| Other
areas
Shelter
Power
Water
Security
It
is useless to be well prepared if you are in the wrong place
to start with. You may be better off ill-prepared, but in the
right place. The odds of eventually being discovered are not
negligible. Once you have been discovered, the chances of you
becoming a target of jealous and needy thieves, mobs or organised
gangs much depend on how relatively well-off a country is as
a whole during a global crisis.
- Peak Oil Survival Guide
Communications
Employment
Mr
Simmons set out a radical vision of the future, envisaging a
society in which food and many other essentials are sourced
and consumed locally and increasing numbers
of people work from home.
-
Matt Simmons, CEO Simmons & Company, TimesOnLine, 30 June
2008
Miscellaneous
Resources
It
must be emphasised that many of these articles are from sources
in the USA, meaning that availability of materials will differ,
prices will mostly be in US dollars, electricity voltages will
probably be different, seasons and compass points will need to
be adjusted, building and safety regulations will not be the same.
You are therefore reminded that the material offered here is for
educational purposes only, and that you should consult
with local authorities before acting on any of the information.
These
PDF documents will require that you have installed on your computer
a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader, or the much more compact Foxit
Reader, which can be freely downloaded from here.
It
is suggested that, rather than opening a document in your browser,
you right mouse click on the button to the right, and elect to
"Save target as ..." (Explorer) or "Save link as
... (Firefox).
| SHELTER
| Rock
Construction
"Doing rock work is not hard and almost anyone
can learn to do a professional-looking job of rock
work. If you live where there are plenty of rocks
(hopefully free for the picking up), you can use these
to build strong, snug and inexpensive structures ..." |
 |
Straw
Bale Construction Basics
"As building materials go, few things are more
versatile, inexpensive and forgiving as straw-bales.
This makes them ideal for owner-builders who may lack
experience, cash or both ..." |
|
POWER
Heating
Cooking and Lighting
"Consider carefully how you will provide fuel
for your family for heating, cooking, and lighting
during times of emergencies. Next to food, water,
and shelter, energy is the most important item you
can store ..." |
|
Hydraulic
Ram Pump
"A hydraulic ram or impulse pump is a device
which uses the energy of falling water to lift a lesser
amount of water to a higher elevation than the source.
There are only two moving parts, thus there is little
to wear out ..." |
|
Kerosene
Lamp Info.
"To light a kerosene lamp, remove the chimney,
turn the wick up a bit, and light and replace the
chimney. As the wick begins to smoke, turn it down,
just enough to keep from smoking. Adjust the wick
for max light without smoking ..." |
|
Optimising
your Solar Panel
"Hate the high price of solar panels? Not getting
enough juice out of your array because of cloudy days?
Stop! Before you buy another panel, make sure you
are getting the maximum that you can get from the
panels you already own ..." |
|
Solar
Heater
"Do you have some north facing windows? If so
you might want to consider some free solar heat. The
more windows you can place one of these solar heaters
in the more you will see a reduction in your heating
costs ..." |
|
Solar
Power Generator
"Using parts easily available from your local
stores, you can make a small solar power generator
for $250 to $300. Great for power failures and life
outside the power grid ..." |
|
Solar
Water Heater Principles
"This solar shower gives an alternative during
the summer months, and it is also a good demonstration
of a thermosiphon. |
|
Wash
Day - and No Electricity!
"First of all, don't despair! Great Grandmother
did it, so can you! She had the tools of the trade
though, and you can too with a little ingenuity ..." |
|
Wattage
Use for Generators
"The formula for determining load in watts is:
Watts = Amps x Volts. Note: 1 kW = 1000 watts ..."
A table of typical power consumption, in watts, of
a number of household appliances. |
|
Wind
Power Chart
"The power generated from a windmill depends
on both the wind speed and the size of the blades
..." A table of kilowatt hours at various wind
speeds, taking into account blade diameter and output
rating, in watts. |
|
WATER
Basic
Water Information
"One of the simplest, but most neglected area
of emergency food storage is water. This problem is
compounded when home food storage programs rely heavily
on dried foods such as beans, wheat and powdered milk
..." |
|
Emergency
Water Purification
"Short of using a very high-quality water filter,
boiling is the most reliable method
for killing microbes and parasites. Bring water to
a rolling boil and keep it simmering for at least
several minutes ..." |
|
Emergency
Water Supply
"During times of serious emergency, the normal
water supply to your home may be cut off or become
so polluted that it is undrinkable. A supply of stored
water could be your most precious survival item! ..." |
|
Rainwater
Catchment System
"A rainwater catchment system is based on collection
of rainwater and gravity flow pressure principles.
