How do you prep for future power outages?

check · Apr 3, 2021

Well, in Toronto it was only about 4 days max.

Interesting story the black out occurred just as we were leaving the city towing are brand new boat, to head for the cottage. Did not have enough gas in the tank to get there all the way, which was 2 1/2 hours. But, I had 25 gallons or so of gas in the boat! Kept checking the gas stations on the way up, and all we saw was depressed people sitting on the steps with all the windows open in a hot day, looking very forlorn.

Finally stopped at Home Depot, which was on generators, and was going to head in and get a funnel and a hose to siphon gas out of the boat into the truck. LOL, there was a guy parked out front, who is delivering diesel for the generator and I made a joke to him “too bad that wasn’t real gas.“. He said, “well in fact I do have non-diesel gas on this truck as well. Pull over to the corner of the parking lot where there are not a lot of people and I’ll give you a couple of cans of it.” Well, that was more than enough to get to the cottage, but what was real funny was that people who had been coming into the parking lot spotted what was going on, and started to lineup behind me!

Anyway, all the way up to the cottage the gas stations were closed, or sitting and waiting for power to go back on, and it seemed that not even one of them had a generator.

check · Apr 3, 2021

check said:
Well, in Toronto it was only about 4 days max.

Interesting story the black out occurred just as we were leaving the city towing are brand new boat, to head for the cottage. Did not have enough gas in the tank to get there all the way, which was 2 1/2 hours. But, I had 25 gallons or so of gas in the boat! Kept checking the gas stations on the way up, and all we saw was depressed people sitting on the steps with all the windows open in a hot day, looking very forlorn.

Finally stopped at Home Depot, which was on generators, and was going to head in and get a funnel and a hose to siphon gas out of the boat into the truck. LOL, there was a guy parked out front, who is delivering diesel for the generator and I made a joke to him “too bad that wasn’t real gas.“. He said, “well in fact I do have non-diesel gas on this truck as well. Pull over to the corner of the parking lot where there are not a lot of people and I’ll give you a couple of cans of it.” Well, that was more than enough to get to the cottage, but what was real funny was that people who had been coming into the parking lot spotted what was going on, and started to lineup behind me!

Anyway, all the way up to the cottage the gas stations were closed, or sitting and waiting for power to go back on, and it seemed that not even one of them had a generator.

Just to finish the story, 5 or 6 miles before we got to the cottage, they had power! So, we spent the whole time up at the cottage (with our new boat), with full power, and did not return to Toronto until after the big power outage was over.

Industrial Toys · Apr 3, 2021

That was not the BIG ICE STORM though.

I will never forget that one though. Heading somewhere, radio station goes off the air, tune around and the whole band is Dead. Like something out of the Twilight zone.

Larry Caldwell · Apr 3, 2021

I should mention that one of my essential survival tools is an antique wall mounted coffee grinder. I bought that after one icy morning when I was reduced to mashing coffee beans with a claw hammer.

Industrial Toys · Apr 3, 2021

I had used my parents antique coffee grinder in my teens for Grinding Charcoal to make Black powder.

One of my million backups is a propane camp stove that goes atop a handheld bottle. Can make a hot pot of water and pour it through a filter for coffee.

It does bother me, that WAY too much stuff is battery powered these days. As in not rechargeable. You have a few things quit and you could easily be down a dozen batteries, just like that.

Larry Caldwell · Apr 3, 2021

I have so many coffee pots it's hard to count them. French press. Silex. Double dome drip. Percolator. Cowboy pot. Pyrex carafe w/integral drip cone. Camp stove Mr. Coffee that uses a propane burner instead of electricity. Single cup drip cone. 36 cup drip pot. And one electric automatic coffee pot.

When I used the claw hammer to mash beans, I threw them in the cowboy pot and made cowboy coffee.

I bought a propane camp stove 25 years ago, for emergencies. I've only used it once, for a breakfast cookout. I have a cheap table top propane grill, and a cast iron griddle that fits the top. With two burners and a griddle, you can whip up a pretty good breakfast. I don't grill over propane. Wood or charcoal gives a better flavor.

For power outages at home, we just cook on the wood stove. I suppose if we had a summer power outage we would use it, but we never have. During canning season I have a propane hot plate that is large enough to handle a large canner.

Jstpssng · Apr 3, 2021

I have just two coffee makers; both percolators. One plugs into the wall for daily use; the other is for camping, hunting, and power outages. I've spent my entire life working outside eating cold, oftentimes frozen sandwiches. When I go hunting for the day I pack my small cast iron frying pan, coffee pot and something good to cook. I used to start a fire and cook the old fashioned way, but now I have a nice little propane stove to bring along.

Showers were mentioned... you can take a passable one from a 5 gallon bucket scooping the water an old Maxwell House coffee container for a shower head. In summer, if I don't plan to go home after work I'll bring the above to clean up at the end of the day. After 8 hours with the sun beating down on it, the water is quite comfortable.

grsthegreat · Apr 3, 2021

one thing i dont have is any kind of coffee machine. i cant stand the stuff.

check · Apr 3, 2021

Larry Caldwell said:
I have so many coffee pots it's hard to count them. French press. Silex. Double dome drip. Percolator. Cowboy pot. Pyrex carafe w/integral drip cone. Camp stove Mr. Coffee that uses a propane burner instead of electricity. Single cup drip cone. 36 cup drip pot. And one electric automatic coffee pot.

When I used the claw hammer to mash beans, I threw them in the cowboy pot and made cowboy coffee.

I bought a propane camp stove 25 years ago, for emergencies. I've only used it once, for a breakfast cookout. I have a cheap table top propane grill, and a cast iron griddle that fits the top. With two burners and a griddle, you can whip up a pretty good breakfast. I don't grill over propane. Wood or charcoal gives a better flavor.

For power outages at home, we just cook on the wood stove. I suppose if we had a summer power outage we would use it, but we never have. During canning season I have a propane hot plate that is large enough to handle a large canner.

As a kid, 60 some years ago, we would go camping in the mountains with my dad, and we would cook over an open fire. (The “grate” was always the first thing out if the car when we arrived.). We would just boil water on an old, soot-covered coffee pot, throw the coffee grinds in, boil it up, and drink it grains and all. Is that cowboy coffee?