Deep Well Hand Pump

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Backup Well Water Hand Powered

Simple Pump

Last night I had the opportunity to be on the Jeff Rense show. I had a great time talking to Jeff about our products and some other preparedness topics as well. While we were discussing water preparation and backup Jeff asked me whether or not I had setup a backup electrical power for my well pump. What Jeff didn’t know is that this is on the very top of my preparedness list. We bought 2 shares of gravity feed irrigation water that delivers tens of thousands of gallons over the spring and summer months. This water is obviously an excellent backup but what about the fall and winter months. One project that is on my list will be to build a cistern to store some of that water during the winter but it is still in the planning phase. Like I told Jeff, I do have a few 55 gallon drums and some other smaller containers stored but I consider this to be a short term emergency water supply.

This last winter we did experience a few power outages, one for more than 8 hours. It ended up being a great family day where we got to use some of our backup heat and cooking gear and play cards and other board games. However this made me consider what my priorities should be this year and a backup water system is the obvious priority.

After looking into some options and doing some research I discovered this deep well hand pump that can fit inside my current well casing. Its called the simple pump.

There are a bunch of features that I really like about this pump:
- It fits down my current well casing so I wont need to have another well drilled.

- It can pull water using only hand power from up to 350 feet.

- There various factors that determine flow, depth supported, required effort. You can see the details here.

- One of the best features is that you can actually pump into your pressure tank. Most people who have a electrical well pump setup also have a small pressurized tank that holds the water pumped from the well. Once the tank reaches a certain PSI inside it signals the pump to turn off and stop pumping water. This water in the tank is now pressurized and can be pushed through the houses plumbing. Basically this hand pump allows me to continue to live in my house and enjoy having running water even without the grid power being available.

- Another feature that I like is that you can buy a small solar panel backup and small motor custom built for this unit. If you set this up you wouldn’t have to be pumping by hand all day long.

- Easy install. The site claims that most people can install this themselves if they have some level of knowledge about wells. While I’m sure that is true I have decided that I will pay an expert to install this for me so that I wouldn’t disrupt my current pump setup in anyway.

For me and my specific situation this is the superior choice for a well pump backup system as it can used in almost any situation. I am saving my pennies to be able to purchase one!

Chris

DIY Wine Bottle Garden

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At PrepareWise, we are always looking for fun ideas to brighten up your day and give you a fun DIY project.  For those who love to garden and also drink wine, why not use your old wine bottles to grow beautiful plants and flowers?  Here is a fun “Instruct-O-Graphic” that we created to give you a fun springtime activity that will look amazing and give you the perfect little wine-bottle garden.  Share this with others and let us know what other ideas you have.  Enjoy!

Legacy Premium and a Happy New Year!

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As we embark into 2012, PrepareWise would like to announce its newest partner and explain why we have switched to the Legacy Premium line of emergency food storage products.

First off, Legacy Premium Food Storage was created by the same good people who started the “Bear Creek” brand of soup and chili mixes, as well as “Sawyer’s Premium”.  With over 20 years of gourmet food-making experience, Legacy Premium’s line of long-lasting emergency food is the new industry standard in taste and value.

With a greater variety of entrees and breakfasts than the competition, Legacy makes sure that you have a wide range of flavors to choose from.  In addition to entrees, Legacy has delicious side dishes and refreshing drink mixes to add more variety to your emergency meals.  The ultimate complement is the Freeze-Dried Meat pouches, which allow you to add real meat to your entrees for additional protein and calories. In addition to the large variety of meals, Legacy Premium is proud to provide gluten-free meals!  We are happy to finally be able to provide 10 different gluten-free meal options for those with special dietary needs.

Every Legacy meal is packaged in a sealed Mylar pouch that is flushed with nitrogen to ensure a long-lasting product.  When stored correctly, this allows the food to last for up to 25 years!  To protect the Mylar pouches, 15-20 pouches are placed in stackable plastic buckets ranging in size from two gallons all the way up to eight gallons.  The six serving Mylar pouches allow you to eat a small portion of your food storage without compromising the rest.  In comparison, the traditional #10 tin can food storage has to be eaten soon after opening, often meaning a large amount of your emergency food supply will go to waste!  We feel that the six serving Mylar pouch is a much smarter and more convenient way to store your emergency food.

