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 Mountain Views NewsSaturday, November 9, 2024


MEET MINDY

Mindy is a beautiful 
shorthair, Tabby/Siamese 
mix, only 3 years old. She’s 
a gem, total sweetness, and 
loves attention. Mindy is 
easy-going and easily held. 
She was a loving mama to 
her brood of 6 rambunctious 
kittens, and now she deserves 
a loving home of her own, where she can enjoy being doted 
on. Mindy is spayed, vaxxed, healthy, and negative for 
FELV & FIV. 

If you’re looking for a purr-fest companion, apply at 
https://www.lifelineforpets.org/mindy.html. Submit the 
application for a chance to meet Mindy!

CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 

[Nyerges is the author of several books including “Self-Sufficient Home” and 
“How to Survive Anywhere.” He also leads wilderness classes every weekend. 
He can be reached at School of Self-Reliance, Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 
90041, or www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com]


HOW TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCY POWER

In October, Allen Wolff presented Sierra Madre CERT organization’s final talk 
of the year, “Emergency Power.” 

Wolff began by asking the audience in the Hart Building, where the CERT 
meetings are always held, “What do you need in order to prepare for power outages?” He 
then proceeded to share his PowerPoint presentation, explaining each aspect of home power 
production. His talk was not intended to make anyone an electrician, or to replace such books as 
the National Electrical Code handbook, or “The Solar Electric Handbook” by Joel Davidson, or 
even “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solar Power for your Home.”

Wolff emphasized that he was not selling anything, nor was he recommending any of the products 
he showed. He was simply showing what was available on the market.

The outline included a discussion of what is energy, your power needs, phone charging, various 
power sources, inverters, batteries, and commentary on solar. 

The discussion of energy, and Ohm’s law, reminded me of high school electricity class, learning 
such things as voltage times current equals watts, as one example. He shared how to do an energy 
audit of your actual home usage so you can figure out what you need to power in a blackout. 

Most of us take electricity for granted, so we’re somewhat lost when the power goes out. Wolff 
pointed out that when there is a power outage, your copper land line phones won’t work unless 
you have an old-style rotary or touchtone phone. Your AC clocks, radios, TVs, and gas stoves with 
electric lighters won’t work either. There would be no Wi-Fi.

Wolff presented the necessary data from the perspective of needs: Low power needs include a cell 
phone charger and portable radio. Medium Low needs include a laptop, lamps, and some medical 
appliances. Medium High needs include the refrigerator and fans. High Needs would be your 
whole house.

For power to charge your phone, Wolff showed the FosPower Emergency Weather Radio, which 
is powered by batteries, or solar panels, or by cranking. It costs about $35 from Amazon. There 
is also the Solar Charger, 38800 mAh Portable Solar Power Bank for all cell phones, at about $24.

For medium low power, Wolff showed the BESTEK 300W Power Inverter, which produces 110V 
AC from one’s car power port or cigarette lighter socket, which is 12V DC. Your car might have a 
USB port or you can purchase a device that plugs into the power port socket and provides 5 Volt 
USB for charging phones. In fact, lots of devices can be plugged into the car’s cigarette lighter, 
making your car a power source, as long as the engine is on.

By the way, if you’re not an electrician, don’t let the new terminology throw you. Like any field, 
you should learn some of the basic terms. For example, our households run from 110 volts of 
Alternating Current (110V AC), and your car, and some solar panels systems, produce 12 volts 
of Direct Current (12V DC). An inverter is the necessary device that converts the electricity 
produced from the sun, your car, or a windmill, to a form that most appliances need, and most 
households use.

Wolff discussed how it’s possible to power medical devices with batteries, or backup batteries. 

Wolff introduced the audience to inverters, which you must have if you’re going to put together 
your own power system to supply 110 VAC. There are two types of inverters. The modified sine 
wave type, which is cheaper and OK for general use. Also, there is the pure sine wave inverter, 
more expensive and needed for more delicate equipment, such as some medical devices and 
refrigerators.

