Letter Re: Beekeeping and Fur Trapping at Your Retreat

Jim,
I enjoyed the article by Chris on bee keeping and fur trapping. Ever since setting my first muskrat trap in 1974, I have been an avid trapper, not missing a year since, regardless of fur market prices. The knowledge one gains with respect to any furbearer that is pursued becomes very intimate if pursued successfully with passion year after year. Its not enough to just understand the general behavior of the furbearer. To successfully trap furbearers, one must know exactly where the animal will step. Close doesn’t always count in this sport. I once read where if one wants to really learn about the outdoors, talk to a trapper.

We know that in a TEOTWAWKI situation, the local deer herd and much of the small game in any given area will be decimated relatively quick. I have trapped cliff edges overlooking several rivers in my area for years with well worn paths leading from crevice dens and transition or bottleneck areas. These areas have always been very productive with no competition to speak of. The cliff areas would be the last areas to provide food and fur in a TEOTWAWKI event in my area.

I have 45 rats, mink and several red fox going to the fur dealer this evening. I ‘m looking forward to trapping beaver in February as they will be very prime. I will have the beaver hides tanned as beaver hides are very durable and I enjoy making collars , mittens, et cetera. If you have ever tried beaver tail, you know it is quite tasty. I skin the tail, boil it, then cook it wrapped in aluminum foil with butter and some garlic. I then chill it in the frig, cut in small cubes and serve on a cheese and cracker tray. Excellent! – Ed D.

Two Letters Re: A Simple Off-the-Shelf Solar Power System and Off-Grid Power Tools

James-
Thanks for the interesting article on the Ryobi 12v solar setup.

Just wanted to chip in some advice on Ryobi batteries: Of the name brand cordless tools, Ryobi seems to have the worst NiCd battery quality. When used carefully, they will work well for a couple of years. If pressed hard, they will die a much earlier death. I have found that some packs will have a bad cell, dramatically shortening the entire pack’s life after only a few months. I’ve experienced this with 9.6v, 14v, and 18v Ryobi setups. Even the healthier packs, when pushed hard, particularly with a high drain device like a circular saw, die a quick death. To maximize the useful life, do not push them to the point where the battery pack gets hot and is completely drained. Such hard use guarantees the pack will lose capacity and cease to hold a charge for extended periods of time.

Ryobi’s latest 18v sets (“ONE+”) can be powered by either their lithium or NiCd packs. If the purchaser can afford the lithium setup, it is a better investment, as the lithium packs last longer in use, hold a charge longer, and have much better shelf life. If you cannot afford the lithium battery packs with the initial purchase, consider adding them later, as the same 18v charging setup you describe will work with either type of battery.

Also, Home Depot’s Rigid cordless tool line currently come with a lifetime warranty that includes the lithium battery packs, and they will replace the batteries if they fail to hold a charge, regardless of the reason. The Rigid line may be a good alternative for those purchases who intend hard use for their cordless tools. The Rigid line is typically twice as costly as the Ryobi line, but they do occasionally go on sale and represent a better value for people who wear out their battery packs. Regards, – Rich S.

 

Sir,
With regards to A Simple Off-the-Shelf Solar Power System and Off-Grid Power Tools, I must object to a portable tool solution based on short (“2-3 years”) rechargeable batteries which are fundamentally non-replaceable after TSHTF as opposed to a contrasting setup using inverters to operate 117 VAC-conventional power tools – all other parameters being identical. Just skip the 18 volt rechargeable tools and batteries and DC-to-DC chargers and stick with regular AC tools.

In order to prolong the deep-cycle lead-acid batteries into the “unlimited” range: stay within the top 10% of the battery capacity. Not only will you not have to worry about replacing high-technology 18volt portable batteries every three years, but you won’t even have to worry about replacing deep-cycle lead acid every seven years neither. – R.S.

JWR Replies: I agree with the simplicity of your approach.

Sadly, there is no such thing as a “forever” or “unlimited life” lead-acid battery. Even if they are kept fully charged, they will eventually sulfate. That chemical reaction is inevitable, and can at best just be delayed. One evidence of this telephone companies spending millions of dollars rotating their deep cycle batteries that they they use for backup at the Central Offices (COs). IIRC, they are replaced once every eight years. And those batteries only rarely get drawn down. (“Cycled.”) If there were some way to make lead-acid batteries have unlimited life, the phone companies would have implemented it long ago.

