Is Your Family Prepared?

[wb5mgr]

I noticed that your well shed is insulated, but if you used proper spray foam and a thick plastic vapor barrier on the ground covered with gravel, then self leveling concrete, then rigid foam and a 3/4 plywood floor. Weatherstrip around the door, and that shed would be able to be heated or cooled with a candle. While the spray foam guy is there have him spray the water pipe till just before it gets to the pump, if it ever rusts out, a good saw blade cuts foam off easy and you can still wrap tra

[wb5mgr]

One item I have had for years that is a good prep item is a "Mr. heater" it's a propane burner that mounts on top of a grill bottle. I have the double burner model, but often run it on one burner with the bottle cranked way down low to serve this type of function. Once lit and warmed up you can dial it way back to provide a chill breaker in a situation like this. I keep a 1000g tank in the yard so I can refill my own bottles easy when needed.

[mackey087]

is that mountain from the start of disney films, looks like it.

[watrocket]

Clever way to use your resources. Beautiful scenery! --Mark

[ZombieReady556]

just noticed the black diamond head lamp. I'll have to watch that review you did, and probably get one and add it to my work day. thanks

[bonesword98]

Jack looks like his mama

[meisterjager66]

nice property

[SquirrelFromGradLife]

Here's a solution to the no power without the generator running. You could take two or four 6 volt car/golf cart deep cycle batteries and wired them in series into 12 volt and then another set into parallel making you have two sets of 12 volt batteries and hook that up to a 1500-3000 watt or more 12-110 volt inverter and there's your power source all night. You use the generator to charge the batteries making you use less fuel, make less noise and you have continuous power all the time.

[blessedcajun]

Thanks for sharing, man. Little Jack isn't so little anymore. I love these homesteading vids. Keep on keepin on my friend.

[AussieDreamChaser]

What a beautiful place Cody... Thanks for sharing... God Bless.



[matt4270]

W.T Kirkman is a good source for kerosene lanterns, wicks, and burners. A Dietz Jupiter 2500 hurricane lantern ( 84 oz. tank) with a similar chimney rig would do a great job.

[marshwillow]

Hey that cute boy should be on TV,he is awesome and so sweet.

[CampfireTalk]

Great way to improvise to achieve your goal here. As you already know that's key. I love you're new home & the snow is beautiful.

This week or so w/o power has been a great exercise & testimony of prepping. It would be great to hear some thought (fireside chat) of this winter storm. Things that went well &/or preparations that could have been made. Keep up the great work brother Cody.

[ManFromMassachusetts]

Good video. Good to see you teaching your son. How is Jack doing with knife?

[RobertvanDroffelaar]

Hi Wrangelerstar Fam. I enjoy your video s verry much. Nice to watch somebody who is doing what they "preach". And living theire dream. Keep the video s comming.Greetings from Holland ( NL).

[WestCoastPrepperRN]

What a great solution that was for a well head heater - wish I would have known that last year...Ours froze solid and cracked the only 5 inches of exposed, uninsulated pipe...now we keep a light on it when the temp gets down to freezing, but good to know if the power goes out. I will definately add that to my "bag of prepper tricks"!! BTW...the few frames of your son towards the end of your vid with his cold-flushed cheeks was adorble! You should still frame that and have it printed! Angelic!

[ltbaldwin]

Cody how did you get so smart?? What a great idea!!! Are you burning kerosene? Diesel? Again great idea!!!

[nycbike73]

Amazing vids. I to hope to have my place in the future. Blessings to you and your family.

[jrobnmr]

Wranglerstar, Let me first say that, I enjoy watching your vids to the fullest and wish that one day to be living the same type of lifestyle. With that said, what type and brand of gloves are you wearing and also what type of headlamp is that as well. Also, how did you become so "handy"?

[ABGAN100]

your not worried about the possible fire hazard? I would worry about any curious rodents tipping over the lamp while it's unattended.

[johnboh51]

Hey,that was a great video my friend,thank you for sharing the info.

