Notes for Sunday – November 22, 2015

Today is remembered as the birthday of the late Eugene M. Stoner (born 1922, died April 24, 1997.) He was the designer of the AR-7, AR-10, AR-15, AR-180, the Stoner 63, and several other firearms. (The AR-10 was the basis of the AR-15, which in turn spawned the very widely used M16 and all of its variants including the M4 Carbine). It has been estimated that as many as 3.7 million rifles from the AR-15 family are owned by civilians in the United States, and military production M16 variants well exceeds 8 million rifles.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  5. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  6. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  7. Twenty-five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knifemaker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 61 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Our Family’s Journey to Preparing For an Extended Grid Down Event- Part 1, by Old Man

To paraphrase an old saying, prepping is not a destination but a journey, or rather it’s a lifestyle. In this article I would like to share some highlights of our family’s journey to preparing for an extended grid down event, including what we found works and didn’t work for us. Hopefully, this might help some folks avoid the mistakes we made and stir some ideas for others.

When I was a youngster, I joined the Boy Scouts. It was there that I was first bit by the prepping bug. I took to the Boy Scouts motto of “Be Prepared” like a duck to water. As I was growing up, we experienced very few power outages. When the power did go out, it usually returned in under 20 minutes. During this time of my life, my uncle worked for the local utility company, and he shared with me how the local power grid worked and all of the safeguards built in to it. As a result I didn’t really give any thought to what to do in an extended grid down event. The extent of my preps for a power outage at that time consisted of a couple of flashlights, spare batteries, and a battery-operated radio. This level of preps served me well for many years.

Years later, I ended up moving to another town that was served by a different utility company. I soon learned that not all utility companies are created equal. Power outages seemed to happen quite a bit more often, and when they did the outages typically lasted for two or more hours. The longest outage I recall lasted over eight hours, when the power grid became overwhelmed one summer during a record heat wave. During this period I really didn’t make any adjustments to our preps, except to increase the amount of spare batteries I kept on hand.

Up to this point in my life, things had been good. I had gotten married, my wife and I had bought our dream home in suburbia, and power from the local utility company was plentiful and inexpensive. Power outages were still relatively rare, and when they did happen the duration was manageable.

That all changed in the year 2000. California had just deregulated the electrical utilities under the promise of reducing the rates for electricity. Little did we know at the time, but that opened the door for market manipulations in the cost and supply of electricity. During 2000 and 2001, California experienced an unprecedented electricity crisis. At one point we were notified by our local utility company that all Californians would be subjected to mandatory rolling blackouts.

Talk about a game changer. At the time, I was working from home and my work required the use of computers. If the power was down, I couldn’t work. While I had an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system for the computers, it only had 20 minutes of battery backup. Yikes!

As I was familiar with data centers and high availability power systems, I quickly set about designing a solution that would provide power during an extended blackout, allowing me to continue working. My solution was pretty simple. It consisted of a generator that fed into a transfer switch. The transfer switch fed the power outlets that fed the computers. During grid up, the computer outlets were fed from the power grid. During a blackout, the UPS would operate the computers for 20 minutes. This gave me plenty of time to change the transfer switch to be supplied from the generator and to fire up the generator.

With the design done, the next step was to purchase all of the components and wire it up. This proved to be problematic. It seems that I wasn’t the only one spurred into action by the threat of rolling blackouts. Generators were flying off the shelves, and prices were going into the stratosphere. Prices were quickly rising out of our reach. Then one day I happened to by walking through a local big box store, and they were having a close out on some generators. I couldn’t believe my luck. I quickly purchased the last one they had in stock. Years later I would discover the reason for the fire sale. It seems the manufacturer had just been sold and the new owners were discontinuing that product line. The stores were quickly dumping their stock of the affected models.

I then set about wiring up the transfer switch. Since I had done electrical work earlier in my career, this was straight forward for me. (I should mention that installing a transfer switch involves making changes to the wiring in your home, and you should consult a professional electrician, unless you absolutely know what you are doing.)

As luck would have it, about the time I got the transfer switch installed, we received notice from our local utility company that our neighborhood would be exempt from the rolling blackouts. It turns out that our neighborhood is serviced by the same power feed that serves the hospital down the road. Who knew? So I placed the generator in a corner of the garage with six gallons of gas, just in case. We never ended up needing the generator during the crisis.

With the electricity crisis came huge spikes in electricity prices. Over the next few years we watched our monthly electric bill skyrocket from $100 a month to over $600 per month. We tried everything we could think of to conserve, but it just didn’t seem to make a dent. We embarked on an aggressive mission to cut our electric usage that we didn’t know at the time but would later feature prominently in our grid down strategy.

