JUST got power back!

[Reverenddel]

Things I have learned:
-Camping Skills translate.
-Kids that are gamers FREAK out.
-I hate restaurants right now. I prefer prepping my own meals.
-Kids, and Girlfriends do NOT like MRE's, and MH (mountain house meals).
-Slept with the windows open for the first time in 25 years.
-Naps during the day, because I sleep like poop with windows open.
-I get bored, I go to sleep. Kids get bored, they wake me up.
-Prep better. Battery operated fans are great! Till you start running out of batteries. (looking at solar powered charger).
-Watching people freak who didn't prepare is schadenfreude at it's best.
-I miss BBC's "Top Gear". That's it. Watched three episodes as soon as the power came back on.
-A loaded pistol is your "safety blanket" when coming home to a house without power, phone, cable... The security system is nice? A Colt Mustang is better.

[SHMIV]

What? Kids don't like MRE's? What's the matter with kids, these days? When I was a kid, I loved MRE's... it was tough guy food, or something, lol...

Glad you got power back.

[Jakeiscrazy]

I like this format lets keep it going.

I learned:
-My alarm system was worthless after the 24 hour backup died. So rifles and kept closer than normal.
-I may be able to have a solar charger for the alarm system.
-I'm definitively tired of restaurants also.
-Generators are loud, even louder if you don't have one.
-Home Depot is surprisingly well stocked for the flood of people wanting gens, chainsaws, and other various things.
-I like chainsaws and they work well.
-I need some of those felling wedges.
-Hammocks are easily made of of old sheets.
-People look at you weird when your in a homemade hammock, in your front yard.
-I would like a generator but I want to run it with a 220 cord into my breaker panel. I think I need an interlock switch and a few other things.
-Comcast runs their lines practically under trees. A falling tree pulled up the buried line and my neighbors don't have cable(I have FIOS so I'm good)
-Comcast doesn't really care when there lines get ripped up.
-I could live a few weeks off stockpiled canned food but it wouldn't taste good.
-I love my INTERNET!!!

[Diomed]

What? Kids don't like MRE's? What's the matter with kids, these days? When I was a kid, I loved MRE's... it was tough guy food, or something, lol...

Chicken a la King, baby! Deeee-lish.

I'm sure glad the power never went out for me. The air conditioner crapped out last night, that was bad enough.

[vooduchkn]

I see no mention of water issues. Was it?

[wylde007]

-I would like a generator but I want to run it with a 220 cord into my breaker panel. I think I need an interlock switch and a few other things.

Not necessarily.

I backfeed through the dryer outlet. You will need your own length of 12/3 (10/3 or bigger is better) wire and the appropriate plugs for both the generator and dryer end of your new cord. Always shut off power to the mains so that you do not send current out of the house which has the potential to kill someone working on the downed lines/services.

There should be plenty of links online to search out. It is not the IDEAL setup, but I had most of my house running from a Troybilt 5550 after the storm. Pretty much the only thing it wouldn't power is the AC and blower motor, but they are on the opposite buss from the dryer. When backfeeding through the dryer outlet you can only power whatever is on the same buss. Most modern homes have 220v coming in split into two (2) 110v busses.

I could probably go into more detail if you wanted, or take some pix and send them to you.

[Jakeiscrazy]

-I would like a generator but I want to run it with a 220 cord into my breaker panel. I think I need an interlock switch and a few other things.

Not necessarily.

I backfeed through the dryer outlet. You will need your own length of 12/3 (10/3 or bigger is better) wire and the appropriate plugs for both the generator and dryer end of your new cord. Always shut off power to the mains so that you do not send current out of the house which has the potential to kill someone working on the downed lines/services.

There should be plenty of links online to search out. It is not the IDEAL setup, but I had most of my house running from a Troybilt 5550 after the storm. Pretty much the only thing it wouldn't power is the AC and blower motor, but they are on the opposite buss from the dryer. When backfeeding through the dryer outlet you can only power whatever is on the same buss. Most modern homes have 220v coming in split into two (2) 110v busses.

I could probably go into more detail if you wanted, or take some pix and send them to you.

That's a great idea, gonna look into that a little more. Thanks!

