All good points Dave. When I was in the military I learned a great acronym for being prepared. P.A.C.E. - Primary, Alternate, Contingency, & Emergency. Applied to all things necessary to live. For example... Heat; We have a PRIMARY source of heat in our heat pump. We have a woodstove as our ALTERNATE source of heat. We also have propane heaters which gives us a CONTINGENCY source of heat. And if all else fails we all have good sleeping bags that provide us with an EMERGENCY heat source. I use PACE for everything we need for survival and it has served me well. Can you show yourself that you can meet PACE when it comes to water or any other basic needs? I don't expect any answer, it's merely an exercise which brings about much peace of mind.
Hey Rott Dog. I appreciate the comment. I always try to answer as many as possible. The P.A.C.E concept makes a ton of sense. Ive never heard that before but I'll keep it in mind in the future. I think I'm pretty well set in those regards. For instance, at our place in Alaska we haul drinking water ( primary) but we also collect rain water, and I generally have bottled water as a backup and for an emergency there is a spring up the mountain that would work in an emergency if you boiled it. A lot of the vids on this channel are about off grid living so I'm fairly used to roughing it. Thanks
@@Bushradical Yeah, it really stuck with me. We're a bit of the prepper type. I was raised by my grandparents who lived through the depression. Because of them I didn't trust banks before I'd even heard of the Federal Reserve. haha... Love your content, being raised on farm/ranch in the NW it's like going home, very soothing to get back to basics.
Great advice. Thanks for taking us into your good old Michigan cellar. When I was very young we lived in the UP. The old farm house that my folks rented had a cellar like that with a big old coal furnace right in the middle of it. I’m dating myself, that was back in the 50’s.
We lived in a 150 year old house in Southern Michigan and heated with wood and coal. Jackson, Michigan. There are times I wish we had installed a wood stove instead of a pellet stove. It's tough to cut pellets with a chain saw.
Dave, we lived in Menominee MI. In the Winter we would get incredible lake effect snows. The snow would pile up against the side of the house all the way to the second floor windows. My most cherished childhood memories come from living up there.
Good stuff. You can get a low cost folding solar chargers for your phones and a couple of the little backup battery banks. The one I have will charge even on a cloudy day although it will take some time for a full charge. Turn your phone off while charging it will charge faster from a backup battery bank or solar panel. When not in use charging a phone use it to charge the battery banks. For added heat an older model gas heater. Like the small ones that used to be used in bathrooms. If your house is drafty enough. They are convertible to propane with a little ingenuity. A couple of full 20 pound propane tanks can go a long way. Also you can hook them up to your coleman propane stoves with a couple of adaptors. Cook a pot of stew or beans and heat a big pot of water on your fireplace or propane stoves. No sense in letting that heat go to waste. The food will smell good and keep you fed. The hot water can be used to wash dishes or yourself. Get at least one 5 gallon water jug for each person. It might be overkill but what happens if the pipes freeze or the water stops flowing because of line breaks. Be careful and stay warm. For others in this predicament. After the power goes out and your house is good. GO check on your neighbors especially the elderly.
I appreciate you and Brooke more than y'all will ever know. I've learned SO much from both of you! I'm learning to be radical! Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks so much for these videos including this one. The week of the lockdown we (family city folk) bought a rural section of land (amish old horse ranch) to start homesteading. We just had a 4 day blackout. And got hit hard. We are slowly moving off grid and really appreciate this film to get better next time!
Man, your channel is phenomenal. The advice you give is out of control useful, thank you for sharing. We lose power all the time and worry about our toilets but your advice about cistern is priceless.
Excellent video! Oklahoma winters usually get more freezing rain than snow. Ice covered limbs have ripped of my weather head a lot! Power was out for five days once. I do have a fire place and have cooked meals in my fire place. Not as handy as your wood burning stove. #totalelectrictstinks.
Very good advise! I did a whole lot of RVing and had my rig set up for boondocking. I had a pair of Honda 2000's I could pair (I think I did that twice during a heat wave in Arizona). Usually I had enough batteries to run 4 days ( with everyone leaving lights on and watching a DVD movie before bed). I would run one generator, pretty much all day every 4 days to recharge the batteries. Those generators are so quiet, they never seemed to bother anybody. I also would run all the fuel out before storing them any length of time so I wouldn't have the gas varnish up the carb. During the big "Y2K" scare we bought a wood stove insert for our fireplace. I had a friend who had a ton of Poplar and Birch he wanted cut down. ( I think I heated my house 3 years on all that wood I hand split and stacked next to our house). That fireplace stove had a blower that came on when the firebox heated up. We don't really get cold like you do in Michigan, but it does get below freezing a lot of nights. I loved that stove and the fact we could also cook on it. Always had a kettle of water on it. Too bad California banned wood burning fireplaces.. I guess the politicians figure our yearly forest fires should keep us all warm... Anyway I love your channel and your wife's channel too! Thanks for sharing your adventures.👍👍
Perfect reminder for me! Blizzard conditions in Norther WI today. Wood Fire ... Check Water... Check Generator...Check I’m in a Lil Old Town with a lot of Big lo trees hanging over a lot of power lines. The powers gonna go out somewhere today for sure! Thanks Bushy!
I have a critical sump pump and have dual backup plans to keep it running but I never thought of using the water for secondary purposes, great idea, thanks.
Very helpful, Dave. Might I add having some candles and/or lanterns. Sure there is more, but seems like all that should pretty well cover it. My house also has natural gas, which is really nice. Gas cooktop to cook, gas water heater for hot water, and two gas fireplaces, which easily replace the furnaces. Lost the power just once in winter, but was really surprised how much heat the gas fireplace puts out. Actually made it too hot lol.
