The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

littlemoney

Found a gaping hole in my preps. I had thought that in the event of a power cut I would be able to keep warm with the gas fire in my living room.  The boiler died on Friday and I can't get it looked at/repaired till Tuesday. I have been surprised how cold the rest of the house is.

I grew up without central heating and thought I would be ok. What I had forgotten was there was a Rayburn cooker in the kitchen which put some warmth into the house all winter. I am also using heated throw and electric blanket in bed to keep warm. The trouble is I can't see a solution and assume I will have to live with it if I have a power cut. I was already using extra layers before the boiler failed

I've learnt I need some form of bright local lighting. Perhaps a head torch and a battery or rechargeable lamp to provide some background light. Has anyone any light suggestions?

Si_Clist

littlemoney said:

I've learnt I need some form of bright local lighting. Perhaps a head torch and a battery ...

We always wondered why on earth we might need a head torch when we already had ordinary torches plus working arms and hands.  We've never been ones for spending our money on gimmicks, and were doing perfectly alright thank you without a head torch.  Then I acquired one included with some stuff off Freecycle.

Wonderful things, head torches.  Even the really cheapo ones.  Wouldn't want to be without one now even when the electric hasn't gone off.  Every home should have one.  Etc etc etc ...  

euronorris

Hahaha love that @Si_Clist they certainly do make life easier, keeping your hands free  

LadOnTheHill

littlemoney said:

Found a gaping hole in my preps.

<snip>

Has anyone any light suggestions?

Finding a gaping hole in your preps is a good thing, because it means you can plug it.

With regards to lighting, I have the following:

Head torch B09GLLZFK2. It's got a couple of "modes" that can be used together - really bright, focused, distance shining leds and also much more dim leds for more close up stuff that don't dazzle (which can be white or red). It also has removable rechargeable batteries, but can be charged via micro USB cable and will let you know when it's full.

Portable lamp B0825NGQHT. Has five modes, can be charged from micro USB, inbuilt hook and can also be used as a relatively small power pack. It gives off a lot of light in the brightest mode, but obviously lasts longer in dimmer modes.

annieb64

Our boiler pump died on Christmas eve 2020. It was frightening how quickly the house got really cold. We did have a gas fire in the sitting room so huddled round that with quick dashes to the loo and to prepare food .

British gas homecare did come out and replace the pump at 10 p.m.DH offered to stay up to let the engineer in. I suspect he wanted me to warm up the bed!

The engineer told us he had three more calls that night but did intend to phone the people first in case they'd rather wait until morning.

I can remember staying with relatives in the 1960s.  Their only heating was an open fire in the sitting room. If they wanted hot water they boiled a kettle. They had an outside loo too.

CCW007

Re headlights, I've got a couple of beanie hats with headlight built in - OH scoffed at them until he tried one and then decided they were actually quite good.  Combines lighting and keeping warm in one item!  Great for walking the dogs in the early morning dark in winter.

basketcase

Hi!  I've decided to come out of lurkdom with a question.

I've been looking at wind up radios, but can't work out which is best.  eg Would you recommend a basic or one with all the bells and whistles? I was wondering about a mobile charger.  And are the ones with lights useful or a bit of a waste?

Thanks for reading.

DigForVictory

I've a Duronic wind up radio which does radio & also charges by the USB - I wouldn't add a torch as that drains the battery fast - the dynamo torches are a bit weedy but cheap & easy to operate!
I don't know how efficient the crank to charge is on the radio - I might use that to power a rechargeable LED lantern so I can finish cranking sit & listen to the radio then have light to check the thermal insulation is in place! And watch the young wind like demons to power their phones. (I store the radio with a phone charge cable, to aid negotiations.)

basketcase

Thanks DfV

LadOnTheHill

The problem with this that are cranked is it takes a lot of time and physical motion to generate sufficient energy to do anything useful. A solar unit can sit in a window, or outside, while you do other things, where you'd need  to spend time and calories to charge a cranked device.

Don't get me wrong, they have their place. A cranked device is more useful than no device at all, but they do take some effort to get anything useful. I wouldn't like to rely on one in a pinch. A longer handle means more energy output, and the 4" long handle on the little torch I have means I have to crank for quite some time to get a torch that's bright and also lasts for a long while.

If you can, look for a unit that does solar as well as hand cranked.