Jennings Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Keeee-rist this is getting old. Our "friends" at Appalcian Power (aka American Electric Power) have missed (wildly) every estimate they've made for restoration of service. It's getting really, really, really old... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Cheetah Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I can only imagine how not fun that must be... Fingers crossed for you guys. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Keeee-rist this is getting old. Our "friends" at Appalcian Power (aka American Electric Power) have missed (wildly) every estimate they've made for restoration of service. It's getting really, really, really old... Been there and done that when Hurricane Irene came through Mass last year. My house is at the end of a long street, surrounded by woods. We were pretty much last to get power restored. I think we went 10 days in August w/ no power. To be honest, we made out fine. I'm ok w/ cold showers, we spent our nights out in the garage, cooking on the grill, eating by lantern light and playing board games. Towards the end, it did start to get a bit old but I figured it was nothing compared to what the folks down south went through after Katrina, so I felt like I'd be a wimp if I b*tched too much. At least my house was intact. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 It would be a different story if I had water, but I'm on a well with a 220v pump... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Cartwright Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Wow, that's gotta be uncomfortable and frustrating, I'm really sorry to hear you're having to put up with that. I had a hard time with an 8-hour power outage that happened several months ago, so I can't imagine what I'd do without power for 9 days, and no water on top of that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nfiler Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 That is what generators are for. I went through that a few years ago with 7 days of no power. I installed a Gen. back up power setup that works just fine. Runs everything but the 220 A/C. Could have done that too, but would have had to combine a couple of the circuits that I wanted to use for other stuff, and figured a/c wasn't that big a deal. If your in a rural area it seems only logical to consider doing something to remain functional during storms and power outages. By the way, with no power, how are you posting? It would be a different story if I had water, but I'm on a well with a 220v pump... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 It would be a different story if I had water, but I'm on a well with a 220v pump... Yeah that pretty much sucks. Having water made a big difference for us. Hope you got in-laws nearby who have power restored :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HOLMES Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Keeee-rist this is getting old. Our "friends" at Appalcian Power (aka American Electric Power) have missed (wildly) every estimate they've made for restoration of service. It's getting really, really, really old... Jennings I am sorry to hear this... I suppose the AEP are quick to look after ther own power needs if they were also affected. ;) Are there no facilities made by the so called in power to see that people have at least some clean water for drinking etc... :o Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Heheh.. No, that would be socialist.. I have a small generator, but it's not big enough to run my pump. However, once this is over with, I will be doing something to remedy the water situation, that I assure you. The problem with generators is that you have to fuel them. And no power means no gas. I've has to drive a long way to get fuel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nfiler Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Yeah, the fuel thing is a pain in the butt, but my plan is/was to store about 20 gallons, treat it with fuel stabalizer, and only run when I needed the power. A decent sized generator, like maybe 7200 or so will eat fuel pretty fast ans storing that much for extended outages like your having is difficult. And this ethanol treated gas raises hell with the gaskets in the generator if the gas is not treated. I know of a guy who was going to considerable expense to install a rather elaborate system. Even planned it right down to a rather large fuel storage tank with electric pump. Was ready to start the build when somebody asked him if he had a manual pump backup for the fuel storage as when the thing runs out of fuel in the middle of the night, an electric pump is probably not going to be of much help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rick in Maine Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Jennings, I've been where you are and it's no fun. We deal with shorter outages here in rural Maine often. And we've had some that lasted days. My wife and I finally resorted to going to the school...which had power and meals sooner than we did. I wish I had some magic words to fix it, but I don't. I can tell you we made it through. You will, too. Keep talking about it. Rick in Maine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kalashnikov-47 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Talked to my brother in Lynchburg today. They went without power for four days. Here in Michigan there folks who have been in the dark since July 3rd. Nine days really suck, Jennings. Hope it's back on soon.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GEH737 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Genuinely sorry to hear it's taken so long. Went for a few days after a hurricane in Florida - it sucked. Hope it's back on soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Icehound Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Jennings in our last house we were on Well and Septic and also had sump pumps running for most of the non winter months. I bought a "Generac" Emergency generator that was fueled by propane.It was automatic starting as soon as power from the grid was lost,took 20 seconds to have the lights back on and we could use the toilet and run water as it powered the Well pump,furnace,fridge stove etc.The only major thing we did not have wired in was the AC as that would burn too much energy. It was a good system and it kept the sump pumps pumping and the toilet flushing,best investment we made in that house. Generac has a web site,they are probably available in the States (Iam in Canada). Good luck with the power outage Regards Mark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff M Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 The upsides of country living are large secluded pieces of land, peace and quiet, no neighbors and barking dogs, low crime and traffic, no homeowners associations. The downside, you are the last to get your power restored. Given the choice of fixing lines where 10, 50 or 100's of homes can be restored by fixing a transformer or downed line or fixing power for 1 or 2 homes, the power company will go for the big numbers first. The paper stated that as of this morning there are still close to12,000 homes with out power in VA. In N. Virginia, my power blinked, our lines are underground. Hope you get your power back soon. Geoff Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IrishGreek Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Good luck Jennings. We were just out for 2 days here in Michigan. Was really glad to get it back. We have a bit of backup on the water (my wife likes to be prepared and I can't blame her), but even our little experience pales to your 9 days! Best of luck, you are in our thoughts and well wishes! