15 Hours And Counting

[Shafted]

This afternoon I went and did something I usually never do. I'm at McDonald's having dinner and WiFi. I'm usually here every morning but not in the afternoon. The reason I'm here is my grid power is down and has been for 15 hours. As many of you are probably aware, I have alternate energy, mainly solar. So far the solar and battery bank have been keeping up with my consumption, and has been performing admirably. I actually consider this outage a good real world test of my energy independence. The only reason I went to McDonald's this afternoon was to be able to log on here as my ISP apparently doesn't have backup power. I don't expect the power to be back any time soon as half of my town of 8000-9000 is without power. There were severe thunderstorms that moved through the area last night and the power loss covers a much larger area than just my town. Until, my ISP is back online my visits here will be sporadic. It was rather weird looking last night in my neighborhood as my house was the only one with lights. And what you may ask was I running on solar. Here's a complete list. Critical hydroponic systems Wireless router Cable modem Laptop Stereo system fan lights My refrigerator is being run off of my portable generator for 2 hours at a time twice a day so as not to overburden my solar system. I currently have 8 gallons of gasoline on hand and in this manner it will run my refrigerator for 45 to 50 days.

[Heelster]

Good to hear. We have had a few storms but so far, we have been lucky when it comes to power outages. Backup generator is a must for me. If I don't get it up and running within about 20 minutes, I have a sump pump problem. With the heat over the last week. One of the major power companies shut down a steel mill to only pouring steel one shift per day. That way, they could maintain power elsewhere. I have heard other mills have had to do the same.

[Shafted]

At almost exactly 24 hours without power it has been restored. I would call this real world test of my backup power systems (solar and generator) a great success. I had neighbors who lost hundreds of dollars worth of food in their freezers. It turned out to be a great exercise in power management (something most people take for granted). As far as generator use, the total run time was 6 hours consuming less than one gallon of gasoline. I have since taken the solar power system offline to avoid depleting the battery bank further. Tomorrow is supposed to be a sunny day so the batteries should be full again tomorrow afternoon.

[ilikekicks]

At almost exactly 24 hours without power it has been restored.

I would call this real world test of my backup power systems (solar and generator) a great success.

I had neighbors who lost hundreds of dollars worth of food in their freezers.

It turned out to be a great exercise in power management (something most people take for granted).

As far as generator use, the total run time was 6 hours consuming less than one gallon of gasoline.

I have since taken the solar power system offline to avoid depleting the battery bank further. Tomorrow is supposed to be a sunny day so the batteries should be full again tomorrow afternoon.

We have 1500 gallons of diesel onhand for our tractors, loaders and other equipment. We also use diesel for a generator that runs our wash plant. The generator is used for 480vac ( 3 phase ) and puts out over 1000 amps.

Theres 4 feeds off of it for ' emergency use ' feeding 220 volts to a machine shop, 2 houses and one other facility. In a 12-14 hour shift, it drinks 80-100 gallons.

If used sparingly, and only 2 sources are used, theres a months supply of electricity without refueling.

Im not worried about snowstorms, blizzards or much ' great lakes ' type of hostile weather anymore.

People dont ' Prep ' enough these days.

[radiodave]

I've often wondered if I seem a little weird for being a bit of a prepper. I bought a portable generator, thinking I could use it for amateur radio field day. Hasn't happened yet, and so far I've just been running it once a month to keep it exercised and have 5 gallons of gas in the garage. I keep gallon jugs of water around, Clif bars, several flashlights, batteries, and have food on hand in case things get out of hand. I have my camper with a deep cycle battery and a propane tank in it if I had to leave my house and sleep somewhere. Since we've had some storms blow through recently that left some people without power for hours or days, you never know when it might happen. I think back to when we had the big northeast blackout in 2003. My power was off for 8 hours, but it was no big deal for me. I didn't even have the generator back then. I just pulled the rope on my garage door opener to get the car in and out. I turned on the radio and listened to the news, listened to the amateur radio nets, cooked my dinner on the gas stove after lighting it with a match, and had plenty of light from the battery powered lantern and oil lamps. When I noticed the water faucet was losing water pressure, I filled the bathtub and a couple of buckets so I had some water on hand. The next day, people at work were bemoaning how they had no power and it was like the end of the world to them. They couldn't get their car out of the garage. When the water systems started losing pressure, they didn't know what to do. They had no lights. They had no way of eating. They were bored out of their skulls with no TV or Internet. They asked me what I did to stay occupied during all this. I read a book, and got my telescope out to see all the things I couldn't see because of light pollution.

