Do You Have A Safe Room?

[Jesse]

Evening!

I believe most people on this BB will "make it" anyway - if the only "problem" is preps and, "do you have enough."

What about if you get the flu first?

How many people have a "safe room" where all air is purified. Remember, this will only be a pandemic if it goes airborne, and if it does and you open your front door or a window - you've had it!

Preps are only good if you're still alive to use them. - Jesse. :halo

 

[Brooks]

Jesse, unless you live in an extremely crowded corner of the world where there are mobs outside your window, you will be jeopardizing your health if you keep those windows shut.

 

[barb43]

I don't have a "safe room" as you're referring to it . . . We will soon have a tornado safe room, however, fwiw.

 

[Jesse]

Hiya Brooks!

The idea is to have an otherwise airless room fitted with an air purifier, which on an ongoing basis pulls in air from the outside, cleans it (to negligible ppm) and pumps the CO2 back outside.

That R a "safe room," well - the basis of one. - Jesse.

 

[Dennis Olson]

The only viable method is to use positive-pressure filtration.

 

[Caplock50]

If I live six miles out of town, do I need a safe room? I don't think I do so I voted 'other'.

And I'm glad you started this thread. It gives me the proper opening to ask this question. I believe everyone has heard about the 'Ionic Breeze' air purifier...and, then the 'Ionic Breeze Quadra'. This last one is supposed to change ozone into oxygen. If it works as advertized, would it make a good air purifier for a 'safe room'?

 

[hitssquad]

Safe rooms or safe homes?

How many people have a "safe room" where all air is purified.

Safe Room or Safe Home?

=-=
"What if the tornado watch is at night?" David asks. "Can you sleep in the safe room? Can you do anything in there besides just sit and anxiously wait? What's the emotional toll of all that waiting on you and your loved ones? Will you really feel safe in the space usually occupied only by the vacuum cleaner and other household items?
=-=

If it is the case that the square-footage of your safe room is perfectly adequate for you, why do you have a house that is larger than the safe room? If a 48 sqft safe-room is adequate, then a 48 sqft home should be adequate as well.

 

[canis-major]

I have a room with a safe in it.

I don't buy into the bird flu hype so having a filtered room is pretty low on my list. I'll spend what little money I have on other more important things.

 

[hitssquad]

The uselessness of ionic 'air purifiers'

I believe everyone has heard about the 'Ionic Breeze' air purifier.

Ionic "air purifiers" do not work and have high operating costs. It is easy to google this information. What work well are oversized HEPA machines. Get the largest one you can afford (unless you only plan on using it in emergencies), because the larger it is the less it costs over time to operate. HEPA filtration of the intake air on positive-pressure buildings works well also.

 

[hitssquad]

Alternatives to positive-pressure air-supply security

The only viable method is to use positive-pressure filtration.

There are safe-rooms for mines that are sealed. They are equipped with oxygen-candles and/or oxygen tanks and carbon-dioxide absorbers. Some homes simply have enough air space to be able to sustain human life for days or weeks without any outside air. The new secure-home being built in Ohio -- Eagle's Eye -- is one such home. It features multiple options ranging from HEPA-filtered positive-pressure to complete buttoning-up.

bbs.monolithic.com/viewtopic.php?p=10019&highlight=button#10019


=-=
BWARDEN
Titanium Level Member
Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 8:03 am

On the ERV questions: We are taking the ERV air intake and routing it thru a whole house dehumidifier and then into the return duct of the air handler containing the heating/cooling coils. The Recouperator ERV processes both heat and humidity, and also contains a ?? micron intake air filter. Any condensation in the air handler will be routed out the standard air handler condensation drain. The dehumidifier also has a condensation drain. We will have motorized duct dampers on the intake and exhaust ERV ductwork leading outside, so that they are closed when the ERV is not running. Thus we will be able to button up the house if there is any reason to seal out any bad outside air for any reason. There is a CO2 sensor tied into the ERV that will automatically run the ERV when the inside air quality degrades below a selectable setpoint. The ERV can also be run via a timer, or from an external computer control.

