Fiebig Alan - Preppers total grid failure handbook : alternative power, energy storage, low voltage appliances and other lifesaving strategies for self-sufficient living

Text copyright 2017 Alan and Arlene Fiebig. Photographs copyright 2017 Alan and Arlene Fieberg except as noted below. Design and concept copyright 2017 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the U.S. by

ULYSSES PRESS

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www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-659-3

Acquisitions Editor: Casie Vogel

Managing Editor: Claire Chun

Project Editor: Caety Klingman

Editor: Shayna Keyles

Proofreader: Lauren Harrison

Index: Sayre Van Young

Front cover/interior design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com

Cover artwork: solar panels Wouter Tolenaars/shutterstock.com; background grain Nerijus Juras/shutterstock.com; gas generator yevgeniy11/shutterstock.com; pedal-powered generator Kenneth Torino; flooded lead acid battery U.S. Battery

Interior photos: page 20 Bill Fehr/shutterstock.com; page 26 Wikimedia; page 30 grmarc/shutterstock.com; page 110 James Steidl/shutterstock.com

Distributed by Publishers Group West

NOTE TO READERS: Please be sure to read the following important note before using any of the information in this book!

This book is a general introduction to the subject of electrical power systems, and the reader is strongly cautioned to take note of the following warnings before attempting to use or relying on any of the information in this book.

The installation and operation of electrical power systems involves a degree of risk and requires a degree of skill. It is the readers responsibility to ensure that he or she understands all such risks and possesses all necessary skills. It is also the readers responsibility to ensure that all proper installation, operation, regulatory, and safety rules are followed. It is also the readers responsibility to obtain any and all necessary permits, and to follow all local laws and building regulations.

The reader may need additional information, advice, and instruction not included in this book before safely and lawfully installing and operating a electrical power system. Any decision to use the information in this book must be made by the reader on his or her own good judgment. This book is sold without warranties or guarantees of any kind, and the author and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for personal injury, property damage, or any other loss or damage, however caused, relating to the information in this book.

This book is independently authored and published and no sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, any trademarked brands or other products mentioned or pictured within is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The authors and publishers encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned or pictured in this book.

Dedicated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who counsels us to prepare for dark days ahead:

It was by faith that Noah heard Gods warnings about things he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong, and he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.

Hebrews 11:7

Table of Contents

Contents

Drew slammed the door of his car a bit harder than necessary, rattling the windows. This was not what he had expected as an assignment when he started with the Boulder Prodigy newspaper. If it werent for the crazy tinfoil hatwearing readers and the NOAA/NWS Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) being located in the same town as the paper, he probably would not have been saddled with this wild goose chase. Being low in the papers pecking order probably didnt help. To top things off, his cars GPS system hadnt been able to get a single satellite on lock for two days now, so he had been driving in circles for the past half hour just to find the parking lot. But he finally arrived and headed in to conduct a worthless interview where he would try to answer all the questions that had been phoned in to the paper over the past couple nights.

Thursday night had arrived with extremely bright, shimmering, moving curtains of light. Most people in Colorado were familiar with the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. But no one had ever seen anything like these lights, which were bright enough to read by. The following morning, the newspapers voicemail box was filled with frightened messages from readers asking if it was the end of the world. Drews editor felt that they could sell some papers by making an effort to answer their readers questions.

Come on, people, what ever happened to common sense? Drew thought. Its just lights, right?

Drew made an appointment with NOAAs public relations person and resigned himself to what he expected would be a day of listening to some science-babble about lights in the sky. As he entered the lobby, Drew was drawn to the gallery where there were poster-sized photographs taken by the Hubble telescope. It was too bad they didnt have a gift shop, but the SWPC wasnt exactly set up to cater to the public. Drew thought that they took their security rather seriously for a bunch of squints. After passing the checks on his press credentials, he was led into the office area and introduced to Ms. Kelly Sinclair.

Please, she said, coming from behind her desk, just call me Kelly. I try to work closely with as many members of the press as I can so the public can be aware of what we do here.

Well, Kelly, what exactly is it that you do here?

I know this is going to sound like a canned response, and thats because it is. We continually monitor and forecast, as best as we can, the space around the Earth and anything affecting it. Much of what affects the space around our planet originates from the sun, which I think is why you are here today. SWPC is the official source of space weather alerts and warnings for the United States.

Drew was confused. How can the sun be responsible for what has been driving the panic of the last two nights? It was dark out then; the sun had set by the time the craziness started.

Well, Drew, Kelly explained, two days ago we observed a massive solar flare on the surface of the sun, and unfortunately it was aimed straight at the Earth. Solar flares are our solar systems largest explosive events, releasing large amounts of radiation that travel from the sun to the Earth in about a half hour. At the time of this flare, North America was facing the sun. If a flare is traveling toward the Earth, it will hit whichever part of the Earth is facing the sun at that time. You may not have noticed anything from the impact, but a lot of our scientific equipment in orbit sure did. We lost over a third of our GPS satellites, just to give an example.

Drew suddenly started paying attention. So is that why my cars navigation system isnt working right?

Kelly nodded. Exactly! But I havent answered your question about the strange lights yet. She paused to gather her thoughts, not wanting to lose Drews attention; she noticed that his heart wasnt really in the interview. Solar flares are often accompanied by coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which move much slower than the flares that cause them. CMEs are made up of a bunch of sun junk, like large clouds of plasma, X-rays, and gamma rays. A CME can take one to five days to arrive at the Earth, where it has a large effect on the Earths magnetic field and atmosphere. The energy of the CME can cause particles in the atmosphere to glow, resulting in those lights everyone has been seeingthe Northern Lights.