Post by woodyz on Sept 19, 2020 19:35:17 GMT -7
readynutrition.com/resources/the-fall-winter-prepper-checklist-9-things-to-get-your-home-prepped-for-disasters_10092018/
I'm old and don't do much toward anything but shoot and write on here, but maybe I can share some info.
So, if you don't want to read my notes then just go up above here and click on the link.
It’s important to get your home prepped for fall and winter weather. Here’s a great prepper’s checklist to get those to-do’s crossed off your list!
JEREMIAH JOHNSON READY NUTRITION
Now that summer is coming to a close, it’s important to take advantage of the break and get your home prepped for fall and winter weather. Doing so now will keep you prepped for cold weather emergencies.
Here’s a great prepper’s checklist to get those to-do’s crossed off your list!
9 Things To Get Your Home Prepped for Disasters In Fall and Winter
1. Wood Supply
In years past, I’ve emphasized this continually. Now is the time (if fire season precludes use of chainsaws) to cut your wood and to assure your wood supply is ready and accessible. This is both for winter and as a prep: if everything goes down the tubes tomorrow, you will find that the nice fire becomes a necessary fire to heat the home and to cook food. Make sure you have a supply that you can put the majority of the wood, and an area that is readily accessible. Make certain your wood is off of the ground and that it is protected: either under a roof (as in a woodshed) or under a tarp. Cut it all now, and do a sound estimate on your rate of consumption under adverse conditions (loss of power, or SHTF scenario). Don’t forget fire starting materials and a good supply of newspaper: since the latter contains no “news” it’s perfect for burning and can be stored in your woodshed. Ensure chainsaws, axes, splitters, and other tools are in good working order and ready to use. And don’t forget about new box of matches!
We cut oak trees that have died or need to come down for whatever reason, most years, we let them fall then cut them into fireplace sized pieces and stack the logs to dry. We will haul 4 or 5 cords of the dried stack to the back fence in the bucket of the tractor and restack it every few years. We get with a couple of neighbors, used to do it more often, but now it's every few years and rent a hydraulic type log splitter and split logs while we grill. We must have 20 cords stacked down in the bottom and another 10 or so stacked against the back fence, about 50 yards from the back deck. Then while it's still cool but not cold we will move some next to the deck where we can bring it into the house when we need it.
2. Chimney, Roof, and House “Integrity”
We have a guy who cleans out the chimney, checks out the roof and re-tars/caulks whatever is needed, like around all the pipes and the chimney, every fall, cost about $80 once a year, and we don't do anything but watch.
Don’t procrastinate, and have that chimney swept out now, or do it yourself. It’s easier if you have a stovepipe rather than a chimney: then you need the appropriate-diameter brush and the detachable rods. Creosote fires can burn down the whole house. You can pick up the rods and brush at a hardware store or order them online and have them sent to you. Read more about how to properly clean your chimney here. Make sure your roof is cleared of debris and your rain gutters are cleared and in working order. House “integrity” refers to closing up any kinds of gaps, cracks, or holes in the foundation or body that leave room for heat loss and entry of cold air. This is best accomplished with spray-in foam, silicone caulk, and weatherization with heavy plastic and foam molding.
3. “Twice on the Pipes”
[To paraphrase Tony Orlando and Dawn] check to make sure all of your pipes are well insulated, especially those exposed to the freezing temperatures. The foam-type with the slit/slotted aperture is good; make sure to close the aperture with duct tape, as the glue on the edges is usually lacking. Once again, blow-in foam in an aerosol can works really well in those tight spaces where there isn’t much room to cram in insulation. It’s only about $8 per can and goes a long way. Protect your outlets for hoses with foam outlet covers. Make sure your drain the water out of all your garden and utility hoses before the freezing weather sets in.
We have a well that goes into a pressure tank and back into the house, all of the pipes are covered with that foam-type with the slit he talks about and they are sealed with wrapped insulation and duck tape, the well head has an old yellow insulated igloo water cooler over it and the pressure tank has had a leanto built over it with plenty of house type insulation stuffed in.
We have black plastic water pipe and pvc pipe with the foam on it that runs under the house from a cistrin fed by barrels from house run-off.
I think we have what we need covered.
4. Shift the Food Supply
For your perishables, now will be a good time to fill up that freezer with frozen food, as you will soon have freezing temperatures to sustain them if you should lose power. Hunting wild game is a great way to fill the freezer with tasty protein sources. I once wrote that anything needing cooking you should do prior to freezing. Then you freeze it after it is cooked. Your item is then ready to go…just warm it up.
We have three deep freezers so full we can't get much more in them, we have a guy who brings fish, we had 3 hogs butchered and bought a 1/2 beef, we have 2 guys who will bring a deer or two every year and we have a deal in the fall where any deer hit on the roads that need to be moved are brought here and I will butcher them and package them. The tow truck diver who has been doing that was the grand daughters husband who was killed, so I am not sure how that will still work, but we will see, the place he worked for still will be called to clear the road and I know the people he worked for don't want to do it, so we will see. Even here in SC they can hang from the beams in the garage for a couple of weeks in the winter if they need to.
