Off The Grid News Better Ideas For Off The Grid Living
Dear Editor,
I just read the article about Faraday cages and will pursue that more for protection of our generator. What about our refrigerator and freezer? If there were an EMP would that fry our refrigerator and freezer units themselves or just knock out the electricity from the source and leave us powerless? I’d appreciate any more information about this.
Thanks,
D—
Dear D–,
It depends on the make or model, but if you have a unit that has touchpad technology for ice and water, or even more (like being connected to the Internet or whatever), then you have greenboard electronic circuitry in the refrigerator, and an EMP will affect that part of the refrigerator. However, we’re talking about the effects of a nuclear EMP with that. A solar storm EMP will affect the transmission lines and can electrically overload what is connected to the transmission (power) lines, but it doesn’t affect the interior circuitry of a stand-alone appliance that is not connected to the grid.
There are many myths and misunderstandings about EMPs, solar storms, and what will happen in either a nuclear event or solar event. A nuclear EMP is actually a multi-pulse, comprised of all three EMP components—E1, E2, and E3.Each of these pulses affect different systems in different ways. A solar storm only has the E3 component to it, and thus does not affect everything that a nuclear EMP does.
Because the space for response is so limited in the Letters section, it’s impossible to go into detail about the different types of pulses in EMPs and what they affect. To that end, I’ve commissioned a writer to get our readers this information. Look for an overview of EMPs and the systems they will and will not affect in next Monday’s edition of the newsletter.
In the meantime, another option to consider is a propane refrigerator and freezer. They are a little more expensive and they run on fuel, that’s true. But… propane does not go bad, so you can stockpile as much as you want. These refrigerators and freezers need no power source to operate. The only reason any models have a power cord is to run the interior light. And they are not affected by power outages or EMPs.
The Editor
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Dear Editor,
Greetings
I have been doing research about natural insect repellant recipes that can be made in an off-the-grid situation. Most of the recipes I have found require some exotic oil that might not be feasible or available. Are there any good recipes available using local (i.e, Texas) resources?
Thank you,
S—
Dear S—
I’m putting out a call to our readers to get an answer to your question. I find that our readers are a wealth of information in many areas. So, how about it, readers? Any suggestions for our Texan off-gridder on natural insect repellants?
The Editor
If you’d like to contact the editor, please send an email to [email protected]
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