In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

If the Texas calamity came your way what would you do ?

Discussion in 'Modern EPA Stoves and Fireplaces' started by Rich L, Feb 20, 2021.

  1. Rearscreen

    Rearscreen

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    Fly to Cancun.
     
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  2. Chazsbetterhalf

    Chazsbetterhalf

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    Welcome to FHC. You'll like it here. We like beer, dogs and pics. Lots of pics.
     
  3. Chazsbetterhalf

    Chazsbetterhalf

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    Our generator is had wired to the house. Inside we have fridge and chest freezer along with a couple wall sockets. A we would use it charge phones also my o2 unit since I have to be on o2 when sleeping.
    Chaz wants to modify the unit to either run on gas or propane. He would have a small propane take put in.
     
  4. yooperdave

    yooperdave

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    We would still have water since we're at the low side of municipal system. Yeah, at some point, the pressure would end, but by then there would be more than enough drawn out for drinking/cooking. Also, there are some natural always flowing springs in the area. The huge problem with water lines down there (texas) is from where they were run.....in the attics. You bet they're going to freeze.

    The heat would be no problem since adding the stove in the basement a few years back.

    Electricity would be missed, but not needed as the ground is frozen and there is no current use for the sump pump here. Keep fridge and freezer doors closed. And use the outside temps after that!

    The gasoline level in vehicles is almost never lower that 1/2 tank....but we don't go anywhere much anyway!
     
  5. amateur cutter

    amateur cutter

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    I keep mine topped up too, but the last thing I'm gonna do is bug out unless it's fire. I'm pretty well set for a longer duration event.
     
  6. savemoney

    savemoney

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    My niece has a business in Texas that flooded. She said it was a total loss. She is self employed as a hairstylist. She is fairly discouraged. She has located a place for temp. relocation but it will take some work to outfit it and get it going. Now she and her husband are talking about packing up and moving to Maine. She is from here so she knows what she will be getting into. Our winters are long and cold. Plus, the economy isn't near what it is in Texas. However, here, we always know we could be shut off from all utilities for one to two weeks at any time.
     
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  7. Chaz

    Chaz

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    You sir, need a better plan.

    In my opinion, that's a recipe for disaster.

    $.02
     
  8. Chaz

    Chaz

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    This ^^^^

    My biggest flaw is that I am an excellent procrastinator.
    :whistle:

    We've had this generator for several years, and I've still not put on a dual fuel carb so that it can run on propane.

    We generally have around 10 gallons of gas on hand at any one point. Not enough for an extended outage.

    I will say that aside from the inconvenience, tying the second well into the house has given me additional peace of mind when it comes to water.

    Solar would be a great addition as well, but it's not at the top of the "to do" (can afford) list yet.
     
  9. stuckinthemuck

    stuckinthemuck

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    You can prepare. Just need to start and keep after it. Start at your house and move outward. Keep your wood stacks away from the house, keep the forest floor clear of dead wood. Prune trees to reduce ladder fuels. Cut trees so the tops aren’t touching in case a crown fire comes through. Stopping a fire may prove to be impractical or impossible. But slowing the spread by reducing the fuel can certainly be done. Depending on your water supply you can have sprinklers ready to wet down the exterior of your house (starting with the roof) if a fire comes through. I’ve even considered a sprinkler for my wood stacks as years of heating could be wiped out very quickly with one unexpected fire. If you want to prepare, talk to your local county extension forester about what you can do. If there isn’t much space between your house and your neighbors’ talk to them and see if they will work with you. Don’t let analysis paralysis stop you from getting started.
     
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  10. ReelFaster

    ReelFaster

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    Great question/thread!

    After going through 2020 with political issues, pandemics, etc... we continue to strive to become more self sustainable and now events that occured in Texas. We made small progress, purchasing a generator is on my radar but need to do some research. Generally gas has a 3 - 6 month shelf life so I'd have to work in some type of rotation for fresh. I also see generators that are dual fuel with propane which can be stored as I understand it much longer but don't last nearly as long.
     
