Originally Posted By jake-cutter:
This thread reminded me that I need to buy a Honda EU2200 and AC small window unit before next hurricane season. I have the gas storage but need the smaller quite generator.

Originally Posted By jake-cutter:
Sold the large generator to a friend so now been shopping for the Honda. Any dealers out there that have these at a good price similar to the old Wise sales that went out of business?

Originally Posted By ar-jedi:

i have to confess here –– from a psychological perspective a hot shower "fixes" a lot of things for me.  

that said...

having multiple sources of information was good –– local FM radio, ham radio, and of course our FIOS was still up so while unexpected that was a very-nice-to-have.  in fact i recon'd a bit for gas by listening to the local PD.  curiously, on day 4 or 5 or so, it seemed like the PD was spending more time managing traffic flow through the only open gas stations than doing anything else.  now then, i have to add here that my town is not exactly a crime-ridden ghetto; for the most part the LEO's here deal with car-vs-deer accidents and the occasional wayward goldenretriever named Fluffy.  so while to me it was a defocus of LE to deal with a half mile backup at a gas station, and the fact that some folks were going away unhappy (a gasoline truck –– i now know –– holds 9000 gallons of fuel –– do the math, it's not going to last forever especially when folks are filling their vehicle PLUS a couple of 5 gallon cans for their generator), in my view there were no detrimental effects on the services that the PD provides.  but one thing was for sure, the officers were very attentive to what station was getting gas and when they would open –– they had to plan for this so they were in close contact with the station owners.  so there was quite a bit of radio chit-chat about where the gas would be and who would be covering it when they opened up.  

i was busy.  cleanup took a couple of days and was labor-intensive.  lots of branches, some big and requiring chainsaw work, some small and having to be dragged to the creek or curb.  meanwhile i went to my mom's and starting in there.  the ground was super-saturated, and they was tons of shit in her backyard –– pieces of docks, pallets, and so on.  it just floated in.  oh, and she had a new boat.  isn't possession 9/10ths of the law?  i think if you keep busy you'll worry less, and of course it makes you fatigued so going to sleep is a snap.

it was good to have some comfort food (Chewy Bars, NutriGrain bars, etc) on hand.  when i traveled for the first time to my sister's (about 10 miles) we took a second day pack with spare clothes, food, water, and so on.  the route to get there was a zigzag assortment of avoiding trees, power lines, and of course the added problem of absolutely no working traffic lights.  before cones and temporary stop signs were set up, i stopped at every light –– i didn't want to get T-boned by some idiot.  which brings up another topic... where we live we take it for granted that there are three level 1 trauma centers within a half hour drive.  but, post-storm i could imagine that a) the staffing/expertise level is reduced and b) they have a generally higher volume of patients.  so, for this reason i reminded myself to take it easy –– one errant slip with the chainsaw or similar and it would be a giant problem.

around day 4 or 5 i sat with my wife and we discussed a couple of scenarios –– primarily, could we do this for a month?  how about three months?  what would we do differently?  would it work in july as well as february?  bug out was an option –– her parents live two and half hours west.  although i never considered that, it was in fact an option.  

i will say we also had our frustrations, sometimes with family member and especially with some friends.  i made offers, insisted at times, and was surprised that some folks had trouble with decision-making and planning beyond the next 3 hours.  this is the nature of a stressful situation.  my mom was affected by this as well.  she is sharp for her age, and independent (lives by herself at 74 years), but on the other hand can be argumentative with me about the simplest things.  

mom: "hey, when you come over to your sister's today can you bring me a router?"

me: "what?  a router?  for what?"

mom: "your brother brought my computer from my house to your sister's. now i want to hook my computer up to her internet.  i can't read the text on her iPad thingy, i like my big monitor with the big text. i think i need a router to connect the computer to so i have internet. the text is too small on the iPad."

me: "you don't need a router, you just need a LAN cable to connect your computer to her FIOS router".  

mom: "ok whatever.  can you get me a cable at Radio Shack?

me: "no, i'll just make one up, it will take 5 minutes.  how long do you need the cable to be?"

mom: "how are you going to make it up?  why don't you just go to Radio Shack and get one?  i can't read the text on her iPad."

me: "mom, i do this shit for a living.  tell me how long should the cable be?  5 feet?  25 feet?  50 feet?"

mom: "how can you make a cable?  just go to Radio Shack!  there is no way for me to see the tiny letters on the iPad.  it's too small."

