Preparing for Sandy

[Rob-D]

OK, it's now 10/29/2012, 10:10:00 EST. I just checked the wind on my weather monitoring system and it's starting to pick up, it's been very quiet in the Catskills (42 lat.) and the wind speed is still in the single digits. I'll try to keep everyone posted as to wind direction and speed from my monitoring system.
I was just informed that wind will be the culprit here, more so than the rain.
Rob

 

[Andy in Gap]

I'm here in Lancaster PA, and the winds are really starting to blow. Should be sustained winds of 30-40mph till sometime tomorrow, with gusts exceeding 50mph. Coupled with the saturated ground, I think there is gonna be a lot of free firewood on the ground tomorrow. I'll be surprised if we finish the day with power. I'll be in the market for a PTO generator after this. It's cheap peace of mind, even if I never use it.

 

[Rob-D]

Al the farmers around here use them to keep their milking machines going during power outages. They seem to work pretty well.

Rob

 

[SPYDERLK]

You could but the problem is load management. Let's say you're running just on panels into the inverter and you turn on a washing machine that draws more than the panels put out. The system would drop below the required power needed. Batteries are buffers, they can supply large amounts of power and by charging the batteries with the panels you create a reserve.
Rob

Understood, but you have batteries that could be autoconnected to buffer the panels. It wouldnt take all that much capacity to smooth power demand spikes. Just waste the excess --or use it frivolously. Seems a small price to pay to keep all panels on line while grid is down.
larry

 

[riptides]

It is good that we never forget, even when a mega-strom like Sandy is upon us, I find this comforting.

Tomb of the Unknown sentinel stands in face of Sandy - WTOP.com

 

[Carl_NH]

Since TBN is internet based, well, I'd say getting the internet working at a great percentage of TBN users is not a high priority after an event like Sandy.

A lot of cable and fiber run above ground.

Communications will be a problem for us.

Riptides,

Yes, I concur communications are likely to be down - what was I thinking! But in reality most of the time (here anyway) we have power back in a day or two, worst has been 5 days. The cleanup work is usually weeks or a month or more so thats where some "helping hands" might be nice to have.

Well, its been blowing at 30-35MPH (now 1 PM) here for last few hours 1/2 mi to ocean and we are the first highest point from the ocean off the marsh. Its not the constant wind, its the lull then the gusts that take out the pines and other trees.

We are supposed to top out @ 3-7 PM tonight at 35-40 MPH so this is more of a strong noreaster than a hurricane.

 

[CNC Dan]

Here's a little note, which some might benefit from: Fill your bath tub with water. In case the power goes off, It will allow you to flush the toilets ... a few times.

My tub doesn't seal very well. Would be gone in a few hours.:-(
so i use 5gal. buckets.

 

[Rob-D]

Understood, but you have batteries that could be autoconnected to buffer the panels. It wouldnt take all that much capacity to smooth power demand spikes. Just waste the excess --or use it frivolously. Seems a small price to pay to keep all panels on line while grid is down.
larry

That would be fine if the sun was a constant and the panel output was also a relative constant from sunrise to sunset. Batteries give you power at night and maximize the panel power by storing it so the panels action is more than buffering.
You could have minimal batteries, just enough to keep surges from dropping the power but you would have zero reserve, the batteries run the house, fridges, etc. all night.

Let's say it's noon and the panels are putting out max power but the house is only calling for a fraction of that. All that extra power is stored in the batteries and at 8 pm, when that power is needed it's there. So while buffering for surges is important so is the reserve.
Rob

 

[Rob-D]

My tub doesn't seal very well. Would be gone in a few hours.:-(
so i use 5gal. buckets.

We keep large plastic jugs here in reserve. I put a few drops of bleach in the water to keep bacteria from building up.
Rob

 

[radioman]

I just got back from grocery store shopping and getting gas. It had the feeling of christmas eve where everyone is getting stuff last min and long lines already for gas. I was like WTH? I think this storm could be overhyped a little but then it could be bad. My grocery store was out of my normal bread, had a note on shelf saying storewide shortage, no water bottles left on shelves. I just wonder if we are just acting on the katrina storm aftermath effects when it hit new orleans? I gotta get out there and put stuff away now for winter. Genny is gassed up with extra stored. I have wood stove so cooking and heat will not be a problem.