No real issues here even without power and water. Melted a ton of snow to flush toilets. Had enough power banked to charge phones. Firewood and propane on hand was plentiful.
How was your preparedness lacking?
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Last: 3 yr ago by Well, okay then
STX Ag said:
Didn't have near enough booze. Had to make 2 ill advised trips to the liquor store.
Rookie mistake. That's as bad as going to the Arctic and leaving your jacket at the house. Should have been the first priority.
We did well in north Fort Worth.
Reminded me that I need to run the generator a little more. It's an old Champion 3k and does fine and starts right up...well, being so cold it took it a bit to start. On the 10th pull the damn pull rope broke. Had to fix that and reset the spring inside it. Then I swear 10 minutes after running it the fuel line broke!!!
Reminded me that I need to run the generator a little more. It's an old Champion 3k and does fine and starts right up...well, being so cold it took it a bit to start. On the 10th pull the damn pull rope broke. Had to fix that and reset the spring inside it. Then I swear 10 minutes after running it the fuel line broke!!!
Battery powered lights. Have a couple of flashlights I can carry in my pocket, but no lantern. Also have 2 empty propane tanks sitting around I'm too lazy to fill.
I don't think fireplaces are the most efficient heat source, but they do work. We were completely out of power for 3 days. We hung up a couple of sheets to block the doorways and our full masonry fireplace did a pretty good job of heating the room.AlaskanAg99 said:
The number of people who do not understand wood burning fireplaces are essentially for decoration only.
They are not designed to heat your home.
https://hearthandpatiostore.com/know-shopping-replacement-fireplace/
How did your water catchment fair. We are in the planning stages and curious on what you did to keep the storage from turning into one big ice cube.
I'm buying these for every bathroom. Bathtubs leak water over a few days.
HTTPS://Www.Waterbob.com
These are like gold right now. And I needed them for a copper pipe to stop a leak from a blown bib.
SharkBite U514LFA End Cap Plumbing 1/2 In, PEX Fittings, Push-to-Connect, Copper, CPVC, 0.5 Inch, Brass https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002STXVFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8CHVY49QNE9S9BDEG4NW
Also couldn't find my water main key, and I really needed that. Ice cold water and plyers are no fun.
PlumBest M25127R3 1/2-Inch by 27-Inch Water Meter Key, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0069QU7Z2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9FSR9SFG9PT800379TA7
HTTPS://Www.Waterbob.com
These are like gold right now. And I needed them for a copper pipe to stop a leak from a blown bib.
SharkBite U514LFA End Cap Plumbing 1/2 In, PEX Fittings, Push-to-Connect, Copper, CPVC, 0.5 Inch, Brass https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002STXVFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_8CHVY49QNE9S9BDEG4NW
Also couldn't find my water main key, and I really needed that. Ice cold water and plyers are no fun.
PlumBest M25127R3 1/2-Inch by 27-Inch Water Meter Key, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0069QU7Z2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_9FSR9SFG9PT800379TA7
Have you given any thought to doing any kind of smarthome type stuff? I have a Samsung Smartthings hub with several wifi switches/plugs/bulbs that I can do all sorts of fun stuff through via apps from the ST community. One of the lighting apps allows me to set certain lights/plugs to cycle on/off for a set amount of time. So in theory, you could have that same set up plugged into a wifi plug somewhere somewhat warm, and have it come on for 10 minutes then off for 10 minutes.Quote:
Yes, the inner styrofoam was almost completely melted.
Also thought about maybe just reducing the number of lights and adding a thermostatically controlled plug (which I had bought but didn't install, oops).
If you haven't looked at lanterns lately, the modern LED ones are incredible. Small/light enough to backpack with while putting out more light than the old Coleman lanterns. REI has a few on sale. I've got the Black Diamond one that's only 20 bucks at the moment and it's great.DeBoss said:
Battery powered lights. Have a couple of flashlights I can carry in my pocket, but no lantern. Also have 2 empty propane tanks sitting around I'm too lazy to fill.
REI link
As for us, we did relatively well...thank God! We have a whole home generator, so I felt we'd be OK if the power went out, but I was concerned the cold would kill the battery, thus leave me SOL, so I started the generator every morning so I could see if the battery needed to be charged while I had power, and let it run for ~10 minutes to warm up in case we lost power.
