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Electricity
You can make your own!
However, there is a little more to it than first meets the eye.
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On the surface electricity seems simple enough, after all it has been coming out of those little holes in the wall for all of our lives, and it's invisible so there can't be much to it, right? Well, yes and no! Making a little electricity is fairly easy, but making enough to do something useful is another story. This page and the associated electricity pages will attempt to present you with several ways to make your own electricity, from just enough to run a radio and a few small lights during an emergency, to the large amounts that you are accustom to from the utilities company.
By far the safest and easiest way to have a little electricity during an emergency is by the use of dry cell batteries, (flashlight or 9volt radio batteries). See Batteries, Small. Dry cell batteries are a convenient but very expensive way to make electricity. For instance to run a typical electric heater for one hour, from utilities power, costs from five to twenty-five cents. To run that same heater for one hour, from dry cell batteries, would cost about $100 (Yes, that's not a typo, it's one hundred dollars!). To run a 100 watt light bulb from dry cells, for an hour, would cost about $10. As you can see, dry cells are only useful for small appliances and flashlights.
The next source for short-term emergency electrical power is from your automobile. The 12-volt battery in your car or truck can be pressed into service as a way to run a light or two and other small devices. Care must be taken not to run the battery down so far it won't start the car's engine. See, Batteries, Large A simple emergency power system can be constructed from a few low cost components available at your local Radio Shack or most auto parts stores.
| Item | Quantity | Description | Part Number | Price |
| 1 | 1 | 12VDC Fused Lighter Plug | 274-335 | $ 2.40 |
| 2 | 4 | 7 Amp fuses | 270-1013 | 1.30 |
| 3 | 1 | Lighter socket with battery clips | 270-1527 | 6.00 |
| 4 | 1 | Triple 12VDC Accessory Outlet | 270-1544 | 10.00 |
| 5 | 25 Feet * | 12-Gauge Megacable (wire) | 278-1268 | 25.00 |
| 6 | 2 | 12VDC Lighter-style plugs | 274-331 | 7.00 |
| 7 | 4 | High-intensity blubs | 272-1116 | 5.00 |
| 8 | 4 | Low-intensity blubs | 272-1117 | 2.00 |
| 9 | 1 | Lamp socket (large) | 272-365 | 1.30 |
| 10 | 1 | Lamp socket (small) | 272-359 | 1.30 |
| 11 | 50 Feet ** | 16-Gauge Megacable (wire) | 278-1273 | 17.00 |
| 12 | 1 | Electrical tape | 64-2352 | 3.00 |
* This wire is for the run between the car and the triple outlet box in the house. The shorter you can keep this the better. You could go 50 or even 100 feet but you will loose power the longer the run.** This wire is for the lamps. The low-intensity lamp could have up to 100 feet of wire, and the high-intensity lamp could have up to 50 feet.
I would suggest you purchase a low-cost volt meter (Radio Shack P/N 22-179, about $25) check the no load, (lamps unplugged), battery voltage periodically. When the, no load, voltage drops to 11-volts it's time to start the car to recharge the battery. If the battery voltage drops much below 11-volts you may not be able to start the engine.
A car battery in good shape should be able to run the high-intensity lamp for several hours, and the low-intensity lamp for several days before recharging is required.
Radio Shack has several small inverters that can convert 12-Volts DC to 120-Volts AC for small appliances. Be aware these inverters consume a lot more power than the simple lamps. Your wire runs should be very short from the battery to the inverter and you will need to recharge the battery much more often.
12-volts is too low of voltage to give you a shock. Touching exposed 12-volt wires or connectors will cause no harm to people or animals. Safety Issues
Wear no watches or jewelry while working around batteries. Large lead-acid batteries can supply enough current to turn a bracelet, watchband or ring white hot instantly upon contact. Many people are critically burned each year by just a momentary contact of their metal watchband or other jewelry across the 12-volt battery under the hood of their car. If that isn't a good reason not to wear jewelry around batteries, the acid in and on a battery may attack and discolor your jewelry. So play it safe and take it off!
A 12-volt car battery can supply enough current to overheat wires and start a fire. Never short 12-volt wires together. Never run 12-volt wires under carpets, around sharp objects, or through doors or windows that could close and pinch the wires. Use common sense when running the wires through the house, don't string them in such a way as to cause entanglement to people or animals. Keep flammables away from the high-intensity lamp, it can get hot enough to start a fire.
Be careful when working around a car battery. Lead acid batteries produce hydrogen gas and can explode if a flame or spark comes too close. Never connect anything to a car battery while the load is connected, this could cause a spark. ( In other words, unplug everything from the triple outlet box before connecting or disconnecting the battery.)
