# Power 4 Patriots



## HoppeEL4

Saw this video, wondered if anyone else has?

Ok, so I spent the $27 without reviews first, but figured, I spend that much just garage sale-ing or thrift store shopping for useful items, sometimes not, and went ahead and just jumped in.

I am not so much concerned about the video being legit or not, I am concerned about being renters and it being able to be made into a system we could take with us?

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to make something like this "portable". 

Now mind you, I will probably employ my brother, a contractor, before I let my husband, since he is handyman dysfunctional (he once tightened down the new toilet seat so much that he cracked the toilet, then we had to find a total toilet replacement....). I just want it something I can dismantle to go eventually. 

My mindset with this was to set it up to cover our water heater and heating, the tow most expensive things on our bill. I realize since we do not own this house, we could not set everything up on it, including the shared well pump our neighbors are on, but if we could just cut our bill as much as possible (sometimes winter is up close to $400...yes FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS). My goal is a $100 bill, or less.

Now we do have a woodstove, and it works good because this place is small and it is a ranch style, so very linear, the heat travels down the main hallway well, but there are times you just don't feel like setting up a fire and want some instant warmth and as I said, my husband is not handy, which includes setting up the wood pile so its handy, and also cutting kindling (if he could just buy it ready made he's be ok with it). I can cut wood, but my aim with arm strength is bad and instead of kindling I wind up with chunks instead.

Thoughts, opinions and ideas all would be welcomed on this.


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## TheLazyL

Well after listening to 5 minutes of repeating fear mongering to find out the "secret" I tuned out.


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## pm4646

Ordered the power 4 system. I believe 2 DVD with instructions and access to the online programs. Never recieved a e-mail reply or message to be used to access this information. Several days later recieved one DVD (not two) which I have tried to open on three different computers. I started a goggle search, which took me to a kit sale for power 4. I know I was told that most of the material to build a solar panel wind generator is or was available in local stores or my shop. I not looking to purchase anything from them. I don't need a solar kit wich produces 60 watts (enought to operate one light bulb) I hope his father is proud of his 27.00 profit.


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## Survivor1

*Hi*

Hi HoppeEL4
I just purchased the videos and manuals.
You get the manuals and watch videos online for $27.00 and you can upload the manuals to your computer. This is probably all you will need. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY RELIABLE COMPANY. With effort and practice these things would work.

For $62.00 you can get the videos on DVD and a printed copy of the manual.

The windmill is probably more portable than the solar panels. 
The solar panels need a battery bank which would be difficult to move. 
The windmill is made out of plastic piping and is not too big. It appears to be very light since it is constructed out of plastic piping. The question is where to mount it. It looks like you can attach it to your roof or even sit it on a balcony. Hope this helps


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## tonytbone43

*Power for What???*

I ordered a $57.99 package from Power for Patriots over 8 weeks Ago!! They will not verify my order, they will not communicate with me, "the customer", they will not take care of their business!!

BEWARE ORDERING FROM THIS COMPANY, Glenn Beck you shouldn't advertise with companies that do not stand behind their orders, product, or most importantly, customers!!


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## HoppeEL4

tonyt, sorry to hear this, keep up with trying to communicate with them. I had good luck getting what I did order quickly. I would think it is something they will fix, you need to just keep up on them.

survivor, thanks. I really want to at least try to run our hot water tank on something other than electricity from our company, rates are so high. One brother suggested finding a gas hot water heater and running it on a propane tank. The other brother works installing propane into peoples home and also furnaces, etc...so he could install it and set it up. and of course it would be more efficient in heating the water, but still we have the issue of things like the dryer (we live in rainy Oregon, so 9 months out of the year outdoor drying is not probable and we have no basement to use) and oven, all 2/20.

Another question would be about those goofy compact fluorescent lightbulbs. One brother swears they are a huge savings on his bill, anyone else really see a significant savings with these?


