Reading the comments helped me clarify my thoughts. Thank-you, all.
I have two sets of needs that have some overlap. So maybe I need two different solutions.
On one hand I have three properties I am working on, two of them "remote". One of them has the Upper and Hill Orchards and a 1200 square-foot pole barn that is not electrified. It would be nice to be able to plug in a 5000 lumen (50 Watt) shop-light so I can clean out the trash and not trip on my feet.
I also have an aversion to using the battery I count on to start the vehicle for mundane purposes. The Hill and Upper Orchard are approximately 40 miles away from "home" and while I have walked that distance it is not a fast process. I do have a mountain bike squirreled away in the barn, so I could probably knock the trip back in about four or five hours but I would not be a happy guy.
The other set of needs is anchoring-a-basecamp. If the grid is intermittent, then there is much to be said for skimming some power while it is energized to use for the very highest value applications when it is not energized.
- Medical equipment
- Communication
- Security (driveway alarms at a minimum)
- Securing information (internet, news)
- Light for reading, threading needles
- Enough power to run an AM/FM radio
- Run the blower on our fireplace insert
If the grid becomes very unreliable the same "flex" power means you can run the generator in the day when there is more noise-clutter to hide the sound signature for use during the quit hours. Solar is fine but not always sufficient, even in Arizona.
At this point, the very unreliable grid scenario seems unlikely. The powers-that-be understand that things will get VERY sporty in their A-o-O if the power drops out too often for too long. Even the warlords in Shitholistan understand that dynamic.
Brains rather than batteries
Some of these things can be "managed" around. Can't function without hot coffee in the morning? Before microwaves, folks used to make it the night before and pour it into a thermos.
Need to communicate with neighbors? Bulletin boards work and the American Revolution was coordinated with "Broadsheet essays" tacked to the wall of the communal privy. And there is always the neighborhood gossip.
Dogs are still the best security system. A fish-line and tin-cans still work.
Practices-and-procedures vs Infrastructure
I worked for a boss named John Pitlanish who explained it this way:
The advantage of changing work-instructions is that they can be rewritten tomorrow. Validate the changes today with your Team Leader. Start training the operators tomorrow on the new way.
If you only work the "infrastructure fixes" then you are looking at a minimum of twelve-months before it hits the factory floor, and more likely it will never get approved.
So even though it is harder to "manage" practices-and-procedures fixes they are the only practical way to fix things in the short-term.
Safety LOVED infrastructure fixes. They had an entire hierarchy of fixes with "Re-instruct the operator" as the least desirable and "Eliminate the hazard" as the most desirable.
Managers get changed every 18 months. Operators change every 24 months. Grind the concrete flat and it stays flat for 30 years. The fix does not evaporate when it is buried in the infrastructure.
So there is a place for both. The quick bandage and the deep, permanent fix.
Generator noise is a problem when grid power is erratic or failing.
ReplyDeleteThings like lights and generator noise are noticed as "they have electricity" when most are dark.
Blackout curtains are strongly suggested and TESTED by turning on all lights in your house after dark and walking around looking for light leaks.
HD black plastic sheeting and blue painters tape works pretty well, and Momma isn't going to be as freaked out about your weird "experiment" while the "Normal Life" is going on.
Generators can be quieted a few ways. Replacing the cheap muffler with a better automotive sized one is pretty nice. The vibration noise put the unit on rubber standing mats.
In the Military we'd often get the engineers to dig a generator pit to reduce the noise around our MASH unit. Or we'd put a wall of Mil vans between the generators and our hospital.
In civilian life I've used bales of old hay at the deer camp to make an open topped generator shed. JUST DON'T let the hay get too close to the hot generator.
A REAL Generator shed is nice both to secure it from sneaky thieves and a well-insulated AND well-ventilated shed is a real nice sound suppressor.
Folks like Joe's ATV "Visitor" slow cruising with a visored helmet scoping you out is going to become much more common and hazardous.
AND SNEAKIER. Folks will learn your patterns. As someone here said recently the FEDEX and UPS Man knows a lot about you.
Unless you PLAN on never leaving your home uninhabited at any time. During Germany's Weimar Republic Hyperinflation and general economic collapse farms were raided while the family was at Church.
You have to work out what YOU need. That is the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteA inverter on your truck can be very handy. When it gets low it beeps, so start the truck again. Want to expand that, add second battery that switches automatically so truck battery isn't used except when low..Tx.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to our 6500 watt gas generator, we also have one of those Jackery 2000 watt solar generators. We found out that it won't run both a cpap and oxygen concentrator at the same time. Draws down too fast.
ReplyDeleteHaving one of those new lithium jump boxes in your truck js a good idea, they work. We have one in each of the vehicles.
ReplyDeleteJust be careful of outside temperatures -- Lithium batteries don't like being frozen.
DeleteOops - forgot to say who I am - Steve O
DeleteI’ve got the Jackery 1000 for light camp work along with a little Honda 2200W for back up. I do not see them as SHTF level equipment. Personally I think prepping for SHTF scenarios is community first - especially if you have to worry about banditry. All that land is great to grow your own food but unless you can defend those fields and yourselves…? You may find you end up being someone else’s supply line…
ReplyDeleteBut whadda I know?
One of your best posts Glen.
DeleteNo community, no survival or at best solo hiding survival until a well armed group finds you or you suffer a bad flu or broken ankle.
But electricity is a really nice item properly used to assist in survival and even better some version of prosperity.
Electric well pumps and irrigation come to mind.
For light to clean up the barn how about going old school and use a Coleman lantern?
ReplyDeleteFire hazard and eventually you'll run out of fuel.
DeleteMy deer camp has a simple solar set up that has been powering lights and water pump and recharging stuff like electric chainsaws use for over a decade.
How many cans of Coleman fuel for a decade of lights?
We’ve picked up a couple three LED lanterns that are solar powered. They work great, no alkaline batteries to replace, no flame.
DeleteSNH
I have a steel barn on rural property, no power. I bought a few LED spots on Amazon that have a small solar panel and battery. The lights are motion activated. They are mostly designed to work only at night, so you have to be careful in your selection, because they won't come on at all if there's light outside. The photo sensor is on the solar panel, which is no help when you need the light inside the barn. But I did find a couple that come on if they sense motion, and these work terrifically. Cheap too. And they've been up and running for about 3 years now.
ReplyDeleteI would go the simple method first. Lead-acid auto/tractor battery, 12V LED lights, stand to move around in the barn. Next, a way to charge the battery. Jumper cables, solar, wind, or a jury-rigged generator from an old lawn mower engine and an alternator. Plenty of ideas over at "YouTube University".
ReplyDeleteDon't light the whole barn, just where you are working at first. Rummage up a two-wheel dolly, a used-but-good car battery, wire, 12V light fixtures and 12V LED lights. Mount the battery on the "shelf" with wood under it to keep it insulated from the ground. Wire up the lights to the top of the uprights. This way, you'll be able to take the lighting where it's needed.
Just use the "+" cable as the "switch".
irontomflint
I have an older model Jackery that I take with me when going to my remote property. It powers lights and recharges my cordless batteries. The adapter plugs into my truck so I can charge it up while travelling, it can also charge from house power or a solar panel.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a base camp goes, you are far enough north that solar doesn't work pretty much half the year. How's the wind at your place?