Influenza Pandemic Update:

Spike In Severe H1N1 in Memphis, Tennessee Children “…the traditional flu season is beginning, which will likely lead to emergence of a new swine H1N1 strain.”

H1N1 Fatality Rate in Memphis Children Raises Concern “The flu season in the US traditionally peaks in February or March, so the increases seen in Memphis may represent the start of a dramatic rise in severe and fatal cases. Seasonal H1N1 and H3N2 have virtually disappeared in much of the northern hemisphere including the United States, so pandemic H1N1 variants will likely emerge in the next few weeks.”

H1N1 School Closings in Donetsk, Ukraine “Of the 30 cases with D225G/N, 29 were from fatal cases. This high fatality rate raises concerns that an increase in D225G/N levels will lead to a pronounced increase in severe or fatal H1N1 cases and reports of school closings in Donetsk due to a rise in cases raises concerns that the number of fatalities will significantly increase in the near term.”

Initial H1N1 Attack Rate Raises Pandemic Concerns “In many areas which had two waves, the target population of the second wave was somewhat older, suggesting a high percentage of the under 65 population was infected with H1N1. This widespread immunity will put pressure on the virus to grow at higher levels or escape from the immune response, leading to concerns of a more severe upcoming wave.”

WHO slams swine flu critics as ‘irresponsible’

Swine flu still spreading in Ireland–but slowing

CDC Chart: Swine flu peak has passed. (BTW, the CDC Weekly updates are worth watching.)

Economics and Investing:

Banking crisis, currency fears. (Thanks to G, for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

24 States Unemployment in the Red, 9 More Within 6 Months

Is the Dow About to Dive 1,000 Points?

Pakistan Collapse Could Trigger Global Depression and WWIII

Walmart to Cut 11,200 Sam’s Club Jobs

Bob Chapman: Are We in an Economic Depression?

IRA & 401K Theft Plotted by US Government

Doug Casey: Stock Market Set to Crash

Home Prices Stabilize Further, But More Drops May Be in Store

First-time Jobless Claims Drop Less Than Expected

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Brian B. sent us a link to some news from near Machu Picchu, Peru: The folks in Aguas Calientes are in hot water. Brian’s comments: “Mudslides have blocked all roads and the train tracks leading to the area, stranding up to 2,000 tourists. Locally, some 10,000 residents have been affected and 2,000 homes have been destroyed. Poor weather has hampered rescue and relief efforts. Food and fresh water are becoming increasingly difficult to locate which has led to price gouging ($3.50 for a bottle of water).”

   o o o

Chuck M. flagged this article from a British newspaper: My free and easy life. It begins:: “When Katharine Hibbert lost her job and her flat she didn’t just downsize – she decided to dispense with money altogether, living on the stuff the rest of us throw away.”

   o o o

There are just two days left in the unprecedented 25% off sale on Alpine Aire freeze dried foods at Ready Made Resources. They are offering free shipping on full case lots. Don’t miss out, as this is a special “test” sale, approved for just Ready Made Resources by Alpine Aire, and might not be repeated.

   o o o

After Three Months, Only 35 Subscriptions for Newsday’s Web Site. JWR Adds: Gee, and people ask me why I don’t have a “by subscription only” option for “premium content.” I’d rather continue to put everything in SurvivalBlog out there free for the taking, and let advertising and a few Ten Cent Challenge subscriptions pay the bills here at the ranch.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"No greater wrong can ever be done than to put a good man at the mercy of a bad, while telling him not to defend himself or his fellows; in no way can the success of evil be made surer or quicker." – Theodore Roosevelt

Note from JWR:

There are just a few days left in the unprecedented 25% off sale on Alpine Aire freeze dried foods at Ready Made Resources. They are offering free shipping on full case lots. Don’t miss out, as this is a special “test” sale, approved for just Ready Made Resources by Alpine Aire, and might not be repeated.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value.

Second Prize: 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 $350.

Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.

Round 26 ends on January 31st, 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.

Beekeeping and Fur Trapping at Your Retreat, by Chris L.

