Pressure Bursting a Pipe, and other thoughts

Note- I’ve been swamped with duties elsewhere for the past couple weeks, between extensive studies in a foreign language and preparing for the winter (I heat with wood). I have a lot on tap, including a review of another higher power capacity End-Fed Antenna option (Marshall, you’re the man! Just bear with me Brother.) but for the moment I simply haven’t had the proper time on my hands to do it right. The world will spin properly shortly.

Pressure Busts Pipes

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Oil Spill and Gas Shortages

If you’ve ever wondered why a general Survivalist rule is in keeping at least a half tank of gas in your car, now you know why. By now you should be aware of the Colonial Pipeline gasoline rupture in Alabama, as it’s kinda a big deal and worse than what you’re being told. I have family that work in the fuel shipping industry, and they warned us based on what they know. Yesterday the public story was they were re-routing gas through the parallel diesel pipe, and today it’s that they’re building a temporary pipe. The truth is they still don’t have a plan. Gov. McCrory declared a State of Emergency but you wouldn’t know it by the lack of local news coverage. (They’re more worried about placating to males who wish to use the ladies’ room.) This could be due to not wanting to incite a run or the subsequent price gouging, but normally when the media keeps mum it’s bad. CP will get around to fixing it, once the EPA approves a plan and it satisfies the correct government oversight regulations and environmental concerns for non-offensiveness, but in the meantime, there’s gonna be a lot of sad pandas and short tempers next week(s).

But you should have at least thought ahead. I was talking about all of it while hauling wood with my Dad yesterday. He was telling me about the gas rationing of the 70s, and how my Grandad and many others beat it by storing their own. Many old houses still have in-ground gas tanks around here that long predate the 70s and were put in because it was simply cheaper to buy fuel in bulk for agriculture use. You won’t find this in suburbia. If you find an old farm house for sale, you just might find a buried tank (don’t tell the EPA). We just recently found a tank last winter by accident on a property my family’s owned nearly all my life. Large poundage tobacco farmers usually store red-dye diesel in bulk around here too for the same reasons today.

Does this mean bury a tank in your backyard on top of everything else you should be doing? No, because for most this isn’t an option. But it does mean if you call yourself a Prepper or Survivalist or whatever label you like, you should be aware of your surroundings and know where to source what in an emergency as well as being on good terms with the people from which you’re planning on sourcing. Trade and barter is important here, as is being versatile. (And if you’re planning on stealing it just know this- the meanest SOB I’ve ever known is an old Tobacco farmer who won’t hesitate to kill you should you threaten him. He’s got plenty of shovel and lime folks on his payroll too. All of the small towns around here are like this.)  I own an older 4X4 diesel truck that makes finding fuel pretty easy. Red dye diesel runs just as good as green dye (don’t tell the tax man) but in the newer trucks, I dunno as they have a lot of EPA mandated crap that gets finicky when something isn’t exactly right. And no, my truck doesn’t look like some gawdy jacked up safari wagon. That crap ruins efficiency unless you’re actually driving a lot off road. As it sits, it’ll get anywhere I need it to and a few places I don’t. I also own two very fuel efficient cars that average 30+ MPG as commuters. Large SUVs and other gasoline guzzlers are kinda silly unless they’re diesel from an efficiency standpoint. But don’t mind my opinion, I’ve only grown up in the rural life and experienced both it’s rewards and hardships. Maybe that $60K + 12 MPG soccer mom grocery getter makes more sense for you.

…And more hardships are coming.

pipe.jpg

…Because pressure, per se, busts a pipe.

NY & NJ pipe bombings, MN mass stabbing, and a ‘transformer’ explosion in Charlottesville VA with no resulting smoke or fire. That’s a bit odd.

And not surprisingly, nothing is being said or done about any of these incidents within close proximity outside of local emergency responses. Because obviously it’s not a budding insurgency becoming increasingly brazen with each new step. Each of these locales have a population of folks willing to use violence, especially this pattern of violence, to further their aim as well. When I wrote my critique of ‘leaderless resistance’ as a concept, I pointed out that step three of a culturally directed resistance following frequent ‘isolated’ incidents would be overt warfare. We’re not quite there yet, but it’s getting close. And multiple factions who have demonstrated a propensity for violence are getting pretty po’d right now. Wait till this time next month if Hillary flounders further, when the Jill Stein anarcho-greenie crowd proxies go full retard (and who knows, maybe they already did with CP 48hrs ago and Duke Energy last year. The coal ash spill wasn’t investigated by LE, just by the EPA, who’s agents’ aim is in line with the goals achieved by the incidents. Monkeywrenching is an old-school Leftist favorite, btw). Because her crowd didn’t just threaten another oil pipeline last week. None of these could be considered ‘on the Right’ either, no matter how much our media gaslights us to think ‘Alt-Right’ is the new AQ.