The crux of the problem was to understand where the electricity was going. While on a month to month basis our overall usage did not increase by very much, the cost was going up due to the never-ending price increases by the local utility company. We needed data. I purchased a “kill a watt” meter to measure the energy usage of various appliances. While somewhat helpful, it was slow and tedious, and we only got data for one device at a time. I purchased some other commercial meter solutions with data logging, et cetera. However, these proved to be only marginally better. I still wasn’t able to see the “big picture” of what was consuming all of the power. That brought me to a solution from Powerhouse Dynamics called Sitesage. I purchased a system from Smarthome.

Sitesage is a whole house monitoring solution that involves installing small current transformer (CT) sensors on each electrical circuit in the main electrical panel. These sensors are then connected to a main unit that collects the usage data in real time. The data is sent to the Sitesage servers where we can access it and view all kinds of detailed usage analysis. While I was able to install the system myself, you should seek the assistance of a professional electrician, unless you absolutely know what you are doing. (In the interest of full disclosure, I have no affiliation with any product or company mentioned, other than that I am a customer.)

Finally, we had data. One last wrinkle was that we now could see usage on individual plug and light circuits, as they were labeled in the main electrical panel, but we didn’t know where they went. I purchased a circuit tracer from the local big box store and spent the following Saturday drawing a map of the entire house with every outlet and light, then mapping out each circuit from the main panel. In the end, we had a detailed map so when we wanted to see what was on plug and light circuit #6, we knew which outlets and light were involved. Now we were ready to begin the hunt. We systematically began going circuit by circuit, with the goal of reducing the usage to 0. On each circuit, we identified what was using power and then looked at ways to reduce the usage. I won’t bore you with the details, but here are some of our major findings:

a) When we purchased our home, we bought new appliances, including a frost-free refrigerator. It turns out that the way they made it frost free was to run a 200-watt heater coil 24×7. While the refrigerator still ran great, we decided to replace it with a more modern energy-efficient model.

b) We had an older Sony LCD big screen TV that, while it played great, consumed over 250 watts when it was on. We replaced it with a more modern, power-efficient model.

c) The pool pump was another place where we replaced the pump with a more modern variable speed, energy-efficient model.

d) We replaced our HVAC system with a more modern energy-efficient model.

We continued to hammer each and every circuit, eliminating wall warts (small power adapters) and replacing or finding alternatives to each and every device that was drawing utility power. In the end, we were able to reduce our power bill to the $100 per month range again.

Life was good again…until Katrina happened. Katrina was another game changer, both professionally and personally (more on the professional later). Up until Katrina, the most we worried about was having to do without power for half a day. Was it inconvenient? Yes, but it hadn’t been catastrophic. However, after Katrina, we realized this was a real possibility. With no power for days, we now had to deal with the loss of refrigeration, spoiled food, no stove (ours was electric), and (gasp) no coffee in the morning. PANIC!!

Letter Re: A Solid Solution On Securing Home Defense During A TEOTWAWKI Situation, by B.M.

Good morning, Hugh,

I’ve been following the discussion on “indoor concertina wire” and agree wholeheartedly; it’s a poor decision.

A recent writer pointed out that concertina wire, barbed wire, and tanglefoot should be secured to posts of some sort; I concur, and would like to elaborate on that topic.

When I build fences I install a 4 foot wide hinged walk-through gate that, on closing, latches to a removable post. There is also an 8-foot hinged gate that latches to that same removable post, allowing a 12-foot entry for equipment should it be needed. Depending on the fence, and requirements, the removable post is either a wood 4X4 or a 6X6; a 36-inch length of 1/4 inch wall thickness square steel tubing is inserted in a hole and concreted in place, with about 2 inches or so exposed above ground level. About 4-6 inches from the bottom of the square tubing four 1/2 inch holes are drilled through opposite sides allowing for a pair of 1/2 inch galvanized steel rods to go through the tubing and extend about 3 inches from each side. These rods – “post support rods” – both help secure the tubing in the concrete and form a base for piece of stainless steel as a “support plate” to support the wood post. The stainless steel can be from 1/8 to 3/16 inch thick; thicker is harder to bend, and it’s not under any stress. Use a piece about 1/2 inch narrower than the inside of the tubing and 3 times longer than the tubing’s inside dimension; bend it in a wide U shape about 1/2 inch narrower than the inside of the tubing, so the “legs” extend down about 4 inches or so. The space between the sides of the plate and the square steel tubing allows for drainage, and the shape allows dropping the “platform plate” into the tubing to rest on the 1/2 inch rods after installation without it becoming misaligned. A note: stainless is non-ferrous, so it cannot be removed with a magnet if you get it wrong. A shop vacuum with a PVC pipe extension can usually be used, however. The support plate is necessary – without it the two rods will indent the wood post and over time the post will slowly settle into the square steel tubing, requiring constant readjustment of gates and latches. If necessary, the 2-3 inches of exposed square tubing can be drilled for a lag bolt to secure the removable post. Pro tip: it’s much easier to drill that hole before the tubing goes into the ground.

