Preparing For A Winter Emergency

[@PendejoRyan]

I think you're pretty well prepared, but you could use a few more batteries.

[@hamradiotube]

I was thinking a few more bottles of Jameson!

[@FIL357]

I’d second that !!

[@N0LSD]

On the topic of food: during the pandemic I started a working pantry. This pantry serves as storage for two lists of items. The first list is items my family goes through regularly: these include toiletries, over-the-counter medications, and food items that are not shelf stable for long, but don't require refrigeration. Condiments, crackers, powdered milk...that sort of thing. We always have powdered electrolyte drink mix (Gatorade, Drip-drop, Pocari Sweat, LMNT) so we can stay hydrated on something other than straight water. For our dog and cat, I have a 5-gallon pail of kibble that's been vacuum-sealed in a mylar bag. The other portion of this working pantry is shelf-stable food. Of course we keep a case of MREs on-hand in the event we need to evacuate by vehicle - for a family of four, that's a few meals each. I also over-order backpacker meals and always have a few of those on-hand as well. But the vast majority of the shelf-stable food we have on-hand is freeze-dried. I tested a number of brands during the pandemic, and settled mostly on Augason Farms for most of our shelf-stable food. This is a mix of freeze-dried and dehydrated meats, vegetables, fruits. We also order Bob's Red Mill Potato Flakes by the case. There's freeze-dried butter and freeze-dried eggs to use as ingredients for recipes. WE also rotate stock of rice and beans - so we use what's in the pantry, then re-stock the pantry. The idea was to scale our food storage and use it based on what the expected length of a given emergency might be - that way, none of this food goes to waste. Those Augason Farms foods come in #10 cans, so once they're opened, they really do need to be consumed and cannot be resealed. We also have shelf-stable wet food for the pets. Between that and the 5-gal pails of kibble, they won't starve. We also scaled our cooking solution. We have a natural gas stove in our home, but we still have a Coleman stove and canister gas to supply that stove. We also have a small alcohol stove and a gas canister stove (a BRS-3000T - it literally weighs less than an ounce and is a favorite among ultralight backpackers It costs less than US$20 - so that's a no-brainer solution and much cheaper than, for instance, and MSR Pocket Rocket). The reasoning here is that in the event we just need to boil water, we don't need to fire up the kitchen stove or even the Coleman stove: we have a couple different ways to cook simple stuff without using much fuel. We also have an Instant Pot pressure cooker and a food dehydrator, so we can prep larger meals like soups/stews/chili in the run-up to a storm from our fridge - which means we have less perishable, uncooked food in the house if we lose power. This layered approach lends itself to bugging-in (which should really always be the primary plan), but also allows us the flexibility to evacuate if we absolutely need to do so.

[@bruehlt]

Damn man - who's the power queen? You're the power queen!

[@floydteter4323]

Good on you for being well prepared for an emergency and for sharing what you’ve done! A couple of things we’ve implemented at my place: 1) we have a couple of Milwaukee M18 lanterns - much lower power consumption than wall lights and offers usb recharging for other devices; 2) we store about 50 gallons of emergency water, along with water bobs for the bathtubs; 3) we keep a dome tent stored just for sleeping in if power goes out in the winter - it captures enough body heat to keep us very warm and came in really handy a few years back during a winter power outage.

[@dougdaniels]

@floydteter4323 Those lanterns look great, I was going to jump on one until I saw the price of the battery.

[@jerryKB2GCG]

don’t forget to account for water to flush toilets. If you have a bathtub, filling that up is also a good thing to do. We also stock MRE’s.

[@hamradiotube]

Good point. Of course, if there is a water emergency, but I still have water, I doubt there is anything worse in the water of the toilet than I will add too it 🤣

[@ahoward2kable]

Water bob is great for storing water in the bath tub, and it stays clean so you can drink it. They are pretty cheap.