I am a dentist with approximately 20 years experience.  My hobbies are eccentric by many modern people’s standards.  After reading many of the  articles on the survivor blog I thought that I might have a unique perspective to add to the wealth of undervalued information posted on the site. 

While reading James Wesley Rawles book I was not surprised to find out that Honey maintains stability for years in storage. This did not surprise me as I am a hobby bee keeper myself.  This in and of itself makes long term storage of honey a wonderful glucose reserve.  Few people realize that Honey was found in King Tut’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.  Scholars believe that the honey was still stable and edible.  A recent article in Bee Culture magazine discussed the issues surrounding natural bacterial static properties of honey as well as  botulism  toxin and raw honey.  This might be a good time to reinforce that raw/natural honey should never be fed to infants under the age of two.  As adults we all have resistance to botulism toxin due to long term slow small quantity exposure to the toxin.  Infants, young children and immuno-compromised adults can not break down the toxin and metabolize it.  That same article discussed the fact that honey has natural immune properties that lice or kill bacteria in situ.  For that reason many homeopathic doctors utilize honey in the way that we utilize triple antibiotic ointment in today’s culture.  Obviously this antimicrobial nature associated with honey allows for its long term storage without degradation. 

Enough about the health benefits of honey…Let’s talk about the real interesting part… The bees!  Many people fear bees due to lack of understanding.  Few people understand how enjoyable beekeeping can be with great benefits.  For instance consider the value of an average years honey flow at about 90 lbs of raw honey.  In many areas of the United States wintering over of bee colonies is simple and low cost. Even in an area like Northern Michigan where it feels like we only have three months a year without snow, many bee hives winter over well to propagate stable hives year after year.   What’s in it for you besides the occasional bee sting? When one considers candle use in situations WTSHTF beeswax has many valuable considerations.  For the novice candle maker who has only dealt with paraffin and stearic acid, beeswax offers simplicity and highly superior results.  Keep in mind that both products are side effects of animal husbandry (bee keeping in this case) that many of us overlook.  Many of us urbanites take for granted the volume of sweets and deserts offered in our modern world.  Products like honey and maple syrup were obviously delicacies of times gone by. 
A single beehive offers the gentleman farmer or recreational hobbyist great enjoyment with wonderful personal return on investment. Pollination of fruit trees and garden vegetables is the real bonus.  Since I began beekeeping 10 years ago our orchard, grapes and flower gardens have produced far beyond expectation.  Growing a garden may be important but a bountiful harvest of apples, plums, grapes and pears would surely be like winning the progressive jackpot at one of our local casinos in a TEOTWAWKI situation.  While on the subject of overproduction barter and trade come to the surface.   I defy any family to utilize 90lbs of honey in a year’s time.  You won’t get rich but you might have in your possession a commodity in great demand WTSHTF. 

For the basic individual with hobby level carpenter skills building a beehive is but a weekend project with a minimal investment in lumber. Bees are very forgiving as to wood butcher carpenter skills. Minor holes, less than perfect joints will be sealed up by the busy bee attempting to make up for the carpenters shortfalls.   Purchasing wax foundation and frames is minimal in cost for a single hive.  Ordering a starter package of bees with a queen to fill the hive initially only costs about 60.00.  From there you need a veil, smoker and some form of coverall and gloves if one has great fear of bees.  A basic book on bee culture can be obtained along with supplies from great suppliers like Dadant and Rossman Apiaries. 

