How long can you (and your family) survive if the grid went down for an extended period?

[Skid]

This is probably true for most who live in 3rd world conditions. Little to no change. For the western world. Not so much.

One of the reasons I live in three countries on two continents of what US folk call 3rd world. The bigger reasons are the lack of most everything survivalist and gun related. I doubt many would understand. That’s a good thing.

The downside is the high cost and lack of availability of quality solar equipment, countered with a livable system of 400w panels and a 24v200a battery as overkill. No cold, no need for A/C.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

#1 buck shot on rabbits and pheasants? how big are the frigging critters in your woods?

The genetics are incredible in some locales…

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

The genetics are incredible in some locales…

Dude a rabbit or pheasant that big would feed a family for months.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Probably a Northern Rabbit, aka Moose.

 

[12VoltInstalls]

Dude a rabbit or pheasant that big would feed a family for months.

You should see the size of the bugs they feed on!

 

[OffGridForGood]

Probably a Northern Rabbit, aka Moose.

We call them "Swamp Donkeys"

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

We call them "Swamp Donkeys"

sounds like females sailors to me.. but they call them sea donkey's or sea cow's....

 

[Hedges]

Brett V now says he adjusts shot size according to critter.
(My post was in response to his, when he didn't understand "wreck a lot of partridge that way")
Considering his avatar, I'd have expected something like fishing with an electrical wire.

As for me, I'm an animal-loving carnivore, so I couldn't bring myself to shoot game.
I buy my meat at the grocery store, where I don't have to look it in the eye (in most cases.)

However, I don't believe in wasting anything. So when my dog Tweety brought me a pheasant, later a turkey, laying it at my feet, I did prepare and cook it. Shared some with her too, of course.

Dude a rabbit or pheasant that big would feed a family for months.

 

[Q-Dog]

Brett V now says he adjusts shot size according to critter.
(My post was in response to his, when he didn't understand "wreck a lot of partridge that way")
Considering his avatar, I'd have expected something like fishing with an electrical wire.

As for me, I'm an animal-loving carnivore, so I couldn't bring myself to shoot game.
I buy my meat at the grocery store, where I don't have to look it in the eye (in most cases.)

However, I don't believe in wasting anything. So when my dog Tweety brought me a pheasant, later a turkey, laying it at my feet, I did prepare and cook it. Shared some with her too, of course.


View attachment 195253

I wonder if the 12 ga would be enough for Rodents of unusual size?

 

[Supervstech]

I wonder if the 12 ga would be enough for Rodents of unusual size?

Oh, R.O.U.S.'s i dont believe they exist.

 

[Partimewages]

South American Capybaras are semi-aquatic herbivores that can grow to be 3.5 to 4.4 feet long, 24 inches tall, and weigh 77 to 146 pounds.

 

[42OhmsPA]

South American Capybaras are semi-aquatic herbivores that can grow to be 3.5 to 4.4 feet long, 24 inches tall, and weigh 77 to 146 pounds.

I bet they would be pretty tasty after a nice brine, rub and long smoke session.

 

[Q-Dog]

South American Capybaras are semi-aquatic herbivores that can grow to be 3.5 to 4.4 feet long, 24 inches tall, and weigh 77 to 146 pounds.

We have Nutria here ... also a large rodent. Invasive, brought over from South America for fur. Released into the wild when the fur trade crashed. They weigh up to 20 or so pounds, burrow into levees and eat almost any plant including the roots.

We had a campaign many years ago to get rid of them by eating them. People didn't like the idea they were eating a rat. I think there is a bounty on them and you can get paid for each one you kill.

 

[Ruff]

I was in Houston when that big freeze happened. We did not have any solar setup there, but I was prepared for no power as part of hurricane recovery (usually in the late summer or fall). We had 2 small window A/C / Heat Pump units that kept the house from freezing. They were each powered by a seperate 2,000 watt generator. Usually we would plan to run one generator for A/C and the other for the refrigerator, but since it was winter, I just put the freezer food on the patio table and the fridge food next to the garage door, that allowed us to run two heating units. We had a gas stove for cooking and always kept at least a weeks worth of food in the pantry and enough jerry cans with gas to run those generators for 10 days. We had several propane tanks to cook on the grill in case the gas was shut off. We only needed 7 days of gas before the power came back on. In our new place in Missouri? I intend to be even more prepared.

