Five Letters Re: Advice on Generators?

Jim,
I have backup generators at my home and at my retreat. Both are propane powered. The generator at the retreat is a low speed (1800 RPM), liquid cooled generator. I have run it for up to 10 hours straight, with no problems.

The vast majority of us “off the grid” folks have low speed propane generators. They are very reliable and fuel storage is not an issue since propane does not go bad. Most residences that I have seen, run the house and generator off of the same 500 gallon tank. My generator has a dedicated 500 gallon tank, as does the house. Next year I plan on installing a 2,500 gallon underground propane tank.

I have started my propane generator at 10 degrees F with no problem.

I bought both my generators from Norwall Power Systems,. Regards, – PED

 

Jim,
George B. ‘s site is an excellent source of info for building your own diesel genset. I had purchased one of the Changfa 22HP single cylinder diesel engines before the EPA ruled against their sale here in the US.

The info alone on the Lister CS diesel (clone) engines is very valuable for all interested in off grid power.

I also bought a generator head (12 KW) from Georges friend’s store (Powerful Solutions).

This web page is a good example of a Lister CS diesel clone employed for power in hurricane prone Florida and the progress of the learning curve needed to keep power for the duration of four hurricanes.

I hope this helps your readers a good bit. – Tim P., on top of a wind swept ridge

 

 

Jim,
I have not yet gotten to the level of ordering one of the [generators from] Powerful Solutions, but want to. I did find the driving engine also for sale in Minnesota, I think. This same individual had 1,800 RPM generator heads for sale, they look like exactly what we should be getting for Schumer time. It is always Schumer time here, he is one of my senators. Guess who the other one is. Talk about depressing!! Check out his store: Powerful Solutions. He has practically a kit that will fix a retreat right up. – Sid in New York State

 

James:

Regarding Diesel generators, the diesel tractor with Power Takeoff (PTO) generator option is important to consider. Many people own a diesel tractor already, they are extremely handy if equipped with a front end loader in homesteading situations. They are sturdily built, and designed to run for extended hours. The PTO drive generators are available in a variety of sizes, as low as 7 KW, ($1,500 including trailer to carry it), and up to 75 KW, my personal unit is a 25 KW Onan. The other advantage is that the tractor is generally used on a regular basis, so fuel is kept fresh, batteries charged and the machine maintenance is kept in mind. Contrast this with a generator that often sits unused in the back of a shed until needed, will it start? For the price of a good quality dedicated genset, a multi-use tractor and a PTO generator is much more survival friendly. – DD

 

Mr. Rawles,
Thanks again for your very informative web site. I continue to enjoy my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course. In my search for a good generator/drive system, I have run across a design that seems to be among the most durable. It is referred to as a “Lister.” One can do a web search on “Lister” or “Listeroid” to get started. These engines were designed by the British and have been known to run almost continuously for years and even decades, according to posted accounts. The Brits discontinued manufacturing new units in the 1980s, but there are enterprising folks in India that continue to make clones (hence the “Listeroid” name). One caution on the India units: many accounts I have read indicate that new units still have some (a lot?) of casting sand in the interior. If you purchase one of these units, be sure to tear it down before you run it and make sure that the sand is cleaned out. While this may sound daunting, it actually will illustrate one of the key qualities of this design – simplicity. The valve train itself is on the outside and the unit is intended to be owner-serviced and maintained.
In addition, these diesels are started with a hand crank. This is possible because there is generally a large, heavy flywheel mounted on the crankshaft. This flywheel develops the inertia to assist in overcoming the high compression that most diesels require to fire. So, again – simplicity due to the absence of electric starting. One other quality that David V. was seeking was low RPM. These diesels generally run in the 600 to 1800 r.p.m. (depending on size/number of cylinders) with most operating in the lower part of the range.

