Letter Re: Alternate Short Term Sources for Drinking Water

Jim–
Instead of water barrels a previous contributor mentioned in fashioning a water supply setup, surplused water heaters can be used.
(1) They usually are sound, only have failed heater systems–just need flushing;
(2) They are already fitted with correct interior piping and external pipe fittings;
(3) If you can get one tank in the sun (make an insulated box–plans are everywhere), presto, a pre-heater for the hot water tank and a savings on your heating bill;
(4) If you can get these tanks elevated, you should be able to get a little bit of extra pressure for draining off needed water from the lowest one–or, put a pressure tank first in line;
(5) The valve between the street supply and the first tank in the lineup is called a check valve.
And those barrels? Fill ’em up and use that water for flushing. – Bob

JWR Replies: Keep in mind that water heaters have thin walls. So anything that you construct with used water heaters should be assumed to rust out and leak at any time. Position them accordingly, to avoid having a flooded house!

Two Letters Re: Barns, Barn Designs, and Fire

Jim:
I was reviewing the Blog. this morning and saw the letter on “Barn Designs and Fire.” As a retired Lieutenant from the Fire Department I would like to make a suggestion! A 250 Gallon fuel oil tank filled with water, in a house attic or barn attic, can be piped to use a{n automatic] fire sprinkler system. Don’t forget to reinforce the weight! Use a pendent sprinkler head rated for the normal high temperature the area will receive and the temperature that you would want the head to go off. Use and a sidewall sprinkler heads for along side walls. – GCP

 

James:

The recent letter on barn fires compelled to me to write. Many readers are already equipped with kerosene lanterns or pressurized mantle lanterns for use outside or during long power outages. However, these present a significant fire risk when used around dry bedding material such as wood shavings or straw. It may be a good idea to invest in a battery powered or rechargeable lantern. The fluorescent units provide reasonable runtime per charge and run cool. The rechargeable units usually come with both 110 VAC and 12 VDC chargers and could probably be charged from a small solar panel. They can be found in the camping section of most mart type stores for around $30. – Buzz

Letter Re: Do You Know Where Your Gardening Seed Comes From?

Memsahib:
I have a question concerning heirloom seeds. My question is how long can a seed be stored in ideal conditions and still produce a viable plant? I am currently not at a position of having more then a very small garden, but I would like the security of a stockpile of seeds stored with me in case I need them in the future. what is a realistic storage time frame? and also what would be considered an ideal storing environment? Once the plants are harvested what is the best way to remove and prepare the new seeds from the plants for storage? I live in Wyoming so I am mostly concerned with plants like tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, zucchini, Etc. Due to the short growing season here. Thanks in advance for your time. – Brian

The Memsahib Replies: One excellent source of heirloom seeds is Dr. Geri Guidetti of The Ark Institute. Another is The Seed Savers Exchange (see: http://www.seedsavers.org.) Again, it is important to order heirloom seeds–not patented hybrid seeds. The best place to store your seeds is in sealed containers (such as Mason jars), in your refrigerator. The germination rate starts to drop off rapidly past two years of storage, but you can still get halfway decent yields out of seed that has been refrigerated for four or even five years. Beyond that, that buy a fresh stock of seeds. It would take a book to describe how collect and re-use the various types of heirloom seeds, so let me recommend one: I HIGHLY recommend that you buy a copy of “Seed to Seed” by Suzanne Ashworth.(ISBN 978-1-882424-58-0.) The knowledge on seed saving that is packed between those covers goes far beyond my own!  For the climate in Wyoming, you will need to build a greenhouse, or at least cold frames to get a head start on sprouting your seedlings.

