No Power? I'm screwed.

[Squirtgunsquirter]

Got looking around today at some stuff.

I have an inverter, but its pretty small.

I have a deep cycle marine battery, and two truck batteries. I could run a radio, and easily charge cell phones for a long time.

Waste disposal, getting water, cooking food, all no problem, and we could go for weeks and we would survive, have light at night, and basically live.

But I don't have any means of generating any decent power. Cant run the fridge or freezer. And, I have no way to recharge batteries once they are croaked.

I could go swipe car batteries, and that would certainly get me in shape, but would be a bit dangerous, and morally wrong, I should be prepped enough to NOT have to go steal stuff.

It's an interesting problem. The condo is small, anything I want to have for preps has to go in my sewing room, I promise that some of you have bigger bathrooms than my sewing room.

I have looked at solar setups designed to run a small house, and they are not cheap, and they are not small.

It's a dilemma. It's one of the reasons I prefer bugging out, vs my wife's desire to bug in.

I'm going looking at this after making up some lists, based on Rellgar's post "What would you do after SHTF".

Power is one of my biggest deficiencies. My batteries and inverter are only barely better than nothing.

So I'm going to do some research.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Get a fold up solor panal or 2, with your batteries and inverter it will give you many options. 100-200 watts. $112.95 free shipping

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HHDC6N...t=&hvlocphy=9025225&hvtargid=pla-307205459660

You can add more panels and batteries as you exspand. You can store panels in your attic when not being used.

 

[Squirtgunsquirter]

We do have storage up in the condo attic. It's actual small rooms built in up there.

I'll have to start saving up, I do have some belts going out, but I usually put that money back in the business.

 

[lonewolf]

our ancestors lived without fridges and freezers for centuries, it just means one has to adapt to the new lifestyle.
of course post SHTF people that try to live a modern lifestyle with all the gadgets and priviledges we have now aren't going to survive for long.
I have never understood this almost pathological fixation to have electricity at all costs.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Solar isn't cheap, but for me there wasn't any other option. I've got around $35k invested in my system so far. And I still need to put up the solar panels this spring. I'll need about 8 yards of concrete for setting the pole mount, another $5k. This system was designed to run the house, shop and work shop. The barn and coop will be on their own
separate solar systems.
I have a small solar system at the pump house for running lights and charging the generator battery. It was only about $500.

 

[Mountain trapper]

.

 

[lonewolf]

not everyone's got that kind of money to invest.

 

[Mountain trapper]

not everyone's got that kind of money to invest.

True. But if I wanted electric I had no other choice. The nearest power line is about 6 miles away. And the Feds still offer a 30-40% tax break on "alternative" energy systems.

 

[lonewolf]

there are a lot of preppers in this country that kind of financial outlay would be impossible, we all have to work with what we've got.
having electricity after SHTF is not high on my list, hell its not even on my list.

 

[SheilaT.]

I'm not in a flat but I do have certain constraints in that I can't make my set up permanent as I live in rented accommodation. I believe the thing is to compromise. If you want to run your home as it is at the moment, then you will need a large permanent solar array such as Arctic has. If you want this for emergencies then I would definitely go down the 12V route as I have. At the moment I have this portable system.

http://powapacs.co.uk/index.php/product/featured/

I also have a few large power banks like this
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-20100m...520158949&sr=8-3&keywords=power+bank+20000mah

Which can also be charged through the above system. These do the lighting upstairs and in the bathroom.

Believe it or not, this has halved my current electricity bill. I use it for everything except the fridge, freezer, washing macine and TV. It's not expensive and for an emergency it would pretty much cover you. I believe you could either get a similar one in US or if you are happy to use USB and 12V you could use this version.
In an emergency situation I have a small electric coolbox that would replace the fridge and this plugs in to the above system. I want to get another power pac at some point to increase it's flexibility and a few other 12V electricals. It would be easy enough for you to hang the solar panel out the window to collect light.
I find if you just to do a bit of research and be flexible in your approach you can do almost anything and money, or the lack of it, certainly doesn't have to stop you. I hope you found this useful and it gives you some ideas to move forward.

