Posted on 02/23/2021 9:04:42 AM PST by Kaslin
Thanks to experience with numerous hurricanes, we were prepared for the Texas power outage and no one slept in the cold at our house. When you are prepared, three days is not that bad.
I have lived along the Gulf Coast my entire life, mostly in the Houston Area. I lived and worked in Louisiana when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Gustav slammed into South Louisiana and have learned from my successes and failures and those of my friends.
After moving back home to Texas and a long period of relatively quiet storm activity, Hurricane Harvey was a test of different beast until one of the coldest winters in Texas history. Every storm has taught me that you need to have a plan to survive on your own or as a group for two weeks. I’ve also learned you can spend as little as $200 to survive with no city water, no power, and no heat for three days in zero-degree weather.
Every storm, and the periods afterward, have taught me something new to apply to my preparations for the next one. I’ve found that simple is better, something is going to happen that you did not plan for, and you or your friend group must solve your problems instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you.
Fresh out of college and with no preparation when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, I evacuated back to Texas. I learned that you should have a plan to evacuate for hurricanes and arrive back home with a plan to survive for weeks.
When I arrived back in Louisiana for work, some areas recovered quickly and others were figuring out they were going to have no power, water, or services for the long haul. A common generator theft resulted in the unsuspecting homeowner waking up to no power and a lawnmower running in their backyard to replicate the white noise of the generator while its owners were sleeping.
Lessons: Be prepared for long-term survival and buy a lock for the generator.
After the hurricane passed, I arrived in Houma, Louisiana after evacuating while carrying all my preparations to survive for two weeks, some of which I still have today.
One thing I was not ready for was the lack of gasoline and communication systems to support credit card transactions. My lessons learned were to have cash and keep more than ten gas cans (I currently have 13).
Owning simple, shelf-stable foods was a big advantage when trying to repair our home after storm damage with no power. Our friend group pooled resources and repaired each other’s fences and roofs after the storm, saving so much heartache and money.
Lessons: Cash and gas make good friends.
Even though we did not lose power with Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I was not prepared to wake up to water in the street at the time. Many people woke up with two options: evacuate via boat or wade through water.
I had purchased a water transfer pump before the storm, which saved an entire cul-de-sac from flooding due to a stopped-up storm drain. I learned rain gear does not keep you dry when walking in water.
As part of a small group that was doing high-water rescues all over Houston, I learned to buy dry bags and waterproof waders with booties in them as well as personal flotation devices. You never know when you will have to walk out of your house in hard rain, and you will be thankful that you are dry in that moment. Also, buy flood insurance. Many, many people learned that very expensive lesson during Harvey.
Lessons: Be prepared to evacuate your home in the rain. Know where high ground is located and how you are going to get there. Buy flood insurance.
By the time COVID-19 hit, my wife and I had started to focus on shelf-stable foods and a full pantry. When the crunch on water, food, and toilet paper hit, we saw the need to own more-significant water filtration and storage because water bottles are a temporary solution and people were waiting in lines for hours for these basic necessities.
We purchased a Lifestraw Pitcher and then the Lifestraw Community filter so we would not have to run out to buy water, but could store water in five-gallon cans and have the ability to filter rainwater. In Houston, a major water main broke, shutting off water to most of the city, amplifying a panic that was already slowly building in the early days of COVID-19.
Lessons: Water filtration and toilet paper are highly valuable resources.
Due to the storm, our family, which includes an 18-month-old and a newborn, were out of power at 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 14. We were out of power with snow and freezing temperatures for 41 hours before the power came on for eight, then was off for 18 hours, before staying on—for now. The water pressure went to a trickle for us after the first day and much sooner than that for other folks.
We were prepared for the power outage and no one slept in the cold at our house. When you are prepared to be self-sufficient for two weeks, three days is not that bad. Here is what we did, and then I will explain how you can do it for far less.
Generator: We purchased a Winco HPS12000HE Tri-Fuel Generator in 2016 after a bunch of research. Generators are tricky in that fuel demand can be an issue in a disaster area if it is too big, but too small of a generator limits what you can operate in your home. As it was, our Winco burned one gallon of gas per hour, and in a prolonged power-outage we could have swapped to natural gas.
A carbon monoxide monitor is a necessity with a generator. Also, hire an electrician to connect your generator to your house or show you how. It is a simple installation and it will make your life so much easier versus cords everywhere in your home.
Water: We had already filled one of the bathtubs before the power went out, an old hurricane preparation trick, so we could maintain functioning toilets. It quickly became clear we would need water for the long term.
Melting snow and ice on the roof during the day was a significant resource, and we just needed to collect it. I emptied six IRIS 82-quart totes and started stationing them on downspouts of the gutters and other places. In 24 hours, we had collected 120 gallons of water, of which we used a small portion for flushing toilets and bath water.
In the South, crawfish pots are fairly commonplace and we have one for our annual crawfish boil. We used the crawfish pot to boil the water and then used it for baths and rinsing dishes. We used one tote for scrubbing dishes and the sink with boiled rain water for rinsing.
