Stories that stay with you after the final line.
When the power is out or a workshop becomes uncomfortable, circulating ice water through a radiator may produce a stream of cooler air without using a refrigeration compressor. The system …
How to Build a DIY Radiator Air Cooler Using Ice Water Read More
A portable battery box can keep essential devices operating during a blackout without the noise, fuel storage and carbon-monoxide danger associated with a gasoline generator. A properly designed system may …
How to Build a DIY Battery Backup Power Box Read More
When cooking fuel is limited, keeping a stove burning for several hours can be wasteful. A retained-heat cooker—also called a thermal cooker, fireless cooker, haybox or wonder box—uses insulation to …
How to Build an Insulated Retained-Heat Cooker for Power Outages Read More
When an outage, broken water main, severe storm, or remote campsite leaves you without a reliable faucet, rainfall can become a useful supplemental water source. You do not necessarily need …
How to Build a Simple Tarp Rainwater Catching System Read MoreWhen a winter outage shuts down electric furnaces, heat pumps, thermostats, and circulation fans, many modern homes begin cooling almost immediately. For many Amish households, however, losing grid electricity …
How Amish Families Keep Their Homes Warm When the Power Goes Out Read MoreA surprising amount of flood damage begins at the lowest opening in a home. Water moving across a patio, driveway, porch, or walkway may reach the bottom of an exterior …
How to Build a Removable Flood Barrier for an Exterior Door Read More
Boiling water kills germs. It does not remove everything else that might be in it. Distillation goes a step further: it turns water into steam, leaves many impurities behind in …
How to Build a DIY Water Distiller With a Copper Cooling Coil Read MoreSunlight can do more than produce electricity. A solar thermal collector captures the sun’s heat directly and transfers it into water or another heat-transfer fluid. When conditions are favorable, …
How to Build a Solar Water Heater: A Safer DIY Collector Guide Read MoreAn old ceiling fan looks surprisingly similar to a small wind turbine. It has blades, bearings, a rotating shaft, copper windings, and wires. That makes it tempting to remove …
Can You Turn an Old Ceiling Fan Into a Wind Generator? Read More
A portable solar power station can keep essential equipment operating when utility power is unavailable. Unlike a gasoline generator, it can provide electricity without exhaust, fuel storage, or engine …
How to Build a Portable Off-Grid Solar Power Backup System Read More