ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Apr 28, 2017 12:28:41 GMT 10
That is just so much gold!
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Apr 28, 2017 12:27:48 GMT 10
Incidentally, if you are ever working on a project and over-excavate your footing, NEVER just throw some soil back onto it randomly. If he chucked soil back where his beams are, I can guarantee his footing will settle and potentially cause distress to his building. Same goes for the slab if it wasn't designed for suspended conditions.
I want to like this so much but just can't.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Apr 27, 2017 19:59:37 GMT 10
Without paying to access the video, I hope he did a much better job with the design and build of the concrete roof slab. That has the potential to be a disaster if it fails with people inside.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Apr 27, 2017 19:57:59 GMT 10
A few immediate thoughts, based on the first video only and preview of the other parts of the video (which I understand you must pay for): 1/. Extremely poor quality footingNot only are the beams undersized, but they lack sufficient reinforcement. They will lack ductility and strength. They are not designed to support the lateral (sideways) soil loading either. The slab also does not appear to have reinforcement mesh, meaning it will likely crack and not perform as desired. It also lacks a vapour membrane and quarry rubble bedding, meaning moisture will rise through the slab, causing it to fret (pieces to fall off) over time. During the concrete placement, it does not look like the concrete was properly vibrated, meaning you will end up with a very porous and poor quality product. 2/. No reinforcement and core fill to the masonryThis is a unbelievably bad idea. For the soil retained, I would expect a series of vertical bars to transfer the load to the slab/roof diaphragm (and then to shear walls). Not placing these reinforcement can lead to failure, which will be very expensive. Even worse, without reinforcement, you have just increased the risk of sudden catastrophic failure, which could result in injury or death. Both the walls and footing lack reinforcement in the correct arrangement to resist the soil loading. I would expect the wall to develop horizontal cracks over time as the soil pressure exceeds the capacity of the wall, or for the wall to start sliding, as it lacks proper connection to the footing. 3/. No wall waterproofing membraneThe masonry will absorb moisture and start to fret. This will contribute to a reduced lifespan of the structure. Final thoughtsI LOVE the idea of a bunker. I wish I could build one on the cheap in my backyard (not taking into consideration legal requirements for building rules, proper structural design, and the missus approving the budget. But it has to be done RIGHT or you are just building yourself a giant liability at best or a death trap at worst. Get a proper structural design to start with and then talk with a licensed builder to see what parts of the work you can do yourself without ending up with a terrible product. It will not be as cheap as advertised, but it won't end up costing you a packet to demolish and rebuild once it goes down the crapper, and it won't pose a safety hazard to you and your loved ones.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Mar 24, 2017 8:59:16 GMT 10
I was once rolling with a guy in jiu jitsu and he suddenly suddenly screaming. Turns out his nipple ring got caught in his gi, or my grips, or something... you can imagine what happened after that. :\
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Feb 17, 2017 8:18:19 GMT 10
The only word I can think of to describe this entire thread is "EPIC"!
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Feb 16, 2017 8:23:07 GMT 10
Can't you just stick a funnel into the top of the bottle instead?
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Jan 18, 2017 23:31:07 GMT 10
This is really only a rough guide. I would caution people that a LOT of structural design issues have been glossed over that could be critical to safety.
If a person intends to embark on a project like this to any significant scale, I'd say proper design and construction is worth paying for.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Oct 31, 2016 9:09:01 GMT 10
I use them all the time for the fuel discounts and the so called "member's only specials". I don't receive junk mail from them as I always select the "opt out of advertising" option, which is sometimes hidden in the fine print. Honestly, I've received more annoying sales phone calls resulting from my home loan than any loyalty card. The latter, incidentally, has resulted in zero calls.
My take is unless I'm buying something i don't want people to know about, I don't believe my purchases are so important that the guv'mint or any other sinister faction will give two hoots about them.
Sure, it's not something for 'free'. It's a way to try encourage you to shop at their store, obviously. And I have no problem with that symbiotic relationship, because my purchases are so mundane it doesn't breach OPSEC in the slightest.
Not panning anyone who chooses not to use them. Their choice, obviously. Sure OPSEC might be slightly higher, but it's a trade off I'm willing to make.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Oct 26, 2016 22:17:37 GMT 10
Surely a few $1 thermometers off eBay would do the trick? One in roof space, one in the middle of the house, one in the subfloor?
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Oct 26, 2016 13:35:43 GMT 10
I don't have a specific answer with regards to a number for the temperature. What I can confirm though is that it is always cooler than the habitable space above, having crawled under several houses in the peak of summer. That's why I have several buckets of grains and beans in mylar/O2 absorbers stored in my house subfloor.
That said, one challenge I'm facing is that the annual termite treatment means it gets sprayed routinely. As buckets increase in number, there will be a limiting number that can be comfortably moved every year prior to treatment.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Oct 26, 2016 13:01:26 GMT 10
Realistically for a long term scenario (6 months+ ?), I cannot see anything BUT a group surviving. A single person would have to have the skills of MacGyver, a doctor, farmer, builder, security expert, expert marksman, etc, operate on zero sleep, and somehow maintain a stockpile of everything under the sun for a rainy day. Bottom line, there are too many skills, too many threats and too many demands on a single individual (or even a couple) to realistically survive long term.
