Letter Re: Photovoltaic Versus Diesel Power Generation for Retreats

Hi Jim,
I was a reader of Patriots before the [Y2K] rollover. Thank you!. Here in the Northern New England, I made the same calculations, and decided to stockpile off road diesel and kerosene. The other major component is used vegetable oil, usually available free from restaurants, who otherwise pay to have it hauled by a recycling outfit. My 20 h.p. Listeroid diesel runs fine on waste vegetable oil (WVO). So does the 13hp Hatz backup generator, along with an ’85 Diesel Suburban and ’82 Diesel Rabbit. Filter the big stuff out using more coarse filters like a pillowcase. Filter the remaining fines through a good fuel filter, like a Racor, which should last at least hundreds of hours (2,000-3,000 miles.) I prefer the toilet paper filters available from Gulf Coast Filters or Franz. They absorb and trap water, filter to sub-micron levels, and cost two bits to replace. Remember that older diesel injection pumps were not designed for very low lubricity fuel like the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel which is now mandated country-wide. Put some motor oil or veggie oil into your diesel tank to make your injection pump last. If you have a pump rebuilt, specify stainless (Arctic) components. They wear much better. Finally, if you’re relying on your gennie or diesel vehicle in a post SHTF era where lubricants may be scarce and expensive, filter your crankcase oil through a bypass filter. The same toilet paper filters work great. Use soft Charmin for fuel filtering, and 1000 sheet rock-hard Scottissue for crankcase oil. You can also burn used crankcase oil in your diesel engines. Just filter it first. Around here, it’s not legit to transport “waste” crankcase oil over the road, since it’s an environmental hazard, so I only move “used” crankcase oil. 😉 Be sure to store in quality tankage. You don’t want the stuff in your ground water! I drive slow and carefully. Regards, – David T.

JWR Replies: Thanks for sharing your knowledge, particularly on WVO. OBTW, you mentioned burning a mixture containing used crankcase oil in your diesel engines. That will indeed work, but keep in mind that used crankcase oil has been documented to be carcinogenic, because it contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH.) So use great care to not let any of it touch your skin when transporting/handling/filtering/dispensing it.

Letter Re: A Get Out of Dodge Physical Fitness Test

Jim,
First of all as a reader of your SurvivalBlog and a purchaser of your “Patriots” novel, your Rawles on Retreats and Relocation book, and a copy of your “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. I wanted to offer my thanks for your information and insight.

I am only a few months into the preparedness way of life but was hit hard this last week by an object lesson that I don’t feel gets the priority needed in some preparedness writings. My current physical fitness was tested as I re-shingled my roof and the realization I had at my lack of fitness while carrying shingles around was really shocking. I figured the shingles were easily the weight of carrying my child (if hurt or we are being evasive) or a heavy pack during a long trek during a Get Out of Dodge (GOOD) scenario. I was in the military and know the need for physical preparedness but if you don’t really stress your body periodically through a tough physical challenge you will not know what your fitness really is and how your age has affected it. Sure you can run a few miles a day or hit the gym during the week but when you have to perform under a true SHTF march how will your body really react? In a true SHTF scenario you have both mental stress and physical stress and you better know what your true fitness is or you will die. With a true knowledge of your fitness under stress you will pack a GOOD bag differently, know how to prioritize your transportation needs, and know how far you can really travel to a destination on foot.

You can purchase all the right equipment from surefire flashlights to $300 MOLLE packs but if the weight is to much for your true fitness you will succumb to muscle failure and a dull mind which makes you a much easier target. You will know a bike or trailer is a must to get over 30 miles due to your true fitness. Under a GOOD march to your destination you will not have time for under used muscles to recover or strengthen from the days trek. No matter how much you will yourself to make your destination if your muscles and joints give out you are again the easier prey for the wolves.