Now the best news of all – there is a company in the US called Old Style Listers that builds them – from scratch! They are located in Washington state. I have spoken to the owner and visited the web site. They don’t make many each year and they’re not cheap, but quality rarely is inexpensive. In my conversation with the owner, he told me that they are fitted with a [large] muffler for an automobile and, therefore, operation in a residential area results in little or no disturbance to the surrounding neighborhood. He said that they routinely run theirs in a residential zone and holding a conversation nearby is no problem while it runs. According to the web site, they have cylinder heads that boast a duty cycle of at least 100,000 hours – that’s almost 11.5 years. I hope this provides some food for thought for David V. and others. Thanks again for such a complete, informative site. I consider it required daily reading.
P.S. on another note I have used your rather thorough treatment of derivatives to inform my wife (a CPA) about my outlook and concerns regarding future large-scale financial problems. She found it quite eye-opening – something of a big “aha” experience. Thanks again for all that you provide for us on your site. – Rob in NC

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The number of deaths from violence will be far exceeded by deaths from cold and hunger. The total casualty list will include a remarkable number of deaths in hospitals. Some millions of people will die in the two weeks during which the crisis will last. With hygiene virtually absent, an epidemic will be the widespread new phenomenon causing more deaths. This will be the decisively lethal fact – half the surviving population will die of bubonic plague. Historians estimate that during the fourteenth century the plague destroyed half to two thirds of the population of Europe. We think of that as long ago and far away, and we cannot help thinking that the plague is one of history’s horrors, unknown in the modern world for about 170 years. But as Hans Zissner wrote in Rats, Lice and History, ‘We have no satisfactory explanation for the disappearance of plague epidemics from the Western countries and we must assume that in spite of the infectiousness of the plague-bacillus, the plentiness of rats their occasional infection with plague and their invariable infestation with fleas, the evolution of an epidemic requires a delicate adjustment of many conditions which have fortunately failed to eventuate in Western Europe and America during the last (nineteenth) century. The most reasonable clue lies in the domestication of rats. Plague epidemics in man are usually preceded by widespread epizootics among rats; and under the conditions of housing, food storage, cellar construction, and such that have gradually developed in civilized countries, rats do not migrate through cities and villages as they formerly did. Plague foci among rats remain restricted to individual families and colonies’.” – Roberto Vacca, The Coming Dark Age

Note from JWR:

I just heard that Ready Made Resources has almost finished building their new web site. I heard that they’ve already posted more than 1,000 different cataloged items, and they have 1,500 more that will be posted within the next week or so. Be sure to visit their re-vamped site and check out their huge inventory of photovoltaic power components, storage foods, field gear, medical supplies, intrusion detection systems, night vision gear, wheat grinders, water filters, just to name a few items. They have it all, at great prices!

Letter Re: What if The Schumer Doesn’t Hit The Fan? – Reasons to Prepare Anyway, by MB

Hello Jim,
I’d like to respond to MB’s article. In the Securing Your Castle section, MB wrote:
“If you have studied survival even a little, then you are aware that arming yourself ranks high on the list of recommendations. Perhaps some of you share my reluctance to build an armory in my home. I have children, and being married to someone who is strictly against guns makes security a particularly difficult element in my survival preparations. While I recognize security as an absolute must, I have reservations about keeping a device designed to kill in my home. Ironically the reasons not to own a gun are the very reasons why I feel I should own gun. The reasons are aged 2-11, not including the Mrs. In a volatile scenario that could spiral out of control; I would feel helpless without weapons to protect my family. All the stockpiling of food and water will be futile if some thug can easily take it from you (and maybe your lives with it). If you do decide to own a firearm (or firearms), don’t flaunt it and please educate yourself and practice. Keep a chamber or trigger lock in place and store the ammunition in a different location if necessary.”

Keeping a firearm with a trigger lock in place and ammunition stored in a different location renders that firearm useless in my opinion. In the city, once there is an unknown perceived noise in the house, the clock is ticking. You would have to go and get your firearm, unlock it, go get the ammo and load the magazine. If it is at night, reaction time to get out of bed and wake up enough to grasp the situation is additional time that will depend on the person. You might as well just go and greet your designated thug and let them in and save yourself the structural damage.
City people have to deal with the constant propaganda that makes them rethink the reason to have firearms in the first place where it’s always about the children and not about self defense. It reminds me of the book “Dial 911 and Die“. Here are the numbers: Five seconds to your firearms or five minutes until the clean-up crew arrives.

