Jack Lawson Sends: Getting Prepared for Outages – Alternative Power, Part Two

Here is the latest from Jack Lawson, author of the Civil Defense Manual. This comes directly from Chapter 21. You can grab a copy of his book here. Jack is a strong supporter of American Partisan, and even had NC Scout write the chapter on Radio Communications (Chapter 17 in Volume I). I bought my copy the day it become available and I highly recommend you do as well.

Part One: Jack Lawson Sends: Getting Prepared for Outages – Alternative Power, Part One

This is information from Chapter 21 of the Civil Defense Manual titled “Alternative Power” and these subjects are covered in this essay…

• Fuel selection and standardization
• Getting fuel When A Collapse Of Society occurs
• Fuel for your Engine Powered Electric Generator
• Avoid Ethanol Blended gasoline
• Properly storing fuel
• From Dan D… Pouring vent cap…
• Fuel Stabilizers
• Sta-bil^® fuel additive
• PRI fuel stabilizers
• Notes for use

Before I get into the use of fuels for the average person without knowledge of it…

…YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THIS FIRST !!!!!

Flammable Fuels

Flammable fuel is DANGEROUS and will ignite easily… even from a spark.

Fuel that catches fire easily is termed ‘Flammable’ and has a low flash point of under 100^o Fahrenheit. You DO NOT USE this fuel for lamps, stoves and heaters. Flammables are, but not limited to, naphtha, alcohol, acetone or gasoline. The exception being lamps, stoves and heaters specifically made to burn low flash point fuels.

Combustible Fuels

Combustible fuel is SAFER and harder to set on fire. However, it is still dangerous.

Fuel that doesn’t catch fire easily is termed ‘Combustible’ and has a high flash point over 100^o Fahrenheit. You DO USE this fuel for lamps stoves and heaters. Like almost any Combustible oil such as diesel fuel, kerosene or the vegetable oil from a tuna fish can.

Combustible Fuels versus Dangerous Flammable Fuels

I have been fortunate enough with all the exposure and involvement I’ve had with Flammables as a civilian welder, mechanic and Farm Boy and with military items like Frantan going off close to me… not to have been burned by Flammables. Think… crawling under a farm truck, gasoline leaking everywhere and sparks from shorting electrical wires. By my Lord God and his Son Jesus, Mithra and the Fates… I was lucky.

A little trivia… Frantan was a Rhodesian reword of the extremely destructive device composed of a gelling agent and Flammable fuel that was the a creepy burny known as “Napalm” during Vietnam days. Napalm and Frantan were the end of most life caught within their explosive perimeters. White Phosphorus was also used in the Rhodesian and South African conflicts.

Frantan/Napalm and White Phosphorus can’t be put out with water… they have to be smothered to choke off the oxygen that keeps them burning. Think dirt… like my comrades furiously rubbed on my arm. These reignite themselves remarkably well if you block only 99% of it from getting oxygen… but not 100%.

I have a burn the size of a fist on my arm from White Phosphorus, also known as ‘Willy Pete.’ I was hoping around like a mad rabbit during a fire fight trying to get my fatigue jacket and jumpsuit off, it was so horrendously painful. I can’t imagine from my puny little burn, but I’ve been told by survivors of major third degree burns that it was the most painful experience ever… and the damage is horrible and lasts the remainder of their life as is plainly visible on burn victims. The afterwards of reoccurring infections and huge pussy scabs like cardboard is just about as painful.

Think… physically scarred for life in a horrible way. Grit, from dirt forced into the burning mess, was still coming out of my arm for a couple of decades after my burn which was topical, but verrrry painful. These weapons should be outlawed. But you know that “outlawed” doesn’t work very well in the real world.

Let’s concentrate on Flammable and Combustible fuels here.

If you do use Flammables how and where you shouldn’t use them… you will most likely be in the burn ward of a hospital… if there is one still functioning. Regardless, you will be in a painful world of shytte if you get burned.