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## nufznuf

I just ordered them, too - I sure hope we get some relief from the high bills.
Lazy L: Fear mongering? Seriously? We ARE in crisis mode when people have to choose between paying the electric/oil bill or buying food - I KNOW people who have to make those choices all winter here in NH!
HoppeEL4: We've switched out all our lights to compact fluorescents and HAVE noticed a difference


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## Sentry18

There sure is a lot of people posting in this thread with only 1 post to their credit. Yes, I have been promoted to Captian obvious. No need to solute me, I work for a living. Sorry for the diversion HoppeEL4, back on topic.


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## pbcteacher14

LOL....crisis mode because there are people struggling with bills......there are ALWAYS going to be people struggling with bills, so are we ALWAYS in crisis mode???


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## HoppeEL4

nufznuf, thanks for the opinion. I have considered it, but they are just so awful when it comes to lighting. Being a northern dwelling person, we have less hours of light here in the winter and it can get downright dreary. Incandescents give out fantastic light. What I might do is replace all non direct lighting with them, but my end table lamps and bathroom lighting left with traditional bulbs (I am NOT trying to pretty myself with those CFL's! They make you look like a zombie). This leaves it being few incandescents bulbs so if it makes a difference this might be the way to go.

The other thing we have been trying to practise is unplugging non-used small appliances and things like TV's, etc... Hoping this makes a difference too. One thing we did do which we noticed a difference from a long time ago was not using the heated wash or heated dry cycle of our dishwasher. I soak everything, make sure there is no stuck on stuff, do not waste any hot water on glasses, etc...and then just load and run on all the energy saving modes I can. We cut about $10 a month alone in that. 

My husband said that was not enough, but I reminded him every time we do one more thing to bring it down by another $10, it adds up fast. My biggest problem with soaking stuff is we have an older style small split sink, not big enough to soak big stuff in. So...although we are renters and our landlord is feeling pissy about this property and not wanting anything done to it (she lost money on it, got it as an investment property and then thehousing market crashed, she has not been able to sell it, and heavily overpaid for it to begin with)...I am going to tell the manangement that I am finding a salvage replacement sink, one big sink, that will fit into that counter as-is, and have my brother make sure the plumbing is right underneath. That alone will save us a lot having one big sink tub to soak all in.


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## pvsinger

Hmmmmmm... If you want something "portable", consider a "gasoline" generator and a small producer gas generator. There are plenty of videos on YouTube of people running all kinds of vehicles, from lawn tractors and lawn mowers to cars and even trucks on producer gas. The generator is bulky - much more practical for a fixed installation, and you would still have the trouble of sourcing and cutting wood, and starting and maintaining a fire to generate the gas to run the generator. Many FREE sources exist online explaining how to construct a unit - even FEMA has a guide! (They mounted theirs on a farm tractor)

Another thought - make your own hot water using a (removeable) solar collector on your roof, with a black-painted plastic 55-gallon drum on a wooden platform (to provide flow) running through your bathroom window opening to an alternate spigot/shower head? I showered successfully with a similar setup during Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia for 6 months. A truck pulled up once a day and filled a black-painted 200 gallon tank at the top of a raised platform. Under the tank was a shower spigot with a valve. Plywood was attached around the platform base (with a door) to create a shower stall. Worked great - only problem? Desert nights are cold, and the wind blew right through the (open from the neck up) enclosure. But the water was hot from the sun's daily heating.

My wife grew up in Costa Rica, and I have visited there several times. I've seen many systems similar to what I described 2 paragraphs above in use daily. You should be able to find instructions online. With a collector on your roof to suppliment the heating power of the barrel, should work almost anywhere the sun shines. Hope this gives you a couple of ideas to think about...


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## Startingout-Blair

Pvsinger, didn't you guys have issues with cobras in the showers? We had the same setup in Egypt and had to kill several cobras that got too interested in our water on the ground. Always took a big blade (sword-type) to the showers. Also had some issues with scorpions and spiders.


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## Bidadisndat

I watched the online presentation that this organisation produced and thought their offer might be a good one, however I'm rather wary of giving my credit card details on-line to_ anybody_. Has anyone here taken advantage of their offer, or had any dealings with them?


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## hiwall

They only offer information(somewhat out-dated) that you can get for free other places on the 'net. There is no "secret". There is so much info on solar and wind power generation that you can read for weeks on the subject.