Dave , good basic advice. Just the look and sound of the freezing rain brings back a lot of memories. Always feels good to have everything full and at the ready for storms like this. Fortunately you and your family are pretty self reliant. Just came across you and Brooke a week or so ago and have watched a bunch of your videos including parts of Alone. Have really enjoyed what both of you have shared. You each have your own way of sharing and I have learned so much from each of you. Thanks again. Stay warm and safe.
Dave, this is real survival TV. Most people never find themselves 5000 miles away from civilization, but most people don't think of this kind of stuff until it's too late. Bring more realism to survival! I think we all need it more than entertainment survival.
Great points! Love the channel! For the generator, I installed a propane conversion kit for the 2200i. Never ran gas in it at all. It's supposed to run 24 hours or so on one 20 lb bottle of propane. There's also a natural gas conversion kit as well. I got my kit from Hutch Mountain and the install was super easy. I got the hoses and connectors for both propane and natural gas. NG needs a jet swap-out, BTW. I still do run my generator every two weeks for 10 minutes or so just to prove it works.
Storms, and impending outages usually fostered a festive mood on the coast of Maine where I grew up. We had 3 fireplaces, and 2 wood-burning stoves, and so like you, heat & cooking were covered. And, oh...so many rich memories! You guys stay safe, thanks for sharing these tips, and... Hi, Brooke! P.S. Always keeping an ample supply of animal food on hand works, too. Gotta take care of the kids! Enjoy your storm, but... "Stay inside & GET HAPPY!"
Been through a couple of them. We haven't purchased the generator yet but did recently buy some cheap Harbor Freight lights and some good old candles. Great video!
Hey Dave, great information here. Too many people don’t prepare for losing power, outside of batteries for flashlights. I will share this to make people aware.
Great tips, sir ... and I especially appreciate the reminder to disconnect the power mains if hooking a generator into the house power system! Those folks out repairing and reconnecting downed power lines will appreciate that, for sure. Be safe ... God Bless (Oh, yeah ... and "Stay inside and stare at the flames" with your family. Enjoy!)
Thanks Dave.......I drove my son and I to town today for a Shamrock Shake at McDonalds.....other than that Ive been in my sweats sitting in a recliner.
awesome video! I don't have the sump pump but I do have a top loading washer. I fill that and use it for flushing! when the power comes back on, if its not used, just throw in some clothes and wash as usual.
My power was out for 10 days the week of Christmas. I burned 3 candles in what ever room I was in. Had 14 people for Christmas dinner (cooked the Turkey on a gas burner). No problem. Just went to bed early :) Good tips! Blessings ~
My wife and I just put in a wood stove in our home and we couldn't be happier. We already lost power once and it kept our home nice and warm. There's just nothing quite like wood heat. Plus, who doesn't like using a chainsaw and an ax?? Love the video! All great tips.
My power just came back after another typical 36 hour outage here in the hinterlands. After last year's 6 day outage I got even more serious, but came here to see what I've missed and appreciate your good advice. One thing I did to back-up my generator is use the deep cycle marine 12v from the boat and a couple of spare car batteries I wired up in parallel (NOT SERIES) and clamped on a 400W inverter. I keep them on trickle charge anyway, so they were ready and it worked great. I like having more than one option, and maybe is an idea others can use.
Thanks for the video, Im always prepared but, nice to have someone like you to make a video for others like you do. Thanks for your videos, i enjoy them.
You guys be safe! We are dealing with tons of rain and flooding here in the Carolinas. It just never seems to stop. If it gets really bad there, make brook use the wood stove for her fire challenge vids lol! I hope you shoot more footage of that ice and countryside. I know it's rough, but it's beautiful :>) -Mike
Thanks Mike. I think Brooke is on the same page with the cooking videos.....I'm upstairs this afternoon and I can here her talking to her camera downstairs and she's cooking burger......
It's really nice seeing someone talk about real world prepping. I get the whole "SHTF" prepping mentality but the truth is that there are a ton more short term real world situations that are far more likely to occur than the doomsday scenarios. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes power outages, etc... are all much more likely to threaten our safety than global economic collapse or a zombie apocalypses. Thanks for the practical advice man. We need more like it. Well done.
Good tips you ran over ! I hadn't thought about our small sump pump pit for the toilet , we have always just hand pumped water from our two shallow wells. I put hand pumps in them 40 yrs. ago when we moved to the country, with a star bit and hammer. Along with my woodstove , we have made it over 4 days just fine. Back in the 70's and 80's we were snowed in about every winter, for several days. That storm that is clobbering Wisconsin and you is sliding N.E. is just West of me and the cold air , is just coming in behind it and creating high winds ( 3am 2/24/19 ) We have wind warning out for most of the day with possible gusts up to 60 mph 45 yrs. ago, I use to do some catfishing after 2nd shift and I had taken a old drop cord light and cut the plug off and put alligator clips on and put a 12 volt 75 W bulb in it. I would pull up the spill way , pop the hood on the Bronco and clip the light on the battery and the light would hang off the inside of the hood. That way the bugs were behind me and I could watch my poles. It is real handy hooked boat deep cycle battery or power pack, in the main living area.
That storm hit us pretty good. Lots of wind, and about 10" of snow. I bet the north/ south roads got pretty plugged.....I don't know because I haven't been out yet today. I like your fishing story. We had a spillway on a small river that hadn't been used for 50 years and we used to fish bullheads below it. Good times
@@Bushradical, Yummy ! In your clear water, they are different , than down here in our muddier water.Great eating size and sounds so good right now. I can almost smell them cooking.
