Tag Archives: How to

PG&E Forces 800,000 Customers to Begin Living Off Grid in California

Leave a reply
Off Grid Living - Installing Solar Power to Produce Off Grid Electricity

Off Grid Living – Installing Solar Power to Produce Off Grid Electricity

PG&E confirms power will shut off to 800,000 customers statewide

Sacramento, California – PG&E announced that many of the northern counties of California will see a power shutoff beginning at midnight Tuesday; a second round of outages is expected to impact the Bay Area starting at noon Wednesday.

“The power will be turned off to communities in stages, depending on local timing of the severe wind conditions, beginning with counties in the northern part of the state,” PG&E said in a statement.

After days of warning, Pacific Gas & Electric confirmed Tuesday afternoon that 800,000 customers across 34 California counties would be left in the dark starting at midnight.

To help homeowners without power, PG&E offers customer both solar incentives for installing solar power and well as rebates for adding solar battery backup banks for their solar power arrays so that they will be able to generate their own electricity, even when the power grid has been turned off.

Guide to Off Grid Living - How to Select between Mono-Crystalline vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels

Guide to Off Grid Living – How to Select between Mono-Crystalline vs Polycrystalline Solar Panels

The utility planned the shutoff as a precaution due to “unprecedented wildfire risk,” the company said in a Tuesday night press conference.

“The power will be turned off to communities in stages, depending on local timing of the severe wind conditions, beginning with counties in the northern part of the state,” PG&E said in a statement.

Off Grid Living - How to Size a Generator to Back Up an Off Grid Solar System

Off Grid Living – How to Size a Generator to Back Up an Off Grid Solar System

PG&E said it would communicate with affected customers directly via automated calls, texts and emails. It also created a map of affected areas, which you can check for your neighborhood. PG&E’s site was intermittently down Tuesday, so we’ve put some of the maps in the gallery at the top of this story.

PG&E said the shutoffs would begin just after midnight early Wednesday morning. PG&E meteorologists forecast high winds to last until midday Thursday, but power could be out for several days longer.

“Before restoring power, PG&E must inspect its equipment for damage and make any necessary repairs. That process cannot begin until the severe weather event has subsided,” the company said.

The outages could last “five days or longer” in some areas.

“It’s also important to remember that some of our customers may experience a power shutoff even though the weather conditions in their specific location are not extreme,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E vice president of the Community Wildfire Safety Program in a Tuesday night press conference.

“The reason why this happens is because of the inter-connected nature of our electrical grid and the power lines working together to provide electricity through cities, counties and regions. We’re working directly with state and local agencies to help prepare our customers and the public for this safety event,” he added.

ALSO: Map shows neighborhoods impacted by PG&E power shutoffs

The weather this week is expected to be dry and windy, which makes the risk of a catastrophic wildfire high, PG&E officials said. The utility company wants to shut off power so its electric equipment doesn’t start a wildfire as has happened in recent years. Singh stressed that the shutoff is only implemented as a “last resort.”

The number of potential customers affected in each Bay Area county, according to PG&E, is:

  • 32,613 customers in Alameda County
  • 40,219 customers in Contra Costa County
  • 66,289 customers in Sonoma County
  • 32,124 customers in Napa County
  • 14,766 customers in San Mateo County
  • 38,123 customers in Santa Clara County
  • 32,862 customers in Solano County
  • 9,855 customers in Marin County

Read more:
https://www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/PG-E-power-outage-800-000-customers-length-number-14501984.php#item-85307-tbla-10

# # #

#PGE #customers #living #offgrid #California #solar #power #battery #backup #DIY #howto #setup #array #Northern #California #Alameda #ContraCosta #Sonoma #Napa #SanMateo #SantaClara #Solano #Marin #County #Blackout #Rebate #Wildfire #Risk #BayArea

Advertisement

How to Raise Crickets for Food for Chickens, Ducks, Fish and Reptiles for Off the Grid Farms

Leave a reply

Off Grid Living:  How to Raise Crickets for
Food for Chickens, Ducks, Fish and Reptiles

Click on the photo to see more pictures:

Off Grid Living - How to Raise Crickets for Food for Chickens, Ducks, Fish and Reptiles

Off Grid Living – How to Raise Crickets for Food for Chickens, Ducks, Fish and Reptiles

Raising Crickets for Food for Chickens, Ducks, Fish and Reptiles

New Mexico – Breeding crickets is surprisingly easy and a great way to have different sizes on hand for feeding an array of animals. In this blog, we’ll run down the supplies needed and the techniques we use to breed and raise crickets.

