Generator Propane Conversions

For future reference:

• Hutch Mountain
• Grenergy: uses a machined-aluminum insert to connect to the carburetor.
• Motor Snorkel / US Carburation: 2/3 the price of Hutch Mtn and Grenergy.

Another Dated Link Dump

The terrible thing is, often times I never go back to review the link dump....

• How to Build a Worm Tower
• Retractable PVC Hoop House
• How not to get caught in a mass-surveillance world
• 10 corporations control almost everything you buy
• Lifestyle garage screens
• Ocumetics Bionic Lens
• Building a Tin Can WiFi Waveguide Antenna
• Why Young Men Go to War
• FedBizOpps
• Vanity Fair interview with Ed Snowden

I just have too many tabs open....

American Bags

So I've been looking for a decent pack for a 72-hr application.  Most of the items of non-domestic manufacture are of poor design, so I'm looking for domestic-made gear.

• Kifaru
• Triple Aught Design
• Mountain Ridge Gear
• Hill People Gear
• Sandpiper of California

I believe these are all U.S.-made, but I'll have to verify.  Also, Spec-Ops Brand seems to be domestic MFG.

SHTF Channels

Another post on Slack #radio was for SHTF channels to program into radios.  I need to do this.

Amusingly enough, the site has a list for militia channels, too.

Link Dump!!

• Crash-only software, etc.
• Eat More Fat (sitting in my reader for five months?!)
• Surviving a winter storm without power
• 10 prepper games
• Augmented reality display comparison (Oculus Rift, etc.)
• Radon mitigation (diagram included)
• StartMail (whitepaper)
• Sullivan's Travels (saw this in Nov.)

Articles

It's time for yet another link dump!!

• If Health Insurance Mandates Are Unconstitutional, Why Did the Founding Fathers Back Them? (obviously I disagree with the position, but it's insightful to see the opposition's logic)
• The IPO is dying. Marc Andreessen explains why.
• Ages of Revolution: How Old Were They on July 4, 1776?
• The Elephant was a Trojan Horse: On the Death of Map-Reduce at Google
• How To Turn One Garlic Bulb Into Lots Of Garlic Bulbs
• Make Ahead Complete Freezer Meals On The Cheap
• Buzz Aldrin @ Reddit
• American Meteorological Society Member Survey on Global Warming (the climate change bozos really hate this)
• Calling All Hackers: Help Us Build an Open Wireless Router
• NWSOFA Climate Change Team – Thorium, Molten Salt Reactors, and Green Energy
• Rich Kid, Poor Kid: For 30 Years, Baltimore Study Tracked Who Gets Ahead
• The executive order that led to mass spying, as told by NSA alumni
• Ham Radio: An "Old" Technology is a Lifesaver in the Emergency Field
• Root Cellar

Laptop Refresh Dump

Normally I keep a bunch of tabs open in Firefox.  Well, today I have to turn in my laptop for the refresh at work, which prompted this link dump.

Broadband Amateur Radio Mesh Networks (HSMM-MESH)
VentureBeat article on mesh networks
(Well, I ought to write that post for BetterOffBitcoin, which I've been putting off....)
Article on how to use Bitcoin to set up an anonymous, self-sustaining website
Lumo Back, a device to help improve one's posture
Automatic, a vehicle telemetry-type device
Funky house blueprints via Wired (this has been in my browser for almost half a year...)
What to do when the Feds usurp power
Knowledge Weighs Nothing's bug-out bag checklist
The ATF's proposed rule change on NFA entities via the Federal Register
Survival Resources, a funky prepper store

Water, Water, Everywhere

In the June 2008 copy of Nutrition Action, a feature article by a kidney expert debunks some of the myths regarding water needs.  Oft-repeated is that water needs are need 1 gallon per person, per day, which is a lot of H2O.  The article references a study from 1945 that claims water needs are about 1 mL per calorie--but much of that is in the food itself.  Now, if people are eating freeze-dried foods, then more water would be required, not to mention for hygiene, stress situations, etc.  Even so, knowing how much is really needed helps plan.  Furthermore, if one's urine isn't clear, that doesn't mean they're dehydrated to where they need to do anything.  In other words, those urine color indicators are bullshit.

I couldn't find the article online, but a Scientific American article mentions the doc's study and references a publication from Dartmouth College.

Olde Tyme Skillz

Via someone's post on Facebook, two schools in the upper Midwest that teach skills some would consider obsolete: North House Folk School (in Grand Marais, MN) and Driftless Folk School (in Viroqua, WI).  Very intriguing.

Lanterns

I've been ogling the oil lanterns in Garrett Wade for prep purposes.  However, GW seems to charge a large markup, at least on certain items.  So I looked to see if I could find a better deal.  Apparently the GW lanterns are made by Feuerhand, which I found on the W.T. Kirkman site.  They actually aren't much cheaper (the same in quantities of 3 or more), but Kirkman offers replacement parts also.  Lehman's also sells the Feuerhand lanterns for the same price as Kirkman.

Kirkman sells Dietz lanterns, which are made in China.  The price difference against the German lanterns is noticeable.  In any case, the #2000 model has a grill attachment that can be used to boil water.  That looks like a useful feature.

As a result of looking for other sources for the Dietz #2000, I found Survival Resources, which has a lot of cool gear.

Heating with Tealights

M.V. posted a link on FB to a video describing how to use 4 tealights in a ceramic tray with a couple terra cotta pots to heat a room.  The cost works out to 30 cents a day, supposedly.