Funny you posted this vid, i just went through all this today, as well as securing everything and storing stuff away in the barn cuz we have a storm rolling thru tomorrow with winds supposedly reaching 70mph (110kph) been lucky so far this year with just 1 short power outage but was still well prepared , good video Dave and great reminder to the folks about things they may forget about when prepping for storm outages, stay warm and be safe :)
Thanks Gordon. I hope you ride out that storm in good shape. Its a total blizzard here right now, but we're sheltered from the wind by a hill and a stand of old timber......I bet some people are having a hard time right now the wind is pretty stiff.
Awesome video Dave! I actually kept all my Arizona gallon tea jugs. Always filled with water. 3 behind the bathroom door, 3 in the kitchen. Empty Gatorade bottles filled with water in the freezer just in case I had to put some in the fridge section.
When I was reading "The complete survival manual" It talked about power outages (mainly from natural disasters), and i was so amazed when it said "fill your tub with water for tons if fresh water"! That's so smart!!!
Nice to be prepared!! We have our woodstove, and all things you mentioned here in our log cabin in the Arrowhead. blowing like crazy here, so maybe a power loss. Oh well, another log on the fire. Thanks for a great video!!
There is nothing like a wood burning stove or fireplace to keep people warm. When I was a child, growing up in Ohio, we had a Ben Franklin fireplace that kept us warm through five winters and two blizzards (the blizzards of 1977 and 1978).
Good information Dave I’ve had a wood stove since I built my house in 1976 the most my power has been off was 10 days in a winter snow storm I do have a generator I bought it that year I had just killed a beef had it in the freezer I was afraid I might loose it bought it power came back on next day lol I’ve used it quite a bit since handy item
After the three day outage back in September, I keep twenty gallons of water on hand. I have several oil lamps, and ohhh yes, the wood stove. We have pretty much the same model stove you have and it works real well. I have an 1800 watt generator that will run the freezer and refrigerator. I have a 3500 watt that I was going to use to run the well pump but,yep, I can't get her to fire up. Oh well , we will muster through with what we got. Who knows, maybe this storm won't be as bad as they are predicting. Brooke might want to get out early tomorrow for #24 campfire before it get too bad. Hope you got your engine swapped out okay. Thanks for sharing some good practical advice. I think i'll go trim some lamp wicks now. :)
Great video, very thorough. Good points about a woodstove. We were out for 5 days back in November 2012 with Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. We had a woodstove, so we were set. But many others weren't so prepared. I may add 2 things to your video.... battery-powered CO detector and manual-style can opener.
@@Bushradical The carbon monoxide detector is for the generator usage. I run a 10-gauge electrical cord thru an open window into an attached garage to where my circuit breaker panel is located. And, the generator is only a few feet away from the window (cord is only 25 feet long). So, I always make sure my CO detector is working (It's electric powered, but has battery backup). Plus, I don't run generator overnight while asleep. Thanks for the good video.
Freezing rain. Maine’s favorite winter precipitation! Lol. All great points to check and we do. Only addition I’d make is an old school can opener. And of course extra beer ! Lol
Use a product called Star Tron by Star Brite in your generator fuel tank and generator gas. It prevents phased fuel separation; i.e. water separation in gas. It works great. Thanks for the great tips.
got ya Dave .but in the city water runs with out electric..but as far as head lamps cell phones .& flashlights & battery operated lanterns .im doing ok.👍thanks for looking out..i admire u & your channel 👍✌ your a good guy & beleive lots of wisdom.
Hey Dave, Funny I was just going through my mental checklist and taking steps to make sure I was prepared and the first thing I see when I logged on is your video. Moved my vehicles away from the treeline that is right where I usually park my truck and car. Filled up my oil lamps, replaced the mantle on my Coleman lantern and filled it up along with my two Coleman stoves. As others have said, it's easy getting prepared when you're always prepared. After living in a wall tent in Alaska and frequently being without power, it's almost second nature for me now to just be prepared all of the time. I've been spending the last two years acquiring hand tools that we used to have on the farm when I was growing up. Pretty sure I can make do with the things I have, not so sure about most of my neighbors tho. Great video Dave, thanks for posting. Hunker down and ride it out, see ya on the other side!
@@Bushradical My ex and I lived in a wall tent behind the Chitna Ranger station when I worked for Wrangell-St Elias. If you haven't been back to Kennicott, you really need to get back there and check it out. Amazing piece of history preserved from 1903-1910ish. Would love to chat some time about it
Fuel for generator, snow blower, and vehicles and propane for bbq and heaters. Stockpile some wood close to the house and do all your laundry so everyone has layers to bundle up in. Check for prescription medication and first aid. Make sure your fire extinguisher and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order and then bring out your candles so you don’t trip over each other. Make sure you have something to read to pass the time and keep a pen and notepad handy to note what you would do different or are lacking so you will know what to acquire for the next power outage. Then try to relax cuz you have done all you can.
Every time that some nasty winter storm is about to blow in, I always think how outdoors-type folks at least have enough camping gear to fall back on if things really get bad. I'm not even sure how many camping/backpacking stoves I own! It's in the double digits. My only current problem (non pun intended) is that most of my gear is down in the garage, and the garage door only opens with electricity. I always try to keep one stove and some fuel inside our entryway so that we can access it in the event of a power outage. I wish we had a woodstove....someday, just like a backyard sauna that I want to build.
Good, practical tips. Thanks for the reminders, but hopefully this will help some who hadn't considered these things yet. No time like the present to get ready. Trouble is coming. You don't know when or how, but count on it. A little preparation will make it much easier on you and your family. Thanks, Dave.
