Survival Prepping

[Crash]

I can’t help a lot, but you should look at a dual fuel generator. Propane and gasoline. You can never go wrong with solar. I would definitely look into converting your fireplace into wood burning if you can.

I just looked at the fireplace and converting it to wood-burning might be doable with a little "inventiveness." And, right, I'm considering a dual-fuel generator.

Crash

[srothstein]

I recommend looking into diesel generators. The problem with a natural gas generator is exactly what you mentioned in your comment about the house fireplace/stove etc. What do you do if there is a disruption in the gas supply. You can get a large gas tank that would store enough natural gas to last for about a month or so under normal usage and maybe even tee it in to your main house supply. A diesel generator runs more efficiently than gasoline, I think, and diesel fuel stores longer without breaking down.

A big part of this is your question on how long the disruption would last. If prepping for a natural disaster type situation, you can figure on utilities being back on in about two weeks max in most cases. I am not sure if I would use that as a guideline or prepare for a long term breakdown in society. Then it could be months of years before everything got back on track. The natural disaster is easier to prepare for and more likely to occur, IMO. But if things really go bad, it may just make you an immediate target. This is going to have to be based on your personal estimate of the threat and your financial situation.

If I had the money to build the house I want, it would be designed as an all electric house, with a combination of solar and wind power generators, battery backup systems (like Tesla's wall), and a large diesel generator with a large fuel supply. Of course, it would be on a large lot of land where I could grow enough vegetables and meat to survive for a long time. That would require lots of diesel for the tractors and agricultural vehicles anyway.

[The Annoyed Man]

Get yourself a Patreon account, and subscribe to these four content providers:
- Viking Preparedness
- Bear Independent
- Mountain Guerrilla Blog
- Intehrative Preparedness

Then go back and watch or read ALL of their content from the beginning, before you start spending money. I wish I had done so.

Buy all the ammo you think you’ll realistically need for the guns you have, but keep this at the front of your mind: you can’t EAT ammo......so make food your priority. If you’re thinking of ammo in military quantities, then you’re doin' it wrong. The idea is to have enough to train with, and to hunt with, and for self defense. But if you’re thinking of having tens of thousands of rounds for each of your guns, that’s a poor use of your resources unless you’re a very rich man. The whole idea of survival is to avoid a big fight in the first place.

Stop thinking of storing food that you’d like to eat (because that’s expensive), and start thinking instead of storing calories. FOOD IS FUEL. Nothing more. Then make the bulk of your food purchases in "maximum calories for lowest price" format. That will mean sealed buckets of wheat, rice, corn, beans, etc.

Plant enough garden and raise enough livestock to feed yourself independently of your food stores. Ideally, the stored food is only to get you through until you’re self sustaining, in the event that the bad juju happens before you’re fully prepared. Your goal is to not have to significantly alter your lifestyle when TEOTWAWKI happens. If you’re already self-sustaining food-wise when the bad juju happens, you’ve met that goal. THEN your stored food becomes something else entirely. It enables you to help the widows and orphans. It gives you what amounts to political power.

Read up on COOHMP.

[Crash]

Get yourself a Patreon account, and subscribe to these four content providers:
- Viking Preparedness
- Bear Independent
- Mountain Guerrilla Blog
- Intehrative Preparedness

Then go back and watch or read ALL of their content from the beginning, before you start spending money. I wish I had done so.

Buy all the ammo you think you’ll realistically need for the guns you have, but keep this at the front of your mind: you can’t EAT ammo......so make food your priority. If you’re thinking of ammo in military quantities, then you’re doin' it wrong. The idea is to have enough to train with, and to hunt with, and for self defense. But if you’re thinking of having tens of thousands of rounds for each of your guns, that’s a poor use of your resources unless you’re a very rich man. The whole idea of survival is to avoid a big fight in the first place.

Stop thinking of storing food that you’d like to eat (because that’s expensive), and start thinking instead of storing calories. FOOD IS FUEL. Nothing more. Then make the bulk of your food purchases in "maximum calories for lowest price" format. That will mean sealed buckets of wheat, rice, corn, beans, etc.