 

[HRTKD]

We had a campaign many years ago to get rid of them by eating them. People didn't like the idea they were eating a rat. I think there is a bounty on them and you can get paid for each one you kill.

Similar problem up in Oregon. I don't know if the bounty is still available.

 

[Supervstech]

We have Nutria here ... also a large rodent. Invasive, brought over from South America for fur. Released into the wild when the fur trade crashed. They weigh up to 20 or so pounds, burrow into levees and eat almost any plant including the roots.

We had a campaign many years ago to get rid of them by eating them. People didn't like the idea they were eating a rat. I think there is a bounty on them and you can get paid for each one you kill.

"So you saying this is a rat Burger? Hmm, tastes pretty good"
-John Spartan

 

[Q-Dog]

"So you saying this is a rat Burger? Hmm, tastes pretty good"
-John Spartan

A bunch of chefs were challenged to come up with recipes for it. I ate some in chili once. It was fine. As far as I know there is no commercially available supply so if you want it you have to kill and clean it yourself.

 

[fatjay]

2 weeks no power, no problem. Diesel generator sips fuel from a 500 gallon tank. Well pump does it's job, supplying with water. I'm on public sewer, but I'm on top of a mountain, so until the pipes fill up, it's not a problem for me, and it would be a problem for a lot of people before it was for me. Wood stove provides plenty of heat in the winter, with diesel as a backup. Wood stove doubles as a 2 burner stove for cooking, as well.

I suspect I could go for about 8-12 months before I started to worry about running out of meat. I grow most of my other food. I could go out with my remote hole puncher and get some deer if needed. I wouldn't have to go far, they're in my yard all the time. a 24cu ft freezer has easily a year's worth of food and that's on a battery that is charged by solar.

I'm remote enough that I don't have to worry about feral protesters. If I have to worry about roaming gangs, the cities are already burned to the ground.

 

[billvon]

Share your experience with blackouts and your backup systems you have in place or want to get and maybe it will help other people.

My bizarre system, born out of laziness:

Main panel feeds heavy loads and two grid tie inverters. Both are low frequency Fronius, both loud, both old. They service about 10KW of solar.
An Outback GVFX3648 powers a critical load panel with a manual transfer switch.
There's a 9kwhr LFP bank made with CALB cells for the backup system. There's no way to charge them via solar, other than via a 130 watt panel that just keeps the 9kwhr bank from discharging too much. During a blackout I have to throw the switch and then we can run off the 9kwhr battery bank. I've only needed it twice in 12 years.

The second system is a DR system. A 10kwhr battery drives two cheap Chinese grid tie inverters connected to a 240V outlet. When it gets the signal from the DR aggregator (OhmConnect) it turns on and discharges into the grid at a rate of about 3KW. Another 130 watt panel charges that bank slowly. I can also charge from the grid during the summer when we get DR alerts every day.

The third system is a 20kwhr EG4 system. Right now it's just getting charged by yet another 130 watt panel.

Eventually I will replace the ancient grid ties with an AIO inverter (either a Sol-Ark 12K or the newer Midnite one) and get real backup using the EG4's. But for now, the manual system works OK with our very reliable grid.

 

[Hedges]

We have Nutria here ... also a large rodent. Invasive, brought over from South America for fur. Released into the wild when the fur trade crashed. They weigh up to 20 or so pounds, burrow into levees and eat almost any plant including the roots.

We had a campaign many years ago to get rid of them by eating them. People didn't like the idea they were eating a rat. I think there is a bounty on them and you can get paid for each one you kill.

How do they compare to cattle in terms of global warming potential?

I figure your rodents and invasive carp ought to be the only meat eligible for purchase with food stamps (SNAP).
Creates a market to promote depredation, reduces the cost of more desirable meat for us useless workers, provides incentive for the lazy to get off their duff.