How To Make A HomeMade Battery

In this day and age electricity is something we can't find ourselves without. A beneficial skill to learn is how to make a homemade battery. This can help you in times of power outages, and can be extremely handy in times of survival. Now before we get started the supplies you will need are:

An Ice Tray
13 Metal Screws
1 Sheet Metal Screw
Copper Wire
Water

Take the copper wire and cut 14 strands to about 4-6 inches long. Now wrap the strands around the top of each screw about 2-3 times. After each nail has a copper wire strand wrapped around it, bend the copper wire into a hook formation. Now put one screw with the copper wire around it in each hole of the ice tray, with the hook of the wire resting on the wall separating the holes. In the 2 end holes (doesn't matter which end) place a strand of copper wire in one so it hangs over the edge. In the other place the sheet metal screw with copper wire wrapped around it just like the others. So far you should now have 13 metal screws placed in each hole of the ice tray with copper wrapped around them. One sheet metal screw in one hole at the end, and a strand of copper wire hanging over the edge in the hole next to the sheet metal screw. Now you should have the 14 cells hooked in series up one side and down the other. The copper wire at the end is acting as the positive terminal, while the Sheet metal acts as the negative terminal. Now place water in each hole of the ice tray about half full. The battery is complete and should now be putting off about 9 volts of electricity.

Here is a video for a visual representation on how to make this battery. Enjoy.



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5 Ways To Start Fire With Water

There are multiple ways to start fire, some are easy while others are more difficult. There is the "rub two sticks together" way, creating a spark with the ever so handy "flint," and if desperate, rubbing two rocks together until enough friction occurs and a spark is ignited. Those are some of the difficult ways. The easiest and most convenient way is obviously matches or a lighter. I even posted in article not too long ago on how to start a fire with a gum wrapper and battery. But did you ever think you could start fire with water? Well it's true, here is a video with 5 ways to do so. Enjoy. 

How To Live Off The Grid

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The first thing you need to do to go off the grid is to rid yourself of dependence on electricity from your power company. The most common way to do so is by using the sun and the wind to provide your power. Many people pair their solar and wind energy with traditional power to create a hybrid system that will reduce their bills. In these cases, the energy created is stored by the utility company. If the energy you produce is greater than your consumption, 40 states actually allow you to sell your electricity back to the utility company. However, to go off the grid, you need to cut ties with the power company altogether. In this case, the energy you create is stored in a system of batteries as DC power and converted to AC power as you need it. The battery system is typically located in a garage or shed near the power source. Wind power is the cleanest and cheapest energy technology in the world. The average cost per kilowatt hour for coal-burning electricity was 10.4 cents in 2006 [source: Energy Information Administration].

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Now that you're getting your power from the sun and wind, it's time to get yourself off the city water and sewer line. The great thing about water is that it's everywhere; it runs beneath your feet as groundwater and falls from the sky as rain. You can tap into both of these sources in order to go off the grid. According to the EPA, roughly 15 percent of homes in the United States get their water on their own, so there's no reason why you can't be one of them. There are a few ways you can go about this. One option is your own well another is to provide your own water by harvesting the rain with a cistern. A cistern is basically a tank that holds water; but for this you want to make sure you live in an area that gets a lot of rain.

Cistern
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The best way to get off the grid's sewer line is to install a septic system. A septic system is basically a large metal tank that collects and releases your wastewater. Bacteria in the tank break everything down causing it to separate naturally into a top scum layer, bottom sludge layer and middle liquid layer. As new wastewater flows in, the liquid in the tank flows out into a series of buried perforated pipes that release the water over distance into a drain field. Soil acts as a biological filter, keeping the harmful bacteria buried beneath the ground until it's eventually absorbed as nutrients. The tank should be emptied and serviced by a professional once a year.

If you go off the grid, you'll most likely need a few other things in place to ensure that you stay warm, cool and have plenty of water. 

Before you follow through on all these moves, you need to think about the lifestyle changes that come with going off the grid. Even with solar and wind power, you'll still need to limit your use of electricity. Most people interested in living off the grid do so at least in part to live a greener life, so conserving power goes hand-in-hand with this decision.

Sources Include:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/living-off-the-grid.htm