Rainwater runs off the roof of the house into rain
gutters. The gutters channel the water and empty it
into a standpipe ..." |
|
Solar
Water Distiller
"Solar Stills operate on the same principles
that produce rainfall. The sun is allowed into and
trapped in the Still. The high temperatures produced
destroy all pathogens ..." |
|
SECURITY
Finding
your Direction When Lost
"Find a straight stick about a meter long and
locate a level spot with no brush in which a shadow
will be cast. Place the stick in the ground and mark
the shadow's tip. Wait 10-15 minutes until the shadow
tip moves a few centimeters and mark the shadow tip's
new position ..." |
|
COMMUNICATIONS
Survival
Radio
"Many people are searching for a reliable means
of communication and thus far have not found the answer.
When times are tough and the systems currently in
place are no longer functioning the survivor must
be prepared to provide this most basic essential for
himself ..." |
|
MISCELLANEOUS
History
as a Guide to Survival
"For a year five experts ditched theory for practice,
running a Welsh farm using 17th Century methods. While
few would choose to live a 17th Century lifestyle,
the participants found they picked up some valuable
tips for modern life ..." |
|
Cold
Weather Issues
"Wet cold conditions requires clothing with a
waterproof or water-repellent, wind- resistant outer
layer, and an insulated inner layer sufficient for
moderately cold weather of 14°F and above. Waterproof
footwear is essential ..." |
|
Handyman
Tips
"Line old sleeping bags with flannel sheets.
Sharpen razor blades by using the striker on a matchbook.
Apply soap or wax on screws for easier screwing. For
nailing small nails, place the nails between the teeth
of a comb ..." |
|
How
to Make Candles
"It's a good idea to cover your work area with
newspaper or waxed paper--dried wax can be difficult
to remove from some surfaces. And don't plan on pouring
wax over your kitchen sink--if you spill the wax,
it'll stop up the drain ..." |
|
How
to Make Soap
"The intention here is to provide the basic data
on how to make soap from the most basic materials.
There are many fancier soap recipes which make better
soaps, as long as you have all the ingredients ..." |
|
How
to Sharpen a Knife
"There are few tools more dangerous than a dull
knife! It'll slide when you want it to cut, and it'll
cut when it stops sliding--usually when it hits your
hand. Ask ten different people how they sharpen their
knives, however, and you may get ten different answers
..." |
|
How
to Sharpen Tools
"Keeping tools sharp saves time and energy. When
you're in a hurry to get your pruning work done, you
may not want to take the extra few minutes needed
to stop and sharpen your tools. But it's well worth
the effort ..." |
|
Human
Waste and Disposal
"During times of emergencies, such as power outages,
for those people that plan to empty the water out
of their toilet bowls and then place a garbage bag
in the bottom to catch the refuge, this is not a good
idea. Outhouses: I believe this to be the best way
for human waste disposal in long term emergencies
..." |
|
Imminent
Crisis of Civilisation
"The first half of this booklet describes a critical
mass of three crises facing civilization. The second
half, starting with education and resource conservation,
offers legitimate solutions for survival from a personal
to a national level ..." |
|
Pest
Control
"Plant a garlic clove beside the plant you want
to protect. To make a flea powder for dogs and cats
that is organic, use Pennyroyal. To deter ants, use
equal parts of vinegar and water to wash your countertops
..." |
|
Sixty
Uses of Baking Soda
"Bicarbonate of soda or baking soda has many
different uses in the household. Although much more
expensive products have been developed over the years
to do the same jobs, baking soda can work for you
just as well, if not better ..." |
|
Sixty
Uses of Vinegar
"Arthritis tonic: 2 spoonfuls of apple cider
vinegar and honey in a glass of water several times
daily. Avoid cabbage odour by adding vinegar to the
cooking water. Remove berry stains from hands with
vinegar ..." |
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