Other Retreat Considerations

It’s probably been beaten to death, but population is the first thing I consider when contemplating the need to bug out. I’m on the east coast and it would not be pretty in a collapse scenario. Here are some stats, and a nice map of why that show some population bulges in places you might not expect;

One thing I have not heard discussed much about retreats is flooring. Carpet is great, but with no electricity my guess is carpet will quickly become filthy. For a retreat I suggest hardwood or tile, or linoleum if the first two options are too expensive. Laminate floors can’t handle moisture well so I suggest against them in any case. If you must have carpet, have good wood or tile underneath.

If you build your retreat or do any remodeling, might want to cluster water pipes centrally. For example, have the kitchen on one side of a wall and the main bathroom on the other side. Don’t put water lines in remote parts of the building if you don’t have to; someday you may be able to heat only a portion of the structure and don’t want those lines freezing.

Buying a Generator

Last winter the DC area was hit by a few snow storms that left tens of thousands without power for several days. From what I heard on news radio (WTOP 103.5 in the metro area), recent thunder storms have resulted in more days of lost power than the snow storms. Apparently blackouts are a growing problem in the U.S., with even “non-disaster related outages affecting at least 50,000 consumers” up 124 percent in the past two decades.

Although last winter’s blackouts didn’t affect my household, I’ve decided to invest in a generator in case we face an extended loss of power. I don’t see this as primarily for a TEOTWAWKI type event (i.e. total collapse), but more for localized disasters for short relatively short periods of time – days up to a couple of weeks. Anything beyond a couple of weeks and my guess is it’s nearing time to bug out.

There are a lot of different options to be aware of when searching for generators and what you need will depend on where you are and how you plan to use the generator:

• Purpose: Will it be a smaller portable unit, or a whole home installed generator? For running appliances directly, or charging batteries that power your home through an inverter?
• Capacity (wattage): What items will you need to power (at the same time) in your home, RV, or other location? Are the appliances you’ll need to use gas or electric?
• Fuel: Primary choices are gasoline, diesel, propane, and natural gas. What do you already have? What can you easily obtain and store?

I’ve decided on a portable option that will be able to power some lighting (high efficiency bulbs), communications (internet/phone), the fridge in warm weather, and a few small appliances at one time. Because we rent, I will not install a switchover box to power the entire home, which would also connect a lot more items that would be needed, putting more of a load on the generator.

Adding up the wattage of the items I’d normally want to power at one time comes to 1,500 watts or less. Occasionally I may want to run some devices that pull up to 2,000-2,500 watts. From what I’ve read, generators do better with a lower load, and even fuel consumptions list running times based on half capacity. So I need something at least in the 3,000-4,000 watt range.

I did consider planning for bare bones eclectically service – a few lights, and small appliances only – in the 1,000 watt or less range, but rejected this. For not much more money a lot more capacity can be had, and you can do a small job with a larger generator, but you can’t do a big job with a small one.

For fuel my options are gasoline and propane; diesel generators tend to be cost prohibitive, and I don’t know if my next location will have natural gas available. However, there are a lot more options for gasoline generators and (currently) gasoline is easier to obtain. If I want to use propane or natural gas later, there are tri-fuel conversion kits available.

I haven’t purchased one yet, but it’s on the short list. Reviews at Amazon.com have convinced me that I don’t want the cheapest one of a certain wattage, just not worth the hassle of oil/fuel leaks and other malfunctions. I’ve mostly been looking at Amazon, but recently found this site that has a good selection with similar prices and mostly free shipping.

If you’re considering alternative power sources, see this site for information on generators, another for bike powered devices, and a howto for converting a lawnmower engine into a small generator.