My main concern were the pipes. I trickled water on the faucets that are on exterior walls and opened up cabinet doors to let the house heat get to it. I also got up every few hours to run each faucet's hot/cold to make sure water was still flowing. I did have a scare Tuesday morning when I went to run the kitchen faucet and the cold was fine, but when I went to the hot water, it trickled for a few seconds before spewing air and then going normally. I let it run until it was pushing out hot water and then went to each faucet in the house and did the same. None of our toilets are on exterior walls, but I flushed them and ran the upstairs tubs as well as the master shower and tub.
As for the outside spigots, I have the typical styrofoam covers that you typically see, and I stuck a dish towel in the microwave for a minute a piece, then ran them out and wrapped them around the already wrapped spigot, then put the cover on to help keep the heat in.
For the main line out by the street, I wrapped all of that as well with an old curtain we use as a drop cloth in the garage when painting, and put a plastic bag over that.
Up in the attic, I made sure all water lines to/from the water heater were wrapped, and I also switched out the 2 LED bulbs up there for the old school recessed bulbs that would burn you walking under them. Doubt that did much good, but made me feel a little better.
I like cold snaps, but not like this and not one that causes the damages we saw.
My main concern were the pipes. I trickled water on the faucets that are on exterior walls and opened up cabinet doors to let the house heat get to it. I also got up every few hours to run each faucet's hot/cold to make sure water was still flowing. I did have a scare Tuesday morning when I went to run the kitchen faucet and the cold was fine, but when I went to the hot water, it trickled for a few seconds before spewing air and then going normally. I let it run until it was pushing out hot water and then went to each faucet in the house and did the same. None of our toilets are on exterior walls, but I flushed them and ran the upstairs tubs as well as the master shower and tub.
As for the outside spigots, I have the typical styrofoam covers that you typically see, and I stuck a dish towel in the microwave for a minute a piece, then ran them out and wrapped them around the already wrapped spigot, then put the cover on to help keep the heat in.
For the main line out by the street, I wrapped all of that as well with an old curtain we use as a drop cloth in the garage when painting, and put a plastic bag over that.
Up in the attic, I made sure all water lines to/from the water heater were wrapped, and I also switched out the 2 LED bulbs up there for the old school recessed bulbs that would burn you walking under them. Doubt that did much good, but made me feel a little better.
I like cold snaps, but not like this and not one that causes the damages we saw.
I was over-prepared and ended up loaning out generator and power banks to others. But I have observations:
I only had 6 1lb bottles of propane for Buddy Heaters, but also one 20g tank with hose and most importantly inline filter. Without one, you will ruin a little propane heater
Firewood. We have a gas fireplace that puts out a lot of heat, but I gave away all my pinion. Lowe's was saw cutting 2x4 into 18" sections and giving 20 to each person free. Keep wood around even if you have to buy that crap they will soon put on clearance at the entry of all grocery stores in mid-March. Now I'm looking for pinion for when the mosquitos start to swarm.
Kids hunting boots (Academy's version of Muck Boots) don't fit after buying in October. That was a surprise.
Buy a chainsaw now, even if you don't need it.
Regular unleaded doesn't work well in small engines unless you add octane boosters. That's why I purchased 5 gallons of Tru-fuel today to replace the 3 gallons I gave away. I'm not ruining a $1000 generator over $2.50 gas. Plus it wouldn't run decent on 87 octane.
Wd-40 will work as carb cleaner. I rebuilt my buddies HF Predator carb after he used in once for a Christmas parade 3 years ago and never touched it. Working on a plastic folding table in 4* temps in a snow covered driveway is one thing, but getting the taste of old gas and WD-40 out of your mouth is another. But we sucked a blew that thing clean!!
Girl Scout Cookies will make you fat
Running on a treadmill sucks
Don't park your unwinterized F250 in front of the garage that houses the only vehicle that will not gel-up and turn into a boat anchor.
Ha! Suck it boat owners who didn't fog their boats. I don't own a boat so I can make fun of all those who are crying about their ruined $100k Malibus.
PEX is superior to copper
Little Ceasar's Pizza...not that shabby.
A lifted Jeep Wrangler will role down an embankment when you are speeding on the snow covered shoulders of SH114
I'm thinking I might add a 50W solar panel to my list of power contingencies items. To power one of my existing power banks. I'm a CPAP user and rather not have to use generator to power it.