The Recouperator ERV also has a neat mode called EconoCool, that turns on the ERV at night when it's cool in the summer to chill the interior with outside air when it's below a certain temperature. It also has an inside and outside pressure sensor that allows it to attempt to maintain a positive interior pressure relative to the outside. The ERV can only adjust its net flow in the range of 0 to 140 CFM, so any net negative pressure caused by exhaust fans exceeding 140 CFM cannot be totally corrected by this ERV.
=-=


There are other alternatives. The existence of space stations demonstrates that purpose-built homes can function well with no outside air intake ever. A secure electrical source and one-or-more wells accessible from inside the home ensure a continuous supply of oxygen since oxygen is easily electrolosized from water.

 

[Brooks]

The idea is to have an otherwise airless room fitted with an air purifier, which on an ongoing basis pulls in air from the outside, cleans it (to negligible ppm) and pumps the CO2 back outside.

But why??? To protect you from your deathly ill housemates in the next room? Ok, maybe. To protect you from outdoor airdroplets? Unless someone is standing outside your window breathing in or you have allowed pigeons to nest on your window sill, this is really nuts.

 

[etdeb]

I do have a safe house, monolithic dome!

 

[hitssquad]

unless you live in an extremely crowded corner of the world where there are mobs outside your window, you will be jeopardizing your health if you keep those windows shut.

Outside air is not healthy anywhere in the world, at any time.
bbs.monolithic.com/viewtopic.php?p=9060&highlight=mold#9060

 

[Brooks]

Outside air is not healthy anywhere in the world, at any time.

And yet the species continues to propagate...

Actually, in many homes in the U.S. the inside air is much more unhealthy than outside.

 

[idelphic]

If I live six miles out of town, do I need a safe room? I don't think I do so I voted 'other'.

Suppose I am inbetween.. But I have a storm room. Yet to be completed. Just need to add power, supplies (minimal I hope) and a door. THe big item is the door... I can't see spending as much for a door as some places are asking... so I'll look to engineering my own at some point. DEW (Darling Expecting Wife) take higher priorty right now...

 

[hitssquad]

Actually, in many homes in the U.S. the inside air is much more unhealthy than outside.

You didn't visit the link, did you?

 

[Brooks]

You didn't visit the link, did you?

You're right, I didn't. I work in the environmental field. Indoor air quality issues are a serious problem in this country. Plenty of studies proving that over the eyars, but there will be exceptions. I do consider outdoor air quality to be one of our major environmental concerns, including its ramifications for public health.

 

[blueberry]

When I saw the question "do you have a safe room", my first thought was the kind of safe room that can be built into a house, to protect from tornados. Then I realized you were talking about a different kind of safe room.

I do not have either kind of safe room, but wish I had both!

 

[Chartreuse]

Outside air is not healthy anywhere in the world, at any time.

No kidding. We've pretty much done a number on the entire planet.

Jesse - excellent question, although I think your definition of "safe room" may be a bit stringent.

We don't have one of any sort now. I would love to have a combination bomb/storm shelter when we buy our own home - even if we have to excavate part of our backyard to make it happen. I do not believe that something that would protect us in the manner you've described is in our future, however.

 

[Gonecrabbin]

I am smack dab in the middle of building my safe room-I have hurricanes in mind though. It's about 9x11( interior measurement) I have planned for ventilation, but not filtration. It will be a multi- purpose room office,radio equipment,storage,and hurricane room.

Just finished the forms for the footer and am working on rebar placement and steel reinforcing.I'm going to fab my own doorframe and door system from steel.

I've been able to justify the time and expense to my DW-so far. I think an expensive air filtration system might be a hard sell right now Kids are SO damn expensive.

 

[bobaloo]

I bought a 24" square HEPA filter and constructed a mounting frame and hooked up a large centrigugal blower to run the air through it. Only needs to run for a few minutes to completely purify the air in a room.

You can pick up the filters pretty cheap by themselves on line, and it's not rocket science to build an enclosure. I only paid about $75 for the bare filter unit, it's one of those 9" thick units that's about 99.9 percent efficient. The hardest part is finding a good Dayton blower or similar, but you can pick them up on Ebay pretty easily for around $40-$50. I've actually got a couple I was getting ready to put on Ebay if anyone's thinking about building one of these units and needs a good one.

