Turning a room into a Faraday Cage

[Dybber]

Im by no means profficient with the technicalities of EMPs, effects, protection, etc but I'm interested in a Faraday Cage. I'm moving to a new house after Christmas and in the basement is a good size room where the furnace and water heater is. It has a concrete floor and the walls and ceilings have not been dry walled. My original plan was to build a small Faraday cage to keep batteries and such. Then I started thinking I could put the small wire mesh around the entire room then dry wall over it. The cage could be grounded by the sump pump and theoretically protect the entire room.

Thoughts? Am I way off base? I'd like to protect batteries and other electronics and possibly replacement truck parts such as battery, spark plugs, distributor cap, alternator, and other stuff to get the '02 Ford FX4 running after an EMP.

Thanks for any thoughts or help.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Yes, you are way off base. For what you listed any EMP powerful enough to affect them will leave you not caring.

 

[conan1rice]

As far as a faraday cage goes, it would probably be alot of $$ to do an entire basement. Ive always heard brass mesh is the best thing to use. You could do a small one, and put your stuff in it that you need. Now as far as the stuff your going to put inside, sparkplugs and distributor caps aren't the things that are going to go bad in an emp. its going to be the CPU, or brain of the truck. These are usually very expensive and there would be so many other things that would go out in an EMP on that vehicle that it wouldn't be worth it. Your best bet is to have a older vehicle with more mechanics and less electronics. That way there is less to replace.

 

[Dybber]

Yes, you are way off base. For what you listed any EMP powerful enough to affect them will leave you not caring.

I thought about that as well so I researched the Internet (since they can't put anything that's not true on there lol) and after countless sites and what not, it seems that in the event of say an atom bomb detonated in the sky would produce an EMP not necessarily strong enough to incinerate humans (depending on the megaton) but strong enough to destroy/damage batteries and electronics etc. I was thinking if these batteries and electronics were protected it would provide power for flashlights and whatever else.

 

[Dybber]

As far as a faraday cage goes, it would probably be alot of $$ to do an entire basement. Ive always heard brass mesh is the best thing to use. You could do a small one, and put your stuff in it that you need. Now as far as the stuff your going to put inside, sparkplugs and distributor caps aren't the things that are going to go bad in an emp. its going to be the CPU, or brain of the truck. These are usually very expensive and there would be so many other things that would go out in an EMP on that vehicle that it wouldn't be worth it. Your best bet is to have a older vehicle with more mechanics and less electronics. That way there is less to replace.

Good points about the brain of the truck. I would just be doing one room that doesn't have drywall on the floors or ceilings so I could put the mesh on then drywall ofer all of it.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I thought about that as well so I researched the Internet (since they can't put anything that's not true on there lol) and after countless sites and what not, it seems that in the event of say an atom bomb detonated in the sky would produce an EMP not necessarily strong enough to incinerate humans (depending on the megaton) but strong enough to destroy/damage batteries and electronics etc. I was thinking if these batteries and electronics were protected it would provide power for flashlights and whatever else.

Countless sites are wrong. Batteries won't be affected at all by an EMP. Nor will any equipment that doesn't have integrated circuits and not connected to some type of antenna or power line, and even most consumer electronics will remain largely unaffected.

Your money and efforts are better spent prepping in other areas.

 

[Dybber]

Countless sites are wrong. Batteries won't be affected at all by an EMP. Nor will any equipment that doesn't have integrated circuits and not connected to some type of antenna or power line, and even most consumer electronics will remain largely unaffected.

Your money and efforts are better spent prepping in other areas.[/

I will continue to research this to at least educate myself on the subject. Thanks for the input.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Shibu knows his stuff.

 

[JettaKnight]

Im by no means profficient with the technicalities of EMPs, effects, protection, etc but I'm interested in a Faraday Cage. I'm moving to a new house after Christmas and in the basement is a good size room where the furnace and water heater is. It has a concrete floor and the walls and ceilings have not been dry walled. My original plan was to build a small Faraday cage to keep batteries and such. Then I started thinking I could put the small wire mesh around the entire room then dry wall over it. The cage could be grounded by the sump pump and theoretically protect the entire room.

Thoughts? Am I way off base? I'd like to protect batteries and other electronics and possibly replacement truck parts such as battery, spark plugs, distributor cap, alternator, and other stuff to get the '02 Ford FX4 running after an EMP.

Thanks for any thoughts or help.

Quite possibly.

Countless sites are wrong.

Yup.

With an EMP blast that could take out batteries or spark plug, you've got MASSIVE other problems.


I've used Faraday cages for RF testing. The hardest part is getting the seals for doors. It's terribly expensive for materials and construction and unless to have very expensive test equipment, there's no way to know if you've done it right. The common trick is to throw in a cell phone and call it. Well, I suppose that's good enough for EMP protection since EMP protection is all unicorns and death rays.


So, if you're still worried and want to do something, the best bet is a grounded galvanized trash can. Yup - we use one for some RF testing because it's small and "good enough". Go spend $30, shove whatever you want inside and go to sleep.

 

[Dybber]

Quite possibly.



Yup.

With an EMP blast that could take out batteries or spark plug, you've got MASSIVE other problems.