The solutions: Gun Safes, Educating your Family and Training.

Gun Safes keep children away from the firearms and keep you within 5 seconds of having a loaded and round chambered firearm that is ready to go. In larger houses, multiple locations are useful to keep one close by. There are many types of handgun safes that can be located thought a house that will keep children out. They should contain the gun and magazines or speed clips preferably in a pouch to make easy to grab and clip on to whatever you are wearing at the time. A holster would be handy to have adjacent to the safe so you can have both hands free if needed. There are other wall-mount safes for long guns and shotguns as well. I also know people who normally wear their firearms while they are at home or at least when they answer the door.

Educating your Family is the most important thing. The safes keeps young ones away from the firearms. When they are ready, they can be introduced to what a firearm is, its uses and to not speak to others about them besides immediate family members. The other major aspect is that they can ask to see the firearms at any time they want. At that time they are interested, they will listen and learn. I’ll drop what I’m doing and allow them to explore while teaching them further. This eliminates the mystery and “forbidden fruit idea” that leads to most problems.

Training can be broken into two categories, firearms training and planning for your location.

The successfully use of a firearm in self defense can be greatly enhanced by training and practice. If you buy a firearm, don’t get a false sense of security now that you have one. It does no good without being able to properly use it. Know the firearm you purchased. Read the manual, learn all the features and know how to manipulate it. There are a number of basic firearm training courses available from various organizations. If you don’t take a course, go practice with a knowledgeable friend. There are many resources available on the internet as well.

You’ve got a firearm, you know how to use it and now how will you employ that tool to your particular location? You wake up from a disturbing noise and now you need to take action. What will you do? Where will you go? Where are the children? If someone confronts me here and now and I miss, will I have a chance to hit a family member in the next room? Looking at your location and developing simple action plans will take the time consuming guess work out when you only have time to react. Plan and practice that plan so when the time comes you will naturally follow your plan without needing to think. Make the “what if” scenarios fun for the whole family so if the time comes, your family will be coordinated and have a greater chance to handle the threat. There are numerous resources on the internet for thinking about scenarios as well. – Paul.

Letter From David in Israel: On Bootlaces

James
I remember hearing an ex-army friend comment that he would always remove the laces from his boots and replace them with 550 parachute cord. His reason was that he could remove the laces and make survival stuff from the inner strands. If a person is in the military and has a steady source of 500 cord to replace their laces every other month in the field hen this is a good idea… Until they have to do real SERE and they are unable to replace the laces when they wear out.
A survivor has priorities than having seven tiny strings one yard long, they need longevity. Kevlar laces are available to places that supply forest crews and might just out last the boots that they are laced into.

Think about the consequences of “survival” modifications of your gear. To answer those that advocate 550 cord boot lacing: why not buy Kevlar laces and 50 meters of 200 pound test Spectra fishing line hidden somewhere in your boots or pockets? – David in Israel

Four Letters Re: Advice on Protecting My Home from Gunfire

Sir:
Regarding the question you received from a reader regarding protection from gunfire. Might I suggest a decorative planter made from poured concrete or concrete block? Brick would do in a pinch, assuming it was face brick (which has holes in them) with rebar and mortar or cement in the holes, although brick shatters easily. (Concrete block should have the cavities filled, with vertical rebar in the cavities and horizontal strengthening rectangular wire loops in the mortar every other layer). An inexpensive and attractive one or two tiered planter 16-24 feet long and 4 feet high can easily be built in a day, another day to fill with dirt and plantings. Building a foundation below frost line would add more construction time. The front and rear filled block thicknesses
plus the dirt filler will stop any shoulder fired projectile, and it can be dressed up further with a “thin brick” veneer on the visible sides. Built to window sill height or slightly above, it will provide
protection from the bottom edge of the window to floor level. Walls without windows, of course, can have higher planters. Pressure treated wood can also be used.