But don’t worry suburbia, the government has top people on it- so don’t worry, because worrying is bad, so nobody panic, because we say so. Now let’s all huddle around and watch multi-millionaire athletes spit on our values while they make more money playing a game than we could ever hope for in ten lifetimes.  Drink your Bud Light and eat your Nachos and laugh at the talking dog in the commercial.

Get your stuff straight. Go meet your neighbors today, at a minimum, or have a meal at the local greasy spoon. Read the flyers on the billboard or taped to the door. Get involved with the local Church congregation. Start meeting the wheels of your community and figure out how to contribute. Build networks. Figure out how they stay in the loop independent of conventional means, and get into the chain. Bum around the flea market or go to a fall gathering in town (every small rural town has one). Go shop at the local hardware store, even if he’s more expensive than Lowes. You’re paying for more than a product. I promise you it will get you a lot farther than just retreating and writing everyone off as some are so fond of telling you to do. It’s about to get more ‘interesting.’

May God continue to bless you and keep you. Stay safe.

41 thoughts on “Pressure Bursting a Pipe, and other thoughts

  1. 55six

    In our neck of NC the lines have just started. I topped off this morning during church hours with little trouble. Plenty of diesel available and gasoline. This afternoon, there is at least one person waiting at all 14 pumping locations. I keep gas and diesel stored here at home in steel paint thinner cans with stabilizer, I may end up using it for real for the first time since hurricane Fran.

    Standing family order to cease any unnecessary trips. Just work and back.

    We live in a fragile “just in time” economy. This redoubles my resolve to be ready for such times. You all stay safe and keep your ears open. -55six

    1. Fran…ahhhh the memories. Her eye cut through my town, took out pretty much everything for a while. An old sycamore tree just barely missed my Dad’s garage too. I was reading a paperback copy of ‘Rainbow Six’ and a weather radio that night huddled up with the family waiting for our house to blow away.

      I mastered running an 044 Stihl that year.

      1. I was in Goldsboro during Fran. That was a blast, I can still smell the dead hogs and chickens…good thing they had shipped all the Strike Eagles out to Wright-Patterson along with the pilots. Man of the house took on a whole different meaning.

      2. 55six

        I sat here in the house looking out my living room window. I saw the trees doing incredible things and thought they would come down on us. It turned out that we didn’t lose a single tree or even a shingle. It was miraculous really. The devastation some of my neighbors had made me really understand how I had somehow dodged a big bullet.

        We were without power for 8 days. It was 80 degrees at night and 100% humidity. The mosquitoes were just downright vicious. I sweated my rear off for that week.

        Floyd was worse flooding wise. Lots of people died about 40 miles from us. It was terrible. My friend Jack lost his home. there was water in his second story. He was in a 100 year flood zone. Lost everything and insurance did not cover floods. He was 70 at the time.

      3. 55six

        Yeah I got that too. They are who I took my exams through. Took Tech and General the same night. Passed both and was really appreciative of how they try to help people. I may go, I would like to find a nice dual band HT like an Icom T70.

      4. I am in JoCo as well and I can about circle ncscout as well if he got a Jarsfest flyer.

        We are looking forward to JarsFest again this year and in fact have a planning meeting for it tomorrow.

        Rumor is there may be some dual band HT’s this year and even a dual band mobile. Waiting on confirmation.

        Hope to see everyone there this year and continuing to read the valuable information ncscout is delivering.

  2. Pingback: Brushbeater: Pressure Bursts Pipes | Western Rifle Shooters Association

  3. Nothing here in SWVA yet. There’s a good-sized fuel dump in Montvale owned by Motiva. I’ve seen people filling gas cans up, but nothing to speak of as far as a price jump and lines. I think the gas went up ~.10 to 2.00 at most places. The Charlottesville transformer didn’t even make local news here, surprisingly enough. Nothing to see there.

