Electromagnetic pulse impact far and wide. (Thanks to Chet for the link.)
o o o
I’ve been mentioning Peak Oil in SurvivalBlog since 2005. Here is a scary bit of confirmation that oil supplies may indeed reach their limit in this century: Alaska’s untapped oil reserves estimate lowered 90 percent
o o o
F.G. liked this one: The Toyota Pickup – Why U.S. Special Ops Units Prefer it
"If man is not governed by God, he will be ruled by tyrants." – William Penn, founder and first governor of Pennsylvania
I must address a Federal Regulation. Consider this my annual statement: Per FTC File No. P034520, I state for the record that I accept cash-paid advertising. To the best of my knowledge, as of the date of this posting, none of my advertisers have solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor have they provided me any free or reduced-price gear in exchange for any reviews or endorsements.
Description
A quick “how to” system that will gather air on one end, run it underground, and output it to another system that collects the moisture from it in order to produce drinking water while altering the temperature of a living structure to a level that can sustain life. Please note that every house, landscape, and geographical location can be vastly different than the next and it’s therefore impossible to give a thorough how to, independent research must be conducted by the reader.
Introduction
Preppers have the amazing talent of separating need from want in life, and the need factor basically falls into two master categories – food and shelter. Every other “need” need can be easily placed under one of these two headings since keeping things simple is also a prepper trait (e.g. water would fall under food even though it’s not food per se). Overcoming the challenges of each category in the most efficient manner possible is one of the keys to survival, which is why buying the latest and greatest technology may not always be the best answer. In fact, nature has provided a free solution to many survival dilemmas and in most cases it’s just a matter of piecing together the puzzle. Take that same completed puzzle, wrap it in a shiny plastic housing, find a catchy name, and now it can sell for loads of money…there’s not a product out there that somehow defies the laws of nature and is original.
With these things in mind, a simple solution to keeping a structure at a suitable living temperature can be pieced together using the very basics of science and carrying a price tag ranging from extremely low to really no more than the price of a good used car. A basic system of heating and cooling used today has an input, a temperature conversion, and an output. Depending on the process there may be other outputs as well but most of those are based on mechanical processes and ultimately go to waste. But what if multiple outputs could be generated and put to use in a more natural, efficient manner. See this illustration.
Gathering the Input
No matter where a retreat is set up, there will be varying temperatures, sunlight, and precipitation. The simplest and most independent way to gather the needed input (air!) is to harness one factor and protect from the others. In other words, a solar powered fan system with a housing to cover the actual fan components is going to be a simple solution to gathering said air. There are many window mount, solar powered window fans on the market now and with some slight modifications these can become an air moving system. Choosing which fan (and how many) is going to take some additional research because of the next step in the process…not to mention the actual square footage to be heated and cooled at the output level. Calculating cubic feet per minute (CFM) against anticipated system length into the space cooled may not be everyone’s forte, so luckily there are plenty of web sites out there to assist in the process (even Sears has one) – after all, they are trying to sell an HVAC system. While solar power is not mandatory in this case, it’s going to provide the most independent and renewable source of airflow. The cost of solar room fans is also fairly low, and although they are not made to take a beating from the elements, once again some simple modifications in the form of a fan housing can extend their lives indefinitely.
Hiding the input is another consideration, for example four solar fans mounted in a small housing and blowing into a hole is not only interesting to any passerby but is also a direct path into your living quarters where even smoke from a fire could make life hard. While keeping the panels themselves uncovered, it’s entirely possible to camouflage the rest of the structure – prevention is gold.