I can’t cut off the main power coming in and I am not paying a $1,000 to do it.
Apparently this make you a criminal, maybe a attempted murder according to some around here....
Why can’t you cut off the power coming in ?
The three conductors between the meter and the panel -- there is no cutoff. There is no cutoff switch between the meter and the transformer. The only way to allow me safely work on the main panel is to call the power company and have it temporarily disconnected, I guess at the transformer. TO MUCH FREAKING TROUBLE.
OK, see that’s the problem. You’re unwilling to open the panel live (a good idea not to) because it could put you or others at risk for a shock or electrocution from 220 volts but you don’t fully appreciate the risk your suggested set up has to a lineman. If, and yes it is an if, the main was closed it would send 220 volts to the grid and neighboring homes until it hit the first transformer where it would then be stepped up to whatever the normal primary voltage is, thousands of volts. You could blow the transformer out in the street - about $7,500 plus fines.
A couple of other things to consider:
The 2020 code now requires an exterior electrical shutoff for all one and two family homes. By doing so it is now possible to have a panel inside without a main breaker - anyone could simply come by and flip the outside switch on while the transformer was running.
An exterior disconnect is now required on all generators over 15 KW. Some utilities require them on all generators with proper labelling and some require they be lockable.
A dryer outlet is usually rated for only 30 amps, what if somebody rigged a generator that delivered 50 amps ?
Is it a 3 wire or 4 wire configuration, backfeeding into a main panel or a subpanel ?
I have a pellet boiler that needs a clean power and proper grounding from a generator due to its electronics, other homes have other issues, needs.
$1000 is small potatoes compared to having a panel blowup in your face or a lineman getting zapped in a snowstorm, damage done to your appliances, especially if your panel hasn’t been upgraded in twenty or so years -oh and now surge suppression is required.
The ESFI doesn't even mention injury from residential generators back feeding power lines. I wonder why?
Well I suppose the dryer's 30 amp breaker would pop. Just a hunch....
Well I have used my generator about 10 times in 20 years for a total of about 25 days of generator running time with no problems. I must be doing something right...
French press. I thought about this because we just got a small used camper, and I don’t want to run the power or gas if I don’t have to (I fear I’ll blow the thing up) - especially if we have a campfire going. So I figure on heating water on the campfire, and using a french press. I spent some time learning to cook (cast iron pans) over a wood fire on our grill a couple of years ago. It’s certainly not rocket science, but you have to mind the fire closely. The results are satisfying. :)
“I must be doing something right... ”
Or you’ve been lucky.
L
LOL, you keep digging.
You’re backfeeding a dryer receptacle which is meant to provide power to a dryer not for providing power to the house from a generator or some other power source (violation 1), from a male plug potentially exposing people to live parts(violation 2). You’re backfeeding into a panel where more than likely the breaker hasn’t been installed correctly with a retainer screw or clip for backfeeding (violation 3), most likely the breaker isn’t even rated for backfeeding (violation 4). There’s a good chance that if your installation is twenty plus years old the breaker fails for mechanical reasons and there’s a 50 / 50 chance the breaker installed isn’t listed for the panel it’s in.
When the insurance company refuses to pay off your fire claim for $100,000, $200.000 0r $500,000+ just remember you saved $1,000 by doing it yourself.
Some of my favorite sayings from potential customers:
“I’m an EE, I know things”
“The kid at Home Depot said”
“The other electrician said he could do it for......”
“What do I need smoke detectors for, I’ve never had a fire”
“I have all the parts and just need you to do the work in the box”
LOL, keep going champ !
You pull the meter off of the meter base to make the leads form the transformer to the panel mains cold. No need to disconnect any conductors.
They have sterno "things" that we used for camping. I think you can do coffee on that ...but really, our last blackout...because I could, I drove to McDonalds and got a large coffee.
I do like the idea of the French Press.
I talked to a guy that is a former lineman. He said they treat every line they work on as if it is hot and ground it. He said if you managed to back feed a circuit that they were working on it would pop the generator breaker or just smoke it.
Bump for later
If you turn off, open the main panel breaker you have "safed" your house. You can then power your house with generator safely. One rule to follow, not too hard to do.
Hahaha! Well a few years back, our area - not in a flood zone - experienced not one, but two HUGE floods. Totally wiped out so much of the area, and shut down every thing for weeks. I recall driving a couple of towns over to go visit a family member, and wanting to get some coffee from the McDonalds. Pulled up to the drive thru, and it took a hot minute to realize that it was still closed due to the flood. I was sort of pissed. Coffee. Man!
Anyway - look up how to make a “stove” with a coke can. And how to make a wood rocket stove with a couple of cinder blocks and some twigs.
Scare tactics. F U pal.
Thanks. But why bother I am not doing anything unsafe. I only use my generator a few times a DECADE.
Sparky LOL!!!
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