[Rhodes22-list] And now for something completely different - Power outages

[Bill Effros]

Thanks, Brad,

The last time I had to seriously use a generator was in 1973 when we 
moved into a new house that didn't have any electricity because a major 
ice storm ate up all the available wire.  Then the oil crisis hit.  
Diane was pregnant.  You could only buy gas on alternate days.  It was a 
challenge (solved by a BMW racing motorcycle with a 10 gallon tank that 
was allowed to go to the head of the line any day of the week) -- but 
not something we soon forgot.  That generator was so loud that hearing 
it run out of gas sounded good.  It was half a year before we could use 
electricity without associating it with a deafening sound.

Generators have been out of the question here ever since.  Until I saw 
the one you guys were talking about.  The modern appliances are so 
efficient it's amazing.  We have installed the new low-power air 
conditioners throughout our home.  They really work!

I kind of thought low-power low noise low weight was the way to go, but 
it's good to get the confirmation before I have to step up to the plate.

Bill Effros



Brad Haslett wrote:
> Bill,
>
> I have a Honda 1000eu for home and a Yamaha 2000 watt at the gulf.  The
> Honda is much lighter and can be handled by one person easily.  The 2000
> watt units need two men at our age.  With 1000 watts you can run a 
> 5000 btu
> a/c unit or a small microvave.  I can run two fridges.  The Honda uses a
> quart of fuel about every six hours.  Fuel consumption is the real 
> issue for
> long power outages, not comfort.
>
> Brad
>
>
> On 7/27/06, Arthur H. Czerwonky <czerwonky at earthlink.net> wrote:
>>
>> Bill,
>> You might want to look at the 2K Honda also, and make sure the generator
>> is enough.  The extra 1K is little more in cost and same db, or close...
>> Art
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> >From: Bill Effros <bill at effros.com>
>> >Sent: Jul 27, 2006 10:13 AM
>> >To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>> >Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] And now for something completely different
>> -      Power   outages
>> >
>> > Brad,
>> >
>> >I've come round on this one.  I hadn't looked at portable generators 
>> for
>> >20 years, and am just about to buy a $700 Honda 1K because of the gas
>> >sipping qualities and extremely low noise.  The only reason I looked
>> >this time was because of you and ...Wally? talking about the
>> >practicality of bringing one on board.  I may even try that.
>> >
>> >Bill Effros
>> >
>> >Brad Haslett wrote:
>> >> Some of you that have been here for awhile may remember the rather
>> >> spirited
>> >> discussion we had on generators a few years back.  With the power
>> >> outages in
>> >> the NYC area and other cities, now may be a good time to review the
>> >> issue.
>> >> During Hurricane Elvis (strong line of thunderstorms that knocked out
>> >> power
>> >> in Memphis for up to three weeks) my neighbors ran big Y2K generators
>> for
>> >> ONE day until they ran out of gas, then went looking for filling
>> stations
>> >> with power.  We're putting the finishing touches on our MS Gulf Coast
>> >> evacuation plan and hurricane preparedness skills.  Here's my
>> experience
>> >> from Elvis.  Small is better.  You need to run one window A/C unit
>> >> during the
>> >> day (available for $60 if you buy before the crisis) and a fridge at
>> >> night.  One 1000 watt genset  will run on 5 gallons of gas for a 
>> week.
>> >> Someone on this list will go for days without power this summer 
>> for one
>> >> reason or another.  Don't say you weren't warned!
>> >>
>> >> Brad
>> >>
>> >> ----------------
>> >>
>> >> JULY 21, 2006Posted 5 days and 0 hours ago on July 21, 2006 Blackout
>> >> Survival Guide
>> >> <
>> http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog/home/3391786.html?c=y&imageID=1338716&caption=%3Cb%3EBatteries+Included%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Prepare+your+blackout+kit+now%2C+not+in+the+dark. 
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> <
>> http://www.popularmechanics.com/blog/home/3391786.html?c=y&imageID=1338716&caption=%3Cb%3EBatteries+Included%3A%3C%2Fb%3E+Prepare+your+blackout+kit+now%2C+not+in+the+dark. 
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> *Batteries Included:* Prepare your blackout kit now, not in the dark.
>> >> When it's as hot and humid outside as it is right now in the
>> >> northeast, air
>> >> conditioning feels like a miracle. Until the lights flicker, dim, and
>> go
>> >> out. With air conditioning creating massive spikes power consumption,
>> >> occasionally the grid calls it quits. That's just what happened on
>> >> Tuesday
>> >> evening, when more than 200,000 homes in the New York region lost 
>> their
>> >> power. Many people are still waiting for the power to come back.
>> >>
>> >> Before you're sweating it out in candlelight, take a look at our
>> blackout
>> >> survival guide.
>> >>
>> >> Download the blackout survival podcast
>> >> here<
>> http://media.popularmechanics.com/audio/Popular+Mechanics+PodcastBlackoutSurvival1.mp3 
>>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> .
>> >>
>> >> Have a Flashlight: If you haven't done so already, go out and buy at
>> >> least
>> >> one small, inexpensive flashlight?one that takes 2 D cell or 2 AA
>> >> batteries.
>> >> If you already have a flashlight, swap in new batteries. Leave it
>> >> standing
>> >> on a book shelf, or on an easy-to-reach countertop so that you can 
>> get
>> to
>> >> quickly and safely in the dark.
>> >>
>> >> Be Prepared to Empty the Fridge: A freezer packed with dry ice will
>> stay
>> >> cold for days, but it's tough to find dry ice at the local corner
>> >> store. So
>> >> if you've been without power for more than four hours, start emptying
>> the
>> >> fridge now. Even if the power does come back soon, chances are your
>> food
>> >> won't, and you don't want to let food melt in the freezer or, even
>> worse,
>> >> rot in the appliance. Cleaning that up is not a mess you want to deal
>> >> with.
>> >>
>> >> Shut Down Your Appliances: If your power goes out, make sure you turn
>> off
>> >> your air conditioner or reset the thermostat so the air conditioner
>> >> will not
>> >> turn back on until you turn it on manually. When the power does turn
>> back
>> >> on, the combined load of thousands of air conditioner spooling up
>> >> simultaneously can be enough to trip the grid again, starting another
>> >> blackout. However, if everybody turned on their air conditioners
>> >> individually, it would stagger the power demand on the grid. Every
>> >> small bit
>> >> of help counts during an emergency.
>> >>
>> >> (Also, now's a good time to unplug that circular saw you were using
>> >> when the
>> >> power went out.)
>> >>
>> >> Don't Overdue AC: When you do turn an air conditioner back on, don't
>> >> set the
>> >> thermostat lower than 78 F. This is good practice in general: 
>> Although
>> it
>> >> doesn't seem very cool, the dehumidifying effect of air conditioning
>> will
>> >> make your house much more bearable, even at 78 F.
>> >>
>> >> Use Passive Cooling: If the power goes out, open as many windows as
>> >> possible, especially windows and vents in the attic and the upper
>> floors.
>> >> However, use shades on the sunny side of the house (south and 
>> west) to
>> >> minimize solar heating. This is a good practice in warm months, even
>> when
>> >> you've got your AC cranking like a Pratt and Whitney turbofan.
>> >>
>> >> If you really got caught off guard, take this opportunity to learn
>> >> from the
>> >> mistake and assemble an emergency preparedness
>> >> kit<
>> http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_improvement/home_owner_clinic/2076037.html?page=4&c=y 
>>
>> >consisting
>> >>
>> >> of lighting, food, water, a first aid kit, tools and anything
>> >> else you'll need. ?Roy Berendsohn
>> >> __________________________________________________
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