I need to pick up some spare parts for the FAL. Gas tube, springs, gas regulator, etc, etc. Ideally, what I need is to find a place thats selling a stripped FAL parts kit (you know, complete gun except the receiver has been cut in half) and use that.
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So what are my electrical needs as regards to the previous post? I want to be able to run an array of LED lighting for the bunker and the pathway to it. Additionally, I’d like to be able to run a radio (TX/RX…but mostly listening). Thats it. Both items run on DC so theres no need for an inverter. I simply want something that I can set up and forget about until I need it. The biggest caveat is that I want to use storage batteries that wont vent gas when recharging. I’d like to keep the batteries in my basement and dont want gas building up from recharging, so I suppose some sort of sealed battery is the way to go.
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I am becoming a believer in those annoying little bottles of hand sanitizer that people carry around with them. The last couple of times I got sick I firmly believe it was from picking something up on my hands (probably from a handshake) and then used those same hands to feed myself. So now I keep a bottle of this sterno-gel around and use it every so often. I need to get a gallon jug so I can refill the smaller bottles. After the apocalypse a little thing like a 24-hour stomach bug is not going to be something you can just go ahead and accomodate.
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Tested the OEM 31-rd Glock mag the other day. Loads easily, shot reliably. Moral: go with OEM every chance you get.
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Snowed/sleeted a bit yesterday so I donned my Carhart coat. Its like putting on armour. Stiff, bulky material that makes you feel impervious to the elements hurled against it. And they last forever. Carhart outerwear gets the Squeal of Approval.
Notes From The Bunker
I suspect you won’t be shaking that many hands after the apocalypse 😉
I stay away from bacteria-killing crap. That’s what causes them to mutate into more virulent crap-resistant forms. I’ll stay with my “eat dirt” theory.
For battery, get optima gel cell, or equivalent. They don’t vent gasses, and they are practically impervious to vibration. Further they don’t leak, even if you SAW THEM IN HALF.
For your uses, deep cycle ones are the way to go, they are designed to be fully discharged.
There are many AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries around that have the same features, but are cheaper than the Optima. The only difference is that they can’t source truckloads of current like the Optimas can. I don’t think lots of current is needed in this application.
Also, all batteries, including AGM and SLA types can vent gas, but in those particular types of batteries, it usually only occurs when there’s too much charging or discharging current.
Here’s a good faq on battery technology. This is particularly interesting:
No inverter, cool. I still recommend a larger panel than that 15w jobbie though. The radio would tax it more than the lighting would, esp if you’re transmitting. Considering when you’ll want this thing to be most available – after something big has happened and you’re living out of the bunker – I think a 50w panel would be better suited to the task.
As to batteries, you can’t go wrong with Optimas, though they are on the pricey side. Really, for low amperage use, just about any 12v gel battery intended for auto or marine use would suit the task pretty well. Look for sales. The only real caveat here is this: if you want to run, say, two batteries in parallel for twice the current capacity, the batteries should match exactly. Mixing batteries is a bad idea, since batteries of different capacities have different charging needs.