Goal Zero Solar Charging system.The rechargables will be good as long as the genny's have fuel. That's my only concern.
We do Sams. here is not a Costco n a convenient distance from us. They have the Mega packs of Duracell's and the 10 year offerings for reasonable money.
Batteries? Just plain-jane Duracells in the big packs rotating through. I've got a few extra AA Lithiums put away.
AA, AAA, C, D (only enough for a change-out in the maglight), 123A, 1/3N, 2032.
I recycled out several car batteries a few years ago. I have been looking to replace them with some marine batteries. The time is coming, priorities and money you know.
Berkey update:
Got it out and set it up this weekend.
Disappointments:
A couple of small dents. One in the lid is bad enough I was tempted to call and complain. In reality, I'll consider myself fortunate if I don't bang it up a lot worse before TEOTWAWKI. The screw for the handle on the lid is way too short. I will have to find a replacement.
Learning experiences:
It took several (5-6) gallons of water to clean out what Berkey calls "manufacturing dust"...even after generous priming of the filters. The filters feel delicate to me. Because of cost I'm not interested in performing durability tests at this time.
I'm glad I bought the prime/purge kit. I would hate to find out how long it takes the filters to dry out on their own. There is a lot of water trapped in there.
My tap water is generally pretty good so I couldn't tell a big difference. Overall I'm glad I have checked a box to move forward on my preps.
Sorry CM. I wasn't trying to make a dissuasive argument. Just accepting another bitter pill of reality. The dent in the lid was certainly boxed up that way. It has a pretty deep score mark up the middle. Poor QC or the employee just didn't care.
If it filters out the bad stuff as advertised I will be pleased. I'm waiting for the annual spring change in our municipal water where it turns kind of skanky for a couple weeks. It passed the water color test.
The weird powdery grittiness went away after 5 or 6 gallons. It couldn't be seen, it was a strange mouth-feel. After that it was pretty comparable to drinking other filtered water I've had.
The weird powdery grittiness went away after 5 or 6 gallons. It couldn't be seen, it was a strange mouth-feel. After that it was pretty comparable to drinking other filtered water I've had.
Sorry about your dents. I would contact the seller to give them a chance to make it right. You paid a substantial amount and shouldn't accept damaged goods
As for the grittiness, that is expected and the instructions tell you to flush the system before using it.
Lots of decisions will have to be made on the fly depending on the circumstances.
I recently started stocking up on amazon basic batteries. They are cheap, show up quick, 10 yr life, packaged nicely. I also keep lithium for superior storage/usage life.
Not that we really care, but Amazon's factory is rumored to be one of the most dirty, polluting Chinese manufacturers out there.
And for this discussion, They shouldnt even be an option. Amazon batteries (as a known brand) are less than 10 years old. (less than 2?) How do we judge the shelf life of a battery when it hasnt been made long enough to prove its worth?
Move along. Buy Amazon and other cheapos for the kids toys for use RIGHT NOW, and invest in good lithium or Duracell (and maybe Energizer) for long term storage.
And before it comes up again, storing them in the freezer actually causes them to fare marginally worse in long term testing. Not enough to cause a fuss, but just enough to tell you not to bother.
I have no beer in my preps, but there's enough whiskey to clean out all a wounds a person could live through and also make sure they don't feel any pain.