How to Get a Cricket Farm Started

First, you’ll need to order in some crickets – you’ll want to order 3/4”, as most adult crickets have already been bred before they are shipped out. This base of crickets will set you up for success and get the life cycle moving quickly.

How to Build Houses for Crickets

Your crickets housing is up to you. Some have great success with 10 and 20-gallon tanks, and others prefer plastic tote bins. Whatever you use is up to you, just make sure the sides are high enough crickets can’t jump out, or provide a well-ventilated top.

Set up the 3/4” crickets as you would any other crickets – egg crate for climbing and hiding, then a food and water source. Josh’s Frogs cricket food and Insect watering gel is the easiest way to go as these items wont spoil like fresh vegetables will.

You’ll want to maintain crickets at a temperature of 85-89 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity. This can easily be achieved with a low-watt light suspended above your cricket housing.

How to Know If Crickets Are Laying Eggs

After crickets are mature, in generally 1-2 weeks, you’ll hear plenty of chirping. This is an indication your crickets are ready to breed and it’s time to provide them with a place to lay their eggs.

At Josh’s Frogs, we use sandwich containers containing 2 ½ cups of vermiculite and ¾ cups water. Any shallow container will work, so long as it can hold the vermiculite and water. Using a container that you can pop a top onto is ideal.

Place the egg laying container on top of a piece of egg crate in your crickets enclosure, then use a smaller piece of egg crate to make a ramp up to to the container. Leave the container in place for a couple days to give your crickets plenty of time to lay their eggs. Then remove it for incubation.

How to Incubate Cricket Eggs

Cover half of the egg container’s top with paper towel to catch condensation, then put on the top. Incubate the egg laying bin at 89F for 8-10 days. We’ve modified freezers as incubators at Josh’s Frogs, or you can purchase an Exo-Terra Incubator for easy use.

What to Do When Baby Crickets Are Hatched

After the pinhead crickets hatch, place the bin in a container the pinheads cannot escape from and provide them with a bit of egg crate to act as a ramp.

You can feed out the pinheads to your animals, or raise them up to a larger size before feeding. Younger crickets require a higher level of humidity than older crickets.

Source: http://www.joshsfrogs.com/catalog/blog/2015/03/how-to-breed-crickets/

Want to Learn More? Join our Off Grid Discussion Group on Facebook!

  1. To learn more and discuss off grid topics, please join our free Facebook group at:
    Off Grid Living: Prepping to Live Off the Grid
  2. Or, read more topics in our “Guide to Off Grid Living” at:
    https://LivingOffGrid.Home.Blog/Guide-to-Off-Grid-Living/

# # #

#HowTo #Raise #Crickets #Pinheads #Eggs #Feed #Chicken #Ducks #Fish #Reptiles #Food #Houses #Farms #Bins #Incubator #EggCrates #Vermiculite #Plastic #Tote #OffGridLiving #LivingOffGride #Guide

How to Get Rid of Skunks and Discourage Them from Visiting Your Off Grid Homestead

Leave a reply

Off Grid Living – How to Get Rid of Skunks and
Discourage Them from Visiting Your Off Grid Homestead

Click on the photo to see more pictures:

Off Grid Living - How to Get Rid of Skunks and Discourage Them from Visiting Your Off Grid Home

Off Grid Living – How to Get Rid of Skunks and Discourage Them from Visiting Your Off Grid Home

Getting Rid of Skunks and Discouraging Them from Visiting Your Off Grid Homes, Cabins, Sheds, Porches, Patios and Chicken Coops

Idaho – Having skunks around your home can present a number of health and safety hazards. Aside from the threat of being sprayed with their noxious musk, skunks are also known carriers of rabies and other diseases that can harm your family or pets.

Skunks will also tear open trash bags and topple garbage cans, which can attract other vermin and insects to your home. By removing food sources, eliminating hiding places and using an effective skunk repellent, you can make your home inhospitable to skunks, forcing them to go elsewhere.

Five Important Steps to Dissuade Skunks from Visiting

Step 1: Remove food sources around your home, such as pet-food bowls and low-hanging bird feeders.

Step 2: Place all trash in cans with tight-fitting, locking lids.

Step 3: Eliminate any insect infestations you have. Also be sure to take care of any rodent infestations, as skunks will eat small rodents.

Step 4: Remove piles of brush, wood or other debris in your yard that could serve as a hiding place for skunks.

Step 5: Use wire mesh to seal any openings in or around your home that skunks could be using to enter crawlspaces, basements or other areas.