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## blenderbender

*works for me*

Yes, I am new and this is my first post. I scoured the internet for reviews before i decided to purchase, and therefor am expressing my experience with Bates & Co.(Power4Patriots), which follows.

I made the plunge yesterday and ordered the $67 platinum upgrade package which includes all videos on DVD, printed manual, etc. Immediately after ordering I proceeded to watch most of the videos that were immediately made available online. I also did a quick scan of the printed materials online that were in .pdf format. While the videos were professionally done, they were short and there was a lot of time consumed listening to their theme song and staring at their 'logo' between segments. They did give you a pretty good general idea though of what to expect. Anybody relatively handy with tools would find them tedious and boring however. But for the uninitiated I think they are helpful. The printed material in .pdf format seemed quite extensive and well thought out. The sources provided for materials however are lacking. They are very limited and seem proprietary. Best to do your own shopping on eBay, etc. for better prices. After watching the videos and scanning the printed materials I concluded that I didn't require DVD's and printed manuals. I could easily print from the download page anything I required. So I sent an email the same evening to the support email asking if I could modify my order to just the $27 package, which is the CD ROM and online access. First thing this morning I got a reply saying that the order had already shipped (same day) and they would credit my credit card in a few days and requested that I send the materials back and reorder the CD ROM system. I couldn't believe I was getting such quick response to my request. So, I'm a believer... tons of material in an organized fashion at a reasonable price. I'm not sure I would make this kind of offer for a mere $27. Sure, lots of it can be found for free online, but somebody went to a lot of work putting this together. It's pretty basic stuff, but for the 'solar newbie' i think it's a tremendous value.


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## UncleJoe

Merged with first thread on this topic.


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## TheLazyL

nufznuf said:


> ...Lazy L: Fear mongering? Seriously? We ARE in crisis mode when people have to choose between paying the electric/oil bill or buying food - I KNOW people who have to make those choices all winter here in NH!...


When "Fear mongering" tactics are used to scare a consumer into buying, then yes I'm serious.


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## LincTex

pvsinger said:


> A truck pulled up once a day and filled a black-painted 200 gallon tank at the top of a raised platform. Under the tank was a shower spigot with a valve.


Are you *SURE?????*

Because here in Texas, a plain ol' light *BLUE* (not painted black) 55 gallon barrel full of water in direct sunlight on a hot day will get hot enough to SCALD - - way over 120 degrees. I found this out the hard way!

A raised black barrel (old water heater tank) is how I make hot water... but damn, it MUST be mixed with cold water, because straight out of the tap will scald the crap out of you.


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## LightWorker

is anyone willing to share the 37 critical food items?


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## LincTex

LightWorker said:


> is anyone willing to share the 37 critical food items?


Yes, here you go!!

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f2/what-those-37-mystery-items-11170/


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## LightWorker

LincTex said:


> Yes, here you go!!
> 
> http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f2/what-those-37-mystery-items-11170/


Thank you so very much - I am just beginning my research and collecting on the road to taking responsibility for my personal preparedness. namaste ♥


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## OldRFGuy

So this guy has put together information that has been in Mother Earth News for 15 years, adds fear mongering. Watched the whole video for three minutes of knowledge that is everywhere for free if you know how to use Google. You will not be shut down unless the B.S. cops show up , cause you are the king of it. and the drawing you do is highly annoying to anyone with an I.Q. above 60 (the level that qualifies for government disability ) There is some incredibly cool stuff being done, READ!


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## LincTex

OldRFGuy said:


> So this guy has put together information that has been in Mother Earth News for 15 years, adds fear mongering.


Pretty much. A good day spent reading threads on this forum will yield more knowledge, and of higher quality.


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## swasik

*high bills*

I'm a disabled single mom. I get 710.00 in SSI. I pay 300.00 for my land payment and then i pay 368.00on my light bill . i have to beg the government for help already since my accident an now i have to beg for help with my lightbill.



nufznuf said:


> I just ordered them, too - I sure hope we get some relief from the high bills.
> Lazy L: Fear mongering? Seriously? We ARE in crisis mode when people have to choose between paying the electric/oil bill or buying food - I KNOW people who have to make those choices all winter here in NH!
> HoppeEL4: We've switched out all our lights to compact fluorescents and HAVE noticed a difference


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## hiwall

Whoa $368 a month! I don't pay twice that for a year.


