Thursday, May 9, 2013

Prepping on a Budget - Affordable Items for Preppers - Emergency Lighting




Being caught in the dark when the power goes out can be a very unsettling feeling. This is when you need some form of emergency lighting. A flashlight can go a long way towards solving this problem but sometimes you need a little extra versatility in your preps. You may need the use of your hands and this can be complicated if you are trying to hold onto a flashlight. One item that can serve a number of purposes for use as emergency lighting is a portable solar-powered LED light.

There are a number of versions of these solar-powered lights available. If you want it to help with security, you can get one with a motion detector. They also come in various sizes depending upon your lighting needs and may have as few as 5 LED lights or up to sixty.  Most of the solar lights available with 5 or 10 LED lights are available in a very affordable price range ($20 to $25).





This particular solar-powered light is a SUNFORCE #81095 5 LED Solar Shed Light.
The light comes with magnets for attaching it to a metal surface as well as regular screw mounts for attaching it to a wall or ceiling. While designed primarily for tool sheds and other small buildings (chicken coop?). The magnets make it easy to attach to surfaces in a number of ways that increases the usability of the light.

When attached to the front of the refrigerator with the built-in magnets, it provides more than enough light to move around safely and perform simple chores. If attached to a metal surface on your vehicle it can provide sufficient light to change a tire or do minor repairs. The unit provides a fair amount of light that will allow you to maneuver about in a 10 foot X 10 foot room with a fair amount of safely. The light will only last for a few hours before needing a recharge but that time frame should be enough to get most of your important tasks done.

The solar panel is weather resistant but not water-proof. You could probably add a bead of silicone caulk around the front edge of the panel to make it more weather-resistant if you need to mount it in a more exposed area. The power cord is about eight foot long which is sufficient to mount the light and solar panel but would be better if it was just a little longer.  

The important thing about preps is that they should be portable, serve a variety of uses and not cost a fortune to operate and require only minimal amounts of maintenance.

Got emergency lighting?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yep, bought one of those kits from Harbor Freight some years ago. It worked for around 5 years before it gave up the ghost at our cattle shed (no grid power there). Very low light, but like you said, you sometimes need just a little to keep you from tripping up.

We replaced it with a Paqlite Panel. About the same cost and lights up about as much as the light kit did, only has a greenish hue. It recharges itself from ambiant light and lasts (theretically) forever. Here is a link to it. Now our worry is having someone steal it.

http://www.uvpaqlite.com/uvmatlite.html

riverwalker said...

To: anon 7:40

Even if it only works for a few years the overall cost is still worth it. I'm looking into something a little better that will work off a sealed 12 volt dry cell battery. Hopefully, I can figure out a combination that's cheap enough but still give off more light.

Thanks anon.

RW

Anonymous said...

You might try adding aluminum foil behind and around the light, would likely increase the brightness and costs virtually nothing.

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