Plant enough garden and raise enough livestock to feed yourself independently of your food stores. Ideally, the stored food is only to get you through until you’re self sustaining, in the event that the bad juju happens before you’re fully prepared. Your goal is to not have to significantly alter your lifestyle when TEOTWAWKI happens. If you’re already self-sustaining food-wise when the bad juju happens, you’ve met that goal. THEN your stored food becomes something else entirely. It enables you to help the widows and orphans. It gives you what amounts to political power.

Read up on COOHMP.

The Annoyed Man,

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations.
I've never heard of "Patreon" before, but I'll definitely check it out.
I'm not overstocked on ammo, but I'll very soon have enough to take care of any "contingencies."
We've already started working on the stored food and have some rice, beans, corn and some canned vegetables. We buy extras whenever we go shopping. Our yard is very small and there are restrictions on livestock (like not allowed at all) in our gated community, so that's not a possibility unless TEOTWAWKI looms and then the restrictions will go out the window. However, if we have to wait until that happens, it may be too late to start raising animals. But, there is a small herd Whitetails (about 15) outside our back fence which might become our "livestock." We already have a small garden which we can enlarge and start growing more than just tomatoes.

Thanks again for your help--much appreciated,

Crash

PS

Do you remember our conversations about a good .44 Magnum load for my Browning M92 which wouldn't beat up my shoulder? Well, I tried the HSM Cowboy Action loads with the lead 200 grain bullet which is supposed to make about 975 fps from a revolver. As I said before, I think they'll probably do at least 1200 fps from the 20" barrel of my Browning and they are "minute of felon" accurate and not uncomfortable at all. Problem solved!

[clarionite]

Years ago I had a friend who was very much into prepping. Almost to the point of being the tinfoil hat paranoid type. I keep enough dry goods and portable food on hand to last a few months. 4-5 if we stretch it, we'll survive but will be tired of beans.
He kept pushing me to store more food. Trying to get me up to at least a year's supply. I told him I didn't need to do that. 3-6 months would suffice. He was dumbfounded. He asked me how I came to that conclusion. I told him I stockpile ammo and other toys. If things got bad enough we would need to move to more dependable positions. And I can't transport all the defense items and more than 3 months food and supplies at one time. Besides when it came to that point those who could defend themselves would be better off. Jokingly I told him I know someone who hoards food. Those with guns would have the food at that point. His response wasn't fit to be repeated in this forum. LOL

[clarionite]

I am curious about your calculations for water though. Having spent time in the desert. I have a water cooler for our drinking water. Slowly I've been increasing the number of 5 gallon refils we have. My Fiance noticed when I got to 8, and wondered how many more I was going to get. I explained that having more gave us a longer cushion if things got bad. I'm thinking with 15 or so I should be ok for a while.

[The Annoyed Man]

I am curious about your calculations for water though. Having spent time in the desert. I have a water cooler for our drinking water. Slowly I've been increasing the number of 5 gallon refils we have. My Fiance noticed when I got to 8, and wondered how many more I was going to get. I explained that having more gave us a longer cushion if things got bad. I'm thinking with 15 or so I should be ok for a while.

Questions like "how much water should I store" are very good reasons to COOHMP. Personally, we have a LOT of bottled water stored, but it’s nowhere near enough. There can never BE enough, for the 6 of us who live here and and being located in suburbia, without there being a steady source that’s independent of the water grid.

Our next step is to buy a couple (to start) of 275 gallon water tanks and connect them to our rain gutters. We'll then run them through a Berky filter for drinking. Otherwise we'll use it for taking spit baths and watering the garden.

But ultimately, we still need to "come out of her my people" and find a rural property with its own well.

[clarionite]

Questions like "how much water should I store" are very good reasons to COOHMP. Personally, we have a LOT of bottled water stored, but it’s nowhere near enough. There can never BE enough, for the 6 of us who live here and and being located in suburbia, without there being a steady source that’s independent of the water grid.

Our next step is to buy a couple (to start) of 275 gallon water tanks and connect them to our rain gutters. We'll then run them through a Berky filter for drinking. Otherwise we'll use it for taking spit baths and watering the garden.

But ultimately, we still need to "come out of her my people" and find a rural property with its own well.

I'm looking for rural land currently. And garden water is part of the planning process. I've been pricing storage tanks. Part of what I've been wanting was a french drain into a tank burred for use as a cistern. I hadn't worked out the specifics of making it potable yet.

