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submitted 2 months ago by Iconoclast@feddit.uk to c/pics@lemmy.world

I'm only half kidding. I'm a bit of a prepper and I have lots of powerbanks and devices that charge from USB but besides idling my truck I really had no other way to charge any of them in case of a long-term power outage which seemed a bit of an oversight on my part.

Not like this solves the issue. 30 watts (under ideal conditions) isn't much but it's a start.

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[-] 9point6@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago

If we're boiling water why not skip the middle man and get a solar kettle?

[-] thatGuyWithGlasses@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago
[-] SethTaylor@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I've kept the old wood stoves in my house just in case I ever need them. I used them all last winter cause they were all I had at the time. Learned how to chop wood and start a fire and everything. It was kinda fun, but hard work. Defo not something anyone should have to do their whole life, but perhaps something everyone should try once. Quite humbling

EDIT: I used them for heating. Had to keep a fire going about 3 hours a day in each

[-] HerbGrower@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 months ago

Love my Kelly kettles - yes I have multiple, different sizes. Gathering wood to boil enough hot water to make tea for 6 people? About 30 seconds of work. Once you have filled 1 hand with sticks and twigs that is about enough firewood.

[-] EntheoNaut@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 months ago

My primary heat source is the wood stove. I have my heat pump as back up.

I have a 400 yo oak tree shading by home and a metal roof so I only need to turn on the ac from 5-8pm in the hottest days of summer.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 months ago

Wood is a potentially scarce resource, access to it is situational, it requires significant storage space, wood smoke is bad for you, fire is dangerous and requires skill to manage that can take a long time to learn, same goes for the process of preparing the wood.

[-] HerbGrower@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 months ago

Depends a lot on what you are making and how. Haybox cookers require very little fuel. Just get the food up to almost boiling point and that is all the fuel you need.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 months ago

I looked up haybox cookers, seems like a neat idea to insulate already boiling water, but a wood fire doesn't seem like the most convenient or efficient choice if what you want is to efficiently heat something up a specific amount but no more.

[-] HerbGrower@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 months ago

Just light a small fire and keep it pretty small and it can burn out once you are done.

I use a Kelly kettle stove a lot, tiny fire but still a few thousand watts of thermal energy. A few sticks at a time as fuel.

this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2026
697 points (97.9% liked)

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