Enough about the bees…As I sit before my laptop typing this informational entry for SurvivalBlog,  the History Channel is airing a documentary on the mountain men of North America during the fur harvesting era of the great northwest.  As a young man with enthusiasm for the great outdoors I will agree with James Wesley Rawles when he cautions in his book to think twice about going it alone in the woods in the event of TEOTWAWKI.  Few people can begin to imagine how uncomfortable and unforgiving nature is in its average event.  The point I am trying to make is that the theory all looks good on paper  until you have broken through the ice of a beaver pond or stream in -20 degree  weather three miles from modern transportation. With this in mind few of us can begin to rationalize uncomfortable. When your feet are too numb to take another step and the matches are wet you have only begun to experience nature’s wrath.  In summary, nature lacks sympathy for the unprepared.  I digress because the intent of this goat path was to direct your attention to yet another hobby.  Fur harvesting and trapping! We occupy a 200 acre parcel of land that we call home.  On an average year that parcel of property nets 15 coyote, 20 raccoons and 10-12 fox of varying species.  Muskrat and mink abound.  I realize that many people think that a meal comprised of any of the following may not seem palatable.  To the contrary, muskrat, and beaver can be prepared on the level of delicacy.  Until you have tried smoked beaver jerky and sausage I would advise reconsideration.  Few people understand that beaver meat is high in protein and sought after by sled dog races for the high quality meat it provides.  Don’t forget the value of rendered beaver fat for leather sealing and other uses.  While I have not partaken in consuming raccoon, when one applies the concept of you are what you eat, I would consider that a raccoon harvested from a Oak or Maple forest could be quite delectable in a TEOTWAWKI situation.  We recently watched the latest edition of the Terminator series, Terminator Salvation. At one point in the movie a young survivor was asked what he was eating and he responded “Two day old coyote, beats the hell out of three day old coyote”!  With all humor aside one reflects on the old statement of what will be left in the event of a major disaster: coyotes and cockroaches!  I am by no means advocating a diet rich in fox, coyote and cockroach protein. 

I advocating is considering becoming a recreational fur harvester to hone one’s skills and understand what little it takes to harvest a bounty of fur and protein.  For those of you who have never had the opportunity to wear fur in extremely cold weather, I can assure you that animals are not cold!  Fur even as a trim element attached to ordinary clothing offers great warmth from frostbite in that the hollow nature of the hair creates a thermal barrier and draws moisture away from exposed skin allowing for greater comfort.  Minnesota Trap products offers a wealth of inexpensive books for the novice woodsman to add to his library.   A minimal investment of 12 fox and coyote traps and a few connibear traps are really all that one needs for production of an additional line of protein and textiles.  Learning to use snares for catching and restraining animals could be utilized not only in a fur harvesting concept but also in a security detail.  At one time in my life I felt I had a wealth of knowledge relevant to the world of hunting and fishing.  Trapping makes one aware of how little one knows about wildlife activity and habits.  That knowledge can be transferred to human nature and predictability of ones adversary should the need arise.  While I am in no way advocating learning the concepts of how to snare white tail deer for use as a current recreational hobby, I am suggesting you put to mental record the basic understanding of the process.  Purchasing a few dozen snares of varying diameter and sizes could offer a tremendous value in ways not obviously thought of. Consider that gun shots to harvest deer in western states bring wolves to prey on hunters while dressing out the catch.  My point is that if wolves and coyotes can come to single firearm report used to harvest an animal, wouldn’t you consider that your fellow urban refugee might apply the same mental prowess?  Trapping and snaring allow for game to be quietly dealt with without attention being drawn to one’s activity. WTSHTF one would be better served to be quiet and discrete about your activities.   With that in mind I would recommend one consider researching RAM Power Snares. (also available from Minnesota Trapline Products).  Please understand that different states have different laws defining the use of snares and traps.  Notwithstanding is the use of the RAM power snare! My recommendation is ownership with use limited to TEOTWAWKI situations.  Understanding of how they are used should be limited to extrapolation from legal snaring techniques. 
Trapping is slowly becoming an art lost to the elders of our society.  However, there are still many old timers and young individuals with a wealth of knowledge that they are happy to share.  As Mr. Rawles so eloquently notes in his book, Skills are the items of the greatest value in a TEOTWAWKI situation.  Hone them as you would the edge of your best knife. 

Fur prices have dropped to unfortunate levels over the past few years, so don’t get into this hobby for any other reason than education. You will certainly not become the next John Jacob Astor or owner of the next Hudson Bay Company.   Many of the people sharing information in the community about trapping will direct the novice fur harvester to a market during the education process to sell their catch. 

I hope the information provided in this article offers those who choose to read it some perspective on subject matters that might come from a different direction.  With that in mind I would welcome an entry on the basis of producing high quality whiskey through a safe distillation process..  If I am going to be here after TSHTF I want to be sure that either Jack Daniels makes it through with me or that I have refined the formula for production of whiskey.  Good Luck and God Bless.

Letter Re: One Solution for Garden Moles

Hi Jim
I’m currently listening to the audiobook of “How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It“, and I’m at the part about vermin control.