[@roneike7858]

Add a Kerosun heater to lower the drain on your batteries. I once kept warm using the Kerosun during the day, always shut down at night! Other then that I only had a jump starter. Lithium batteries were only a dream back then.

[@ahoward2kable]

6:49 i had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder. Put bidets on the bathrooms that I used. Life changing

[@genebodenberger]

What you are preparing for sounds like any Monday here in SW Montana. You are in a position to not only thrive, but to help others who need it. N7ARO

[@KY4TRK]

? Why do you have a electronic oven/stove when you have a gas water heater.... doesn't make since?

[@mattb7406]

fyi, electric blanket on warm is very efficient use of battery power thru inverter. I run a twin on warm on 660wh battery for over 16 hours.

[@ferrysengun1692]

Thanks Mike for this video. I'm also very well equipped, because it could also get extremely cold here in Switzerland. Thank you for the work you always share with us. And you really have a very nice car. Your father is proud of you. I know it. If I were your father, I would be. Thank you my friend. Greetings Ferry, HB9FEV.

[@Sonicgott]

I love the “BUT” when talking about your toilet paper stash. Cheeky, there, Mike. 😂

[@K1RKK]

I like the new “sitting beside you” viewpoint you started this one with.😂 “Toilet paper needs go down the drain” was missed😂 Hamharder!

[@2A4U.S.A]

I am prepared just waiting for it to happen, But I'm in W.I.. Honestly though I'm hoping for the best for you all in the south! You look pretty squared away Mike..

[@PhilON4VP]

A video on my birthday ;-) Great. Well over here in Belgium we panic already when we see snow. Rarely we have situations as in the States. Honestly, we are not equipt to deal with that kind of situations. So for all people that are affected a big thumps up. West side fires in LA ... what a 2025 start. Few things comes in to my mind: - we radio operators can send and receive email by winlink and radio - we can use starlink if regular internet is down - if power is down, how will you recharge the batteries (thinking of a generator and some fuel in stock) Cheers, Phil ON4VP

[@steffiejoe]

After Hurricane Beryl there was no internet or cell phone service. Seriously considering getting Starlink. Power was restored 8 days later, internet restored later on the 9th day.

[@bwillan]

For all of those 12.8V 300AH batteries you have, I would take 4 of then, wire them in series and pair those with a 48V 6KW (EG4 from signature solar) or larger inverter and wire that with a transfer switch to main electrical panel. This will give you 15KW of battery capacity and be able to power everything in your house. If this storm is likely to get below freezing for a while, make sure you have a method to keep your water lines warm or they may burst on you. Also make sure the fuel tanks in your vehicles are full.

[@dorvinion]

I think I counted about 3500 AH including the 100AH batteries. Add ~8-12kWh of solar and he could probably get 99% of his electric covered all year round - and a 2kW suitcase generator for the last extreme need if he had a couple days in a row cloudy.

[@kenrose333]

That is a massive amount of energy to keep in your house.. I’ve had a single 18650 ignite close to my face. I know that you know.. but eeesh 👀💣

[@ahoward2kable]

11:47 fill the gas tank up as well

[@huseinabdul1]

I’m from Houston and now in Chicago. Good luck!

[@eem3iii]

Holy batteries Batman! 😂

[@pnowikow]

Grab a Mr Heater Buddy and a couple more 20lb propane tanks. Otherwise you've got it covered.

[@joshua511]

Regarding TP - just time your showers to coincide with after you go #2. Then you don't need any TP.

[@tdsmart5674]

If you have a gas furnace, you could consider running it with an inverter and a car battery. If you have a long enough extension cord, you could even use the battery in your vehicle. With a full tank of gas, you could easily keep the battery charged.

[@ke8mattj]

Just a normal Appalachian winter :). Great job on your preparing. Wish I had lots more money to have more power, but it is what it is. One of the things I do is always get some extra cans of spaghetti-os, ravolioi, and pasta and meatballs. Each are $1 and provide 400 calories per serving. I have 6 months stocked up and rotate. You just open the can, and eat away: no need for heating. Also, invest in a freeze drier. Best investment I've made. Two months of eggs were put back and last basically forever. When I went on vacation on November, I freeze dried a bunch of fruits to eat on the way to and from.