 

[user 6493]

our ancestors lived without fridges and freezers for centuries, it just means one has to adapt to the new lifestyle.
of course post SHTF people that try to live a modern lifestyle with all the gadgets and priviledges we have now aren't going to survive for long.
I have never understood this almost pathological fixation to have electricity at all costs.

I like being able to turn on the lights when I feel like it,,,,is that wrong

 

[SheilaT.]

I like being able to turn on the lights when I feel like it,,,,is that wrong

No. I feel the same.

 

[lonewolf]

I like being able to turn on the lights when I feel like it,,,,is that wrong

yes, while you still can.
i'll repeat my favourite motto: "use what you can until it is no longer available".
my wife was brought up in a country cottage, no mains anything, well water, storm lanterns for light, wood burning stove for cooking, open pit for sewage. 1 mile out of a very small village, up a long hill.
mom and dad and 3 small children, tin bath for bathing, and they lived like that until my wife was a teenager, and they only moved because her mum became a widow.
modern kids and many adults wouldn't have a clue.
why should anyone be screwed just because there is no electricity? adapt and survive.

 

[user 6493]

yes, while you still can.
i'll repeat my favourite motto: "use what you can until it is no longer available".
my wife was brought up in a country cottage, no mains anything, well water, storm lanterns for light, wood burning stove for cooking, open pit for sewage. 1 mile out of a very small village, up a long hill.
mom and dad and 3 small children, tin bath for bathing, and they lived like that until my wife was a teenager, and they only moved because her mum became a widow.
modern kids and many adults wouldn't have a clue.
why should anyone be screwed just because there is no electricity? adapt and survive.

I know all about no power and I don't much care for it,,,,,I have plans for a whole house solar system ,,,,I hope I never really need it

 

[lonewolf]

having no electricity post SHTF is not a major issue for me, in fact its no issue at all, i'll just go back to the way it used to be, it'll suit me fine, at least I wont have any bills to pay!!
and it wont cost me 35grand which I don't have to set up my alternative.
and anyway dosent a solar set up rely on getting the sun? we'd be in darkness here all winter if that was the case, more rain and fog in my location than sunshine.

 

[SheilaT.]

I'm adapting by using solar and I will survive very nicely thankyou. I too have lived without power and I didn't much care for it either.
Why anyone would hanker for that life is beyond me. I have the stories from my parents and grandparents and none of them had any wish to go back to the old ways.

 

[lonewolf]

solar power has a limited life span, the panels may and do last 20 or 30 years but the inverters and stuff its plugged into dosent.
I have a very limited storage area in my house and i'm not blocking it up with batteries and spare parts for solar units.
I've got more important things to stockpile and having lived for many years without electricity and on a limited income I have other ways of cooking, heating and lighting, none of which cost a fraction of what a solar set up would.
living without electricity dosent frighten me one bit, in fact I look forward to living a simpler life without all the constraints of the 21st century(I always said I was born at the wrong time)

 

[Squirtgunsquirter]

Ok, I had no idea electricity was so controversial, lol.

If I thought the power was coming back on, in the not too distant future, then I would want a way to bridge the gap, and keep some appliances and things going with solar, or whatever.

If I thought the power was never coming back on, then I might as well adapt quickly to a new reality.
I need solar for the Airstream anyway, I want it to be off grid capable, without running the tow vehicle or only going to RV parks.

True, humanity survived for most of history without electricity. I'm not really set up to be without power for a long period of time, that's just my reality. I don't have oil lamps, I have candles, and solar charging "camping" lights, and a fireplace (gas, but I could convert it if absolutely necessary) but that's heat for one room.

35k? I'd have to buy land with that.

 

[lonewolf]

I'm not technically minded, so have no idea how I would set up, maintain and repair such a system, nor would I want to, so i'm going for the simpler option, any spare money I have would be going into land, possibly some woodland.