I have used a very effective way to eradicate moles a number of times, as follows:

1) Locate the extremities of the mole run (i.e. mole hills furthest apart) and uncover both mole hills carefully to expose the burrows.
2) Make two buckets of moist “almost mud” soil to use as caps, place one bucket at each hole.
3) Reverse your vehicle to one of the holes and run a hosepipe from your exhaust into the first hole, cap the pipe and hole with some mud. It also helps to wrap a wet cloth around the portion of hosepipe going into your exhaust to prevent it melting.
4) Start your vehicle and go down to the other hole, once you smell exhaust fumes, cap that hole and then turn off your vehicle.
5) Cap the first hole with your “mud pack”
6) Leave the tunnel complex as is.

We find that this will effectively gas the entire mole population and they will not return to the same area. Personally I believe it’s better than putting poisoned bait down, but still not 100% green. We only treat area’s that require it, gardens and lawn etc. Our last treatment is four years ago and even though there is mole activity all around the perimeter they have yet to return to the previously gassed areas.

We don’t have gophers [in South Africa] so that’s for one of your guys to try and report back.

Regards, – Joe Ordinary Voortrekker

Two Letters Re: Nefarious Uses of Google Earth

Mr. Rawles,
I am a collector for a large bank. Before I go out to repossess (“repo”) a car, motorcycle, RV, etc. I use Google map and Google earth to try to locate my collateral.

In most cities and towns Google has paid a company to take street view pictures of your house and property. More often than not, the vehicle is sitting in the driveway or in front of the house and there is a nice picture of it. Also Google earth allows me to see if it is hidden in the back 40. If you look close enough you can see what looks out of place or see the shadows of the vehicle and find the hidden collateral.

Most people leave the garage door open so I can look into it from the safety of my desk. It always surprises me at what I can see from those pictures.

You can also see dog houses, helpful to know so I don’t get bitten while looking at your property from outside the fence (I bring dog treats along to help them keep quiet, works all the time). – J. from Spokane

Dear Jim,
I’m writing to let your readers know that there are services other than Google Earth which may provide detailed overhead photographs of their homes. Most alarmingly, the services complement each other by using different data and photographs, so one should not draw unreasonable comfort if one particular service (e.g. Google Earth ) does not by itself show excessive detail of one’s property. Different sites have different strengths and weaknesses and can be easily combined to provide outstanding intelligence.

The best (worst?) example of an alternative is Microsoft’s Bing.com, whose mapping service features generally inferior satellite photos to Google, but which also provides something called “Bird’s Eye View”. Their “Bird’s Eye View” uses aerial photographs shot from low-flying airplanes, not satellites. Its coverage is spotty in some rural areas, but it is always expanding. Since it uses aerial photos and not satellite photos, it shows a completely different and more natural perspective from Google and therefore complements it nicely. The photos also generally shows much greater detail than Google’s satellite photos.

I used Google and Bing together with other services (FEMA flood maps, etc.) to gather very detailed intelligence on potential retreats before purchasing one. I’m sure the “bad guys” can be counted on to do the same.

I would also caution your reader Garnet (and all of your readers) against relying on perceived data or technology problems, such as ambiguous cursor location, for comfort from any of these sites. They are all constantly “improving” their services. For example, Google has recently added lot lines to maps in some areas, including mine. Previously it was a “secret” (i.e. available only through a records request at Town Hall) that my property is not only larger than one would assume from a satellite photo, but includes a certain feature that would otherwise appear to belong to a neighboring lot. Now it is visible to anyone who cares to check. Regards, – John S.

Economics and Investing:

From George Gordon (“GG”): Money sent home by Mexicans abroad plunged a record 15.7 percent in 2009

GG also sent us this piece by David Galland: What the Deflationists are Missing

From LJ: Don’t invest in Britain: The UK economy sits ‘on a bed of nitroglycerine’, investors warned

Items from The Economatrix:

New Home Sales Fall 7.6% in December

Stocks Fall as Investors Await Fed Decision

SEC Tightens Rules for Money Funds

Caterpillar 4Q Profit Tumbles; Outlook Cautious

Verizon to Cut 13,000 Jobs as Business Cut Lines

Signs of Housing “Recovery” Will Fade with End of Stimulus

“Daunting” US Fiscal Outlook Means Bulging Deficits: CBO

UK: Recession’s Toll on Workers Far Worse than Reported

Odds ‘n Sods:

Wayne P. alerted me that Canary Islands Press now offers a free downloadable PDF of an older edition of J.J. Luna’s privacy book “How To Be Invisible”. It has a lot of useful tips. I’m not sure how long it will be available, so download your copy soon.

   o o o

The Baker sent this article that illustrates what I like to call A Neighborhood Watch on Steroids: In the midst of Haiti’s devastation, a community of strangers comes together

   o o o

SurvivalBlog reader “N.” mentioned that there is a wealth of free manuals available online at SurvivalBound.com.

   o o o

The folks at Directive21 (one of our advertisers) have the Travel Berkey water filter sale priced at $205. That’s $15 off the regular price.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Prepping, to me, is much like a seat belt. I wear a seat belt every time I get behind the wheel. I do not expect to need it. I pray to God that I’ll never need it. I’d be ignorant to ignore the possibility that it may save my very life.” – Pat Riot

Notes from JWR:

There is just one full day left in the unprecedented 25% off sale on Alpine Aire freeze dried foods at Ready Made Resources. They are offering free shipping on full case lots. Don’t miss out, as this is a special “test” sale, approved for just Ready Made Resources by Alpine Aire, and might not be repeated.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 26 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

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 HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Luger, 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $249 value.

Second Prize: 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 $350.

Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing.

Round 26 ends on January 31st, 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.

A Simple Off-the-Shelf Solar Power System and Off-Grid Power Tools, by K. in Texas

This article is written for those who have no experience with solar power and would like to set up a simple beginner system. I have been using this system for over a year and have found it to be efficient. My goal was to put together a system which is easy to use and does not require a lot of technical knowledge.

EQUIPMENT LIST:
1. BatteryMinder #SCC-015 Solar Charger 12 volt with 15 watt solar panel ($150 from Northern Tool and Supply)
2. BatteryMinder #BC2410 battery clip assembly ($10 from Northern Tool and Supply)
3. Interstate Marine/RV 12 volt battery #27DC-1 ($68 from Sam’s Club)
4. Battery box for group 27 size battery ($10 from Wal-Mart)
5. Vector #VEC005 12 volt battery clips with accessory outlet ($6 from local hardware store)
6. Ryobi #P130 18 volt vehicle battery charger ($40 from Home Depot)
7. Ryobi #P824 18 volt tool starter kit with drill, circular saw, two 18 volt batteries, house current battery charger, and case ($89 from Home Depot)
8. A two or three level heavy duty shelf

Obviously, you can purchase your equipment wherever you like. If you would like to support SurvivalBlog, you can purchase the BatteryMinder solar charger and battery clip assembly from Northern Tool by starting at the “Affiliates” link on the SurvivalBlog main page, left side, third item from the top. Northern Tool also carries a number of battery powered tools. While at the blog’s the “Affiliates” page, you may also want to look at the Allbattery.com site to see what is available in the way of rechargeable batteries and chargers which may be used with this system. The aforementioned equipment reflects the exact hardware that I use, so I know it works. The prices give you an idea of what your system could cost. I have listed Ryobi brand tools because I’ve used them for a number of years and found them to work well. You could use other brands such as DeWalt, Black and Decker, etc. I suggest you purchase tools which use at least 18 volt batteries.

SETUP: Begin by reading and heeding the instructions with all of the listed equipment. Let’s start with the BatteryMinder Solar Charger (item #) and follow the instructions on setup. The instructions are four short pages on how to wire the system, position the solar panel, and how the system works. I leave my system set up 24/7 so that when sunshine is available the system is charging/maintaining the 12 volt deep cycle marine battery and even on a cloudy day some charging activity is going on. I positioned the solar panel near an exterior door of my garage so the wire from the solar panel to the charge controller can be run under the door to a three level shelf just inside the door. This way, the charge controller and the battery condition indicator are not exposed to the weather. I placed the BatteryMinder charge controller and battery condition indicator on the shelf one level above the lowest shelf.

