Posted on 11/05/2013 2:49:26 PM PST by Carbonsteel
Oops...little correction here. Also see arc fault protection, GFCIs, etc.
Ground Fault Interrupter, “whatever”.
Are they really applicable to this situation?
For years, the tv cable company swore we had bad service due to near daily solar flares, suuure. Once, it was out for over a month. If it takes that long to fix the cable, it’ll be decades to get the electricity back on.
With the hypothetical, strong EMP strike or rare, strong solar ejection reaching our atmosphere, there may be both ground considerations and shielding considerations. For example, to simplify: electrical components with microcircuits stored in a steel trash can with a tight lid fitted on the can with copper wool tightly under the sealing surfaces. The can’s grounded and has an insulating layer inside—perhaps components wrapped in plastic, perhaps more layers of alternating metal and plastic. Would it be enough? I don’t know, but it should have a pretty good chance if stored in a building. Connectors in active equipment can also be wrapped with grounded copper wool.
Arc-fault protection would be better, although GFCIs might be of some little help in preventing secondary problems caused by other failing equipment. Granted, most appliances now have some protection in them (even some water well pumps).
While I might not turn my back on certain bulls, kittens are more scary than cows. That crowd tends to be afraid of waterways so that might be a concideration.
Snakes are a major fear factor among the urban crowd and there are a lot of snakes in the Michigan swamps.
Ok, it’s time for me to seek info, advice, from those that have BTDT. My situation. Very rural area of east central Ohio. Not that that makes any difference. I have my own well water. A whole house generator powered by my own NG. First issue is a Faraday cage. Do any of you have any experience with one, as in making one. Suggestions, hints, no no’s, etc. The same with a water filter. I only want one that works with a 5 gallon bucket or two. I have read so many yeas and nayes that I am not going to read anymore about them. All the makers want to sell me that ss thing that sits on the drain board. Don’t want that. Just want something that will work with water from the never ending stream going thru my property.
All comments appreciated.
East Central Ohio. Near Southington?
For a Faraday cage, based on my limited knowledge, you’ll want either a grounded metal garbage can with a tight lid, or an enclosure surrounded with the stuff they sell here:
http://www.twpinc.com/wire-mesh/TWPCAT_11
That’s what they used at a place where I used to work for testing electronics that needed to be devoid of ambient RF.
My own plan for water is to get a length of the fattest PVC pipe I can find, put a 90-degree elbow on each end with a riser that goes up a foot or so, put a spigot on one end, fill it with sand, and pour water from the local lakes into the other end. I’m expecting clear water to come out the spigot.
Disinfect with some chlorine compound for culinary purposes, and run through a better filter for drinking.
bttt
>>Mostly people who get their incomes from government or contractors (bureaucrats, Java developers
Java developers? LOL, wow. As a Java developer working for a private company with not a single government client, I am glad I am being lumped in with ‘government cheese’ workers.
C++ guy? I love a good tech flamewar, ribbing. Posted all in good fun.
Good post BTW.
Thanks for the info. Your suggested link shows exactly what I have been looking for. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this so valuable thread. Lots of good info.
By the way, ss = stainless steel. Lazy fingers. And I do remember the pitcher pump on the drain board at home when I was growing up. I also remember the wood fired kitchen cook stove, and the outhouse at the far end of the sidewalk. All points of progress are not beneficial. Folks did not need all the government “they need” today. Friends, family, and neighbors, were much more important then. Folks were more self sufficient. More comfortable with life and living. Enough rambling. Again, thank you for the good advice and thread.
No way could I use a garbage can for my primary generator. A dumpster maybe. :-) I checked your link and will pursue it further today. May well be what I need. Thank you.
Southington, Ohio is a couple counties north of me. Actually I had never heard of it before.
I did finally watch “American Blackout” after having ignored so many other shows like it. The show was very strange to me.
So many of the characters in the movie had life-threatening situations. That’s entertainment, I guess.
There were many tactical errors in the flick, yes. Even the character, Mr. SHTF Expert, with his “compound,” was guilty and made some glaring mistakes.
Long ago, in a better country, I lived through Hurricane Celia. It pretty much flattened the City. The immigrant population was over 50% at the time. There were no power or phones for weeks. We didn’t see any lack of civility or generosity from anyone and did interact much with neighbors. The National Guard did not attack the population but did hand out huge amounts of dry ice, water, food, etc.
We cleaned the City up within a year and celebrated that. We respected our elders, soldiers and what was known as common sense. Most of the men were technically inclined. Most of the wives were respectful and respected.
The producers of the movie and many viewers obviously want to see a time, when the norm becomes “every man for himself.” We’re almost there already, thanks to my generation (Baby Boomers) taking over. If so many people want a nationwide disaster and want to riot afterwards, maybe someday, they’ll get what they’re demanding and trying to arrange.
I’m saying that we’ve dumped real, old fashioned morality within a couple of generations. It’s been known for thousands of years, that there are consequences to nations for such behavior.
Coincidence that this National Geographic program comes out so close to the government planned blackout ‘drill’? My advice lately has been to simply stay away from so-called government ‘drills’....people keep getting murdered. A blackout can’t be avoided, but rest assured, should an ‘attack’ happen, my first inclination, unless PROVEN OTHERWISE, will be that OUR OWN GOVERNMENT is complicit.
What I learned from Benghazi....OUR GOVERNMENT WILL MURDER IT’S OWN IN ORDER TO FURTHER IT’S AGENDA, WHATEVER THAT AGENDA MAY BE.
Yes, my tinfoil hat is now permanently affixed. Knowledge is power. Question everything.
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