Letter Re: Defensive Shotguns on a Budget

Sir,
WRT the recent posts regarding “Defensive Shotguns on a Budget”, am I the only one that GREATLY prefers the Remington 870? Guess it is probably a Pepsi versus Coke type thing, but I have owned many different brands over the years, and the 870 series is what I find to work best for me. I found a few interesting discussions on the topic online at some of the links listed below, but I would suggest to everyone that if possible, try actually shooting a few different models before making a decision. I learned that lesson the hard way once when I bought 3 HK-91s in a package deal, based on “internet research.” Don’t get me wrong, I love Heckler and Koch products, and most of my armory has their logo on it, but I just couldn’t stand the ergonomics on those rifles, regardless of any other positive factors. Luckily, I live in a state where I can just walk into a gun show with a rifle on a sling over my shoulder and a for sale sign hanging from a stick in the barrel.
Again, I am not saying that anyone that the Remington 870 is the best choice for everyone, but I felt it was worth bringing up how important it is to make sure that whatever you buy, make sure it works for you.
http://www.tacticalshotgun.ca/content_nonsub/shotguns/ compare_870_590.html
http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?t=1700
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-280.html
keep up the good work! – Jeff

Odds ‘n Sods:

A popular new bumper sticker: I’d rather go hunting with Dick Cheney than ride in a car with Ted Kennedy.

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U.S. brings back the venerable .45 ACP — at least for Special Forces Operators. http://www.strategypage.com/dls/articles/2006251215.asp

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A fairly definitive piece on Iran’s New Euro-denominated Oil Bourse: http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CLA20060210&articleId=1937

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Now H5N1 is in Germany, Austria, and Iran:
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-02-14T223300Z_01_L09218784_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU.xml&rpc=22
…and in Southern Russia:
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/02/15/060215162126.c9uj06hd.html

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Doc at Big Secrets recommends this Water Well tutorial: http://www.lifewater.ca/

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"The paper money disease has been a pleasant habit thusfar and will not be dropped voluntarily any more than a dope user will without a struggle give up narcotics… I find no evidence to support a hope that our fiat paper money venture will fare better ultimately than such experiments in other lands…" – Nebraska Congressman Howard Buffett, 1948 (The father of Warren Buffett.) As quoted in Financial Reckoning Day.

Note From JWR:

Please keep spreading the word about SurvivalBlog. Just by adding one line to your mail “.sig”, or by pasting a SurvivalBlog banner in your web page, you could help attract hundreds of new readers.  Many Thanks!

Letter Re: Alternate Short Term Sources for Drinking Water

Jim:
Seeing the following got me thinking: “JWR’s Comments/Recommendations: Mr. Sierra is typical of most suburban survivalists in that he is tied to a Big City job. I recommend that he store at least 100 gallons of water”
Have you mentioned the need for people to flush their hot water heaters twice a year? This minimizes the mineral buildup and provides a fine source of drinkable water.

Putting some chlorine in the toilet tanks does the same thing. This kills bacteria and upon cleaning twice a year, provides more drinkable water.

I have seen systems where people have strung together 55 gallon barrels with removable lids. Their household water from the street runs through these drums. One valve between the drums and the street will prevent contamination if the city/county water supply gets contaminated. – Dave

Letter Re: Barns, Barn Designs, and Fire

Hello James,
I have had the heart rending experience of watching my neighbor’s barn burn to the ground a few days ago. His livestock fleeing out of it, in desperation… I don’t think they all made it. This brings up many topics of discussion. In moving to the country, it is easy to use an old building like it was designed to handle new demands, (i.e.- specifically power consumption, hot temp equipment storage, etc…). Somewhere in your archives the topic of fire protection came to mind. I hate to admit, but it did not sink in like it did seeing that massive structure go from first sight of smoke to flattened, in 20 minutes.
Here are a few observations that may have contributed to this fire-
1). Old building construction methods (“balloon” type framing.)
2). Old wood will never be fireproof
3). 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s wiring is not likely to be safe to use in an agricultural building where the wires are almost always exposed to rodents and the elements, resulting in damage. [JWR Adds:  Any such wiring should be completely replaced with modern wiring that is fully encased in galvanized steel conduit!]
4). Concrete and heat do not mix
5). Leave a viable escape route for the livestock, (i.e.-light duty tube gates, light duty flat channel gates, or just electric fence strands in aisleways.)
6). Storing wet/damp hay
7). Overloading electrical wiring/circuitry