[highcountrytimber]

I think the best way to reduce freeze ups is to heavily insulate the well head and pipes then build a well insulated shed. If it is done right a standard 60 watt light bulb will keep the building warm. Nice heater idea. I use a a single brick heater on a 20 gallon propane tank set on low for some of the wells I maintain for emergency heat.

[ShawnCFarm]

I take it that its a drilled well. My father inlaw had a drilled well, and his pump was about a dug well tile down so it would not freeze. It was kind of a funy set up but it worked and never froze.

[Simonfaux]

Good vid. Come spring you may want to put some mouse traps in the well house.

[finpainter1]

You have a great view of mountains.

[ChuckCh9]

A man is being raised... Nice work!

[flhtcui2000]

I like Jack, he seems wise beyond his years. When my grandson comes to visit I am always amazed how much he knows for his 9 years. I am not sure I was as smart at his age but being raised on a ranch I knew more than my city cousins. Good video, God Bless.

Ed

[SMprepnNancy]

:)))) Love the way you are taking the time to teach you son how do things that will keep him alive!

[RESISTCONTROL2]

beautiful place.....

[donnya1000]

The little one is growing fast. I know you treasure these moments, they go by at mind numbing speed when looking back. Love these vids!

[borntoventure]

Great idea Cody, you are always thinking on your feet! And yes, I'm still very jealous of your new place! ;) Mind if I ask what song is playing at the end of this video? I really like it but have no idea what it might be.

[TheConstitutionLives]

@borntoventure "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

[borntoventure]

@TheConstitutionLives Thanks!

[MidTnPrep]

Thanks for the vids:......

[ARTnSKIN]

Do you have a idea in mind for a permanit solution? I was thinking maybe just a wood stove, but that might be a hasel if it didnt last all night. Also was wondering about your generator, do you leave it out at night, and does it work well in good snow conditions. Thinking about the generator got me thinking about OBXSOLWIND gernerator setup. Building a box in the basement to control noise and let it run all night. Really enjoy the videos keep them coming!

[NWOIS666]

That metal tape is very expensive

[ccharlie100]

Get a thermal-trap polytunnel / hoop house and form a covering over the well house and gear.

Its utterly amazing how much heat that stuff can trap. The hoop house might then offer some extended growing season of vegetables.

A bank of burried glass bottles can offer a thermal mass trap big enough to see the cold night out.

[thebudgetarmory1]

One thing I have to say is that it looks absolutely beautiful out there.

[Tenacious21]

I love your videos brother, family inclusion, a very organic progression. Very cool.

[TheJACKCOLORADO]

Thanks for that. I am moving to place where I will have a well. That's good info. Love seeing you do things with your son.

[ace1968ace]

Wish my family was able to live in a remote location as you are in. All of us will have to be able to improvise in different situations as you have done here. Thanks for sharing Cody.

[TheRumpledOne]

How far from your well head to your house? Are you pumping uphill or down? What size is your pressure tank? Just curious.

My well is about 700 feet away from the house and downhill.  I have a small 30 gallon pressure tank. A larger tank is on the "wish" list.

[scooter17568]

Nice fix!

[Hapharzardly]

Good tip. How frequently do you need to adjust the wick?

I'm off to find a pack like yours. Thanks for the excellent videos.

[wranglerstar]

@Hapharzardly I check on it once every twelve hours of so and adjust if needed.

WS

[USNERDOC]

Good stuff Cody. Lots of information.

Hope you guys stay safe with the new storm blowing in.

[jasongraf]

Great vid...informative and showing what a great dad does by teaching and training his children. Do you have a guess as to how long that stove burns?

[autobahn101driversed]

A little creativity goes a long way!

[SCJMO]

Brilliant! Your son is a top notch camera man too!

[HillbillysNdaBush]

Nice vid Cody. From 1 Dad to another.... good job parenting!

[yomomma420ification]

That is one lucky kid.

[rpur441044]

Great son...willing to listen and learn and outdoors...you dont see that today.Nice dog too,no barking or whineing...around me is all tiny yuppie yippie dogs and the people all get their grocerys from peapod delivered and if it snows,my god the world is ending,they must have cheetos...lol..I fear if we have a money collapse,things will not be so good for them or anyone around them.