Pretty Dang Fabulous.....Our power in north Georgia doesn't really go out too much hahaha but a few years ago, we had a bad ice storm....Power was out for a week....Filled the claw foot tub with water hahaha got out the Ditch Oven to cook in the Fireplace(plenty of Wood) and We were good to go....I actually really liked it hahaha Acoustic Instruments and Party Time....
I have a Generlink plugin but have just been using the extension cord through the window method because I don't have the correct cable/plugs from the generator to Generlink.....not sure it must have a disconnect switch in the electrical box but I'm not sure. I'll make sure I check before using my Generlink. Anyways, that's what I learned from this vid. Thanks, Dave!
Hey Jim. You probably have a main breaker somewhere between the meter and the panel.....or in the panner itself. But they do make a "disconnect box" Where you physically throw an A/B switch that disconnects the panner and connects to the generator. Its nice to have because its totally foolproof. How's the wife & Kid?
@@Bushradical I do have that built into my box but because I've never used the Generlink Plug-in, I've never electrocuted any linesman. I actually went through some of these steps earlier today because we're in the middle of a legit blizzard right now. Wife and kid are doing good my man, hopefully the same for you.
Hey Jim, I think we are getting the same weather system. It was a true blue Blizzard here most of the day. Everyone is doing good here. Ive been in my sweat pants most of the day and sipping whiskey.........good thing to do in a blizzard.
Bushradical sweet, ya things got pretty interesting but miraculously didn’t loose power. We had three or four windstorms in the fall and multi-day power outages with each on, so I think whatever was dead and about to blow down has already blown down.
One of the deciding factors to why we bought the house we're in now is because of the wood stove in the living room. Having spent most of our lives in MI, and my having spent two of the coldest and snowiest Winters in MN history there, it was a major selling point for both of us. We have never regretted it, it's kept us warm and fed quite a few times during Winter power outages. We get a lot of ice storms here in KY, our power goes out a lot.
Dave, I know this is an older video, but, as I expected, spot on perfect. That power supply disconnect still kills linemen every year,,,due to pure stupidity...so sad. I used to live 75 miles SW of Washington, DC, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Back about 1973-1979 or so, we used to get tremendous ice storms...it was a common occurrence. They haven't had one for 30 years. I always thought they were neat..without damaging lines and property. BTW, in my truck driving career, I've been over the Mackinac, St. Ignace, and around. Also, I spent 6 mo. going through Standish, onward to Tawas City and East Tawas. I like it over there.
Filling your bath tub is another good idea for water storage
Water heater also has water just shut it off before doing that. See my list above it covers a few other things.
All good points Dave. When I was in the military I learned a great acronym for being prepared.
P.A.C.E. - Primary, Alternate, Contingency, & Emergency. Applied to all things necessary to live.
For example... Heat; We have a PRIMARY source of heat in our heat pump. We have a woodstove as our ALTERNATE source of heat. We also have propane heaters which gives us a CONTINGENCY source of heat. And if all else fails we all have good sleeping bags that provide us with an EMERGENCY heat source.
I use PACE for everything we need for survival and it has served me well.
Can you show yourself that you can meet PACE when it comes to water or any other basic needs? I don't expect any answer, it's merely an exercise which brings about much peace of mind.
Hey Rott Dog. I appreciate the comment. I always try to answer as many as possible. The P.A.C.E concept makes a ton of sense. Ive never heard that before but I'll keep it in mind in the future.
I think I'm pretty well set in those regards. For instance, at our place in Alaska we haul drinking water ( primary) but we also collect rain water, and I generally have bottled water as a backup and for an emergency there is a spring up the mountain that would work in an emergency if you boiled it.
A lot of the vids on this channel are about off grid living so I'm fairly used to roughing it.
Thanks
@@Bushradical Yeah, it really stuck with me. We're a bit of the prepper type. I was raised by my grandparents who lived through the depression. Because of them I didn't trust banks before I'd even heard of the Federal Reserve. haha... Love your content, being raised on farm/ranch in the NW it's like going home, very soothing to get back to basics.
Great advice. Thanks for taking us into your good old Michigan cellar. When I was very young we lived in the UP. The old farm house that my folks rented had a cellar like that with a big old coal furnace right in the middle of it. I’m dating myself, that was back in the 50’s.
Me too! Lol
Your welcome Chris. You might be one of the only souls who appreciates an old basement. I think they're cool too. Where were you at in the U.p.?
We lived in a 150 year old house in Southern Michigan and heated with wood and coal. Jackson, Michigan. There are times I wish we had installed a wood stove instead of a pellet stove. It's tough to cut pellets with a chain saw.
Dave, we lived in Menominee MI. In the Winter we would get incredible lake effect snows. The snow would pile up against the side of the house all the way to the second floor windows. My most cherished childhood memories come from living up there.
@@Bushradical I have an old Michigan basement in the thumb and a farmhouse!
Geesh I'm super stoked to have run across your page. Love the practical approach. Great humor
Thanks Polamish.
Good advice. I will always have a wood stove no matter what. Living in Minnesota we have the same issues you have in Michigan. Thanks Dave
Yup, except you probably get colder up there in MN. Have to have a stove!!
Good stuff.
You can get a low cost folding solar chargers for your phones and a couple of the little backup battery banks. The one I have will charge even on a cloudy day although it will take some time for a full charge. Turn your phone off while charging it will charge faster from a backup battery bank or solar panel.
When not in use charging a phone use it to charge the battery banks.
For added heat an older model gas heater. Like the small ones that used to be used in bathrooms. If your house is drafty enough. They are convertible to propane with a little ingenuity. A couple of full 20 pound propane tanks can go a long way. Also you can hook them up to your coleman propane stoves with a couple of adaptors.
