Are you prepared? Trying to be more self sufficient

I think wood fired appliances only would be true preparedness. After a number of years all that electronics stuff is going to break down and there won’t be parts.

 

If you live in a snow environment harder to clear off also. I’ve been thinking ground based panels a guy down the road from me has them installed

 

Good to know, I appreciate the info!

 

Oh don't get someone to do it, that's crazy and stupid expensive. Ground mount non grid tied is super easy though. some concrete anchors and timbers to nail up a frame, hang a couple hundred watts (heck, use it as your chicken run), set up a waterproof box for your battery and inverter, then it's just another 120 source really.

Have some inspiration, here's a buddy's setup for a portable rig.

https://conversation.sevarg.net/t/introducing-the-solar-trailer-prototype-1/557
and his 'home office' setup
https://www.sevarg.net/2020/05/23/on-working-from-home-and-joys-of-shed/

Well most panels self clear if you hang them at a decent pitch (the glass heats up and the snow slides right off).

 

I did not know that cool

 

Yeah just comes from being dark and getting warmed by the sun, the layer of snow closest to the glass turns to liquid and gravity does the rest.

 

My electricity knowledge stops at wiring a new outlet or replacing a light switch, unfortunately.
Snow is not an issue in GA, and 5 acres of my land are open fields (also known as deer playground and orchard), rest is forest, but there is enough land that always opened to the sun.

 

The tl;dr for offgrid is basically the same as running an AC inverter for a truck, only the battery is charged by a charge controller vs your alternator. Pretty simple wiring - solar loop (s) to the charge controller, charge controller to battery (or battery bank), then inverter runs into the charge controller as 'load'. I have a simple little setup that's just using a old car battery at this point, no muss no fuss.

'on grid' inverters need to synchronize with the power grid frequency, and have a safety cutoff so they stop working when the grid is down so they don't fry linemen trying to fix things. Also, the utility needs to know since if you're producing more electricity than you're using your power meter needs to be able to account for that. For backup purposes, inverters also need to be able to handle the load, so you'll still end up running just a circuit or two. One pretty simple way to do it for backup only would be to have a generator plug (and cut off) into your panel, then if the power goes down, run a cord from your offgrid system to the generator plug. That way your electrician and permitting and all that just needs to be for the generator plug. Can't export power, but it'll get your well pump or whatnot running when you need it.

 

I did a detailed write up on making and canning marinara sauce, pic heavy.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...me-your-gardens.322242/page-336#post-29983666

 

Breakfast this morning
Home canned peaches and pears. And low sodium spam

 

The bread looks like something I'd eat...

 

If the grid crashes our lifestyle is Fd.

I think the biggest struggle for most people, beyond food, water, and shelter will be sobriety and free time. Boredom, hunger, and uncertainty are going to drive some poor choices.

I think mental prep is important, the transition from old world to new (or more appropriately from new world to old) is going to be a rough one.

Do your level best to get comfortable with uncertainty. Try to get comfortable with the fact you will die. No cars, no phones, no hot showers, no tv, movies, lights, hospitals, refrigerators, convenience stores, or trucks delivering whatever you want whenever you want it. Your new life is Food, water, shelter, and safety, in varying proportions.

be prepared to kill. if living and keeping your stuff your stuff is important to you, the opportunity will likely present itself.
Probably safe to expect less prepared people to make less ethical choices when confronted with actual needs, like starvation and shelter.

You couldnt pay me to drive around the only running vehicle, or run a generator to keep the lights on and my milk cold. (power related health issues are different math obvs)

Keeping your head down and not calling attention to what you have is an underrated survival plan. But then so is being useful, helpful, and part of a community. Its possible theres no right answer when a way of life collapses, just shades of less Fd.

The Mandibles is a good read for a little "what if" of the financial crash variety.

 

This is huge and I rarely ever see people discuss it, especially when you watch those silly “prepper” shows with the overweight nutty people who have 37 guns, 5,000,000 rounds of ammo and gas masks for their 3 year olds.

Looooots of people will lose their marbles once they realize they can’t drink, smoke and watch TV.

 

The youTube "prepper" influencers will definitely be easy pickinz.

 

Books. Lots of books, for fun and practical books.

 

If you are doing what’s needed to survive, of course I haven’t been there yet, I can’t see boredom. To me, it won’t be like time off you’ll be busting your ass trying to gather food, firewood, and any other job that needs doing to survive.
Other than that I completely agree community and try and lay low. I’d hope all the others around us will be working to get things done for themselves

 

%100 that

I was referring to people who are used to being entertained and distracted all day so they never get a moment to think. I like Tacoma world because it lets me do all 3

The same people who aren't hard workers (or thinkers) now may or may not get it together after the fact. I'm firmly in the 'you make your own fun' camp, so it'll be a work party at my place whatever may come.

 

WTF

 

funny you mention that. When we rode out Hurricane IKE and did 14 days w/o power we had the good sense to include an Olympic Dive Pool worth of booze. We did all of the cooking and cleaning at our house. Set it up as a kitchen. People would bring what ever they had, We'd community cook it all up and then every one who supplied ingredients could eat there.

One night people decided to bring what little booze they had so we opened our cases and threw a hurricane party. That created so much good will that people came by and thanked us for that night for two years after IKE. We also bartered it too. Probably had enough for another 14 days at our consumption rate.

In an emergency if you can supply a little escapism and vice, you will be king.