Aquaponics realistic for grid-down situation?

[keith_r]

build a wood gasifier so that you don't have to rely on gasoline.. (as long as you can get firewood!)
you can use this to power any number of generators...
heck, you can even build wood a gasifier for the tractor
i'm not knocking the koolaid drinkers.. i've been known to drink a cup or two of "bug juice"
but seriously..we've seen some huge natural disasters, society recovers and rolls on.. everyone should "be prepared" as an individual, but society should be prepared as well.. i haven't completely lost faith in humanity!

[Roger L.]

After looking at gasifiers I think it's a lot simpler to build a hydrogen generator and run things on water and just a little fuel. A few years ago I built a very small version just to see how it worked and you can make a pretty good bang by filling a sandwich bag full of the gas and then lighting it on fire. You don't want to be real close or you may lose your eyebrows. Neighbors tend to get angry about the loud sound too!

[15mules]

Bio-Digesters to capture methane from animal waste is also picking up speed as a viable fuel source.

[JCO]

I know very little about gasifiers but maybe we could figure out how to run something on beans

[15mules]

Back when I was driving truck. we would haul these big plastic tarps to the pig farms. They would direct all of the waste from cleaning the pig pens into ponds maybe 2' or 3' deep. They had big rubber balls about 3' around anchored in a grid fashion all over the pond. They would spread the tarp over the rubber balls and seal the edges to the ground. They would then suck the methane gas from under the tarp as the pig s**T fermented. They had what appeared to be propane tanks, and they would pump the methane gas into the tanks and pressurize the tank. They would then use the methane gas, as you would any other gas, both for generator use and to burn to heat the pig houses in the winter.
I remember one time I was waiting to unload, the Mexicans they had putting all of the balls and piping in were using Hip waders to work out in the already full ponds. One tried to lean over to get something, and leaned a little too far. The top of his waders went under the water and they quickly filled up, pulling him over. He was able to pull his suspenders off and get out of the waders. Otherwise, I guess the poor soul would have drowned in the s**T.

[Roger L.]

Didn't need to even hit the fan!

[15mules]

Nope, No fan needed.

Funny thing is Tyson was putting in these huge pig grow out sheds up in North Dakota. They had made some deal with the Indian tribes up there, some joint venture deal. They thought since it was on reservation land they could get around some of the EPA regulations. Well, we hauled supplies and equipment to them all one summer and they just kept building more and more hog houses.
Heard later, the EPA came in and shut them all down, seems they still had jurisdiction somehow, even on reservation land.

[JCO]

Native Americans are America's only 2nd class citizens regardless of what Reverends Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson & Rep Charlie Rangel and the others say.

[Roger L.]

They of all people should be revered because truly we took this land way mostly by force. There was some purchasing of free will early on but it was not a "purchase of the land" but a monetary agreement to share the land, as most native Americans felt land could not be owned.

[Waterboy]

Great thread!! I just for now, have food assurance MREs under my bed, and lots of water, guns and ammo. Aquaponics may work if we start taking shifts pumping water with hand pump to grow beds. Aeration will be low, but will have some when they drain. We could eat most of the fish to bring down the ratio!! I am still trying to come up with a better plan, very limited living in a subdivion.
I will put the kids to work pumping that hand pump like they did in the old days, they will need something to do without xbox.