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfgun33 Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Wow. Sorry to hear that you're still without power. When Hurricane Ike hit here in Houston, we went without power for 3 days and then it was kinda half power. The water still worked. We were living in an apartment at the time. We had our power people and others from around the counrty trying to get power back to everyone. I believe that some of our power company crews are up there helping. Hope you get your power back soon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FM-Whip Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Keeee-rist this is getting old. Our "friends" at Appalcian Power (aka American Electric Power) have missed (wildly) every estimate they've made for restoration of service. It's getting really, really, really old... I feel for you - we just came out of this here in MD, but we had only three days with no power, and it was a pain in the you-know-what. What I find interesting is how fast the infrastructure degraded. With loss of electricity most stores were closed, and the same with gas stations. The economy reverted to cash only, as most ATMs didn't work. Traffic lights didn't work, so many roads were snarled and/or grid-locked. At some of the gas stations that were close to the areas with outages, there were lines up to a mile long, and those stations ran out of gasoline real quickly. Even more interesting was that the 911 system broke down, even the redundant calling systems. There were also widespread cell phone problems as cell towers went on minimum backup power. Evidently many, many people don't know that you are supposed to come to a full stop if the traffic lights aren't working. This basic idea seemed to be too much for lots of folks. Also, some people appeared to be in a daze - they were driving down the line between two lanes, as if the confusion at the traffic signals now meant that you could drive wherever your wanted. And I saw a guy steal bag of ice from a store and run off without paying.... It doesn't take long for people to revert to barbarism. A truly big catastrophe would be horrendous. John Hairell (tpn18@yahoo.com) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KAGNEW Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 hi Jennings i will be in Roanoke area this weekend. is there anything i can bring to help you? i was talking to a friend Appalcian has the smallest budget for repair Glen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 9, 2012 Author Share Posted July 9, 2012 POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ten days almost to the minute. My air conditioning is blasting, the TV is going, the beer is chilling, and the water is heating. I think I'm going to stand in the shower for about an hour just as soon as there's hot water. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Yeah, the fuel thing is a pain in the butt, but my plan is/was to store about 20 gallons, treat it with fuel stabalizer, and only run when I needed the power. A decent sized generator, like maybe 7200 or so will eat fuel pretty fast ans storing that much for extended outages like your having is difficult. And this ethanol treated gas raises hell with the gaskets in the generator if the gas is not treated. I know of a guy who was going to considerable expense to install a rather elaborate system. Even planned it right down to a rather large fuel storage tank with electric pump. Was ready to start the build when somebody asked him if he had a manual pump backup for the fuel storage as when the thing runs out of fuel in the middle of the night, an electric pump is probably not going to be of much help. On the Gas deal. Easy? thing to do with storing fuel is, run it out every few months then replenish it so no stabilizer etc. is needed. If using the same fuel as the car. It is easy to do so, every few months use the storage fuel to fill the car then money for filling car goes to the storage fuel. Another trick when having multiple vehicles like me is, fill all vehicles with like gas. Lucky for me I have a few trucks with 60Gal tanks and I also have a pump setup that I use for racing to pump the gas out of my Mustang. Some classes you must use a spec fuel that is strictly enforced. On the water deal, I think it is the norm around here to at least make sure the tub is clean and filled with water with bad storms. One reason why I am a fan of hot water tanks in bad storm areas is, when push comes to shove it in its self can become a storage tank for water, which technically it is in the first place. Just make sure all things are shut down, when using it for its supply. Hand wipes and hand sanitizer is always things to keep handy also. When in the thick, it really does not take to much water to take a sponge bath. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KAGNEW Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 hi Jenning's glad to hear you have power. i'm on Central Va. power. we were down 72 hours almost to the min. a few guys about 2 miles from me on same road have same as yours. still no power as of 8AM this morning. i let a couple of them that i know, use our shower. wife cooked all of them a couple of meals. anyway hope to meet you at IPMS Roanoke. maybe bounce some ideas off each other. Glen Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 On the Gas deal. Easy? thing to do with storing fuel is, run it out every few months then replenish it so no stabilizer etc. is needed. Where would I store a couple of hundred gallons of fuel, and what would I do with it in the meantime? Not really a viable solution, even if I could afford it, which I can't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 (edited) Where would I store a couple of hundred gallons of fuel, and what would I do with it in the meantime? Not really a viable solution, even if I could afford it, which I can't. Call your local fire department, they should be able to tell you how it is done and how much you can legally store, or point you in the direction to who knows the answer for you. Frankly Jennings in areas that go through things like you just did multiple times as we and others do, there is no can't in the thought when you are a home owner and have a family. Typically 25 gallons should run a generator for three to four days. On-top of things we here wrote about in this thread, Through my on work and even my wife's work we have food storage funds plus a few other things incase of emergency. When things cost one, thousands of dollars and needed dependency on others that do not show up for a few days a person learns or should learn what they can and cannot do. Heck I use to keep a two basement drysump pump backup in case of floods, that is now bumped up to three pumps, which was learned the hard way, most things are learned the hard way, sadly. Edited July 11, 2012 by Wayne S Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wayne S Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 All the stuff seen around the east coast after sandy, fuel/water shortage etc. Made me think of this thread about the Generator and Water deal. Also Why I am glad we our family likes bicycling and also own a motorcycles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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