Chris
NES Member
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- May 24, 2005
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Every Fall, I've got into the habit of playing the "what if" games. This is my way of finding the little things that I can do now which would be a nightmare to do if we got socked in this winter. Here is the scenario:
It's Late January 2008.
A massive plume of moisture is coming up from the Gulf and it looks like the high over New England is going to just slide off the Maine coast, but then remain locked in place.
Forecasts which showed a day or so of rain only yesterday are now predicting a snow and ice event which will begin before dawn tomorrow and could last as long as 3 days dumping wave after wave of moisture. Winds could reach 50mph and trees could be entombed in an inch of ice before changing to snow.
You have maybe 12 hours to prepare.
Are you ready?
how would you spend those 12 hours?
Me, I'd install that new chain on the chainsaw if I have not done it yet. Mix up more 2-stroke fuel. I'd run some large cables from the oil burner in the basement outside so that I can get the generator hooked up quickly. (I've built a set of 3-way cables that I can tap my boiler, 1st floor blowers, and well pump in one run. Since hooking it up will require complete disconnect from the panel, It's safe for utility workers. It's just a PIA, although not as bad as I was expecting) The blowers have an outlet on the panel, so I have some limited 120 for other uses.
Only 'purchases' I'd make would be to fill any empty propane, and top off my truck and any empty fuel cans. I'd also swing by the farm and get some extra milk and eggs. That's the one thing my parents needed to go out for back in '78. I'd also see about getting oil delivered if I was below 1/2 a tank. That's about all I'd need to do I think.
I just bought a bunch of candles for our candle lanterns ($15 from EMS and the candles last about 9 hours - perfect for power outages and such) We use them camping too. I've got plenty of Coleman fuel for the big lantern, but that's for use outside if needed, never in the house.
if for some reason the generator failed, I also have almost a cord of seasoned wood. I've stacked at least a day's worth in the garage to keep it dry. I just don't like using the fireplace as it draws a lot of air up the chimney which just cools off the rest of the house.
This summer, we played a lot with outdoor cooking. We did Pizza on the grill and several dishes in the Dutch Oven. Even if our stove stopped working (it's propane) we could still cook.
All in all, with the exception of the mess any large storm causes and one possible Oak tree which could fall and cause us trouble, we're in pretty good shape.
Oh, I've also built a simple cable that allows connection of a car battery (or any large 12v like the lawn tractor or Scooter) to our best portable radio. I'm just going to assume that TV will be out by either power or cable. The generator can recharge the battery by night. The real question is just how long the generator will last. In all my tests, it seems to be pretty efficient. But it's hard to test "actual' conditions.
We have cell service at the house, but as a backup, I can "AutoPatch" to several 2-meter Ham repeaters in the area. Not to mention using the ham radio itself.
About the only thing I'm going to miss in a few years is the truck. I can't justify keeping it just for storms (Man I wish there was a cheaper way to keep a vehicle for occasional use as I would so like to keep that truck, but the $600+ a year for insurance, taxes, etc are killer in this state) Remember that April Fool storm? The Ram drove through that dumping like it wasn't there.
Anyway, what would you need to do?
It's Late January 2008.
A massive plume of moisture is coming up from the Gulf and it looks like the high over New England is going to just slide off the Maine coast, but then remain locked in place.
Forecasts which showed a day or so of rain only yesterday are now predicting a snow and ice event which will begin before dawn tomorrow and could last as long as 3 days dumping wave after wave of moisture. Winds could reach 50mph and trees could be entombed in an inch of ice before changing to snow.
You have maybe 12 hours to prepare.
Are you ready?
how would you spend those 12 hours?
Me, I'd install that new chain on the chainsaw if I have not done it yet. Mix up more 2-stroke fuel. I'd run some large cables from the oil burner in the basement outside so that I can get the generator hooked up quickly. (I've built a set of 3-way cables that I can tap my boiler, 1st floor blowers, and well pump in one run. Since hooking it up will require complete disconnect from the panel, It's safe for utility workers. It's just a PIA, although not as bad as I was expecting) The blowers have an outlet on the panel, so I have some limited 120 for other uses.
Only 'purchases' I'd make would be to fill any empty propane, and top off my truck and any empty fuel cans. I'd also swing by the farm and get some extra milk and eggs. That's the one thing my parents needed to go out for back in '78. I'd also see about getting oil delivered if I was below 1/2 a tank. That's about all I'd need to do I think.
I just bought a bunch of candles for our candle lanterns ($15 from EMS and the candles last about 9 hours - perfect for power outages and such) We use them camping too. I've got plenty of Coleman fuel for the big lantern, but that's for use outside if needed, never in the house.
if for some reason the generator failed, I also have almost a cord of seasoned wood. I've stacked at least a day's worth in the garage to keep it dry. I just don't like using the fireplace as it draws a lot of air up the chimney which just cools off the rest of the house.
This summer, we played a lot with outdoor cooking. We did Pizza on the grill and several dishes in the Dutch Oven. Even if our stove stopped working (it's propane) we could still cook.
All in all, with the exception of the mess any large storm causes and one possible Oak tree which could fall and cause us trouble, we're in pretty good shape.
Oh, I've also built a simple cable that allows connection of a car battery (or any large 12v like the lawn tractor or Scooter) to our best portable radio. I'm just going to assume that TV will be out by either power or cable. The generator can recharge the battery by night. The real question is just how long the generator will last. In all my tests, it seems to be pretty efficient. But it's hard to test "actual' conditions.
We have cell service at the house, but as a backup, I can "AutoPatch" to several 2-meter Ham repeaters in the area. Not to mention using the ham radio itself.
About the only thing I'm going to miss in a few years is the truck. I can't justify keeping it just for storms (Man I wish there was a cheaper way to keep a vehicle for occasional use as I would so like to keep that truck, but the $600+ a year for insurance, taxes, etc are killer in this state) Remember that April Fool storm? The Ram drove through that dumping like it wasn't there.
Anyway, what would you need to do?