Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

RAS wrote: »

Given that the main grid cables in the SW cannot cope with any more local wind or solar power generation, that could be a fair number of volts/Kw.

No it couldn't.

Before any grid lines/cables are worked on, the switches must opened, and the lines/cables earthed.

[Deleted User]

Frugalsod wrote: »

I think a jet boil system might be a good emergency back up

Not below about -15c it won't.

Cottage_Economy

mardatha wrote: »

Cottage Economy...If I had a family at home I would learn all about canning bottling and preserving, and do that instead. But there are only the two of us so I think we can just do without bulging freezers.
You can get solar freezers which I liked the idea of, but they cost about £900 so out of the question.

I've been playing with the idea of getting a proper canner after seeing a great seminar on it by lady from the Latter Day Saints (on youtube, not in person). She was canning whole meals too.

I was looking at the price of freezers last night and did gulp a bit.

Frugalsod wrote: »

Now that is a stupid idea. Who thought that would be sensible? They should be shot! To have solar generating capacity shut down because of a power cut. I suspect it was the power companies who thought that the customers would simply disconnect themselves and get free electricity.

To give us the illusion of freedom, but the ability to snatch it back at the last moment and make sure we're under control. Sorry, just been to see The Railway Man and am a bit over-emotional.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

...can I throw into the debate the idea that canned meat is a worthwhile consideration rather than frozen? I know there is a lot of predjudice on canned foods in this day and age but things like corned beef are very versatile and can be used for many dishes that would normally be made with minced beef.

I've got a few tins of corned beef in the stores but I've never tried to use it in pies etc so it looks like I've got some experimenting to do
I did actually try some canned chicken before but I'm not sure I liked the taste to be honest and pork...spam....well...a novelty but I couldn't have that long-term. I'd love to be able to properly can actual meals as well as the raw ingredients. Actually I'd like to cover all bases for just about everything - canned, dried, fresh...

Cottage_Economy

nuatha wrote: »

My solution would be to decant the freezers into Maxcold cool boxes, I did this with a freezer failure and four days later everything was still frozen, more recently I tested them with ice cubes and bottles of frozen water, after 6 days the temperature in the coolbox was -10, the average air temp over the 6 days was 11C (unfortunately that's the point where life got in the way and prevented me from checking temps over the next few days)
Maxcolds aren't cheap but have no running costs. (though they are bulky)

I was looking at coolboxes last night and I think it's a good idea to have a couple to hand. I was also looking at portable 12v coolboxes/freezers, but was disappointed to find they are only coolers at 12v and need 240v mains to get them to -15 degrees.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

I'm saying canned food but in Mr.T in the world foods section there is usually a good selection of foods from Poland and they stock a jar of wonderfullness that is KIELBASA, it's a spicy sausage under a layer of pure white pork lard and the product is super in anything you can make with mince , I even use it for pasta sauce. They often have it on special offer at £1.99 a jar and it's well worth having in store. They also have a jar of beans with bacon FASOLA which is beautiful too and if you like beetroot, there is an instant BORTSCH soup which comes in at 49p a packet. All good things to have in reserve for a powerless day, Lyn xxx.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check those out next time I'm in there.

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Have just ordered from Ama*on 'Libbys - The Art of Cooking with Canned Foods' by Sonia Allison which has cost me 99p plus postage. There are 7 more copies, all used and in good sondition, I'll let you know what it's like when it arrives here, Lyn xxx.

That sounds a great book. I knew my £5 swagbucks haul would come in useful this week! I have the Ball Complete book of preserving on my birthday list so hopefully I'll have two good books to read on the subject soon.

nuatha

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

I've been playing with the idea of getting a proper canner after seeing a great seminar on it by lady from the Latter Day Saints (on youtube, not in person). She was canning whole meals too.

I'm planning on adding canning to the repertoire, but there's other demands on the finances at the moment. Shipping from Amazon.com seems to be the most affordable option as generally shipping from the States is seriously expensive.

I did actually try some canned chicken before but I'm not sure I liked the taste to be honest and pork...spam....well...a novelty but I couldn't have that long-term. I'd love to be able to properly can actual meals as well as the raw ingredients. Actually I'd like to cover all bases for just about everything - canned, dried, fresh...

Dehydrating is fairly straight forward and has the advantage of needing a lot less storage space (and being lighter to carry). There's a useful thread on this board which may be of interest.

ALIBOBSY

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

Thought I'd pop in and post this as it's been on my mind lately: The prepper toolbox.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y98czv7J2g0&list=PL13666A039236896A

To add to my list of prepping resolutions this year is to put together a good toolbox.

As OH does odd job type work and gardening so we have cabinets and boxes and shelves full of tools lol. Went to put shopping in the boot the other day and had to balance it on top of a large hammer drill, two hammers, a box of various other tools a saw and an AXE.

Dread to think what the police would have though about that one lol.

Ali x

Cottage_Economy

Frugalsod wrote: »

If you have a river or stream nearby you could put a simple hydro generator into the stream but you will need a flow to generate.

