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POWER OUTAGE - User experience
djf

Posted on 01/22/2012 8:48:55 AM PST by djf

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To: houeto

I’ve seen that. It’s not much use in this state. The marinas aren’t always listed but they have ethanol free gasoline.


41 posted on 01/22/2012 10:46:46 AM PST by meatloaf
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To: djf
there ya go...
42 posted on 01/22/2012 10:49:09 AM PST by Chode (American Hedonist - *DTOM* -ww- NO Pity for the LAZY)
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To: djf
Good read. My grandparents estate on puget sound south of seatac airport near the big masonic home had in the kitchen a two burner woodstove next to the electric stove and a lovely fireplace in the library for just such storms. As a WA/Seattle area native, ice storms can be severe as I remember.
43 posted on 01/22/2012 10:54:19 AM PST by Conservative4Ever (Waiting for the new tagline to download)
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To: Repeat Offender

I would love to put in a Masonry Heater but they are pricey.

I love my pellet stove (only lug 40# of pellets a day) vs a wood stove. Masonry heaters use wood - but it’d be equal to hauling 40# of wood or less a day :>)- Fill it and forget it.

And they have bake ovens!


44 posted on 01/22/2012 11:16:17 AM PST by libertarian27 (Check my profile page for the FReeper Online Cookbook 2011)
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To: Nebr FAL owner

“LOL I know exactly what you mean. I love Sam’s club, my problem is where do I put all the stuff I want to buy when I go shopping there.”

You also have to not show the world (i.e., visitors to your house) your 4 years worth of non-food supplies. Not always easy. One thing to think about if one is really space-starved (which many of us are) is to store higher quantities of items that require a small volume, like batteries. Other things to think about is storing stuff in attics and outdoor sheds. You can put a lot of stuff in shed, providing your neighbors don’t see you doing it, and no one will ever suspect anything - so the stuff would be safe there. But also, always consider the local climate of where you store stuff - if the shed gets real hot, be sure not to put stuff that would be damaged in the heat (or freeze in the winter).

Inside the living space and garage, one can add cabinets and free-standing closets, to the extent that volume permits.

Things like that...You have to get creative.

And it doesn’t take a huge volume to be well-prepared. In my case, my 4 years worth of paper towels is huge...toilet paper maybe 1/3 as much - but other stuff not so much. If I had less room, then less paper towels, and maybe more cloths, or something like that.


45 posted on 01/22/2012 11:29:19 AM PST by BobL ("Heartless" and "Inhumane" FReepers for Cain - we've HAD ENOUGH)
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To: Repeat Offender
4 feet of snow outside and no way to keep frozen food frozen? Don't worry, she's a public skrewl teacher.

LOL. You have some clueless neighbors. Is she also an obama voter?

46 posted on 01/22/2012 11:53:02 AM PST by matt1234 (Bring back the HUAC.)
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To: djf

We are in south King County in a heavily wooded area. Our power went out Wednesday night. It isn’t expected to come back on until late Tuesday night. We just moved into this house two weeks ago. A generator is on our list but we hadn’t gotten to it yet. Luckily the previous owner left us a cord of wood and we have our camping gear. Good opportunity to try the freeze dried food I’ve been stock piling.


47 posted on 01/22/2012 12:00:54 PM PST by DukeBillie
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To: Repeat Offender

Florida hurricanes have shown it doesn’t even take 24 hours for some people.

I was lucky, only went without electricity for 12 hours two different times. Quite a few friends were without power for up to 3 weeks. the day right after one of the storms we went out to see if we could find anything. Found 1 restaurant open, with no AC. They were selling the heck outta shrimp which had thawed due to the lack of power. The shrimp might not have been spoiled but I chose not to take a chance. Other people weren’t so picky.

No cops were around either so forget calling them.


48 posted on 01/22/2012 12:14:51 PM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: DukeBillie

Fortunately it’s warming up - not much, but some. I’m sure they are making very good progress now, if you go to WWW.PSE.COM there are some Javascript driven maps that will show estimates.


49 posted on 01/22/2012 12:15:52 PM PST by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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To: djf
I'm right there with ya. Got my power back last night after 3.5 days. Snow started here in N. King Co. on Sat. Jan. 14.