Finally, the biggest benefit we found with Legacy is the price!  While many companies focus on cost per serving, they ignore the fact that serving sizes often differ.  By comparing the cost per calorie you can more accurately compare what you are actually paying for.  Legacy once again shined by having the lowest cost per calorie in the industry, meaning you get the most food storage possible for your hard earned dollar!

With greater variety, better packaging, and the best value in the industry, we are excited to offer Legacy Premium food storage. To wish you a Happy New Year we’re offering a 10% discount on the already discounted prices on our website.  Enter the promo code “Friend10” by January 25th, 2012 to receive your discount!

Thanks again for being a big part of the PrepareWise community; we truly appreciate all of your support.

My Emergency and What I Learned

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I could have sworn that my windows and walls were going to rip down and fly away. Looking out my windows I saw shingles, Christmas ornaments, and everything else that wasn’t tied to the ground was flying through the air. I watched a small tree fly through my neighbor’s 2nd story window and into his home.  The news said that the wind speeds were “only” between 80 and 103 miles per hour, which just happens to be considered a class 2 hurricane. The wind felt and sounded like it was moving much faster than that, though. My daughters were upset and scared, and one even fell down and split here head open after something banged against our house. Power was gone. The wind coming down off the mountain was bitter cold, colder than anything I have ever been in. If my windows blew out I was in big trouble…

This was my situation a week ago. The winds lasted about an entire day, with another decent storm a couple days later. Power was out in some neighborhoods for 48 hours or more. Thousands of trees were knocked down.  I was amazed that wind could rip sixty foot tall pine trees out, roots and all.  Other trees were snapped in half, literally broken in the middle of the trunk.   Windows were broken. Almost every home for several miles was missing shingle, and several roofs were ripped from the home itself. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants were shut down. People couldn’t gas up. Everything was shut down for several days.

My emergency taught me a few good lessons. It caught me off guard and made me think more about preparing for a major emergencies and disasters.

I first awoke in the middle of the night to my house shaking from the wind and realized that my power was off. Our home was very cold, so I ran to check on my little girls and make sure that they were still sleeping and not scared. I then tried to find lights and much to my dismay, I discovered that my kids had used the flashlights in their playing and had drained the batteries. I finally found a couple battery operated lanterns in the garage. Once I had light, my focus shifted to addressing the cold and ensuring that everyone was going to stay warm. I fortunately kept a heater that could be used in my home in the garage. It was a small heater so it only warmed a single room up, but at least we had something. I stumbled around the rest of the day waiting out the storm and praying that my home wouldn’t blow over. We had plenty of food in the fridge, and luckily we didn’t need to tap into our emergency food reserves.  Through the whole experience, I felt helpless and was scared for the safety of my wife and 3 little girls.

From this experience, I have created a list of what I plan to do differently in the future and have started to ensure that I have everything ready:

  1. Make sure that I have plenty of extra batteries for flashlights.  Also, I found a wind up flashlight that has a small hand crank to ensure that there is always going to be light in my home.
  2. Keep a generator that can power some of basic utilities and make sure that I have adequate fuel on hand.
  3. Purchase a large heater or more small heaters should power go out. One of my neighbors had a really nice kerosene heater that can heat up 3000 square feet.  There are several nice options out there, do a little research to find what works best for you.
  4. Make sure my cars are full of gas before anticipated storms or during times of likely issues, or have a few gallons on hand just in case.
  5. Be prepared to evacuate if necessary by keeping emergency bags with clothing and other items available. We have some small 72 hour kits that have blankets, food, and medical kits.
  6. Buy a large tent and other camping items so that I have shelter. We have sleeping bags already, which came in handy keeping everyone warm during the storm.
  7. Try and have a few weeks worth of medications on hand.
  8. Keep some water available for immediate use, keep water filters available for additional water needs, and have adequate food storage around for at least three months should things be bad enough that it is necessary.
  9. Have some cash stored away for an emergency, even if it is just a couple hundred dollars.

I never want to worry like that again. I, like most of us, will need to prepare one item at a time. But that’s what I’ll do. I suggest we all be prepared for whatever might come. In the case of an emergency, we don’t want to be reliant upon the government, neighbors, family, or friends to help us. We should be in a position to help others.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season!

Is there ROI in Food Storage?