If you own an older agricultural building and plan on needing it because that new “Morton” building is too expensive, than plan on some time consuming preventatives. Fire stops, (i.e.- draft stops) are the most important contribution you can make yourself with little expense. Take the time and plug every dang gap,crack,void, or cavity that permits you to view or pass air between the levels. This at the very least will buy you more time until the fire department arrives.
You will be better off to condemn the power service to the barn than to overload it and have a catastrophe.
Once a structure has a fire, the foundation and associated concrete items are severely structurally damaged. Try tossing a cement masons block into a fire and leave there until the next day, give it a tap with a bat, and then [for comparison] tap an unfired block. The fired block is not worthy of the structural demands it was designed to meet any longer. In the case of my neighbors barn fire, the adjoining buildings suffered damage that we can’t see simply from the heat. The grain silos, (concrete and steel) ignited their contents from heat alone. These are still burning and are now a 7 story disaster waiting to happen. I have seen it happen before. They will collapse without warning.
Wet/damp hay WILL combust and cause many barn fires. DO NOT BALE WET OR HAY THAT IS DAMP WITH DEW! Save yourself some money and hire it done by an expert. One last topic worth discussing is where should you put your Gun Safe. If your safe is situated over a basement, crawl space, or basically any wood structure below, you are asking for trouble. If/when you have a fire in the building that houses the Gun Safe, and it collapses upon itself, you literally have less than an hour to retrieve your safe before the contents are toast. Think about locating your safe on a north wall, (winds in much of the U.S.A. are predominantly from the N.-N.W.) This could give you the ability to get closer to the safe with some piece of equipment (in the event of a fire) and increase your chances of retrieving it. Consider welding a heavy chain to the safe and hiding [the tail end of it out the building, an slightly bury it [and “flag” the end, somehow.] A backhoe could easily reach the chain and hook it with it’s teeth to rip the safe from the hot coals. Do not store ANY ammunition inside your vault. Once the internal temps get so far, the ammunition will start cooking off. In doing so, it will likely ruin all the contents of your safe. At least there is a chance of salvation if there is not any ammo in the safe.

I pray for those who have experienced a fire. There are very few forces like it in nature. It was a very helpless feeling. Plan, Prepare, Do not despair, -The Wanderer

JWR Replies:  For any of you that might ever build a farm from scratch, even if you build a steel barn there is always a greater risk of barn fires than house fires. Therefore, it is important that, terrain permitting, you: a.) build your barn at least 50 feet away from your house, b.) Make sure that your house has a fire-proof roof, c.) Install a proper fire fighting hose rig with at least a 2,000 gallon cistern feeding a 1.5-inch or larger service line, preferably gravity-fed, and d.)  Build your house upwind from your barn. (BTW, the latter is an advantage vis-a-vis barn smells, too.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

The Army Aviator recommends upgrading the plugs on pump action shotguns with fluorescent ones. He notes: “I did this on all of my shotguns and I like the idea. I’ve never actually shot a tube empty but a couple of times it was comforting to roll the weapon and not see fluorescent yellow.”

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Take the opportunity to read (and copy) the Hirsch Report on Peak Oil before it disappears again.  See: http://www.energybulletin.net/12772.html

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Another entry for the “ingenious, but stupid” file, on some storm drain denizens: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060204-9999-7m4encamp.html

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As previously noted, I recently finished reading the science fiction novel “Freehold” by Michael Z. Williamson.  Now I’ve moved on to another of his other novels, “The Weapon.” (Published by BAEN Books.) It is sort of a “intra-quel” storyline to Freehold. I enjoy Williamson’s writing, so I’ll be posting reviews here, on Amazon.com, and at a few other sites.