Cook a pot of stew or beans and heat a big pot of water on your fireplace or propane stoves. No sense in letting that heat go to waste.
The food will smell good and keep you fed. The hot water can be used to wash dishes or yourself.
Get at least one 5 gallon water jug for each person. It might be overkill but what happens if the pipes freeze or the water stops flowing because of line breaks.
Be careful and stay warm.
For others in this predicament. After the power goes out and your house is good.
GO check on your neighbors especially the elderly.
Good stuff.
Good stuff. If your always ready. You never have to get ready.
Well said.
I appreciate you and Brooke more than y'all will ever know.
I've learned SO much from both of you!
I'm learning to be radical!
Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks so much for these videos including this one. The week of the lockdown we (family city folk) bought a rural section of land (amish old horse ranch) to start homesteading. We just had a 4 day blackout. And got hit hard. We are slowly moving off grid and really appreciate this film to get better next time!
Thank you from a Consumers Power retired worker.
Man, your channel is phenomenal. The advice you give is out of control useful, thank you for sharing. We lose power all the time and worry about our toilets but your advice about cistern is priceless.
Thanks Thomas
Been there, done that, all the while growing up. All of it is part of my greatest memories.
Great video. Excellent tips … especially for this past weekend!’s weather!
Excellent video! Oklahoma winters usually get more freezing rain than snow. Ice covered limbs have ripped of my weather head a lot! Power was out for five days once. I do have a fire place and have cooked meals in my fire place. Not as handy as your wood burning stove. #totalelectrictstinks.
Thanks for the comment CCO.
Very good advise! I did a whole lot of RVing and had my rig set up for boondocking. I had a pair of Honda 2000's I could pair (I think I did that twice during a heat wave in Arizona). Usually I had enough batteries to run 4 days ( with everyone leaving lights on and watching a DVD movie before bed). I would run one generator, pretty much all day every 4 days to recharge the batteries. Those generators are so quiet, they never seemed to bother anybody.
I also would run all the fuel out before storing them any length of time so I wouldn't have the gas varnish up the carb.
During the big "Y2K" scare we bought a wood stove insert for our fireplace.
I had a friend who had a ton of Poplar and Birch he wanted cut down. ( I think I heated my house 3 years on all that wood I hand split and stacked next to our house). That fireplace stove had a blower that came on when the firebox heated up. We don't really get cold like you do in Michigan, but it does get below freezing a lot of nights.
I loved that stove and the fact we could also cook on it. Always had a kettle of water on it.
Too bad California banned wood burning fireplaces..
I guess the politicians figure our yearly forest fires should keep us all warm...
Anyway I love your channel and your wife's channel too!
Thanks for sharing your adventures.👍👍
Thanks
Perfect reminder for me! Blizzard conditions in Norther WI today.
Wood Fire ... Check
Water... Check
Generator...Check
I’m in a Lil Old Town with a lot of Big lo trees hanging over a lot of power lines. The powers gonna go out somewhere today for sure! Thanks Bushy!
Glad to help Susan.
I have a critical sump pump and have dual backup plans to keep it running but I never thought of using the water for secondary purposes, great idea, thanks.
My wife and I could not agree more!
Very helpful, Dave. Might I add having some candles and/or lanterns. Sure there is more, but seems like all that should pretty well cover it. My house also has natural gas, which is really nice. Gas cooktop to cook, gas water heater for hot water, and two gas fireplaces, which easily replace the furnaces. Lost the power just once in winter, but was really surprised how much heat the gas fireplace puts out. Actually made it too hot lol.
Dave , good basic advice. Just the look and sound of the freezing rain brings back a lot of memories. Always feels good to have everything full and at the ready for storms like this. Fortunately you and your family are pretty self reliant.
Just came across you and Brooke a week or so ago and have watched a bunch of your videos including parts of Alone. Have really enjoyed what both of you have shared. You each have your own way of sharing and I have learned so much from each of you.
Thanks again. Stay warm and safe.
Thanks Joan. I'm glad you like our channels. The freezing rain brings back a lot of memories for me too.
Dave, this is real survival TV. Most people never find themselves 5000 miles away from civilization, but most people don't think of this kind of stuff until it's too late. Bring more realism to survival! I think we all need it more than entertainment survival.
Thanks Daniel!
Great points! Love the channel! For the generator, I installed a propane conversion kit for the 2200i. Never ran gas in it at all. It's supposed to run 24 hours or so on one 20 lb bottle of propane. There's also a natural gas conversion kit as well. I got my kit from Hutch Mountain and the install was super easy. I got the hoses and connectors for both propane and natural gas. NG needs a jet swap-out, BTW. I still do run my generator every two weeks for 10 minutes or so just to prove it works.
Storms, and impending outages usually fostered a festive mood on the coast of Maine where I grew up.
We had 3 fireplaces, and 2 wood-burning stoves, and so like you, heat & cooking were covered. And, oh...so many rich memories!
You guys stay safe, thanks for sharing these tips, and...
Hi, Brooke!
P.S. Always keeping an ample supply of animal food on hand works, too.
Gotta take care of the kids!
Enjoy your storm, but...
"Stay inside & GET HAPPY!"
Thanks Dave!
Been through a couple of them. We haven't purchased the generator yet but did recently buy some cheap Harbor Freight lights and some good old candles. Great video!
Hey Dave, great information here. Too many people don’t prepare for losing power, outside of batteries for flashlights. I will share this to make people aware.
Thanks CJM. I appreciate it
Wow! Thanks for sharing these jewels!
It’s always very good to be prepared great job👍
As always, great vid and some really great tips! Keep up the good work and greetings from Wisconsin.