Once you’ve eliminated food sources and hiding places, your home will be less appealing to skunks

Source: http://www.havahart.com/articles/rid-skunks-5-steps

Common Skunk Repellents and Their Effectiveness

There are numerous repellents on the market. However, many of these repellents contain harmful chemicals which may poison your pets or children if they come into contact with a treated area. In addition, they are often ineffective. Here are some other repellents which have varying effects:

Predator Urine – Sprinkling the urine of dogs, coyotes, or other predators near the den often has some effect. These may be obtained at many outdoor stores (or via your own pet). The downsides to using urine is that it must be reapplied every 24 hours, can be washed away when it rains, and is only a partial solution. You will still need to take precautions, such as installing a fence, in order to keep the skunks away. Be warned that your dog’s urine may attract stray dogs if they are not fixed.

Ammonia – Many home remedies call for mothballs or ammonia as a means to repel skunks. While skunks do have a sensitive sense of smell, these methods are not very effective. In addition, ammonia may be washed away by rain and must be reapplied frequently. If you choose to use ammonia to turn away a skunk, your best choice is the aforementioned predator urine.

Cayenne Pepper – when carefully sprinkled near the entrance of a den, will help drive the skunks away. Note that this method will require a fresh application after rain, and further measures, such as fencing, must be taken to keep the skunks from returning.

Citrus Peels – Orange or lemon peels are also quite effective. Sprinkle these around where the skunk likes to go and it will start to avoid those areas. Peels have the advantage of lasting until they decompose and will also repel many other pests. Once the skunk is out of your yard, fence him out for good.

Hot Pepper Spray – Cayenne pepper can also be used to make a repellent spray. Chop one yellow onion, and some Jalapeño peppers. Mix these with one tablespoon of cayenne pepper and boil in two quarts of water for at least 20 minutes. Strain the mixture with a cheesecloth and place into a spray bottle. The skunk will avoid anything sprayed with this liquid, although it must be reapplied once every three to five days or after rain.

Source: https://pestkilled.com/how-to-get-rid-of-skunks/

Want to Learn More? Join our Off Grid Discussion Group on Facebook!

  1. To learn more and discuss off grid topics, please join our free Facebook group at:
    Off Grid Living: Prepping to Live Off the Grid
  2. Or, read more topics in our “Guide to Off Grid Living” at:
    https://LivingOffGrid.Home.Blog/Guide-to-Off-Grid-Living/

# # #

#Ammonia #Cayenne #Pepper #Citrus #Peels #Chickens #ChickenCoops #Ducks #Gardens #Homes #Idaho #LivingOffGrid #News #Predator #Sheds #Porches #Decks #Urine

Off Grid Living - How to Make the World's Best Trap for Only $5

How to Build the World’s Best Mouse Trap for Only $5 that’s Easy to Build

Leave a reply

Off Grid Living – How to Build the World’s
Best Mouse Trap for Only $5 Easy to build

Off Grid Living - How to Build a PVC Trap for Rats, Mice, Squirrels, Turtles & Raccoons

Off Grid Living – How to Build a PVC Trap for Rats, Mice, Squirrels, Turtles & Raccoons

Catches and kills mice and rats all night long. No need to reset or re-bait. Rolling log mouse trap. This trap works best if you can get the holes drilled exactly in the centers of the pipe ends. In hind site I would have drilled them before pushing them onto the pipe.

Read, see and learn more at: https://buff.ly/2HSgWI7

Watch the #YouTube #Video: https://youtu.be/n1EsnIshQYw

#Arizona #Colorado #Kentucky #MouseTrap #NewHampshire #NorthDakota #OffGridLiving #News #SouthDakota #Tennessee #Traps #UnitedStates #Utah #Washington #WestVirgina

Off Grid Living: How to make DIY Ollas – A Low Tech #Self-Watering Systems for Garden Plants that Allows Water to Slowly Seep Out

Leave a reply

Off Grid Living: How to make #DIY #Ollas – A Low Tech #SelfWatering Systems for #Garden #Plants that Allows #Water to Slowly Seep Out

 

Off Grid Living - 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Beets

Off Grid Living: 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Beets

Off Grid Living: 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Beets
 
Beetroots, commonly known as beets, are a popular root vegetable used in many cuisines
around the world.
Off Grid Living - 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Beets

Off Grid Living – 9 Impressive Health Benefits of Beets

Beets are packed with essential vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, some of which have medicinal properties.
 
What’s more, they are delicious and easy to add to your diet.
 
This article lists 9 health benefits of beets, all supported by science.