit Twice by the Same Hurricane – Part 2, by PrepperDoc

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Resolution and Improvement Plan Finally, the clouds lifted, more sun arrived, and our power problems dissipated. From that point, we did fine waiting for the utility power to be returned. Eventually it was returned. But I had learned an important lesson: I started hunting for a better charger! Much later, I learned there was a chance that my gasoline “inverter generator” could provide steady enough power to pass for “utility power” and directly power my 48V inverter/charger systems with far more power — but that hasn’t been figured out (yet). What I …


Success and Loss: Hit Twice by the Same Hurricane – Part 1, by PrepperDoc

Intro Note:  In the interest of operational security, some details are missing or slightly altered, without obscuring the learning points we experienced. The Hurricane’s First Approach Our family is very familiar with southeastern USA hurricanes from living in a “hurricane state” for many years. Somewhat inland, we generally have high winds but not significant structural damage. Usually, there are many, many trees/limbs down, causing havoc with roads and power systems. As usual, the US Weather Service and the news media hyped Hurricane Helene to the max, threatening the usual utter destruction. We have learned to look at the National Weather …


Post-SHTF Lighting: Portable Power Stations – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) HOW TO POWER LIGHTS USING A PPS Now let’s take a look at various ways to power lamps, lights, and flashlights. 1. Rechargeable Lights There are lots of options with rechargeable lighting so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find something that appeals to you. Here are some things to look for when buying rechargeable lights. These features will be listed on the box or in the product description if shopping online. Battery capacity – The higher the better. The larger the battery capacity, the longer it can provide light without needing …


Post-SHTF Lighting: Portable Power Stations – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) DETERMINING HOW LONG A PPS CAN SUPPLY POWER To determine how long a fully-charged PPS will last, three things must be considered: 1.) The wattage of the device being powered 2.) How long you need it to run for, and 3.) The wattage capacity of the PPS battery. As previously mentioned, to simplify the math some of the battery rules are ignored such as maximum drawdown percentage of a battery and the energy loss when inverting from 12 Volts DC to 120 Volts AC. Appliance Wattage – Nearly every 120 VAC electric device has the wattage …


Post-SHTF Lighting: Portable Power Stations – Part 1, by St. Funogas

This is the second of a four-article series on post-SHTF lighting options. It covers the basics of portable power stations (PPS) as well as what kinds of lights to consider using with a PPS or other 12-volt DC source of power. I hope those who read Part 1 of this series on off-grid lighting came to realize that for a post-SHTF world, a portable power station (PPS) is not only far less expensive than candles or oil lamps, but also healthier and safer. When managed properly, not only can a PPS provide all or most of the light we’ll need …


The Survival Mindset: A Two-Decade Retrospective

Introduction SurvivalBlog is now in its 20th calendar year. I began posting the blog in August, 2005.  That was just a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina. Over the past two decades, I’ve had many opportunities to write about what I generally term The Survival Mindset. The following is a mashup and updates to four brief blog essays that I wrote and posted in SurvivalBlog in November, 2005 and in April, 2006: Prepper Angst Many of my recent consulting clients have mentioned the same feeling of unease about the coming years. Perhaps it is just the general predisposition of my consulting …


Post-SHTF Lighting – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) THIRD OPTION: RECHARGEABLE LED LIGHTS This section will be a very basic look at the broad topic of rechargeable lights. The bulk of the information and all of the many options will be presented in the next article of this series on post-SHTF lighting. In order to use rechargeables for illumination after the SHTF three things are needed: 1. rechargeable lights 2. a charging device 3. a “plug-and-play” solar panel 1. Rechargeable lights Rechargeable lights come in a wide variety of styles with options such as battery capacity, hi, medium, and low …


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 …


Another Look at Listeroid Engines, by Graham Sliecker

Editor’s Introductory Note: The following is a guest post, rather than a writing contest entry. The author is with Bolton Power Equipment. They have been importing Listeroid engines since 2014. For long service life, in my opinion, nothing beats a low-RPM engine. Small, high-RPM engines have practical engine llfespans that are often measured in just thousands of hours.  But larger, low-RPM engines with flywheels have practical engine llfespans that are often measured in tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of hours. Listeroid engines have been discussed in SurvivalBlog since our early days. See, for example: Lister Low RPM …