Dan - Member - The Prepared

Discussions

Reply to: What are the best solar panel/generator brands? Posted March 20, 2023

I agree with some of the other comments. LiFePO4 batteries are the way to go. And I agree that without a pretty serious solar array running a lot of stuff is hard. I have tried several Solar Generators and I wrote an article about this topic (more the fridge backup than the solar part for this article but I do have the panels): https://www.soivethoughtalotaboutthis.com/thoughtsontopics/keep-your-fridge-running That is me setting up a generator as a UPS (most won’t act as a UPS – uninterruptible power source) but my experience with the Inergy Kodiak X2 has been excellent I wanted something that would AUTOMATICALLY power my fridge without me having to home to get it out of the garage and plug it in I wanted my wife and kids to have I easy no need to pull the fridge out and mess with wiring i wish you luck! Dan

Reply to: Refrigerator / freezer alarm recommendations Posted March 19, 2023

Yes. They will connect to your phone directly via Bluetooth so no need for power. Also, they record temp no matter what (as long as there is battery, of course) so if the power goes out for a day, you always get that history regardless. The part that wouldn’t work is the gateway, of course. So you obviously couldn’t read the fridge temp from across town on the internet if the power was off.

Reply to: Personal first aid kits for families Posted March 18, 2023

Alicia, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! I am sorry to hear about your family’s issues with adhesives, but the good thing is that knowing in advance means you can better prepare!!

Reply to: Nat gas “sniffers” for friends who can’t smell anymore due to Covid Posted March 11, 2023

I have a hand held gas detector I keep with my portable generator for checking this. I also used to to prove to my wife that our gas stove is not actually pumping nat gas in to our house. here’s the one I have: https://amzn.to/3Jt30lr I think it cost like 32 bucks. Might be worth a try. It works well for me. Full disclosure, I don’t work for the gas company so I have no idea if the sensor is a million perfect accurate. But it seems good.

Reply to: Personal first aid kits for families Posted March 10, 2023

That is an Excellent Idea!

Reply to: Personal first aid kits for families Posted March 9, 2023

This is something I have worked on a LOT. I am a big believer that kids having their own First Aid kits is vital. Ever since my kids were little, we did this. In the beginning it was mostly a ziploc bag with brightly colored band-aids. Now that my kids are a little older (6 and 9) they even have kits in their school bags. My kids aren’t trained to be EMT’s but they know how to use a BloodStop in their nose to stop a bloody nose, and they know how to use a Sting-Kill (benzocaine) to help with a Mosquito bite. It has also helped us teach the kids how to triage a little. What can they handle (independence! Important!) and what should we handle. It is always a discussion. I recently actually wrote all this down and took pictures of my kids’ kits if you are interested. I had a bunch of people at work asking me to help them be more prepared (CA Bay Area earthquake country, and all these rains and wildfires, etc). Take a look at what my kids’ kits have. I’d love advice on what to add, as well!!! https://www.soivethoughtalotaboutthis.com/thoughtsontopics/first-aid-kids As far as making it all cheaper, don’t forget you can use FSA or HSA dollars if you opted in to that at your work (yes, not everyone has that, but using pre-tax dollars is always a win!)

Reply to: Refrigerator / freezer alarm recommendations Posted March 9, 2023

I have had great luck with products from SensorPush. They are temp/humidity sensors and you can hook up a “gateway” so they can talk to the internet (hence, I can check them on my phone). You can set alarms, and your phone will ping if things get out of range (high or low, etc). They make a few versions of them, and you probably only need the Ht1 (the basic one, which is cheaper than the others). I have one in my freezer, and one in my fridge (and one in my attic, and one in the garage, etc etc). They are nice because you can track temp over time. So they will answer the question of “how long do I REALLY have when the power goes out till things get warm in the freezer” or “how much does opening the door actually matter” or whatever.

Anyone have a nicely formatted 4×6 template for printing information?