Other subjects covered in Chapter 21 are…

• Wood and other sources of open flame fuel
• Fire Safety
• Individual and NPP Alternative Electric Power Systems
• Common Alternative Electric Power System components are:
  • Power sources
  • Electric Inverter/Charge Controllers
  • Electric Storage Battery Bank
  • The ‘load’ or where your electricity is being used
• The power source-Windmill Turbine Electric Generator
• The power source-Engine Powered Electric Generator
• Small output portable Solar Panel units
• Hardened Power Systems
• A word on water well pumps
• Electric power and plug standardization
• Faraday Cage Protection
• Building a Faraday Cage for an Engine Powered Electric Generator

Alternative power

Natural Gas

For all you who think you have the foolproof plan by incorporating a natural gas-powered electrical generator as your M.C. Hammer… “U can’t touch this!” alternative electrical source when the Proverbial “Shite Hits The Rotating Inclined Planes,” beware. The bottom may drop out of your alternative electrical generation bucket because this fuel source will stop, soon after electrical ceases, contrary to urban myth and widespread belief.

From Author Tobias “The Geek Prepper”

Reprinted with permission from his copyrighted essays at https://geekprepper.com/

Check out his website for some excellent additional information…

Natural Gas’ Reliance on Electrical Grid

Another of the major flaws of Natural Gas grid is its dependency on the electric grid.

The gas grid relies on electricity. The gas grid requires that pressure must be maintained throughout the system. This pressure is maintained via a system of compressors and pumping stations.

The good news is that some of the main compressor stations, feeding the large interstate pipelines, are typically fueled by natural gas and generate their power with it, to keep operations running. Gas-fueled compressors could be more widely used throughout the system, but they are noisy and have environmental implications. So in urban areas, the gas distribution companies typically use electric pumps and compressors to bring gas to the consumer. It’s not hard to see where the problem lies here. No electricity, no gas supply.

If you are lucky enough to live along a line that is powered by its own natural gas, you should still have some pressure pushing gas down the line, as long there are no breaks in the line.

Again, check out the “Geek Prepper” …good information gathered with brains by research… geekprepper.com/…

Fuel selection and standardization

If the world goes Grid Down, you and your CDM Neighborhood Protection Plan™ Group Members need something more for heating, cooking and illumination other than electric or burning wood by open flame. You need a source of fuel that will work long-term in addition to solar, wood and electric sources. I recommend that your CDM Neighborhood Protection Plan™ have fuel burning heating, cooking and lighting equipment that is centered around standard fuels like kerosene, diesel, jet fuel (JP4 through JP8) and home heating oil.

Fuels made are listed by the Draft International Standard (DIS)… diesel (DF) DF#1, DF#2, DF#4, DMB Marine Diesel Oil and DMA, DMZ grades of Marine Gas Oil, #1 furnace fuel oil, gasoline as well as paraffin based JP4, JP5 and JP8 jet fuels.

With the exception of ‘gas,’ (Flammables) these fuels (Combustibles) are all pretty much the same thing. Kerosene is popular because it burns clean and is not the carbon monoxide monster like other fuels, but most equipment that use it can use these other Combustible fuels.

Again, most Combustibles have a high flash point of around 400^o Fahrenheit and they don’t ignite easily at ambient, normal air temperature. You can throw a lit match into an open container of any of Combustible fuel and the match will go out. Not so for Flammables… expect an explosion if you throw a match into an open container of Flammables such as gasoline or even make a spark near it.

For long-term shelf life storage without degrading like gasoline, and for fire safety and getting a good BTU return, these fuels are the best. BTU = British Thermal Unit, which measures heat from fuels, just like calories measure the energy of food. See also the Chapter “Food, cooking and storage” and the Chapter “Lighting” for more information on fuels and cooking devices.

Like ammunition, magazines and firearms standardization, I encourage your NPP to standardize the fuels and systems they operate. Have one or more types of fuel, but ensure all systems are versatile enough to operate properly on them.

I am a believer in fuel abundance and availability during a Prolonged Crisis being extremely plentiful for two reasons…

One. Case in point… shortly after this recent Coronavirus lockdown started and everyone topped off their vehicle fuel tanks, fuel supplies piled up to the point that oil prices for wholesalers went negative. A first in history. Even though it didn’t collapse the price at the fuel pump for us, it has shown that their supply way exceeded the demand… because demand ceased to exist.

After a Catastrophic Event there will be lots of every kind of fuel available, after everyone tops off their vehicles… and then drives home and sits tight. People weren’t taking ‘The Sunday Drive,’ they sat at home.

At least, if it’s not an EMP event that destroys the electric power grid and prevents the transfer of fuels by the electric powered fuel pump operated by the computer system of your corner gas station. Even in that situation, there are means of getting fuel from the underground tanks with a hose and hand pump. Also, an EMP will render many vehicles with full fuel tanks useless… they won’t start. Read about this method later in this Chapter.

Look out for Parts Three and Four coming in the next few days.