Temperature Conversion
At 4 feet below the surface of ground level at any given point in the more populous latitudes on Earth it is very likely that a constant temperature of 55-to-60 degrees Fahrenheit will be found. The system used in this design uses that constant to cool or heat the inputted air. There are some factors to consider in this design, especially in the long term. Assume that a four fan system is pushing enough air into an 8 inch PVC pipe that drops 4 feet below the surface, zigzags across a 75’x75’ area (a typical backyard for example) using over 500’ of pipe and emerges at the other end with the output air. If the air goes through too fast then it’s not given the chance to drop (or raise) to the desired level, and a lack of CFM would give off the proper temperature but only cool or heat the output area. These are factors that have to be considered when designing the conversion area, even the thickness of the pipe. Some other factors that are critical would be keeping it level, drainage, and making certain mold accumulation does not occur. While this would all seem an insurmountable task, with the abundance of current technology and better yet, the qualified people in this field these are actually easily answered questions when it comes to design. Picking out the site, having the facts about the site and designing the conversion chamber will be the easiest of the process. Renting and running backhoe, laying pipe or venting with graveled bottoms, and attaching all the pieces together will be a bit more of a challenge. Don’t hesitate to walk into smaller HVAC businesses and start chatting about such things, most people in this field become instantly intrigued and want to explore the possibilities. Lastly, try and think ahead 20 years and consider what the system will have to endure, design it to last.
Drainage And Mold
The system described herein has not been tested for the long term. A simple ditch structure with a brick tunnel might suffice in some areas while 8” pvc with drainage holes may be necessary in others. I cannot stress the importance of preventing mold in a system that goes underground and obviously is capable of not only attracting mold spores but giving them a place to thrive. The number one preventer in mold growth is to not have standing water. I suggest with the time we have that owners look at their chosen site for such a structure and begin some independent tests.
Output
The outputted air will carry whatever humidity there was from outside, and any accumulation that occurred while underground. Once again, a single design cannot be expressed for the purposes of this document because of the plethora of variables. It’s within the occupant’s bests interests to remove at least some of that humidity from the air for the sake of comfort and to convert it to drinking water. A simple Internet search for “air well” reveals an age old design of collecting moisture from the air through the simple process of natural heat exchange. Even the ancient condensation collectors discovered in long gone civilizations were efficient at collecting the water from the air. A higher end design would include an actual powered unit that costs around $1,500 USD and will output at least 5 gallons a day…just have a generator on site to handle its power needs (a medium grade solar generator can easily handle this unit with power to spare). Bear in mind that powered units will also produce a warmed air that goes above the ground temperature so that could be put into a very advantageous position for the retreat dweller. In the event that nothing electrical is used on the output side and moisture were collected naturally then the 55-60 degrees would be enough to keep people alive, perhaps not comfortable, but ultimately only needing another 10-15 degrees to be in a good range. Having a good way to measure hacumidity and temperature will do a person a world of good when fine tuning the system.
Conclusion
If TEOTWAWKI occurs, food and shelter and all their little subcategories will be our main concern. If a person can dig a trench, hook a fan (or fans) on one end and on the other end enjoy the natural temperature of the earth then that person is already ahead of the game – and it beats living underground. A few tweaks to the design might be in order depending on exact circumstances, but if a person sticks to the principles of simplicity then they are easily overcome and handled. Perhaps one of the strongest selling points of this system is that it’s very versatile due to the fact that it can be integrated into almost any survival retreat or plan – no matter how great or small. It can also be accomplished on a budget that is less than the average family output on dining out, or can become a professional endeavor that a person looking for a way to become self employed and all the more independent. When a person successfully sheds the bonds of society’s “have to have” luxuries and gets back to the basics, it’s amazing what can be done.
In Part I of this series, I explained the definition of pharmaceutical expiration dates and ‘do not use beyond’ dates, and how both are determined. Additionally, I reviewed information from the Shelf Life Extension Program (SLEP) database, which led to a temporary Emergency Use Authorization in 2009, permitting the use of certain Tamiflu products (to treat H1N1 influenza) for up to an additional five years beyond the imprinted expiration date. (See Part I of this series for more information. )
Part II will examine the data regarding use of common antibiotics beyond their expiration dates.
The following is excerpted from my upcoming book, Armageddon Medicine.
Does a can of tuna go bad overnight? What about a bottle of medicine? Common sense suggests the answer is no, but is there any evidence?
