Preparing for troubled times ahead - Advice on what is needed.....

[Woody girl]

Got myself a jackery too this week, but could only afford the smallest one, better than nothing, and far better than the 13w solar suitcase and miles of wires and battery like I had before.
My other purchase today, was a heated underblanket. It was reduced to £15 and the last one in the shop.
Pretty pleased with that, though the legend that it costs 1p per hour to run may be a little out of date!
Still cheaper than the central heating tho.

 

[Broch]

My other purchase today, was a heated underblanket. It was reduced to £15 and the last one in the shop.

Best thing we ever bought for our chilly barn - we even took it on holiday with us in Scotland in March!

 

[Robson Valley]

My brother gifted me and installed for me an eBlanket that you can sleep over or under. I run it most nights on LO or #2.
Most recent nights, it isn't cooling down from 35C to 15C or less until maybe 4-5 AM. Then, I get chilly. Not any more.

The plate area determines the power storage of a battery. The logic is to buy pairs of 6VDC deep cycle batteries and connect the pairs in series to see a total voltage drop of 12VDC. Then, another pair and those units connected in parallel to hold 12VDC. It's actually something more than 13VDC but you know what I mean. The only improvement you can make to the entire system is to add more pairs of batteries.

Yes, I can buy a single 12VDC deep cycle with the same plate storage area as 2 x 6VDC. It is no more than a plastic skin over 2 x 6VDC deep cycle batteries. They are so damn heavy, I can't lift them.

My 117VAC pure sine wave inverter eats some power to stay alive. Also, the operation depends upon the total voltage available. Total, dead flat, used up is sitting at 11.5 VDC. No, you can't get all 13.7VDC turned into grid strength power.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

My brother gifted me and installed for me an eBlanket that you can sleep over or under. I run it most nights on LO or #2.
Most recent nights, it isn't cooling down from 35C to 15C or less until maybe 4-5 AM. Then, I get chilly. Not any more.

The plate area determines the power storage of a battery. The logic is to buy pairs of 6VDC deep cycle batteries and connect the pairs in series to see a total voltage drop of 12VDC. Then, another pair and those units connected in parallel to hold 12VDC. It's actually something more than 13VDC but you know what I mean. The only improvement you can make to the entire system is to add more pairs of batteries.

Yes, I can buy a single 12VDC deep cycle with the same plate storage area as 2 x 6VDC. It is no more than a plastic skin over 2 x 6VDC deep cycle batteries. They are so damn heavy, I can't lift them.

My 117VAC pure sine wave inverter eats some power to stay alive. Also, the operation depends upon the total voltage available. Total, dead flat, used up is sitting at 11.5 VDC. No, you can't get all 13.7VDC turned into grid strength power.

So you have a warming blanket this time of year? I'm going to bed after a cold shower with water droplets still on my torso, in just boxers, no cover with the window open fully and the curtain up, I have a thin sheet somewhere by my legs that I end up waking up under... that's about it, it's so hot at the moment.

 

[Toddy]

I am roasted at night. I can't leave the window open because we live next to trees, and the trees have huge (ghost moths, hawk mothsetc.,) moths in them, and the damned things try to come into the house. I am not fond of moths but the bats are, and I don't want them in the house either.
The fan keeps my husband awake, so that's a no go too.
I've resorted to the spray bottle to mist myself down with water. I made soft linen slips to sleep in and I found an old linen sheet and that's about as much cover as I can thole over me at all just now.
Too blooming warm.

Come November though, I'll be in bed socks, a long gown, two duvets and cuddling a hot water bottle

M

 

[TeeDee]

So you have a warming blanket this time of year? I'm going to bed after a cold shower with water droplets still on my torso, in just boxers, no cover with the window open fully and the curtain up, I have a thin sheet somewhere by my legs that I end up waking up under... that's about it, it's so hot at the moment.

gosh!!! I dunno about the temperature being hot , but my golly -don't you sound a hot piece of loving yourself!

Its like a text driven diet coke advert!!

You should write some romantic fiction !

 

[Toddy]

I thought the aim was to keep cool
Right now I'd cheerfully go and sleep in the garden, but there's a family of three badgers rooting around and a fox and by the sounds of it a moggie too. The folks who think wonderous things about the 'still of the night' haven't looked very hard, methinks.
It's astonishing how noisy badgers are, though that said, a random hedgehog rooting around is surprisingly loud.

It's too blooming warm, and muggy.

M

 

[Robson Valley]

Much of fan noise is the turbulence of the air forced through the cage. The damn things almost whistle. So I sat down one day with a big pair of wire side cutters and chopped out about 1/2 of the front of the cage. Almost silent now.

I get the "chillies." My metabolism doesn't run right. You may be warm, you may be comfortable. I am freezing my azz off in the same room. I get strange looks for the warm clothes I wear, the eBlanket is almost miraculous. We had a Dr. that took interest so we embarked on a whole bunch of tests and pills, etc and not a damn clue came from it all. Best guess was thyroid but not a problem.

Just a couple more days and we expect +10C and rain. That is cold. I can rug up and ignore it. Winter weight new clothes for me at the post office tomorrow.

 

[Toddy]

If the power goes out when it's cold, then a filled hot water bottle is a very comfortable thing to have. The seals do perish though, so mind and check before you need them.

The other thing that's a good 'just in case' is a decent vacuum flask. For the house the big jug shaped ones used to keep coffee hot by catering folks, are very good. I bought one in Ikea and even 24 hours later the water is still hot enough to burn if no longer boiling hot.

M

 

[Broch]

On the point of energy use - our electric under blanket is only 100w per side (each side of the bed has separate heat and time control). That means that if you needed to keep warm using backup power you could run one side for approximately 12hrs at full rate and longer at lower levels (assuming a 100Ah 12v battery and ignoring inverter efficiency - probably around 80%).

