Prepping

[NS Gearhead]

Your stovepipe through the window is asking for a disaster - if and when you house burns down during a crisis where will you be?

Isn't a thimble how a stovepipe is passed through a wall? A wall that's combustible... Got a better idea? I do plan to set it up and test it, then tear down and store away. I asked too late that a glycol mix be used for my in-floor. The plumber assured me it wasn't needed... like I didn't know what I was talking about. So, abandon the house and have it destroid, or run a well researched stovepipe through a temp opening.

 

[Eyecatcher]

I had the opportunity, in my younger days, to spend a winter in Salt Lake City. Most of the people I met and/or worked with were LDS (Mormon). I soon learned that the 3 month food supply regimen was a common thing amongst them. Don't know if it was a prerequisite or not, but they all practiced it. I would suggest if you're really interested in a 3 month survival thing, that you find a LDS member in your area, and politely ask him to explain what he does. I think you'll be quite pleased with the results. (I am not LDS, or pushing any religion, just an interesting experience).

 

[Jstpssng]

Like I said, baby steps. LOL The Boss says 3 months max... she's affraid I'll get carried away, as I do tend to do. LOL

We have arsenic in our water, and a drilled well, so for the short term I'm just colecting bottled water. I've researched a fair bit on how to pump water out of a deep well, and fitler arsenic... but that's for later.

My neighbor and I have talked about raising/ going half on chickens/ rabits/ turkeys. We've both been too busy so far, but it's not a dead project.

A garden is out of the question for now, as I live on rock... so I'd have to truck in the soil. Also, my house is a new build... the basement is finished with insulated walls, so no root sellar there. I have thought about cutting out a door to go under the garage... but that one scares the wife. Root sellar/ bomb/ fallout shelter/ panic room

Here's a link to a deep well hand pump; http://bisonpumps.com/
You can have a surprisingly successful garden with a small raised bed and a yard of soil; I have two acres to play in but am still thinking about a 3 tier garden for herbs, salad vegtables, and a dozen alpine strawberry plants. Even a few plants in small containers can produce surprising amounts of food; one wet year I lost most of my garden to blight and rot, the only thing that did well was my cherry tomatoe in a five gallon pail.. Container Gardens

A lot of people are rediscovering the values of a simpler lifestyle. While you currently are thinking of emergency situations, you may find it changes your way of thinking.

 

[Gunny]

A better idea than beer (which would go flat at some point) would be 1/2 pints of whiskey. Cheaper, the better. If it gets to situation where you have to use it for barter, they're not going to be brand specific.

Dry foods, lots and lots of dry foods, beans, rice, etc. Get a bunch of the mylar bags available to keep it in, along with the oxygen tabs. Seal up the food, then put it in food grade 5 gallon buckets, it will be good for many many years.

Going to be tough to build up a good supply of 22 LR ammo, but it can be used for small game and also as a bartering item.

 

[dave1949]

Yep, cheap whiskey will trade better than skunky beer. :laughing:

On the gardening thing, maybe check out hydroponics. No soil, you need to pump water but not continuously, and not in large amounts. Maybe doable with solar pv powered dc pumps. Best done in a greenhouse, so you could split the space available between raised beds and hydroponic troughs.

 

[hr3]

I saw a video somewhere with and outside warm air furnace ,, Why not try that and duct it into the house through the window ????

 

[k0ua]

I will just add I think you idea of a .22 rifle a good idea. A Ruger 10/22 is hard to beat for reliability and price. Get multiple magazines, get some 25 or 30 round ones if legal in Canada. The rifle can help feed you, the ammo is relativity cheap, allowing you to practice with it, there is no recoil, and low noise. Many people poo-poo a .22 for self defense, but I have yet to see the attacker that would look 20 or 30 rounds of rapid fire .22 in the face and keep on coming. Of course a good 12 guage pump shotgun is more effective with less rounds, and you can use it loaded with birdshot to shoot flying game. Get both if you can justify it, but if you have to just have ONE gun, a Ruger 10/22 is not a bad choice.

Ruger® 10/22® Autoloading Rifles

James K0UA

 

[Wagtail]

Dry foods, lots and lots of dry foods, beans, rice, etc. Get a bunch of the mylar bags available to keep it in, along with the oxygen tabs. Seal up the food, then put it in food grade 5 gallon buckets, it will be good for many many years.QUOTE]

A very interesting thread as a 'natural disaster' can occur in so many forms. (Bush fire or flood here in Tassie)

The reason that I popped-in was Gunny's selected quote... I'm thinking MICE! Those sneaky little buggers can ruin your dry store if you don't have them in the suggested 5 gallon buckets or in plastic storage bins. I like the storage bin idea as they are of a fairly standard size = you can calculate how much storage capacity you have (or want to have).

 

[Egon]

Prepping in 2600 sq. ft.. Might be a bit of a go! Switch the heating coolant to a glycol mixture, get a four foot wall camp tent and have at it. Make sure you got a good fly.

 

[dave1949]

Whole grains store better than flour and retain more nutrients. With a decent hand-powered grain mill you can mill enough flour for a loaf of bread in 5-10 minutes easily. It will be whole wheat. Honey is a great additive to whole wheat, it helps the yeast grow on the sugars. Honey keeps forever if stored well. You need yeast, or cultivate and maintain sourdough starter.