[huntinghawk]

SHTF & you can figure loss of all public utilities starting with electric & water plus sewer & natural gas. Some public utilities in some areas have backup generators for their utilities but only have limited fuel for them. Phone & cell phone are also going to go out. And lots of luck driving around the city with no traffic lights.

Those in the country will actually have an advantage here because of having a well & septic tank. Then its a matter of producing their own electricity.

HH

 

[rthornb]

Being safe and comfy

10-4 on living in the sticks! I am in the process of kicking the utility czar's off the ranch. Heat soley with wood to keep toasty warm. Septic, water, most all food is produced on ranch. Now working om kicking electric czar's off my place. Como? who needs a phone, cb's are low tech and work fine locally . Plus alot of folks still us them or have one stashed somewhere in the shed. SHTF??? I'll be relaxing watching John Wayne, thanking God for the blessings and freedoms I have.

 

[huntinghawk]

rthornb, if there is plenty of wood handy setting up a steam engine to a generator to feed batteries might be a choice.

HH

 

[huntinghawk]

For producing electricity, I'd prefer low maintenance items like solar panels, windturbine, hydroturbine, etc.

HH

 

[m14nm]

rthornb, if there is plenty of wood handy setting up a steam engine to a generator to feed batteries might be a choice.

HH

I,m thinking your right. This link may spark some ideas. I think I would use a connecting rod insted of an electric soleniod.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOqWzefvlfg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOqWzefvlfg[/ame]

 

[tmcfalls]

With a possible ice storm here tomorrow I will be heading out after work to fill up my extra gas cans for the genny this evening.

I wish I had a wood stove both for emergencies and just to save on heating bills but I don't think it is practical to build a chimney in our current house. If I ever get around to building a home you can bet your butt I will have a wood stove or two in it.

 

[rthornb]

HH, I have given thought to steam power but, I 'll probably go wind (plentiful on the plains)and some solar, battery storage. I have 2 6500 w generators with bad engines give to me for free. Now just have to home build the wimdmill to mount them on. Just remember, another mans junk is another mans treasure to keep cost low on these projects. Thank God we live in a coumtry that allows free thinkers.

 

[huntinghawk]

With the wind on the plains I'd definately be looking at some small windturbines.

With a 6500watt generator head it would be really hard to fabricate a windmill large enough to work that head. You'd at a minimum have to gear from the windmill to the generator head.

HH

 

[rthornb]

HH, a manual transmission from ford ranger or similar vehical might work. I converted an old belt driven feed grinder to pto using 1970's pinto trans. Gives me a range of speeds/pwr. Never under estimate scrounging coupled with American inginuity .

 

[huntinghawk]

I may soon be trying the same using a riding mower transmission.

HH

 

[rthornb]

HH, some kind of centrfical device on propeller to regulate prop speed in high winds would be wise. Well guess I'll go do chores now. It's kinda warmed up outside. Yes, I'll take my shtf SA M1A on my big red tractor incase I see wiley ol' coyote.

 

[Federal]

I have a feeling that some utilities will continue if for no other reason, their own survival. Question comes to mind is how they end up getting paid. Nobody will have to worry about driving around to much as limited power to pump fuel out of the ground and refineries doing limited if any production of more fuel will stop most travel.

I sure hope when it happens it is summer or spring, damn I hate being cold. DISHOUTDI2

-

 

[High Desert]

With a possible ice storm here tomorrow I will be heading out after work to fill up my extra gas cans for the genny this evening.

I wish I had a wood stove both for emergencies and just to save on heating bills but I don't think it is practical to build a chimney in our current house. If I ever get around to building a home you can bet your butt I will have a wood stove or two in it.

Retofitting a small wood stove may not be that hard. I have a very small wood stove in the kitchen we put in 7 years ago and it really made a difference. Installation took one day for stove and pipe.

You may want to check on it if your going to be in your place a while.

Best Regards,
HD

 

[mercman]

I built my house in 1993 and had previously lived on the property for 12 years. During that time I only heated with wood and was pretty tired of it sooooo when I built the house I omitted the wood stove. Bad mistake! Now I wish I'd put one or two in. It's on my to-do list. My only problem is that I put in tongue and groove solid wood ceilings and don't want to cut any holes in it so I'm looking at a 45 or 90 degree vent system so I can go out a side wall. I was pretty free with the windows, as my previous dwelling was pretty dark so I'm also limited on exterior wall space. I out thought myself!! Oh well.


I am on a septic and well system, though, smooth move!! The local H2O company came by about 10 years a go and offered to let me hook up to 'city' water. All I had to do was pay $18/ft of road front (393') and cap my old well so as not to be able to 'contaminate' their supply, plus then pay a monthly bill. I escorted their rep off my property. :ARM42:

When we build our place on the dry side it will be stand alone!

 

[huntinghawk]

Wood stove exhausts can defintely be run out a saide wall or rigged threw a window.

HH

 

[mercman]

Understood!! It's definitely on my to-do list, but probably not until next year. I have about 5-6 cords of wood from trees that I took down that are in a pile of logs waiting to be cut and split up.

 

[rthornb]

The Farm Show

Are any of you men familiar with a paper called The Farm Show? Lots of good ingenuity, for example instead of wood burn big bales in outside stove and pipe heat into home .

 

[mercman]

A guy down the road from me has a 'Swedish furnace' that burns multiple fuels---wood, oil, coal, propane, etc.... and it sits outside and is piped into the house with a heat exchanger. Expensive, but I guess it would pay for itself eventually.

 

[rthornb]

Tough row to hoe

Mercman, since country folks have natural resources to make our lives somewhat comfortable, I would like to hear ideas from the concrete dwellers. What can they do for long term shtf basic needs? I'm sure there are some practical ideas out there. For example generating electricity from a auto altenator powered by a bicycle to operate radios, lights, or charge batteries. What about warmth, food, water sources??