A little sanding or planing will be required to get the wood post to fit easily into the square steel tubing and be easily removable, giving you the option of a 4 foot (or wider) walk-through gate, and 8-foot wide vehicle gate, or a 12-foot wide equipment opening.

As for perimeter defense, the same technique can be used elsewhere, using shorter lengths of square steel tubing. A 12 to 18-inch length can be positioned wherever you need to control movement, and set flush with ground level. Depending on the installation and intent, it may be possible to skip the concrete step. Only one 1/2 inch diameter “post support rod” is necessary for these, and since gate latches aren’t involved, don’t bother with the stainless post support plate. To avoid having an open hole that could be stepped into by people or animals, drop a length of 4X4 (or 6X6) into the square tubing, trimmed flush with the ground so you can mow right over it. Removal is accomplished by screwing a lag bolt into the end of the wood post and pulling it out.

When circumstances dictate, a wood post of suitable size can be dropped into the below ground square steel tubing and concertina or barbed wire attached to it. A 3 foot length of 6X6 1/2-inch wall thickness flush-buried square steel tubing, set in concrete, will provide enough support for an inserted 6-foot length of 5-inch, 1/2-inch wall thickness, square steel tubing to resist “dynamic removal”; I’m not aware of any readily available passenger vehicles, including pickup trucks, that are capable of driving through a couple of closely spaced steel posts of such size. The inserted post (think two square steel tubes telescoped together) can be secured with wooden wedges driven between the sections. The wedges and smooth sides of a steel square post will largely prevent pulling the post out by hand, especially true when the homesteader can provide armed overwatch of the posts.

The same technique may be used with lengths of round steel well casing and lengths of telephone pole. Utilities replace poles due to age or vehicle accidents, so they’re often available free, and while the buried portion may have some rot, the above ground portion should be fine, and since the entire pole has been treated to resist rot, the unrotted sections should provide many years of service, even when buried.

In those areas where more permanent vehicle movement prevention is desired, a 10- or 12-inch diameter pole section buried 4 feet in and extending 24-28 inches above ground, on 3-foot centers is effective. A second row, positioned a few to several feet behind the first and staggered to be spaced in the front row gaps provides an additional level of security.

A suitable type of grass or plant that can grow high enough to hide the posts, preferably a plant type that doesn’t require maintenance, can provide beautification while concealing the fortifications. Pro tip: apply copious amounts of barbed wire to the posts before planting the greenery, and note that small coils of concertina wire can be positioned between the post rows and secured to them, which will become quite unobtrusive when the plantings grow over them.

N.K.

Economics and Investing:

Caterpillar sales drop for the fourth year in a row because of China: Those good years won’t come back. sent in by RBS

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Sent in by B.B. – Fed To Hold An “Expedited, Closed” Meeting On Monday
“As we are sure to be told: ‘It’s probably nothing!’ “ – Uhh, sure…

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

Auto Loans and Mortgages Push Household Debt to Highest Levels Since 2010 (Bloomberg)

Baltic Dry Index Drops to Record Low (Bloomberg)

Iron Ore Price Craters (Mining)

Lifetime Cost of Refugee Settlement: $55B (Breitbart)

Resettling Middle Eastern Refugees Costs Taxpayers $64,370 (Washington Free Beacon)

The Beginning of the End of the Affordable Care Act? Largest U.S. Health Insurer May Exit Obamacare (Zero Hedge)

AMAC Says Obamacare Co-op Failures Signal More Trouble for President’s Signature Law (AMAC)

Lenders Taking Borrowers to Court Over Delinquent Student Loans (San Francisco Gate)

Help! My Short Position Just Got Crushed (Market Watch) Spoiler Alert: this is a cautionary tale.

Tyson Foods to Close Two Plants: 880 Workers Affected (Reuters)

Odds ‘n Sods:

First we are told they will disrupt the under-sea fiber communications. Now: Suspicious Russian Mission Aimed At Disrupting U.S. Submarine Monitors – D.S.

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From SurvivalBlog reader A.L. – This is an excellent essay in response to a rabid gun-grabber: “Tap dancing in a minefield blindfolded.”

