If power grid failed....

[fullmetaljesus]

You must do pretty good work if everybody wants them, ought to be someplace where you could scare up some inverters.

I believe they have plenty of power converters at Tosche Station.

 

[indytechnerd]

I believe they have plenty of power converters at Tosche Station.

You can waste time with your friends after your chores are done.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I read One Second After. A real eye opener. Just started One Year After.

Losing the grid will have a very adverse effect on our way of life. Basically a return to the early 1800s. Millions will die off. Scary stuff.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

What i find most stressful about the idea of a major prolonged SHTF situation is....

Im not interested in shooting and killing people. I want to be able to handle my business and gather, grow and other wise scratch out a living. If im traveling on an open road and come across another person or group. How do you handle a peaceful exchange with out incident. If I approach hands clearly visible and attempt contact, they could be armed and gun me down. Or id have to carefully hid from them and deal with the stress of being spotted.

How do you advertise yourself as a non-threat and a non-victim at the same time?

Food, water, shelter easy, anticipating the actions of others, not so much.

 

[churchmouse]

You must do pretty good work if everybody wants them, ought to be someplace where you could scare up some inverters.

I could buy them new but man the good ones that will do some work are serious spendy.
We are friends with a family that runs a local recovery/parts/salvage yard. My son works for them and I am long time friends with most everyone there.
There was a time when folks would let them come out and remove the old family RV that had been setting unused since they discovered that tires/brakes etc were stupid expensive for these things. Some had dual inverters and some had large singles in them. As they were scrapping them out for drive train and metal salvage the inverters were of no real use to them. I could take any I found. I found several good ones. And a few low miles 454 chevy SD's as well....

RV's usually have 2 deep cycle batt's for inverter power. I would get 6 or 8 deep cycle batts (new) and build a nice box. Easy access to all the batt's with the appropriate chargers. The bass boat style that maintains multiple batt's. Mounting everything up neatly and wiring is actually pretty easy. 2 multi plug extension cords wound up in the box on the load side of the inverters makes it easy to use. 6 batt system will run lights coffee maker and a furnace for a weekend.
An 8 batt unit has a serious duty cycle.
I would like to build another one for the house. No genny's running at night and black out the windows.

 

[2A_Tom]

 

[IndyDave1776]

Those might get your thru the first 48 hrs. Living in the shadow of a metropolitan city as you do, what is your plan for repelling the hoards of unprepared city dwellers that will be heading your way ready to relieve you of your earthly possessions when they can no longer get a loaf of bread at their local Piggly Wiggly ? I don't think your 10 gallon supply (estimated) of generator gasoline is going to go very far.

BTW, EMP is a real phenomenon.

Two thoughts come to mind here. First, living on a street with no through route between any two other basic points coupled with the 'gray' appearance has its advantages. Second, and more important, having visited the Land of the Mouse as an invited guest, I can assure you that the last thing I would want to get caught doing is visiting as an uninvited intruder.

 

[Alpo]

Probably be serving Unicorn burgers during the first week......

 

[churchmouse]

Probably be serving Unicorn burgers during the first week......

Dont knock-em till you try-em.....

 

[Vigilant]

Dont knock-em till you try-em.....

Ive heard they were grizzled, tough, and sinewy? Or maybe that was cat?

 

[2A_Tom]

Cat is very tender. Never had Mu Gia Pan?

 

[Vigilant]

Cat is very tender. Never had Mu Gia Pan?

Nope, it contains mushrooms, which are fungus, which if were to be edible, you should be able to eat athletes foot fungus!

 

[BugI02]

What i find most stressful about the idea of a major prolonged SHTF situation is....

Im not interested in shooting and killing people. I want to be able to handle my business and gather, grow and other wise scratch out a living. If im traveling on an open road and come across another person or group. How do you handle a peaceful exchange with out incident. If I approach hands clearly visible and attempt contact, they could be armed and gun me down. Or id have to carefully hid from them and deal with the stress of being spotted.

How do you advertise yourself as a non-threat and a non-victim at the same time?

Food, water, shelter easy, anticipating the actions of others, not so much.

IMO you can't really do it alone. A lot of peeps (myself included) have a small group of like minded folks with whom we will pool our equipment, supplies and talents. Not only is it harder for others to just gun down a small band of wary individuals, but you can't be awake 24/7 alone. A small group can keep a constant watch on their surroundings watch on watch

All things post-apocalyptic get more manageable with your own 'tribe'

Possible it might invert the problem (make the people you might like to contact wary of you)

 

[fullmetaljesus]

IMO you can't really do it alone. A lot of peeps (myself included) have a small group of like minded folks with whom we will pool our equipment, supplies and talents. Not only is it harder for others to just gun down a small band of wary individuals, but you can't be awake 24/7 alone. A small group can keep a constant watch on their surroundings watch on watch

All things post-apocalyptic get more manageable with your own 'tribe'

Possible it might invert the problem (make the people you might like to contact wary of you)

Oh, I already have my tribe and our roles and plans.
But you can't be with your tribe 24/7

 

[K_W]

Nope, it contains mushrooms, which are fungus, which if were to be edible, you should be able to eat athletes foot fungus!

This. Fungus belongs in the forest, not my food.

 

[Alpo]

Then we probably shouldn't talk about the trillion or so microbes that you support......

 

[Rookie]

Nope, it contains mushrooms, which are fungus, which if were to be edible, you should be able to eat athletes foot fungus!

This. Fungus belongs in the forest, not my food.

I'm betting you'll eat pig lips and butt holes (hot dogs) though.

 

[indyjohn]

Can't help but hear the neighbors running their generators and see their electric lights on when the power has been down around here. What is the strategy for not becoming a target if this was SHTF?

My genny is not quiet. I've considered digging a pit large enough for the genny and a person to stand next to it, maybe 6' x 6' x 3' deep ( a LOT of dirt). Getting it below grade would help a lot. I have a heavy molded plastic pallet with foldable walls previously used by the armed forces (thing probably weighs 200 lbs.) that I can place over the genny. It cuts down the noise considerably but I am concerned about the heat build up on warm to hot days.

 

[churchmouse]

My genny is not quiet. I've considered digging a pit large enough for the genny and a person to stand next to it, maybe 8' x 8' x 3' deep ( a LOT of dirt). Getting it below grade would help a lot. I have a heavy molded plastic pallet previously used by the armed forces (thing probably weighs 200 lbs.) that I can place over the genny. It cuts down the noise considerably but I am concerned about the heat build up on warm to hot days.

Do not do that. It is an air cooled machine. It needs air.
Find a way to get a more efficient muffler on it. I had one of the genny's we sold off last year running pretty quite with a motorcycle muffler. It just needed some refinement.

 

[Vigilant]

I'm betting you'll eat pig lips and butt holes (hot dogs) though.

With a smile on my face! Just keep the fungi!