A similar structure can be assembled with interlocking concrete decorative block to build an attractive wall, and the wall can be built with curves, making a very attractive terrace structure. Another
advantage of strategically placed 3-4 ft high “planter terraces” is that they can stop vehicles without being an obvious anti-vehicle barrier. This would allow controlling the vehicle access path to a
house if they are built far enough out. If built close in, I’d suggest not using the house wall as the back of the planter or terrace due to moisture problems from the dirt. Regards, – H.

 

Jim:
In regards to the earlier letter from Denise about protecting a mobile home from gunfire, I would like to share something that might be in their realm of “do-able”. A lot depends on if the home is in a park or not. If it is, oops…. If the home sits on its own land, here is an idea that I have seen more than once here in the Pacific NW. Not the cheapest, but cheaper than starting over.
A mobile home is securely placed on a strong foundation and anchored against earthquakes, wind, etc. Then a six inch wide foundation wall, up to the same height as the bottom of the mobile home, is built around 7/8 of the home, leaving a crawl space access under the home. This foundation wall is along the outside perimeter of the home and extends the full six inches horizontally past the existing home walls.
Using standard 2×4 constructions, a frame is built on the new foundation around the home up to the roof line, and then a standard peaked roof is added. If one is creative, I have even seen second floors added with stairs added inside the home up through the old mobile home roof.
If one were to use some of the ideas from this forum and add 3/4 inch plywood to the in and outside of the frame and then fill with gravel, you will add immensely to the bullet resistance of the home.
A creative person could improve on this idea to maximize insulation values. Be sure to tie the outer shell down against earthquakes as well. You would also want to tie the inner existing mobile home walls to the frame. Where windows are, you would have to remove them long enough to build new sashes and will have windows that are recessed deep into the wall. This would be the time to consider shutters.
Basically what you are doing is building a frame and all the electric/plumbing/appliances etc. are part of a modular “drop-in” unit. You are just doing the drop-in first, and then building the walls.
I hope I have been clear on how this works. Details can vary from project to project and may depend on how your county building codes view this. Of course, if you live in a lenient area, you are already a step ahead.- TM

Mr R.,
Read the entry about making the casa bullet proof. Sand bags filled with a mix of earth and gravel ( or 2″ river rock – the landscape stuff ) will be better than dirt alone. Kinda like a poor mans’ Chobham armor.
If needed, I’d site them along the inside of outer walls, making sure to cover corner angles. [JWR Adds: Because of the tremendous weight of the filled sandbags, I would only recommend this if your house is built on a slab. The floors of most wood frame houses with crawlspaces cannot support that much weight.] I might .. or might not … have them ready to be emplaced at the roof lines of our flat roof SW home, of course having set up a “floor” layer. I did a minutes’ math and figured the double-deep linear runs needed and the height ( minimum 24 ” ) and ordered from Saddleback Materials in Lake Forest, California. Phone: (800) 286-7263. When I checked they were the cheapest for the polymer-composite bags. We xeriscaped 25 years ago, and have the raw material at hand. Three yards of rock will set you back a couple hundred bucks [as of] last year.
Make sure you have a wheel barrow, or a friend with one eyebrow and a build like an ape if your plan on carrying them..And gauntlet gloves. And the apes – MurrDoc

James:
In my part of the world, many mobile homes, single, double, and triple wide have been expanded with additional rooms and porches. Many of these additions are concrete block. Eight inch block or larger when re-barred and poured solid make a good ballistic wall except for heavy, concentrated fire from large calibers. Many of these mobile homes and additions have then been brick veneered with a new sheet steel metal room over the entire dwelling porches. The brick veneer alone would be good protection. The concrete block room addition with brick veneer even better. For window and door protection, could add Lexan storm windows and doors for most events and sheet steel window and door shutters mounted over heavy wood. When open, the wood side would be seen. When closed, the metal side would be seen. I would provide for openable firing loops. These must be well set with heavy duty hinges and locks. With kind regards, – Lame Wolf

Odds ‘n Sods:

Tom at CometGold.com sent us this article link: Italy set to bail out bank after huge derivatives losses. This is not the end of it folks. You can look for more much, much larger derivatives crises, in the near future, just as I warned you.

