Category: Home Power

People have often asked me over the last nine years, “Haven’t you had to give up living a ‘normal’ life?”  My response has evolved into, “Define normal?”. My off grid experience started in 1998 when my wife and I purchased out homestead property which was 1.5 miles from the closest power line.  We had previously purchased a propane generator (10 KW) and had planned on using it as a backup generator for times when the power went out, (which is frequent in the area we purchased our property) but we never imagined the costs of having power run to our property …

My family roots go back to Ohio’s Muskingham River area in the mid 1800s.  There are no raging cataracts or other major stream drops on the Muskingham.  At least, not in the first twenty miles upstream from McConnellsville.  Observing the river channel confirms this stretch at least, is subject to erratic, heavy flooding.  Despite this my pioneer ancestors still used the river to grind their grain, and provide power for several other industries. How did they do it?  They had no metal to make pilings out of.  Wood piling would have just washed away at each flood since most of …

Mr. Rawles: I’m a long-time SurvivalBlog reader. There was a recent post about dry batteries and where to buy acid.  I live in rural Ohio, in farm country.  I have had no problem buying battery acid at a local auto parts chain store.  I am always adding to [batteries for] tractors and combines, et cetera.  Never thought of it being hard to get.   Last time I bought it it came in a 6 quart container for around $30. Keep up the great work. – Sheepman Dave James, I frequently get questions regarding long term, reliable, battery backup systems. First some …

Mr Rawles, In the past I have read articles on people wanting new batteries on hand such as car, tractor and deep cell as part of there preparedness plan. one of the problems was they were unable to purchase dry batteries without the sulfuric acid in them. I recently had to purchase  a few new sets of batteries for my tractors and learned that John Deere stocks their batteries dry and when you purchase them, they add the acid and give them to you. I’m sure you could buy them from them dry. Now where and how you would get …

Mr. Rawles: In a recent SurvivalBlog post, Alan W. wrote: “It has a 400w inverter with a modified sine wave output. During Hurricane Irene the only thing that I could get it to power was a standard lamp with an incandescent light bulb! It wouldn’t run tools or electronics.” I believe he is drawing the wrong conclusion from this experience. Instead of blaming the (admittedly inferior) “modified sine wave” inverter, he should have blamed himself for not testing his equipment before the emergency struck. I own a number of inexpensive inverters with “modified sine wave” ranging from 175 watt to …

Sir: I had purchased two Schumacher brand Portable Power packs-essentially a [gel cell] battery with [just] an inverter without the extra buzzers and bells from a company that makes quality battery chargers.  It has a 400w inverter with a modified sine wave output.  During Hurricane Irene the only thing that I could get it to power was a standard lamp with an incandescent light bulb!  It wouldn’t run tools or electronics.  After some Internet research, I found that most units used the modified sine wave because it is a less expensive design.  Unfortunately, it may or may not supply power to the unit that …

The range of topics in prepping pretty much covers the spectrum of life, and all aspects tend to be connected, however, this article is mostly limited to my strategies to power my grid dependant, difficult to defend, suburban home when the grid is down, all the while on a limited budget.  No new, earth shattering, break through here, just a plan that uses lots of basics. My circumstances probably reflect a sizable demographic of the folks who are attempting to prepare for hard times in the suburbs.  A middle class male, married with 4 kids, living in a stick house, …