Survival Preparation - Power Solutions for Bug Out Site

Received this e-mail question: "My brother and I are preparing our old abandoned farmhouse as a Bug Out location for his family and mine. We're doing all the things that everyone else is doing. We have an advantage is that we are both woodsmen and hunters and have plenty of guns. Both our wives can garden goods. We already cleared two areas, one 3 acres and the other almost an acre for our garden. We don't buy any of that prepared food but we buy alot of dry goods and canned food. We plan on continuing to work on the farm, but live in town about 3 hours away as we needs our jobs. Our farm house has a well that water is brought up by hand (no pump). We also have a stream about

1/2 mile away that has no fish but runs full year. We are planning on buying a couple water pumps and above ground storage tanks but cannot decide on either a fuel generator or a solar generator. What should we be considering? It will primarily be used for the well and to recharge our batteries for the lanterns."

UrbanMan’s reply: Sounds like you have a great Bug Out location depending how far from the nearest population center you are; any nearby prisons; and possible evacuation and refugee routes.

I would really have a hard time making either my primary or sole power source being a fuel generator. Just too dependant upon fuel and will have maintenance issues with too much use, or too little use and oxidation from the fuel. I would look at solar and look at establishing a depth of solar capabilities from charging small systems to as large as you can afford.

A larger solar charging system such as the PowerSource 1800 Solar Generator which is probably the largest and high performing portable solar power system available. Technology is always changing so it pays to looks around.

A friend of mine bought a PowerSource 1800 to power his well pump to fill his holding tanks. He has two 400 gallon tanks outside of his cabin which are gravity fed into the cabin. He also powers a set of lights in his cabin as well as a small refrigerator. He, like me, also has some smaller wattage and cheaper solar systems, bought from wholesale hardware stores, to power re-chargers for his batteries. We both have several battery recharging stations for AA and AAA batteries for our radios, lanterns and flashlights.