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DeFazio asks, but he’s denied access: Classified info – The congressman wanted to see government plans for after a terror attack

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From a Gander, Newfoundland newspaper come this editorial on the next depression: Unsustainable future. Hmmm, does somebody there read SurvivalBlog?

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him." – Professor Bernardo de la Paz in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert A. Heinlein

Note from JWR:

Today we present another article for Round 11 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The writer of the best non-fiction article will win a valuable four day “gray” transferable Front Sight course certificate. (Worth up to $2,000!) Second prize is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, generously donated by Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing. I will again be sending out a few complimentary copies of my novel “Patriots” as “honorable mention” awards. Round 11 ends on July 31st. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

What if The Schumer Doesn’t Hit The Fan? – Reasons to Prepare Anyway, by MB

As long as I can remember, I have felt that someday the comforts of a modern American lifestyle would vanish, at least temporarily. So I have made small mental preparations for some time now; keeping my mind and body fit and strong, staying informed, dropping hints to the wife, etc. Recently, and mostly after reading Patriots, I have a renewed interest in preserving my life and protecting those I love.

After educating myself on the subject of survival, I felt, as I’m sure many others have, very vulnerable and even overwhelmed. I needed to take action, immediately. Many thoughts spring into one’s mind during these moments. “What will I feed my children; oh man, water is essential; what about all those crazy people in the city, I need a gun, I need several guns; I need to move to North Dakota!” Sloooow down! These are daunting items. Once you quiet your mind and restore some sense of calm (it may take a couple days), you realize that you must be realistic. It’s not feasible for most of us to pack up an arsenal and move to a remote retreat in the hills or forests of the upper Midwest. We have jobs and responsibilities, relatives and friends; lives that at least for the time being, limit our options. And there is also the feeling that hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent on preparations could be wasted if The Schumer doesn’t ever Hit The Fan. (Doubtful, but it does cross one’s mind) A sense of urgency is implied; however, a caution against panic is warranted. It’s easy in this post 9/11 age to let fear control your life. Don’t! Simply take comfort in the fact that doing something to prepare for various scenarios, however big or small, will most importantly increase your odds of survival in the worst of emergencies, but also increase your comfort in the less dire situations and even improve your life now.

You Don’t Have to Move to Idaho–Survival Mindset for City Folk
I wanted to write an article for people like myself who are in the beginning stages of survival preparation. People on limited budgets, who may not live on farms, or maybe have never served in the military or had experience with guns. Those people who live in or near a city, particularly congested east coast cities. I write for those city dwellers and suburbanites in less than ideal regions; students, urban professionals, everyday people. However, it can apply to just about anyone who is not already well “squared away”. I will attempt to provide ideas on where to begin, how to prioritize and how to prepare mentally and with limited monetary resources for a multitude of events. I will try to focus on things that can be useful now and for a lifetime. My intent is not to instruct on what exactly is needed for every particular individual; there are more capable advisors for that. I aim to get people thinking and to provide a more general approach to surviving the times.

Get Your Mind Right
First and foremost is your mindset. Think about your values, your morals. What is most important in your life? Who is most important to you? How far are you willing to go to protect them? In the most serious situation, we would do anything, right? Why let it come to that? There’s good reason to get motivated. Put yourself and your family in the best possible position for survival now, so you don’t have to act out of desperation later. Also, think about what you spend your money on and where you spend it. Do you really need that big screen plasma television? What are you teaching your children about spirituality, health, money? Just as important, what are others teaching your children? You see where I’m going here. It’s not all about beans, bullets and Band-Aids. It’s about your mentality. Only the strongest-willed individuals will make it through tough times, be it TEOTWAWKI, high school, or simply life as an adult in the 21st century.

