"Sandy".

Finally, after living in the NorthEast for 55 years, broke down and bought a generator last fall. We should be good to go.

I do feel for you, though, Amethyst. We went through one 3-day outage many years ago (different house) that had well water and electric pump. Filling the bathtub works just so long.....then you really want your running water back. Good Luck!
 
Looks like a huge storm indeed! I hope your power grid has minimal damage. One time, after a snow storm, the power was off for two weeks! Thankfully, we used showers, washing machines, etc. of near-by relatives. Bottom line is this: I hope all you all stay safe and sound:greetings10:
 
Nords said:
"But... but... but what if people can't vote because of the hurricane?!?"

and you know the Secret Service is thinking:
"Crap. Both of these yahoos are going to want to stroll through the wreckage consoling voters in front of the photographers..."
Click to expand...

Oh Nords, you don't really think politicians would do something like this, do you?

My concern is for those pollsters and political callers that call DH and I about 10 times a day. What ever will they do if the phone lines go down?
 
It seems to me that for people with a well, a portable generator would solve both problems of water and electricity, no?

I wonder what size generator one would need to run a well pump. I have heard of pumps with power higher than 2HP, but I guess that depends on the depth of the well.

About storing water in the bathtub, that WaterBOB looks cool. Else, wouldn't a bit of chewing gum help seal the drain plug? :angel:
 
A well pump is usually hardwired to the panel, so powering it from a generator is more than unplugging the pump from one outlet and into another.
 
The task of rewiring wouldn't faze many posters here, but I guess not everybody is as handy. Oh well.
 
I think the pump is hard-wired to the panel. Even if it did happen to be plugged in somewhere, we would need to run a line from the garage (the only conceivable place to run a generator) through the house, down the stairs into the basement, around 150 feet, leaving at least 2 doors open (or drilling holes into them?)

After this summer's derecho, we investigated a whole-house generator but the cost and difficulty of installation were daunting. Essentially, we just have to take things as they come. Not everything in life has a tidy solution, I guess.

Amethyst


NW-Bound said:
It seems to me that for people with a well, a portable generator would solve both problems of water and electricity, no?

I wonder what size generator one would need to run a well pump. I have heard of pumps with power higher than 2HP, but I guess that depends on the depth of the well.

About storing water in the bathtub, that WaterBOB looks cool. Else, wouldn't a bit of chewing gum help seal the drain plug? :angel:
Click to expand...
 
Stocked with water, food, wine, batteries, wood, etc. We're ready for the hurricane or the zombie apocalypse, whichever comes first.
 

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Amethyst said:
I think the pump is hard-wired to the panel. Even if it did happen to be plugged in somewhere, we would need to run a line from the garage (the only conceivable place to run a generator) through the house, down the stairs into the basement, around 150 feet, leaving at least 2 doors open (or drilling holes into them?)

After this summer's derecho, we investigated a whole-house generator but the cost and difficulty of installation were daunting. Essentially, we just have to take things as they come. Not everything in life has a tidy solution, I guess.

Amethyst
Click to expand...
You can buy one of these for about $200. I installed it myself (like wiring up a light switch multiple times) or have an electrician install it for you. Then you just plug the generator into this panel or a plug on the outside of your home.
 
Well I am front row for Sandy, I can say where cause I am not supposed to be here,
8 gallons of water on counter, bathtub 1/2 full, 4 (5) gal buckets for flushing.

I have a 3,000 watt generator for lights, tv & fridge. This took nearly 2 hours to fill tank, reconnect wires jarred loose, drain tank, pull carb, disassemble, clean, reassemble, new plug. Second pull she ran. No bad for a 25 yo former construction genset with light usage. I am on the highest part of the island and the storm surge with full moon should not approach this area.

Hopefully all affected with this storm will make it thru without huge problems.

I forgot the beer, wine, food we have for the three of us. We have neighbors who, like us will share the effort to get thru the storm.
 
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Thinking ahead...
If this storm is only half as strong as predicted, the total cost could easily double that of Katrina AND Irene... perhaps more.

Imagine 10 million people without electricity with a cold front and a snowstorm moving in.

Am wondering the effect on the Insurance industry. Though I don't understand the matter of liquidity, the thought of up to 30 million people being affected in some way is quite daunting. The scope of affect is almost inconceivable.

As a side note, to show the effect of thousands of flight cancellations, NBC news showed a graphic map of the US, with tiny planes overlaid on it, representing the thousands of planes in the air at the current time (Sunday evening) How many stranded fliers?. 10,000 flight cancellations due by Monday. If the news reports are correct, large parts of cities, like Fairfield Ct. are being evacuated, including 450,000 persons in the low lying parts of NYC. All of the NYC Transportation System is being halted... for at least two days. Subways and Busses, and the Amtrack Rail corridor is also being shut down. Reservoir being drained to offset storm surge...

The economic hurt will fill the news for the coming year.

Let's hope the forecasters are very, very wrong...
 
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We survived a direct hit from Hurricane Irene last year, followed by the Halloween snowstorm. I'm fairly confident that things will be fine. Here on the Connecticut shore, our biggest problem will be the storm surge. The National Hurricane Center shows a 10% chance of a surge exceeding 9-11 feet, as the water gets pushed into Long Island Sound by the east wind. Since my house is about 25 feet above the harbor, I'm not that worried personally, but parts of our town most certainly will be underwater. I'm also not all that worried about losing power, since we have prepared well for it. My biggest concern is the giant maple trees that surround the house. The leaves have not yet dropped from many of them and they will be buffeted by the high winds.
 
