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Most people forget that their car or truck has a lot of gas in the tank. I was amused at a woman who bemoaned that the gas station pump's weren't working and she and hubby couldn't buy gas for their generator. They never even thought they were riding around with 10-15 gallons in their truck. Remember, if power is off, and you have solar lights, etc, don't light up the entire house. Don't draw attention to yourself.
Yeah people are going to be desperate... people want to bug out to protect themselves from goverment but a desperate man is just as bad. Best to be out of town a ways in the woods specially the first 3 weeks tell the weak and the tweakers are weeded out.
WalMart has them for a buck each! They have about a 25% initial failure ratio, so buy extra accordingly. If they don't fail right away, they generally last years.
Living on the Gulf coast and having gone through multiple hurricanes, I started using white battery operated string lights. They usually only take 2 to 3 AA batteries and last a long time. I keep them in bathrooms, hallways, and high traffic areas. I keep them on all night so I don't have to pick up my flashlight or lantern every time I want to move around.
dollar tree has a mini square flashlight with 2 different beams i used as nightlight for my 96 yr mom the bathroom had a auto emergency light and nitelight so i set the dollar flashlight on her jewelry chest to get her into hall 3 aaa batteries lastes weeks from dark to morning
Same idea but I put a puck light mounted on the wall right next to each light switch that we inevitably flick on, out of habit, when there is no response, we hit the pucks
I bought a dorm size fridge/freezer. I also bought a solar generator. I have crank radio/lights that's also solar. 5 of those. I'm not buying anything that uses batteries. I'm prepping for a longer outage. East Texas
Thats awesome 👏🏽 Consider adding some of those micro-wind turbines as well! And I saw some sweet ideas of planting food crops beneath solar panels in hotter climates, the shade cools the plants, yet they still receive enough sunlight to grow This way you could sort of triple your space usage
A refrigerator is like a freezer in that the more full it is, the less energy required to maintain proper temperature. Try keeping bottles of water in "empty" spaces. You can remove the bottled water when you need the cold space, and put it back when you need to fill that space.
Thermal mass, that's the basic concept of thermal batteries. You'll expend more power initially to cool the object, because you'll in effect be 'charging' the battery. But because there's more mass, it functions as thermal inertia, hence why it coils down slower when power is removed. This doesn't actually change the net energy, but it shifts around *when* the energy is used. And if the power goes out, you'll want to backload and frontload rather than keeping consumption steady.
When I bought our camp trailer a few years ago, the idea was to also have a second space with fridge, stove, shower etc and keep it ready with provisions. The fridge went out but I found a barely used replacement at a great price. All these things require maintenance, $$ and your time, so plan accordingly.
We plan on using the candles/oil lamps in the winter, which will help with heat, and the flashlights/electrical lights in the summer when we can charge them easily with solar panels. Can’t afford a generator.
I'd suggest making a rehersed plan for safe placement of any flame-containing device, as emergency services can be unreliable or outright non-existent after a disaster.
A setup I have is a 25watt solar panel on my truck. I hooked it up to a 25slot 18650 battery pack and on a clear day it tacks on enough energy to add a cool 7% per day! I can charge my phone almost indefinitely!
I have a couple of power banks with built-in solar panels. They'll take a long time to charge, but they're better than nothing. I do like your idea of charging power banks 1st with portable solar panels and then using the banks to charge devices. It makes more sense than, say, just charging a phone. You can use the power in the bank to charge more things.
I connect Directly from one 25 watt Solar Panel -----> 2 USB Power Bricks $10 @ WalMt via Dual USB cig.socket....Doin' this 4 yrs...no harm to Power Bricks. ⭐
Good actionable video for anyone living on the gulf coast. Keeping small electronics up makes a lot of sense. I personally have a 3.5kw tri-fuel generator, an old 40 watt solar panel recovered from a crashed buoy, a 286wh Blue Etty, a stand-alone 600w pure sine wave inverter I can connect to vehicles, a BBQ pit, bags of charcoal, plenty of untreated wood, fishing gear, small kid's swimming pool, etc. Meaningful preps doesn't have to cost a fortune.