Skills 1

8

Posted December 31, 2020

Anyone have a nicely formatted 4×6 template for printing information?

Skills 1

8

Posted December 31, 2020

Reply to: What are the best solar panel/generator brands? Posted March 20, 2023

I agree with some of the other comments. LiFePO4 batteries are the way to go. And I agree that without a pretty serious solar array running a lot of stuff is hard. I have tried several Solar Generators and I wrote an article about this topic (more the fridge backup than the solar part for this article but I do have the panels): https://www.soivethoughtalotaboutthis.com/thoughtsontopics/keep-your-fridge-running That is me setting up a generator as a UPS (most won’t act as a UPS – uninterruptible power source) but my experience with the Inergy Kodiak X2 has been excellent I wanted something that would AUTOMATICALLY power my fridge without me having to home to get it out of the garage and plug it in I wanted my wife and kids to have I easy no need to pull the fridge out and mess with wiring i wish you luck! Dan

Reply to: Refrigerator / freezer alarm recommendations Posted March 19, 2023

Yes. They will connect to your phone directly via Bluetooth so no need for power. Also, they record temp no matter what (as long as there is battery, of course) so if the power goes out for a day, you always get that history regardless. The part that wouldn’t work is the gateway, of course. So you obviously couldn’t read the fridge temp from across town on the internet if the power was off.

Reply to: Personal first aid kits for families Posted March 18, 2023

Alicia, I am so pleased you enjoyed it! I am sorry to hear about your family’s issues with adhesives, but the good thing is that knowing in advance means you can better prepare!!

Reply to: Nat gas “sniffers” for friends who can’t smell anymore due to Covid Posted March 11, 2023

I have a hand held gas detector I keep with my portable generator for checking this. I also used to to prove to my wife that our gas stove is not actually pumping nat gas in to our house. here’s the one I have: https://amzn.to/3Jt30lr I think it cost like 32 bucks. Might be worth a try. It works well for me. Full disclosure, I don’t work for the gas company so I have no idea if the sensor is a million perfect accurate. But it seems good.

Reply to: Personal first aid kits for families Posted March 10, 2023

That is an Excellent Idea!

Reply to: Personal first aid kits for families Posted March 9, 2023

This is something I have worked on a LOT. I am a big believer that kids having their own First Aid kits is vital. Ever since my kids were little, we did this. In the beginning it was mostly a ziploc bag with brightly colored band-aids. Now that my kids are a little older (6 and 9) they even have kits in their school bags. My kids aren’t trained to be EMT’s but they know how to use a BloodStop in their nose to stop a bloody nose, and they know how to use a Sting-Kill (benzocaine) to help with a Mosquito bite. It has also helped us teach the kids how to triage a little. What can they handle (independence! Important!) and what should we handle. It is always a discussion. I recently actually wrote all this down and took pictures of my kids’ kits if you are interested. I had a bunch of people at work asking me to help them be more prepared (CA Bay Area earthquake country, and all these rains and wildfires, etc). Take a look at what my kids’ kits have. I’d love advice on what to add, as well!!! https://www.soivethoughtalotaboutthis.com/thoughtsontopics/first-aid-kids As far as making it all cheaper, don’t forget you can use FSA or HSA dollars if you opted in to that at your work (yes, not everyone has that, but using pre-tax dollars is always a win!)

Reply to: Refrigerator / freezer alarm recommendations Posted March 9, 2023

I have had great luck with products from SensorPush. They are temp/humidity sensors and you can hook up a “gateway” so they can talk to the internet (hence, I can check them on my phone). You can set alarms, and your phone will ping if things get out of range (high or low, etc). They make a few versions of them, and you probably only need the Ht1 (the basic one, which is cheaper than the others). I have one in my freezer, and one in my fridge (and one in my attic, and one in the garage, etc etc). They are nice because you can track temp over time. So they will answer the question of “how long do I REALLY have when the power goes out till things get warm in the freezer” or “how much does opening the door actually matter” or whatever.