Alright folks – another installment of “Q & A Day”. Basically, ask me a question and I will give you an answer. It can be about pretty much anything – politics, firearms, current events, survival, preparedness, why’d the chicken cross the road – whatever.
Go ahead – “make my day.”
JR
Okay, I’d like to hear about hardening the home against attack. Depending on the type of SHTF, I may not be able to get out with my wife due to health issues -ie EMP and all vehicles not working. Typical 90% brick home in a housing addition in rural subdivision. Suggestions for doors, windows, creating a safe room, etc.
And why would the chicken cross the road?
Keep Looking UP!
Working on the security question JBernDrApt – until then here is the answer to your second question:
Beer….beer is the reason.
eggcellent . . . Keep Looking UP
? ? ? ? What color shell would a “Beer Fed” egg have? Would the yoke make a proper … Deviled … egg?
A couple quick and easy ways to harden your home against attack is to replace the screws in the jams (through the faceplates) of all your exterior doors with 6″ steel screws (the jam is typically the weakest point of a door). Also, invest in some good under-the-doorknob security bars (such as http://smile.amazon.com/Master-Lock-265DCCSEN-Dual-Function-Security/dp/B0002YUX8I?ie=UTF8&keywords=doorknob%20stopper&qid=1463682496&ref_=sr_1_7&sr=8-7) for your external and indoor safe room doors – I keep one on my bedroom door at night because it gives me at least enough extra time to grab my firearm, should someone break into my house. I would also add true deadbolt locks to your exterior doors (key required on both sides), especially if you have any windows on/near your door.
Thanks MacDaddy.
In Florida we have building codes for hurricane, our exterior doors swing outward.
Well I have a pretty weak home if the home is all I consider. Los of windows, including the doors. Glass and more glass.. I am considering replacing the doors with commercial metal (not foam with metal veneer). If you mount them opening OUT, then they can’ be easily kicked IN. Add the steal posts you can get and it is pretty strong. You would have to add plating to make it bullet resistant to anything or any size. And you have to do something with where the frame attaches to the house.. and to accommodate the extra weight. Then there are the windows.. short of customizing them by shudders you can mount.. windows are weak points. I guess you could always put in a “Storm Shelter”. Really it would be hard to [prevent an aggressive trained group from getting in. All most could do is make the target harder than the next house so they move on. On that.. hardening starts well outside the home. Barrier plants. Tangle foot snares. A working dog or two. You can get crazy with it, and in an incorporated area there are rules to some of that. And maybe finding a way to make the home look less interesting. Camouflage isn’t cover but combine it with several small elements you can increase your odds, and at least buy time. After that it’s more onto aggressive defensive measures. The more aggressive they are, the more the rules get int he way. And we the harder they are to manage. I’ll leave that there .. There is some literature, but probably not at Barnes and Nobel.
as to chickens .. I like the beer picture..
Basically my chickens and ducks are about the dumbest critters n earth.. so maybe that’s it.
I live in the hurricane zone so I had hurricane glass installed in all exterior windows. Not cheap but great security. This house has a Galvalume roof with 45 solar panels on top. I don’t know how much protection it might be from an EMP but it sure makes cell phone reception difficult.
Good question CaptTurbo regarding the Galvalume roof. It certainly won’t hurt but complete protection it won’t be. My standard answer on EMP protection is no one knows for sure as it hasn’t happened yet. Storing desired items in multiple metal sealed containers with a non-metallic barrier in between is the ideal protective method.
JR,
But it has happened!
EMP from Starfish Prime took out electronics in Hawaii.
From Wiki:
“Starfish Prime caused an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), which was far larger than expected, so much larger that it drove much of the instrumentation off scale, causing great difficulty in getting accurate measurements. The Starfish Prime electromagnetic pulse also made those effects known to the public by causing electrical damage in Hawaii, about 1,445 kilometres (898 mi) away from the detonation point, knocking out about 300 streetlights, setting off numerous burglar alarms and damaging a telephone company microwave link. The EMP damage to the microwave link shut down telephone calls from Kauai to the other Hawaiian islands.”
