The looming electric / gas shortages...

[Yorkshire Andy]

Been having a review of the kit in light of the impeding doom and literal gloom I've had a day off work (had a wisdom tooth out yesterday)

So set too and checked over my blackout kit for starters

Candles ok not the safest but yeh got plenty of tea lights and pillar types + safe things to burn them in / on .. lighters matches and those long gas lighters

Got 3 paraffin / lamp oil lamps one vintage twin wick brass jobbie plus a couple of hurricane lanterns.. having a allotment I've got plenty of paraffin plus several bottles of dedicated lamp oil again not the safest but like most things if care is used....


2 gas lanterns and a Coleman petrol lantern as above added bonus with the gas lanterns is a decent amount of heat been given off

Got 3x double Philips life light sets plus a eBay China version plan is to especially on long dark nights it to alternate sets so they get a good charge between use ... Each set will get a nights use then effectively 2 days worth of charge per night of use ...


2x usb solar chargers plus 3x 20,000mah power banks. Plus usb bulbs and a selection of usb leads for "everything"

Then there's the typical prepper collection of torches / headlamps spare batteries rechargeable batteries and chargers which lets be honest are way too many to list

Also have some mini battery powered PIR lights which are great on the stairs and landing and those stick up led push lights with double sided tape on the back

12v chargers for a lot of stuff plus a leisure battery and solar charger and inverter



One thing I do want is a solar battery charger for aa/ aaa cells

This weekend the heating / cooking preps are going to be overhauled

[jansman]

Pleased to say , I am pretty well covered like you Yorkshire Andy.When it comes to it though , when darkness comes,I’ll go to bed. My day starts so damned early,I’ll be glad of it. That make sense?

[Yorkshire Andy]

Oh yes but it'll soon be dark at 7am and dark by 5pm

Up in the dark and home in the dark

Biggest issue for many will be in the case of rota cuts will be again schools will be shut and work places..BUT unlike the 70's many now work out of town so the schools having power Vs your workplace won't always be at the same time .

Can't see houses loosing gas. IF that happens we are well and truly FUBAR As the regs will not allow or permit the gas just to go back on each and EVERY house will need to have its gas incoming valve isolated before re supply then a gas man needs to turn it back on then appliances checked for gas / ignition of pilots or risk an explosion

Every town used to have one or more gasometer but they decommissioned most of them on the JIT supply and relience on electric pumps to distribute / supply homes / businesses

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co ... 405066.amp

They were a good buffer for supply issues and kept the gas flowing even if there were issues with supplies for a good while

[jansman]

Here’s a forecast,and I really hope I am wrong: We will start to see an increase in house fires,as people increase use of candles,and opening up long disused fireplaces without proper safety checks. We no longer have a culture of respect for naked flames.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Here’s a forecast,and I really hope I am wrong: We will start to see an increase in house fires,as people increase use of candles,and opening up long disused fireplaces without proper safety checks. We no longer have a culture of respect for naked flames.

That and a big increase in carbon monoxide poisoning cases

On the fire front Just about everything is synthetic old houses most materials were organic cotton and wool which burns much slower and is harder to ignite

[korolev]

Rather glad I bought a bungalow with solar panels on the roof. At a pinch I could jury-rig it to provide power to a couple of sockets. It's only a 2kw system but it would be enough to run a microwave to heat up a dinner and keep torches/phones charged.
We would be sitting round a wind up radio in the evening though, very nostalgic.

[jansman]

I’ll bet goobermint officials are running around like idiots to ensure domestic fuel supplies.I find the whole situation both amusing and fascinating at the same time. Being a dyed-in-the-wool prepper,I have ( over the years) tried to make sure we are resilient in such circumstances.We have lighting aplenty ,in various forms.Cooking and hot water no problem .Heating is solid fuel anyway ,always has been.We hold enough fuel to see us to Christmas 2022 at the moment,so no worry. We’ll see what happens,and I won’t lose sleep over it, for sure.

[Arzosah]

I find the whole situation ... fascinating.

Me too! Especially when I compare it to all those novels about the collapse of civilisation This is much slower than the fictional varieties, and I suppose the collapse *won't* just carry on downwards this time, but ever since the pandemic started, the interesting thing to me is that issues that come up are often about packaging and transport - the goods are there, but the egg cartons are the wrong size, so are the flour bags, and the fuel, and the ship containers, are all in the wrong place. A complex system with no *give* in it.

[jansman]

I find the whole situation ... fascinating.

Me too! Especially when I compare it to all those novels about the collapse of civilisation This is much slower than the fictional varieties, and I suppose the collapse *won't* just carry on downwards this time, but ever since the pandemic started, the interesting thing to me is that issues that come up are often about packaging and transport - the goods are there, but the egg cartons are the wrong size, so are the flour bags, and the fuel, and the ship containers, are all in the wrong place. A complex system with no *give* in it.

Not just me then? A complex system with no give in it. A perfect description Arzosah.

General shortages,fuel restrictions etc. * I* believe will become normal. More people,less resources,and a modern excessive demand , all add to the slow motion car crash.Sadly,the average person thinks “it will all go back to normal soon”.What if it doesn’t though ?

[Yorkshire Andy]

[

Not just me then? A complex system with no give in it. A perfect description Arzosah.

General shortages,fuel restrictions etc. * I* believe will become normal. More people,less resources,and a modern excessive demand , all add to the slow motion car crash.Sadly,the average person thinks “it will all go back to normal soon”.What if it doesn’t though ?

I can't see normal return anytime soon for a start the Chinese factories are a year behind and I'm guessing despite the upbeat news they allowed out short on staff post pandemic


Like my dad was saying "your great grandmother had no electricity to the house just a gas fridge and a gas mantle lamp in the lounge and that was it! No electricity just s coal fire in the lounge and bed room for heating and single glazing ....

They survived happily enough The modern world had really made us soft used to houses like a sauna lighting on demand no draughts daily baths / showers

The modern 15 tog duvet is no match for flanalette (SPL). Sheets those cellular blankets with a wool blanket on top with a sheepskin on top of that at the foot end