Issue #005
A 20,000 mAh bank is four phone charges, then a paperweight
Plus the two hour blackout test you can run tonight after dinner.
Monday, August 3, 2026 · Off Grid Living
A 20,000 mAh power bank is about four phone charges. August outages have a way of running longer than four charges.
Today’s Skill
Four charges, then what
Lithium banks self drain, and heat kills them, so pull yours out of the hot car today. Charge to full once a month and write the date on the case. Add a 12 volt USB adapter so your truck becomes a charger. If you run a generator, keep it outside, twenty feet from any window or door, never in a garage or on a porch. Exhaust is invisible.
On The Radar
Peak load lands in the afternoon
August is when demand peaks late in the afternoon and stays high past dark. Heat stresses transformers, and dry ground shifts under old water mains. Expect the utility to ask for conservation. Do this now: sign up for outage text alerts, keep your tank above half, freeze four jugs of water, and pre cool the house before four in the afternoon.
The Drill
Kill the main breaker for one hour tonight
Tonight, after dinner, flip the main off and leave it off for one full hour. No cheating with the car or a neighbor’s outlet. Run only what you own: banks, lamps, fans. Write down what died first, which room got hot fastest, and how long the freezer held its cold. Flip the power back on and close the biggest gap before Friday.
Ready beats lucky. See you tomorrow.
- Survival Rise
P.S. Forward this to the person who still charges one phone off one dying bank.