Starfish Prime was the genesis of much worries and bother. If the EMP from that blast knocked out the then sodium vapor streetlights, think what it would do to your vacuum tube radios. Nested metallic containers appear to be the only viable protection for things electric and connected to the AC mains grid or other long conductor, most likely encompassing the world of antennas as well.
PR
Cool PR! I had no idea. Very interesting.
When can we get a local meetup to discuss emergency comms and HAM. Literally a how-to in programming Yaesu/Wouxon hand-helps… If you found “the comms guy”, I bet it would be well attended. And question: what do they call Canadian Ham in Canada?
First off Matt give me a buzz or shoot me an email and I can assist in programming your radio’s.
Now most importantly Canadian Bacon in Canada is called “back bacon”. Hmmmm……
I can help with programming a Yaesu FT-270.
Quote: what do they call Canadian Ham in Canada? I would say they’d call it HAM ! From what the Hindu truck driver I met recently from Vancouver.
I’m working on a solar system for back up. Not the whole house, simply a 20 amp circuit for the freezer and refrigerator. Anyone have any information on this type system? How many sqft of collector needed, battery backup etc. I’d appreciate any and all info.
The short answer Oren is, a lot. Use a clamp on ammeter with peak hold to measure the starting current of each and from that you can estimate the watts required. Sun Dancer and Dometic are popular brands http://www.backwoodshome.com/solar-powered-refrigerators/. You also should look at backwoodssolar.com and order their print catalogue. It has a lot of most helpful starting out advice.
I recommend you first have a look at some of the high efficiency freezer/refrigerators intended for off grid and then the better dual fuel, electric/propane devices.
Best wishes with the project.
PR
Oren – I am working on a system currently only to power a small college dorm room style fridge. What is your drawing AMPS? Could you get buy with a small fridge just to keep a few things cold or are you wanting to power a freezer AND a fridge?
Oren and JR,
For years I have enjoyed the portable Engel Refrigerators. I first encountered Engel on safari and when back home bought one right away.
See:
http://www.westmarine.com/buy/engel–43qt-portable-refrigerator-freezer–11589470?cm_mmc=PS-_-Google-_-Shopping_PLAs-_-11589470&adpos=1o6&creative=54604289764&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=CIntiOfp5swCFYU2aQodXwoPyQ
These things are both AC and 12vdc DC powered and cool is by conventional compressor using a reverse Rankine cycle. Turned down, these things will turn a gallon of water into a block of ice. These units are highly efficient and will cool all day on the vehicle battery and the engine still start. A tad pricy but the option of both AC main and 12vdc with high efficiency makes them serious coolers.
PR
Lots of feedback already so I won’t over talk .. all good advice ..
If you want to replace your fridge or freezer with a 24vdc model .. you absolutely can.. If not, then you need enough power and battery reserve for the worst power day (least sunny), to support what you are using in AC. Winter and summer are not the same power generation due to the seasonal declination of the earth and the location of “where in the world you are”. One strategy a friend of mine uses is a timer so the fridge is not constantly running on thermostat to reduce power usage. And too.. lights and freezers are not the same. The compressors take an initial starting load, that is higher than run time load. There are several on line or downloadable calculators that show you how to list the devices you want to power, and it adds the load all up. Then you size the batteries . they do that too.. and the panels for output wattage and the number of panels based on geographic locations. You need things like charge controllers to prevent over charging and exploding batteries (not kidding), and preventing panels draining power back out at night. If you want AC power you need an inverter to change DC to AC .. Not 100% efficient. All inverters are equal either.. check out Pure Sine Wave Inverters.. (a type of inverter, not brand). Label all your circuits on the panel.. and know what you need to turn off and don’t if anything. Now .. feeding power back into the house.. there is code and what will work.. Code is a better idea.