I've used Faraday cages for RF testing. The hardest part is getting the seals for doors. It's terribly expensive for materials and construction and unless to have very expensive test equipment, there's no way to know if you've done it right. The common trick is to throw in a cell phone and call it. Well, I suppose that's good enough for EMP protection since EMP protection is all unicorns and death rays.


So, if you're still worried and want to do something, the best bet is a grounded galvanized trash can. Yup - we use one for some RF testing because it's small and "good enough". Go spend $30, shove whatever you want inside and go to sleep.

I did see a little about the galvanized trash can but that seemed too simple. I am hesitant to trust the Internet, including this site at times, but I'm more likely to trust this site to help educate me since I know next to nothing about this subject. I appreciate everyone's input.

 

[JettaKnight]

I did see a little about the galvanized trash can but that seemed too simple. I am hesitant to trust the Internet, including this site at times, but I'm more likely to trust this site to help educate me since I know next to nothing about this subject. I appreciate everyone's input.

Sometimes simple is best. I haven't run my test with my RF equipment yet so I can't say exactly how good this solution is, but I suspect that is better at block RF than my equipment is capable of measuring. I'll probably get around to this in January.

 

[snapping turtle]

At naval bases and in some telephone equipment areas they use to lead line the rooms for protection. Yes just like x-ray rooms. I always love tearing out those walls 1/4 in pure lead for reloading. Not real enviromentally freindly if you have kids or grand kids.

It would make a great bug out room.

 

[wbrenda]

will used microwave ovens protect electronic devices placed in them

 

[shift74]

Find an old house with plaster and lathe walls. Check the outside walls. Lots of them have chicken wire in the plaster already. Each outlet and switch box that is grounded is connected to chicken wire. no work free accidental faraday cage. If it would work I dont have a clue. Always wondered ever since first time I ever saw it.

 

[racer77]

what about gun safes... would they be a effective portection from a emp... metal outside, lined with fire retardant drywall?

 

[JettaKnight]

what about gun safes... would they be a effective portection from a emp... metal outside, lined with fire retardant drywall?

Nope. The gasket is designed for heat resistance, not RF.

Find an old house with plaster and lathe walls. Check the outside walls. Lots of them have chicken wire in the plaster already. Each outlet and switch box that is grounded is connected to chicken wire. no work free accidental faraday cage. If it would work I don't have a clue. Always wondered ever since first time I ever saw it.

The mesh is way to loose. A true faraday cage has a very dense, fine mesh screen. Plus, there's windows and doors.

will used microwave ovens protect electronic devices placed in them

No. But try putting a CD in a microwave for 2-3 seconds!

 

[shibumiseeker]

The mesh is way to loose. A true faraday cage has a very dense, fine mesh screen. Plus, there's windows and doors.

Plus a true faraday cage is optimized for the type of EM radiation it's protecting the interior from. Electromagnetic radiation from DC to Daylight (yes, for the uninitiated, it's all the same stuff just different frequencies) causes different reactions and has different properties depending on frequencies and intensities.

This is the problem with incomplete understandings of the physics of what's going on.

People hear "faraday cage" and they think it's one size fits all. It's not.

People hear "EMP" and think they are all the same. They are not.

It's a lot more complex than that, and what drives me to distraction is that there's a lot of people perpetuating misunderstandings out there because they saw it on a television show or saw it on some prepper website which also happened to have an incomplete understanding of it.

I've studied classical physics (and some quantum mechanics, but that quickly gets above my head), electricity, electronics, and radio all of my life and there are aspects of it where my understanding is still incomplete because it is just not that simple.

If it were as simple as "wrap everything in aluminum foil" then EMP wouldn't be the security issue it is, and more to the point, EMP is a security issue on the infrastructure level, not on the individual level.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Hell, it's possible to avoid the effects of an EMP just by orienting things in the proper direction.

OP, if you really want to learn about Mr. Faraday and his ideas on EM, then I suggest you buy a set of physics text books and start reading.

Practically, concerning car electronics, you are better off leaving your PCM in the vehicle. It has to go through GOBS of EM testing and protection already.

That alternator/generator isn't putting out pixie dust.

 

[JettaKnight]

Hell, it's possible to avoid the effects of an EMP just by orienting things in the proper direction.

OP, if you really want to learn about Mr. Faraday and his ideas on EM, then I suggest you buy a set of physics text books and start reading.

Practically, concerning car electronics, you are better off leaving your PCM in the vehicle. It has to go through GOBS of EM testing and protection already.

That alternator/generator isn't putting out pixie dust.

This reminds me of Car Talk episode where a woman in Texas(?) called up and complained that if she drove by a particular weather RADAR tower her car would sputter. It seems that car was not fully shielded.

Of course, the answer they gave was BOOOOOGGUUUSSS!!!!!

 

[CathyInBlue]

With an EMP blast that could take out batteries or spark plug, you've got MASSIVE other problems.

Like why the fillings in your teeth have suddenly gone incandescent.

I've used Faraday cages for RF testing. The hardest part is getting the seals for doors. It's terribly expensive for materials and construction and unless to have very expensive test equipment, there's no way to know if you've done it right. The common trick is to throw in a cell phone and call it. Well, I suppose that's good enough for EMP protection since EMP protection is all unicorns and death rays.

And replacement seals for oven doors, which are almost always metallic these days.