My bottom line is getting my family to safety if my vehicle becomes disabled and I have to walk the rest of the way and I sure don’t want my fitness to fail my family. A physical stress test should be a part of everyone’s preparedness. Take Care, – Defensor

Letter Re: Chemistry Knowledge is One of the Keys to Survival

JWR:
I’ve been thinking about a recent Internet writer who argued that we aren’t headed toward the 1890s [technology/infrastructure] (we should be so lucky); we’re headed toward 10,000 BC! (Due to oil depletion and resultant social chaos and die-off).
Regardless of “where we land,” it seems that among all the technologies at the disposal of humans, sustainable and not, chemistry is ubiquitous. Everything, or most everything we do or use involves use of chemical technology. The survival issues involving chemistry are obvious: soap, diesel fuel, disinfectants, water purification/decontamination, powder for ammo, etc, beer and wine, to name just a few.
The average guy probably doesn’t need to know stoichiometric equations to derive amounts of chemicals for reactions (although that is essential if you don’t have a “cookbook” telling you 1 unit of this and 2 units of that…), but it is equally obvious that a rudimentary knowledge of chemical reactions and processes will be essential when the Schumer hits, especially for the longer term TEOTWAWKI mode.
I found a couple of “survivalist applicable” books that I would highly recommend: Caveman Chemistry, and Caveman to Chemist, both sold by Amazon.com. Also, Principles of Modern Chemistry, by Oxtoby, Gillis, & Campion, is the best general Chemistry book I’ve seen.
It would be highly valuable to hear other forum members’ recommendations of sources of chemicals and chemical engineering information. Surely, there’s a lot out there if you can cut through the academic BS. – WarDoc

Odds ‘n Sods:

Our friend Ben sent us: Solar panels find a home with Amish

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Tim L. flagged this article for us: Off-grid farming in Canada

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From RBS: Global Mergers and Acquisitions Rise 60% to $2 Trillion, Led by Europe Deals and Leveraged Buyouts. It is clear to me that far too may money managers have deluded themselves into believing that the bull market in equities will go on indefinitely. Today’s entrepreneurs will be tomorrow’s contrapreneurs.

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At www.safecastleroyal.com, Vic is running a one-time “Food Load-up Sale and Membership Free for All.” The public gets buyers club pricing for a short time on all their emergency storage foods, including several brand new product lines. Any food purchase of at least $100 today earns you a free lifetime membership in the buyers club, which brings you discounts of at least 20% on everything in the store and free shipping all the time. E-mail Vic at jcrefuge@safecastle.net for the coupon codes.

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction is at $200. As promised, here is a list of the books included in the current auction lot. There are now 17 brand new books included:

1. Modern Weapons Caching by Ragnar Benson
2. 101 Things To Do ‘Til The Revolution by Claire Wolfe
3. Woodstove Cookery by Jane Cooper
4. A Guide to Raising Chickens by Gail Damerow
5. The SAS Urban Survival Handbook by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman
6. The SAS Personal Trainer by John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman
7. Breathe No Evil by Stephen Quayle & Duncan Long
8. Guide To Emergency Survival Communications by Dave Ingram
9. Ragnar’s Action Encyclopedia Volume One by Ragnar Benson
10. Ragnar’s Action Encyclopedia Volume Two by Ragnar Benson
11. Renewables Are Ready by Nancy Cole and PJ Skerrett
12. Plain-Talk Medicine for Uncertain Times and Places by Robert S. Berry, M.D.
13. The AR-15/M16 A Practical Guide by Duncan Long
14. From Seed to Bloom by Eileen Powell

… plus three of my autographed books: SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 , Rawles on Retreats and Relocation , and a copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. This book package has a retail value of $397. Postage to the winning bidder is free. All of the proceeds of the auction will benefit SurvivalBlog. The names of the bidders (including the winning bidder) will be kept anonymous.

Letter Re: Photovoltaic Versus Diesel Power Generation for Homes and Retreats

Jim,
I am taking the 10 Cent Challenge and have made a contribution. I have been reading SurvivalBlog for about a month and intend to keep making my contribution for the next foreseeable future..This is an awesome site.

I have been wanting a solar array to add to my survival plan, According to the calculations I need to have the capacity to produce about 1KW adjusted to .75 KW. In order to adequately provide for my housing needs, minimal water pumping, lighting, small appliances, computer, phones, network, some TV, battery charging , fans for sleeping.