[Rockpup]

I was out of power for a few days after Hurricain Charlie in 2004, ended up getting a 15kw gen the day Katrina rolled over Florida, and have never needed it since. Actually, the regulator on it needs work now. I can power the house but all the UPS's scream at me, so it's not good.

[HappyinHeels]

Shafted, Here in Wisconsin we are blessed with two utilities (We Energies and Northern States Power) among the very best in the nation at having the fewest hours of outtages. I have been in my house nearly 21 years and have maintained weather records the entire time which has included noting any power outtages. I have recorded just four power outtages lasting over ten minutes in that time. The longest was six hours when a thunderstorm with winds topping 75mph came through the Kenosha area. I believe this admirable record was achieved because of investment in the grid's infrastructure. Trees do not lean on power lines in this state and many power poles have been completely replaced along with transformers , utility meters, and many people use alternative ways to heat or cool their homes.

I am planning to build a home on our land in far northern Wisconsin upon retirement and am looking at using Insulated Concrete Forming or ICF for the exterior as well as tapping geothermal energy and erecting a solar array as there will definitely be room for one. 28 of the 40 acres are trees evenly split between evergreens and hardwoods, there is lots of rock which can be used for building and landscaping as well as sand which can be used for landscaping, building, and filtering. I have dug two habitat ponds and am doing the plans for a pond that will cover approx. 1/2 acre or about 21,500 square feet. I intend for it to function much as a small family farm would have run 130 years ago but with some modern amenities. The goal is to be as self sufficient as possible in power, water, food, medical needs, and communications. I am not a "prepper" but my place certainly has the ingredients needed for me to be a prepper. I simply believe in being responsible for myself and my spouse with as little dependence on anyone else as possible. I would encourage others to do the same as you gain a true sense of empowerment. HappyinHeels

[meganiwish]

That puts the cress I'm growing in a damp egg-box lid firmly in it's place. I won't let it read this or it will be too disheartened to go with my boiled egg..

[Amanda]

That puts the cress I'm growing in a damp egg-box lid firmly in it's place. I won't let it read this or it will be too disheartened to go with my boiled egg..

Like

[Shafted]

Shafted, Here in Wisconsin we are blessed with two utilities (We Energies and Northern States Power) among the very best in the nation at having the fewest hours of outtages. I have been in my house nearly 21 years and have maintained weather records the entire time which has included noting any power outtages. I have recorded just four power outtages lasting over ten minutes in that time. The longest was six hours when a thunderstorm with winds topping 75mph came through the Kenosha area. I believe this admirable record was achieved because of investment in the grid's infrastructure. Trees do not lean on power lines in this state and many power poles have been completely replaced along with transformers , utility meters, and many people use alternative ways to heat or cool their homes.

I am planning to build a home on our land in far northern Wisconsin upon retirement and am looking at using Insulated Concrete Forming or ICF for the exterior as well as tapping geothermal energy and erecting a solar array as there will definitely be room for one. 28 of the 40 acres are trees evenly split between evergreens and hardwoods, there is lots of rock which can be used for building and landscaping as well as sand which can be used for landscaping, building, and filtering. I have dug two habitat ponds and am doing the plans for a pond that will cover approx. 1/2 acre or about 21,500 square feet. I intend for it to function much as a small family farm would have run 130 years ago but with some modern amenities. The goal is to be as self sufficient as possible in power, water, food, medical needs, and communications. I am not a "prepper" but my place certainly has the ingredients needed for me to be a prepper. I simply believe in being responsible for myself and my spouse with as little dependence on anyone else as possible. I would encourage others to do the same as you gain a true sense of empowerment. HappyinHeels

Being self sufficient is the ultimate prep. You may not think of yourself as a prepper, but that is exactly what you have become. Most people are and don't even know it. Even the hypocrites that would badmouth another person for prepping are preppers themselves in this group.

[HappyinHeels]

Shafted, Well I'm not competing with anyone else. I don't consider myself a "prepper" more so because I don't really think about labels. I don't have a bunker nor do I have stacks of non-perishable foods. I am planning things the way I described because it saves money and makes sense to me. I figure you do the same because you want to save money and be friendly to Mother Earth which probably explains why Maine is such a cool place. HappyinHeels

[Shafted]

I actually see myself as a small town urban homesteader more than a prepper per say. Homesteading makes you a prepper by default. Homesteading keeps me prepared and at the same time allows me to exist at a greatly reduced cost of living. Homesteading allows you to live life rather than being a slave to it.