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## LincTex

swasik said:


> I pay $368 on my light bill.


*Dang!* 
We live in a 2200 sq foot house built 70 years ago with electric central air/heat, and using wood for primary heat (yes, it is labor intensive) as long as it doesn't get much below 20*F overnight we can keep the power bill under $150. We have electric water heater, cook stove and clothes dryer - - soon to all be changed to natural gas.


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## OHprepper

*Power4Patriots...legit or not...*

does anyone know if this is BS or not? i have thought about it but i am afraid its a scam.


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## Huntmaster

We got it and received everything they said we would...haven't really dove into it yet though...


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## FrankW

What exactly do tey promise?
Its not that magical "electricty machine, that the evil electricity companies dont want you to know about" is it?
I seen some ads for that...


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## zombieresponder

Looks to me like they're selling info you can get for free off the net. Seems a little scammy to me that they have a "are you sure you want to leave" popup when you try to close the page.


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## hiwall

This has been covered in depth on another post. They sell somewhat out-dated info that is widely available for free.


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## OHprepper

Ok, i appreciate the info. I was only attracted to it at all because it was an ad here on this forum. I realize that it is just ad space and anyone can be on it. That's why i asked. And for the person who did buy it, let me know how it turns out,


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## hiwall

Look here

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f16/power-4-patriots-11566/


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## OHprepper

thank you sir. you are a gentleman and a scholar.


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## OHprepper

this message was in another forum..and not related to this post. maybe i put this one in on accident:dunno: so i had to make up something for the 10 character limit..


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## UncleJoe

hiwall said:


> Look here
> 
> http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f16/power-4-patriots-11566/


Merged.....


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## OHprepper

UncleJoe said:


> Merged.....


and thanks for merging them! i apologize for you having to do that on my account.


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## LincTex

BlueZ said:


> What exactly is that magical "electricity machine", that the evil electricity companies dont want you to know about"? I seen some ads for that...


It just looks like a 12vdc to 120vac inverter. 
Ooooooh... the power companies are soooo scared!


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## stoneminer2360

I purchased the $27 pkg and watched the video's. I did some of these projects for the science fairs in school. I am currently building a vertical windmill which will turn even with a slight breeze. They do not need to face the wind. You " DO " need a perminate magnet motor, set it up to run backwards to produce electricity. It works.


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## LincTex

stoneminer2360 said:


> I am currently building a vertical windmill which will turn even with a slight breeze. They do not need to face the wind.


Please start a thread with some pictures here: http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f16/

VAWTs have some interesting challenges: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_axis_wind_turbine


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## helicopter5472

I just ordered the 27 dollar package but upgraded to the 62 dollar package that includes the book They charged me for both the 37 and 62 on my account...What gives


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## LincTex

helicopter5472 said:


> What gives?


I would say you probably used poor judgement when making this purchase. Live and learn. Demand a refund from the seller, and hope for the best.


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## dansedu

I spent the 27 dollars, yes I had to sit through the lengthy, slightly paranoid, marker-doodle sales pitch. I got what I paid for, the videos are informative and easy to follow. I do not like the barrage of follow on e-mails advertising more products that also require you to pay a modest price to "learn the secret", but I believe in people being allowed to be paid for their research and work efforts so whatever.


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## zardac

*I.Q. above 70...*



OldRFGuy said:


> So this guy has put together information that has been in Mother Earth News for 15 years, adds fear mongering. Watched the whole video for three minutes of knowledge that is everywhere for free if you know how to use Google. You will not be shut down unless the B.S. cops show up , cause you are the king of it. and the drawing you do is highly annoying to anyone with an I.Q. above 60 (the level that qualifies for government disability ) There is some incredibly cool stuff being done, READ!


Below 70 is the qualifying standard.

People above 70 may be eligible if they have severe adaptive deficits.


