Storm Prep
I am working a 12 hour shift today at the FD. In preparation for the big Nor'easter coming tonight and mostly tomorrow, I will be very busy this evening. The list is by priority.
Generator: I have a Generac portable generator that runs my whole house, is stored in my garage, and the fuel is down in my barn. Whenever we have a big Nor'easter coming, I pull out and set up my generator, including the collapsible weatherproof shelter I built. When not dealing with winter storms, I only set it up after power is out. Doing that in heavy snow would be a bitch, so it will be completely ready to turn on when needed. I'll bring up enough fuel containers to keep it running and go get more fuel if power is out long term. The emergency supply of 30 gallons in Jerry Cans will stay in the barn. That is for a large regional power outage where the gas stations don't have electricity. Doing this will ensure it is not needed (I use Murphy's Law to my advantage) like always, and it will just have to be broke down and put away. The longest we were without power was 10 days during the surprise October snowstorm of 2011. Gas stations were up and running, but because I live on a rural back road that saw heavy power line damage, I was out for a long time. I can run my generator for 15 hours on 7 1/2 gallons each day. The generator is shut down at night. I also have oil and filters on hand because oil needs to be changed every 100 hours of run time. BTW... I have kept meticulous records of every run and preventative maintenance done since I bought it in May 2005.
Chickens: The flock will be confined to the coop. Food and water will be moved inside and I'll crack the window for some air. I will add some wood shavings to the floor for more insulation. The heat lamp has been on steady for a couple of weeks, but I will move it to the timer so it only comes on overnight. If we get as much snow as they are saying is possible, it will take some digging and snow blowing to get down there to reopen it.
Flagpole: The flags will be removed, and the telescopic pole pulled out of the sleeve and stowed in the garage. I will cap the hole, place a traffic cone over it (makes it easy to find and won't get accidentally damaged), and turn off the floodlight. The prediction is for winds gusting to 65 MPH, and that WILL shred flags, even weather-resistant ones. It will go back up Sunday morning when I am clearing snow.
Vehicle Gas: I will make sure both our vehicles are fueled up. It will probably be pretty close to 9 PM before I am done with everything.
Plus
Q: Just how sick is it to make the main qualifications to be a justice on The Supreme Court ethnicity and genitalia?
A: Considering the sick individual making the nomination it would be normal. Just look at his record and his publicly made (and mostly recorded) statements while in politics.
Can you imagine how trivial it would feel to be confirmed to SCOTUS as such a black woman knowing you only beat out other black women, and not every other potential nominee? This is a form of racism, being perpetrated by the Racist in Chief.
I found that the best way to "Outsmart Murphy" regarding Power Outages is to pull the Generator out of the Barn, and lay out the Power Cables to the Transfer Switches. Having a Well, and several (heated) Water Boxes for the Critters means that at least the Barn has to be kept Powered Up. I'm on the Very Last Transformer, on the Very Last Wire (a 33KV Single-Phase Line) at the far Corner of our Electric Cooperative, and the Line Crews know that I'm not in a hurry to get Repaired if the Weather is Bad - I wouldn't want to be in a Up in a Bucket on a Windy Night, Either!
ReplyDeleteYou DO rotate the Jerry cans' contents on a regular 3-6 month basis, do you not?
ReplyDelete@Igor: You bet I do. I'd be doing it now if the weather wasn't so bad. I use Sta-Bil 360 which stabilizes the gas and treats the ethanol. Having to delay rotation won't be a problem. I also drain and refill the generator if it doesn't get used for an outage for a year. Its all part of my comprehensive preventative maintenance plan.
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