We are in Mississippi along the coast. Yes we were victims of [Hurricane] Katrina and lost nearly everything. Our house was still standing, though wet and [we had] no electricity for over 6 weeks.

I digress. As part of our plan we have since Katrina installed two diesel powered generators and still have the old gas standby one still running well from pre-Katrina Days. The 4,500 watt gasoline generator burns about a gallon per hour more or less when running to keep the water pumped, and make life reasonably tolerable.

We installed a bank of batteries, rated 990 amps of 12V at full charge, on an inverter/charger, (3KW/6KW 100 amp @12V). Re-charging them is simultaneous when running the generator.

One of the generators is a single cylinder 6HPrated Lister clone diesel ($950) which runs at a very low 650 RPM . It is connected to a 10 HP single phase generator ($689) and produces up to 39 amps of 115 VAC (about 8,900 watts) while only using about a 1?4 gallon of diesel per hour. This one runs whenever we need to recharge the batteries or during the summer months during the heat of the day when we need to air condition to make the house habitable. Did I mention we are on the coast in Mississippi? ( 95 degree days with 90% humidity.)

Our other generator is a 28 HP 15KW diesel monster ($2100) and it produces 72 amps of 230V while burning about 3/4 gallon per hour. It is only used when I need to do some heavy duty welding and not disrupt the smiling partner. (Note to all,– it is extremely important to keep your partner smiling).

While extremely fuel efficient ($ about 0.07 per KWH) the diesels do require to be fed and maintained. Except for the summer months, they run only for about 5 hours per day, doing the washing, pumping, and charging up the batteries for the overnight span. Overnight the only loads are the TV for a couple of hours, the computers and associated networking for a couple of hours, refrigerator, lighting , well pump and the ceiling fans in 3 bedrooms for sleeping. This works very well, and we are able to run most months on less than a barrel of diesel (50 gallons at $2.37 in today’s prices = $118.50). Our electric bill Pre- Katrina averaged over $250 per month. In effect we have achieved survivability and lowered our cost of utilities.

While the cost of our home grown electricity is low, on the down side, there is the noise factor and the constant cost of diesel , Thus I have researched extensively the Holy Grail of energy production, meaning Solar. Once in place the solar system requires no feeding (read $0.00) and very little maintenance. Where, oh where are the low cost solar photovoltaic (PV) panels?

The best I can come up with to generate up to ( note this is not a fixed number but is hopeful peak value) 900 – 1000 watts per hour of sunlight, is a cost of about $3,980 for materials.

Here in Mississippi we get 1,664 hours of PV usable sunlight per year. This sunlight would generate, hopefully 1,497 KWH at 90% efficiency. At current rates, and assuming no battery failures or charge controller failures or inverter failures (quite a few “ifs” in there) it takes a long 22 years and 2 months for break even. (Hopefully the system will last that long).

Sorry , but I am not quite that long-term oriented. I believe the best bang for my dollar is putting the same money into diesel storage (at today’s prices = 1,679 gallons) so that in the event of a TEOTWAWKI I will be able to maintain just as I am for about 38 months, or by stretching and economizing can survive for up to five years on this diesel.

What am I missing here? I know a lot of the puzzle is still missing , but where oh where are the low cost panels so that one could begin generating solar electricity for a reasonable cost of $1.00 per watt which will allow a payback within 5 years, or better still $0.50 per watt that would allow us to recover the cost within 30 months?

As for me, I am purchasing clean used 55 gallon drums without a removable top, for $5.00 each and am in the process of making the run every few days to the fuel depot to get the $2.37 /gallon off road diesel. Cached securely these will provide for our family and give great barter potential in an extended SHTF situation. Thanks, – L.W.

JWR Replies: The best prices that I have found on PV panels and inverters are from Ready Made Resources. They have some brand new panels at around $5.00 per watt. They also offer free consulting on alternative power system design.