[@MikeN2MAK]

With all those batteries, don't ever let anyone tell you that you don't have potential ⚡

[@hamradiotube]

Oh, I see what you did there 🤣

[@stevepaulsen3917]

Well done!

[@sinisterpisces]

Excellent, concise summary of your preparation. Great video. :) Be safe out there. Preferably by not going out there.

[@bobkopf227]

One thing I might add is if your electric power goes out you might want to consider opening the cabinet doors under your kitchen sink and bathroom sink and any other plumbing that runs through outside walls of the house so heat from the house can help keep the pipes from freezing.

[@japanham5973]

Fill up a couple of old fashion hot water bottles....put them under the covers of your bed to keep your feet warm. They are amazing in how long they will keep the bed warm. Next day, pour the water back into a pot and heat up. Recycle.....! :)

[@marcusalancate1782]

That's a high $$ investment in batteries, chargers and solar!

[@nimroddiaries_]

Stay safe down there all y'all. It's kind of odd watching from Southwest Michigan when y'all are getting winter and we're barely getting any. Well we are getting some lake effect but it's not that bad. One easy tip if you're not prepared try not to warm each person or both people not the room. Sleeping bags, blankets, extra layers.

[@Ammed_KN6STX]

Holy Cow!!! You got some batteries!!!!😮

[@JohnTarbox]

With all those chargers, inverters, etc; are they all RF quiet? I would love to see a video Detailing which, if any, cause interference with the radios.

[@deankq4adj125]

Batteries and toilet paper baby. That's all the essentials that you need to survive a winter storm, oh and of course some food too, I guess.

[@puddleduck112]

With all those batteries why not create a battery wall and tie it in to your main panel? So do you go around and pull things out like the fridge to unplug it and plug it into your inverter?

[@hamradiotube]

Yeah it's not a big deal. It just rolls out.

[@japanham5973]

With all those great batteries, you should put up a few permanent solar panels on your roof, mount all your batteries on racks and keep them charged. You can then use groups of them during the day and evening for everything 120VAC in your house. It will reduce/eliminate your electric bill, and keep the batteries healthy. Would be a shame to ruin a battery from forgetting about it and letting it just sit on a shelf and naturally drain below the recommended minimum voltage. You are very lucky to have so many batteries...take some time to make a home backup system having the bulk of the cost (batteries) already out of the picture. Don't skimp on inverters for your home system(s). My opinion.... 73, and thanks for all the great videos.

[@curtismartin252]

What’s the dashboard on your tv?

[@preppie478]

Hit the walmart camping section and grab the $20 butane burner in the black plastic case and a couple cans of fuel. Fantastic "power out" investment that never goes bad and gets you a gas stove burner. Some also come propane compatible

[@drivingsouthwest6895]

Come on up to Tyler, it'll be fun tomorrow!

[@hazer72]

LOL bidet FTW! We got one of the heated water/hot air drying seats at the start of Covid.

[@hamradiotube]

Hot air drying you say?? Very nice!

[@wildbill1]

Looks like you got your preps in order!

[@Eric10179]

I think you have too many batteries Mike. I think you should give me some. 🤣

[@2bcoppins]

Good stuff, thanks Mike!

[@JordanJohnson-r7n]

Great book collection btw!

[@mrg4646]

Some of this state is having an emergency(California). Lol so this is good timing

[@Mandarin110631]

thank you Mike!

[@KC5TGTRadiosNMore]

Stay safe Mike! You are better prepared than 90% of the rest of the country…

[@mylesau]

Mike, you have a problem!!!