I now know what I was missing when I never watched Breaking Bad. I'm through 3 season. Badger!
I only had 6 1lb bottles of propane for Buddy Heaters, but also one 20g tank with hose and most importantly inline filter. Without one, you will ruin a little propane heater
Firewood. We have a gas fireplace that puts out a lot of heat, but I gave away all my pinion. Lowe's was saw cutting 2x4 into 18" sections and giving 20 to each person free. Keep wood around even if you have to buy that crap they will soon put on clearance at the entry of all grocery stores in mid-March. Now I'm looking for pinion for when the mosquitos start to swarm.
Kids hunting boots (Academy's version of Muck Boots) don't fit after buying in October. That was a surprise.
Buy a chainsaw now, even if you don't need it.
Regular unleaded doesn't work well in small engines unless you add octane boosters. That's why I purchased 5 gallons of Tru-fuel today to replace the 3 gallons I gave away. I'm not ruining a $1000 generator over $2.50 gas. Plus it wouldn't run decent on 87 octane.
Wd-40 will work as carb cleaner. I rebuilt my buddies HF Predator carb after he used in once for a Christmas parade 3 years ago and never touched it. Working on a plastic folding table in 4* temps in a snow covered driveway is one thing, but getting the taste of old gas and WD-40 out of your mouth is another. But we sucked a blew that thing clean!!
Girl Scout Cookies will make you fat
Running on a treadmill sucks
Don't park your unwinterized F250 in front of the garage that houses the only vehicle that will not gel-up and turn into a boat anchor.
Ha! Suck it boat owners who didn't fog their boats. I don't own a boat so I can make fun of all those who are crying about their ruined $100k Malibus.
PEX is superior to copper
Little Ceasar's Pizza...not that shabby.
A lifted Jeep Wrangler will role down an embankment when you are speeding on the snow covered shoulders of SH114
I'm thinking I might add a 50W solar panel to my list of power contingencies items. To power one of my existing power banks. I'm a CPAP user and rather not have to use generator to power it.
I now know what I was missing when I never watched Breaking Bad. I'm through 3 season. Badger!
Never really thought much of the 450 watt inverter on my '16 F150.
But it was a huge asset for my family this week. Ran a couple extension chords and was able to power the tv with HD antenna, the cable modem, and some LED lamps, chargers and heating pad. Very efficient. Got about 25 hours of idle time on a half tank of gas.
Have a 9000 watt generator, but didn't need it with the inverter. Couldn't get it started anyway.
Gonna make sure I have that on my next truck as well. Think they now have them with 1000+ watts in the new trucks.
But it was a huge asset for my family this week. Ran a couple extension chords and was able to power the tv with HD antenna, the cable modem, and some LED lamps, chargers and heating pad. Very efficient. Got about 25 hours of idle time on a half tank of gas.
Have a 9000 watt generator, but didn't need it with the inverter. Couldn't get it started anyway.
Gonna make sure I have that on my next truck as well. Think they now have them with 1000+ watts in the new trucks.
Same as every winter. I posted this on the GB for frugal moms, but you can cook in the open using tea lights as a cheap source of fuel.
“If you’re going to have crime it should at least be organized crime”
-Havelock Vetinari
-Havelock Vetinari
I have a Berkey water filter and I highly recommend. We have a pond and I was filtering pond water to cook with and wash dishes. They're expensive but if you have a water source, it's a lot better than trying to store a lot of water.
What we lacked was a working generator.
I'm always amazed at how unprepared some people are. I don't understand how people can have "no food" in their houses. It's not about being poor, it's about not planning ahead.
What we lacked was a working generator.
I'm always amazed at how unprepared some people are. I don't understand how people can have "no food" in their houses. It's not about being poor, it's about not planning ahead.
Most people care about "now" and "will worry about that later" all the way until "later" is cutting off their power.
Initially, I was going to turn my water off and open every faucet to drain.
After reading a post from a fellow from texags, I just opened my faucets and let them run (better than spaghetti string).
I've got 10 breaks in my water lines.
Classic case of trusting your first instincts
After reading a post from a fellow from texags, I just opened my faucets and let them run (better than spaghetti string).
I've got 10 breaks in my water lines.
Classic case of trusting your first instincts
I could use some paper plates and plastic ware right about now, since doing dishes with snow melt is a pita.