Hello Wisconsin! Brooke and I lived in Wisconsin when we were first married.. what part of the state are you in?
Up here in Canada, we had no power for 3 weeks during the ice storm of 1998 in the country. So glad we had outdoor experience! Loved your video Dave.
Great job Dave, thanks !!!
Thanks Mike!
Great info, thanks so much!!
Great tips, sir ... and I especially appreciate the reminder to disconnect the power mains if hooking a generator into the house power system! Those folks out repairing and reconnecting downed power lines will appreciate that, for sure. Be safe ... God Bless (Oh, yeah ... and "Stay inside and stare at the flames" with your family. Enjoy!)
Thanks Dave.......I drove my son and I to town today for a Shamrock Shake at McDonalds.....other than that Ive been in my sweats sitting in a recliner.
Awesome! Good for you ... priceless memories :) Enjoy
Cool looking Michigan basement!!!
Besides no dirt floor..concrete must've been pumped in at some point
Thank you for the heads up Bruddah.
Great advice, thanks Glenda
Thank you Glenda.
Good info! Thanks! This made me come up with a new invention idea, so I’ll let you know if I can figure out how to make it work properly! Much love!
Please do!
Great video ad GREAT advice !!
Thanks BG!
Thanks , Dave ; great vid ! Very practical info here . Loved it ! ATB
Thanks NWR!
Thank you for the valuable & educational info, I learn so much great material from you & Brooke. I subscribe to both your channel & Brookes 👍👍👍👍👍⭐️
This is valuable info-thanks Whipples!
Thank you...
awesome video! I don't have the sump pump but I do have a top loading washer. I fill that and use it for flushing! when the power comes back on, if its not used, just throw in some clothes and wash as usual.
My power was out for 10 days the week of Christmas. I burned 3 candles in what ever room I was in. Had 14 people for Christmas dinner (cooked the Turkey on a gas burner). No problem. Just went to bed early :)
Good tips!
Blessings ~
Oops...
. In Michigan. Also tornado weather is upon us now. Guess I'll get a generator as my freezer is full.
My wife and I just put in a wood stove in our home and we couldn't be happier. We already lost power once and it kept our home nice and warm. There's just nothing quite like wood heat. Plus, who doesn't like using a chainsaw and an ax?? Love the video! All great tips.
Thanks LB1280, I appreciate the comment.
Great information Dave. It's,always good to be ready. Larry
Thanks Larry.
pretty good tips Thanx Dave !
Thanks Harry
Very informative! Great video, thanks for sharing. Your videos are awesome!!!
Glad you like them!
My power just came back after another typical 36 hour outage here in the hinterlands. After last year's 6 day outage I got even more serious, but came here to see what I've missed and appreciate your good advice. One thing I did to back-up my generator is use the deep cycle marine 12v from the boat and a couple of spare car batteries I wired up in parallel (NOT SERIES) and clamped on a 400W inverter. I keep them on trickle charge anyway, so they were ready and it worked great. I like having more than one option, and maybe is an idea others can use.
U have a wealth of knowledge Dave!!
Thanks Cilla.
Thanks for the video, Im always prepared but, nice to have someone like you to make a video for others like you do. Thanks for your videos, i enjoy them.
thanks.
Wood stoves are excellent and it's good to see you have a nice, new ball cap.
Oh, I still have the old one too....
You guys be safe! We are dealing with tons of rain and flooding here in the Carolinas. It just never seems to stop. If it gets really bad there, make brook use the wood stove for her fire challenge vids lol! I hope you shoot more footage of that ice and countryside. I know it's rough, but it's beautiful :>) -Mike
Thanks Mike. I think Brooke is on the same page with the cooking videos.....I'm upstairs this afternoon and I can here her talking to her camera downstairs and she's cooking burger......
@@Bushradical Cool! Thanks for the inside scoop lol :>)
It's really nice seeing someone talk about real world prepping. I get the whole "SHTF" prepping mentality but the truth is that there are a ton more short term real world situations that are far more likely to occur than the doomsday scenarios. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes power outages, etc... are all much more likely to threaten our safety than global economic collapse or a zombie apocalypses. Thanks for the practical advice man. We need more like it. Well done.
Thanks Russ.
Good tips you ran over ! I hadn't thought about our small sump pump pit for the toilet , we have always just hand pumped water from our two shallow wells. I put hand pumps in them 40 yrs. ago when we moved to the country, with a star bit and hammer. Along with my woodstove , we have made it over 4 days just fine. Back in the 70's and 80's we were snowed in about every winter, for several days.
That storm that is clobbering Wisconsin and you is sliding N.E. is just West of me and the cold air , is just coming in behind it and creating high winds ( 3am 2/24/19 ) We have wind warning out for most of the day with possible gusts up to 60 mph
45 yrs. ago, I use to do some catfishing after 2nd shift and I had taken a old drop cord light and cut the plug off and put alligator clips on and put a 12 volt 75 W bulb in it. I would pull up the spill way , pop the hood on the Bronco and clip the light on the battery and the light would hang off the inside of the hood. That way the bugs were behind me and I could watch my poles. It is real handy hooked boat deep cycle battery or power pack, in the main living area.
That storm hit us pretty good. Lots of wind, and about 10" of snow. I bet the north/ south roads got pretty plugged.....I don't know because I haven't been out yet today. I like your fishing story. We had a spillway on a small river that hadn't been used for 50 years and we used to fish bullheads below it. Good times
@@Bushradical, Yummy !
In your clear water, they are different , than down here in our muddier water.Great eating size and sounds so good right now. I can almost smell them cooking.