[@mattwin1986]

you need to put a trail cam in the yard pointed at the house. If a fire breaks out, its gonna be one for the ages. lol

[@FactionOfRed]

Have you thought about adding a small generator to your arsenal? I run mine in line with some EcoFlow units to kinda run a hybrid situation. Solar isn’t always the quickest or abundant in the winter. Although, your gazillion amp hours would take a while to deplete lol

[@DonDegidio]

Hi Mike, We only had about 2" snow Monday. My back pain was excessive (I think because of the weather) and was the first time I had to pay to get the property cleared. Yesterday ordered a 36 roll package of Scott toilet paper. Always keep a supply on hand since Covid hit. Hope the next storm heading in your direction won't be severe. You and Satan stay safe. 73 WJ3U

[@DarkShadowCustoms]

Maybe it wasn't my fault the south froze over four years ago. I visited the Austin, TX area for a paintball game in January and then in Feb they had that big freeze. I joked with my friends down there that I had lost a crate containing northern weather while I was visiting. Gas camping stoves are great to have in case power goes out and you have an electric stove in your kitchen. If you have a gas stove though you can still use it to cook, just have to light it with a match. Those who live in rural areas and rely on well water definitely need to keep water on hand if they don't have a generator. No power means no water if you have well water for the house.

[@twalters4812]

Holy shitballs. You got stuff. Except for an ice rod. 🤔

[@xSikks]

I am prepared for a winter emergency. I am also prepared to go camping tomorrow before all this hits. I'm going to be local, but I couldn't pass up hammock camping in the snow.

[@ny4i]

Cigars Mike. Cigars. Good luck.

[@hamradiotube]

There's a humidor in my living room with about ~300 cigars. It's a good start.

[@oncomics1128]

Would it be cheaper to invest in DC routers and appliances? (I have zero thought on the matter)

[@KB5UTY-Dave]

I don't think you have enough batteries!!! Good Stuff!

[@hamradiotube]

Never!

[@FIL357]

Water stored in plastic bottles is advised here to not be good for you in the long term. Something to do with the chemical effect with the plastic I believe. A very interesting and thought provoking video thank you. My prep. is rather less comprehensive but some prep. and planning is good isn’t it ! Best regards,😃 Phil, Suffolk U.K. 🇬🇧

[@christophertipton2318]

I had to go and check my kitchen to see if you had snuck in and stole my stove, microwave, and air fryer. Exact same brands. 🙂 Long time prepper as well as a ham here, get more water. I keep 50 gallons of potable water at all times, plus several water purification systems (including a DIY Berkey). I also have WaterBobs available to put in my bathtub. But, then I'm a Floridian (and ex-Detroiter). The majority of our likely serious natural disasters are summertime events and the weather is hot and water is important. I'll be buying at least one more 100Ah LiFePO in the near future. My VHF/UHF radio was on battery power this past summer twice, but luckily not for more than two days each time My 30Ah handled it just fine. Didn't use HF. Love your vids! 73 and stay warm.

[@JoseArrom]

Down where you live (south or southwest), your main concern should be ICE, freezing your pipes and leaking, knocking down branches, and damaging your antennas. Take down any antennas, you can put them back up and the storm passes. And other alternative is to have open tickets and fly off to sunny Mexico before the storm shuts down the airport (my adult grandsons took off this mornng).

[@brianishmael7845]

Always plug the bathtub drain and fill it with water

[@kevinmowrey5198]

We bought a jackery 3000 pro

[@kenchilton]

I have a saw, a maul, a box of matches, a bunch of trees, and a bad attitude. Am I all set? 😊

[@GVDub]

Here in the L.A. area, we have to worry about wildfires and high winds. Between now and Sunday, there're talking about 80-100mph winds. Glad I didn't put my antenna back up last weekend after the last windstorm took it down. Power outages, evacuation alerts, and the like are something we share. We too have all the radios charging, all the lanterns charging, and, luckily, I just topped off the LiFePo4 stuff this last weekend after winning a 150W solar panel, charge controller, 12ah battery and charger from Bionno in our local club's holiday party raffle. Stay ready, as they say, and you don't gotta get ready. Added thought. Get yourself a heated mattress pad and save some money (and wattage) over the space heater.