Next, place the Interstate 12 volt marine battery (item #3) into the battery box (item #4) and place both on the bottom level of your shelves. In order to use battery clamps do not place the box top on the battery. The battery comes with two types of posts on the positive and negative sides, one post is larger, smooth sided, and designed for a battery clamp and the other post is threaded. The BatteryMinder’s battery connections are the spade style with holes, these can be fastened onto the threaded posts, remember red to positive, black to negative. Northern Tool offers an optional accessory, item #2 in the Equipment List, which replaces the spade style battery connectors with battery clamps. These make it quicker to disconnect the system from the battery. I use the battery clamps instead of the spade style connectors. I connect the clamps to the large, smooth sided posts, again, red to positive, black to negative.

At this point, you have assembled the BatteryMinder system and hooked it up to the 12 volt deep cycle marine battery. When the sun is shining the battery is being charged/maintained. Now you are ready to hook up the Vector 12 volt battery clamps with accessory outlet jack (item #5). It’s easy, just hook the Vector battery clamps to the unused post on each side of the battery, in my case, I use the threaded posts, again, red to positive, black to negative, I know, it’s getting repetitive!

Last step – place the Ryobi vehicle charger (item #6) on the shelf above the bottom shelf. It needs plenty of space for air circulation because it puts out some heat when in use. Just plug the Ryobi charger male end into the Vector accessory female outlet.

OPERATION: With the Ryobi vehicle charger hooked to the 12 volt deep cycle battery just plug an 18 volt tool battery into the vehicle charger and wait until the green light comes on. Ryobi says a cold tool battery could take about 1 hour to charge. With the 12 volt deep cycle battery at full charge, you will have no problem charging 4 to 6 tool batteries without discharging the 12 volt deep cycle battery too much. That number of fully charged batteries would be able to do more work than I care to do at one time. If you charge a number of 18 volt tool batteries at one time, be sure to use the battery condition indicator to check the 12 volt deep cycle battery. If the indicator says “Good” you are okay, but if the indicator shows “Fair” or “Poor” you should stop charging tool batteries until the BatteryMinder has had time to catch up and fully charge the 12 volt deep cycle battery. On the battery condition indicator “Good” means the 12 volt deep cycle battery is holding a charge of 12.5 to 13.2 volts, “Fair” is 12.0 to 12.5 volts, and “Poor” is 11.5 to 12.0 volts. My BatteryMinder maintains a full charge on the 12 volt deep cycle battery of about 13.1 volts. Be sure to disconnect the Ryobi tool battery charger when not in use, it does use electricity when not charging a tool battery.

Use of tools – I have found that I use the drill the most, followed by the circular saw, reciprocating saw, and jigsaw. With occasional daily usage, the drill battery will last 2-3 weeks on a single charge. I have found these tools so useful I packed away my corded drill and circular saw. Ryobi and others have a number of other tools which use the 18 volt batteries.

Other uses – Of course you can use this charging system for other things besides charging 18 volt tool batteries. Anything that calls for a 12 volt DC car charging source can be charged, i.e. cell phones, rechargeable batteries, laptop computers, MP3 players, etc. You can also use this system to run 12 volt DC gizmos, just remember, use the battery condition indicator so that you don’t too deeply discharge your 12 volt deep cycle battery.

MAINTENANCE: Not much. Other than checking the condition of the 12 volt deep cycle battery the only other thing to check is the level of water. Just fill according to the battery instructions using distilled water. If you were to use a sealed battery you can forget the distilled water. The 18 volt tool batteries last about 2-3 years with fairly steady use so they will have to be replaced. Once this system is placed into use you can stagger your purchases of new 18 volt tool batteries so that all of your tool batteries don’t die at about the same time.

CONCLUSIONS: With careful monitoring, I expect the 12 volt deep cycle marine battery in this system to last seven years or more. There are no moving parts so unless an electronic part fails, the rest of the system should last a long time. BatteryMinder says you can maintain 2 parallel connected medium sized 12 volt batteries at the same time. Also, you could rotate any number of 12 volt deep cycle batteries, one at a time, to maintain a bank of fully charged 12 volt deep cycle batteries. The ability to have power tools available when there is no grid power could prove to be very useful. Even if you have a generator, it is very handy to have fully charged tool batteries available without using the generator to recharge the tool batteries. In the event that there were no new 18 volt tool batteries available, with proper battery management, you could still have the use of power tools for several years.