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Outside of the peace of mind that comes from being well prepared with your emergency food storage, is there an actual ROI, or Return On Investment, for food storage? While we hope that we never have to completely depend on our food storage to survive, food insecurity is on the rise and over a billion people worldwide suffer from hunger and undernutrition.  Even here in the United States, our food supply is not guaranteed and hinges on a very delicate balance, so the real ROI in food storage comes if we ever are forced to use it to survive. Take a look below at some interesting facts about how disasters have affected some peoples’ food supply and what shape our country is currently in.  Get prepared and be ready for whatever may come so that you can help yourself and those around you.

Is there ROI in Food Storage

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Understanding Health Risks During Times of Disaster

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There are multiple health risks and dangers that are prevalent during times of disasters. Knowledge of the top risks and how to prevent them is an important piece of emergency preparedness. While each specific disaster will bring it’s own specific health risks, the same groups of people will always be the most vulnerable. These include pregnant women, children under the age of 5, the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.

In emergency situations, infrastructure and communication cannot be depended on. Those that are ill or injured may not receive health care in a time manner. Having medical handbooks on hand that are created for non-medically trained readers are recommended. A book that the WHO (World Health Organization) uses for disaster situation without access to the medical community is “Where There Is No Doctor” by David Werner.

A first aid kit should have the standard equipment plus items that are specific to individuals. A person with a pre-existing condition may need medication. Having an extra supply, if possible, can be life saving. Pregnant women should take time to prepare a birthing and an infant care kit that is stored with other medical items.

In the United States we don’t have problems with malaria, TB and other diseases that are common during times of disasters around the world. But, there are other epidemics that we cannot plan for specifically. Keeping the body nourished and hydrated can often be the best way to resist unforeseen disease. Emergency freeze dried food storage can often be the key to keeping the body’s immune system intact.

Mental health should also not be overlooked in disaster situations. Children should be made to feel as safe as possible. Adults will reduce much of their stress by having survival gear and emergency freeze dried food storage and water storage. Stress can create mental weakness and lower immunity.

There are multiple resources available for more specific health risks during disasters including infectious disease, decaying body disease transmission and more. The more you know about health risks in emergency situations, the better you will be able to prepare for them.

Finding the Best Produce if You Don’t Have a Garden

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If you have taken the initiative to create long term food storage for your household, or even if you have just started researching the idea, clearly you care about the well-being of your family. You are probably interested in promoting a healthy lifestyle for your family, and that includes eating the freshest produce available. If you are unable to grow your own vegetables, you should buy produce that comes from trusted local growers.

Why Buy Local Produce

Buying locally supports growing for taste, diversity and healthfulness rather than for durability, transportation and uniformity. Purchasing food grown by local farmers helps to promote the local economy while supporting your friends and neighbors. It also reduces use of fossil fuels, minimizing your carbon footprint. Local farmers help preserve jobs and strengthen the local food supply. Freshly picked produce guarantees nutritional value at its peak.

Where to Buy Local Produce

The organic, fresh food trend is gaining momentum, and those foods are more abundant than ever. Fresh, locally grown produce can be found at the farmer’s market in your county, or in local organic natural food stores. These markets often have a selection of fresh flowers and baked goods as well as fruits and vegetables.

Many areas now have online companies that allow you to order local produce from their website each week and then either pick it up at a neighborhood business or have it delivered for a small fee. Some even offer meats, dairy, fresh eggs and baked goods. Healthy food and treats for pets may also be part of the selection from the online company in your community. The produce selection will vary, as the weather will dictate what can be grown in your area during different times of the year.

How to Find Local Produce

Check your county or with the extension office of your state’s agricultural university to find local growers and markets. Another good resource is www.LocalHarvest.org. LocalHarvest was founded in 1998 by Guillermo Payet, a software engineer and activist dedicated to generating positive social change through the Internet. This site is loaded with good information on eating healthy, and they promote a strong and resilient family farm system of agriculture. All you have to do is type in your zip code to find locations and times for farmer’s markets in your area.

This healthy lifestyle should carry over to your long term food storage. You should have freeze dried food with a long shelf life in storage as well as canned and dehydrated fruits and vegetables. Use only fresh, organic produce for your canning and dehydrating. These processes will not improve the flavor if you start with sub par product.