 

[etdeb]

Inside my safe home I have a safe room with positive air pressure filter system, my niece had a bone marrow transplant in 1999 and needed a super clean place before she could leave her "bubble" in the transplant unit. We also have filtered water because she could not even have ice from fast food places, no food containing eggs, only dry eggs for cooking, ect....so I have lived the drill. She is now 5 years into the transplant and doing very well, at 6 years they will call it a success.
She was able to come out into the public after 6 months, with the current events in the world I decided to keep the room operable, it could be used again with just a few hours notice.

 

[Wingie]

I need to change my vote from yes to no.... I thought "safe room" meant safe from weather related hazards. I have a cement cellar that is over 30 years old and has kept me safe from tornados many times...

 

[Jesse]

Evening Brooks!

I haven't been fair to you, in that I have not clarified my intent in posting this thread.

We have a poll here going gang-busters, asking how many preps you have, and do you have enough for 100 days to escape contamination from airborne avian flu when it mutates - if it does.

I think 100 or 1,000 day's worth of preps to be futile if you are breathing in contaminated (read "lethal" ) air.

I live in the mountains at 5,000 feet in Canada (as you know), and I get a headache every time I have to visit the city. The air quality here is excellent, and we keep windows open all the time - even in winter although to a lesser extent. I LOVE FRESH AIR. It is presently snowing outside. I'm in my bedroom sitting on my bed, using a laptop, and I have one of the four windows **wide** open.

I'm talking about having a safe-room to protect *healthy* family members from potentially lethal airborne viruses or bio/chemical agents. Smallpox has been discussed to saturation point on this forum, and having a "safe room" in the event of an outbreak was considered to be a sensible precaution by all.

No one is mentioning safe-rooms in connection with prepping for/against the coming pandemic most are convinced will befall us.

I have no idea whether it will or it won't. I seem to have been spared through the last two global heavy hitters. (Thank You Father. ) To tell you the truth, I think a lot more about my children and grandchildren who all live in cities. I'm not sure I could bear to bury another one of my children.... I realize that makes me not a great "prepper" in most people's eyes, but we are who we are, and there are some things we just know about ourselves.

Much love to you and Joe, Brooks. - Jesse.

 

['plain o joe']

Hi Jesse... I mentioned that to her today...

but Jesse, as far as Bio, and most of the flu's, you are probably in the safest part of the world...

now if that room had 3 feet of dirt above, it would protect you from your only real threat...
of misguided missles heading our way...


now as far as possible infected chickens, one could go as far as using gloves to handle the chicken to the olive oil fry pan with Italian Seasoning and garlic, browned, then using tongs remove and drain the oil, return chicken to pan with the tongs, add mushrooms, and about a third of a bottle of Montepulciano Abbruzzi Italian red wine and let simmer for at least 45 minutes to an hour...

upon eating you will realize there is not enough chicken.... no matter how much you made

if someone had to go to town, do it at slow times, shower upon retun, and when showering, flush the nasal passages....


g'nite...

 

[hitssquad]

Outside air is not healthy anywhere in the world, at any time.

No kidding. We've pretty much done a number on the entire planet.

bbs.monolithic.com/viewtopic.php?p=9060&highlight=mold#9060

The unhealthiness of outside air has nothing to do with human intervention.

 

[Jesse]

Hello Joe!

I've missed you.

"Hi Jesse... I mentioned that to her today...

but Jesse, as far as Bio, and most of the flu's, you are probably in the safest part of the world...

now if that room had 3 feet of dirt above, it would protect you from your only real threat...
of misguided missles heading our way..."

I'm not worried about myself, Joe. I just wanted to point out to those who are relying on having enough preps, that perhaps there was another important factor that was being overlooked.

I/we didn't actively prepare a "nuke" shelter - even Bruce Beach told me not to bother, but our basement is mostly well underground anyway - it just came that way. I suppose I/we could make it far better, but I've just never felt led to do that.

Nice to "hear" from you again.

Lots of love in Jesus - Jesse.

 

[Trailfox]

Yes I do have a safe room. It has positive pressure ventalation through 3 filters, partical filter, charcoal filter, and hepa filter. The room is under ground with bathroom , 2 bunk beds, kitchen area, storage, pantry, radio area, 3 power systems- 110V, genarator, and 12 V battery bank. It has 3 water systems, city, well, and 500 gal. under ground storage in hill above shelter (gravity flow), also stored bottles in shelter. The systems can be switched from inside the shelter.
The safe room/shelter is in the side of a hill which worked very well, the stored water under ground is above the shelter and the flow is about the same as the city pressure , also the drain for the bath room and the big sink in the kitchen area are piped just like a house, down hill to a septic tank and fill lines.
When the goverment starts telling you to make preparations I figure it is time to get in gear , that is high gear!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[etdeb]

Amazing

 

[Wingie]

Trailfox... can I come to your place???? WOW!!!