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The hacking group “Anonymous” has released a statement claiming ISIS is planning Sunday terror attacks in U.S., worldwide – D.S.

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SurvivalBlog reader T.L. sent in this little lump of coal: First Amendment under siege: Government should ban speech that offends minorities, millennials say it looks like that indoctrination is well on it’s way to becoming the new reality.

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Anitibiotics, the miracle drugs, are loosing effectiveness: World on cusp of ‘post-antibiotic era’. Sent in by G.G.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3: 16-17 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – November 21, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  5. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  6. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  7. Twenty-five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knifemaker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 61 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

An Alternative to Calcium Hypochlorite, by TLS

I have read articles and posts, as well as listened to preppers discuss the use of Calcium Hypochlorite (Cal-Hypo) as a water sanitizer in The-End-Of-The-World-As-We-Know-It (TEOTWAWKI) situations. I owned a swimming pool business for over 20 years, and during that time I used Cal-Hypo, Sodium Dichloro-S-Trianzinetrione (Dichlor), and Sodium Trichloro-S-Trianzinetrione (Trichlor) extensively in both commercial and residential swimming pools. I also installed and maintained many salt-chlorine generator systems. Every time I read about someone planning to use Cal-Hypo for long-term storage to provide water sanitation in TEOTWAWKI, I cringe. Cal-Hypo has many serious shortcomings. The disadvantages are:

  1. Cal-Hypo degrades and loses potency over time. It has a limited shelf life.
  2. Cal-Hypo gives off corrosive chlorine gas as it deteriorates.
  3. Cal-Hypo is a powerful oxidizer that can cause fires or worse, if used or stored improperly

I would never rely on storing Cal-Hypo long term for a disaster or survival scenario. Cal-Hypo is unable to handle long-term needs because of its short shelf life. Sure, it is very effective in normal times but only if you can always run out to buy more. As with many perishable commodities, the day will come when your stockpile will expire and become nothing more than a useless, white powder. Those that rely on Cal-Hypo to provide lifesaving sanitation, in a long-term emergency situation, will find themselves ill-prepared.

Cal-Hypo loses its potency from the moment it leaves the plant. It has a limited shelf life, and little can be done to change that. Its shelf life varies based on the quality of the product and the temperature at which it was stored. At higher temperatures, Cal-Hypo breaks down even more rapidly. When Cal-Hypo is purchased, one does not know how long it has been in the supply chain and to what temperature levels it has been exposed. The pail of HtH Cal-Hypo down at the local big box store will probably only be good for about two years. Additionally, that pail sitting on the shelf with a big discount sale sign might have been a left-over from the previous season. Repackaging Cal-Hypo will not make it last longer. At best, it is an exercise in futility.

As Cal-Hypo breaks down, it gives off gaseous chlorine. Chlorine gas is nasty stuff. It severely corrodes metals, destroys natural fibers and some plastics. I opened many old containers of Cal-Hypo and was greeted by a noxious, yellow, gas cloud. It’s not very pleasant, I assure you! Cal-Hypo is a very powerful oxidizer that can give you a really bad day, if handled improperly. Just read the label on any Cal-Hypo container.

If the disinfection of drinking water is part of your long-term preps, then I recommend that you check out the CDC website.

There is a lot of useful information, on drinking water sanitation, in the FAQ section. The subject that should be of the greatest interest to a prepper is the section on hypochlorite generators. The CDC refers to commercial-sized hypochlorite generators that cost into the six figures. However, a prepper can make his own small-scale sodium hypochlorite generator for about $2,500, if he already has an off-grid electrical supply that can provide 10 amps at 120 volts. This can be done using readily available components from most swimming pool retailers. In the late 80’s and early 90’s, I was an authorized dealer for Lectronator, an early in-line swimming pool chlorine generator system. The patent ran out several years ago. However, there are now several different makes on the market that are similar to the Lectronator.

How does a chlorine generator work?

A chlorine generator works by passing a saltwater brine solution through an electrolytic cell. Inside the cell, there are several parallel plates made of titanium that act as cathodes and anodes. As the electrical current passes across the plates, chlorine is freed from the sodium to create a hypochlorite solution. The Lectronator was simple in design. It had the electrolytic cell that was mounted in the filtered water return line, a water flow detector, and a power supply. The unit that is currently on the market, and one that I personally prefer, is Pentair Intellichlor. It is similar to the Lectronator but has a more advanced control system, and it has the ability to read salt levels. Swimming pool chlorine generators are very similar in design and function to the large-scale chlorine generators referred to by the CDC.

How to make your own chlorine factory.