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Holy cow, if we still lived in NJ, I would be packing DW, the kids and the dogs into the camper and telling them to split 500 miles west on I80 (Cleveland, ho! while I hunkered down to deal with the mess. Since we have moved, I was worried about mom and dad. Dad is stranded in Las Vegas (he is crushed, uh-huh), and mom is visiting my older sister in New England (not totally out of the woods, but well away from the direct hit their house will take).
 
Sounds like there's a lot of concern about saturated soil, loose tree roots, and sustained winds pushing the trees toward the nearest power lines. I don't suppose there's any easy way to support the tree with 4"x4" lumber or cables or other scaffolding.

WaterBOB is very popular in Hawaii, but you can also lay a small square of plastic wrap over the drain and fiddle with the drain until the plastic is sucked down on it to seal the leak.

Most water heaters have a drain valve on the bottom for obtaining potable water. The challenge is getting a hose & bucket set up to drain the tank without soaking the floor.

If you're desperate for water then you can go to the lowest faucet in the house, set up a bucket, and open the faucet. Then go to the highest faucet in the house, open that faucet, and scamper back to monitor the bucket until the line is drained. Repeat for both hot & cold water lines.

I don't care to relive the experiences that led to that knowledge.
 
Nords said:
Sounds like there's a lot of concern about saturated soil, loose tree roots, and sustained winds pushing the trees toward the nearest power lines. I don't suppose there's any easy way to support the tree with 4"x4" lumber or cables or other scaffolding.

WaterBOB is very popular in Hawaii, but you can also lay a small square of plastic wrap over the drain and fiddle with the drain until the plastic is sucked down on it to seal the leak.

Most water heaters have a drain valve on the bottom for obtaining potable water. The challenge is getting a hose & bucket set up to drain the tank without soaking the floor.

If you're desperate for water then you can go to the lowest faucet in the house, set up a bucket, and open the faucet. Then go to the highest faucet in the house, open that faucet, and scamper back to monitor the bucket until the line is drained. Repeat for both hot & cold water lines.

I don't care to relive the experiences that led to that knowledge.
Click to expand...

You can also turn water into potable water by a brief boil and the addition of a few drops of chlorine bleach. Google is your friend for the dosage.

After Katrina I decided to buy a katadyn hiker style water filter. You can turn non=potable water into drinkable pretty easily wuth something like that.
 
The WSJ just announced that US stock and options markets will be closed tomorrow due to the storm. Earlier, just a partial closure had been envisioned.

Maybe on Tuesday, too.
 
samclem said:
The WSJ just announced that US stock and options markets will be closed tomorrow due to the storm. Earlier, just a partial closure had been envisioned.
Maybe on Tuesday, too.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a triumph of safety over testosterone poisoning-- or storm speculation.

I'm glad we're passing up the chance for a little extra volatility excitement. We'll let the overseas markets supply that.
 
travelover said:
You can buy one of these for about $200. I installed it myself (like wiring up a light switch multiple times) or have an electrician install it for you. Then you just plug the generator into this panel or a plug on the outside of your home.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I have here. I bought the generator after an ice storm in the old house left us without power for four days. DW was a trooper about it, but I learned that living with a woman who can't have her morning coffee and a hair dryer can be trying.

DW just left to get her father who will be staying with us for a couple of days. Right now it's just light/medium rain and almost no wind. Peak wind/rain is forecast for 0200 tonight.

And although I'd rather not find out the details of what is covered, we do have hurricane insurance.

Dagnabit, this is WEST VIRGINIA! We're not supposed to get hurricanes! Who changed the rules?

Obviously, I might be offline for a while.
 
I am sitting in the living room of my weekend house (tidal Potomac) looking north at waves and wind. My neighbor has a long dock and the waves are nearly reaching the decking at low tide. High tide is 3:11 PM - if the wind continues from the north (7 mile fetch) things could get hairy for the dock. At some point the wind will shift toward the west at which point a peninsula about 1/3 mile away will block the waves and probably save the dock.
 
Seems everything here is shut down. I drove into work today... a lot less traffic. A little rain. Didn't seem that bad. Guess we'll see what the ride home is like.
 
Wind is starting to kick up here in northern Vermont. It looks as if we'll get some wind and rain but nothing compared to people south of us - so take care.

We have charged the cellphones, rechargeable batteries, etc., put things away. No need to fill the bathtub as we can just draw water from the lake in drywall buckets if needed to flush the toilets and we have a few gallons of drinking water stored.
 
Considering it was 200 to 300 miles OFF the coast of N.C., it still did a fair amount of damage. Two piers and one cottage fell into the ocean. Ocean over wash, pavement and bridges closed...etc.

Sound side flooding projected at 3 to 7 feet from ground level today as the wind direction changes.

Our winds have picked up here as it is making it's westerly turn.

I can not imagine what this storm will do when it slams into the coast near Delaware, New Jersey and New York and there is not that 200 to 300 mile buffer from it's center.

We will all find out in short order!
 
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