What Preps are you doing this week? Part 12

[Yorkshire Andy]

Got some big bottles of water, porridge and oatmeal (for oatcakes).

No booze or chocolate,? your slacking lil

[Medusa]

We have had a pretty rubbish start to 2025 in general. It has however given me a kick in the pants. Finally got our wills signed and witnessed, we wrote them in lockdown!! My advance statement and advance decision have been revised again. POAs have been written via GovUK and just need paying for now, not cheap for 4 of them so may need to do them two at a time. Plastic wallets have been bought so all of the children will have a copy of important documents as I do not want them to go through what we have had to recently. We have done a lot of clearing out and getting rid. The storeroom was relocated last year, but the rest of the room was full of "stuff". Also had a good clear out of wardrobes and the loft. It has all been either donated to a local charity or taken to the recycling centre aka the tip and I have been very brutal. Unfortunately lost a precious piece of jewellery that I had "hidden for safe keeping" in the process. Next on the to buy list is a decent safe. The former storeroom is now in the process of being converted back into a bathroom, quite a luxury not have to trek downstairs and through half the house for a bathroom visit in the middle of the night. New bathrooms do not come cheap and so supplies have not been stocked up quite as much recently although I have managed to retain between 3 and 6 months worth of household requirements such as cleaning and laundry and probably about 3 months worth of food.

[diamond lil]

No booze or chocolate,? your slacking lil

I don't like chocolate!!
.....says she as she keeps quiet on the booze bit

[Arzosah]

Medusa, what a shame about the precious jewellery but what you've actually done is remarkable, that's a lot. Not trekking about the house in the middle of the night is such a boon and it sounds like the house is more pleasant to live in, full stop, as well as better for the offspring to face.

[Frnc]

De-clutter is the main thing I'm focussed on now. Not got very far with it. I did give away an old dehumidifier on Gumtree. I put a cooler bag and blocks on, got loads of responses, someone never showed, and it all seems to have dried up.

Mostly it's stuff that was on the landing. I'm waiting for carpet. I did get the wardrobe back onto it, but not putting anything back in it, as it'll have to be moved for the carpet fitters.

A few bits of prep stuff will continue to be kept in the wardrobe - a couple of rucksacks, spare tent, and sleeping bag. They don't take up much space.

[GillyBee]

We are also trying to declutter before the loft gives up the ghost and lands on us. I have realised the "putting things on Ebay" just never happens here. But there is a local auction house half a mile away that will do all the work for me. They charge 20% but if they get a better price than I can it will all balance out. Testing the process with a box full of small collectibles and will do this more if it all works out.

[Frnc]

Got a question. Had 4 new windows put in. They are top openers. The top stays open, so would be easier to climb out in a fire. But one lodger reckons the plastic bit in the middle probably isn't strong enough to hold a ladder. Also, most ladders are designed to hold onto the sill. That would mean breaking the glass. So I was thinking of getting spring loaded glass breakers. I have tried searching the internet, but not got very far. Regs just class these rooms as same as downstairs, ie escape through landing stairs hall front door. The escape ladders I have are designed to hold onto the sill.
Opinions?
1. Smash glass and fit ladder to sill. How reliable are these breakers on house windows? What about all the broken glass? Will the ladder fit onto the sill anyway - both have radiators immediately underneath with not much gap.
2. Buy ladder with hooks and hang off plastic bit in middle of window. This is my favoured option if they are strong enough. I don't like these metal ladders I have anyway, they are not easy to use.
3. Buy ladder with carabiners and fit some sort of bolts to something somewhere somehow.

[grenfell]

I'd be surprised if the centre rail isn't or wouldn't be strong enough. The plastic is bonded and there might even be metal inserts depending on the manufacturer. The dg unit would also offer some rigidity. If going for a break glass option you'll need to ensure the glass is toughened. That way it will break into tiny bits rather than shards . Cheaper units are still sometimes made with plate. Obviously from a safety point of view toughened is best but I tend to prefer plate from a security aspect. It will still break but having to pull out the shards acts as a deterent. Also goes without saying that the unit can't have any sort of film on it.
The ladder with hooks seems a decent idea and it reminds me of one I came across some years ago. In that case it was a sash window and a rope ladder with wooden threads was attached to the big heavy cast iron radiator under the window. I'm not sure what regulations would say about it , probably ask the local fire brigade. We had to take out the rope ladder and replace it with nothing which seemed a backward step but at least I got to sell it on ebay.

[Frnc]

I'd be surprised if the centre rail isn't or wouldn't be strong enough. The plastic is bonded and there might even be metal inserts depending on the manufacturer. The dg unit would also offer some rigidity. If going for a break glass option you'll need to ensure the glass is toughened. That way it will break into tiny bits rather than shards . Cheaper units are still sometimes made with plate. Obviously from a safety point of view toughened is best but I tend to prefer plate from a security aspect. It will still break but having to pull out the shards acts as a deterent. Also goes without saying that the unit can't have any sort of film on it.
The ladder with hooks seems a decent idea and it reminds me of one I came across some years ago. In that case it was a sash window and a rope ladder with wooden threads was attached to the big heavy cast iron radiator under the window. I'm not sure what regulations would say about it , probably ask the local fire brigade. We had to take out the rope ladder and replace it with nothing which seemed a backward step but at least I got to sell it on ebay.

I'll try to find out off the installers on Monday whether it's toughened or not. If it is, I think I'll go for glass breakers, and keep the ladders we have. But I might also try to find out if the middle bit is strong enough for a ladder.

I discussed it a bit with downstairs lodger today. I think it's a good idea to keep them unlocked, unless there's no one in.

[Yorkshire Andy]

I put 2x rag eye bolts in the wall just above the skirting .. then removed the sill clamps and used 2x climbing carabinas

As for glass type anything under a metre should be toughened but only the inner pane outside is usually plate glass

As for the locking escape windows have the lock removed and these days a green thumb press button ..

Should have gone for a tilt and turn type

This post and the one below

https://www.uk-preppers.co.uk/forum/vie ... wl#p185982

As for smashing toughened glass these are the business
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/394151001907 ... media=COPY


Mate used on at a head on rtc no drama putting windows through