50 flashlights stashed around house and couldn't find ONE for 10 minutes.
We were good on everything but firewood. I burned through all of mine the first day (I just had what I use for my smoker). Ran out about 1 am on Tuesday morning, so temp got down to 40. We spent Tuesday night at a friend's, then came back when we had power, which shut off again. Had to bust up a couple of shipping pallets for night 3. Power came back about 11 and stayed on.
I bought 10 LED lanterns on Wish a few years ago for about $20 and they work great.
Gas stove and camp coffee percolator, so good there. Plenty of food. Sleeping bags and longjohns and we did fine.
Took a shower today for first time since Sunday and it may have been the best shower of my life.
I bought 10 LED lanterns on Wish a few years ago for about $20 and they work great.
Gas stove and camp coffee percolator, so good there. Plenty of food. Sleeping bags and longjohns and we did fine.
Took a shower today for first time since Sunday and it may have been the best shower of my life.
A lot of people had homes a lot colder than 55 degrees. My brother in law was staying with us. He went to check on his house Wednesday and the water in his toilets were frozen. The water they had roses in a vase on his island...frozen. His house was below freezing for two days.
As for what I would have done better.....not invite everyone I know to stay with us. JK. But it did get a little rough with a dozen people, including 3 kids, and 3 dogs in our townhome.
We were pretty well prepared, I feel I stay well prepared. Keep 2 extra cases of water in the garage, have half a dozen gallon+ jugs of water, generators to run most the house, extra gas, etc. This was still pretty eye opening and I'll be adding an emergency box in the garage with things like space blankets, lanterns, water filtration systems to hook up to the water bib, power banks, etc.
Also going to stock up on common pvc and cpvc repair parts. No issues this go, but the scarcity of parts is still eye opening.
We were pretty well prepared, I feel I stay well prepared. Keep 2 extra cases of water in the garage, have half a dozen gallon+ jugs of water, generators to run most the house, extra gas, etc. This was still pretty eye opening and I'll be adding an emergency box in the garage with things like space blankets, lanterns, water filtration systems to hook up to the water bib, power banks, etc.
Also going to stock up on common pvc and cpvc repair parts. No issues this go, but the scarcity of parts is still eye opening.
That's better than some neighbors (who have 6 kids of their own, aged 10ish and under) had a total of 19 people under their roof and then they lost water. And then power. I saw them jn Wednesday and asked if they needed any propane as I was going to get some for my FIL and they both had a dead expression kn their face.
We had the big stuff, but I was not prepared enough to lose power for multiple days. Most of what we prepared with required power. We did have food and still haven't needed to find a restaurant or grocery store yet.
Definitely more battery packs for electronics, better coolers to hold food, more potable water, more matches & lighters for the gas stove (thank god we had one in our junk drawer), lanterns instead of flashlights, battery powered radio to get news from outside. Also kids are getting proper warm winter clothes & boots every year even if it's a waste of money when they outgrow it.
Definitely more battery packs for electronics, better coolers to hold food, more potable water, more matches & lighters for the gas stove (thank god we had one in our junk drawer), lanterns instead of flashlights, battery powered radio to get news from outside. Also kids are getting proper warm winter clothes & boots every year even if it's a waste of money when they outgrow it.
No electric or oil filled heater I could run with my generator at the house. I took it to my deer camper 
and never brought it back.
and never brought it back. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth!
For sure. We were lucky. And even though we were crowded I invited more people over. And I'd do it all again, and know everyone here would do it for me as well.
But yes, when we lost water it got a little rough. A couple of filled bathtubs start to drain pretty quickly when you have a dozen people using the restrooms.
And thinking of that maybe more disposable serving dishes and cookware is something I'd add to the preparedness list. Dishes were slowly piling up as well. We used wet paper towels to clean them as much as possible and avoid any smells until we got water back.
we also should've done laundry before the storm. That has definitely piled up.
But yes, when we lost water it got a little rough. A couple of filled bathtubs start to drain pretty quickly when you have a dozen people using the restrooms.
And thinking of that maybe more disposable serving dishes and cookware is something I'd add to the preparedness list. Dishes were slowly piling up as well. We used wet paper towels to clean them as much as possible and avoid any smells until we got water back.
we also should've done laundry before the storm. That has definitely piled up.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/EasyHeat-AHB-24-ft-168-Watt-Pipe-Heat-Cable/1065635Picard said:JSKolache said:
....
exterior pipes wrapped (w/ pipe heat cable on the main)
....