To create your own mini-sodium hypochlorite factory, the four major components needed are:

  1. A water storage tank that holds about 200 gallons (a cube-shaped tank is easiest to plumb into),
  2. A circulation pump, at least a 1/2HP,
  3. Cartridge filter, one that is for a spa or small above ground pool, and
  4. Chlorine generator, such as a Pentair Intellichlor IC40.

You will also need PVC pipes and fitting, and wiring to connect the pump motor and chlorine generator power supply to your electrical service. This set-up will require about 10 amps, depending on the circulation pump you select. The setup is relatively straight forward, if one has a basic understanding of plumbing and electrical. The components are assembled and installed similarly to a pool or spa setup. The tank needs to be plumbed into, with at least 1¼-inch PVC pipes, but 1½-inch pipes work better. Wall return fittings, for vinyl liner pools, work well for this. NO METAL FITTINGS! The bottom must be used as the suction and the higher line the return. Run the suction line to the suction port, on the pump. Then run a line from the pressure port of the pump to the cartridge filter. Even though the water that is put into the tank should be filtered to remove any debris, the cartridge filter is a precaution against the generator cell becoming clogged. After the filter, run a 1½” pipe, at least two straight feet, into the cell. After the cell, run another two straight feet of 1½” pipe back to the tank return point. Install a Tee-fitting, with a PVC ball valve, at a convenient point, low in the system to drain your hypochlorite solution into containers. The PVC ball valve should be installed at the suction and return points on the tank, so that service can be done on the equipment without needing to drain the entire tank.

Using your mini-chlorine factory.

When the water tank is filled, add the salt through a port in the top of the tank. Quality water softener salt works well. The cell will indicate when the salt level is at 3,400ppm. This is 1/10th the salinity of sea water. At this point, you simply prime the pump and make sure your valves, on the suction and return lines, are open so that you don’t dead head the pump. You need to know the concentration levels of the solution. I advise against going above 50ppm. It is easier to handle and it is unlikely that one would need a couple hundred gallons of bleach strength Sodium Hypochlorite. It is unnecessary to make more than one needs for a given period of time. At 50ppm, one gallon would disinfect 50 gallons of water at the 1.0ppm free chlorine level. So, a 200 gallon batch would disinfect 10,000 gallons. Keep in mind that these chlorine generators are designed to keep 40,000 gallon swimming pools chlorinated at 1.0 ppm or more 24-7-365. It is important to note that according to the CDC, Giardia and Cryptosporidium are highly tolerant against all forms of chlorination because they exist in a cyst or oocyst form while in the water. The CDC recommends ceramic filtration to remove these pathogens.

Testing.

Testing the free chlorine level of your drinking water is of the utmost importance. The CDC recommends a free chlorine level of .5 to 1.0, to properly disinfect drinking water. The OTO and DPD reagents, that are commonly used to test chlorine in water, also suffer from the same problem of limited shelf life. The solution is to use an Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) meter. ORP meters measure the oxidizing properties of the chlorine sanitation level in water, by electrical current. Readings are generally in millivolts (mV). There are several ORP meters available, ranging from around $35 to $350. Get a quality meter that uses AA or AAA batteries that can be recharged. ORP meters are great preps because they can be stored indefinitely in an EMP-proof container and put into service when needed. All the components needed to make a mini-chlorine factory can be safely stored indefinitely, ready for the day they are needed. That can NOT be said for Calcium Hypochlorite.

The advantages of having one’s own hypochlorite generator are:

  1. It uses salt to generate chlorine, and salt can be stored indefinitely.
  2. Properly stored electrical components can also be stored indefinitely.
  3. It will produce full-potency sodium hypochlorite on demand.
  4. You would have your own hypochlorite factory for fun and profit when the SHTF.

The only long-term way to have chlorination, as a water sanitation option, is with a chlorine generator and a stockpile of inexpensive salt. I am surprised that more preppers are not aware of the potential uses of chlorine generators. I hope that I have been able to shed some light on this subject. Thank you and God bless.

Three Letters Re: A Solid Solution On Securing Home Defense During A TEOTWAWKI Situation, by B.M.

