Good evening.
I'm a tooth decay angel, and I'm fully stocked with “Strong Zero” for disaster prevention!
Now, continuing from last time, let's think about how the 1-ton Mini-earth "Biocube", the biggest challenge of my life, will survive the Nankai Trough earthquake.
(1) Basic premise: Assume that the giant acrylic aquarium tank did not break
In reality, if there is a tremor of magnitude 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, even a sturdy acrylic aquarium tank may be damaged.
However, at the moment, I don't really know what effective reinforcement measures there are for this.
I'd like to leave the issue of reinforcement measures for later and think about what would happen if the aquarium itself was safe.
(2) Temperature control crisis
I think this is the biggest challenge to overcome in the event of a Nankai Trough earthquake.
So how does a temperature control crisis occur?
(3) My house is a new building with a seismic resistance rating of 3, but the windows will still break.
The biggest innovation in the Biocube is that it has large windows on the south and west sides, taking advantage of the fact that it is on a corner lot.
If these windows break, air will leak out and the temperature in the room will not be able to be controlled.
Considering various information, in order to keep guppies healthy, it is necessary to keep the temperature in the Biocube at around 23 to 28 degrees Celsius.
It depends on the season, but it is almost impossible to control it in this way when the air conditioning is not working.
(4) Once the shaking stops, just get to the laboratory and repair the windows.
It seems that there is a disaster prevention safety glass on the market that will not break unless something really bad happens.
We are currently considering replacing the window glass, but we will have to prepare for a considerable expense, and we do not know when we will be able to replace it.
So, what I have prepared is a transparent sheet for vinyl greenhouses.
The first thing we should do is cover the windows broken in the earthquake with this sheet so that the air conditioning can function.
Also, there is a possibility of an accident such as the outdoor unit of the air conditioner coming off.
We are also considering earthquake-resistance reinforcement work, but at first glance, just fixing it with wires by DIY seems much better than doing nothing.
(5) Overcome the risk of a major blackout!
And what is frightening is that after a major earthquake, the blackout may continue for one or two weeks.
In preparation for this, we have made our car a plug-in hybrid so that the car can supply power to our home in the event of a disaster.
In this case, surplus power generated by solar power during the day is stored in the car's storage battery, so if we can save and generate electricity well, we may be able to get through a two-week blackout with just this.
If the solar power generation is insufficient, the gasoline will decrease.
For this reason, I usually refuel frequently so that the gasoline tank is not less than three-quarters full.
If I can stock up on gasoline at the same time, I can solve all of this by powering my car.
However, due to the Fire Service Act, the maximum amount of gasoline that an average person can store at home is less than 40 liters, even if they use a gasoline canister.
This is much better than nothing, but whether I can make it last for two weeks depends on saving electricity and the weather.
(6) Problems that mean I can't always take my car home
During a major earthquake, roads are damaged and there are huge traffic jams.
My current workplace is quite far from my home, so if an earthquake were to hit while I was at work, it would not be easy to take my plug-in hybrid home.
Rather, I have to somehow get home on my own while the air conditioning is dead and the Biocube's large heat capacity (its huge size means the temperature doesn't change much) keeps the temperature within a range that doesn't collapse.
It will take more than 10 hours to walk home.
I haven't been exercising much lately, so I'm worried I might collapse on the way.
So I'm going to load up my car with emergency food, water, and an electric-assist bicycle.
This will dramatically increase my chances of getting home.
(7) If you don't have a car, just start a generator!
Now, if you get home without a plug-in hybrid car, how can you turn on the air conditioning during a major blackout?
A generator can be your savior.
In particular, Honda's "Enepo" generator (100,000 yen) is known for its quiet operation and the high quality of the AC voltage it produces.
In addition, "Enepo" runs on gas cartridges, and compared to gasoline, gas cartridges are allowed to be stored in sufficient quantities even in ordinary households.
Why not just use this to run the air conditioner?
If that were the case, it would be easy, but unfortunately, most generators of this type are 100V, and to generate the 200V voltage needed to run the air conditioner, you would need a gasoline-powered generator that is extremely loud and runs out of fuel quickly.
Now you're in trouble.
This is where the spotlight shines on large-capacity portable power sources.
Among the best models of Jacekry's large-capacity portable power sources, there is one that supports a voltage of 100V and two units connected in series (over 200,000 yen).
This would allow you to run an air conditioner, but unfortunately, no matter how large the capacity, it will only last a few hours if you are running an air conditioner.
And there is no way to charge the portable power source during a major blackout.
(8) This is the answer!
This is probably the only smart way to do it.
First, buy two Enepo and two large-capacity portable power sources, and stock up on gas cartridges to the limit.
Then, connect the two large-capacity portable power sources in series and power the air conditioner.
At the same time, power each portable power source from the Enepo and replace the gas cartridges one after another.
With this method, you can probably run the air conditioner for quite a few days.
It would be best if the day came when I would have to use such a technique, but for now I have to do my best before waiting for fate.
I think I'll cancel my fixed-term deposit!
However, it soon became clear that this was not the "solution"!
To be continued!
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On a different note, I have just made my YouTube debut. Although my videos are only in Japanese, I would like to add English subtitles in the future.