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Many of those methods are already needed on a regular bases to save on the utility bill but eventually trees and propane could be scarce so i push for the solar/wind controller inverter batteries and the biofuels, both are probably even cleaner and cheaper in the long- long term.
The article is not without errors. For example, it states that Berkey water filters purify water; they do not as small viruses easily pass though them.
This is a good thread topic as power failures lasting up to several weeks are not uncommon. It's almost certain that more than one person reading this will have a major power failure in the next year. Think about that.
Beyond the obvious emergency lighting everyone should have a generator or extra generator to provide heat, air conditioning, water, and any other necessary appliances. The last varies from household to household. Don't forget your chickens and other animals. Even if you have the perfect standby generator buy a little one as well; everything fails sometimes. Don't wait to build the perfect but expensive system. Do something adequate now. In temperate climates summer is a good time to do this so you'll be sure to have heat next winter.
Kerosene is very safe to store so buy enough. Use K1 only as it is the most refined and free from water. It's excellent for lights and backup heaters. Propane doesn't burn properly above 5000' so it's a no-no for inside heaters above that altitude. Do buy CO detectors. Rotate the gasoline for your small generator. Keep what you estimate is a thirty day supply or more.
I don't have a windmill but a small one would be great to pump water from a cistern. Unlike wind generators which require spare parts and a qualified technician these use an almost ancient technology and rarely have problems. They're typically used to provide water for cattle at remote locations. If you currentlyuse a pump from a cistern to your house this will save money from the start.
There are both kerosene cook stoves and kerosene refrigerators. The refrigerators are expensive but the stoves are quite the opposite; they're common in the Third World. Kerosene is safe in the house; gasoline is not. Consider solar ovens. There is a large variety of designs and available books. They do work. A kerosene stove provides all your stove top cooking needs.
Don't forget battery-powered radios.
Pipes are more likely to freeze when the water is turned off.
Keep your canned food above freezing.
Distillation removes any and all contaminants from water.
Bic lighters are your friends. If they get wet just wait until they dry.
Your little generator will be noisy so secure it from thieves.
Coffee, tea, and liquor are all diuretics. If you're drinking them you need to drink extra water.
You cannot store too much water.
Watch for sales on small generators. A spare for your extra one isn't a bad idea and they bring a good price, a really good price sometimes, during outages.
Keep a bright LED light with your first aid gear.
Do not tell people that you store fuel. This should be obvious but someone here once mentioned checking with the city on regulations for storing quantities of gasoline at home.
This is an important survival project. But unlike so many projects it need not be expensive nor does it require hundreds of hours of labor. I'm assuming that you're in a rural or sparsely populated far suburban area but most of what I've suggested can find use in all but dense urban locations where you shouldn't be living anyway.
Here's a good book. Laugh if you wish about Y2k but the people who bought gold in 1999 and kept it are able to laugh a lot louder at those who didn't.
I still say that a 12V DC system is a great way to start in an off-grid home, and an easy addition to an existing on-grid home. Anybody who owns a car/truck, boat, or RV knows exactly how the power works...it's very intuitive. Just get a few deep-cycle batteries, a way to keep 'em charged, and wire in some cigarette-lighter plugs wherever you want them. You can then upgrade from there, adding an inverter to power some AC appliances, without turning a generator on every time the missus needs to dry her hair!
Agreed with Happy about kerosene. It heats very well, and lights even better. I bought 2 new large Sengoku heaters last year, and some of the 5-gallon cans to store the fuel for them. We already had some oil lamps.
In another thread they have a pretty good argument/discussion about the merits of Berkey water filters. I'm keeping both of mine, but I ordered some of the Doulton Super-Sterasyl ceramic filters, along with the black "purification" elements we already have. The point about it not killing viruses is well-taken; all you have to do is chlorinate the water first, which will kill any viruses. Then pour through the Berkey, which will remove the chlorine.
Nor'Eastah's right, it's super easy to throw together a working 12v system in a jiffy for less than $250 (including a good battery and solar charger).
Car battery
plus 12v socket with alligator clips
you're good for 12v stuff right there, but add an inverter
and you can run all your AC stuff, too. And then add a charger or two (one solar and one generator):
and you're good to go... this is the system I used to run my CPAP with when I was camping, and it's still handy around our place when we need power a little father from the house than the extension cord reaches
And then there is this guy
the K-tor Pocket Socket handcrank generator/charger for days with no sun... it will at least power my ultrabright LED shop light, and keep the batteries for my flashlights and smaller electronics charged up (maybe 30 minutes cranking to fully charge my Kindle).
Coffee can candle lanterns are also pretty cool and normally less expensive than clear K1 kerosene or lamp oil and throw more ambient light than most flashlights
Also, traditional oil/fat lamps -- all you need is a jar or can, some cooking oil or fat, a wick and a holder
(incidentally, you can also use both of these to warm up a can of soup, melt snow or heat a small space - I keep one in my truck in the winter)
Coffee can candle lanterns are also pretty cool and normally less expensive than clear K1 kerosene or lamp oil and throw more ambient light than most flashlights
Outstanding ideas for those of us who need very little to get going! We bought 3 of Coleman's twin-LED "High Performance" lanterns, which are plenty bright all by themselves, but a bit harsh. I rigged one up with a rounded 'curtain' of tin foil around the back for added brightness. DW still thought it was too glaring, so I added a sheet of semi-transparent tracing paper across the front, and that did it! Almost looks like a regular AC light!
We've got a bunch of Coleman propane lanterns, too, from over the years. They all still run. I figure I'll give them the foil and tracing paper treatment as well. They have glass enclosures, so should not burn the paper in front.