Tell me more about this please. Looking for recommendations on some way to do more than just wrap the hose spigots in the future...some sort of heated option other than the C9 incandescent Christmas lights I used.
available in different lengths.
No power for a while. Had 2 boat batteries. Hooked up inverter and battery charger. Plugged a couple of lamps and the tv into it. Got the bachelor on HD antenna, power would come back on, charge batteries, was good to go.
Scored some points with wife on bachelor thing.... I personally think it's one of the dumbest things on tv. We all know we need about 5 minutes to narrow the list to 3.
Scored some points with wife on bachelor thing.... I personally think it's one of the dumbest things on tv. We all know we need about 5 minutes to narrow the list to 3.
Two big take always for me were test run your generators frequently and use premium fuel - that wasn't a major issue as it was all that was left at the pump
And stock up on Stabil
Had a number of friends who couldn't get theirs to run
And stock up on Stabil
Had a number of friends who couldn't get theirs to run
We did pretty good in all but we still have work to do. We are off grid, solar, batteries and 24kw propane generator, 30k gal rain collection tank for the whole house.
Luckily our propane company saw what was about to happen and filled us up last Thursday ( I forever will use this company)
I didn't expect after the first night Sunday I believe for our pipes to freeze in the pump house. I actually didn't know where they froze and was just guessing, I put a space heater in it and let it run for two days straight on high. I did have a heat lamp in it but it obviously was over ran. On Tuesday night I open the spigot in the pump house and water came flowing out. Learned my lesson and now looking to get the pump house spray foam. I will be buying water storage now since we were melting snow to flush toilets.
We have the big generator but it eats so much propane we only turned it on to charge the batteries for the day time. At night I got my HF 6000 watt gen and ran cords inside the house for space heater, TV, internet and plug by my bed for cpap and other stuff. Its only my wife and I so no need to heat the whole house, the wiener doggies had a heated blanket and they were happy.
I didnt have any gas so I got two of my 5gal and made a trip everyday to fill up, also topping off my diesel each trip. I almost gel my truck up and manage to grab the last two bottles of anti gel at the auto parts store. Another mistake I won't make again. I started my truck every 6 hours and ran for an hour after that scare.
We had plenty of food and warmth, water and gas were really the only issue we had.
Edit to say stock up on started fluid for generator and gas preserver.
Luckily our propane company saw what was about to happen and filled us up last Thursday ( I forever will use this company)
I didn't expect after the first night Sunday I believe for our pipes to freeze in the pump house. I actually didn't know where they froze and was just guessing, I put a space heater in it and let it run for two days straight on high. I did have a heat lamp in it but it obviously was over ran. On Tuesday night I open the spigot in the pump house and water came flowing out. Learned my lesson and now looking to get the pump house spray foam. I will be buying water storage now since we were melting snow to flush toilets.
We have the big generator but it eats so much propane we only turned it on to charge the batteries for the day time. At night I got my HF 6000 watt gen and ran cords inside the house for space heater, TV, internet and plug by my bed for cpap and other stuff. Its only my wife and I so no need to heat the whole house, the wiener doggies had a heated blanket and they were happy.
I didnt have any gas so I got two of my 5gal and made a trip everyday to fill up, also topping off my diesel each trip. I almost gel my truck up and manage to grab the last two bottles of anti gel at the auto parts store. Another mistake I won't make again. I started my truck every 6 hours and ran for an hour after that scare.
We had plenty of food and warmth, water and gas were really the only issue we had.
Edit to say stock up on started fluid for generator and gas preserver.
Not everyone gets the same version of me. One person might tell you I have an amazing beautiful soul. Another might tell you I’m a cold-hearted a$$^ole. Believe them both. I don’t treat people badly. I treat them accordingly - unknown
Let's put it this way: if this weren't an anonymous forum, I wouldn't be here. And I'm one of the LEAST concerned about what others think of anyone there is. It was embarrassingly bad. Like "don't show your face around the OB" bad, but since you asked...
I never anticipated the power would go off for more than a few hours max. Like, maybe 3 or 4 at the absolute most. I mean, what can possibly put more strain on the electrical system than Texas summers, right? And don't a bunch of houses have gas heat like mine, meaning they don't use THAT MUCH electricity in the winter, especially compared to the summer, right?