Beginning Logistics
Now think about tangible items to have on hand. Make a list. Just jot down ideas, then categorize (based on cost or type) and prioritize later. Your location and climate will impact your list. Set up your inventory and storage on varying degrees of threat and length of time of crisis. For instance a blackout that lasts 30 days vs. a full scale economic collapse. Will you be staying put or escaping to a safer location? What criteria will you base your decision on? What would you miss most if something tragic happened? Put yourself in that situation. The obvious answers are food and more importantly, water. If you are human, you already eat and drink water, so this is nothing new. You just need to think about having more of it on hand. In turn, storage is needed. We find room for other items; we can find room for potentially life saving sustenance. Package enough easily transportable food for 30 days. A durable plastic tote should work well. Then store enough for much longer periods of time. Buy a little extra food with each grocery shopping trip and date it. Not extra chips or TV dinners, get extra items such as dried fruit or granola that will last for an extended period of time, without electricity. Buy in bulk and incorporate raw grains into your diet. Start a garden. Not only will you know how to prepare these foods now, you will be more accustomed to eating them later, not to mention the health benefits. Think about buying a food dehydrator. They are reasonably priced. Keep a few five gallon containers of water in your garage, basement or crawlspace. If you live in an apartment, do you have a spare room or a patio? For long term situations, any amount of water that can be conveniently stored in most homes will be consumed surprisingly fast. Think about other sources and get a good water filter. Again, this is prudent to have anyway. A [compact] portable filter might come in handy also. With both food and water, as much as possible, use your storage as supplement, not a main source.

Little by little set aside money and acquire items you will need. Keep an extra supply of first aid items on hand. Don’t forget some of the less apparent items like toilet paper, sanitation, batteries, tools, candles, medications and fuel. Keep some spare 5 gallon containers of stabilized gas in your shed. It’s not wasteful as it can be used in your vehicles at any time. And with the rising gas prices it may prove to be a worthwhile investment. Don’t forget to rotate [your stocks]. Consider buying a generator. In a full scale crisis, drawing attention to yourself and home with a loud, light-producing device is not going to be very smart, but when power goes out and the masses aren’t yet rioting in the streets, a generator will be nice to have. Get a portable model. Study maps and plan different routes to and from your home. Keep an emergency kit in your car. This is by no means a complete list, it’s designed to get you started. Yes, the preparations are abundant. Don’t get overwhelmed into thinking you have to get it all at once. The key is minimization. Minimize the chances that you will be taken by surprise, wondering why you didn’t do something earlier. Start small and with things you can use in everyday life. The wealth of available information on specifics is immense. This web page is a great resource. It’s up to you to educate yourself and determine exactly what and how much you will need.

Help Others Help You
Working together will be to your advantage during crunch time. Find strength in numbers. Seek out others who share your values and have skills you lack. How can you help each other? Build relationships and share ideas. Educate others, but be careful as you can imagine the funny looks you might get if you start prophesying doomsday. And guess who’s doorstep they’ll be standing on come crunch time. I am a firm believer that the more people around you that are prepared, the better off all of us are. If your neighbors can take care of themselves, then it’s more likely your preparations will be preserved in the event of crisis. In short, at least fewer of your neighbors will be knocking on your door the same day of an event.

Securing Your Castle
I’d like to take a moment to discuss security, specifically firearms. If you have studied survival even a little, then you are aware that arming yourself ranks high on the list of recommendations. Perhaps some of you share my reluctance to build an armory in my home. I have children, and being married to someone who is strictly against guns makes security a particularly difficult element in my survival preparations. While I recognize security as an absolute must, I have reservations about keeping a device designed to kill in my home. Ironically the reasons not to own a gun are the very reasons why I feel I should own gun. The reasons are aged 2-11, not including the Mrs. In a volatile scenario that could spiral out of control; I would feel helpless without weapons to protect my family. All the stockpiling of food and water will be futile if some thug can easily take it from you (and maybe your lives with it). If you do decide to own a firearm (or firearms), don’t flaunt it and please educate yourself and practice. Keep a chamber or trigger lock in place and store the ammunition in a different location if necessary. In addition, don’t rule out other ways of defending yourself. Albeit, less formidable, they are less expensive. These include pepper spray, knives, batons, stun guns and martial arts. I don’t think I need to remind people that these are mostly ineffective against attackers with guns, or even large groups of unarmed evil doers. However, they may prove useful in that they are very portable and can be used in less dire emergencies. Deterrence in the form of dogs, fencing, motion detection, alarm systems and location should also be considered. Protection from those who intend to harm is imperative and yet another item that is useful even today.