5. Personal Gear and Clothing
Get those winter clothes out of storage and ready to use. This includes changing out the light sleeping bag of the summer with the extreme cold weather bag and Gore-Tex cover. Pull that Gore-Tex “Gumby” suit out of the storage! Ensure all of your thermal underwear is serviceable and ready to go. Remember: dress in layers, and plan on dressing in layers. It is easier to “peel” off a layer if need be than remove the whole “space suit” and then be cold underneath. Boots and footgear need to be cleaned and serviceable. Almost time to switch off from summer hikers to winter boots with Thinsulate.
We have winter clothes in plastic tubs in the rafters in the garage. We have not needed anything special like insulated underware or boots for years, but always get the tubs down, make sure what fits and get it ready in case we do. We had a surprise ice storm in 2014, but no winter to speak of since, we need rain gear more here during the winter.
Bates boots a watch cap and a long sleeved shirt have been winter wear around here, but I have cold weather stuff if needed I get out and put back each fall.
Mice like insulation, so check on it.
I would add to service/maintain your generator and change the fuel you keep. Our generator is a tri-fuel model, electric, gasoline, or propane and I keep 3 or 4 5 gallon bottles of propane and 3 or 4, 5 gallon cans of gas stored, but I will put the gas in the car and replace it and use the propane and replace it 2 or 3 times a year.
6. Stored Goods and Prepper Supplies
Ensure that all of your perishables and canned goods and supplies are protected from the cold and from alternate freezing-thawing cycles. Long ago I recommended “wide-mouth” Mason jars, as they can usually stand up to the rigors of a freeze. Ensure that medications that cannot be frozen will not be frozen. This is a good time to conduct an inventory and make sure your FIFO (First-in, First-out) lists are up to date. Also be sure that there are adequate measures to control vermin, such as rats and mice that will enter the house as the temperatures drop. The cat (as you know) is my preferred measure of choice, but if you do not have one, you’ll have to plan accordingly with traps and other deterrents. Regularly checking your supplies (yes, even once every day!) will help in this department. Also, if you have a cat? Make sure he can go in where the supplies are kept.
We have like a laundry/pantry room with shelves that are full of mostly canned goods, we have some things in wide mouth jars, like brown sugar, which will always draw moister. A lot of things like elbow macaroni and Ramon noodles are in the packages but still in jars, because it aids in stacking.
I'm quitting for tonight and going to bed will finish on this tomorrow.
WZ
I'm old and don't do much toward anything but shoot and write on here, but maybe I can share some info.
So, if you don't want to read my notes then just go up above here and click on the link.
It’s important to get your home prepped for fall and winter weather. Here’s a great prepper’s checklist to get those to-do’s crossed off your list!
JEREMIAH JOHNSON READY NUTRITION
Now that summer is coming to a close, it’s important to take advantage of the break and get your home prepped for fall and winter weather. Doing so now will keep you prepped for cold weather emergencies.
Here’s a great prepper’s checklist to get those to-do’s crossed off your list!
9 Things To Get Your Home Prepped for Disasters In Fall and Winter
1. Wood Supply
In years past, I’ve emphasized this continually. Now is the time (if fire season precludes use of chainsaws) to cut your wood and to assure your wood supply is ready and accessible. This is both for winter and as a prep: if everything goes down the tubes tomorrow, you will find that the nice fire becomes a necessary fire to heat the home and to cook food. Make sure you have a supply that you can put the majority of the wood, and an area that is readily accessible. Make certain your wood is off of the ground and that it is protected: either under a roof (as in a woodshed) or under a tarp. Cut it all now, and do a sound estimate on your rate of consumption under adverse conditions (loss of power, or SHTF scenario). Don’t forget fire starting materials and a good supply of newspaper: since the latter contains no “news” it’s perfect for burning and can be stored in your woodshed. Ensure chainsaws, axes, splitters, and other tools are in good working order and ready to use. And don’t forget about new box of matches!
We cut oak trees that have died or need to come down for whatever reason, most years, we let them fall then cut them into fireplace sized pieces and stack the logs to dry. We will haul 4 or 5 cords of the dried stack to the back fence in the bucket of the tractor and restack it every few years. We get with a couple of neighbors, used to do it more often, but now it's every few years and rent a hydraulic type log splitter and split logs while we grill. We must have 20 cords stacked down in the bottom and another 10 or so stacked against the back fence, about 50 yards from the back deck. Then while it's still cool but not cold we will move some next to the deck where we can bring it into the house when we need it.
2. Chimney, Roof, and House “Integrity”
We have a guy who cleans out the chimney, checks out the roof and re-tars/caulks whatever is needed, like around all the pipes and the chimney, every fall, cost about $80 once a year, and we don't do anything but watch.
