SHTF scenarios anybody?

[JPGreco]

Want to see a prepper go off the deep end? You should have been at my place a couple of hours ago. They issued another tornado warning!!! That does it! I have not even picked up all the wood from three weeks ago!

Hubert, you come to my place tomorrow and we can start on the storm shelter. I have a new shovel and wheelbarrow. We need to move 1,000 cubic feet of dirt, start mixing concrete and stacking cinder blocks. That should take your mind off TEOTWAWKI and doing it in 86 degree temps will teach you why Americans drink their beer cold.

At one time I thought about moving out the midwest to start a storm cellar business. Build and/or install them. I just can't imagine going through what you have gone through. Stay safe man.

[Rick]

It's a very odd statement on human nature but the only time storm shelters and generators are in demand is directly before and after a bad storm. With hurricanes it's usually before since they are known well in advance. With tornadoes it's after. I'm guessing water pumps are big right after a tsunami. Well, that and radiation suits.

[Batch]

You know we had a couple of one or even two day power outages after close call hurricanes. We also have dealt with rolling blackouts when power demands exceed our power companies ability to supply. But, after we took a direct hit from Wilma in 2005 everyone bought a generator. I also know the majority who did buy a generator do not properly store nor run thier genrators. So, I'll bet if we ever need them again more then half will not run because of clogged jets.

[hunter63]

Wild turkeys, flying down off the ridge, hitting the power lines, do knock our power at "The Place" out from time to time.....and storms.
Really the only thing I need power for, is the in-ground pump....But I can use the hand pump.

[Wildthang]

I have 2 generators, you know the old saying, 1 is none, and 2 is 1. I would actually like to have another one so I am watching for good deals. If there ever was an extended outage, for instance 1 or 2 months, you could literally wear a single generator out!

[Rick]

You just have to take the coil out, soak it in voltage and re-install it. It's hard to wear out a generator if you follow that advice.

[kyratshooter]

I have a funny attitude toward generators. I do not attempt to maintain the house on gen power, only the fridge/freezer and a couple of lights. If the situation were a long term event I would not even do that and use the gen power only for power tool operation.

While in town my neighbors would go on gen power so they could watch TV.

While building my previous home I went a year off grid. The gen was for power tools. The RV I was living in was powered on 12 volt/solar and propane for all other needs.

During that year I went from late March until mid October without having to recharge the batteries working only off a small solar pannel from Autozone. The batteries were charging 18 hours a day and being used only about 2 hours.

You have to be carefull soaking those coils in voltage Rick. I once left one in a pool of voltage too long and it blew up on me when I hooked it back up. I probably did not let it dry out long enough.

[Batch]

You know that you can't just soak the coils in an indiscriminate amount of voltage. It should be one measured coulomb per desired Joule of power.

[Rick]

You boys have been reading too many college electrical books. If you tie a string on the coil and lower it in a 5 gallon bucket of voltage to about midway then that's perfect. The high voltage will stay above the coil and the low voltage will stay below. That mid layer is perfect for a genny. KY - You have to hook the negative lead up FIRST. I've seen guys hook up the positive lead and the coil will fizzle and spark voltage and finally blow up.

Batch - I figured a SHTF situation for you would be to run out of hot sauce.

[hunter63]

Always make sure that those outlets in the wall have something plugged in to them....so the voltage doesn't leak out and make a puddle on the floor.....that you might step in.

And remember that all electricity works on FM and smoke...........

[intothenew]

Coulomb is rolling in his grave.

[Wildthang]

Being that my background is in electrical engineering, this is going to give me nightmares!