Back to Basics
Take an assessment of your skill sets. What knowledge do you posses that would be of value in a crisis situation? Don’t worry, if needed, your survival instincts will take hold, but some basic skills can make you an asset and will help you survive. Develop and hone these skills now. Start simply; make your own bread, catch your own fish, grow your own vegetables, prepare healthier, less processed meals. I enjoy beer, I brew my own. It’s rewarding and I’ve learned much from it. Learn basic plumbing, carpentry and electrical skills. You don’t have to be a master mechanic, but any vehicle owner should know the basics; how to change the oil, filters and spark plugs. Having a skill can be just as valuable as having an inventory; you never leave home without it and could earn you a spot in a group if needed. Maybe you are a dog trainer or electronics engineer. Don’t forget your kids. Teach your children to swim, hunt, split wood or sow a garden. It seems that all too often, in our frenzied lifestyles, we focus all our energy on skills that will get us fat paychecks and forget the simpler but more important things. Get back to basics. Slow down. Simplify. If something isn’t adding positive value to your life, eliminate it. Many preparedness items can be fun and done as a family. Go camping, take hikes, etc. If you have kids, consider home schooling them. Most importantly get to know your children; spend time with them.

It’s Up to You
You can make self sufficiency a way of life without going “off the deep end,” so to speak. Taking action will not only give you peace of mind, a sort of insurance policy, but also can improve your life in the meantime. Many corollary benefits will emerge. Here are some that come to mind: Less reliance on outside institutions, money saved, healthier eating habits, time spent with your family. Regardless of the future, you’ll be teaching your children to be prepared, to think logically and independently and not to have a lazy, consumerist attitude of entitlement that dominates our culture today.

This writing isn’t packed full of technical how-to information, but I sincerely hope it helps to serve those of you that may feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin and to breathe hope into those who are obliged to retain their current lives without major upheaval. There are many who see the challenges involved with getting ready and are scared into doing nothing. For one reason or another they go back to sleep, their head comfortably lodged in the sand. Don’t be one of those people. Enjoy the time and blessings you have, but be ready. An old proverb says “Trust in God, but tie up your camel.” Just the same, pray for peace, but prepare for war.

Letter Re: Canadian Retreat Locales

Hi Jim,
I am new to survival/preparedness and was curious if you have any resources for Canadians? In particular places to source out retreat locales? I just found your site, and love it. Keep up the great work. – Brent A.

JWR Replies: Just like the US, my advice is go west! The eastern provinces are at risk from nuclear fallout from strikes in the US, in the event of a full scale nuclear exchange. Of course the population density is much lower in Canada than in the US, so population in and of itself is not as great a risk. (Although in a worst case situation Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec might be at risk from refugee inflows from the eastern United States.) But again, even aside from population density considerations, you would probably want to be west of Edmonton or Calgary (in Alberta) to avoid fallout.

I generally don’t recommend Canada because of its draconian gun control laws. But if you can live with that, then my preference is for the relatively mild climate portions of British Columbia, such as Duncan (in the Cowichan Valley, in the southern end of Vancouver Island), or around Kent in the Fraser River Valley, or perhaps as far inland as the Bella Coola Valley. (Which is much colder, but wonderfully remote.) If you dislike the heavy rainfall in western BC, and don’t mind a shorter growing season, then look for property in the Kamloops area. Another nice agricultural area with moderate rainfall is around Creston. You can link up with other Canadian preppers through Survival Bill’s Forums. (Most of their readership is Canadians.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Ben L. mentioned that the August issue of Popular Mechanics magazine is dedicated to theme of “Survive Anything!”