I hadn't thought of using a coffee can for the same effect, but it looks just as good...and probably more durable than the foil, too! Great idea for candles, which we've stored cartons of! Hey -- I've been stashing this stuff for many years! Now it'll be a major expense just to move it all up north!
Regarding heat and cold... In our off-grid cabin, I have found that kerosene, propane and wood are all excellent for heating/cooking (except the microwave, electric is the WORST way to heat/cook); but when it comes to fridge/freezer nothing beats electric (except maybe winter LOL). Essentially Fuel=Hot & Electric=Cold.
I had the opportunity to test several makes and models of alternative power refrigerators and freezers, and in my experience:
Kerosene refrigerators were ok, not very efficient compared to using the K1 in a cooker instead (2 weeks/pail vs. 2 months/pail) , but decent enough. But the freezers lacked umpf, sometimes not being able to stay below freezing even though it was in the shade and not particularly warm outside (maybe 80F). Both the fridge & freezer had issues staying the same temp throughout the entire unit, we got random warm and cold spots. One thing we did notice was that you could definitely smell the unit, so I don't think I'd want this in the kitchen but it wouldn't be too horrible on the porch or in the garage.
Propane refrigerators were serviceable, but we got much better fuel efficiency using the propane in our generator to power the electric model (1lb/2-5days vs 1lb/1day). Both models of fridge we tested had issues with irregular under and over-cooling so food was getting frozen patches, not just frosty but actually frozen solid, in some places but other stuff started to spoil. The freezer lacked umpf, and one model never actually got more than a couple degrees below freezing (recommended optimal freezer temp is 10F) even though it was only about 50F outside that week.
DC (12 or 24v) fridges and freezers consistently maintained homogenous and adequate temperatures, with the chest models performing slightly better than the upright models. We could easily maintain a fridge temp of 38F and freezer temp of 10F for 2 days on a single charge (1lb LP or 1ga gas in the generator) on an average car battery (up to 5 days with a proper 150AH AGM or SLA deep cycle) , and the chest models maintained proper temps with a single 150w PV panel at 90F external temps as long as the unit itself wasn't in full sun.
Since quality units for all three fuel/power types cost roughly the same for equivalent cubic footage, I'd definitely recommend the electric models - especially those that are 12v/24v/PV-direct compatible - to anyone who is seriously considering an alternate energy fridge or freezer. I say "seriously" because none of these models are cheap, so certainly aren't just something you just pick up one day and keep in the box just in case you might need it some day. If that's what you're after, you can pick up any of the lower quality units of any power type for much cheaper and they will all do pretty much the same thing... keep your food cool but not really cold (only slightly better than a high-quality cooler really).
Outstanding ideas for those of us who need very little to get going! We bought 3 of Coleman's twin-LED "High Performance" lanterns, which are plenty bright all by themselves, but a bit harsh. I rigged one up with a rounded 'curtain' of tin foil around the back for added brightness. DW still thought it was too glaring, so I added a sheet of semi-transparent tracing paper across the front, and that did it! Almost looks like a regular AC light!
We've got a bunch of Coleman propane lanterns, too, from over the years. They all still run. I figure I'll give them the foil and tracing paper treatment as well. They have glass enclosures, so should not burn the paper in front.
I hadn't thought of using a coffee can for the same effect, but it looks just as good...and probably more durable than the foil, too! Great idea for candles, which we've stored cartons of! Hey -- I've been stashing this stuff for many years! Now it'll be a major expense just to move it all up north!
We also have several of the LED lanterns and convertible lantern/flashlights from different manufacturers... I prefer them to any conventional fueled lantern because you don't have to worry about them setting anything on fire, and they're better than most other battery lanterns/flashlights because they don't get as hot as halogens, no bulbs to break like incandescants, and they use a lot less juice so the batteries last longer or the units are much smaller. And, like you mentioned, since the LEDs don't get hot you can add diffusers. One of our favorites is the ball of battery-operated LED string lights in a translucent milk jug with aluminum flashing for a reflector that we use for the outhouse lantern/light. Although nothing beat the 18m candle power rechargeable spot/flood when something big goes bump-crash-crunch out in the forest at night.
Of course, you always want back ups for your back ups so we have alternate fuel lights as well as chargers for batteries. Mylar also makes excellent reflectors for candles and lamps as long as it's not right next the heat, we turned a dead birthday balloon inside out and put it behind our wall-hanging chamber lamp and almost tripled the brightness in the room 100% cheaper than a mirror!
DC (12 or 24v) fridges and freezers consistently maintained homogenous and adequate temperatures, with the chest models performing slightly better than the upright models. We could easily maintain a fridge temp of 38F and freezer temp of 10F for 2 days on a single charge (1lb LP or 1ga gas in the generator) on an average car battery (up to 5 days with a proper 150AH AGM or SLA deep cycle) , and the chest models maintained proper temps with a single 150w PV panel at 90F external temps as long as the unit itself wasn't in full sun.
This is really helpful advice! We are a family who has never had to do without the traditional American power sources and appliances. DW wanted to go with a propane fridge, whereas I felt that a 12V electric model would do better. Now I can see that the electric is probably the way to go. Not having kids at home any more, we find that we don't need as much room in the fridge, and my feeling is that a dorm-size model would do fine -- we could power that up with a 1500w inverter, and still have power for other stuff. We have the two 235w solar panels (total 470 w) and a 5500w generator. We can run the genny for a washing machine load 3 times a week. Nothing wrong with a clothesline and clothespins, although my grandchildren have never heard of them!
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