I COOK w/ SOLAR Ovensss....Largest Cookie jar $12 @ WalMt w/ clear glass w/ lid...put.2nd glass jar inside...put Relectix inside & underr...clear glass saucersss under 2nd jar & on top as lid...1 under allows sunlight 2 reflect UNDER the 2nd jar...cooks.RAW Meat in summer...good4 warming cand food n ❄
I have a number of DeWalt 20V tool batteries. They store a lot of energy in each. Amazon has converters to take the 18-20V of various tool batteries and convert it to 12V. This voltage can then be used by various automotive USB outlets and portable lights. USB is the future power supply for small devices.
USB-C can provide up to 100W! (20v/5 amps, negotiated with the device, otherwise it gets 5v max by default). Shockingly, I think a new charging spec is in the works that'll go up to 48v and be able to provide 250 watts.
Greetings from Tennessee. While I agree that rechargeable batteries are a good choice, I can't recall you ever saying anything about solar rechargeable battery chargers. You might also think about comparing solar rechargeable LED lights for battery life and recharge times. Keep up the good work. ✌️
Was thinking about the car battery option. Just wanted to throw out how it is very useful inside your home. For instance. Many, many years ago, my in-laws had a power outage right after we were married (early 2000s). They had a pellet stove with an electric feeder and with no power, no feeder. So, fil rigged up a car battery to the stove so they had power. They didn't have those kinds of converters back then. But it's something to think about.
We had so many power outages where I used to live that I was seriously considering running extra low- voltage wiring and 12 volt lighting in every room with a wire near the driveway so I could just connect it to battery in a car. I use a lawn tractor battery in a box for outdoor tools and lighting all the time. It works great for camping. I can pump up air mattress right in the tent , and with LED lights it goes for many days.
Two things: ive got most of my devices in one rechargeable battery size so if it came doen to the last charged battery for the day, i can determine which device to run. AND they actually sell 2000w vehicle inverters so as you said, as long as you have gasoline you can power what you can with the common sized gas generators. Just be sure to have a CO2 alarm close by!
I switched to all d cells for my power outage gear. Coleman makes a nice d cell lantern that will also run aa and charge usb devices. I found having everything run off one battery type really helps cut costs and keep everything simple
Great video! Do what you can with what you can afford. Test your methods before you actually need them so you know for sure they'll function and do what you need them to do. Thanks for the thought provoking video.
well it appears that this vid is a month old now, but just in case since i just found it myself , a good thing to mention would be solar lights like the solar security ones, i have one that i put a piece of wire through its mounting holes so it can be quickly hung up anywhere just charge it during the day and it's all good mine came from harbor freight & has been forgotten to be taken back out and although not real bright it still lasted for 2 nights.
Brought a Koolatron, both a sm. cooler size refrigerator and oven (warmer) that runs on both 12dc&120vac , for &75ish(3+yrs ago amazon) and it's been constantly running since . I use it as a small refrigerator upstairs (plugged into my LG battery gen.) absolutely great deal and most people use for in vehicles and camping.
Go to general dollar buy the cheap path lights. Solar charged. Pull your soldering gun out. Add wire to a led drill tiny hole in outside wall. Mount on outside wall remote light just inside wall. Free light that’s enough if you’re just going potty. You can elevate to more capacity and cheap
Thank you, great info and resources. One thing is to also have multiple backup ways to cook food in an emergency. If you have prolonged outages like we have but good sun, we prefer solar and thermal cooking instead of using up our gas or wood fuel.