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There is another RWVA Appleseed high power rifle match and clinic scheduled for August 18th and 19th in Ottawa, Illinois. Don’t miss out on this training opportunity. The offer, great rifle training at a very reasonable price!

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While wandering that wacky world of Wikipedia, I was looking at the Wiki page for The Sarah Connor Chronicles (SCC) television series, trying to figure out why the link to the SCC Yahoo Discussion Groups Page keeps getting deleted. (I have a friend in Afghanistan who has posted the link on the Wiki page twice, and each time it has been zapped after just a few days. ) So I clicked on the “Talk” page, and found that there was an argument raging as whether or not it is wiki-ethical to mention the download availability of the entire pilot episode for the series, in the P2P “Torrent” underworld. So is I did a little searching with Scroogle, and found the source. Wow, it is still five months before the SCC pilot ever even airs and this video is very popular. People must be very anxious to see this show! My friend The Chartist Gnome (who in addition to his market watching does a lot of sci-fi watching) told me that the Azureus Magnet Link at MiniNova for this download works just fine.

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FOREX-Dollar hits record low vs euro, subprime weighs

Letter Re: Advice on Generators?

Jim,
What is the way to go in generators? I own four now, all gasoline fueled. Last winter the power was out for nine straight days, and it was 28 degrees below [zero, Fahrenheit]. I have used gas generators for near 40 years, but mostly for remote site construction. They are started and shut off as needed. But last winter with the power out, I would run for 4 hours, then off for 6 hours, for nine days straight. What happened is that the 3,600 RPM of long run time vibrated them apart. In the summer one would just tighten up the nuts and bolts, but at -28 and in the dark, I opted to employ another unit. It also came apart. I was on my third generator when power came back on. Gas units are just not made for that type of use. Also the heat from the exhaust thaws the ground, the [generator] unit tips, the oil level sensor thinks it is low on oil and automatically shuts-off. At -28 the ground freezes, you have to heat water to free it for re-leveling.

I want to buy a diesel 10 KW or 12 KW power plant that runs at 1,800 RPM (not the China Diesel that runs at 3,600 RPM.) I don’t want Batteries, or Invertors, or wind power ( I had a Winco Wincharger at the homestead 40 years ago ). The other thing I learned; I have two 1,000 gallon capacity diesel fuel tanks that I use for a fleet of diesel trucks, and they had just been filled before the power outage. Want to guess how much gasoline was around? Not much, since the only thing that I normally put gas in in the winter is my snowmobiles.

I am hoping some of your readers could help with what to look for in a diesel power plant, and more important what to avoid. Also a little about load, I know that they want to have a fair load, and a load that changes. – David V.

JWR Replies: I generally prefer diesel generators, especially big block low-RPM models. These are designed for continuous duty, and they typically last three to five time longer than high RPM gasoline-powered generators. However, be advised that diesel has a problem with fuel gelling at low temperature. Typically, this clogs fuel filters, when the temperature reaches the so-called cold filter plugging point (CFPP). Fuel gelling can be avoided at temperatures as low as 40 degrees F. below 0, with a diesel fuel additive, called Diesel Fuel Supplement, made by the same company that makes Diesel 911 (which was recently discussed in SurvivalBlog.) It also reportedly prevents gelling in biodiesel blends up to B20. (Which is 20% biodiesel and 80% “dinodiesel”.) There is also a product made in Germany called a Diesel-Therm that pre-heats diesel fuel before it enters the fuel filter.

OBTW, one thing to keep in mind, in these days of high commodities prices. Copper windings from “dead” generators are currently bringing top dollar. If you take the windings from six or seven old “dead” gensets to your local scrap metal dealer, you may net enough money to pay for as much as half of your next generator purchase.

Hopefully some readers will chime in with some specific diesel genset brand and model recommendations. (It has been more than five years since I’ve bought one, so frankly I’m out of touch with the marketplace and vendors.)