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NAIS became mandatory in Texas on Monday (Feb. 13 2006), with $1,000 per day fines. Could any SurvivalBlog readers living there give us some more information? See: http://nonais.org/index.php/2006/02/04/monday-last-day-of-freedom-in-texas/?s=texas

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NoNAIS.org has announced that there will be a speaker from the USDA addressing NAIS at Oroville, California on February 23, 2006. There will be time for questions during the meeting. See: http://nonais.org/index.php/2006/02/11/ca-usda-nais-speaker-223/  Be sure to watch for announcements for similar meetings and public feedback sessions in your area.  Let’s raise a ruckus! 

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A South Korean study shows that shopping cart handles have more germs than bathroom doorknobs. Yeech! See:  http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/2/14/112554.shtml?s=he. After you read this article, you will probably want to keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in your car, and one in your desk drawer at work.

Letter Re: Numismatic Coins and a Gold Confiscation Redux?

Dear Jim:
I just finished reading an article from the Gold Anti-Trust Action (GATA) group which quotes a Treasury Department official as saying “The U.S. Government has the authority to prohibit the private possession of gold and silver coin and bullion by U.S. citizens during wartime and declared emergencies…” I have also learned that the USG also considers “junk” pre-’64 silver coins to be bullion and therefore subject to confiscation when the situation arises. In talking with our good friends at Swiss America it appears that, currently, only coins minted before 1933 and having a numismatic grade of MS64 or better would NOT be confiscatable because they are considered to be collector’s coins and not bullion. Any other type of gold/silver bar or coin is not exempt. I would appreciate your comments on this please. – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

If there were a monetary crises, I think that gold confiscation would be far more likely than silver confiscation. The sheer weight and volume of silver versus gold would make any government silver confiscation scheme problematic. (Since dollar for dollar, silver is seventy times bulkier than gold.)  This is just one the reasons that I prefer investing in silver rather gold.

IIRC the U.S. 1933 gold ban law exempted any  gold coins “with significant collector’s value.”  Therefore in the event that similar legislation is enacted, presumably any coin that is graded at or near mint state (MS-60 or higher–or perhaps even AU-58) would be exempt. Why pay so much more, for MS-64 coins? AU-58 and MS-60  $5, $10, and $20 gold pieces can still be found for as little as 30% over their melt value if you buy coins with common mint dates.

OBTW, for any SurvivalBlog readers considering investing in numismatic coins: Unless you have experience with coin grading, then I recommend that you buy only PCGS or NGC “slabbed” (professionally graded and encapsulated) coins. Buy only from a reputable dealer such as Swiss America.

Excerpts from Seven Reader Letters Re: Sources for Canned Hams

…The Army Aviator might want to track down Plumrose ham. I’ve bought the cans at Sam’s Club in 3 packs, and at CVS in singles. No refrigeration needed, but they are only one pound cans. They are not an American product, they are an import from Denmark…

The DAK brand Danish canned hams are…   …at Walmart on occasion. I also like supporting our friends in Denmark…

…PLUMROSE makes a 3 pound ham in a sealed metal can… …I buy mine at SAM’s Club, WalMart, and Publix….SAM’s have them in a 3 pack, and I usually get 2 or 3 [of  the thee packs] every time that we go to SAM’s for the quarterly buy out of goodies. They are fantastic…bake them, chop them for beans, eat out of the can…they are really tasty. I probably sound like a commercial. (LOL.)

…I bought some at WalMart a while back, although I haven’t seen them recently. My family didn’t particularly care for the meat – “too much
like SPAM”. Plumrose USA is the packager. Check out www.plumroseusa.com (under Products > Specialty Items)

…They can be found in my area at the different “value” stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar Store and Wal-Mart. The “hams” are small, but quite satisfactory…

…There is a 1.5 lb shelf stable canned ham (Royale) sold at Big Lots. It is a Canadian product priced at $2.99. We have stored it and eaten it. It’s pretty good…

… both the DAK and Danish Crown brands are available as one pound units with a 5 year marked shelf life approximately $2.50-2.80 each, retail. The last batch that I got 3 yrs ago were an “After New Years” closeout at a Super Walmart for $1 each.