The primary source of information regarding the prolonged stability of medications comes from the Shelf Life Extension Program database. Rather than discard millions of dollars worth of expired drugs stockpiled for emergency use, the U.S. federal government tested representative lots of selected medications for extended stability. These stockpiled drugs are aimed at emergency use for injuries and infections rather than chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. The most useful data for the layman is related to drugs to combat bacterial and viral infections.
Of the antibiotics tested, all passed assays for stability, potency, and appearance for at least a year beyond the original expiration date.
Of the lots tested, the following had their expiration date extended by the number of months indicated.
| Medication Name | Dosage Form | Average extension in months (range) |
| Amoxicillin sodium | Tablets | 23 (22-23) |
| Ampicillin | Capsules | 49 ( 22-64) |
| Cephalexin | Capsules | 57 (28-135) |
| Ciprofloxacin | Tablets | 55 (12-142) |
| Doxycycline Hyclate | Capsules | 50 (37-66) |
| Erythromycin lactobionate | Powder | 60 (38-83) |
| Sulfisoxasole | Tablets | 56 (45-68) |
| Tetracycline HCl | Capsules | 50 (17-133) |
| Silver sulfadiazine | Cream | 57 (28-104) |
A summary of the Shelf Life Extension Prorgarm (SLEP) data is available in The Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 95, No. 7, July 2006.
The Medical Letter, a respected professional newsletter, addressed the topic of expired medications in both 1996 and 2002. Regarding safety, they say: “The only report of human toxicity that may have been caused by chemical or physical degradation of a pharmaceutical product is renal tubular damage that was associated with use of degraded tetracycline. . . Current tetracycline preparations have been reformulated with different fillers to minimize degradation and are unlikely to have this effect.” (The Medical Letter, Vol. 44, Issue 1142, October 28, 2002.)
Liquid preparations may be much less stable, and degrade more quickly if frozen or heated. The Medical Letter advises that “Drugs in solution, particularly injectables, that have become cloudy or discolored or show signs of precipitation should not be used.” For oral medications, color changes may also be related to the dyes rather than the drugs. The primary concern pertaining to eye drops is microbial contamination once the preservative becomes ineffective.
Overall then, the concern is not regarding safety, but rather effectiveness. “Many drugs stored under reasonable conditions retain 90% of their potency for at least 5 years after the expiration date on the label, and sometimes much longer,” per The Medical Letter.
The SLEP data does not describe testing for any controlled-release antibiotics, such as Biaxin XL and Augmentin XR. Controlled-release delivery systems vary from drug to drug and would require testing not only of the medication itself, but the delivery system as well, to assure adequate drug delivery. Therefore, the regular versions of both Biaxin and Augmentin may be preferable for stockpiling. Essentially the only advantage of controlled-release antibiotics is less frequent dosing.
In the case of antibiotics, a 10-25% loss of potency over time may make little difference in treatment, and could be made up for by higher dosing in serious infections. Even now, generic medications are only required to be within 20% of the stated amount, and so the dose administered may already vary as much as 50% from one generic to another, or from pill to pill. For example, a 100 mg brand-name tablet must contain 95-105 mg of the active drug, whereas a generic of the same is permitted to have 80-125% active compound. Also, generics may not be equivalent in terms of integrity, dissolution properties, or coatings. In the case of generics, “Made in the USA” is probably preferable to those manufactured elsewhere.
To sum it all up, the good news is that most tablets and capsules are very likely safe and quite likely effective for several years beyond the printed expiration date. Using expired medications may suffice for a decade beyond the end of the world as we know it. (But what then?)
In my next post I will examine the use of other common drugs beyond their expiration date. – Cynthia J. Koelker, MD.
