OT, Oh Crap, Now We Have An Ice Storm On The Way

[The Daring Dufas]

There is a winter storm warning in effect for Alabamastan. All sorts of schools, government offices and businesses will not open tomorrow Tuesday 2/11/2014 and everyone is freaking out and they don't want a cluster coitus like what happened the last time snow fell. What may happen is nothing which I've seen before when the weather mavins predicted heavy snow and people ran around like ants from a disturbed ant hill cleaning out the grocery stores. People were really angry at the weather sorcerers that time. ^_^

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

The last one ought have been the caution. Have water and food stored at home at all times. I heard on the radio, that Georgia is preemptively declaring state of emergency to get ahead of things.

[The Daring Dufas]

Ice not snow is expected and that's something that may knock out power. I have natural gas heat but if the power goes, I may go bonkers without my computers running. ^_^

TDD

[Stormin Mormon]

Much the same here. I remember the one ice storm, I brought my computer home from the repair guy. Plugged it into the generator, had dial up land line at the time. I had fresh OS, so I program my outlook express, and download my emails. Got about six virus in that email batch, and had to take the computer back. Next time load anti virus before check email. sigh.

[Stormin Mormon]

I have natural gas range, but that doesn't get heat all the way to the bedroom. I'd love to put in a vented heater by the bedroom door, but I can't afford the heater, at the moment. Life is never perfect, during a power cut.

I need a big warm dog.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per The Daring Dufas:

We just finished five days without electric.

I was *really* glad I had one of these:

and one of these:

The transfer switch came after a couple of years' running extension cords through windows. Money well spent IMHO.

After 5 days of getting up at 0200 to re-fuel, the next thing will be one of these:

[The Daring Dufas]

My 11 pound attack dog has a normal body temperature of 102.5°F and she's like a four legged hot water bottle. I can wake up and find that she has burrowed under the covers and curled up next to me. I suppose Sandy is the only female of any species who really loves me. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

That little generator might run a furnace blower motor. What have you used it to run? The largest generator I installed for a home was a 40kw Kohler and it would run everything in the house. I got my late friend GB to build a doghouse that matched the home as a cover for the big genset. ^_^

TDD

[Julie Bove]

Eh. I just go to bed when the power goes out. We have electric heat and it gets cold! Does your gas heat stay on when the power goes out? When it goes out at my mom's house, she loses her heat.

[Stormin Mormon]

Good idea, not having to go outdoors for your

2 AM pee wake up.

[Stormin Mormon]

(Honda inverter generator)

(transfer switch)

(extended run fuel tank)

I think that you'd appreciate the natural gas connection. Must be nice to have a constant energy supply without the trips to queue up at the gas station. That is, if you can find a gas station that has power, gasoline, and is in operation.

[Stormin Mormon]

That's nice, that you found true love after all these years. Some day maybe I will.

[Stormin Mormon]

I heard on the radio that a lot of northern Pennsylvania and southern NYS lost power in the last week due to the storm. Hope they are OK, it's 12F at night here.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'm not (Pete) but my finding is that a 1200 watt ETQ brand gas mixer generator did run furnace for a friend of mine. Big belt drive blower, too.

I've not tried refrigerators, though. They take more start up current.

The doghouse sounds like a good idea for cover. Might muffle the sound, also.

When the power goes off, I look up and down the street. Try not to appear better off than my neighbors. I usually go with a couple candles and oil lamps, which also put out heat. Propane two mantle lamp is excellent for both heat and light.

[Dean Hoffman]

C'mon now. Get real. She knows where her food comes from.

[Stormin Mormon]

I've had friends with electric heat. Yes, it gets cold, and fast. I think it's a good idea to have something that burns propane (camp stove, or infrared heater) and a bunch of tanks.

Typically, the gas stays on. Most furnace need power to open the gas valve and run the blower.

Burners on the top of a gas range usually work, might have to light em with a match.

[Stormin Mormon]

Piggly Wiggly on 4th street, by the gas station?

[The Daring Dufas]

Sandy adopted me after my roommate WT died. He brought the barking rat to the house a few years ago and he was angry because Sandy liked me better. WT would yell at her for doing things that were dog-like and he talked like he was growling all the time so the critter would run hide behind me or jump in my lap. After WT died, I tried to find a good home for Sandy but one day I was very ill and I awakened to find that Sandy had burrowed under the covers and curled up leaning on me to keep me warm so after that I couldn't get rid of the little bitch. Sandy is a Red Deer Head Chihuahua who thinks she's a Rottweiler thus I refer to her as a Rotthuahua who weighs 11 pounds. Back in the 1970's I raised a Weimaraner from a pup and by the time he was a year old, he could stand on his hind legs and place his front paws on my shoulders. That goofy dog retrieved bricks. So the question I have for everyone would be, "Is it a real dog, if you can pick up full grown example with one hand?" o_O

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

I once did a lot of work for some Piggly Wiggly stores in the area. I serviced and installed a lot of stuff for them. ^_^

TDD

[The Daring Dufas]

A standard single door refrigerator doesn't draw that much current even at start up. So I don't see why Pete's generator wouldn't run one. ^_^

TDD