What Preps are you doing this week? Part 10

[Frnc]

Just replaced some smoke alarm batteries. They were OK but I think it's best to swap them once a year or so. I had a night where one was chirping, but it was in a lodger's room. He slept through it presumably, but it was keeping me awake. Sod's law it stopped when the heating came on. There are three in his room so I had no idea which it was. One was a sealed CO meter as his room is above the boiler, with just floorboards in between, you can see through the gaps. I replaced the batteries in the other two and got a new CO meter.
I'm doing the rest of the house, bit by bit. Did three today. I have 15 altogether. Most rooms have an optical and an ionising. Kitchen has a heat activated one. The opticals also have emergency lights in them. Unfortunately you can't buy those anymore. First Alert are no longer manufacturing new stock for the European Market.

[Frnc]

No but I could get one - it's not hugely warm but there is a radiator on the outside of the wall in the front room which is usually on.

You can put metal foil sheets behind radiators to stop the heat going into the wall.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008GYPT6C/
They are mainly for external walls, for obvious reasons. Or party walls.

[Sneddle]

Went to the wholesalers today to stock up and see what they were giving away after Xmas. Not a lot, sadly, but I managed to get some useful stuff. I've also got the battery packs charged up again. They didn't really need it, but it's been a few months since they were done.

Yes, I am procrastinating about doing the food hoard, why do you ask?

[Rusty74]

Had a lovely and steady job to do yesterday . Sorted our old fashioned walk - in pantry. Organised it to take in stock ( food) from our back up storage. Mrs J has a changed diet,and because of being a bit rough myself ,I do too. It means if my job of shopping etc. cannot be done by me further up the way,and it’s possible,Mrs J can instead,and knows what we have / need ,easily.

The diet changes have meant a lot of back up , lots , are not needed. The main one is rice. I love it. Mrs J no. So ,I have about 15 kg in the pantry which will be fine for my wants! Then I gave 8 kg to eldest,and offered to youngest. She doesn’t use it either. So that’ll be a donation to local food bank. Which is good ,and it’s all 2024 date.

Today I am sorting through a rather large bookcase. There’s a lot of junk there and survivalist type books that frankly,I don’t want. So that’ll be a good tidy up done.

I really want a pantry. I've got a large under stairs cupboard that I could convert but not sure if it may be too warm. The alcohol seems to survive okay in there so maybe the grub will too.

our pantry is under the stairs just off the kitchen and never had any problems with food or water over heating under there

[Chewy]

Started to dehydrate some fruit & veg i got on discount from the supermarket, that had no shelf life.

Plan on using some as snack food and putting rest into small / medium storage

[DustyDog]

Hi all and happy new year.
How I’m I prepping? It’s funny really, a few years ago I couldn’t afford to do much prep wise but I had the space and my then wife understood my prepping mindset. Now, divorced but with a new gf for four years, I hardly have any room for preps (my main preps was long life foods) but have the money to buy preps, in the sense of lots of long life foods. Life can be annoying sometimes especially when the way energy prices are going you’re really pissed if you sold a huge leisure battery and 200 watt solar panel when you had to sell your camper . Anyway doing what I can is, having batteries and power banks, having emergency lights and candles, trying to convince gf that you can never have to much food in the house and other things that sensible preppers have at home. Gonna start doubling down and just getting back into my previous prepper mentality, especially with the way the world seems to be going. It’s good to be back amongst like minded people.

[Yorkshire Andy]

. The opticals also have emergency lights in them. Unfortunately you can't buy those anymore. First Alert are no longer manufacturing new stock for the European Market.

Look at the fire angle


https://www.safelincs.co.uk/fireangel-f ... ape-light/

I've the older model runs on 2xaa batteries

https://www.diy.com/departments/fireang ... 118_BQ.prd

[Frnc]

. The opticals also have emergency lights in them. Unfortunately you can't buy those anymore. First Alert are no longer manufacturing new stock for the European Market.

Look at the fire angle


https://www.safelincs.co.uk/fireangel-f ... ape-light/

I've the older model runs on 2xaa batteries

https://www.diy.com/departments/fireang ... 118_BQ.prd

Yes, seen that, will maybe get one for the landing. Thanks.

[Frnc]

Hi all and happy new year.
How I’m I prepping? It’s funny really, a few years ago I couldn’t afford to do much prep wise but I had the space and my then wife understood my prepping mindset. Now, divorced but with a new gf for four years, I hardly have any room for preps (my main preps was long life foods) but have the money to buy preps, in the sense of lots of long life foods. Life can be annoying sometimes especially when the way energy prices are going you’re really pissed if you sold a huge leisure battery and 200 watt solar panel when you had to sell your camper . Anyway doing what I can is, having batteries and power banks, having emergency lights and candles, trying to convince gf that you can never have to much food in the house and other things that sensible preppers have at home. Gonna start doubling down and just getting back into my previous prepper mentality, especially with the way the world seems to be going. It’s good to be back amongst like minded people.

Gotta keep prepping. You don't need much space. Until recently, I had one corner base cupboard in the kitchen, which was for prep food AND most of my day to day food. And a 80cm wide shelving unit in the corner of my bedroom, which has some non-prep stuff on it as well. My bugout stuff is in the bottom of my wardrobe. The foot of my bed is about 18 inches from the chimney breast (boarded up). My TV overhangs the gap, so I couldn't walk down it anyway, have to go over the bed to get to the other side. In this gap I have 3 x 10 litre water, fire escape ladder in box, spare duvet, and my duvet during the day. Under the bed is food plus 5 litre water containers. It's not even the original bedroom, about a square meter was partitioned out to create room on the landing for an extra doorway when the other bedroom was partitioned to add a long thin bathroom at the front. The old bathroom at the back became a third bedroom, recently liberated, to house my exercise bike and some prep gear. So the landing goes in a L shape (into the corner chopped out of my room), with 2 doors at the end instead of one. At the end of the landing, to either side of the two doors, I managed to fit a wardrobe and a chest of drawers. This was only a 2 bed house originally. I have 2 lodgers, a spare room, plus all the above. I do have two living rooms, or did (one is now a lodger's room). There is no prep stuff in the living room. So I have two wardrobes plus a clothes rail now which is in the spare room. I do have some clothes I never wear, but it's things like fleece jackets and waterproofs that I don't really need, but I cant bear to get rid of. I should really get some stuff I don't need on ebay and declutter.

[itsybitsy]

No but I could get one - it's not hugely warm but there is a radiator on the outside of the wall in the front room which is usually on.

You can put metal foil sheets behind radiators to stop the heat going into the wall.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008GYPT6C/
They are mainly for external walls, for obvious reasons. Or party walls.

Ah, I'll take a look at those, thanks.