Letter Re: 1/20th Ounce Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins

Jim,
I know your a fan of silver, but I noted that Canada is producing 1/20 oz gold bullion coins and it seems to be in .999 fine along with all their other Maple Leaf production this year. These are smaller than a US Dime, the 1/10 oz is about the same size as the US Dime.
I do business (buy and sell) with these guys but also occasionally buy form a place for cash in the Financial District of SF for cash of course with no paper trail, they give me pretty good price over spot. Cordially, – Tim

JWR Replies: The Maple Leafs are pretty coins, and they are indeed .999 fine, which make them desirable for re-use (industrial or jewelry making.) Just ask anyone from India what coins they buy to take home for wedding gifts. They almost universally prefer the Maple Leaf.

Unfortunately, all gold bullion coins come with a premium over the value of their bullion content, and sadly the steepest premium is on the smallest coins. The lowest premium that I have found on 1/20 ounce Maple Leafs is around $5 per coin. If you multiply a $5 per coin premium by 20, then you can see that you are paying $100 per ounce premium for each ounce of gold that you buy. (Presently, that works out to about a 16% premium over spot.) Ouch! In contrast, silver coinage can often be purchased with a premium as low as 3% over spot.

I would much rather buy circulated pre-1965 U.S. silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars. These are 90% silver. Not only is the premium lower, but they will be much more readily recognizable to whomever is on the other side of the barter table from you. If you hand them any gold coin, the first words from their lips will be: “How do I know this is genuine?” But if you hand them pre-1965 silver coins they will accept them with just a passing glance at their rims. (Post-1964 “clad” dimes and quarters show a copper layer at their rims.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

From the CATO Institute: The World’s Greatest Unreported Hyperinflation

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Australian water crisis could be worse than thought. Australia, one of the world’s wheat exporters, will actually be importing wheat this year.

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Hawaiian K. sent us the link to a:detailed analysis of oilfield depletion, at The Oil Drum web site

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“Ready Room” sent us an article about a Russian in-wention: A non-nuclear EMP generator

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction is at $175. This auction is for a mixed book lot that includes 15 books: 12 non-fiction survival and preparedness books that were kindly donated by the fine folks at Ready Made Resources plus three of my autographed books: SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 , Rawles on Retreats and Relocation , and a copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. I have not yet had confirmation on the list of the 12 books donated by Ready Made Resources, but I can assure you that they will be desirable titles, including a couple of scarce out-of-print books by Ragnar Benson worth $80. I will be posting that list tomorrow evening. Thanks for your patience. This book package has a retail value of $397. Postage to the winning bidder is free. The auction ends on June 15th. Just e-mail me your bid. Thanks!

Reader Poll: Your TEOTWAWKI Resume — 100 Words and 100 Pounds

S.F. in Hawaii suggested another poll topic: “If someday you went to the gates of a survival community post TEOTWAWKI and pleaded the case for why you should be let past the barricades and armed guards to become a valuable working member of the group, would you get voted in? Taken objectively, would you vote yourself in?

I suggest the following poll. Put together your survival resume in 100 words or less. The resume is what you would present to a panel of tough as nails judges who would decide if what you offer is worth what you will consume in resources. You may use in your arguments (1) whatever real skills you possess as of today and (2) whatever you can reasonably carry in a backpack or on your body, as long as you actually own them in real life, not to exceed 100 pounds. If you have children, a significant other, or plan to have anyone else come with you, this must be mentioned. If they possess skills, then they may put in a resume as well and you will be judged singly and as a group. The resume should include your age, weight and general physical condition. Any weaknesses in your case that would be discovered over time that you do not expose (such as a recurring back injury) will be considered grounds for immediate expulsion from the group, so for the purposes of this exercise, you should be up front and honest. If you have children under 12, they can carry their own weight in supplies.
You must take into account that your 100 pound allowance should contain whatever food and camping supplies you would want as a refugee. Since you cannot assume that you will be granted sanctuary in the community, you must take what you will need to survive on the outside if you are refused entry. A backpack full of guns and ammo will do you little good if you have no food and water.
One caveat: While being part of a group increases survival odds, being on the road as a refugee does not. This is meant as a learning tool to help assess what our skills and assets are and which we might want to develop and accumulate.”

Please send me your “resumes” in 100 words of less, via e-mail and I will post them anonymously. Thanks!

