What is an EMP Shield (And Do I Need One?) — Homesteading Family

If you’re wondering what an EMP is and whether you should investigate it, this podcast is for you. If you think this doesn’t pertain to you, let me ask you if you feel like your appliances or electronics aren’t lasting as long as they used to. It could be due to small electrical power surges coming into your home every day, overtaxing those appliances!

In this podcast interview, we’re answering all your questions like, “What is an EMP?” “How serious is the threat of an EMP?” And, why you might want a whole-home EMP shield.

What is an EMP?

Perhaps you’ve heard of nuclear EMP, high altitude EMP, electromagnetic pulse EMP or an EMP attack. But what is an EMP? An EMP is an electromagnetic pulse or a wave of energy. An example of an EMP could be a bolt of lightning, a CME, a solar flare (solar storm), electrical surges or even a tiny EMP from starting your car.

There’s also something known as a HEMP, which is a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse. A HEMP is a low-probability but high-impact event.

An example of a HEMP would be a nuclear bomb that’s detonated 300 miles above Kansas City. You wouldn’t see it or hear it, yet the effects of that bomb would send down a series of waves (E1, E2 and E3) which have different characteristics:

• E1 – This is a super fast wave of power with a lot of voltage that’s moving at 90% of the speed of light. It’s very damaging because most surge protectors aren’t built to deal with that kind of energy. This wave will burn up any microelectronics, which will become useless.
• E2 – This is considered a “slow wave,” which can be weather-related, but it will still be over within one second. It’s similar to a lightning bolt and is the easiest to deal with in terms of surge suppression or protection. Although, if you read actual warranties, most of them do not protect against weather-related items.
• E3 – Think about a nuclear bomb going off in our atmosphere. This explosion could actually flex the magnetosphere, and when that power snaps back, it would create waves of energy. These waves could last for a series of minutes to hours. The amount of damage this would cause is predicted to put us back into the dark ages and is considered catastrophic.

This isn’t to evoke fear but rather to promote understanding of what kind of damage this would cause to our infrastructure. Remember, a HEMP is a low-probability but high-impact event.

What Are the Realities of an EMP Event?

In 1859, the Carrington Event occurred, a solar storm that burned all the telegraph operators.

According to the experts, it’s not a matter of if another solar storm will happen again but when. In fact, we get hit with solar flares all the time. It’s just that they’re hitting the wrong side of the Earth or aren’t strong enough to get past the Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field to cause damage or destroy anything.

In 2014, a solar storm bigger than the 1859 Carrington Event missed hitting the Earth by two weeks.

Those are low-probability events, but what about high-probability events like lightning? According to Tag, there are over $1 billion in claims paid out due to lightning damage. Over 40 million strikes occur annually in the United States alone.

A big lightning bolt can have a billion volts of electricity. There are cases where lightning strikes the ground and then comes up through the grounding rod into the home.

While an unplugged laptop or phone may be just fine, if either of those are plugged in, they’ll be toast. So, the electronic footprint (size) matters, as well as whether it’s plugged in or not.

Why Would You Want an EMP Shield?

It all comes down to protection. Every day, our homes get small power surges through the electricity lines. Most of them are so small that we don’t even notice them. Have you ever looked up and noticed your lights flicker? That’s usually due to a small surge.

If that surge gets big enough, it could cause damage, but what’s more concerning to our homes are the repeated small surges that can shorten the duration of your electronics. By adding a surge protector, we can essentially extend the life of our electronics and appliances.

As we become increasingly dependent on electricity, with the common household having way more electronic devices than those 40 or 50 years ago, these demands have not been updated by the power grid and the systems are taxed.

Beyond that, Tag shared that the EMP Commission, which is the commission put together to study these kinds of events, said that if a HEMP event happens, 90% of the population would be dead in 12 months. Remember, you don’t hear it, see it or feel it, but people would die because nothing would work – no cars, hospitals, communication, etc.

How Does an EMP Shield Work?

On any given model of an EMP Shield, there is a clamping level. You can think of it like an over-pressure valve on a hot water heater that keeps the water heater from exploding. When the voltage coming into the home exceeds the clamping point, it dumps the excess electricity and doesn’t allow more to come through.

Depending on the model, EMP shields are installed on a Smart Meter on the electrical box or at the breaker box. Smaller models can also protect data for a computer sitting right by your desk.

Tag shared that new building codes in many states are requiring whole-home protection. He says it will soon be as common as a smoke detector in a home.

What is a Faraday Cage?

A Faraday cage is essentially a metal bubble. It’s something you can buy or build yourself that will protect whatever electronic device is inside of it. The downside to these is that the electronic device is unusable while it’s in the Faraday cage.

Faraday cages can be built out of a metal trash can, Army military cans, tinfoil or even copper mesh. When a surge comes, this cage will protect whatever is inside.

You could put a backup phone, laptop (with files), HAM radio, etc., inside a Faraday cage. These are all great examples of how we can be prepared for an event like this.

What Good is an EMP Shield if the Grid Goes Down?

If you have any kind of off-grid power, you might want to consider having an EMP Shield protecting those backup sources of power. Tag has eight EMP Shields across his property. One is protecting his well, one protecting his solar, protecting his charge controllers, etc.

These shields will protect those alternative methods of power if the grid goes down.

Let’s say the grid does go down; how far down the list of priorities do you think you’d be for the power company to get your power back on? For us, we know we’re the last priority due to our remoteness and the fact that we’re at the very end of our electricity line.

Where to Buy an EMP Shield

As you know, we love shopping for products that are Made in the USA. Tag shared that 98% of the products used to make the EMP Shields are manufactured in the USA. However, there are 2% of the products that fluctuate where the availability comes from. That being said, 100% of the products are sourced in the United States, and 0% come from China.

I highly recommend you check out EMP Shield. Depending on your needs, you have multiple options to buy from, and he’s generous enough to offer our viewers $50 off with coupon code “HomesteadingFamily“.

About Tag

Tag and his wife Bee live on an off-grid homestead in the beautiful Midwest. Through their efforts and those of their community, they are pursuing a life away from the system. Their journey focuses on food, energy and financial independence.

Tag says he’s “a recovering financial executive.” He spent 23 years of his life running financial holding companies. When he was forced to mandate the vaccine for all his employees, he instead chose to exit the system and live a Life Done Free.

Check out our previous interview we did with Tag and learn how to go off-grid with solar power.

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