I-beam foundation (Chicago, Cicero, Berwyn: house, live in, price)

[NatalieEGH]

Please do not laugh, but I am a bit worried about the supposed increased solar flare activity predicted. I would therefore like to turn my home into essentially a large faraday cage.

I have priced 1/4 inch 4x8 steel sheets for completely surrounding my home (with cut outs for windows/doors). I have also checked the weight. Each sheet will weigh 490 pounds.

I have a 1959 slab foundation that looks in good condition all the way around. Should I be able to put these sheets under siding or will I need to do something to strengthen the foundation? If I must strengthen, can I use I-beams (as I will already have to set grounding, this could be the start).

[chet everett]

In addition to destroying any hope of ever selling your home to anyone other than a drug lord shopping for a bullet-proof bunker the gaps that would result from even tiny windows would render your "Faraday cage" ineffective for the truly destructive X-rays emitted as well any potential EMP...
Unless you are very highly trained in the physics of constructing such a device may result in actually creating a internally reflective wave guide that would actually result in making your little house a kind of "magnifying glass" that would intensify the destructive effects of the very short wavelength radiation emitted by coronal mass ejections -- Solar flare - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

International Journal of Biometeorology, Volume 17, Number 3 - SpringerLink


hardenedstructures (http://www.hardenedstructures.com/emp-protection.html - broken link)

[karlsch]

Wouldn't it be easier and more effective to wear a full suit of armor? Then you would be protected at all times - not just when you are in your house.

[linicx]

I live in one. I had no idea what it was when I boight it. I suspect the seller didn't either. What I can tell you is I cannot pull a rodio signal inside my house from any station - even the local that is 2 miles down the road. The battery powered radio is useless.

[chet everett]

Lustron Preservation » Detailed Description of Lustron System

There are little cluster of these around Berwyn / Cicero border west of Chicago...

Originally Posted by linicx

I live in one. I had no idea what it was when I boight it. I suspect the seller didn't either. What I can tell you is I cannot pull a rodio signal inside my house from any station - even the local that is 2 miles down the road. The battery powered radio is useless.

[linicx]

NO. My house was probably built in the late 30's and it has been build out, too. .

[NatalieEGH]

Karlsch, I am not afraid of the actions of a solar flare on me. I will die sometime, not even I care if I live or die. As they say, we ain't getting out of this one alive. My only preference is that is be painless.

Also I know there are regular high intensity periods that lifeforms have experienced on the earth for 2+ billion years including our own for 75k-2000k years depending on where you cut off our species.

It is my computer equipment I am worried about and all of its software. I back up but in an EMP the hardware would be damaged. I want to be able to have my toys in working condition until then.

Does that explain my reasons for wanting to make a home into a faraday cage. To protect my computer hardware.

Chet Everett, I think I can prepare a cage and I had even considered the windows. Using decorative steel shutters that actually close. My doors are already steel though only about 1 mm thick per side (thermal security doors). I do however thank you, the video article indicates the actual solar flare activity will not be much higher than normal. It also indicates the coronal mass ejections are slow moving clouds that will be seen 2-3 days before arrival allowing time for disconnecting and protecting in a small cage. I can just take a vacation.

[linicx]

If you have 2-3 days notice you can back up to an external drive and store it in a bank vault. I would think the rest you can store in a windowless basement without damage.

I would seriously ask in the Science forum.

[oddstray]

You're much more likely to have computer damage from a lightning strike than from solar emanations. But your computer is only a tool (albeit an expensive one). Your value resides in your data and software, as you already know. So yes, start asking in the Science forum about how to do effective backup/restore. It'll be a better use of your money and efforts than trying to put some sort of shield around your house.

[snapper54]

This sounds like another Y2K scare.