Don’t procrastinate, and have that chimney swept out now, or do it yourself. It’s easier if you have a stovepipe rather than a chimney: then you need the appropriate-diameter brush and the detachable rods. Creosote fires can burn down the whole house. You can pick up the rods and brush at a hardware store or order them online and have them sent to you. Read more about how to properly clean your chimney here. Make sure your roof is cleared of debris and your rain gutters are cleared and in working order. House “integrity” refers to closing up any kinds of gaps, cracks, or holes in the foundation or body that leave room for heat loss and entry of cold air. This is best accomplished with spray-in foam, silicone caulk, and weatherization with heavy plastic and foam molding.
3. “Twice on the Pipes”
[To paraphrase Tony Orlando and Dawn] check to make sure all of your pipes are well insulated, especially those exposed to the freezing temperatures. The foam-type with the slit/slotted aperture is good; make sure to close the aperture with duct tape, as the glue on the edges is usually lacking. Once again, blow-in foam in an aerosol can works really well in those tight spaces where there isn’t much room to cram in insulation. It’s only about $8 per can and goes a long way. Protect your outlets for hoses with foam outlet covers. Make sure your drain the water out of all your garden and utility hoses before the freezing weather sets in.
We have a well that goes into a pressure tank and back into the house, all of the pipes are covered with that foam-type with the slit he talks about and they are sealed with wrapped insulation and duck tape, the well head has an old yellow insulated igloo water cooler over it and the pressure tank has had a leanto built over it with plenty of house type insulation stuffed in.
We have black plastic water pipe and pvc pipe with the foam on it that runs under the house from a cistrin fed by barrels from house run-off.
I think we have what we need covered.
4. Shift the Food Supply
For your perishables, now will be a good time to fill up that freezer with frozen food, as you will soon have freezing temperatures to sustain them if you should lose power. Hunting wild game is a great way to fill the freezer with tasty protein sources. I once wrote that anything needing cooking you should do prior to freezing. Then you freeze it after it is cooked. Your item is then ready to go…just warm it up.
We have three deep freezers so full we can't get much more in them, we have a guy who brings fish, we had 3 hogs butchered and bought a 1/2 beef, we have 2 guys who will bring a deer or two every year and we have a deal in the fall where any deer hit on the roads that need to be moved are brought here and I will butcher them and package them. The tow truck diver who has been doing that was the grand daughters husband who was killed, so I am not sure how that will still work, but we will see, the place he worked for still will be called to clear the road and I know the people he worked for don't want to do it, so we will see. Even here in SC they can hang from the beams in the garage for a couple of weeks in the winter if they need to.
5. Personal Gear and Clothing
Get those winter clothes out of storage and ready to use. This includes changing out the light sleeping bag of the summer with the extreme cold weather bag and Gore-Tex cover. Pull that Gore-Tex “Gumby” suit out of the storage! Ensure all of your thermal underwear is serviceable and ready to go. Remember: dress in layers, and plan on dressing in layers. It is easier to “peel” off a layer if need be than remove the whole “space suit” and then be cold underneath. Boots and footgear need to be cleaned and serviceable. Almost time to switch off from summer hikers to winter boots with Thinsulate.
We have winter clothes in plastic tubs in the rafters in the garage. We have not needed anything special like insulated underware or boots for years, but always get the tubs down, make sure what fits and get it ready in case we do. We had a surprise ice storm in 2014, but no winter to speak of since, we need rain gear more here during the winter.
Bates boots a watch cap and a long sleeved shirt have been winter wear around here, but I have cold weather stuff if needed I get out and put back each fall.
Mice like insulation, so check on it.
I would add to service/maintain your generator and change the fuel you keep. Our generator is a tri-fuel model, electric, gasoline, or propane and I keep 3 or 4 5 gallon bottles of propane and 3 or 4, 5 gallon cans of gas stored, but I will put the gas in the car and replace it and use the propane and replace it 2 or 3 times a year.
6. Stored Goods and Prepper Supplies
Ensure that all of your perishables and canned goods and supplies are protected from the cold and from alternate freezing-thawing cycles. Long ago I recommended “wide-mouth” Mason jars, as they can usually stand up to the rigors of a freeze. Ensure that medications that cannot be frozen will not be frozen. This is a good time to conduct an inventory and make sure your FIFO (First-in, First-out) lists are up to date. Also be sure that there are adequate measures to control vermin, such as rats and mice that will enter the house as the temperatures drop. The cat (as you know) is my preferred measure of choice, but if you do not have one, you’ll have to plan accordingly with traps and other deterrents. Regularly checking your supplies (yes, even once every day!) will help in this department. Also, if you have a cat? Make sure he can go in where the supplies are kept.
We have like a laundry/pantry room with shelves that are full of mostly canned goods, we have some things in wide mouth jars, like brown sugar, which will always draw moister. A lot of things like elbow macaroni and Ramon noodles are in the packages but still in jars, because it aids in stacking.
I'm quitting for tonight and going to bed will finish on this tomorrow.
WZ
