Category: Home Power

Three Letters Re: Deep Well Hand Pumps

JWR: In this entry, the idea of having a hand pump for the water well, and wanting to have at least some redundancy regarding the ability to pump water, is mentioned. Since potable water is a primary concern for me, I have been looking into the alternatives to our municipal water supply (which currently depends on the electrical grid to be operational).   Since I sell solar electric equipment, I naturally thought of having a solar powered water pump as a back up. But what if something knocks out my solar array? I ultimately would like to have a manual water pump. At the same time, I …


Letter Re: Deep Well Hand Pumps

Mr. Rawles: Thank you so much for enriching our lives with your knowledge.  My question is: I lost electricity this past week for two days.  I had enough water stored for me and my wife for cooking, drinking and flushing toilets stored and for our dogs, too.  But what would I do in a longer duration power outage? I remember my grandfather having an old hand pump on his well that we used to get a drink from on hot summer days when I was a kid.  My question is, where can I get one of these kinds of hand …


Letter Re: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Button Batteries

James, If you like to target shoot to keep your skill level up like me and have red dot scopes then you know how expensive those coin or “button” batteries are. I have been looking for a rechargeable coin battery for a while. Well I found it. There are now CR-2032 LI-ION rechargeable batteries. For $1.75 each (if you buy 10 or more), I think its a deal. The recharger is only $5.75. I hope this will help those who enjoy plinking and are looking to save a few dollars. Service was great and fast shipment. Disclosure: I have no …


The Power of Three, by Jerry S.

Since we have all been reminded of the principle the “two is one and one is none”, it brings me to the conclusion that being prepared is really about “having a backup for your backup”.  So if “two is one”, then “three must be two”.  That has led me on a quest to discover at a minimum, three different ways to approach the problems we’ll face in a disaster situation.  If you are new to prepping or just want a different perspective of looking at things, maybe this will help.  To get us started, the first thing you should be …


Letter Re: Buying Military Surplus Directly

Mr Rawles,     Thanks for hard work and invaluable resources. I have a suggestion buying surplus military equipment. It appears the government liquidators mentioned have some sort of fees involved. Anyone can go to the DoD’s Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service web site.  This eliminates any middleman and lets you look at available equipment online.   In addition and maybe more usefully, every military base that I have served on or visited had a Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO), and they hold regular sales, some walk-in like a surplus store and others by sealed or open lot bidding. …


Build Your Own Wood Gas Generating Stove

What will you do when your fuel runs out, or your energy system fails? How about burning wood? I used to dismiss burning things for energy off-hand as a dirty and wasteful heating tool, nothing more – not a source of actual power or energy.  However, learning what I have in the past few months has given me a new appreciation for this readily-available resource.  My perspective was changed somewhat, and it was kind of a shock to me, because i’m pretty open-minded to alternative solutions.  My mindset is this: until I have a wealth of  food and supplies in …


Letter Re: Do-It Yourself HEPA Air Filtration for NBC Shelters

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Friends, In the wake of the Japanese nuclear plant melt-down situation, I called a safe room manufacturer for a hand cranked air filter.  It was over $2,000.  Too much.  I did learn that you need both particulate (HEPA) and gas (carbon) filters.   I have jury-rigged an NBC air filtration system.  Here it is: Go to a hydroponics store or find one online.  Yes, the one’s that people go to in order to grow marijuana. You will need an inline fan.  I used a  continentalfan.com AXC150B-C fan.  It is a little more expensive but German engineering costs more.  (Quieter too). You …


Letter Re: Do-It Yourself HEPA Air Filtration for NBC Shelters

1

Friends, In the wake of the Japanese nuclear plant melt-down situation, I called a safe room manufacturer for a hand cranked air filter.  It was over $2,000.  Too much.  I did learn that you need both particulate (HEPA) and gas (carbon) filters.   I have jury-rigged an NBC air filtration system.  Here it is: Go to a hydroponics store or find one online.  Yes, the one’s that people go to in order to grow marijuana. You will need an inline fan.  I used a  continentalfan.com AXC150B-C fan.  It is a little more expensive but German engineering costs more.  (Quieter too). You …


Why Living Prepared Pays Off, by Brad in California

We live on the western slope of the Sierras about half way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. We recently experienced the worst snow storm in the last thirty years, with snow depths in excess of 36″, massive, wide spread power outages, and closed roads. We had virtually no inconvenience because we have literally have lived being prepared for decades. Our home is small, about 1,000+ square feet and we have an adjoining cabin of 525 sq/ft., which serves as my office. A few years ago I added an additional 12″ of insulation in the ceilings of both units, double glazed …


Letter Re: Battery Options for LEDs and Small Electronics

Jim, I have read and enjoyed both your books. I have told all my like minded friends about them. Regarding LED flashlight batteries: I have a flashlight from Sportsman’s Guide that uses two of the CR123 batteries, it will also use the #18650 lithium ion battery. One of these takes the place of two of the CR123 batteries, and last much longer, and is rechargeable. The charger can use either 120 VAC or 12 VDC input voltages. I have a system set up that uses the Harbor Freight 45 watt solar panels. I bought mine on sale for $149 and …


Letter Re: Some Observations From a Texas Winter Storm

Jim, In late January-early February of 2011 Texas got hammered two weeks in a row by serious cold temperatures and dangerous ice. The cold was so severe that many power plants went offline and we had rolling blackouts that lasted up to 45 minutes in some places (not at the Super Bowl however!) Over 50 power plants in Texas shut down at some point because they could not take the record cold temps on Feb. 2. While my home seemed to have missed the rolling blackouts, the place where I work had to go to emergency generator power for a …


Letter Re: Suburban Preps on Long Island, New York

Hi All, I’d like to contribute some details on my preparations in a region where tricky geography, difficult society, and extremely difficult legal issues can make planning difficult. As for tricky geography, Long Island is essentially a 100-mile long 23-mile wide (at its very widest) ‘no outlet’ roadway prison stuffed with nearly 8 million people. Take a peek at the Wikipedia page about the island to get the idea. We are east of New York City with its 50 million people in the immediate 35 mile radius. When things get Schumeresque – there is very little most residents will be …


Experience in an Ice Storm, by C.V.Z.

During the winter of 2007 Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado had a major winter event in the form of a blizzard and a wide ranging ice storm. Saturday morning came and no weather, by that afternoon, Eastern Colorado and Western, Kansas was in a full blizzard and ice storm. Within hours the ice was over 3 inches thick on power lines and was popping power poles in every direction. Then the wind picked up and we went black and quiet. The storm took down cell towers, radio towers, internet towers, emergency communication towers. The small rural communities were shut down. …


Letter Re: Preparedness on a Tight Budget

Mrs. R.J., I rejoice to read of your plans to prepare. It’s good to know you’re in Arkansas. The Christians at Ark Haven believe that is a protected area for many reasons, physical and spiritual. Three generations on one piece of property is definitely getting back to the old ways. Two acres is great — focus on compact crops and animals; Jeavons lists crops by square foot yield and calorie count so you can be sure you’re getting the correct amount in his book “How To Grow More Vegetables” (read it free here). (And yes, it appears this free book is …


Preparedness on a Tight Budget, by Mrs. R.J. in Arkansas

I have read many of the stories on survival blog but have yet to read a one from someone on a very tight budget. That leaves those of us with tiny incomes at a disadvantage and feeling vulnerable. For about two years I have had a small voice inside me telling me to fill my storehouses with food for the coming famine. As a Christian and minister I believe that voice is God and He wants His people to be ready. Although Many Christians think we are crazy and don’t believe they should have to worry about storing foods for …