Storm prep, this is getting ridiculous!

[soundmotor]

Not cold but hot. To answer your question, here's what I do...

For the hurricane aftermath, I have a Honda generator that runs on gasoline and I keep it and about 20 gallons of unleaded regular in a shed outside. After the storm, assuming I still have a house, I put the two freezers, the two fridges and the wine cellars and a phone charger on it. I also power a small a/c that cools down the garage so I don't kill everyone I see.

This makes sure I don't lose my expensive ( I don't know about you guys but even $14 dollar bottles add up if you have 100 of them) wine and my mead and any frozen meat I have stays that way. And I can make calls assuming I still have a house.

Once I know my house hasn't been destroyed, I leave. I rent a hotel as close as possible that has power, and wait it out until my RING doorbell and/or neighbors tell me the power is back.

Life is too ****ing short to sweat and not have internet.

Before it dawned on my to run the fridge off my generator we had a pricey food bill. Lost power the day we'd just gone marketing. Our fridge now is well insulated and only needs to be run a few time a day to keep everything fresh so that hasn't happened since.

 

[gadget73]

Camp stove and a perc pot, problem solved. Side burner on a propane grill works just dandy as well, or heck, just plunk the pot right on the grill and use an oven mitt to retrieve it.

Thought for food preservation in the winter, but cardboard boxes are all you need. Put the food outside. if its snowing, the food isn't going to spoil.

 

[soundmotor]

To the OP: safety, safety. safety.
Ditch the oil lamps and use LED. The draw on the generator would be insignificant. You could even go with rechargeable battery-operated LED if you want, and charge them off the generator.
Ditch anything else possible that uses combustion and creates carbon monoxide in the house.
Crap happens and people die from that stuff (CO and fire), even when they are careful.

That's more of an issue with newer construction. Ours was built in 1959, it's anything but hermetically sealed. The CO detectors have never gone off.

 

[soundmotor]

Camp stove and a perc pot, problem solved. Side burner on a propane grill works just dandy as well, or heck, just plunk the pot right on the grill and use an oven mitt to retrieve it.

Thought for food preservation in the winter, but cardboard boxes are all you need. Put the food outside. if its snowing, the food isn't going to spoil.

We have a Coleman metal ice chest that we used to put outside with the lid propped open an inch. Outside does indeed work great. However, we've got an active squirrel population. The last few years they've been out running around in dead winter even though they are supposed to asleep. They'd be all over whatever we put out.

 

[soundmotor]

Just throw another log on the fire.. Fortunately while we do get wind, ice, and snow, because of that perhaps the local utility chose to run the entire area (about 7miles) completely underground. In fact the last utility pole of any kind is 3 miles away. We rarely lose power here and if it does go out it usually is back within 15 to 30 minutes.

Perhaps one thing that helps make our electricity so reliable is that we are not connected to a large grid. Just 2 small towns, about 4000 people total and all run from hydro. Just very stable reliable power without anything from a large grid going down taking large areas with it.

One street over power is underground and they rarely lose power. So annoying to look across the corner and see their lights on.

 

[Bill Ashton]

Last I heard for our area was 5-9" wet and heavy. The mighty Husqy is ready. Send it on down!

 

[savatage1973]

25KWHr diesel Siemens on the pad out back--30 KWHr peak demand--no issues. It just takes me off the grid and runs--275 gal tank of fuel, so no issues there. Gas grilles and smokers, 4 wood burning fireplaces and lots of camping gear. No power, no problem.

 

[soundmotor]

Tesla.....solar panel roof shingles will provide a constant amount of electricity.....as long as you use the right adhesive to keep them on the roof in the first place. You can adapt and overcome....or just get use to handling it the same way as everyone else. Then on top of that for cold country, those heating pads that they put under tile in the bathroom would be great for under solar panel roof shingles to keep the snow and ice off the roof. But the real question is, why do and think the same way as everyone else. We Americans have so many social phobias about so many things while other countries improve socially and technically.....

If we were in AZ or FL I'd consider it. We spend most of the winter with our roof covered in snow and I am not getting up there to clean it off.

 

[soundmotor]

You forgot booze.

Seriously, though, I'm not sure how much I'd ever put into a charging station for what we have around here.

This is "just because, I want to learn how to do it. There is no way I would put in anything larger than I can clean easily and a small panel rig fits that requirement.

 

[canton]

First two storms were WIND wind like nobody's bussiness tearing roofs up shingles flyin all day for two days and of course no electric Generator??/ I don't need no stinkin Generator. Then it was the wind and snow now it was a day of ice good 2-3 inches thick on the car this AM followed now by what else snow. I got enough music to hold me till it passes**%&+@*** shoot man I forgot about those three months of 8 degree's// Minus 10 All that said opening day is only 8 days away no matter what the tempts and all this will be forgotten in 30 days or less. Next report when we hit above 72 degrees.
Time for some hard drivin blues,
Canton

 

[soundmotor]

25KWHr diesel Siemens on the pad out back--30 KWHr peak demand--no issues. It just takes me off the grid and runs--275 gal tank of fuel, so no issues there. Gas grilles and smokers, 4 wood burning fireplaces and lots of camping gear. No power, no problem.

I had a line on an Onan diesel boat generator but it sold before I got to it. There are a lot of that type in New England if you poke around.

Considering I have a 275 gal. oil tank as well, ahem, it's a good choice. Propane is too and one I am thinking about although it is nowhere as efficient as diesel.