[philip964]

I have two backpacking water filter pump devices. I store a lot of purified bottled water with dates on the caps. Plus I have bottled tap water in used bottled water containers for washing or filtering.

The first time you dip a backpacking filter into a creek you know contains bugs, and drink the water after filtering it, but you have no other choice, is right up there with some other scary things you have done.

I also have iodine tablets, but their not for the water.

[clarionite]

I have two backpacking water filter pump devices. I store a lot of purified bottled water with dates on the caps. Plus I have bottled tap water in used bottled water containers for washing or filtering.

The first time you dip a backpacking filter into a creek you know contains bugs, and drink the water after filtering it, but you have no other choice, is right up there with some other scary things you have done.

I also have iodine tablets, but their not for the water.

I grew up in rural Arkansas. I can't tell you how many times I drank water directly from a spring coming out of the ground. Some of the best tasting water I've ever had. Unfortunately those are pretty rare around here.

[ScottDLS]

Any gas generator can be converted to natural gas very easily. Do a quick search on YouTube there are many videos with kits and diy.

I have a gas line at my built in grill on my patio that I use. I ran mine for 3 weeks after Ike until we got power back.

Roger, I'll search YouTube--usually has lots of info on most anything you want to do.

Crash

I got a cheap Chinese Powerland Tri-Fuel (gasoline, propane, NG) 8KW portable generator. I also have NG service to BBQ tapped. I keep about 25 gal of stabilized gasoline around too that I change out about every 3-4 months. The problem with portables is they are really loud and not really made to run long term. Also fuel availability is a concern if NG 'grid' goes down. Also haven't gotten around to putting a transfer switch on my panel to power home loads. I've been looking around at some military surplus diesel gensets. Take a look at MEP-803A 10KW "tactical quiet" generator. Diesel stays stable way longer than gasoline and military equipment is really built for heavy duty long term use. Purportedly they can run on almost anything from kerosene to biodiesel, to sunflower oil... . Some surplus sites have them with trailers also and you could keep 55gal drums of diesel around for fuel, they'll supposedly take a suction right of the barrels.

[srothstein]

TAM,

In addition to rain water recovery, I suggest you look into a water condensation system. They can be more reliable than wells in some areas. Here is an article that explains it a little:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospher ... _generator

[Chemist45]

You might also look into Aquaculture:
https://www.skilledsurvival.com/diy-aquaponics/

A retired Admiral built a home with backup solar and aquaculture on 5 acres in Llano county that happens to be for sale right now:
https://www.101highlandlakes.com/news/r ... ics-system

[RPBrown]

After having lived through several Hurricanes and tropical storms, as well as local tornadoes, my wife is scared of a thunderstorm watch. Thats why we movedto the DFW area in 96. With that said, we remodeled our house in 03 and installed a storm cellar that can be accessed from inside the house. It was tied to the house electricity with a plug in station for a generator after storms have passed. The cellar is large enough (20x12) to accommodate 4 of us and was stored with water and minimal food to last a short amount of time. Fast forward to 2008, kids have moved out but wife's fear of storms and now crime has grown. Its now time for her to remodel again (she does something every 5-6 years, minor or major) and she wanted something above ground. Her explanation was that what id a wall collapsed on the door of the cellar. . Okay, we designed to convert a part of our master closet and spare bathroom into a 12x15 safe room. The door to the cellar is within the confines of this safe room it has 6" reinforced concrete walls and ceiling and a steel door. So now we have a 2 story safe room of 420 square feet less the 21 square feet of cellar door area.

At the time, I thought this was way overkill. However, I learned a long time ago to say yes dear . This is also our gun safe. Now, in case of a natural or man made disaster, we have a place large enough for us, food, guns, and ammo.

Last year we install a Generac 16kW whole house generator that runs off NG and can be easily converted to LP. That in itself was, to me at least, the best investment of all of them. because of all of the power outages we have been having. An animal can urinate on a power pole and we lose power it seems

Now, we have a water dispenser in there and 30 gallons of water. However, at my shop, since we do the maintenance on the a/c at a lot of communication stations, cell towers, etc., that are out in the middle of the boondocks, I have a trailer that is loaded with (2) 300 gallon water tanks, a pressure pump and 6000 watt generator we use to clean coils at these locations. I could easily haul it to the house, install a water filter fill our water jugs. Thinking about it now, I may install a connection to just connect to the house in an emergency .