Wolff showed several available inverter models, as well as a chart showing the best sort of inverter 
to have for various devices. Pure sine wave inverters are suitable for all purposes, but modified 
sine wave inverters are not. You can see this yourself if you go to his site.

Generators were also discussed which can power the house, such as the Champion Dual Fuel, 
which can use gasoline or propane. A more expensive generator is the DuroMax XP13000HXT, 
for about $2000 from Amazon which is a tri-power capable of using gasoline, propane or natural 
gas. This led to a discussion about extension cords, and how you should get the heaviest grade 
you can. A chart was shown that compares the current you need to supply with the length of the 
extension cord and the size of the wire you will need. Or you might consider a permanent house 
generator, the Generac Guardian 26kW generator for about $7000 that runs on natural gas.

Then he discussed batteries, and how car batteries are not ideal for solar systems because they are 
not tolerant of deep discharge and recharge cycles. There are many types of batteries that can be 
purchased, but for storing power which comes from the sun, he recommends marine deep-cycle 
batteries, golf cart, or AGM batteries. In fact, Wolff had a lot to say about batteries, such as how 
they should always be charged outside or in well ventilated areas, that batteries only last from 3 to 
6 years, and much more. Those are the benefits of attending CERT meetings where you can pick 
up all these details that are learned by experience.

There are, in other words, lots of individual components to prepare to have home power after a 
blackout.

To tie all the points together, Wolff showed the relationship between the components of a home 
solar power system. The panels that you see on the roofs are capable of generating hundreds of 
volts and are required to be shut down (Rapid Shutdown) when Edison power is lost in order 
to protect firefighters from electrocution. You may not be able to count on roof solar during an 
outage. Solar panels are available that produce 18 volts and when used with a charge controller 
can charge 12-volt batteries. Then, when you use the power from the charged batteries, it flows 
through the inverter, converting 12V DC to the 110V AC that your household items use.

Wolff gave some examples of what a system might look like, showing products that anyone can 
buy from Amazon. For example, he showed examples of flexible solar panels.

The presentation included lots of personal anecdotes, and safety tips, and it was far better than 
reading a book. Allen Wolff’s PowerPoint presentation can be viewed at www.kc7o.com/files/
power.pdf.

To follow activities 

of the Sierra Madre CERT organization, go to Sierra Madre Emergency Organizations • Index 
page

You can simply Google “Sierra Madre CERT” to find more information about this organization.

Pet of the Week

 
Kiki is a five-year-old Malamute with a heart as big as her 
fluffy coat! This lovely girl has a wonderful temperament, 
making her an easy fit for a variety of homes. She’s shown 
that she gets along well with other dogs and has a gentle, 
friendly nature that makes her great with both adults 
and kids. Though she may exchange a few barks with 
other high-energy dogs, Kiki is relaxed and doesn’t mind 
hanging out with smaller pups close by.

 On walks, Kiki is a dream, calmly staying by your side on 
a leash. She takes treats with a gentle mouth and is always 
excited to meet new friends, whether human or furry. 
During grooming sessions, she’s the perfect companion, 
lying relaxed and allowing her handler to brush her thick coat, even giving a little “chat” 
here and there as if to show her appreciation.

Kiki would be a wonderful addition to a loving home that can provide her with the attention 
she deserves, plenty of brushing, and lots of love. If you’re looking for a sweet, easygoing, and 
affectionate dog, Kiki could be the perfect match for you!

Kiki and all other pets over five years old have their adoption fees waived throughout 
November in celebration of Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month!The normal adoption fee for dogs 
is $150. All dog adoptions include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate vaccines. 

 Walk-in adoptions are available every day from 2:00 – 5:00. For those who prefer, adoption 
appointments are available daily from 10:30 – 1:30 and can be scheduled online. View photos 
of adoptable pets at pasadenahumane.org.

 New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA Animal 
Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care for your pet. 

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters by phone 
calls or email.


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