    1. Prices haven’t jumped here either, but I haven’t made my way to town just yet.

      As for the transformer…no smoke or fire is pretty odd for one overloading. But…nothing to see…move along…

      1. lineman

        Unless it’s been really hot there for an extended period the overloading part is unlikely… You have to understand underground transformers are a newer thing compared to overhead ones and for the most part have been calculated out to handle everything on them including hot days for long periods…

  4. Scurvy

    Scout,

    Your evaluation of the Matchbox Antenna will happen when it happens and not a moment sooner.

    I would be interested in just how much power it will accept before failure. My rig only outputs 100W. If you could find fail point of unit you have I’ll replace it. Smok’em if you got’um.

    Thanks for the ground-truthing on the pipeline fallout.

    Marshall

    1. Marshall- the thing is awesome, and it needs a good write up.

      I only run barefoot myself, so 100W is my general PEP. It’s gonna be perfect for those needing something to handle a bit more juice; say a TOC.

  5. Centurion_Cornelius

    I hear ya, Brother! Tip for the uninitiated in “fuel shortages.” Had a few here in the Midwest and it was “siphon-city.” Thieves just ran a small hose down the filler neck and drank their fill.

    Solution #1–get some locking gas caps. Cheap insurance–BUT, if you’re prone to ice storms or snow, make sure they are properly “winterized” with some kind of ice-guard in the keyway. Sucks to try and re-fill when your locking gas cap is frozen on solid like a rock.

    Solution #2–hide that fuel in a proper area. You know the drill. Last gas shortage we had here, I was out brush hogging my fence lines, when I see some SOB pull up next to my barn and grab my 5 gallon Jerry can of gas right in broad daylight! Was a city boy in one of them
    “eco friendly” little jelly bean cars. Caught up with the thief and had to explain to him God’s 8th Commandment about crooking stuff, as well as my rule: “Leave my stuff ALONE!” Had to impress upon the fella that God will forgive him, if he was penitent; but, me, not being God, ain’t as kind!

    1. Oh yeah, thieves will come out in droves as this drags on. It’s day three and people are going crazy already.

      I dealt with a thief once. There wasn’t a lot of talking.

      1. Rat bastards were punching through the fuel tanks under vehicles here in Georgia during the last fuel crisis in the wake of Ike and Gustav.

        I had a woman in tears begging me to find her some gas…

        Colonial’s original target date for reopening the primary line was originally Thursday this week…

        …it’s already been bushed back to next week…

      2. Oh wow…that’s some serious Mad Max kinda crap right there.

        At least seeing a bum trying to siphon is funny from a distance in that Cheech n’ Chong kinda way.

  6. X

    Good call on the old diesel. I run an old Cummins 12 Valve. That sucker will run on anything from olive oil to kerosene, and most anything in between. I’ve even heard of guys running them on used motor oil, filtered and diluted with 15% regular unleaded gas.

    One source for diesel, in an emergency, if you have an “in”, is the railroad. Locomotives have massive fuel tanks, refer cars have compressors that run on diesel, there may even be entirely full tank cars hanging around. Make friends with your local train crews, dispatchers, managers, etc.

    1. The gold-standard old 12v. Near-bullet proof motor with care, just like the 7.3 IH Powerstroke.

      The newer 6.0 PS ain’t bad after the EGR delete to keep it cool under load, and replacing the head studs if you’re pulling a lot. The 24v Cummins is good too, just get rid of the EGR.

      Anything newer has too much ‘junk’ to regulate it, and too many electronics to make it run right.

      Why didn’t I mention GM? Because GM ain’t built a diesel worth a damn since the non-turbo 6.2.

      Anyway, enough of my diesel buyer’s guide.

      1. Had a ’12 Cummins at work that gave us nothing but problems. EGR delete, but the head studs HAVE to be replaced to keep it from blowing a head gasket. Watch it if you’re using a chip (Minimaxxx) as the turbo can spool up to 35-40 psi depending on the chip and I assume, from what I gathered on the interwebz and blowing a gasket on it, that it was the factory head studs that caused it. It didn’t help that we had an now ex-employee running it like it was stolen, but on a lot of the chips you can limit the psi the turbo is cranking out. FWIW the consensus seems to be keep it under 30. Terrible QC on the Dodge though, had a ton of nagging problems with the truck, buttons not working, O2 sensors going bad about half a dozen times, DPF not burning off like it was supposed to ect. All this stock, before any work on it whatsoever. YMMV, but I won’t touch the newer Dodges. Curious about that new Titan with the smaller Cummins in it.

