Posted: 7/6/2007 8:47:32 PM EDT
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I was thinking today that one certainty of long-term SHTF type situations was that eventually stored gasoline and diesel would eventually either run out or spoil. However, steam power could turn a PTO type generator and could be fueled by just about anything from wood (nearly endless supply where I am) to garbage, and with the right burner probably even some types of spoiled fuel. The engine itself seems fairly simple, you could easily procure and/or fabricate one ahead of time like any other prep, and with some metalworking/welding skill repairs could be done. I know the welding fuel would go too at some point, but there were boilers long before there were modern welding torches. Any ideas on this? Does anyone play with steam engines as a hobby, or have you thought about this before? |
| I'm not an expert, but I hope you know what you're getting into with steam power. It may seem very nostalgic etc etc, but steam with enough pressure to drive machines is extremely dangerous. In the old days there used to boiler explosions, and a few years back at a miniature train exhibit, 2 people were killed by a boiler explosion from a steam engine. |
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Steam power is an interest of mine, and a low pressure steam plant could be junkyarded together fairly easily. Steam recips are an inefficient design, unimportant if you have a lot of fuel and time to bail wood/coal/whatever into the boiler. Look on the Net, lots of plans for steam engines and boilers. Ops |
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I used to play with boilers in another life. Takes a lot of maintenance to keep things working correctly. Just go and read about all the boiler mishaps back in the good old days. Steam explosions are pretty bad. We had a nasty one locally about 15 years ago at a fair where they had the old steam thrashing machines. All it takes is a clogged inlet to a water level guage. The level goes low exposing the head sheet which overheats, then the injectors come on and pump cold water into the boiler and it's all over. Quite a few folks died from that. |