Funny you posted this vid, i just went through all this today, as well as securing everything and storing stuff away in the barn cuz we have a storm rolling thru tomorrow with winds supposedly reaching 70mph (110kph) been lucky so far this year with just 1 short power outage but was still well prepared , good video Dave and great reminder to the folks about things they may forget about when prepping for storm outages, stay warm and be safe :)
Thanks Gordon. I hope you ride out that storm in good shape. Its a total blizzard here right now, but we're sheltered from the wind by a hill and a stand of old timber......I bet some people are having a hard time right now the wind is pretty stiff.
Ya its pretty crazy here now, we are on a high point on a small island so we always tend to get the winds just a lil bit stronger, stay safe Dave :)
Great video Dave! Thank you! -Stephen, Ohio
Thanks Stephen.
Thanks for the reminder.
Awesome video Dave! I actually kept all my Arizona gallon tea jugs. Always filled with water. 3 behind the bathroom door, 3 in the kitchen. Empty Gatorade bottles filled with water in the freezer just in case I had to put some in the fridge section.
When I was reading "The complete survival manual" It talked about power outages (mainly from natural disasters), and i was so amazed when it said "fill your tub with water for tons if fresh water"!
That's so smart!!!
yet another reason to keep your bathtub clean LOL.
Great points. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks
Nice to be prepared!! We have our woodstove, and all things you mentioned here in our log cabin in the Arrowhead. blowing like crazy here, so maybe a power loss. Oh well, another log on the fire. Thanks for a great video!!
Thanks Lindsay.
There is nothing like a wood burning stove or fireplace to keep people warm. When I was a child, growing up in Ohio, we had a Ben Franklin fireplace that kept us warm through five winters and two blizzards (the blizzards of 1977 and 1978).
I totally agree, nothing like a wood stove. I was there for that blizzard too, but I was very young.
Good info and tips.....Good stuff....
Thanks
That's a great idea to use sump pump water for non-potable water uses
Thanks Dave all great tips! We picked up a backup auto charger at the Dollar Tree for the cellphones.
good plan
definitely, like. half, however, did not understand, but it's still interesting. you have a cheerful weather there, it's already spring in our south.
Nice. Always better to have and not need than to need and not have.
Perfectly said!
Hey Dave good video man now that's the way you do it
Thanks Scott
Bushradical you're welcome
Excellent tips. At least when it's that cold you don't have to worry too much about spoiling food
Very true. If you need a fridge put the food in the basement.....if you need a freezer....put it outside
Some Very G00D Ideas for people who don't know what to do in this case of No Electric. Nice Job👍🏼
Thanks
It was Mostly Sunny and 74 today here in San Antonio😁Stay warm Dave!
WOW, I can only imagine that. Ive never lived anywhere that was warm in the winter.
@@Bushradical And just this year, Texas received SNOW & the Grid was down for 9 days. YOU NEVER KNOW. Hope Joe was prepared.
Great video. thanks for the info
Thanks
Good information Dave I’ve had a wood stove since I built my house in 1976 the most my power has been off was 10 days in a winter snow storm I do have a generator I bought it that year I had just killed a beef had it in the freezer I was afraid I might loose it bought it power came back on next day lol I’ve used it quite a bit since handy item
Its always good to have a generator around.
After the three day outage back in September, I keep twenty gallons of water on hand. I have several oil lamps, and ohhh yes, the wood stove. We have pretty much the same model stove you have and it works real well. I have an 1800 watt generator that will run the freezer and refrigerator. I have a 3500 watt that I was going to use to run the well pump but,yep, I can't get her to fire up. Oh well , we will muster through with what we got. Who knows, maybe this storm won't be as bad as they are predicting. Brooke might want to get out early tomorrow for #24 campfire before it get too bad. Hope you got your engine swapped out okay. Thanks for sharing some good practical advice. I think i'll go trim some lamp wicks now. :)
Good plan Dave. And good luck with your generator...as for Brooke I think she's cooking on our wood stove today, LOL
@@Bushradical Well we dodged the bullet this time. The lights only flickered once. :)
Good info Dave.
Thanks
Good advice Dave
What an informative video👍🏼👍🏼❤️ Thank you for sharing.
Thanks
Great video, very thorough.
Good points about a woodstove. We were out for 5 days back in November 2012 with Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast. We had a woodstove, so we were set. But many others weren't so prepared.
I may add 2 things to your video.... battery-powered CO detector and manual-style can opener.
Interesting...I would have never thought of the manual can opener because I don't own an electric one, but what are your thoughts on the CO detector?
@@Bushradical The carbon monoxide detector is for the generator usage. I run a 10-gauge electrical cord thru an open window into an attached garage to where my circuit breaker panel is located. And, the generator is only a few feet away from the window (cord is only 25 feet long). So, I always make sure my CO detector is working (It's electric powered, but has battery backup). Plus, I don't run generator overnight while asleep. Thanks for the good video.
Ah! Good point. Thanks Patrick.
Good job Dave........
Thanks
Absolutely every reminder is EXCELLENT without doubt..I am ready as you are here I'm Pa..to include food..
Yes, you can't forget the food!
Freezing rain. Maine’s favorite winter precipitation! Lol. All great points to check and we do. Only addition I’d make is an old school can opener. And of course extra beer ! Lol
Right! And nature will keep your beer 🍺 cold outside haha 🤣
Use a product called Star Tron by Star Brite in your generator fuel tank and generator gas. It prevents phased fuel separation; i.e. water separation in gas. It works great. Thanks for the great tips.
got ya Dave .but in the city water runs with out electric..but as far as head lamps cell phones .& flashlights & battery operated lanterns .im doing ok.👍thanks for looking out..i admire u & your channel 👍✌ your a good guy & beleive lots of wisdom.
you just unsubbed me three comments later.
