Threat of black outs

[Lightspeed]

(9 October 2013, 12:49)Sunna Wrote: will go into town today looking for fire wood if their were power cuts long term would their be factory unit after unit with pallets going free .i use my hobo every day on a never ending supply of dry wood untill every body wants it what then .
iv never even tryed twigs and small branches but that will be the same everybody will want it.
how do you prep for that

You're right, if the heating and cooking power sources are cut off for any length of time, a lot of people will be on the lookout for pallets and anything else they can burn to keep warm.

Possible Answer: If you have room, get yourself a pallet breaking bar an immediately start harvesting pallets, breaking them down and building a stockpile of wood. Ideally cut and chop it to size for your stove.

[bigpaul]

you can get wood splitting steel wedges on Ebay for £4.49 each with free delivery, I'm waiting for 2 to be delivered in the next day or two. you don't need hulking great prybars to split pallets("softly, softly catchee monkey" springs to mind!!)

[Sunna]

try puting one of the corner blocks inbetween the 2 strips of wood on a pallet then just crowbar it eazy.
generaly i just smash them with a crowbar as i only want the wood for my hobo or to start off my main fire .
i only strip then down if im making something

[bigpaul]

I originally started breaking up pallets with a heavy hammer, but its too much effort and it usually leaves too many nails sticking out, so these days i'm a bit more refined and break it down using steel wedges or a cold chisel, that way the wood comes out clean without having any jagged ends( I HATE splinters )

[Straight Shooter]

For all intending to use oil lamps 1 have you stored parafinn 2 have you stored spare wicks , you can buy wick off the roll....make sure you get the right width ....you can get wicks in most hardware shops , just a thought folks

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Those using tilley lamps , spare seals kit plus filements.

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Geny.....spare spark plugs and engine oil plus two stroke oil......if 2S

[BDG]

You still have to flail at it with a hammer however, which damages your joints, you could injure yourself and it makes a racket - which should TSHTF, you would not want to happen.

I too used to use a bolster and a hammer. Then I got a pallet breaking fork for not much money at all. Much quicker, much quieter, much less stress on the body.

Timber is only going to be of any good to those that have the facilities to burn it. Most of the people I know who have wood burners get them put in and then stop using them after a short while down to a couple of reasons - they dont like the mess, they cannot make or control a decent fire, they worry about CO, they worry about a chimney fire and so on.

I look often at chimneys and there are quite a few I see with the cowls on that do not look old in my area, but you never see the smoke of the fire starting or the heat haze - they are little more than ornaments to most. As for those collecting pallets, good luck to those fellas and their small and average sized cars. Everyone I know who burns wood has a stack of wood already.

The soft spoken, soft around the middle soft in the head lot who have bought a stove as some kind of statement - I would like to see them carry a pallet 200 yards in the cold. They will more than likely give in and camp out at work or in the pub.

That and chimney fires and CO poisoning will happen to some.

For me, I have my big stew pot that goes on my stove, I need a new stove kettle, food is always prepped and I have more than enough wood to see me to the warm weather the end of next spring. As for light, torches and candles are always in the house (matches and lighters with all candles placed in lots of different places in the house) and the tilley and storm lamps are with the parafin in the shed.

If I get the new greenhouse up before winter - which I probably wont, as I have a shed load of other things to do - it is going on a 3ft brick wall and I am going to incorporate a masonry heater into it too, keep it very warm for the amount of wood it will use - I could stay warm in there too.

[Timelord]

I know many people who have installed stoves and about 80% of them continue to use them. I find it is the ones who can easily afford to run the central heating all the time, even at extortionate utility rates - that are the ones who can't be bothered to keep using the stoves, as they really bought it more for the novelty and idea of a real fireside than for actual practicality. There are also those odd few who get one installed, try it out and then keep it on standby as part of their preps. Maybe some are wiser than given credit for. lol TL

Pallets are crap anyway and some contain chemicals which can be health adverse when burnt. Get some proper wood and a prep log store built up & don't forget the neighbours floorboards, beams & furniture if SHTF.

[Straight Shooter]

well said TL and very correct to point it out ...take heed all.

[MaryN]

I think we're ready and on the alert down here. Logshed stocked with well seasoned wood and loads of nice kindling from the hedges; candles at hand; barbecue at hand should we need it. Hope nothing happens.

[bigpaul]

when TSHTF we'll all be burning ANY wood we can get hold of!!