      2. With all of the competition to build the biggest and baddest oil burner they’re relying WAY too much on stuff that’s not reliable.

        A good friend has a new 6.7 F350 that’s as quiet as a Prius. The new Cummins is like that too. While all that stuff is nice, who knows how long it’ll last? We do know it’s a detriment.

        On top of that though, I’ve never used any kind of tuner and never would. It works the way it was designed, don’t monkey with something you might not be able to fix.

        I have noticed though, about Dodge, that since Fiat bought them they’ve went downhill. The Diamler days were the best, at least from the trucks my family’s owned.

      3. 55six

        You won’t believe this, but my truck is a 2002 F250 7.3PSD 4×4 Crew cab Lariat with…..only 40K miles. Just rolled 40K actually. I bought it from my female neighbor after asking her for years to sell it to me. When I bought it it had only 32K. Still smells like a new truck.

        I have ran used motor oil but only about 4-5 gallons at a time in a tank of diesel. I filter it though a set up consisting of a FL1A ford filter on a remote filter adapter. I just dump it in the bucket and let it gravity feed. It runs great and believe it or not feels like it has even more torque on the oil.

      4. X

        The cummins from 1993 that I run is significantly simpler and more robust than the cummins from 2012. No chips, no electric anything, no glow plugs, it does have a very basic computer, but that pretty much only runs the voltage regulator, and the overdrive on an automatic transmission. Both of which can be replaced with simple pre computer solutions, for next to no money.

        I’m sure my old Dodge will fall apart long before the engine goes tits up. At that point I’ll probably buy an old ford, and put a 12 valve cummins in that. Not to get into a long winded discussion about Cummins Vs, everything else… I’m sure that I, like everyone else, have a vested interest in thinking I made the best choice I could… :-p

    2. lineman

      Hey Brother enjoyed your comment over at WRSA and agree…Now knowing you drive an old Dodge makes me want to meet and shake your hand;)

  7. Jeffery in Alabama

    I live in northwest Alabama (app. 100 miles north of the rupture) and so far our prices haven’t changed at all. From news reports prices in Birmingham have remained steady with very little change as well. There might be a total fifteen businesses that sell gasoline and/or diesel in the entire county where I live. Until recently, it was 9.5 miles to the nearest store or gas station. We always try to keep auto gas tanks towards the full side and keep a few Jerry cans full of gasoline and some diesel fuel on hand (along with other necessities). I currently do not have anything that is diesel powered, but one of my neighbors has a diesel powered tractor and in a pinch, diesel can be burned in Kerosene lanterns.

  8. Funny thing about pipelines and transmission lines; they both have a lot of similarities. They both are the most efficient way to transfer their products, and when a society is used to getting something done in the most efficient way possible, reverting to something else is very hard to do. They also have a lot of the same weaknesses, mainly the fact that they rely on some sort of boosting in order to transport the product any distance. This could be transformer based as in electrical distribution, or pump (typically electrical motor) based as in a pipeline. If anyone thinks that these aren’t being considered for targets by the bad people, they are nuts. Just the relative ease of access to most sites and physical vulnerability of the equipment (a transformer is nothing but a big tub of oil, once the oil runs out of it, it will typically overheat) will be too much for a would be terrorist to refuse. Ask anyone who works in utilities how much work gets drummed up for them after a rifle deer hunting season. I’m sure this isn’t news to very many people who read this, but sometimes we don’t deeply consider where exactly our electricity, water, etc. comes from. If you are interested in trying to answer that question, this website might be of some help. I know it is not 100% accurate, but it should give a good overview of systems that have been in place for more than a few years.
    http://www.americangeosciences.org/critical-issues/maps/us-energy-mapping-system

    1. lineman

      Yea people have no idea how much of their daily living is affected by electricity and how fragile it is and what pain it would cause without it…I work on those High Voltage Lines and let’s put it this way I prep, train, and moved to a secure, sustainable, and sufficient location…;)

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