Planned Obsolescence, Money over Quality and preparedness

[Argonaut]

bolus, do you have NG or Propane available?

The reason I ask is to mention I have a Honda super quiet gen converted to run on propane and hooked to a transfer switch. The propane conversion was great fun to install and works very well, and I can still run it on gasoline if need be. This could be a good backup to the solar.

Propane is terribly inefficient and makes generators and vehicles very thirsty. You will loose 20-30% output and it will burn twice the fuel as any other spark ignited fuel. . The advantage is the fuel is easy to store without going bad. The best option is if you are on a natural gas line to hook up to that but that can be interrupted by something like a fire or earth quake. The best option is still Diesel, the fuel contains more energy per gallon and if it gets dirty can be simply filtered back to being useable again. (We call it fuel polishing) the absolute best is my buddies hydroelectric system he powers his Kodiak rural home with. He simply throws the turbine into fast water in his creek and it works flawlessly. Produces over 30 KW nearly year around. Other than that a good modern Diesel powered generator is the best and most efficient. I have supplied generators to both emergency standby systems and to remote operations that are 100% generator supplied for 30 years. With proper planing and design, they can be very efficient and trouble free. Diesel is easy to store, safe and simple to get delivered. (Also no road tax on generator Diesel) The weak part of solar is still the batteries, there really isn't anything more efficient than the old wet Cell lead acid. Eventually there may be a breakthrough and whoever does it will be an instant billionaire but with all the energy being extended to find the answer, few have been developed. So I usually advise my clients to design there homes to be energy efficient first, solar can be effective with government assistance but never be without a solid generator base backup......and Diesel is the best fuel so far.

 

[The Heretic]

I have a generator that runs gas and propane but will probably need to back it up with something else. Thanks

Petromax lantern sitting on my woodstove:



I also have emergency lighting throughout the house that comes on automatically when the power goes out.

We have power outages up here on the mountain every year. Only one has lasted longer than a day, but I did not really need power even then as I still had water pressure from the well and hot water - I took quick showers.

My next place will have solar power and solar heated water as a backup for geothermal to run the hydronic radiant heated floors and a wood furnace as a further backup. I will have grid power as it is cheap here and is pretty much a requirement to get building permits and to sell a property, but I will probably be selling electricity back to the power company as I anticipate I will be using very little electricity.

 

[Argonaut]

The finest homes in Boise (in the Warm Springs area) have always had geothermal heating piped from hotsprings near the old prison, it has operated for over 100 years. There is little new in the world. Heating and cooling are major energy consumers in modern life. Lights and most everything else are minor consumers of power in comparisson. Most homes can operate well on 1 or 2 KW of power with heating and cooling removed from the equation. 15 years or so ago my folks urban Spokane South Hill Home was without power for several weeks after a serious ice storm. So many power lines went down that even an army of repairmen took that long to affect repairs and it was the dead of winter. I sent a 30 KW gen set and they were comfortable with the help of there wood fired furnace and the RV for gas cooking. Rural people like us are more prepared than urban people. I don't know what you would do as a large apartment dweller. Just wait to be rescued I guess. Spokane has an interesting system down town, they had a huge industrial steam plant that pumped hot water to buildings within a mile or two of the center of town. It is a retail center with restaurants today. Even nuclear power relies on steam to convert heat to electricity. It is a major basis of modern human life.

 

[solv3nt]

We don't have natural gas on the island. Only big propane tanks.

 

[titsonritz]

• Have an oil lantern or candles to back up your flashlights
• Have an ax to back up your chainsaw
• And if you have your survival manual on your kindle, get a paper copy.

I have 5 axes and 1 saw, and only 1 chainsaw. Lol.

I believe 2 is 1 applies to most critical items. Things should be redundant, and stored in seperate areas to prevent theft or disaster from depriving you of both at once!

Examples:

3x 5.56 rifles
2x 9mm
2x .22s
About 6x good flashlights
Rations, both marine and dehydrated stashed in house and vehicles.

About 6x Water treatment and filters,
Multiple stoves and fuel source.

Etc.

Sounds like having a generator, electricity hookup, and solar is a good place to be!

There are two concepts I ardently adhere to regarding prep, first, the department of the redundancy department and second, the old school is the cool school.

When push comes to shove warranties don't mean squat.