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## azguero

youtube SOLN1 this video combined with the power 4 patriots system if they were to collaborate it could literally change millions of lives, I was thinking of trying to contact them both and get them together and see how many people we could help with times being as tough as they are at the moment


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## OHprepper

Ahhh... Ignore..it is a beautiful feature


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## LincTex

"*NOT* a lunatic"?

What makes you think we believe you aren't one?


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## Krills

I leased solar panels. I prepaid a 20 yr lease so for $5,000 I had a complete solar PV system. because I do not own it, I dont pay for maintenance. My bill has been cut in half for the winter and now going into spring it is going to 0. With net metering I expect about 60% reduction for the year. In addition, I have received $1,500 back because I recommended to 2 people. So for $3500 I have a complete, maintenance free system installed... There are many companies doing it, but I used Sungevity. I am not giving out my reference code that can be used for a discount because I am not selling for Sungevity. But I am very very happy with it.


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## Ezmerelda

HoppeEL4 said:


> ...but still we have the issue of things like the dryer (we live in rainy Oregon, so 9 months out of the year outdoor drying is not probable and we have no basement to use) ...


Do you have access to the attic? You can hang clothes to dry up there, as long as the air is moving and there's enough clearance between the roof and the floor.


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## 24vSystem

Well I personally built a inverter system using trojan 6v batteries.
This system is using 4 batteries in series to produce 24vDc power. Using (7) banks of 4 batteries with my inverter I have days of power on hand without using my generator. Once the batteries are low I use the generator to recharge. 6 hours and I have 24 hour power. My brother in law built my design, while living in Louisiana. When katrina hit he was the only one for 50 miles who had power. The Generator is a tri-fuel model, gasoline, natural gas, & propane. This system is primarily for use in emergency situations. you could operate a system like mine with just 18 gallons of gas for approximately 20 days off the grid. This is using your stored power very conservatively. I have sump pump which operates to keep my basement dry and this is one of the main back-up power feeds. I use the grid to maintain the batteries (equalize) which will keep these batteries powerful for approximatly 20 years. I have had my system since 1999 and it works great. I'm always looking for information to improve but for the most part it always ends the same...Someone giving you a very large presentation which they say will only last 3 minutes which is true however what they don't mention is the other 45 minutes of attempting to provoke you usually by big gov't or fear. Sorry for such a long remark but I really have a system and I really know what I'm talking about


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## LincTex

24vSystem said:


> This system is primarily for use in emergency situations. you could operate a system like mine with just 18 gallons of gas for approximately 20 days off the grid. This is using your stored power very conservatively.


That's a nice system with 28 batteries. If you add some solar panels and use very little power, you would never need to run your generator!


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## d_saum

What the heck is with all the "1" poster newbie folks?


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## LincTex

d_saum said:


> What the heck is with all the "1" poster newbie folks?


Typically, the new "1" post folks fall under two categories:

1) They really ARE new, and it really is their first post. 
The sheople are waking up!

2) Vendors in sheeps clothing, getting a few posts in before hawking their website and getting banned.


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## seanallen

LincTex said:


> Typically, the new "1" post folks fall under two categories:
> 
> 1) They really ARE new, and it really is their first post.
> The sheople are waking up!
> 
> 2) Vendors in sheeps clothing, getting a few posts in before hawking their website and getting banned.


Yup. Thats one of the fastest ways to get ignored and scrolled.


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## d_saum

LincTex said:


> Typically, the new "1" post folks fall under two categories:
> 
> 1) They really ARE new, and it really is their first post.
> The sheople are waking up!
> 
> 2) Vendors in sheeps clothing, getting a few posts in before hawking their website and getting banned.


Yeah.. I mean, I figured that out.. but it just seems odd that there are sooo many "1" posters on this thread that are NOT promoting this product. I'm thinking they googled it, found this site, and created an account just to voice their dismay.

And yeah, I cannot stand when people sign up to push their websites/products.


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## LincTex

d_saum said:


> sooo many "1" posters on this thread.... they googled it, found this site, and created an account just to voice their dismay.


Yeah, most likely. The stupid P4P ad is everywhere.


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