Letter Re: Advice for a Preparedness-Minded ROTC Cadet

Hi,
I appreciate your advice. Here is my situation: I attend college full time in a post-industrial [Eastern United States] city that has had a 50% population decline in 30 years. Most people here are on welfare, and the largest employers are prisons. I am in a bit of a predicament because I only make about $6,000 per year, so I cannot really afford to spend much on supplies. My goal if things go downhill is to do a ruck march (assuming EMP, otherwise I would drive) with my ROTC-issued [TA-50] equipment to my family’s summer home in farm country on a lake. The home is located about 40 miles from where I go to school. Going home is not feasible as I live in Massachusetts which would take a full tank of gas, and is entirely highway and there are several choke points, including driving through Albany, Springfield, Worcester, and into the high-density suburbs.
At school, one of my best friends is also into survivalism and he also has experience. We share the same goals and are both Baptist. Additionally, we are both known on campus as people who have everything, tools, water, food, etc. which means that if there was a situation, we would likely be inundated with requests from others to help us. We keep a small, verbal list of people we would accept, and keep it to five people.
What would you recommend I do in this situation? If you need more information, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks, – Sam

JWR Replies: I recommend that you form a survival retreat group. That is exactly what I did 25 years ago, when I was an Army ROTC cadet. Stock your retreat as best as you can, given your limited budget. Prioritize your purchasing. Water purification and food storage should be at the top of your list. Set group standards for communications gear and guns. For short range tactical coordination, I recommend the modestly priced MURS transceivers, since they use a little-used band. This is particularly important in the signal-dense northeastern United States, where using CB frequencies would be almost impossible WTSHTF. For advice on firearms selection, see my Survival Guns web page, and my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.

Be very selective about who you bring into your group. Unlike building a group based on an extended family, you can be choosy. Be dispassionate in choosing new group members. Evaluate each candidate on their stability, motivation, and their mix of skills. Friendship is a great thing, but the guy or gal who is presently your dormitory buddy may not be your best choice for a survival group member. Look at their weight, health, and physical fitness. Consider their religious background. Are they moral and trustworthy? Are they intelligent and adaptable? Do they have valuable skills? Are they hard working or will they just be “talkers” or “strap hangers”? Avoid people with extremist views or anyone that suggests making any preparations that are illegal. Ask yourself the key question: Am I willing to trust my life to this individual? If any candidates don’t pass muster, then keep looking.

In the long term, try to develop a retreat that is in a less densely populated region. When you graduate, direct your job search–assuming that you will be a reserve officer–to a region that is suitable for self-sufficient retreats. (For details, see my Retreat Areas web page and my book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.) Odds are the group that you form in college will have a considerably different composition five or six years from now, once your friends change locales to pursue careers. In fact, depending on where you end up, you may be teamed with an entirely different group of people.

If you are destined to go on active duty, then tailor your “dream sheet” of preferred duty assignments (after OBC) to posts that are in the western U.S. (You didn’t mention if you had been branch selected yet. That could make a big difference in the locale of your eventual posting.) I suggest that you consider posts like Umatilla Army Depot, Fort Carson, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Tooele Army Depot, Dugway Proving Ground, Fort Lewis (possibly permanent party at Yakima Training Center), Fort Greely, Fort Wainwright, or perhaps Sierra Army Depot. Army PERSCOM branch managers are often willing to accommodate requests from junior officers that state a preference for posts that their peers would consider “backwater” assignments. (Let everyone else ask for a posting in Germany, Fort Meade, or Fort Devens.) Your branch manager may exclaim to his co-workers: “Holy cow! This lieutenant asked to be assigned to Umatilla Army Depot!”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Vlad mentioned: “If you and your family have bicycles, you may wish to buy airfree tires. I’ve used them for six years and now would use [traditional] pneumatics only in extremis.

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The Financial Post reports on those wacky Gold Bears.

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I suppose that it was inevitable that the recently announced cancellation of the Jericho television series would inspire a petition drive. They gathered 27,000 electronic signatures in just the first day!

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The Housing Tipping Point. 3 Factors That Will Burst the Bubble: The Negative Wealth Effect, Negative Press, and Suffocating Debt Payments.

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world? You are.” – Ayn Rand