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  11. stuckinthemuck

    stuckinthemuck

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    The fuel that we store gets dumped in the vehicles before it reaches its shelf life.
     
  12. Semipro

    Semipro

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    I spent 30 years in Texas and know their pain.

    We now have solar PV with battery backup, a 5.5 kW generator for times when solar can't keep up, a hybrid vehicle that can serve as a backup generator when connected to the solar PV inverter, firewood and some pellets to feed respective stoves, and a well.

    Forest fires are also our biggest concern. Our cedar-sided house is surrounded by trees (mostly cedar) and we live near a national forest.
    We now store 4500 gal. of rainwater collected from our barn roof and store it in poly tanks. We have an electric pump that we can use with the water for firefighting. I'm looking for a PTO pump for the tractor as an alternative.
    I recently took down about 20 cedar trees near the house and have removed the lower branches on many others. Eastern Red Cedars are apparently particularly flammable. We're also trying to establish more turfgrass and reduce our use of wood mulch.
    I'm also currently replacing the fiberglass composition roof shingles with a metal roof.

    I feel like I'm overdoing it sometimes but then a Katrina, Sandy, or something like what's going on in Texas comes along and I feel a little less crazy, just a little.
     
  13. Eckie

    Eckie

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    100 % correct. They will go up in flames like a candle....
     
  14. sirbuildalot

    sirbuildalot

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    Life as usual here. We've lost power for 9-10 days at a time before during the winter. I try to have at least a month of food in the pantry, including 20-25 gallons of drinking water. Plenty of candles, a woodstove, plenty of dry wood, and oh...a generator with plenty of gas on hand.

    Now if it was just my wife in this predicament.....

    :hair:
     
  15. Screwloose

    Screwloose

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    I'd have to decide what generator to choose based on expected load. Heating wouldn't change much if any and we have a well so.
    Bottom line I'd probably be out and about doing something, I'm from Wisconsin from before the spread of city folk when a ice storm could just plain take down miles of the only power lines.
     
  16. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Thanks for joining up and posting, littleboss .
    :handshake:
     
  17. Eckie

    Eckie

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    We moved into the house we're in now almost 2 years ago. There were (are) several things that were on the list to get/have done, that created multiple options for heat besides our primary heat pump. A couple of them had been partly addressed, but not finished due to multiple reasons. Also intended was a generator hookup to the house. This ice storm caught us with our pants down. We had the best of intentions, but hadn't finished the process.

    I can't imagine not having a generator. Ours was running, but not the best. Our old neighbor's generator croaked, so I loaned him mine and used an older one with a 2 gallon tank. It would run maybe 3 hours. That sucks. We decided to try to upgrade gens before the 2nd ice storm, my awesome wife was able to find some slightly larger gens that were being delivered to a store about 1.5 hrs away. It was very difficult to find what we needed (would still like a larger one) by then. Propane tanks, 5 gal fuel cans, even 30 amp twist lock plugs for gen hookup were GONE. And I mean in a 2 hour drive radius.

    I tell you all this because I hope those of you who "have thought about" or "are thinking about" getting a generator (for example) will follow through sooner rather than later. The emergency that makes you realize you're unprepared, or underprepared, often comes fairly quickly and may not (likely will not) give you time to finish.

    We will be making several changes, and finishing/installing/ purchasing the methods of heating, since that is what we feel is now our weakest link.
     
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  18. amateur cutter

    amateur cutter

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    I've found the best time to buy generators & the like is a few weeks to months after such an event. They'll often come up for sale once the power is back on & people get back to "normal" living.
     
  19. Eckie

    Eckie

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    Definitely amateur cutter. Our new gen is better than what we had, but I'll be keeping my eye on cl for a deal on a bigger.
     
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  20. Highbeam

    Highbeam

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    I believe that this 3-6 month shelf life of gasoline is complete hogwash. Add stabilizer and store a full gas can in a garage and it will go 1-2 years. Sure, propane lasts forever but gasoline does way better than some folks would like you to think.