One of the comments on FB was also interesting:

Truckers in Alaska have used coffee cans with a roll of toilet paper inside that is drenched with rubbing alcohol. Burns clean puts off heat. Whatever works.

I'll have to give both these methods a try.  Also, the Knowledge Weights Nothing site looks quite intriguing.

Deodorant Recipe

Interesting read; being able to make one's own deodorant might be useful post-SHTF!

Solar Power

I've been looking into solar power for prepping purposes, since in the short-term, having comms, non-flammable lights, and such would be useful.  Longevity of such devices in an adverse environment is another matter.

The conclusion I drew after a bunch of reading is that I need a monocrystalline solar cell with one or two AGM 12V batteries and a bunch of AA/AAA Eneloop LSD batteries for buffer.  The monocrystalline solar cells last 10-20 years (some say up to 30) and have the best output.  The absorbed glass mat batteries are deep-cycle, don't leak, and are best to use with solar panels.  (Gel batteries might be better still.)  Lastly, the Eneloop low-self-discharge batteries, 2nd-gen and later, will retain 80% of their charge for 2 years, making frequent refreshes unnecessary.

I'd like to run a smart charger directly from the 12Vs, but that would require an adapter cable with a voltage regulator.  In that case, having an inverter that can provide AC could be useful; the size would depend on the 12Vs.

A gas/propane generator could also be used to recharge the 12Vs, so a charge controller capable of running off of AC would be useful as well.

Another interesting application for prepping would be to buy 12V thermoelectric modules and make a rig to generate electricity from heat sources, i.e. from a cooking stove's waste heat, to recharge 12V batteries.  That's a bit more involved, however.

In my quest for knowledge, I ran into a site where the cyclist describes his setup.  Certainly, Goal Zero makes the best portable solar panel, but it's spendy.  You can get a 100W (monocrystalline) panel for just a hair over twice as much as the 7W GZ panel; however, it won't be very mobile.  The Nomad 7 (v2) is just right for a go bag.

Dual-Fuel

AD at work mentioned the DuroMax hybrid generator that runs on both gasoline and propane: the XP4400EH.  3500W rated, 4400W starting, with electric start and 240V output for $650.  The downside is that it's made in China, and apparently has some build quality issues.  (Link to softcopy of manual.)  The Honda EU2000i is $1000 and is 1600W rated, 2000W starting, with recoil start and only 120V output.

There's also a site, US Carburation, linked from the DuroMax page which sells propane adapters for other generators.  I'm almost more inclined to spend the money on the Honda and get the adapter, although I need to verify the power requirements for the devices I want to run.

Practicing Suturing

Apparently, banana peels are good for practicing suturing.  Who knew?

Generators

I've been looking into buying a generator for quite some time as part of preparedness planning.  The practical elements: with a refrigerator and deep freezer full of food, not having electricity for a week could mean major spoilage.  Furthermore, without electricity, the gas furnace won't work, since the ignitor and blower motor both require juice to run.  (I have a propane heater that doesn't require electricity and a small wood stove, but both exhaust into the room and so would be a last resort.)

Three years or so ago I was at an out-of-state Honda dealership and they had literature for other Honda equipment, including tillers and generators.  The EU2000 model struck me as neat due to its low noise levels, fuel economy, and the option to cascade the companion model for greater capacity.  Still, generators are expensive, have to be maintained (and run periodically), and require sufficient fuel be stored.

A friend told me that a good place to buy the EU2000 is Mayberry's, as they have a low price and free shipping.  This was right around the time that "Superstorm Sandy" hit, and Mayberry's, located in New Jersey, was without power and had sold out of most of their generators anyway.  Another place I found to buy the EU2000 is Wise Sales, which in Illinois.

Regarding fuel storage, I had been led to believe that regular gasoline has a fairly short shelf life.  Other reading I've done (such as on Wikipedia) and discussions with prepper types indicates that gasoline without ethanol is fairly stable.  A 30-gal drum full of ethanol-free gas, which is available locally, could run the EU2000 full-bore (2kW at 1.1 gal every 4 hrs) for 9 days, or at quarter duty cycle (500W at 1.1 gal every 9.6 hrs) for three weeks.

This is seeming more and more like a worthwhile expenditure.

LifeSaver Jerry Can

Someone told me about a new water filtration product a few weeks ago, and apparently I forgot to store the info away for future recall.  It's the LifeSaver Jerry Can, which supposedly has 15nm pores, which would make it a purifier, more or less.  However, some viruses apparently get down to 4nm, so even this isn't 100%.  This filter was discussed in a TED talk.

Lists

While searching for inverters, I ran into an interesting list on Amazon: the "Post apocalyptic disaster preparedness list".  Well, I'm already covered in most of the suggested areas, but it's interesting to see what other people are putting in their kits.

The portable solar panel is another list has a review that claims monocrystalline panels last 25 yrs, and that amorphous silicon only lasts 5.  Since that's one thing I have yet to get, the info is good to know....

Items you need in a crisis

Parts one and two.

Metal Spigots

Most gravity-pressure water filters have plastic spigots, which sucks.  There are a couple sources for metal spigots that I've found online, but one of them is only in Europe.  The commercial dispenser spigot manufacturer is Tomlinson.  Unfortunately, the type with a watch glass is still a plastic body.  I suppose the other alternative would be to have a machinist make one to spec.