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

Hot water heater? I'm in NH where, storm or not, I lose power a lot. (I'm not supposed to get a lot of snow from the northern edge of this system. D.C. is expected to worse. But I've got a lot of wind, and power lines have a lot of nearby tree limbs.) So I've just had my gas generator serviced, and I'm configured to run the oil furnace from it. That would include hot water for me, except I haven't set up to run the well pump on it. A good next project, I guess. But long power outages here are rare. I guess that our power companies are staffed for it. I do have, maybe 300 total hours of LiFePO4 (and a 2 kW inverter that I haven't tried out yet - another good project), not quite your battery vendor level, but it should hold me, since I don't try for full operation during an outage. I've got some panels, but solar isn't much help this far north in winter. Now to see if my dump will accept the 2 year old gas in my Gerry cans, so I can stock up for the generator. I only have one car, so I'm not putting the old stuff there. Don't put Satan in parallel with the batteries.

[@theoldhobbit3640]

Our infrastructure here in the UK is already at breaking point, so it wouldn't take much to bring it down. Preparing for any sort of outage is cost prohibitive, and on a pension, there is only so much one can do. So far, we have a portable 400w solar system feeding a 200amp lifepo4 12v battery through a 3000w inverter. This is basically to keep our freezer running and some 12v led lights. Cooking is done on a 2 ring coalman petrol stove, excellent for cooking and heat if needed. Comms have their own 100amp lifepo4 fed by a 50w panel into a victron mppt, which does a good job keeping it topped off. We have plenty of water and food, including the statutory toilet rolls 😂. Oil lamps for backup and plenty of ethernol for camping stoves. Let's hope I never need them. Oh, I do have a petrol generator just in case with 30ltrs in storage 😊😊. Take care and best of luck 🎉

[@TheREALJosephTurner]

The ornery side of me is sitting here hoping that this is someone's first video on your channel, sitting there with their jaw on the floor after you said "I leave the door cracked so Satan can get in." 🤣🤣🤣

[@t.j.speakman7723]

You're on it dog gonn'it. Already had our storm here in Ohio. Water,Heat,Power,Food. Adjust 1-4 as to your area needs.

[@thehappyhogger4484]

I hope your house never catches fire..

[@dienadel30]

Remember in the pinch you can use APR... oh wait .. :)

[@greatgoogamooga1]

Great googly moogly! How many batteries do you have!? I've got 3 100Ah and thought I had a fair amount.

[@1shARyn3]

A natural gas furnace uses far less electricity than does a space heater

[@bwillan]

That's assuming natural gas is available in his area.

[@1shARyn3]

Don't forget. You need not only a clean car; but clean underwear as well ---- just in case

[@Zyn88]

A great low power way to heat water is a crock pot

[@hazer72]

I was late! But I was doing VE stuff.

[@slappomatthew]

lol bro has enough battery to keep the AC running in the tx summer

[@201mxflyboy201]

wood stove. wood. diesel heater. diesel. i think i will be good and warm lol.

[@christophersmith1155]

HOT FOOD , HOT WATER. charcoal for the bbq grill .

[@hamradiotube]

This is Texas. If you don't have charcoal for the BBQ I think they ask you to leave 🤣

[@lyfandeth]

Try Jameson Black sometime.

[@jerryKB2GCG]

wonder what all the solar panels, batteries, inverters add up to 😊😊😊

[@hamradiotube]

One dollar, Bob 🤣

[@jerryKB2GCG]

@ well, retail for the average person 😀😀😀

[@dorvinion]

Do you think you prepare for winter events more now compared to when you lived in Michigan?

[@hamradiotube]

100% In MI it's just a way of life. Down here, not so much.

[@dougdaniels]

Any thoughts of a battery bank connected to the main, or is running inverters easy enough?