I am inclined to believe for extended survival communes would have to form. Yes a select few people could pull off a lone wolf for a number of years, but I think the vast majority of us would be deluding ourselves if we think we're in that category. Especially if you have partners or children.
Of course, in a perfect world you'd have a band of people organised before that SHTF moment. Realistically though, who among us knows a group of people large enough with the same inclinations, the necessary skills and trustworthiness to pull this off?
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Sept 30, 2016 16:48:20 GMT 10
Also in SA, similar experience to twooldblueshoes - Having 80L of stored water, and a backup filtration system and nearby river, added greatly to my peace of mind. Definitely want to accelerate installation of rainwater tank by early next year. - Despite having some candles (mostly scented, requisitioned from the wife), and a kerosene lamp, battery lamps are invaluable. Remember if there's any fires, you can't call emergency services. So battery powered lamps are preferable for short term outages. I need to upgrade to a larger lantern. - Cheap, small hand torches rule. You can have them everywhere. - Full pantry - check. Backup non-perishable fixed stores stashed away in separate hidden location - check. - Gas mains still worked, so we had hot food. In the event they went out, I had some solace in knowing we had a gas BBQ and fire starting tools. - Very glad to have blackout curtains to maintain opsec. Funnily enough, fully agree on the following: - Keeping the house cleaner. Baby toys underfoot was a major pain. - We were fortunate and had just finished a dishwashing cycle when power was cut. Maybe keep a larger stockpile of paper plates for short term outages? - CB radio would have been a nice luxury to keep in contact with family nearby in the metro area. - Limited cash on hand. On a scarier note, I have heard from friends who work at the RAH that some hospitals had to resuscitate people in the ICU manually. Not cool.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Sept 28, 2016 13:42:17 GMT 10
Yup, wishing I had stocked up on sandbags just in case. Thankfully my block slopes down to the road, so any flooding (already improbably) would be very local.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Sept 16, 2016 10:45:10 GMT 10
I have read the following rules of thumb:
1/. Treat all bottles with a bleach solution prior to filling. 2/. Store in a cool, dry place out of sunlight. 3/. Rotate on an annual basis or treat prior to usage. 4/. Some places suggest introducing a few drops of unscented chlorine prior to storage. Others say if it's chlorinated tap water, no additional treatment required.
The issue is, as it is with most long term storage/prepping, there is a lot of anecdotal information but not much rigorously tested. There have been people claiming to have ingested water after five years of storage. Not saying you should do that, but take that into account.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Sept 14, 2016 12:10:59 GMT 10
Good material, well written. Nice read.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Sept 14, 2016 12:05:12 GMT 10
I'm not a fan of survival fiction written by people who have probably never missed a meal in their life. I prefer books written by those who have been thrown into real life survival sotuations, especially of the type we might expect to face if society collapses. Books about the coastwatchers in the Pacific during WW2 are also very good in my opinion. ^ This pretty much sums it up. Kudos.
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Sept 14, 2016 11:53:21 GMT 10
Amazon offers a free preview...start reading and you'll want to buy the book! It almost reads like a constant running advertisement for various brands synonymous with prepping. Not that I don't like toys, but it would be great if it was written for a layperson not wanting to spend big dollars on brand name products, but looking to obtain maximum effect from everyday items. Then add a few toys. You might argue the $20 multi-tool I carry isn't the same quality as the Leatherman Wave I was eyeing up originally. But it's worked for me in several pinches, without spending 8 times the cost. Does he really need branded products for all the following: 1 Commercial MREs 2 Maxpedition Devildog EDC 3 Springfield XD .45 4 OD green handkerchief 5 Armitron automatic watch 6 Klein linesman’s pliers 7 Six-inch Crescent wrench 8 Channellocks 9 TrueSpec pants 10 Glo-Toob lithium light 11 Energizer headlamp 12 Two-liter Platypus bag 13 ESEE 5 14 Otis tactical cleaning kit 15 Sylva compass 16 Wilderness Outfitters SOS survival kit 17 ESEE4 18 Bellville boots GORE-TEX with Vibram soles 19 Merrells 20 Carhartt 21 Tractor Supply cap 22 Excedrin packs 23 Rolaids 24 Imodium 25 Can of Copenhagen 26 Eagles Nest Outfitters hammock 27 Slap Straps 28 U-Dig-It trowel 29 Steiner Predator binos If the author hasn't yet, he should hyperlink every single product to the Amazon marketplace and angle for product kickbacks? Reading the entire piece reminds me of this meme:
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Aug 4, 2016 15:56:52 GMT 10
Yep, sure can!
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ygidorp
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Post by ygidorp on Aug 4, 2016 11:03:48 GMT 10
That might make sense. That said, this might be from the States? Not a small amount of tape used there. Not the technique I had in mind though.
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