About The Author: Cynthia J. Koelker, MD is the author of the book 101 Ways to Save Money on Health Care. The book explains how to treat over 30 common medical conditions economically, and includes dozens of sections on treating yourself. Available for under $10 online, the book offers practical advice on treating: respiratory infections, pink eye, sore throats, nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, urinary infections, allergies, arthritis, acne, hemorrhoids, dermatitis, skin infection, lacerations, lice, carpal tunnel syndrome, warts, mental illness, asthma, COPD, depression, diabetes, enlarged prostate, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and much more.
Dr. Koelker has recently started a new medical blog on surviving TEOTWAWKI, ArmageddonMedicine.net. She welcomes your questions, comments, and critiques.
Mr. Rawles:
Regarding the reader who had the chimney fire and put it out with a 10 pound bag of baking soda:
We were told by our fire chief that some insurance companies will refuse to pay for damage done in an “undocumented” chimney fire. How do you “document” a chimney fire? You have to call the fire department, and then it becomes a matter of record. In addition, putting the fire out in the firebox does not guarantee that a smaller fire isn’t burning somewhere up in the attic or the eaves.
So you might be embarrassed, but even firefighters get chimney fires at their own houses. Far better to call the trained professionals than to risk greater damage or have your insurance company refuse to pay for the fix. – Janet S.
Jim-
The contributor’s chimney fire report included information about flue tiles damage and consequent repair expense. A metal chimney insert would be far less expensive and also upgrade the safety of the existing chimney. Bob
Dollar Selloff Is Going ‘Too Far, Too Fast’: Strategist. (Thanks to Susan H. for the link.)
Greece Likely to Default Within Three Years, El-Erian Says
Could someone be expecting a market crash? Watch the smart money: Insider Selling Volume at Highest Level Ever Tracked. (Thanks to Jonathan C. for the link.)
Items from The Economatrix:
Stocks Eke Out Gains On Mixed Earnings
Consumer Confidence Rises Only Slightly in October
Steel Industry’s Outlook Gloomer on Slower Growth
Foreclosures Push Home Prices Down in Many Cities
Gold Continues to Outshine the Field
Crooks Stealing Consumable Goods: Beer & Food A sign of things to come…”A crime alert in Chesterfield [Virginia], where robbers want your food and beer — and will use violence to get them. Right now police are handling 16 investigations in which crooks snatched edible goods from homes, cars and people on the street.”
California Is Broke: 19 Reasons Why It May Be A Good Time To Leave “The unemployed in California is equivalent to the populations of Nevada, New Hampshire, and Vermont.”
TIPS Inflation Bonds Get Negative Yield for First Time
Bernanke Asset Purchases Risk Unleashing 1970s Inflation Genie
Germany Calls Out Geithner’s Hypocrisy, Says Money Printing Is FX Intervention
Dollar At Risk Of Becoming “Toxic Waste”
Oil Could Hit $100 Barrel Soon, Says JPMorgan
Coffee at 13-Year High, Sugar Surges
Jason in Central New York mentioned this PDF from the NRC : High-Impact, Low-Frequency Event Risk to the North American Bulk Power System (regarding the risks posed by Cyber or Physical Coordinated Attacks, Pandemics, and Geomagnetic Disturbance / Electro-magnetic Pulse.
o o o
The folks at J&G Sales in Arizona noted in their latest e-newsletter: “Starting the end of January no ammo dealers including J&G Sales may continue to ship handgun ammo to individuals that live in California. This is a new law, now passed and signed by Governor Arnold [Schwarzenegger] called AB962. All handgun ammo sales in California will have to be face to face with a thumbprint provided and a log entry made of the sale. Mail order pistol ammo will be a thing of the past, with exceptions only for deliveries to FFL dealers and C&R holders if they have a COE. We encourage everyone to stock up now to avoid being cut off!” JWR Adds: I further encourage all California gun owners to vote with their feet. Get out of that Mickey Mouse state!
o o o
From Nanny State New York: Bad Driver? In Debt? Proposed NYC Law Would Ban You From Owning a Gun. Thansk to both J.V. and B.B. for sending that link.
o o o
Failure Shuts Down Squadron of Nuclear Missiles.That was 50 ICBMs, a significant portion of the US nuclear arsenal. Thanks to Jim P. for the link.)
“Choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without.” – Lambert Wilson as The Merovingian (The Matrix Trilogy). Screenplay by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Today we present another entry for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:
First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).
Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).
Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)
Round 31 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Power outages are quite common here in Hawaii. It seems like a couple of times a month, the lights flicker, get dim, and then go out. Sometimes they stay out for an hour or longer. We recently had a blackout on one whole side of our island, which truly woke me up to the possibilities of an endless blackout (worse-case scenario).
Usually I come out of an anxiety session unscathed, but since I currently belong to an emergency preparedness group, I have been reading tons about the many scenarios that could happen to our island home including tsunamis, earthquakes, flooding, volcanic eruptions (we live close to the Big Island), terrorist attacks and many others. This time, when the lights went out, and stayed out for longer than I thought they should, my worrying just would not stop.
What if the lights never came back on? How prepared was I to deal with it? What if this was really the beginning of the end of the world as we know it? Sure, I had a few cans of Spam and tuna, a couple of gallon jugs full of water, oh, and a first aid kit. In fact, I even have a 72-hour kit for my husband and I. But what if I was unable to dry my clothes that were now waiting in the washing machine. I don’t even have a clothesline or clothespins! (Pretty trivial, right?) Going further, where was that recipe of how to make my own soap when it ran out? Mental note: Get a clothesline and learn how to make laundry soap. That was just the beginning of my worries.
Surely, if the electricity went out for an extended time, or indefinitely, it would cause pandemonium. A majority of the food we eat is brought in from the mainland, New Zealand or Asia on ships. Would we be isolated from the rest of the world? It would be a dog-eat-dog scenario, seeing who could get to the stores the quickest – that is if they were even open. If it was a worldwide disaster, we could not expect others to help us for a long time, if ever.
And, if I was one of the lucky ones to get a supply of canned foods, did I know where my manual can opener was, since the one we use every day would be useless? As our freezer would no longer keep our meat frozen, how were we going to cook it? We could have a big feast, at least until the food spoiled – unless we knew a way to preserve it. Mental note: learn how to preserve meat, and purchase a couple more can openers, and put them with my emergency kits.
Thanks to a garage sale, I have a tiny little barbeque grill. Also, since living in Hawaii, we have learned how to make an underground oven. My husband can start a fire with the husk of a coconut (lucky me, right?). We are saved, I gloated to myself thoughtfully! Also, as an artist, I have quite a bit of artwork with frames that I have spent hours on. I wondered how long it would be before all of the art became fuel for a fire to cook our dinner. Mental note: Get an ax to cut up art for firewood, and store it safely
If it truly was TEOTWAWKI, I tried to think of the good things about living on an island, as well as the bad. The good part is that it never gets very cold here, so we will not freeze to death (highly unlikely). We can go fishing in the ocean, which is vast, although we don’t even own a fishing pole or fishing net. Mental note: Get a fishing pole and fishing net, and learn how to fish with both.
Another thing that is beneficial about living in Hawaii is that we have temperate weather. It is not too hard to grow certain types of food all year round. Luckily, I have a little square-foot garden going in the back yard. Black-eyed peas, lettuce, beetroot, and Swiss chard are doing well; at least we would not starve to death right away. But, I could not just run down and buy more seeds, so I would need to know how to harvest seeds Mental note: Learn how to harvest seeds.
Water – what about water? Luckily in Hawaii it rains quite frequently, and I have a bucket that catches the runoff from the roof. I have also purchased some water purification tablets, which is a start in the right direction, but it would be beneficial if I obtain knowledge of how to distill and filter water. Now that water is packaged and sold, there really is no reason not to have a supply of on hand, except perhaps storage space. Mental note: Learn how to distill and filter water, and store more drinking water.