[@hamradiotube]

I actually could connect my inverter to my panel, it has a 30 amp AC output built it, but honestly I don't feel comfortable doing that. I'm just not as familiar with AC as I am DC. That would certainly be helpful though, as I wouldn't have to run extension cables through the house. But, being a renter, I really don't want to go messing with stuff.

[@dorvinion]

Connecting your inverters to the mains really should not be done unless you have taken active steps to prevent backfeeding into the grid

[@resqguy]

At least we know who is "in charge"

[@HamRadioKS-k7j]

Aren't you worried about the TP spoiling? Hi Hi 73

[@adcraziness1501]

I think your home would be safe in a tornado simply because it weighs too much to blow away! EDIT: I will say, here in TN this next upcoming snow storm there won't be much use for solar at all. Wind power, maybe. Solar will be zero volts. Heating at night is done with electric blankets, they are more efficient than running a space heater. (IF the power goes out) general heating will be done with propane, again much more effective than electricity when your power input is your bottleneck. I have several hundred watts of solar panels, but again...100% cloud cover and snow there won't be any input volts with solar.

[@DellFargus]

Holy batteries, Batman! (Nerd Alert!) I calculated the Wattage (amps rating x 120 volts) requirements for all the essential electric devices in the house - furnace (burns coal & gives heat/hot water), freezers, fridge, ceiling fans/lights in each room, etc. I then wired them all into one leg of my breaker panel. All the non-essential stuff (washer, dryer, stove, tv, etc.) went onto the other leg for load balancing during normal operation. I put a camper jack onto the essential leg of the breaker panel and made a big hanking suicide cord to go from a generator to the essential leg. During Hurricane Sandy, we didn't have power for six days, which gave me the chance to measure the generator's fuel consumption ~ 4 gallons/day. I keep ten 5-gallon cans of gas, that get used/refilled annually, out back in the barn. I haven't burnt the place down yet, so that must mean my system works.

[@hamradiotube]

Living dangerously, I like it. Just be sure not to fry any lineman when you're back feeding power to your house with that suicide cord!

[@DellFargus]

@hamradiotube Don't worry, I turn the main breaker off when back feeding the panel.

[@ericroundhouse3094]

Your biggest issue is that you have way too many Amp Hours of Lithium cells inside the house. Looks like several thousand amp hours. How is your fire extinguisher gameplan? WOW!

[@hamradiotube]

They are Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LiFePO4). They are an extremely safe and stable chemistry, unlike the LiPo batteries found in phones, laptops, tablets, etc. I do have a fire extinguisher but it would probably do little to nothing if there were a failure, but fortunately you need to try really hard to hurt one of them. Even if you do, they don't generally violently erupt into a huge ball of fire like LiPo batteries.

[@scottleeney7717]

Don’t forget about the pets

[@geo9974]

ONE!!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Davidjb37721]

He need to get a diesel heater

[@leericelli_w8rnb202]

Can we agree from this video that Mike has stuff?

[@jhlewis10]

Radio monitor in the Kitchen? Tell me you are single without telling me you are single.

[@hamradiotube]

I call that the chick magnet!

[@apjbuilder]

Don’t forget the Bread and Milk - sorry couldn’t help myself

[@hamradiotube]

I said milk and bread!

[@BurtonChristmasLites]

Batteries R Us!!!!

[@CrazyMike2]

"nothing at all"

[@timel64]

No fireplace for wood heat? They want to ban fireplace burning and gas appliances in California. 😢

[@hamradiotube]

I have a fireplace but it's gas. Not really good for heat. All it does is suck the heat out of the house.

[@kaboom4679]

Canada , come get your weather , its down here acting a fool again....

[@edwymer2226]

I lost my guns in a boating accident

[@wolfwizard406]

Perhaps park your car on a new driveway backwards instead of nose and just in case you need that fast get away

[@jerryKB2GCG]

Folks down there for the most part are clueless. Folks in upper mid-west, new england, NE, and even the northern mid-atlantic are so much more orepared