[wranglerstar]

@rpur441044 I think you read her mind

[MrSqwiggles1]

NICE GUN

[AcupunctureEdu]

what was the name of that song/album at the end?

[Graveltrucking]

Always learn something new watching your videos.

[ninjaturtle559]

cute kid!

[AnnBearForFreedom]

As you were digging out the door path with the bucket, the dog ran by, trying very hard not to laugh, as only dogs can laugh at people. "Papa," said the dog, "you know I love you, but...humans suck at digging."

[Valdris1987]

i asked in a pervious video, won`t your house rot since it`s wood and covered in water/snow?

[hobo59]

@Valdris1987 Snow is dry until it melts. and exterior grade woods won't rot when exposed to moisture for short periods of time. Once all that snow melts it won't add up to more than a few inches of water that will quickly drain away.

[wranglerstar]

@Valdris1987 no the house is sided with clear cedar siding. Cedar is extremely resistant to rot.

[wolvee123]

What a great Dad. I know I should take away from the video a little ingenuity and a great idea for thinking outside of the grid but I have a 1 year old daughter and I can't seem to stop thinking about how I'm going to always be an example for good in her life. Every time I watch one of your vids with your kid I'm impressed. Keep up the good work

[TheEndeavoringFamily]

What a neat idea! I too hope the power comes on soon. Have you thought of installing a solar panel out there so you can run a heater?

[wranglerstar]

@TheEndeavoringFamily Its not as simple as just adding a solar panel . Heaters require a tremendous amount of energy. In addition to the solar panel you would need a very large expensive battery bank as well as a charge controller. You must also consider that cold temperature is often accompanied by stormy conditions that are not favorable for solar.

[borntoventure]

@wranglerstar I agree, if you needed a power source for something else such as lighting it wouldn't be difficult at all to use a cheap solar panel, charger, and a single marine battery. When you get into heaters even the small ones are 1500w. Taking that into consideration when a cheaper 15-25watt solar panel is $100 it would be very expensive to build a solar system to run even a smaller heater 24/7.

[TheEndeavoringFamily]

@wranglerstar Good point

[gangesexcavating]

well now, that was informative.

[excxflyr]

hope you get your power back soon.

[hello6488]

Great idea !! Was wondering how far away from the house is your well head ?? What size pump do you use ???

[mysciencenow]

yall could use a hot springs on the property

[DSGLABEL]

Your on a roll! Keep the vids coming!

[tesskansas]

I did not understand where you did the wrapping of the last part. Also, how many days do you get from the tank heater/lamp? Would I have to refill it daily. 5-10 days of no electric is normal at our farm. 6 weeks have pasted before also. So I would really love to better understand what you are doing. Thanks a millioin. (my hubby is not well enough to do stuff like this anymore). A fix would need to be simple enough for me.

[wranglerstar]

@tesskansas The wrapping was to secure the chimney to the glass globe. I expect it will burn for a couple of days before needing a refill.

[tesskansas]

IS the pressure tank wrapped with insulation?

[wranglerstar]

@tesskansas no the pressure tank is at the house.

[tesskansas]

Great tips. I sure need one of those.

[tesskansas]

I have to walk a 1/4 mile and enter from the roof. Then I climb down a ladder. 

[DIXIECONFEDERATEDAWG]

BRILLIANT!!!

[HighValueWarrior]

Inventive solution.

Brazing containers that have held extremely flammable liquids is not for everyone though. Please use extreme caution in such cases.

[MrDieselOnly]

Did anybody ever correctly ID that mountain in the background of your videos?

[FrontCortex]

Brilliant high-capacity stove, thanks!

[ChristopherJManess]

Innovation and imagination.

[dvsdarrel]

good idea, my brother in Pennsylvania could have used that several years ago

[FrontCortex]

ArmyGear . net

[rikitikirobot]

Sweet Mcguyver action. Thanks.