Fortunately, my husband manages a small farm plot near our home. Certain crops grow here in the islands better than others. I have become accustomed to eating many different types of food. Being from Utah, I used to be a meat and potato, white bread, white rice girl, (which we now know is not healthy), so I am glad that my tastes have broadened to include taro, poi, tapioca root, green bananas, pele (wild hibiscus), and many other island foods. We also have experimented with many different spices, and I can stand my food pretty “hot”. I am thankful that I have been able to adapt to many different types of cuisine.
Also, I have recently learned how to sprout beans. This knowledge has helped me realize how easy you can grow a miniature garden in your own home with mung beans, clover, fenugreek, alfalfa, barley, sunflower and wheat. I also learned that when sprouting, the seeds, grains or legumes provide a large amount of nutrients. With these small seeds and beans, we can store quite a bit of food in a small amount of space.
I love candles, so I have quite a few decorative ones, but they are not the long burning emergency candles, and obviously won’t last very long. I also have a kerosene lantern and a flashlight, but am very unsure how long the matches, kerosene, and batteries I currently have will last. Yet, another mental note: Purchase humidity proof matches or lighters, emergency candles and safely store a supply of kerosene.
I realized how dependent we have become on technology, which may never work again if things go downhill. My biggest worry is that we will be unable to communicate with our children and grandchildren who live miles away. No e-mail, no cell phones, no Facebook. Would we even be able to find out what was going on locally? Where is that old radio? Do we have enough batteries to keep it running? Do I know which frequency emergency instructions would be broadcast over the radio? Maybe we will have to rely on a ham radio operator. Do I know who in the neighborhood is trained in this skill? Mental note: Find a ham radio operator and make friends. Meantime, purchase a small emergency radio and a generous supply of batteries, or get one that you can crank, or even better, get both.
Another worry that snuck into my mind was how well did we know our neighbors? Would we be able to share with them? If we ran out of something, could we ask for it without them scoffing (or worse, shooting) at us? Online banking would be impossible, and there would be no way to withdraw all the money we have been so carefully saving each month to pay for anything. If things should get really bad, we may be forced to barter our possessions for necessities. Memories of Mad Max surfaced in my mind. Would we be survivors like Max himself with the new world order, or be annihilated by the gangs that no doubt would surface? Mental note: Be kinder to our neighbors.
I realized that it is a given, we all must die, but would we prefer to die of starvation, or by our own ingenuity be able to help ourselves and others delay the inevitable? Could we keep our minds focused – which led me to another worry – my medications. Since I take a few prescription medicines on a daily basis, what would I do when they run out? I cannot stock up on my medications because the insurance won’t allow me to get more than a few months supply at a time. Do I know enough about natural remedies to offset the lack of medication? I have quite a few herbs in my garden. Would I know which herb was for which ailment? I also have an essential oil family emergency kit that I am learning how to use. Mental note: Learn which herbs and oils help which ailment.
How long would it take for us to get used to the new normalcy? Would we have to experience a severe mental shift, or could we just stay calm and take things as they came? Would we feel afraid, become dismayed or lose faith and feel betrayed? My husband and I are Latter Day Saints and have had a lifetime of warnings from our church leaders telling us “if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear”. How seriously have we taken their advice? Mental note: Heed their advice, now!
Worrying can be a good thing. It can move us to action.
Luckily, the lights finally came back on, I said a prayer of gratitude, and went down and cooked myself a delicious breakfast.
James Wesley,
You recently posted this article: Seven banks closed in Fla., Ga., Ill., Kan. Remember something we’ve been trying to focus on?
Watch closely for banks for which the FDIC cannot find a buyer.
Read closely… in that article there were a couple banks that were only partially purchased by other banks. The FDIC held on to some of the liabilities of some of the banks.
The real zinger is the First Arizona Savings bank – completely shut down, no buyer, no more bank. The FDIC is sending checks to those customers (hope you didn’t have more than $250,000 in an account there).
I mentioned before on the blog that the FDIC in Illinois is having more and more trouble finding buyers. I do not know about other states but Arizona has been one of the hardest hit so it doesn’t surprise me that we’d see one of the earliest indications of a cracking foundation there.