me: MOM ––> 1) RADIO SHACK IS PROBABLY WITHOUT POWER.  2) I HAVE A GIANT REEL OF THE RAW CABLE.  3) I HAVE THE ENDS THAT GO ON THE CABLE.  4) I HAVE THE TOOL TO PUT THE ENDS ON THE CABLE.  NOW, I'M NOT GOING TO RADIO SHACK, WHICH IS PROBABLY NOT OPEN ANYWAY.  SO TELL ME HOW LONG THE CABLE SHOULD BE SO I CAN DO THIS FOR YOU AND DELIVER IT !!!

mom: ok, don't get all huffy.  how long? –– i don't know, about 20 feet?  maybe 25 feet?  do you have that much cable?  is it expensive?  the text on the iPad is so small.




ar-jedi

Originally Posted By ar-jedi:
...
things that were inconvenient/awkward:
–– refueling the EU2000i in the dark holding a flashlight in my teeth.
–– "operational overhead" related to the dual generator setup.
–– "tactical" flashlights are useless for 99.9% of illumination needs.  you need a floodlight that lasts for several days, and not 87000 candlepower that lasts a half hour.
–– i should have connected the lights and fan in the master bath to the generator.  
–– my brother had 140 gallons of gas in the 30' boat on blocks in his driveway yet we could not get the siphon going.

...
ar-jedi

Originally Posted By 1HI4X:


Did you ever revisit not being able to siphon gas from the boat?  I’m curious what issues you were running into.  At the beginning of this Covid nonsense this was exactly one of my plans; using the full gas tank from a large boat in my driveway.  Worst case scenario I use the boats fuel pump to pump gas into smaller containers, cars, etc.

Originally Posted By 1HI4X:
Did you ever revisit not being able to siphon gas from the boat?  I’m curious what issues you were running into.  At the beginning of this Covid nonsense this was exactly one of my plans; using the full gas tank from a large boat in my driveway.  Worst case scenario I use the boats fuel pump to pump gas into smaller containers, cars, etc.

Originally Posted By ApacheScout:
In case anyone didn't know ( I didn't) Harbor Freight has a new 9500 watt inverter generator. They're around $1800.00, which is reasonable I think.

Originally Posted By PresidentJ:
Finally decided to revisit this thread (and just to bump a good read even after all these years.) I still haven’t invested in a interlock kit based on budget priority, although it is a still to do list. Will just do the plug route or if I decide it’s real bad I would Just stay in my travel trailer. I finally got a nice inverter generator and very happy with it. It is also duel fuel which seems to be the better way to go at least for me. Over time I am going to reduce my gasoline storage from 50 gallons to 20 in order to increase rotation and less chance of fuel going bad on me. In turn will increase store of propane tanks. I am on utility water but I still have a 1k gallon rain barrel to flush toilets or bath if it comes to it. We also have natural gas services so still toying with having a generator/ grill hook up made. Home standby generator not in my budget at this time, plus I can service portable generators myself a lot easier.

Originally Posted By BBsound:


Or increase your gasoline storage to 60 gallons and use the Jack Spirko rotation method.
12-5 gallon cans. Monthly dump one in your car and refill.  Constant rotation, never more than a year old.

Originally Posted By BBsound:
Or increase your gasoline storage to 60 gallons and use the Jack Spirko rotation method.
12-5 gallon cans. Monthly dump one in your car and refill.  Constant rotation, never more than a year old.

Originally Posted By JimmyFallon:


+1.  Another advantage of the Spirko method is that at the gas station you're only filling one can per trip.  This spreads out the hassle factor, and it minimizes the risk of being seen as a hoarder.  I know I've gotten strange, inquisitive looks when I've been filling up 10 cans at one trip.  If you want to be more conservative on the rotation cycle, rotate two 5-gallon cans per month.  Now your supply is never more than 6 months old.

BTW, what was the hive's final consensus on Sta-Bil vs. Sta-Bil Marine vs. PRI gas additives?

Originally Posted By 2tired2run:
This man speaks the truth.  I used my head lamp to install my generator hookup in the garage when the power went out for 18hrs a few months ago.

Originally Posted By Gamma762:

Headlamp is great, sometimes. On a summer night outdoors you'll end up with 87 bugs in your eyes. Wearing a ball cap helps some.

Originally Posted By DFARM:

This is the truth. I learned the hard way this year (not so many flying insects where I'm from)

Click light on, instant swarm in my face=instant regret. Lol