HJL,

I can see some problems. First you must store it and deploy it when things go down. Second, if it is winter, you really don’t want your windows and doors broken. You want to defend them first (maybe both inside and outside). Third, even if you can insure you are safe, you will need to be able to go the other way, perhaps multiple times per day. Fourth, it doesn’t provide security if they decide to firebomb or shoot into your house. Fifth, if there is a fire or something else, you may have to get out fast, but can you do so? – T.Z.

o o o

Hugh,

I have been reading SurvivalBlog daily since early January 2010, and words cannot describe the blessing that JWR, and now you, have been to my family. Finding SurvivalBlog was definitely the result of the hand of God on my life. Until I found SurvivalBlog, everything I had ever read about prepping up to that point was from a world view that was humanist and/or situational with regards to ethics or morals– definitely not Biblical. I devoured JWR’s writings about his survivalist philosophy and his Biblical basis for prepping, with my Bible open in front of me so I could read the portions of Scripture that were referenced. Literally in tears, I thanked God for His leading me to where I received His confirmation that this was the path He had for me. Since then, we have been paying off debt and have been working diligently at getting our preps and skill development “squared away”. To this day, I regularly thank the LORD for both of you and ask Him to bless you and yours.

I am not a security expert, but I do have some experience that way. It seems to me that installing razor wire INSIDE of the home is more than foolish. Trying to change the way you use your home during a time of extreme stress is foolish enough, but to think of purposefully creating a situation where one would have to clean up, from inside your home and/or retreat, dead or dying bodies, hundreds of pieces of flesh, bodily fluids, et cetera from attackers who could easily be infected with who knows what seems to me to be downright stupid. I would find another way to protect my retreat. Thank you again, T.B.

o o o

JWR,

I enjoy all of the subjects that are discussed on SurvivalBlog. After reading the letter on making your home more defensible I thought I might offer a thought. I spent three years stationed in Berlin during the apex of the Cold War (86-89). The main focus of the Berlin Brigade was MOUT. Military Operations on Urban Terrain. For the lay person, this was house-to-house fighting. We were three Mech/Lt.Inf. battalions, a company of M-60 tanks, and an Artillery Battery of Mechanized 155’s. We were surrounded by at least a Soviet Army Group as well as the East German Army. If nothing else, we worked very hard on obstacles. We ran wire concertina wire, tanglefoot, tank obstacles, and so on. My point is that if you run wire, first make sure it’s anchored by metal posts or wood. On top of the concertina, zig zag tanglefoot (barbed wire) across the top and anchor it to your posts. On the unfriendly side, run tanglefoot at about knee high to slow the enemy’s approach. Most importantly, if you have wire have it covered by fire. If Brigands have all day with no gunfire hitting them, they will breach the wire. However, if they are tangled up in the wire and you are hitting them with rifle fire, they will be more likely to become disheartened and move on to less well-defended homes. Finally, if possible, put your perimeter at least 50 yards from the strong point in case they have I.E.D.’s; that is generally outside of most folk’s throwing range. – JMR.

Economics and Investing:

They would have you believe that the U.S. economy is recovering and strengthening. Actually, the dollar is strengthening because everyone else is debasing their currency faster than we are; however, it’s all downhill. The Fed Induced Farce. Link sent in by J.Q.

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The Baltic Dry Shipping Index Just Collapsed To An All-Time Record Low

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

Barclays to Pay $150M More to Regulator in Forex Probe (Reuters)

Citrix to Restructure: 1,000 Pink Slips Coming (Triangle Business Journal)

Los Angeles and the Crisis of Homelessness (Los Angeles Times)

Chinese Paddy Wagons Pick Up King of IPOs Under Arrest (Contra Corner)

Obama Offers Ships and Millions in Aid to Asian Nations (Washington Examiner)

Outrageous! $1B to Post One Online Form to Immigration Site (The Fiscal Times) Hint: the cost is likely to be 3x greater when the project is completed.

Two Clintons. 41 Years. $3 Billion. (Washington Post)

GSEs Should Spread the Risk and Share the Profits (Citizens Against Government Waste)

More Senior Government Execs Raked In Higher Bonuses YOY (The Fiscal Times)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Evidently your TV now sends ultrasonic messages to your phone, which tell your phone to transmit your information back to the advertiser.

Wonder what else this technology could be used for… How TV ads silently ping commands to phones: Sneaky SilverPush code reverse-engineered via Linux News. Link sent in by K.F.

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These assignments were discovered by accident when the child brought the work home from school. How many more of these indoctrinating assignments are never caught by parents? Public schools, by design, indoctrinate your children with values that you have little or no control over. In fact, many of these assignments are from new, young teachers, who are fresh out of a liberal college with pro-Islamic/anti-Semitic views. Start a homeschool; lower your standard of living to afford a private school; start a co-op; do whatever it takes to protect your children as they are educated, but get your child out of public school!

Utah school homework assignment to make propaganda poster for jihadi groups: “JOIN ISIS!” Sent in by B.B.

California Middle School Makes Kids Sing About Spreading Islam Sent in by D.S.

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Speaking of constant indoctrination, how about a video of Hillary Clinton stating that Muslims have “nothing to do” with terrorism: Hillary hits back over “radical Islam”.