 

[Bill Ferris]

LOL! Good job! Now I know where to go next summer! I'll bring booze and vinyl!

No problem Manny, come on up, but no functioning TT here, so you may wish to leave your records stored safely in Miami town..

 

[AdamAnt316]

I've been thinking about similar feed set-up off the main box and may do that this year. It would be a lot simpler.

Yeah, my father installed it back in the '80s. There are multiple parts of the setup. The cable going to the generator connects to a cut-off switch, which is tied to two breakers in the garage service panel near it. The feed from those breakers leads underground into the basement of the house, where it is tied into the main panel between the main breaker and the rest of the breakers.

To accomplish the switchover, you first switch off the main breaker in the house panel, which cuts off power from the street. Then, once the generator is started and warmed up, you throw the cut-off switch (which is normally locked) to supply power from the generator to the house. I don't think it's entirely up-to-code, but it accomplishes the same thing as a standard automatic transfer switch; as long as you're diligent about turning off the main breaker before doing ANYTHING else, it works fine, and doesn't back-feed the line.
-Adam

 

[zebra03]

I keep frozen one gallon jugs in the freezer to help keep things cold when the electric goes out .

 

[soundmotor]

Yeah, my father installed it back in the '80s. There are multiple parts of the setup. The cable going to the generator connects to a cut-off switch, which is tied to two breakers in the garage service panel near it. The feed from those breakers leads underground into the basement of the house, where it is tied into the main panel between the main breaker and the rest of the breakers.

To accomplish the switchover, you first switch off the main breaker in the house panel, which cuts off power from the street. Then, once the generator is started and warmed up, you throw the cut-off switch (which is normally locked) to supply power from the generator to the house. I don't think it's entirely up-to-code, but it accomplishes the same thing as a standard automatic transfer switch; as long as you're diligent about turning off the main breaker before doing ANYTHING else, it works fine, and doesn't back-feed the line.
-Adam

We have a similar setup already as our leach field is up hill so there is a pump for the water. Normally it's run off the mains but in an extended blackout there is a cord that I switch to in order to run the pump off the generator. It disconnects that feed from the mains and routes it to the cord. Most of our neighbors don't have this and cannot use their toilets, showers, or sinks if the blackout goes more than a day. (At our blockparty one year a neighbor was saying that was OK as they'd go up to the market and use those bathrooms. His wife then spent 20 minutes asking me all sorts of questions about our set-up and they now have the equivalent, LOL.)

I want to do something similar (if I don't put in a transfer switch) in order to run the furnace which our hot water is tied into. I'll need to figure out some sort of filtering though as straight generator output can damage the processor for the furnace controller. It isn't a clean sine wave output. Supposedly something as simple as a UPS between the generator and load is all that is needed or I may just pop for a new generator.

 

[jami w.]

That sound's sad. You're welcome to come by!

gives me an excuse since i haven't seen you in a few yrs. at marcus's house i think? you came down an scoped me up. dam i forgot those chicken wings i made were a 100% hit w everyone!

 

[Bill Ferris]

Unless your running a central air conditioner you can get by with lot less than 15kw.

That`s true, I figured my generator capacity based on AC, water heater, possible stove needs, and a dryer, all possibly running at the same time, as happened in 2004, when my mid eighties old Parkinson`s afflicted father had to stay with me during the 3 hurricane`s that blew through my area and knocked out the power for 9 & 1/2 days..
No gas appliances here but the generator..

I`m damn glad I bought 4 100 gal. LP fuel tanks for it`s use.

I even have a backup gasoline fueled 6 kw electric start Coleman as a backup to the backup, or to loan out, if needed, for any neighbors, who are unprepared..
I`m too old and cripple(partially paralyzed) to play load management with a non whole house capable generator, like I needed to before 1999`s purchase of the 25 kw system and I happen to like my life uninterrupted as much as possible during hurricanes..

Lord knows, living in FL. my 63 years, I`ve been through a few, and I`m not a fan of camping/discomfort, especially living alone..

OKB

 

[nj pheonix]

Sitting in the 12-18" zone.
We've ducked the worst of the first 3 Noreasters (knock wood)
Went in to work early this morning. Took care of some things and bailed.
For reasons I'm unaware we seemed to be blessed with solid power (or extremely lucky)
In 11 years we've lost maybe 3 days worth of power over all events combined.
I have been eyeing generators.
I was hoping to put it off until I retire and not have to move it.

 

[jami w.]

~20 years back we got hit with the queen mother of a storm (in April) that left 2 feet! No power for nearly a week. I had no idea what to do. My wife & little ones bailed for my mom's place an hour away and I stayed burning logs in the fireplace to keep the temp above freezing.

Coffee however was Job 1 and non-negotiable. I took 3 tuna cans set up in a triangle and put tealights in that space, lit them, and put a saucepan with a couple inches of water on top of the tuna cans. It took awhile but eventually got hot enough to run through a filter and into a thermos and coffee was made.

i remember that storm as well!! april 1st, got up to go to work as an 18 yr old kid, walked outside fell face first of my porch into 2' deep wet heavy snow. still made it to work on time. my old 1976 ford f250 highboy explorer 4x4

 

[jami w.]

We have a Coleman metal ice chest that we used to put outside with the lid propped open an inch. Outside does indeed work great. However, we've got an active squirrel population. The last few years they've been out running around in dead winter even though they are supposed to asleep. They'd be all over whatever we put out.

mmmmm squirrel stew simmering on the pot