Hurricane season

[whistlepig]

You wouldn't think one would have to worry about the hurricane season in Ohio. Last September hurricane Ike took out our roof and we were without power. Having a well without electric gave us no way to flush toilets. No water for the livestock. It was a wake up call for us. We are better prepared now. We have since bought a generator and had the house wired for it. Perhaps we won't need the generator this year. I hope not. But the peace of mind having it is priceless.

 

[sandman2234]

Remembering to keep it running every now and then, so it will run when you need it, is the biggest problem people in "non-hurricane" areas have. I noticed you said it was wired into the house, so you may have a self starter that fires up once a week or so, but if not, take it out and play with it on a regular basis, you will not regret it.
David from jax

 

[scott_vt]

You wouldn't think one would have to worry about the hurricane season in Ohio..

Good Evenin whistlepig,
Good for you takin that initiative !

The last time we got hit hard at my Ct home was in 1985, I think that was Gloria ! We had multiple streets blocked for days with some huge trees and no power for almost a week !

We had to go to our volunteer fire station to take showers... etc !

Nothin like your own generator !

Hopefully you wont need it ! But if you do, your gonna be very happy !

 

[whistlepig]

Remembering to keep it running every now and then, so it will run when you need it, is the biggest problem people in "non-hurricane" areas have. I noticed you said it was wired into the house, so you may have a self starter that fires up once a week or so, but if not, take it out and play with it on a regular basis, you will not regret it.
David from jax

Mine is a portable. Not a self starter. The house is wired for a plug in generator. I haven't started the generator up for a couple of months. And you are right. I need to fire it up tomorrow.

 

[roadhawk]

We got our generator during hurricane Rita and were miserable until it came in 11 days or so later (17 days total without "real" power, 6 days without water). Of course then we spent hours and hours in the gas lines getting enough fuel to run it!

I loved it then and all I have to do is remember those "good ole' days" of bathing in lakes, etc to keep it tip top now. You know that old question about "does a bear shat in the woods"?
They do! I saw them while I was doing the same lol.
Just kidding, but not kidding about the 5 gallon bucket in the backyard. Wifey and me not happy campers that long.

For some TLC for it I'll run it every month long enough to vacuum the house. Sometimes I don't have to if we lose power for more than 3 hours and then I'll crank her up and get the fridge and freezers going. Both of those incidents gets it warmed up, the moisture out of the oil, and puts a decent load on it. I change the oil every 6 months- the last thing you want is to have to change the oil when you "HAVE" to have power.

Mine will run everything I want to run except for the central a/c units (and certainly not the heat cycles) and I've got a window a/c I'll bring in (got it during Rita too and why I can't feel sorry for northerners that don't keep at least a 5000 BTU at $99 stored away for a heat wave like they had this year- I'll get off my soapbox now about that before I get started real well ).

I get gas in 5 and 6 gallon containers (the new ones are crap by the way- arg!) and immediately put in as I'm filling them up the blue marine stabilizer. It's twice the strength of the red, it helps eliminate the issues with ethanol absorbing water, and it keeps the fuel fresh for up to a year (they say two, but I go one). I'll fill up 57 gallons before the hurricane season. It's cheaper then. You can actually get it then in one long fill (got to bring your credit card inside though). And you can use it for "other stuff" as the season goes on if a hurricane doesn't come your way and still have some in reserve.

If there is another $50 limit like there was last time, and after a hurricane the prices are up up up, then you can still top off your truck and cans after a couple of stops and be OK.

 

[whistlepig]

Some in the city say the most important thing to have is electric for their appliances and lights. I can go without electricity a long time but not without water for more than a day or two. People in the city take water for granted. I can not run my whole house from the generator. I can run my well pump, refridgerator, some lights, TV, computers, and a pellet stove for heat. This not that expensive to do. The well pump has a disconnect box that I can isolate the well pump wiring from the rest of the house. This disconnect box has a pigtail coming from it that I can plug a 220V cord to it directly from the generator. The rest of the stuff would be hooked up by extension cords running through windows and doors. We moved to the country two years ago. We have four horses, two cats, and two dogs. So if we lose power in the middle of the night in the dead of winter what are we to do? We can't pack up the critters and go somewhere. In the country a generator is a necessity and not a gadget.