[OakRidgeStars]

Good stuff, guys.

Moved topic to the Survival and Emergency Preparedness (SHTF) section for future reference.

[Reverenddel]

As to water? Not an issue, we're on the city line, and they had a pump station, so we never lost that... doesn't mean I didn't have water back up...

"-Generators are loud, even louder if you don't have one."

NO TRUER STATEMENT MADE! HAHAHAH

Something I thought was funny was the people filling up the day AFTER the situation started! TOO LATE FOLKS! Prices had jumped 20 cent by then!

Another funny situation, the kids (grumbles) wanted PBJ and we had one loaf of bread, we had PLLLEEENNNTTYYYY of MRE's, and MH's. Which before they said "YEAH! We'll be like soldiers." Then? NOPE! WHHHHAAA! I WANT NUGGETS!

Do they frakin' even make a freeze dried/dehydrated "chicken nugget"? !

[OakRidgeStars]

Do they frakin' even make a freeze dried/dehydrated "chicken nugget"? !

That sounds like a D.I.Y. project to me

[wylde007]

As to water? Not an issue, we're on the city line, and they had a pump station, so we never lost that... doesn't mean I didn't have water back up...

Pump stations lose power. Standpipes don't.

[wally626]

Welcome back to he internet, Reverenddel

We only had a short 2 hour outrage at my house, which my generator smoothed over for us. Power was very erratic before it went out, but very smooth after it came back, at least nothing long enough to trip the clocks to blinking. After the big ice storm a few years back (out for 5 days) and Isabel (out for 8 days) I decided I needed a whole house generator. So far it has cost me about $500 per operating hour. Hotels are much cheaper, but it is nice not to have to worry too much about the power.

[Jakeiscrazy]

Welcome back to he internet, Reverenddel

We only had a short 2 hour outrage at my house, which my generator smoothed over for us. Power was very erratic before it went out, but very smooth after it came back, at least nothing long enough to trip the clocks to blinking. After the big ice storm a few years back (out for 5 days) and Isabel (out for 8 days) I decided I needed a whole house generator. So far it has cost me about $500 per operating hour. Hotels are much cheaper, but it is nice not to have to worry too much about the power.

$500????!!!!???? What the heck is the man expense?

[meak99]

I think he's saying that the generator has only been used a couple of hours (since he got it after Isabel and the ice storm)... bringing it's avg operating cost to $500/hr.... i.e. $2000 generator used for 4 hours so far. After 10 hours of use... $200/hr and so on.

[Jakeiscrazy]

I think he's saying that the generator has only been used a couple of hours (since he got it after Isabel and the ice storm)... bringing it's avg operating cost to $500/hr.... i.e. $2000 generator used for 4 hours so far. After 10 hours of use... $200/hr and so on.

O I see, well it will equal out in time. BTW What does you guys think of running one of propane? I read a article recommending it because it runs cleaner. But it seems like it could be hard to store.

[OakRidgeStars]

Most permanently installed home generators run off either propane (LPG) or natural gas (CNG). They are just as reliable as gensets that run off gasoline or diesel.

[wally626]

Right, the hour rate is cost to install, plus yearly maintenance, plus natural gas divided by the number of operational hours. So far we have used it for 9 hours during power outages, it also runs 10 minutes a week to keep things operational.

I calculated that at full power it would run about $70 per day for natural gas. During normal use of course it is not going flat out, but it does rev up a bit when the AC kicks in.

As far as LPG for generators it does give more power and of course you are not reliant on the natural gas company to keep the gas flowing. If I was in an area with strong earthquake threat a LPG system makes much more sense (if you can keep the LPG tank from getting knocked over), but storms do not typically knock out local NG distribution. Of course if you use LPG anyway for your home heating and cooking, then of course go with LPG generator. I have not calculated how many gallons a day it would take to run one, but that may be a consideration on the size of tank you would want to install.

[Reverenddel]

I have back ups for my backups. I kept drilling into the kids heads on every question of why I have so many "X".

One is None. Two is One. Three is Done.

Hhhmmmm, thinking I may have to attempt some Dehydrated Nugget action attempts.