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Original poster

Blackout Prep - no water, gas, electricity.....

45 replies

Namechangedforthisoct2 · 21/11/2020 12:51

Hi,
Is there a thread anywhere for prepping for no mains grid such as electricity, gas and water?

I’ve been:
Googling recipes such as no bread baking and writing down the recipes
Checking batteries are full
Buying extra battery fairy lights
Candles, matches, fire lighters, extra wood
Gas propane heater
Portable camping stove and gas
Full bbq gas bottle
Rain water barrels
And then all the extra food as normal prepping
Solar powered battery bank
Downloading movies and music to devices

I want to find a way to use a battery powered boom box, with a USB plugged in to play music.... still trying to figure that one out without spending money on a brand new device. It would be great to know if we have no electricity I could still listen to my favourite music!

Please feel free to suggest anything!

OP posts:
BlueistheNewme · 21/11/2020 18:33

I have recently changed to oil central heating from a solid fuel aga. I was going to put in a small log burner, but have decided not to bother.
I worry about how we’d manage without electric to keep the boiler going. But then, I’d have to keep a store of wood, and also buy a log burner.
I’ve decided to get a small generator. One that would run the microwave and a lamp. I’d boil the water in the microwave and cook in there/on a single electric hob.
It costs around the same as the log burner, and I’ll just keep some fuel handy.
I need to save the few hundred pounds, so in the meantime I’ve got some batteries and torches. And in a worse case scenario there’s a bit of coal and wood in the garden, so would use an open fire.

sexesam · 22/11/2020 09:27

I assume you already have the boom box? Cos if not a battery powered Bluetooth speaker may be easier. And a battery pack for recharging that/phone.
If you have a boom box but can't get it to work with the USB try taking the songs out of folders. My old car stereo didn't play off of USB sticks if the music was in folders.
Also headtorch, much easier to cook with or a thing else that needs a bit more light and 2 hands!

R2221 · 12/12/2020 22:48

Why exactly are you prepping for this???

Kokapetl · 13/12/2020 09:07

I think mostly we'd just make do in this kind of situation. We have plenty of non-electric entertainment things- books, games, musical instruments. We have a log burner and we are all healthy. My Mum grew up without heating and used to have ice on the inside of the windows so we'd survive for a bit. Might get a bit smellly after a few days without hot water.

I have got a camping stove and a wind up power bank for phones.

Takingeachday · 13/12/2020 18:41

Why do you think there’ll be no water, gas or electricity? Surely these services are all from within the UK?

sexesam · 13/12/2020 19:49

Have you never experienced an unexpected power cut? And its always possibly the people digging the hole at the end of the road could go through the gas main which then has to be turned off to your house? Or the water? You imply a brexit issue with the services being from within the UK (we won't talk about how much of our electricity comes from France) but the OP was being more general.

Takingeachday · 13/12/2020 22:57

Yes I have experienced electricity cuts but usually lasting a couple of hours so we normally get by with candles and torches during that time rather than buying our own generators Confused

Whenwillow · 14/12/2020 12:36

Why exactly are you prepping for this???
It's the prepper's board. Why not?
We are so entitled these days, aren't we? Almost as if nothing could ever go wrong. Hopefully it won't, but some of us older MNers remember times when there were cuts and shortages of all sorts of things.
I bet people in Syria never expected things to go the way they did. None of us are above things going wrong, and some of us like to feel prepared.
It's pretty standard in hurricane hit areas in the US too.

Ghouliet · 14/12/2020 15:25

Downloading movies and music to devices

I hadn’t realised I could download Netflix films onto devices. My broadband has been off a few times this year due to local cabling issues. I now have some films on my phone and will do the DCs tablets later. Thanks namechanged.

Mydogissnooring · 14/12/2020 15:29

Why ask why someone would be prepping for this, on a prepper’s forum? Confused
There are other things than Brexit and Covid to prep for. Like a solar storm.

Mydogissnooring · 14/12/2020 15:30

Watch Blackout Britain on YouTube, if you haven’t already.

Mydogissnooring · 14/12/2020 15:35

It’s like saying a year ago from today that Why would you think that next year there will be hardly no planes in the sky, the entire world will basically be in lockdown and you won’t be able to hug anyone for maybe a couple of years. You wouldn’t have belived it, had it been a film it would have felt too unrealistic. Anything can happen.

Whenwillow · 14/12/2020 17:17

Hear hear!

tinkywinkyshandbag · 14/12/2020 20:51

We have no woodburner or open fire, so if electric went down would have no heating as the boiler wouldn't work. I have some camping stoves and a gas BBQ so could cook, but what about heating...wondering about a calor gas stove? They are quite expensive though.

InvincibleInvisibility · 14/12/2020 20:57

I watched blackout Britain. The thing that struck me most was not to bother having a generator unless you live in a very isolated area otherwise people will just try to rob you.

BlackeyedSusan · 15/12/2020 00:58

Washing with no heating? Leave water out to get to room temperature and wash with soap on a damp flannel. Or in a dark container in the sun.

BlackeyedSusan · 15/12/2020 01:14

The flat is well insulated and reasonably warm if a mild winters day. If not. Well we have lots of warm clothes, duvets and blankets. We could all sleep in one room. We have a BBQ for cooking, or a Kelly kettle. Indoors I have a solar oven and solar kettle which I could use in summer, even if to warm water up a bit for a wash say or fill hot water bottles or just to release heat back into the flat.

We have rechargable hand warmers.

You can pitch a tent in the warmest room and sleep together inside.

Woolly hats, wrist warmers, socks, gloves, scarves, snoods to wear inside. Fleecy blankets to pin up in Windows.

In summer: hanging a wet sheet over the outside of the windows , old duvet cover to put between the window and blind, hand held battery fans,

Water: water purification tablets, stored water, juice, pop. I want to buy a life straw.

Buckets and cat litter. Porta potties and bags. Many many carrier bags.

Imsayingnothing · 15/12/2020 09:49

Anyone looking for water filters there's a company that's a UK company and they make lifesaver bottles and filters.

This is the site iconlifesaver.com/?v=79cba1185463

Sideorderofchips · 21/12/2020 09:58

Candles, matches, camping stove with gas bottle and spare. Camping kettle. Torches, wind up radio. Camping lamps. Lots of batteries. Things thst you can cook in a can if need be over the camping stove

Snowstorming · 18/02/2021 17:38

This is happening in Texas right now isn’t it? Total power outages, freezing cold, people unable to get or cook food... proper mess.

Sideorderofchips · 18/02/2021 19:45

Yep. Unprecedented cold thst their homes were not built for and a grid that has broken under the pressure.

That's why some people are preppers. You prepare for the unknown.

Evidencebased · 18/02/2021 20:06

Please, please people, if in an emergency you plan to cook/heat with camping gaz/butane/calor, get a carbon monoxide alarm.

if you think water might go out, it's not just drinking; you have no flush toilet.
Minimum is bucket and chuck it for wee, bucket and bag it otherwise.

BlackeyedSusan · 18/02/2021 23:59

Yep, Texas. Poor sods.

Eruss · 19/02/2021 14:32

Stock up on contraception!

Imsayingnothing · 19/02/2021 22:08

Can anyone recommend a solar charger that would charge a phone or laptop?
All the ones I've read reviews on seem to say great when charged from mains but solar charging is useless.

TIA.