Today I am prepping by seeing how things go in an actual power outage. 7.5 hours so far, and no sign of anyone fixing anything.
The first thing I did was turn the bypass valves on the radon removal machine because it has a useless 1 gallon pressure tank. That way I am using the 36 gallon main pressure tank without this radon contraption in the way. So I at least have water for a while if I am careful. Someday, I need to get that interlock installed and a larger generator so I can power the well pump and boiler for short periods of time.
Next, snow blowing. That thing is hard to start without using the electric starter, but I managed.
Next, I set up the generator. The Honda eu2000i has the pellet stove, refrigerator, lamp and device chargers going just fine. I ran a cord under the window, using a towel to block the gap. Extension cords are all over the floor. The generator is on the covered porch but snow still lands on it. I really need to make that generator shed I keep postponing. For now, a fold up table is over it. I tried connecting power to the cable modem, just out of curiosity. It is down. I am using a tablet with mobile broadband.
Next, eat. The stove is electric so I used a camping stove to boil water and eat mountain house food. I opened the garage door and did it in the garage. No thanks I'm not cooking under the heavy snow. Screw the code violations, I'm plenty safe. The stove, which is a new one (Camp Chef), worked great. But the flame is wider than my little camping pots that I usually take camping with a hikers stove. I should look into wider pots. Also I somehow seem to be low on LP, time for a refill this week. I should have a few hours of cooking time remaining.
Next, I chained the generator to the house. And, I am, getting a bit bored. I'll go read the kindle or something.