Gift certificates from your favorite places to buy local produce make great gifts for friends or loved ones. This will help get more people involved with buying local and help sustain the local markets. It will also help encourage a healthy lifestyle for them.

-Gary Jenkins-

Gary Jenkins is a father and husband living in Oregon who is a wildlife rehabilitation and outdoor adventure enthusiast.

Food Storage Containers and When to Use Them

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There are several different types of food storage containers, each with it’s own set of uses, pros and cons.  Knowing that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and there will be lots of leftovers, we wanted to take a look at some of the different containers available and get an idea of what works best for both short and long term food storage.

Long Term

Since long term food storage is an area that we are very confident in, we decided to start here.

  1. Plastic Buckets – These are great for storing large quantities of food, as they come in sizes that range from one to ten gallons, and even on up to 55-gallon water buckets.  These are great at keeping mice from your food, stack easily on top of each other, and relatively inexpensive.  They may also serve as a floatation device in event of flooding (we aren’t sure about the efficacy, but someone told us it worked!).
  2. #10 Cans – Small, not too heavy, sit nicely on a shelf.  Food is kept safe from insects and rodents, the cans are also sturdy and airtight.  If you have had a car for over 10 years, you know that metal rusts, so keep these away from water.  Also, new reports have surfaced this week saying that metal lining in food containers may contain BPA, which is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and heart disease.  We aren’t sure if this applies to #10 cans, but be careful and do some research.
  3. Mylar Bags – These are less expensive than buckets or #10 cans and great for storing emergency food.  The bags are airtight and keep insects out.  They aren’t quite as sturdy as a bucket or #10 can, and mice could chew through them if they are left out in the open.  If stored in a plastic bucket, you then have a double layer of protection to ensure that your food lasts and rodents can’t get in it.

Short Term

 

  1. Plastic Containers – Plastic containers come in many shapes and sizes, are different levels of thickness.  There are many companies that produce them and swear that theirs are the best.  Many plastic containers have re-sealable lids and can be washed easily.  Find stronger grade plastics for longer storage terms and keep them in rodent free areas.  We also encourage you to look for products that are BPA-Free.
  2. Glass Containers – Some people like to skip plastic altogether and just use glass products.  They are good at keeping out chemicals from your food, recyclable, very easy to clean, and almost always dishwasher safe.  They cost a bit more than plastic products and have a tendency to break when the fall of a countertop or shelf, but they are a great way to store food.

Regardless of how you prefer to store food, there are many options available to you.  Take the time to research and look into whatever products you are using so that you can ensure that your food storage, be it short or long term, will be protected and edible when you open it for consumption.

We hope that you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving full of laughter, love, and great food!

Food Storage Fun for Halloween

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In honor of Halloween today we wanted to share a few fun ideas for how to use your food storage this Halloween. The key to these ideas is to use your imagination and get creative!  It is also a great way to get your kids involved in cooking. If you search for Halloween treat recipes you are sure to find many different fun and spooky ideas but here are a few of our favorites.

When I was growing up I went to a friend’s house for a Halloween themed dinner where we are eyeball salad, witches brew in pumpkin bread bowls, and had graveyard pudding for desert.  So much fun themed food and it was all easy to make!

Eyeball Salad:

This is just a fruit salad with green grapes peeled and you can use some red food coloring to make them bloody eyes if you want.

Witches brew:

This was just chicken noodle soup that she put in pumpkin shaped bread bowls she bought at the store.

Graveyard Pudding:

This was chocolate pudding with cookies crumbled over top and plastic body parts coming out of it.

A few of your food storage items could be used in these recipes but here are some other great ideas!

Mummy Pizzas:

You can use items from your long term food storage to make some delicious pizza dough and then if you happen to have pizza sauce in your storage you can use that but you will need some cheese and other items for your kids to decorate their individual pizzas.  Allow them to add whatever topping they want and use long strips of cheese to look like mummy wrapping and use olives or pepperoni for the eyes.

Pumpkin Bread or Cookies:

This is the perfect time of year to bust out your canned pumpkin and use it to create a yummy treat!  You can make your pumpkin bread into the shape of a jack-o-lantern or even turn your pumpkin cookies into individual pumpkins that your kids can then decorate.

The key is to have fun with your everyday food and turn it into Halloween treats.  What other ideas do you have to share?