I've accumulated a few of those small desk lamps that also charge a battery when they're plugged in. They don't use much power to charge; but I wanted to see just how long one would last on battery alone. It was almost 24 hours at maximum brightness! Your wall-chargeable lamps might see a different result. Since I've got 3 of those and wouldn't need to run them all night, plus 2 of the yappiest dogs around for intruder alarms, I'm thinking that might answer for any lighting needs I might have.
The other thing about the solar generators is that you need the matched solar panels to go with them, no point if you have a big generator and only a 100W panel to power it, it will take a week to power it up 😞
Thanks again for the video! I made a trashcan faraday cage, got me some rechargeable batteries and chargers all thanks to your videos. I also spent money on a 30 watt solar panel to recharge a small anker power bank and to recharge a few lights. Saving money to buy myself a little bigger power bank so I can run a fan or at the very least make some coffee if I lose power. I don’t function well without my coffee lol. Thanks again! Look forward to learning more and have Been binge watching your videos 🙂🦋
@@frostyfrances4700 antique devices made back in the 40s for rural people without electricity. Look it up a on RU-vid, I know there USED to be a few videos plus video of someone that made their own modern version. Made by Crosley company
Yes Left my fridge and freezer plugged into my Patriot solar generator overnight, then in the morning, started the gas generator and plugged the Patriot in. It charged while still running the frig and freezer. My Patriot is 6 years old now and still works great, but i do need to top off the charge twice a year if it doesn't get used.
Yes, you can charge a solar generator with a gas generator. It’s best to do it with an inverter generator since they produce “cleaner” power, but I’ve done it with my regular gas generator that has a built in surge protector. I don’t recommend doing that a lot, but in a pinch, it may be useful.
Thank you JR for your Survival informational series! Rechargeable batteries cost more but will pay for themselves. Flashlights, headlights , lanterns , radios , weather bands and even small TVs can be charged with solar panels. National Gas Carberators Conversion Kits Exist for day time ! Charges Solar for night!
I BUY AA/AAA BATTERIES ON BLACK FRIDAY, WITH A 10 YEAR POWER WARRANTY. I ONCE HAD TO DRIVE MY TRUCK AROUND 10 MILES WITH NO HEADLIGHTS USING A FLASHLIGHT! a battery charger and deep cycle battery and inverter is your cheapest bet. living off grid in a camper for years is the best way to learn how to live during a power failure or grid down!!!
One thing you may want to experiment with is a pocket-sized solar power bank If you invest in a few of those and keep them charged, you may find that you can also charge them off of your home power if they don't get enough charge from the sun
One thing to pay attention to if using a battery powered fan is One thing to pay attention to if using a battery powered fan is to only run it on LOW In order to preserve battery and have that item running longer The HIGHER the speed, the MORE power consumption, but the LOWER the speed, the LESS the power consumption
trouble with refrigerators is the daily defrost schedule ureses as much as the compressor . really shop for batteries like thay 12v the ups size battery work great can recharge fairly quick and now lipo4 are coming into the sla price .
Has any peppers thought about using those outside solar lights that fit on a 4x4 post that is charged by the sun and will set on your table or cabinet because of the base and when it runs down overnight just set it back out in the sun for the next night....
Look into DIY sand batteries. add to it to make em perform better. computer heat pipes one side in the sand the other sticking outside of it being heated up by a candle. The heat pipes dissipate into the sand and the sand will give off the heat. Put a small fan on top of the sand to blow the heat towards your way. Since the fan is moving you could attach a belt or pulley system to it so it'll charge up a device which you can transfer power to something. Would need to keep a stock pile of candles and learn how to make your candles to constantly have heat and possibly some ⚡ ⚡ wood burning stoves will work with a sand battery. Look up rocket stoves too,
What’s scary w the solar is I know with my solar light’s don’t get sun they don’t really give light. If and when Volcanoes blow we won’t have sun. Plus earthquakes that are building up.
Yeah. The only thing I don’t like about the Milwaukee is the coverage area is a little small. However, places that do get air get a lot of it. Thanks for watching!