It’s usually more expensive. but burning down the fort isn’t good either.. 🙂
some links
http://www.freesunpower.com/system_sizing.php
http://www.thedoityourselfworld.com/The_Solar_Panel_Requirements_Calculator.php
https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/tools/solar-calculator.html
http://electrical-engineering-portal.com/download-center/electrical-software/calculate-size-of-solar-panel-battery-bank-inverter
http://rimstar.org/renewnrg/calculate_your_power_needs.htm
good luck
Here is a Link to the last Text Book I studied from on the subject.
http://www.atperesources.com/old/index.html?http&&&www.atperesources.com/old/pvs.html
Download files has a list of various sections & I hope it helps !
OK a not retorical question whose answer I learned in grade school. Why are Fire Engines red?
PR
Badger359 and JR,
You may be both right. There was certainly a lot of red barns. I guess neither farmer nor fireman worried back then about red lead pigment and cancer.
Speaking of reds, the reason I learned regarding fire engine color was so well reasoned that I memorized it way back when. The logic is compelling:
Why Are Fire Engines Red?
They have four wheels and eight men;
Four plus eight is twelve;
Twelve inches makes a ruler;
A ruler is Queen Elizabeth;
Queen Elizabeth sails the seven seas;
The seven seas have fish;
The fish have fins;
The Finns hate the Russians;
The Russians are red;
Fire engines are always rushing;
So that’s why they’re red.
Can it not be true?
PR
I saw this too PR – love it.
I asked my grandpa that question, he said it’s because back in the day firefighters were all volunteers and so red paint was the cheapest paint you could buy. so they painted there fire wagons red. True? i do not not know.
I think your grandpa was correct.
I own a sawyer filter don’t know how they can get a bad review could you please post again on how you made a working model to filter large amounts of water I’m ordering one just for that purpose or shoot me a email thanks Cole
I will be writing something up about the bucket kit very soon.
I agree Cole, love my Sawyer. JR looking forward to the bucket kit info! Keep Looking UP
Email sent Cole. Thanks
Because they have eight wheels and four people on them, and four plus eight makes twelve, and there are twelve inches in a foot, and one foot is a ruler, and Queen Elizabeth was a ruler, and Queen Elizabeth was also a ship, and the ship sailed the seas, and there were fish in the seas, and fish have fins, and the Finns fought the Russians, and the Russians are red, and fire trucks are always “Russian” around, so that’s why fire trucks are red!
Jon,
Did you perhaps go to grade school in the Texas Panhandle. Right you are. Were we nearby, I’d buy you a beer and we could talk about fire engines.
PR
Anybody have a decent reference to snares .. I’m looking fro a wire snare design fro small game. I’ve bought the small cable snares with locks and they aren’t very effective. I’ve read how to make small game wire snares from wire but the provided pictures are lite on detail. Up for larger game snares as well .. Not all about pits (labor intensive) and mechanical traps,, they are heavy and not easily packable.
I found a couple good snare setups on YouTube. Just search for “small animal snare”. There are a couple “primitive” snare trap videos that are good ideas.
No snare will work absent game. The key as you likely know is to find currently used small game trails. Barriers and other impediments to direct the animal toward the snare are essential. Some of the commercial stainless steel snares with slide locks will even capture deer. I always make sure every snare is accounted for before departing the area where deployed. The best of all books is someone who knows how to catch game in snares demonstrating technique. A lot of which is regional; what might work in an eastern rainforest won’t work in the Texas panhandle.
http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/snares/rabbitsnarerb.htmlhttp://www.fntpost.com/Categories/Trapping/Snares+Slides+and+Supplies/Snares+Snare+Extension+Cables/Snare+Shop+Snares/
and http://www.amazon.com/Snare-Trap-Versatile-Hunting-Anything/dp/B005FC4U9K offer information on trapping with snares and commercially prepared snares.
http://www.amazon.com/Trappers-Bible-Traps-Snares-Pathguards/dp/0873644069/ref=pd_sim_200_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51-0adDeAzL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR202%2C320_&refRID=0X1AK33PX2BQ3Z4R8Z5V comes highly recommended but I’ve not had the opportunity to review the book.