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Bill Whittle Video: Post Paris: Can Sharia Law And The Constitution Coexist?. Sent in by MtH

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While there has been considerable chatter about the U.S. catching Islamic terrorists on the southern border with forged papers, apparently the concept of “forged” papers is meaningless. Succar, the head of New York’s Syrian community has some scary claims about the refugees.”
“You can go to the Syrian government today and say to them, ‘I need a piece of paper that says I’m Tony Caterpillar.’ And they give it to you”
“These are not forged documents. These are written out by a government employee who needs money, whose family has no food.”

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“I will heal their backsliding,
I will love them freely:
for mine anger is turned away from him.
I will be as the dew unto Israel:
he shall grow as the lily,
and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.
His branches shall spread,
and his beauty shall be as the olive tree,
and his smell as Lebanon.” – Hosea 14:4-6 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – November 20, 2015

Today, we present another entry for Round 61 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. But first, there’s a word from JWR on establishing your Preparedness Library. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul pmags 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  4. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  5. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  6. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  7. Twenty-five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  10. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knifemaker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  8. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  9. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 61 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Establishing Your Preparedness Library, by James Wesley, Rawles

Anyone who is serious about family preparedness recognizes the importance of having hard copy (EMP-proof) references on hand. In addition to the binders of reference articles, recipes, and technical manuals that I often mention in SurvivalBlog, I strongly recommend that you buy some particularly useful published reference books. These books include:

Survival Trapping: The Efficient “Hunter”- Part 2, by J.C.

Basic Sets:

Leghold traps have a few basic types of sets. The main one is referred to as a dirt hole set and is by far the most common and popular for this style of trap. A depression slightly larger than the trap is dug out and the trap is set down into it and “bedded”. This means to solidly seat the trap to reduce any movement at all. Most animals will immediately leave the set area, if they feel the trap move as they step on it. Once the trap is bedded, then use the screen to sift fine dry dirt over the whole trap, covering it completely. Using your hands press down and solidly pack the dirt around the trap itself being careful to avoid depressing the trigger pan and setting the trap off. Level the loose dirt out and apply one last layer of fine undisturbed dirt over the whole trap area. Next use a stick or metal rod to open up a hole in front to the trap. Six to nine inches from the trap is a reasonable distance. You can add a backer of a rock, log, or any larger item just past the edge of the hole to force the animal to investigate on the trap side. Insert your bait or lure into the hole and step back. Examine everything and try to arrange the area as naturally as possible.

Some tricks for this type of set are:

  1. Place small rocks or sticks in a position that the animal must step over or around them and will direct their paw right onto the trap pan trigger.
  2. Vary the depth and angle of the bait hole for certain animals.
  3. Cover the bait hole with loose grass or leaves to force the animal to move around to investigate and increase the chances of their foot getting into the trap.

Other sets for the leghold traps that should be studied are: Cubby set, Scent Post set, Walk Thru set, Water sets, and drowning sets.

Leghold traps must be prepared for best results. Boiling, dyeing, and waxing are common to remove scent and prevent rust. Tuning of the traps for specific animals will greatly increase the effectiveness. Proper pan tension and adjusting the trigger system is simple and easily done. A little research will pull up a variety of resources on how best to accomplish this task with just basic hand tools.

Conibear traps are spring-loaded traps designed to close over the body of the animal. They are sometimes referred to as body grip traps. They are lethal traps designed to kill the trapped animal instantly through force. The design allows the traps to be set up for the animal to walk or swim through the opening. Used on runs, trails, den openings, and water flows, these traps are versatile and effective in many environments. The sets for these are limited only by the imagination of the trapper. Some styles have springs on one side or both. Anchor stakes from limbs are easy to install on both sides of the trap. Although it is designed to be lethal, it is still a good idea to anchor the trap with a chain or cable. Remember a trapped animal is a tasty treat for any passing predators, and a coyote, bobcat, or wolf will gladly carry off your catch for their dinner and rob you of both your trap and dinner in one quick swipe. The small 110 sized conibears are perfect for placing over den openings and small game trails, and moving up in size to the 330’s are good for larger water animals, such as beaver and otter. Tips for conibears:

  1. Use safeties when setting the heavy springs, as these traps are strong enough to break bones.
  2. Anchor the traps solidly to prevent animals from pushing them out of the way.
  3. Sticks, rocks, and logs can be placed to help funnel animals into the trap for greater effectiveness.
  4. Can be adapted to fit into the openings of buckets with baits or lures added to entice the animal to enter the container.