[Girly]

I am not one that believes asteroids are around the corner, or Gama rays are coming, but I think there will be a real problem in the future with the number of Baby Boomers retiring and the new health care bill implemented.
I work in the medical industry and deal with insurance daily. The first wave of Baby Boomers are retiring and they will expect to collect from the Social Security fund and sign up for Medicare. The Social Security fund is already maxed out and the government is trying to figure out how to rob Peter to pay Paul to make it work.
There are many Baby Boomers that are finding out they won’t be able to afford to retire just yet and they will have to stay in the job market. This is going to put a major cramp into our already tight job market.
I work with seniors in the health care industry and I can tell you that on average each one is on about 7 different medications. Just wait for a couple of years when the boomers really start showing up for benefits.
The new health care bill is already gearing up to make big changes in 2014. As of right now Medicare is making it difficult for seniors to get some items covered. I work with people that have Medicare and secondary insurance and they have never had to pay for any out of pocket expense until now. They are always so surprised. This is just the beginning.
I think in another 7 to 10 years we are going to see a really big change in the country..that just may constitute for a when the SHTF scenario.

[Rick]

I hate to tell you but robbing Peter to pay Paul is why Social Security is in the mess that it's in.

[Girly]

Rick,

You are correct. The government has used the Social Security fund for a lot of things they shouldn't have (i.e. funding of wars), but now it is coming down to the wire, and it is time to pay the piper...problem is..there's no money. It is going to get ugly in the next few years...just my thinking.

[Allen Currie Author]

4- Conventional war on US soil
5- weather pattern shift
6- government collapse
7- Civil War

Any natural disaster such as solar flares wiping out our electrical grid or super volcano eruptions are certain, but over what time frame?

Allen

[Allen Currie Author]

I hate to tell you but robbing Peter to pay Paul is why Social Security is in the mess that it's in.

You forgot the part about skimming off a "fair" (70% or +) for 'gummint'

Allen

[finallyME]

And keep in mind that 19th century non-petrolium technology was not the "stone age".

This is pretty much the point I was trying to make. Pick any method of completely cutting all power to the grid in the whole world. Where will that send us? Not too far. They didn't have electrical power in the 1800's. And, it wouldn't even send us back to the 1800's. Why? Because we still have all the knowledge and infrastructure to fix it back to where it was before.

Anyways, I don't have a generator. I decided that I should prep for no power. Although my preps aren't complete, my plan is to just have everything I need not run on electricity. This means wood stove for warming the house and cooking in cold weather. Outside fire pit and solar oven for cooking in the hot summer (to not heat the house). Oil lamps for light ( and going to bed at dark). There are also these things called blankets. If you put them on, they keep you warm in cold weather, pretty neat actually.

[finallyME]

You boys have been reading too many college electrical books. If you tie a string on the coil and lower it in a 5 gallon bucket of voltage to about midway then that's perfect. The high voltage will stay above the coil and the low voltage will stay below. That mid layer is perfect for a genny. KY - You have to hook the negative lead up FIRST. I've seen guys hook up the positive lead and the coil will fizzle and spark voltage and finally blow up.

Batch - I figured a SHTF situation for you would be to run out of hot sauce.

I should try that. But, first, I need to fill my blinker fluid reservoir in my car. I think its getting empty.

This reminds me of a joke we played on our truck master in Iraq. We drove big trucks that carried tanks. Anyways, for brakes, they had air brakes. You would think that someone with the title "truck master" would know this. One time a soldier asked him if he could help him find the brake fluid reservoir. An hour later, he decided to give up the search and ask the mechanics. They told him it was next to the blinker fluid reservoir.

[Rick]

You can prep for both, you know. I have kerosene lamps but I have my ginny, too. What happens if it's a short Zombie Apocalypse and only like 20 or 30 show up. Maybe they get the date wrong and show up early? I can just fire up the ginny and sit inside in the aid conditioning while they melt away outside. You, on the other hand, will have to run around the charcoal grill trying to flip burgers AND stay out of their reach.

What happens if Bernanke holds a press conference and announces that the U.S. economy tanked then the next day he figures out the negative sign was just an eraser smudge. There you are lighting candles, getting burned on the solar oven and I'm still sitting in the air conditioning with my ginny running.