Hey Dave, Funny I was just going through my mental checklist and taking steps to make sure I was prepared and the first thing I see when I logged on is your video. Moved my vehicles away from the treeline that is right where I usually park my truck and car. Filled up my oil lamps, replaced the mantle on my Coleman lantern and filled it up along with my two Coleman stoves.
As others have said, it's easy getting prepared when you're always prepared. After living in a wall tent in Alaska and frequently being without power, it's almost second nature for me now to just be prepared all of the time. I've been spending the last two years acquiring hand tools that we used to have on the farm when I was growing up. Pretty sure I can make do with the things I have, not so sure about most of my neighbors tho.
Great video Dave, thanks for posting. Hunker down and ride it out, see ya on the other side!
Another wall tent dweller! Right on. I'v spent over 16 months in a wall tent over the last 4 summers.
@@Bushradical My ex and I lived in a wall tent behind the Chitna Ranger station when I worked for Wrangell-St Elias. If you haven't been back to Kennicott, you really need to get back there and check it out. Amazing piece of history preserved from 1903-1910ish. Would love to chat some time about it
I have never been back in there.....just to Chitna for dip netting at O'Brian Creek.
Sound advice Dave.
Thanks
Fuel for generator, snow blower, and vehicles and propane for bbq and heaters. Stockpile some wood close to the house and do all your laundry so everyone has layers to bundle up in. Check for prescription medication and first aid. Make sure your fire extinguisher and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order and then bring out your candles so you don’t trip over each other. Make sure you have something to read to pass the time and keep a pen and notepad handy to note what you would do different or are lacking so you will know what to acquire for the next power outage. Then try to relax cuz you have done all you can.
good points!
Good Info ,Dave . 😺
Thanks
Gotta get me a generator! Great tip on the drainage bro! All great info, Michigan is frozen!!
Its a straight up Blizzard right now.
Every time that some nasty winter storm is about to blow in, I always think how outdoors-type folks at least have enough camping gear to fall back on if things really get bad. I'm not even sure how many camping/backpacking stoves I own! It's in the double digits. My only current problem (non pun intended) is that most of my gear is down in the garage, and the garage door only opens with electricity. I always try to keep one stove and some fuel inside our entryway so that we can access it in the event of a power outage. I wish we had a woodstove....someday, just like a backyard sauna that I want to build.
A sauna would be nice for sure.
Good, practical tips. Thanks for the reminders, but hopefully this will help some who hadn't considered these things yet. No time like the present to get ready. Trouble is coming. You don't know when or how, but count on it. A little preparation will make it much easier on you and your family. Thanks, Dave.
Thanks
Good video as good as brook.
Thanks
Pretty Dang Fabulous.....Our power in north Georgia doesn't really go out too much hahaha but a few years ago, we had a bad ice storm....Power was out for a week....Filled the claw foot tub with water hahaha got out the Ditch Oven to cook in the Fireplace(plenty of Wood) and We were good to go....I actually really liked it hahaha Acoustic Instruments and Party Time....
Right on. get out the flat tops
I have a Generlink plugin but have just been using the extension cord through the window method because I don't have the correct cable/plugs from the generator to Generlink.....not sure it must have a disconnect switch in the electrical box but I'm not sure. I'll make sure I check before using my Generlink. Anyways, that's what I learned from this vid. Thanks, Dave!
Hey Jim. You probably have a main breaker somewhere between the meter and the panel.....or in the panner itself. But they do make a "disconnect box" Where you physically throw an A/B switch that disconnects the panner and connects to the generator. Its nice to have because its totally foolproof. How's the wife & Kid?
@@Bushradical I do have that built into my box but because I've never used the Generlink Plug-in, I've never electrocuted any linesman. I actually went through some of these steps earlier today because we're in the middle of a legit blizzard right now. Wife and kid are doing good my man, hopefully the same for you.
Hey Jim, I think we are getting the same weather system. It was a true blue Blizzard here most of the day. Everyone is doing good here. Ive been in my sweat pants most of the day and sipping whiskey.........good thing to do in a blizzard.
Bushradical sweet, ya things got pretty interesting but miraculously didn’t loose power. We had three or four windstorms in the fall and multi-day power outages with each on, so I think whatever was dead and about to blow down has already blown down.
Good advise
This is all really good advice, thanks so much! Also good for when the shtf one day..
Thanks Heather
Great tips. Don't have a wood stove. How I miss having one. Take care Dave.
Thanks
Oustanding info!
Greetz from Holland
Thanks FP!
One of the deciding factors to why we bought the house we're in now is because of the wood stove in the living room. Having spent most of our lives in MI, and my having spent two of the coldest and snowiest Winters in MN history there, it was a major selling point for both of us. We have never regretted it, it's kept us warm and fed quite a few times during Winter power outages. We get a lot of ice storms here in KY, our power goes out a lot.
Always good to have a wood stove for sure!!
Dave, I know this is an older video, but, as I expected, spot on perfect. That power supply disconnect still kills linemen every year,,,due to pure stupidity...so sad.
I used to live 75 miles SW of Washington, DC, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Back about 1973-1979 or so, we used to get tremendous ice storms...it was a common occurrence. They haven't had one for 30 years. I always thought they were neat..without damaging lines and property. BTW, in my truck driving career, I've been over the Mackinac, St. Ignace, and around. Also, I spent 6 mo. going through Standish, onward to Tawas City and East Tawas. I like it over there.
Right on! I was over the Mackinaw Bridge about a week ago. Love that country.
@@Bushradical Pasty....ever had one? You can only get them around St. Ignace.
You guys stay safe!
Thanks
Good vid Dave.
Thanks