Snares have their place in any survival situation. They are lightweight and quick to set up. You can carry dozens of them in the same space of even one leghold trap. However, snares have a major draw back. They are much harder to learn to use effectively. They also aren’t easily set to draw an animal in with baits or lures. So learning the animal’s terrain and habits is absolutely critical to success when using snares. If you are able to master setting snares in the proper locations, you will be rewarded; if not, you will be just wasting time and energy. Learning the proper sizes to set is important. The openings of the loop and the height the loop sits off the ground will be lessons you will need to learn quickly for the animals in your area. For example, a 6” loop might work for a groundhog, but a rabbit may slip right on through. Or a 2” wire loop for a squirrel may be perfect, but a possum will just walk over it. There are a few types of sets with snares that work well with baits. Holes that are baited and loops set over the entrance can be successful, as can putting baits back into deeper areas of a brush pile and setting snares on all the obvious routes of entry will work. Spring loaded snares have seen some popularity for a number of years and can be set up around a bait pile or other food source. The bottom line is that if you haven’t practiced with snares, they will not work well for you. No matter how many books or drawings you study, the only way to expect these to feed you is lots and lots of practice.

Live cage traps are some of the most underrated traps in the survival community. Urban nuisance wildlife trapping is a billion-dollar industry right now in the U.S. and the corner stone of this industry is the live cage trap. While it might be difficult to catch wary predators in live traps, all other animals are easily caught in these style of traps. In fact, this may be the easiest way for a novice to catch his dinner. The basic operation is a metal cage with a self-closing door. The animal enters the trap and steps on a trigger pan, and the door closes trapping them inside. One important advantage of this trap is that the animal is alive and contained, allowing it to be saved for future use by the trapper. Without refrigeration, keeping the animal alive is the next best way to preserve the meat for when it is needed. A word of warning: Keeping wild animals for long periods of time can be difficult and dangerous, so please exercise caution.

Tips on using live traps:

  1. Bed the trap securely on level ground to prevent wobbling when the animal enters.
  2. Line the bottom of the trap with dirt, sand, grass or other natural materials as they may shy away from stepping on the cold metal.
  3. Hang the bait or place it inside a metal soup can wired to the back of the cage to prevent the animals from reaching through the wire mesh from the outside and stealing the bait.
  4. Cover or conceal the trap under brush, leaves, and lightweight materials to increase its effectiveness and to camouflage. Be careful not to entangle the trap mechanism.
  5. Use small amounts of bait to get the animal to commit all the way into the trap for increased success.

Putting all these components into a trapping plan is the last part of the process. Setting up a trapline does take time. The upfront investment can pay off with a steady supply of meat. It will take more effort to set up the traps initially, but it will be easier to maintain and check once they are set up. Pick a route that you can easily and safely check. Ranging miles out may not be practical if you are on foot, but setting multiple types of traps on just a few acres can be very productive if done correctly. Wilderness fur trappers are used to traveling long distances to run their traplines. The main goal is to harvest quality fur from specific target animals. Survival trapping is more general, and any animal that you catch could be dinner. Setting multiple traps together can work well. Setting up on logging roads or creek banks can produce many animals quickly and easily. Urban neighborhoods actually have higher populations of some animals than in the deep woods. There are reports from nuisance wildlife trappers of getting dozens of possums from a residential yard over just a few weeks’ time. Catching 20 squirrels from a single backyard in a month isn’t that uncommon, and rodents such as chipmunks and rats are plentiful almost everywhere. Trapping is a skill that takes a lifetime to master, but the beginner can learn to succeed quickly with limited practice. Ethical trapping techniques and humane treatment of wildlife is important. Professionals don’t rejoice in allowing animals to suffer. Checking traps every 24 hours to make sure all catches are harvested quickly keeps both the trapped animal from suffering and losing it to a competing predator of both two- and four-legged varieties. Having a catch pole available to safely release unwanted animals will help keep you from wasting resources or needlessly killing wildlife. Utilizing the whole animal, including the fur, hide, and bones is always recommended to avoid wasting resources. All states have differing laws concerning the use of traps and the types that are allowed. As with all SHTF scenarios you will have to decide when the time will come to use the skills you have practiced to provide for yourself, your family, and others.

Recommended minimum trapping kit to have on hand for emergency needs for all terrains and environments:

  • Leghold Traps: three #1’s, three #1.5’s, three #2’s, three #3’s, plus chain and cable for anchors
  • Conibears: four 110’s, two 330’s
  • Snares: 50 in a variety of sizes
  • Live Cage Traps: two small, three mediums, and one large
  • Setting supply tools, selection of baits and lures, and buckets for storage of gear.

Resources: All of these companies have the supplies, books, and training videos to get you started