1. We had SOME fire wood. I actually thought we had more. I failed to check our inventory. When I was on here posting last week about my recollections of the '83 storm, I could have been checking and then the next day gone and gotten another 3 dozen-odd pieces of firewood. Would have taken, at most, 2 hours to do and cost almost nothing. Also, my chimney hasn't been swept in, well, I don't know if its ever been swept. Now is not a good time to worry about that being an issue. My wife and I talked about that for years even though we rarely have fires but on a preparedness scale in terms of alternative heating source with a gas fireplace (which should have been a SCORE to most people), I got a big fat ZERO.
2. I have plenty of Bic lighters. They work but they suck. I've already ordered a decent lighter, another candle lighter and the Bics will be used as backups to the backup. The candles we fished out don't give out much light. I (hopefully) solved that problem with an order. We've also got a non-flammable lantern -- AT my storage unit! A big help that is. I'm going to retrieve that and put it in the garage. We have flashlights around the house, so getting around in the dark wasn't too bad. On this scale, I'm about a 4, maybe a 5.
3. We were pretty lucky, all things considered. We were out for about 36 of 48 hours starting early Mon. morning. Monday night was miserable. Our vehicles had 3/4 or so of gas in them (need to be full next time), so I got out and about 4 or 5 times. Food wasn't a major issue as the power came back on at very good times (Tues around lunch and dinner). However, we weren't prepared for longer periods of outage and had I not been able to go anywhere we might have been more uncomfortable. We had enough to survive but I didn't clean my gas grill, check the gas level or have enough stuff to cook on that -- heck, I didn't even think much about it last week. Next time I'll have pre-formed burgers, a few steaks, and similar eats. Food prep was a 3 at best. I'll probably get a generator if for no other reason to run the fridge during an outage. With the right food and a gas grill that's full of propane, we can survive indefinitely. I eat bacon/sausage and eggs 4 or 5 days a week anyway. Bacon around ground beef seriously upgrades what would be a "chopped" steak. And a "value" pack of ribeyes isn't too bad.
4. I got out in my car -- a sedan. My wife has a RAV4. The times I was out I had no real problems and could have used the RAV4 if I needed to. I think by this summer I'll have a pickup of some sort so by the next outage, I'll have a more capable vehicle, if for no other use than to haul stuff to and from or to help others.
5. Clothing is probably the only area where I was all but good to go. I mostly wear shorts around the house unless its really cold and go barefoot but I have an old, thick pair of socks that I wear during cold snaps. I grabbed a pair of sweats that I haven't worn in years, put on a t-shirt and a sweatshirt for the really cold night. For going outside, I was fine in jeans, wool socks, hiking boots, an undershirt, Carhartt henley, and very heavy shirt quilted jacket. Grade here was probably an 8. Need more interior night clothing as I hate PJs but need something if we're off and its -1 outside like it was! Anyway, this is about the only area where I can offer advice and I'd say don't depend on old clothes to protect you from the cold. Check your "stock" before winter begins. As long as you can get it on and wear it, fit isn't a big issue.
First Amazon order: candles and lighters. Next: 2 spare fleece blankets (really warm; much more so than the cotton ones). Mechanix gloves for car. Next fall: lounge pants.
Dollar store items: candle holders.
Box stores: generator (later in spring/summer); a few other things I can't think of now but thought of earlier this week.
Thanksgiving week: check stock of wood and get inventory up.
Week before ANY anticipated cold snap: make sure gas is filled up; make sure fridge is stocked; make sure plenty of water is on hand; winter proof pipes as best you can. (I'll defer to other good advice on here for the rest).
I never anticipated the power would go off for more than a few hours max. Like, maybe 3 or 4 at the absolute most. I mean, what can possibly put more strain on the electrical system than Texas summers, right? And don't a bunch of houses have gas heat like mine, meaning they don't use THAT MUCH electricity in the winter, especially compared to the summer, right?