You offered many good tips. Here are a few more:

- paper plates, plastic cups, plastic utensils
- camp stove (e.g., Coleman) (use outdoors)
- camp-style percolator

When we lose power, we also lose water because we have a well. I immediately filled my tub, so that I'd have a supply of water for flushing the toilet. (I have an additional emergency supply of water for drinking.) I have been washing my hands regularly--even with snow or roof run-off--so I don't get sick.

BTW, the forecast is for heavy winds today and Tues., so we're not out of the woods yet.

50 posted on 01/22/2012 12:22:01 PM PST by matt1234 (Bring back the HUAC.)
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To: djf

Thanks djf, PSE is saying late Tuesday. The hard part was listening to all the branches breaking off around us. One fell on our son’s truck and missed the windshield by an inch. I haven’t had time to unpack everything so I can find all my supplies. But we are doing well all things considering. Thank goodness for my iPhone and car chargers! I enjoyed your post.


51 posted on 01/22/2012 12:27:08 PM PST by DukeBillie
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To: djf

You will never regret installing a simple wood stove. This 80year old woman has never resided in a home without some form of wood heat. Currently, we have an old fashioned cast iron cook stove and I love it!! Every summer when it is too hot to run the wood stove, I can’t wait til weather cool enough to stoke it up.
Although we have forced hotwater heat, I always have two huge teakettles boiling on my cook stove. Like you, we have a large generator and a smaller one we use for camping, but we use the generators almost solely for refrigerator and freezer. Kerosene lamps are very cozy, nothing worth watching on TV and we have plenty of battery operated radios.
Box stoves that we have had in the past give more heat but are not so practical for cooking and do not provide an oven for baking.


52 posted on 01/22/2012 12:44:28 PM PST by upcountry miss
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To: djf

Glad to hear you’re ok! Thanks for posting about your experience.


53 posted on 01/22/2012 12:54:15 PM PST by EdReform (Oath Keepers - Guardians of the Republic - Honor your oath - Join us: www.oathkeepers.org)
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To: meatloaf
I’ve seen that. It’s not much use in this state.

That's a shame. Works well for us around here. (Pascagoula)

54 posted on 01/22/2012 12:59:15 PM PST by houeto
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To: djf
While visiting my in-laws over Christmas my father in law pulled one of these off the shelf to show it to me:

It's an Aladdin Oil Lamp. In addition to being very bright they put out about 2500 BTUs per hour. They're not inexpensive but they're very well made and, if you enjoy that sort of thing, quite beautiful as well.

There are many sources on the web but you can get them here:

Aurora Oil Lamps

I have no commercial association whatsoever with this company by the way.

55 posted on 01/22/2012 2:02:50 PM PST by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: Lurker

Those are good and are well worth it, a couple quarts of lamp oil could literally last you months.
When I was a kid, if the power went out, we didn’t have fancy generators or propane lamps, we had flashlights and oil lamps.
Not as fancy as this one, but hey, they did the job.

Just a chuckle, though. You still kick yourself in the rear every time you go into a dark room and hit the light switch...

;-)


56 posted on 01/22/2012 2:12:52 PM PST by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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To: djf
The Aladdin's are nice because they use a Coleman type mantle device that glows very, very brightly. They're also completely odorless which standard oil lamps don't tend to be.

I'm going to get a couple of them when finances allow.

57 posted on 01/22/2012 2:51:46 PM PST by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: Lurker
They are the best lamps. Have packed away the standard wick ones to give to neighbors and family. Have one of these:



Will be getting one of these:



These are great lamps, however the prices have increased substantially. The mantels are also very fragile. It is a good idea to stock up on those.
58 posted on 01/22/2012 3:10:32 PM PST by PA Engineer (Time to beat the swords of government tyranny into the plowshares of freedom.)
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To: PA Engineer; Lurker

How is it that they run an oil lamp on a mantle? I don’t get it...


59 posted on 01/22/2012 3:12:36 PM PST by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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To: All

BTW, it would be totally asinine of me to tell this story and not give my (and all, I am sure) thanks to the crews who are out there fighting the weather and conditions and traffic jams... etc. I know nothing about power lines and would probably get killed in the first five minutes if I tried to fix something. We hear about all kinds of heroes, airline pilots, doctors, firefighters, truly many of them are. We curse when the lights go out, curse when we get our power bills, but rarely think about those guys out there in the wind and the rain and the snow and the sleet and the dark fighting something that could kill you in the blink of an eye!

PSE crews!!!
Thanks!!


60 posted on 01/22/2012 3:20:43 PM PST by djf (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2801220/posts)
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