Outdoor Life Prepare for Anything Survival Manual (43 page)

Even if you’re short on electricity, you still need to get up and at ’em in the morning. But how, without your favorite electric grinder and espresso machine? Here are a few ways to get your morning Joe.

COWBOY
Rough-grind your coffee beans with a hand grinder or mortar and pestle, then throw them into a pot of water. Heat to simmering, then let cool as the grounds settle before pouring off the coffee (optional: use a filter to remove loose grounds).

TURKISH
To make Turkish coffee, also known as mud coffee, grind your beans into a fine powder, then add to water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. A layer of foam covers the top of the coffee, and the fine grounds sink to the bottom.

FRENCH PRESS
You can find French presses made of sturdy plastic instead of costly glass. Add grounds and boiled water, steep for a few minutes, then press the sieve down to filter.

VIETNAMESE
Place grounds in a small single-serve metal filter, then pour hot water over them. The coffee seeps through the filter into a cup below.

Since ancient times, people have harnessed the power of water to provide energy. Old-fashioned water wheels in rivers can produce low-speed, high-torque mechanical energy, sufficient to power a millstone to grind grain. But this barely scratches the surface of water’s potential energy. Even a small amount of water flow over a short drop in height can create power, and an electrical generator can convert the turbine’s spinning mechanical force into the infinitely versatile power of electricity. All you need are the right parts and the flowing water. As a bonus, the water goes right back to the waterway after your detour, making for minimal or no impact on the local ecology.

Homemade hydropower systems are not as out of reach as they may seem. While it’s true that they can be fickle, tricky to build, and vulnerable to storms, you may be surprised by how accessible they are. Here are a few things to consider.

SCALE
You’re not trying to power a whole state, which means you don’t need a reservoir. You can successfully make small-scale hydro systems without one. Though you require a good flow of water, small streams do provide enough force. The only time they’re unreliable is during a drought or during dry summer months.

OUTPUT
Micro hydro systems generally create less than 100 watts of energy, but a battery bank and the latest electronic control equipment will still power a modest house. Your homemade power will involve fewer surges than the main grid.

COST
This is neither a cheap nor an effortless way to get power. That said, if you have a steady source of running water and sufficient engineerging (or old-fashioned tinkering) ability, you can create an energy source that can take you off the grid forever.

Like spraying a garden hose at a toy pinwheel, a focused jet of high-pressure water can cause a turbine to spin at an unbelievable speed. To do this right, you’ll need plumbing, electrical, and engineering skills, or a whole lot of trial and error. Here’s how you can do it yourself, with the right equipment and a hilly property that has a steady flow of water.

STEP 1
Assemble the materials. For a typical micro hydro setup, you’ll need a pre-2000 car or truck alternator (these have a simpler construction), a turbine to attach to it (this could be made from a heat-reshaped plastic fan blade assembly), a housing for the turbine (like a plastic barrel), piping, valves, fasteners (like nuts, bolts, screws, etc.), electrical wiring, a shunt-load regulator to keep the batteries from overcharging, and a bank of 12-volt batteries—just as a minimum of supplies.

STEP 2
Build an intake structure to catch the water at a high point in the waterway. This structure should receive water for the system and screen out debris, sticks, frogs, and fish. It should be sturdy against flooding, easy to clean out, and freeze resistant.

STEP 3
Pipe out the steepest route through a pipeline (penstock) to the turbine site. The greater the drop in elevation, the better the turbine will function. Install a valve (any kind) in front of the turbine to control the water flow and the speed of the turbine.

STEP 4
Build and install the turbine and generator. Depending on the fall and flow of water, you’ll have to select the best type of water turbine for your micro hydro installation. With elevation drops greater than 100 feet (30 m), a Pelton wheel provides a very high RPM turbine. For less steep installations, a propeller-type turbine will be the best choice. And for very flat, low-head installations, a propeller-type turbine in a pit will be your best option. A drop of less than 2 feet (0.6 m) may not be usable for hydroelectric.

Almost any diesel car can run on biodiesel without major modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. Only diesel engines can run on biodiesel, so if you’re not already behind the wheel of a diesel car, you may want to consider trading in. Other engines that run on #2 diesel can also be run on biodiesel, such as home furnaces, generators, and fishing boats.

The term “biodiesel” is thrown around a lot these days and can mistakenly refer to more than one thing. If you’re interested in running your engine on a different fuel type, get familiar with the options available to you.

PETROLEUM DIESEL (PETRODIESEL)
This is the regular diesel you’ll find at gas stations—the kind your engine was designed for. In addition to supply advantages, petrodiesel is also better suited for colder temperatures than its bio cousins.

BIODIESEL
Biodiesel is made from vegetable oil rather than crude petroleum. It’s a clean-burning alternative produced from renewable resources through a process in which the oil reacts chemically with alcohol. You can find petrodiesel and biodiesel mixtures more easily than you might think. The “B factor” is used to denote the percentage of biodiesel contained within a mix—biodiesel rated B5, B20, or B100 contains 5 percent, 20 percent, and 100 percent biodiesel, respectively. These percentages are worth noting because some newer diesel engines have problems running on pure biodiesel (B100) for extended periods of time.

STRAIGHT VEGETABLE OIL (SVO)
If you’ve stepped foot in a kitchen, chances are you’ve encountered straight vegetable oil. It’s commonly derived from soy, corn, palm, or other vegetable sources. Despite being the brass ring for biodiesel aficionados, the setbacks for this fuel source are numerous. For starters, it’s extremely expensive, and because it hasn’t been chemically treated it can turn into a gel at low temperatures. However, it can be done—see item 204.

No major conversion is needed if your car has a diesel engine. You will, however, need to replace the rubber fuel lines with metal ones, since biodiesel is known to wear rubber fuel lines down. However, your car may not agree. In some models, like light-duty diesel trucks, any form of biodiesel will dilute your motor oil. In others, your “check engine” light may turn on—so change your oil frequently. Visit your local biodiesel retailer to get the scoop on particulars relating to your vehicle.

If you’re planning to go all in with SVO, know that vegetable oil is very different from biodiesel, and an expensive conversion kit is mandatory for SVO-only operation. SVO cannot meet biodiesel fuel specifications, it is not registered with the EPA, and it is not a legal motor fuel anywhere in the country. That said, it’s still possible.

FIND A SOURCE
You can use waste vegetable oil (as in, the stuff the French fries were in). It may not be clean or pretty, but it’s cheap, and you get points for recycling. Unsurprisingly, the best starting point for large amounts of vegetable oil is restaurants. Local fast food joints should have vats of the used stuff sitting out back. Talk to the manager and get a feel for how much SVO the business generates; then try to arrange a pickup schedule.

PROCURE A CONVERSION KIT
Hit up online biodiesel communities before making a purchase, and shop around. This is not a small purchase, and prices can vary. There’s likely a specific kit that works best with the make and model of your car, so firsthand accounts are priceless.

CHOOSE YOUR INSTALLATION
You can hire an experienced mechanic or install the kit yourself. Many kits are user-friendly, but chances are you’re voiding the vehicle’s warranty, so it’s good to have someone skilled in your corner in case something goes wrong. If you do go the DIY route, a good kit should have a two-tank system for separating the fuels; a pumping system for removing the SVO when the car is no longer in use; SVO-safe hoses, seals, and filters; and a heating system to keep the oil at the right temperature.

FILTER AND FILL
The final hurdle is filtering your SVO. The simplest filtration method is to heat the oil in a metal bucket and then pour it through a series of cheap household filters (large coffee filters or mesh strainers). You want to remove any visible leftover food particles and debris before loading it into your system.