Thanks for the great effort that you and yours put out to keep this blog on top of everything effecting us. – Tanker
JWR,
Concerning the article titled “The Tire Shop Option for Nitrogen Packing Food Storage Buckets”. My dear friend said that I should let everyone know that a much easier way to use nitrogen for your buckets is to pick it up at your local welding supply. You could then do 1,000 (who really knows how many) or more buckets in the privacy of your own home. – Steph in Colorado
Jim,
I’ve been packing buckets and other containers for years without the use of dry nitrogen, but I’m pretty sure the contents are actually nitrogen packed. If we look at the major constituent gases that make up our atmosphere we get primarily: Nitrogen (78%), Oxygen (20.9%), Argon (0.9%), and all other gases excluding water vapor (0.04%). Water vapor makes up from 1% to 4% depending on the humidity. Adding these numbers may look like more than 100%, but when there is more water vapor in the air, the percentage of the other gases is slightly smaller as an overall percentage. Given these numbers, when food or other items are packed with a sufficient quantity of oxygen absorbers and desiccants, within a few days the oxygen is removed (actually converted and sequestered as iron oxide). Likewise, the water vapor is absorbed and sequestered in the desiccant. If you take the normal atmosphere and remove the oxygen and the water vapor, you are left with dry nitrogen and a tiny bit of trace gases, nearly all of which are inert. I’m not sure if using nitrogen helps, but I’ve never used it, relying instead on larger oxygen absorbers and additional desiccant. – LVZ in Ohio
JWR Replies: Yes, oxygen absorber packets can be effective, but the nitrogen wand method is more reliable and less expensive. The biggest problem with oxygen absorber packets is that there is no sure way to know whether or not a package of packets has been compromised. Once they are exposed to the atmosphere for a few hours, they are “used up”, and rendered useless. Thus, we have to depend on the honesty of everyone in the chain of ownership of the packets from the manufacturer, to the wholesaler(s), to the retailer. In many instances, large bags of 1,000 packets are resealed into smaller bags, for retail sales. All it takes is a minor slip up, and they become useless. These days, I don’t put a lot of trust in the integrity of worker bees. Few are willing to own up to their mistakes.
Using a CO2 or nitrogen “wand’ (or “probe”) to displace air from buckets is far less expensive than using oxygen absorber packets if you pack more than 20 per year.. It can also useful for re-sealing a single bucket, if you only need to use part of a bucket’s contents. I highly recommend the wand method for anyone that plans to pack more than ten buckets. If you want to buy your own CO2 cylinder then all you’ll then need is a valve, a three foot length of plastic tubing (1/4-inch inside diameter), and an 18″ long piece of stiff copper tubing (1/4-inch outside diameter) for use as a wand. With a nitrogen cylinder, you will also need to include a pressure regulator to drop the pressure from 2,100 p.s.i.! If you are uncertain about how long you should leave the valve open with your particular cylinder and bucket size, you can use a lit fireplace (long) match or the stub of a candle, as test. Position it inside the bucket, just under the lip. Simply observe the sweep second hand of a wristwatch. The count you take from when you open the valve fully to when the flame is extinguished is the count to use for subsequent buckets. Add two or three seconds, just to be sure. One word of warning: if the contents have been stirred into an airborne dust, they may form an explosive atmosphere in the container (think grain elevator explosion). If this condition exists, the oxygen has not been displaced yet, and an ignition source (match) is introduced an explosion may occur. This could make your day very interesting. Flour, dried milk, and even household dust are explosive if they are airborne and in the right concentration.
Items from The Economatrix:
Pension Age Increases to Get Far Worse
Default or Hyperinflation: The US’s Only Two Options (The Mogambo Guru)
In 15 of Last 25 Months, The Treasury Needed to Borrow Money for Social Security Benefits
Gold Advances as Dollar’s Decline Spurs Demand for Alternative Investments