1. We had SOME fire wood. I actually thought we had more. I failed to check our inventory. When I was on here posting last week about my recollections of the '83 storm, I could have been checking and then the next day gone and gotten another 3 dozen-odd pieces of firewood. Would have taken, at most, 2 hours to do and cost almost nothing. Also, my chimney hasn't been swept in, well, I don't know if its ever been swept. Now is not a good time to worry about that being an issue. My wife and I talked about that for years even though we rarely have fires but on a preparedness scale in terms of alternative heating source with a gas fireplace (which should have been a SCORE to most people), I got a big fat ZERO.
2. I have plenty of Bic lighters. They work but they suck. I've already ordered a decent lighter, another candle lighter and the Bics will be used as backups to the backup. The candles we fished out don't give out much light. I (hopefully) solved that problem with an order. We've also got a non-flammable lantern -- AT my storage unit! A big help that is. I'm going to retrieve that and put it in the garage. We have flashlights around the house, so getting around in the dark wasn't too bad. On this scale, I'm about a 4, maybe a 5.
3. We were pretty lucky, all things considered. We were out for about 36 of 48 hours starting early Mon. morning. Monday night was miserable. Our vehicles had 3/4 or so of gas in them (need to be full next time), so I got out and about 4 or 5 times. Food wasn't a major issue as the power came back on at very good times (Tues around lunch and dinner). However, we weren't prepared for longer periods of outage and had I not been able to go anywhere we might have been more uncomfortable. We had enough to survive but I didn't clean my gas grill, check the gas level or have enough stuff to cook on that -- heck, I didn't even think much about it last week. Next time I'll have pre-formed burgers, a few steaks, and similar eats. Food prep was a 3 at best. I'll probably get a generator if for no other reason to run the fridge during an outage. With the right food and a gas grill that's full of propane, we can survive indefinitely. I eat bacon/sausage and eggs 4 or 5 days a week anyway. Bacon around ground beef seriously upgrades what would be a "chopped" steak. And a "value" pack of ribeyes isn't too bad.
4. I got out in my car -- a sedan. My wife has a RAV4. The times I was out I had no real problems and could have used the RAV4 if I needed to. I think by this summer I'll have a pickup of some sort so by the next outage, I'll have a more capable vehicle, if for no other use than to haul stuff to and from or to help others.
5. Clothing is probably the only area where I was all but good to go. I mostly wear shorts around the house unless its really cold and go barefoot but I have an old, thick pair of socks that I wear during cold snaps. I grabbed a pair of sweats that I haven't worn in years, put on a t-shirt and a sweatshirt for the really cold night. For going outside, I was fine in jeans, wool socks, hiking boots, an undershirt, Carhartt henley, and very heavy shirt quilted jacket. Grade here was probably an 8. Need more interior night clothing as I hate PJs but need something if we're off and its -1 outside like it was! Anyway, this is about the only area where I can offer advice and I'd say don't depend on old clothes to protect you from the cold. Check your "stock" before winter begins. As long as you can get it on and wear it, fit isn't a big issue.
First Amazon order: candles and lighters. Next: 2 spare fleece blankets (really warm; much more so than the cotton ones). Mechanix gloves for car. Next fall: lounge pants.
Dollar store items: candle holders.
Box stores: generator (later in spring/summer); a few other things I can't think of now but thought of earlier this week.
Thanksgiving week: check stock of wood and get inventory up.
Week before ANY anticipated cold snap: make sure gas is filled up; make sure fridge is stocked; make sure plenty of water is on hand; winter proof pipes as best you can. (I'll defer to other good advice on here for the rest).
My pre-storm shopping missed eggs and milk because I thought we had enough. Wrong! Luckily, I was able to trade my neighbor a wheelbarrow full of dry oak, for his extras of each. And I should have bought the brisket I passed on!
I had also gotten lazy in the last few weeks and hadn't been keeping adequate ground beef supplies in the freezer because it was nice to get out once every few days and go get some. That was before my grocer was the only one open around here most days and only for 5 hours at that. I could have resorted to venison for me and my son, but my wife is not a huge fan for some reason. Anyway, otherwise we faired well as we were on the hospital grid also. We are boiling water now, but I just put off most tasks that would require that, as I am sure they will have that resolved in the next few days and we have enough dishes for a month.
Overall, I give us a 7/10.
I had also gotten lazy in the last few weeks and hadn't been keeping adequate ground beef supplies in the freezer because it was nice to get out once every few days and go get some. That was before my grocer was the only one open around here most days and only for 5 hours at that. I could have resorted to venison for me and my son, but my wife is not a huge fan for some reason. Anyway, otherwise we faired well as we were on the hospital grid also. We are boiling water now, but I just put off most tasks that would require that, as I am sure they will have that resolved in the next few days and we have enough dishes for a month.
