Good ideas for storm prep

Consider what may be going on in 9 months and take appropriate precautions.

 

Heat would be my issue. I would still have hot water (my propane water heater does not use electricity) and be able to cook. Actually, in an emergency I could use my gas stove for heat - but it wouldn't be a good solution for a multi-day outage.

 

I plowed for the state during that event. Around 40 hours later I returned home only to do my 1000 foot driveway. We got 31” that storm.

 

And I don’t miss it all. People swerving around you only to go barreling into the center median strip like the Dukes of Hazard. Laying on the horn and giving you the finger cause you were “going too slow”. No one appreciated the effort. Up all night, sometimes 2 nights in a row. No one’s coming to relieve us at 2am. State chips away your group until you have half as many trucks as the width requires. Then whines that you didn’t get the whole pass each time. But they can find the money to hand out like Skittles to those who don’t work.

 

And that is the biggest reason we went with wood, with all the work and storage. I was interested in pellets, looked at a generator, then solar, then battery back-up.
We had 2 storms here maybe 10 years ago, where power was put out for a week at a time each. The sobering boot in the tookis was how totally dependant on the grid we were.
Getting critical functions off the grid has been a focus.
But, the ease of pellets of coal would have been nice!
Sca

 

You’d still be dependent on the pellet suppliers though, even if you had a battery backup capable of handling a week at a time. Wood can be found literally almost anywhere for free. You made the right choice

 

People around here in Upstate SC freak out if snow/freezing rain is even "hinted" at in the forecast. Obviously no bread or milk in the stores (I make sure that I have plenty of beer and peanuts/pretzels )

We generally do not lose power as our local Co-Op Lauren's Electric does a fantastic job of keeping the trees trimmed well back from the power lines. I have been neglecting however the project of setting up for use of our generator to get electricity to our well pump and for the fridge, freezers and hot water heater. Those are about the only items I can identify as either must have or convenience. Our cooktop is gas so that isn't an issue and always have the gas grill and stick burner Yoder smoker if necessary.

We can get enough heat from our Jotul to get by for a few days without the heat pumps but more than that and I might be concerned with frozen pipes.

 

That was the other reason....they control the cost and availability. they go belly up or some other burp and fart (war), and I'm yet again left holding the bag.
There was a Little house on the Prairie book called The Long Winter where they ran out of wood and twisted hay into logs to stay warm. I always thought that if it got that bad here, I could dismantle the garage beam by beam...

 

Storm prep ideas:
Keeping adequate supplies on hand, so we have a week or more of regular foods, and a week or more of other stuff.
Meds and supliments on hand
We have a gas outdoor stove, as well as a charcoal burner. I keep a few bags of charcoal handy. But these are both horribly inefficient. Just fun.
We also have a coleman gasser...and a few propane bottles.
We use rechargeable headlamps, have oil lamps, candles....its just fun going to the store the night before a big event, just to watch the happenings, and leave epty handed.

 

If the wood bricks had been a thing back then (not the ones sold in grocery stores for stupid money), I most likely would have put a wood stove in the basement instead of the P61a (basement stove). I came from a house with a wood stove, so am familiar with all the perks and downfalls. I really wanted to go with an option that I could use even if power went out, but didn't want insects and pests inside (or the mess), and I live next to a swamp that where dead wood is full of termites/carpenter ants. My property is not very large and a lot of it it wet, so storage room is really at a premium.

Too, I would have to buy firewood anyway (no freebies, or at least limited), so buying the bricks would have been fine. But, they didn't really come into play, or my area until a few years ago. Plus, I was working 2 jobs (or when I had 1 job, I was away from the house for 13+ hours), so keeping the stove fed would have been problematic. It just wasn't going to work for me. Now I'm so used to the pellet stoves automatically keeping the temp that I want that adjusting to a wood burner, especially during shoulder season, is just daunting.

 

I would have liked pellets, coal, or the bricks, just for the ease. I know i will not split wood for tthe rest of my life....it'll stop sometime.

That and pellets or coal would be a bit easier to handle for others here.....just fill a bucket and pour it in.

 

Added today, with Hurricane Ian making landfall down south:
Add bricks.to.all top covered piles.
Check shed roof.
Move trailers from trees that may fall.
Fill water pitchers etc., no need to buy bottled water...
Sca

 

Wife’s brother is in port charlotte Florida. Took a direct hit from Ian. As of last night the storm shutters were still attached and his concrete house intact with no water intrusion. His shed roof left along with the rest of the shed. I’m sure if he had stacks of firewood those would not be standing by now. Trees more than blew over but we’re thrown a good distance.

 

Is that a tanked propane water heater? My propane on demand water heater plugs into standard receptacle.

 

Ye, I believe it is 40 gallons. It starts off a piezo (not a standing pilot light). If I ever have to replace it, I'm SOL because I don't think they are legal to install anymore (at least not without a powered exhaust). Heck, I'm not even sure they are made anymore.

 

Have a Predator 9000w peak/7250w genny, ProTran switch/breaker box. Well pump, hot water heater, both bathrooms, Kitchen circuit has fridge & microwave, LR, den and our bedroom connected to the ProTran. As only a couple rooms would really be used at any one time, more than enough power to last a week with the fuel we keep on hand (non-ethonal gas, cans of TruFuel). Microwave, gas grill ( 2 tanks on hand) and a camping stove for cooking.

Have had 2 TV antennas in the attic since we cut the cord in 2010 so we can get local stations. Close to 1000 movies & TV shows plus 10,000 music mp3's on the network storage box.

The pellet stove has it's own battery backup so I can run it a good 10 hrs just on the 2 batteries if I had to and the inverter charger will filter any flakey genny power. Always have a few tons of pellets on hand.

Have oil lamps, rechargeable flashlights, LED string lights, 2 portable radios if needed. Plenty of food in fridge and stand alone freezer, plus always a good supply of canned and dry goods, canned soda, tea and of course rum & tequila .

Son left his chainsaw here (can't remember the brand) if we have downed trees.

Started installing the ProTran 2011-12 after ice storms and the hurricane in '12 (Bob?). Naturally in the 10 yrs we've been ready, power hasn't gone out for more than 30 min in all that time.

Sam

 

Smart man!

 

The destructive Hurricane Bob that I remember was way back in the early 90's. where the ex was out in the howling wind and deluge of rain to dig channels to divert the water cascading from the ridge to the house. Doesn't mean it wasn't another Hurricane Bob since you are closer to the coast than I am.