What have you done?

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What have you done to prepare for a catastrophe?


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I will never be able to afford a Berkey. But I did build in a 4-way under the counter filter while building the kitchen here. A sand/residue filter is first, then the chlorine/fluorine, then another and finally an active charcoal filter. Even then I run this filtered water thru an on the counter Brita dual filter for tea, coffee, soups and other cooking/drinking purposes. If I turn on the cold, water it is filtered, if I turn on the hot water for cleaning and washing, it is just the normal tap water and I do not waste the capacity of the water filters and cut its lifetime down so bad.
 
Remember folks you dont need a complete BERKY or BERKFIELD you only need the fillter candles and a couple of food grade plastic buckets with lids and a cheap plastic faucet (tap) from the local hardware or home brewing store. For years before i bought my first 5 candle Berkfield I made do with two plastic food grade buckets with lids that used to hold Mayonnaisse and two Berkfield super ser candles.
 
Remember folks you dont need a complete BERKY or BERKFIELD you only need the fillter candles and a couple of food grade plastic buckets with lids and a cheap plastic faucet (tap) from the local hardware or home brewing store. For years before i bought my first 5 candle Berkfield I made do with two plastic food grade buckets with lids that used to hold Mayonnaisse and two Berkfield super ser candles.
You could even use some old stainless pots if you have then. Walmart used to sell a set of large cooking pots that were pretty inexpensive. Everything has increased in price lately though. The berkey is a nice unit but it is pricey. I believe there are cheaper knock offs that use the same idea too.
 
You could even use some old stainless pots if you have then. Walmart used to sell a set of large cooking pots that were pretty inexpensive. Everything has increased in price lately though. The berkey is a nice unit but it is pricey. I believe there are cheaper knock offs that use the same idea too.

Our version the Berkfield comes in two part plastic and two part stainless.
WATER Berkfield.JPG
Water british-berkefeld-water-filter.jpg
 
Built quick and simple box to catch the ball bearings for my slingshot training. Nothing fancy.
I remember years ago a guy had a metal box that would catch bullets and funnel them down for collecting. Pretty neat set up and I believe was homemade. Even though I don’t recast or reload I don’t like the idea of putting lead into the ground here and contaminating the soil.
 
Our version the Berkfield comes in two part plastic and two part stainless.
View attachment 12323View attachment 12324
I have the big berkey in stainless just like the first image. I have a plastic one that looks just like it for the camper too. I’ve never seen the plastic one you showed here. Interesting and likely less expensive.
 
I remember years ago a guy had a metal box that would catch bullets and funnel them down for collecting. Pretty neat set up and I believe was homemade. Even though I don’t recast or reload I don’t like the idea of putting lead into the ground here and contaminating the soil.
I cast and reload. I think it is better to decrease the random spread of poison than to concentrate it in my furnace.
 
I put in all but two of the legs for the solar panel expansion today. Really sucks to not get them all in but I ran out of daylight. So just two more holes with concrete and a steel post to go Then attach the rails and panels to them. I’m adding 10 more 250w panels and will see how much of the household circuits I can run with them. I’m betting I can run everything except the AC/heat pump and the water heater. I have the new propane water heater to address that one at least. The AC just isn’t going to happen with solar in my lifetime unfortunately.
 
I put in all but two of the legs for the solar panel expansion today. Really sucks to not get them all in but I ran out of daylight. So just two more holes with concrete and a steel post to go Then attach the rails and panels to them. I’m adding 10 more 250w panels and will see how much of the household circuits I can run with them. I’m betting I can run everything except the AC/heat pump and the water heater. I have the new propane water heater to address that one at least. The AC just isn’t going to happen with solar in my lifetime unfortunately.
The heat pump is the only thing that I can't run on solar. They make something called a hot start (I think) that is supposed to make it easier to start the heat pump. I'll add one this summer. Last summer I needed AC for almost a week during August.
 
The heat pump is the only thing that I can't run on solar. They make something called a hot start (I think) that is supposed to make it easier to start the heat pump. I'll add one this summer. Last summer I needed AC for almost a week during August.
It’s called a hard start kit but you will not be able to run the auxiliary heat off of solar alone, amperage is too high to handle it. That being said they do make solar heat pumps or mini splits that are low power consumers.
 
It’s called a hard start kit but you will not be able to run the auxiliary heat off of solar alone, amperage is too high to handle it. That being said they do make solar heat pumps or mini splits that are low power consumers.
I will likely just get an efficient small window unit for the bedroom as a backup. Trying to go to sleep in the south without AC sucks and we need it for a lot more than just a week here. Everything is a cost vs benefit equation. I could install a system large enough to run everything but compared to just buying electricity from the grid it’s ridiculously expensive. With solar it’s always best to reduce your need than to increase your output.
 
It’s called a hard start kit but you will not be able to run the auxiliary heat off of solar alone, amperage is too high to handle it. That being said they do make solar heat pumps or mini splits that are low power consumers.
Thats it. My heat pump will start when my backup generator is running, but I normally just keep the breaker "off" so that it won't try to start.
My gas furnace works fine on solar, of course it runs the battery's down fairly fast and the generator will start after awhile. About the only time I use the furnace is when we're going to be gone all day or overnight. Then I set the thermostat to 61.
The only thing I need the heat pump for is the AC. Besides adding a hard start I thought about plugging the heat pump in to another generator and just running it for a few hours when it gets hot. Another option is to sell the heat pump and just put a window unit in our bedroom. I have a window AC in my fur shed and it runs just fine on solar.
 

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