 

[Christian for Israel]

Evening!

I believe most people on this BB will "make it" anyway - if the only "problem" is preps and, "do you have enough."

What about if you get the flu first?

How many people have a "safe room" where all air is purified. Remember, this will only be a pandemic if it goes airborne, and if it does and you open your front door or a window - you've had it!

Preps are only good if you're still alive to use them. - Jesse. :halo

you mean besides my bunker?

 

[50calPA]

Yes I do have a safe room. It has positive pressure ventalation through 3 filters, partical filter, charcoal filter, and hepa filter. The room is under ground with bathroom , 2 bunk beds, kitchen area, storage, pantry, radio area, 3 power systems- 110V, genarator, and 12 V battery bank. It has 3 water systems, city, well, and 500 gal. under ground storage in hill above shelter (gravity flow), also stored bottles in shelter. The systems can be switched from inside the shelter.
The safe room/shelter is in the side of a hill which worked very well, the stored water under ground is above the shelter and the flow is about the same as the city pressure , also the drain for the bath room and the big sink in the kitchen area are piped just like a house, down hill to a septic tank and fill lines.

Trailfox, HOW did you do that? Did a company do it for you? how much did it cost?

 

[Trailfox]

That is just a small part of what we, Wife and I , have done. I have had several dreams that I saw people lined up our drive way waiting in line to eat and for some medical or first aid help. Also dreams of tents and other shelters all over our property with a large number of people here. We have made preparations with all this in mind. It seems that I have been lead to study and prepare all my life, almost 60 years now. Im not worried about running out of supplies or food because I know who has lead me to do all this and that He has the abillity to mulitply what we have as long as we do as He leads.
I also failed to mention that we also filter the stored water and well water through 2 big Berkeys.
I also realize that the time may come that we may have to leave . We have also made preps for this also in a stageing area we have 2 travel trailers and the trucks to pull them and supply trailer fully loaded and ready to leave in a short notice. We have several others who have trucks with staged supplies ready to load and leave if need be. We also have several places that we can go to.
Then there is what is called the bug-out-bag or shell we say totes and truck. We travel in our work and our bug out supplies stay in our truck with camper cover on it 24/7 . There has been a lot of research and prictice times gone into every aspect of our preps, and like I said before to help as many as posible! Some time if any of you want to know I will go in to detail what all we have in the different kits. It has been an interesting jurney into our preps there would be times when I would be stumped a problem or how to handle this or that when it all comes down, and I would have a dream or be shown what to do or how to handle it and I would get whatever I needed . I know of one time that I had a dream about a lot of people comming needing first aid or minner medical help. I didnot have the supplies to handle that tipe of problem , then I had a call from a friend of mine that asked if i had a need of some first aid supplies, he had a sun-in-law who ran a supply place that was disconting a line an said he would ge me a bargin. To make a long story short I got $2,500 worth of supplies for $200.
I would be glad to help anyone I can In any way I can . I am gone most weeks but I am on here, if only lurking, most every weekend

 

[Trailfox]

Trailfox, HOW did you do that? Did a company do it for you? how much did it cost?

The only thing i had done was the shelter hole dug out with a back hoe the rest my wife and I did. And as for cost, I really can't say what the total was . I did a lot of shoping around and some things were given to me and we did it as we had the $.

 

[50calPA]

Well, it's pretty danged impressive! What a great effort you must have put into this.

Are you for hire?

 

[Donald Shimoda]

I have had several dreams that I saw people lined up our drive way waiting in line to eat and for some medical or first aid help. Also dreams of tents and other shelters all over our property with a large number of people here.

Howdy, Folks!

Which is why if I had a safe room, preps, or any other disaster related survival gear that could only support a small number of people, I'd be pretty tight lipped about it.

Water for 3 people for 100 days is useless when 300 people show up wanting it because they know you have it and there's no replacement water for 30 days...