I don't know of any other way of keeping warm with such a low power consumption.

 

[TeeDee]

I don't know of any other way of keeping warm with such a low power consumption.

Vermin feeding Cats.

You don't have a heating issue.

You have a Cat shortage .

 

[TLM]

I don't know of any other way of keeping warm with such a low power consumption.

Hmm ... how about a sweater or extra blanket. About 50W should be enough for most needs.

 

[Toddy]

On the point of energy use - our electric under blanket is only 100w per side (each side of the bed has separate heat and time control). That means that if you needed to keep warm using backup power you could run one side for approximately 12hrs at full rate and longer at lower levels (assuming a 100Ah 12v battery and ignoring inverter efficiency - probably around 80%).

I don't know of any other way of keeping warm with such a low power consumption.

I confess I don't trust electric blankets.
An aunt and uncle had a narrow escape years ago when one of theirs seriously overheated. It actually scorched the sheets. They were out and came home expecting to have a nice warm bed, not one ready to burst into flames. Look up 'electric blankets, fires' if you don't think it's a concern.
I'd rather fill a decent hot water bottle and wrap it up so that it releases the heat really slowly all night long.

 

[Broch]

I confess I don't trust electric blankets.
An aunt and uncle had a narrow escape years ago when one of theirs seriously overheated. It actually scorched the sheets. They were out and came home expecting to have a nice warm bed, not one ready to burst into flames. Look up 'electric blankets, fires' if you don't think it's a concern.
I'd rather fill a decent hot water bottle and wrap it up so that it releases the heat really slowly all night long.

Like all things, you get what you pay for - like all electrical appliances, they need checking and replacing, but used as advised and intended, they're fine. I have seen people still using 25 yr old blankets that were positively threadbare though; not to be advised. I had to throw out one that my parents were using despite them insisting on it being 'fine'.

 

[Broch]

Hmm ... how about a sweater or extra blanket. About 50W should be enough for most needs.

That is true, but old people, sitting or lying still, have difficulty generating body warmth - otherwise we'd have no need for heating at all. A low wattage blanket (or sleeping bag?) would be much cheaper to run than heating.

I still think that if the government issued two pairs of thermals to everyone over 60 (or whatever age necessary) we'd cut our carbon footprint overnight

 

[TLM]

Many old people have the problem with their hands and feet, as far as I understand their core temp is almost normal. Certain supplements and some light medication can make a large difference.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

gosh!!! I dunno about the temperature being hot , but my golly -don't you sound a hot piece of loving yourself!

Its like a text driven diet coke advert!!

You should write some romantic fiction !

Hahaha as a big bearded oaf, I'm not so sure about that

@Toddy My Wife can't sleep with the fan on either, so I know your pain there!!
It's been a lot cooler outside recently and there has been a good breeze so the whole wide window thing works a treat, but when it's been a roasting day and no breeze its awful!!
Our place really soaks up the heat and remains that way for an age!!
Thermostat inside is still reading 23°C...

 

[Toddy]

Like all things, you get what you pay for - like all electrical appliances, they need checking and replacing, but used as advised and intended, they're fine. I have seen people still using 25 yr old blankets that were positively threadbare though; not to be advised. I had to throw out one that my parents were using despite them insisting on it being 'fine'.

They were very comfortably off, and they liked new things, so I know that quality wasn't an issue for them.
Truthfully with modern manufacturing concentrated in a few (ahem! cheap!) countries, and labelling the same item with multiple 'names', I don't think any electronics are really very special these days. Kind of generic.

Sorry Broch, I'm not getting at you on this; I just don't see the need or trust electric blankets.

I am with you on the thermals thing though. A big part of my research in archaeology was about traditional textile products, clothing, etc., and we wear so little these days compared to even our immediate ancestors. Fine in Summer, folks stripped down a fair bit, but layering was normal, lots of layers, lots of changing and adding of layers. Even in my childhood I wore layers; vest, bodice, petticoat, frock or skirt and blouse, cardigan or jumper, and then jacket/coat/ hat/gloves. That was five layers before my coat in Winter, and it was normal, we all dressed like that.....but then, we didn't have central heating and we didn't spend thousands a year keeping the house at the same temperature as a nice summer day.

Different times

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

@Toddy you got me laughing about the hot water bottle front...
Reminded me of a fair few years ago I was at my (now wife) girlfriends house (her parents house) and her folks went off to bed...an hour later we went up and heard a hairdryer going off in their room and their light was on - a little odd for so late but nevermind, we started watching a movie in her room and the hair drying seemed to go on for another 15 mins, by which point GF decided to go knock on their door to see what was going on... apparently her mum was sitting in bed upright trying to dry the bed and her PJ's after one of her many ancient rubber hot water bottles unexpectedly gave up the ghost...

I'm not a very well behaved son in law, so naturally the jokes came out the next day about wetting the bed and adult nappies etc..


Actually, ever tried a cold water bottle? Quite handy for summer heat!

 

[bearbait]

I thought the aim was to keep cool
Right now I'd cheerfully go and sleep in the garden, but there's a family of three badgers rooting around and a fox and by the sounds of it a moggie too. The folks who think wonderous things about the 'still of the night' haven't looked very hard, methinks.
It's astonishing how noisy badgers are, though that said, a random hedgehog rooting around is surprisingly loud.

It's too blooming warm, and muggy.

M

Your comment about "the still of the night" is absolutely correct! Along with foxes howling at some times of the year, owls "hooting", like you I have an itinerant hedgehog that doesn't know the meaning of "the still of the night". And he/she seems to have an illegal rave with a friend here occasionally.

And don't get me started on the Dawn Chorus! Who ever called it that? It's the Dawn Cacophony...