Caught with your grid down; SMILE

11-23-2008, 02:13 AM

Remember the great Missouri ice storm, or the hurricane
that trashed the power grid in Seattle? We do. We had
propane and couldn't use it because our propane heaters
are computer controlled. Our propane oven didn't work because most new ovens today are fired with an electric glow bar and are computer controlled.

We didn't have to leave the house because the house was wired for solar and generator power. Four deep cell batteries kept the lights and internet running. The generator ran the electric pump and refrigeration. It took about six hours per day to keep the batteries charged. Our heat came from the wood stove. We basically lived in one room and woke up with frost on the inside of the windows. That event set us on the path we follow today.

We listened on our (now dead) Baygen freeplay crank radio to a local station that was up on generator power.
Callers were reporting that their toothpaste was freezing in their bathrooms, and folks were hanging out a Costco to keep warm. There was no gasoline to be had because the pumps are powered by electricity. Safeway lost their entire refrigerated inventory. We had about thirty five gallons of gasoline on hand at the onset and so were able to coast through the entire seven winter days without power or access to our propane. Stores could not process credit transactions so if you did not have cash you couldn't buy anything.

Thank heaven we had two generators! The dog had chewed the wires from the generator head to the plug, so we had purchased a fancy new one with battery crank start. Water in the gas FRIED the new generator. Lucky for us I had repaired the wires on the old one. But it did mean that Deb couldn't get it started because she's not strong enough to pull it fast enough to turn it over.

Which bring me to a really cool product that filters water out of fuel.

If you are depending on generator power to see you through, unless it is running on propane you had best get one of these.
http://www.mrfunnel.com/

We are highly dependent on kerosene this year. I can tell you that a pan half full of water and fuel no longer goes to waste. ALL the kero brought up to the house is run through this filter before it gets anywhere near our heaters or lamps. The same now goes for any gasoline that goes into the generator.

sunflower · 11-23-2008, 03:17 AM

Hi Baggywrinkle, your experience brought back memories of the ice storm we experienced in Quebec a few years ago. We had to drain the pipes and leave our home after three days because the fireplace was useless. That taught us a good lesson. Heat is essential in our part of the world in winter! We stayed with friends and relatives for two weeks. Yes, our home was one of the last to regain power. Our home is usually heated with electric rads and a heat pump.

From that experience we learned: the fireplace was improved so that heat no longer goes up the chimney but radiates out into the room even when the fan doesn't work. We keep a year's supply of wood on hand and boxes of eco logs in the basement. This would keep two rooms heated (den and kitchen)and we have rolls of heavy vinyl to block off the rest of the house if need be. We are planning to have a grate installed in the ceiling (den) so one bedroom upstairs could also be used.

We have good quality camping gear including hand-cranked radio, flashlight, water filters and portable stoves. We are buying a battery type generator soon and plan to purchase solar panels etc in the near future. We can live without tv but we would seriously suffer from computer deprivation!

View Poll Results: How long could you go without power
Forever, we are independent of the grid	4	33.33%
1 month or more	5	41.67%
2 weeks or more	1	8.33%
1 week or more	2	16.67%
less than one week	0	0%
Save a cot for me at the local shelter	0	0%
Voters: 12. You may not vote on this poll

11-23-2008, 02:13 AM	#1
Baggywrinkle Guest Posts: n/a	Caught with your grid down; SMILE Remember the great Missouri ice storm, or the hurricane that trashed the power grid in Seattle? We do. We had propane and couldn't use it because our propane heaters are computer controlled. Our propane oven didn't work because most new ovens today are fired with an electric glow bar and are computer controlled. We didn't have to leave the house because the house was wired for solar and generator power. Four deep cell batteries kept the lights and internet running. The generator ran the electric pump and refrigeration. It took about six hours per day to keep the batteries charged. Our heat came from the wood stove. We basically lived in one room and woke up with frost on the inside of the windows. That event set us on the path we follow today. We listened on our (now dead) Baygen freeplay crank radio to a local station that was up on generator power. Callers were reporting that their toothpaste was freezing in their bathrooms, and folks were hanging out a Costco to keep warm. There was no gasoline to be had because the pumps are powered by electricity. Safeway lost their entire refrigerated inventory. We had about thirty five gallons of gasoline on hand at the onset and so were able to coast through the entire seven winter days without power or access to our propane. Stores could not process credit transactions so if you did not have cash you couldn't buy anything. Thank heaven we had two generators! The dog had chewed the wires from the generator head to the plug, so we had purchased a fancy new one with battery crank start. Water in the gas FRIED the new generator. Lucky for us I had repaired the wires on the old one. But it did mean that Deb couldn't get it started because she's not strong enough to pull it fast enough to turn it over. Which bring me to a really cool product that filters water out of fuel. If you are depending on generator power to see you through, unless it is running on propane you had best get one of these. http://www.mrfunnel.com/ We are highly dependent on kerosene this year. I can tell you that a pan half full of water and fuel no longer goes to waste. ALL the kero brought up to the house is run through this filter before it gets anywhere near our heaters or lamps. The same now goes for any gasoline that goes into the generator. Last edited by Baggywrinkle; 11-23-2008 at 02:29 AM.

11-23-2008, 03:17 AM	#2
sunflower Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 443	Re: Caught with your grid down; SMILE Hi Baggywrinkle, your experience brought back memories of the ice storm we experienced in Quebec a few years ago. We had to drain the pipes and leave our home after three days because the fireplace was useless. That taught us a good lesson. Heat is essential in our part of the world in winter! We stayed with friends and relatives for two weeks. Yes, our home was one of the last to regain power. Our home is usually heated with electric rads and a heat pump. From that experience we learned: the fireplace was improved so that heat no longer goes up the chimney but radiates out into the room even when the fan doesn't work. We keep a year's supply of wood on hand and boxes of eco logs in the basement. This would keep two rooms heated (den and kitchen)and we have rolls of heavy vinyl to block off the rest of the house if need be. We are planning to have a grate installed in the ceiling (den) so one bedroom upstairs could also be used. We have good quality camping gear including hand-cranked radio, flashlight, water filters and portable stoves. We are buying a battery type generator soon and plan to purchase solar panels etc in the near future. We can live without tv but we would seriously suffer from computer deprivation!