Ahhhh...one day...when we have our forever house. I remember my parents taking me to an outdoor museum once with a working flour mill powered by a water wheel and thinking then I'd love to have one of those one day. with childish enthusiasm i thought it would be fun to sit on one of the blades of the water wheel on one side and then be chucked off the other side as it went up over and round. Then I saw The Eagle Has Landed and that was the end of that idea.

nuatha wrote: »

Either solar panel, generator or by running the car engine.
You could install solar panels and take them with you when you move - a KW rig would cost about £1000 for a self install kit, and a decent inverter would be another £100.

The feed-in tariff control panels shut down without a mains source, leaving you without electricity no matter how sunny it is. It a real SHTF scenario bypassing them is possible, but I suspect this isn't feasible for a few days of no grid power.

I didn't know that about solar panel systems that have feed in tariff panels. I wonder how many people with panels know that or whether they find out for the first time when they have a power cut.

Like the idea of a self made rig I could take with me. When I've got my head round some of the power and electrical concepts a bit better I'll sit down and work out what size panelling I'd need to ensure something like a fridge and freezer could run during the day, as I doubt I'd be able to get a battery source large enough to store the power. Unless someone knows where I can get submarine batteries

jk0 wrote: »

I don't know if they have made any improvements but my childhood motorcaravaning with my father was very unsatisfactory as regards refrigeration.

The van had a 12 volt fridge which consumed 8 Amps, which flattened the batteries by bedtime. Then you had to crouch on the floor to work the controls in the rear bottom of the fridge to put it on camping gaz. This used a bottle every 3 days which cost around £12 per refill 30 years ago. Also the dealers were hard to find around Europe, so we were constantly draining the batteries to try to save gas.

Edit: My musings here might be helpful:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/64188916#Comment_64188916

:rotfl:my father knew nothing about caravans really, so after a couple of abortive attempts borrowing someones rig we switched to static caravans for our holidays.

Thanks for the link. I'll read through it tomorrow with a pot of tea.

I had a sort of brainwave about powering a fridge freezer, but putting it into practice on a DIY basis might be slightly more difficult.

I ran this past hubby and although he laughed he couldn't fault the concept.

If you could find a way to rig up a mostly mechanical system that could be wound or use magnets to create the movement you could run a freezer from the energy that creates. The victorians created some amazing systems that needed only a little input to keep them going.

Hubby of course fell about laughing when I said the word 'wound', imagining I was talking about a crank handle sticking out the side of our freezer. :doh:

Then I did some more searching and I found this Engel portable freezer that uses this concept of creating energy from movement, but they are way out of my price range for the size they are. But very interesting nonetheless. In the video (there is a link at the bottom of the page) Rusty says it can freeze meat only powered by a 12v cigarette lighter.

Engel 12 volt Fridge freezer

nuatha

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

I was looking at coolboxes last night and I think it's a good idea to have a couple to hand. I was also looking at portable 12v coolboxes/freezers, but was disappointed to find they are only coolers at 12v and need 240v mains to get them to -15 degrees.

I did look at the powered coolboxes but even running on constant 12V various reviews suggested they were a lot less efficient the Igloo Maxcold range. (For maximum efficiency, Igloo recommend that you pre-cool the cool box in advance of use, my test have been with the boxes at ambient temperature prior to use).

Cottage_Economy

daz378 wrote: »

might need my prepps this year ....been to a meeting today....organised by unison..... council wants to change theway the care service is provided.... wants to turn us into a mutual.... like the co..op...i expect would be mutual in name only.... a friendlier word than privatisation....and if dont agree...... redundancies may ensue.... not sure of the timescale....but may up my tinned purchases while still in work..uncertain times

Sorry to hear that Daz. I was made redundant in November. I was very lucky and knew four months in advance, although I'd had a sniff in the wind two months before then. We switched to shopping in Aldi for everything we could and the money we saved was spent on laying down a stock of basics. It's been a wonderful standby and a source of comfort to have.

nuatha

Cottage_Economy wrote: »

I didn't know that about solar panel systems that have feed in tariff panels. I wonder how many people with panels know that or whether they find out for the first time when they have a power cut.
Like the idea of a self made rig I could take with me. When I've got my head round some of the power and electrical concepts a bit better I'll sit down and work out what size panelling I'd need to ensure something like a fridge and freezer could run during the day, as I doubt I'd be able to get a battery source large enough to store the power. Unless someone knows where I can get submarine batteries

One option is to run a number of car batteries in parallel (you can run multiple pairs (linked in series for a 24V system and in quads for 48V) but they do take up more space than you might have thought)

I had a sort of brainwave about powering a fridge freezer, but putting it into practice might be slightly more difficult.

I ran this past hubby and although he laughed he couldn't fault the concept.

If you could find a way to rig up a mostly mechanical system that could be wound or use magnets to create the movement you could run a freezer from the energy that creates. The victorians created some amazing systems that needed only a little input to keep them going.

Hubby of course fell about laughing when I said the word 'wound', imagining I was talking about a crank handle sticking out the side of our freezer. :doh:

If you are looking at human powered systems, start with a bicycle, its amazing just how efficient they are.