Snares are inhumane and cause much suffering. Other than learning how to hunt by snare, I can’t recommend the practice. We had a young Rhodesian Ridgeback caught in a black bear trap which broke a hind leg. Much monies thereafter and the dog is mostly normal but limps after hard exercise. Other than for the purpose of learning, please don’t routinely set snares for hunting and if you set a snare, by all means gather it up before leaving the area.
PR
Second question since it is unrelated to the first. I’mm looking at upgrading to a bivy bag from a tarp or adding to it for on the go shelter. I’ve played with investing in a sleep system, that has an included bivy bag.. not cheap .. I’m thinking the bivy needs to be waterproof and adequate protection from elements in storms etc.. Large enough to hang out in for a bit if needed and still eat, and rest effectively. REST is a weapon. On the go and or lite calories, hydration takes some time and rest .. Not being rested makes you sloppy and unobservant. Needs to be packable obviously.
See http://www.eurekamilitarytents.com/tents/tcop.cfm. Not a bad tent but it is an extra 6#7oz. There are lighter similar for Sp Forces but the ones I’ve seen are more than $300.
PR
You can get just the gore-tex bivy bag from Unclesamsretailoutlet.com or ebay for about $40, or on ebay there are the new USMC gore-tex bivy’s with fly netting for about $60ish. There is even a British version I’ve seen for around $20 that work great in all except hot weather 70F and above. Bivy bags generally add 10F to your bags working rating. But PHR has a good idea, maybe a 1 person tent would work better. I personally use the bivy plus a silnylon tarp or a hammock & silnylon tarp setup in our bags.
I’ve a number of military bags, most are nested, all very durable – and very heavy. When I was in Alaska I purchased a top of the line down bag. Light in weight, high in volume (down doesn’t do well continually compressed) and low in wear resistance due to the flimsy light weight nylon liner/covering. It was quite warm and I spent a month where it didn’t top -20.
We keep heavy nested military bags in the vehicles with the intent if needed, to select the appropriate layers for the season/temperature. I sure wouldn’t want to hump a four layer bag with cover very far. These things are high in durability, a desirable feature when Rep. Shumer comes to visit.
When in SE Asia (after the war there), I took a silk sleep bag with me to help ward off bed bugs. The bag was big enough for me to get into and pull up around the neck. Such might make a light weight, high durable, inner liner for any bag. We have silk long johns in all of our go bags. I’ve found the silk underwear to ease friction problems, be fairly durable, and to help cold climes.
For the houses, I cannot recommend wool blankets highly enough. We have dozens, many by Pendleton. Durable, well made, and will last for generations with proper attention. If using wool, one might need to sleep under three or more blankets at our highest Pacific NW home in the mountains. We normally use down filled comforter style bed covers between sheets. When the dogs start crying and trying to bed down with you and their water is frozen in the pan on the floor – then it is cold. I don’t like being hungry nor cold.
PR
jh,
we have one person tents with fly covers and bug netting for openings, in all of our go bags. The openings of two or more tents can be faced toward one another to provide some wind protection if with a group. The goal here is to provide shelter from the weather and from biologicals, in a format other than a heavy tarp or military style poncho for each person without any one person having to hump the weight of a multiple person tent. Bivy bag, small tent, improvised tent, it depends upon the mission, clime, and weight tolerance. We considered the situation where say three or more were normally in a vehicle together with stored go bags. If using a multi-person tent, each would likely have to carry some of the provisions for the tent bearer. Worse case, death happens to some of the party, or better, mere separation. Those remaining may be too few to support a complex multi person tent and that shelter then abandoned. However by carrying their own provisions, each can have full capability independent of the others.
PR
I’m wondering if you had some land & a way to get 1 of the following to said land, Would you all think this a Quality type of survival shelter ?
http://www.concretecanvas.com/concrete-canvas-shelters/what-is-it/
& they have a short you tube video on how the blowup & are ready to use in a 24+ hr. time frame.
I’m not sure SD. I was waiting for someone to comment but absent any thus far thought I’d jump in. Probably the best answer is it depends. It depends upon what you want to be protected from and how big a shelter is needed. The premium shelters are reinforced poured in place concrete underground. They are most expensive. Without more information, I can’t offer a better comment.
PR