Overall, I give us a 7/10.
Class of '93 - proud Dad of a '22 grad and a '26 student!
Overall, we went 9.8/10
I was working nights so my wife handled everything during the 20 hours I was asleep or gone.
Had plenty of cut firewood and took down another tree today to restock (maybe used half of what we had since Sunday).
Plenty of food for us and plenty of dog food. Had water bottles to drink and were able to keep the hot and cold running the whole time to avoid leaks. We were on rotating outages so 20 on 20 off, but managed to keep the portable chargers good to go. Candles all over the house. Plenty of gas for my generator (never cranked it up though... just dealt with the intermittent power).
Honestly everything went fine. Pretty sure if I was somewhere that went powerless for a day we'd have done fine still with everything we keep on hand, but may have gotten a little low on firewood.
Only thing I'm taking away from this all is to keep more bottles of water/gallon jugs on hand just incase.
I was working nights so my wife handled everything during the 20 hours I was asleep or gone.
Had plenty of cut firewood and took down another tree today to restock (maybe used half of what we had since Sunday).
Plenty of food for us and plenty of dog food. Had water bottles to drink and were able to keep the hot and cold running the whole time to avoid leaks. We were on rotating outages so 20 on 20 off, but managed to keep the portable chargers good to go. Candles all over the house. Plenty of gas for my generator (never cranked it up though... just dealt with the intermittent power).
Honestly everything went fine. Pretty sure if I was somewhere that went powerless for a day we'd have done fine still with everything we keep on hand, but may have gotten a little low on firewood.
Only thing I'm taking away from this all is to keep more bottles of water/gallon jugs on hand just incase.
Been working/living in the north for a while now. Couple things I've learned:
In extreme, prolonged cold, cotton clothes are useless. Wool & synthetic next to your skin. There is no exception to this rule. Under armor makes some great cold weather gear but it needs to be legit cold to keep it on for any length of time. Wool socks.
Most wood burning stoves (the cast iron/metal kind, out from the wall) are better than (most) fireplaces for putting out heat. (There are exceptions to this rule, depending on the set up). I know of a house with a fairly small wood burning stove in Colorado that puts out heat like I've never seen. In 10 min, that thing will have heat out into the entire house.
Get a top notch sleeping bag. It works well as a bed cover if the heat goes out or power is low. (even helps in hotels that NEVER have enough blankets)
I believe Marmot has several that can be zipped together to make them even bigger.
The salt used on sidewalks and streets will absolutely murder leather/cowboy boots. (cowboy boots suck in the cold/snow etc.) Sorel makes a good boot in the LL Bean/Maine Hunting Boot style.
In extreme, prolonged cold, cotton clothes are useless. Wool & synthetic next to your skin. There is no exception to this rule. Under armor makes some great cold weather gear but it needs to be legit cold to keep it on for any length of time. Wool socks.
Most wood burning stoves (the cast iron/metal kind, out from the wall) are better than (most) fireplaces for putting out heat. (There are exceptions to this rule, depending on the set up). I know of a house with a fairly small wood burning stove in Colorado that puts out heat like I've never seen. In 10 min, that thing will have heat out into the entire house.
Get a top notch sleeping bag. It works well as a bed cover if the heat goes out or power is low. (even helps in hotels that NEVER have enough blankets)
I believe Marmot has several that can be zipped together to make them even bigger.
The salt used on sidewalks and streets will absolutely murder leather/cowboy boots. (cowboy boots suck in the cold/snow etc.) Sorel makes a good boot in the LL Bean/Maine Hunting Boot style.
Power went out Monday and came back on yesterday, about 100 hours.
House got down to 46 at one point. Burned through all the firewood we had and after seeing the looks on my kids faces sitting in a dark, cold house we went to some friends for the last 48 hrs.
One thing i learned is you can't have too much firewood.
House got down to 46 at one point. Burned through all the firewood we had and after seeing the looks on my kids faces sitting in a dark, cold house we went to some friends for the last 48 hrs.
One thing i learned is you can't have too much firewood.
I see what happens when every Texan opens their Yeti at the same time.
‘99
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