Emergency Power

[Just_Steve]

Folks who are concerned about lack gasoline, what's in your vehicles fuel tanks?

I'll play. On most modern cars you can't get siphon into the tank to get the gas out so all you have is.............Gas in a tank.

 

[MRG]

I'll play. On most modern cars you can't get siphon into the tank to get the gas out so all you have is.............Gas in a tank.

You have a line and a clamp?

 

[Just_Steve]

You have a line and a clamp?

??

 

[MRG]

??

Take the clamp off the hose, detach and let the fuel run out.

 

[ERD50]

Take the clamp off the hose, detach and let the fuel run out.

On a modern car with high pressure fuel delivery?

-ERD50

 

[Just_Steve]

Take the clamp off the hose, detach and let the fuel run out.

Nope, fuel won't flow through the pump.
Pull out the pump you say? Have to drop the tank for that.

 

[ERD50]

Nope, fuel won't flow through the pump.
Pull out the pump you say? Have to drop the tank for that.

Sounds like a scene that needs the obligatory preface "Here, hold my beer, and watch this!


-ERD50

 

[Just_Steve]

Sounds like a scene that needs the obligatory preface "Here, hold my beer, and watch this!


-ERD50

 

[meierlde]

Note that on some newer cars there is a 120 volt ac outlet as well. While it is limited to 50 watts, it could charge cell phones etc. Of course the Car already has a radio in most cases as well as some lights.

 

[MRG]

Nope, fuel won't flow through the pump.
Pull out the pump you say? Have to drop the tank for that.

My 8-N was so much simpler. [emoji3]

Plan B, rotate two 5 gallon cans, instead of one, every 6 months. I always run everything dry and refill with fresh. Not much difference to fill one vs two.

Thanks for saving me an oh crap disaster.

 

[meierlde]

My 8-N was so much simpler. [emoji3]

Plan B, rotate two 5 gallon cans, instead of one, every 6 months. I always run everything dry and refill with fresh. Not much difference to fill one vs two.

Thanks for saving me an oh crap disaster.

Note that if you have lawns and snowblowers you can use up one of the tanks and fill with fresh stabil.

 

[travelover]

Note that on some newer cars there is a 120 volt ac outlet as well. While it is limited to 50 watts, it could charge cell phones etc. Of course the Car already has a radio in most cases as well as some lights.

You can charge a cell phone off the cigarette lighter socket (now called a power point) or many cars also have a USB charger built in. So, no need for 120 volts AC.

 

[meierlde]

You can charge a cell phone off the cigarette lighter socket (now called a power point) or many cars also have a USB charger built in. So, no need for 120 volts AC.

While that is true you no longer need a charger for the phone. Note that some hybrid had a more powerful outlet, so you could run some tools off them. BTW I just checked its 150 w so you can charge a laptop or a camera battery. Essentially the inverter talked about is now built into the car (high end trim and suvs)

 

[Dash man]

I went for the general whole house generator using natural gas. It'll run on propane too if needed.

 

[tps7742]

When we lived in the Houston area suburbs (34 years) I had two Honda 2000s for emergency power if needed. There is a way to buy a connector to join them together to total 4000 watts or run them separately. They are small (40 lbs each), easy to store, one is big enough to run essentials, safe for computers, quiet and most of all the fuel efficiency is that on the 1.2 gallon tank will run for 6 to 8 hours depending on the load needed. As mentioned above rotate fuel out every few months or keep an eye on things and buy fuel ahead of time to avoid the hazards of storing fuel. We now live in a rural area since retirement and we had a whole house generator installed utilizing propane. Prices on these run from $6300.00 to 7400.00 in our area. The reason we had a whole house generator installed is we lose power frequently in this area due to the numerous trees and the rural area that have several power lines. The solar power IMO is just too costly for installation and the long term upkeep for the system. After living in the Houston area close to
the gulf with hurricanes for thirty plus years I tried to be prepared.

 

[ncbill]

For only a couple of days there's no need for solar, or hand-cranked (joke) devices.

For your rechargeable devices, if the car's not convenient, all you need is a 12V marine/trolling motor battery in a "power center" case (provides cigarette outlets) plus an inexpensive smart charger which will keep it full w/o overcharging.

Then 12VDC "auto" adapters for your phone & laptop, though a tablet would use much less power.

Add a travel electric shaver (mine is Panasonic) powered by 2 AA batteries, plus LED lights powered by disposable batteries - see any Walmart for those.

Sony offers a nice AM/FM radio (ICF-F10) that will run for 100+ hours on the two D batteries it uses - $30 off Amazon.

The 12V

I am talking about enough power to run some lanterns, a radio, keep my phone and laptop charged, run the electric shaver and stuff like that.

 

[meierlde]

Nope. Last of the all electric homes.

Actually my neighborhood in the Hill Country does not have natural gas, since they would have had to dig thru solid rock to put it in, and it is in the country. The county seat has gas, but not much outside it. However do have heat pumps which work well except when the temp gets into the mid to low teens and it becomes electric heat. (Actually the heat pumps are more efficient than a 90% furnace down into the teens s i.e. the total heat output is more than 2x the electric input including power plant losses.) It is just that below about 15 the total heat out tends to be insufficient to keep the house warm, being only about 1/2 the output at 60 degrees.

 

[Sunset]

For us, not having power is rare and normally short duration of a few hours.
I'm also used to "camping" without power, running water, just like folks used to live in the country in 1920 (means using an outhouse, and washing clothes with a scrub-board in a galvanized tub).
We don't watch tv or use a computer when "camping", just like in 1920.

We have LED flashlights and since they use so few batteries, we could go months for the lights.
We also have a BBQ on a propane tank, so we can cook and boil water outside and a 20 lb tank will last 2 wks (normally lasts 4 wks).
We have a bunch of canned food, and 10lbs of rice to eat after gorging ourselves on the freezer contents during the first 3-4 days of a power outage.

So I feel we are fine if it happened.

 

[Aerides]

Here in S Fla, our plan for Hurricane's is to stay in the house during the storm, then assuming it's secure afterwards - we leave to the nearest hotel, which is likely several hours drive.

We have hand crank and battery radios and do the usual buy-all-the-water-at-publix thing so we're good for a day or two after the storm.

Then the plan is empty the fridge, and drive somewhere nice for a few days. No reasonable back up plan is going to be less expensive, given events are usually a few years apart (even 2004-5, ok that was busy, but nothing since that knock on wood).

We have hurricane proof doors and windows and got a new roof after Wilma.

 

[Rustic23]

If we were to stay, I have 6, 6 volt deep cycle batteries in a golf cart fully charged. I should be able to hook a 12 v inverter to them and keep little stuff charged as long as I would need them. Given that, an inverter, a deep cycle 12 volt battery, and a trickle charger to keep it charged should do the trick if you don't have a golf cart handy.

 

[Sunset]

Here in S Fla, our plan for Hurricane's is to stay in the house during the storm, then assuming it's secure afterwards - we leave to the nearest hotel, which is likely several hours drive.

....

I would think the drive could be slow due to debris on the roads, and traffic. Also wouldn't all the hotels for about 500 miles distance be booked full with people who evacuated before the storm ?

 

[Chuckanut]

For only a couple of days there's no need for solar, or hand-cranked (joke) devices.

For your rechargeable devices, if the car's not convenient, all you need is a 12V marine/trolling motor battery in a "power center" case (provides cigarette outlets) plus an inexpensive smart charger which will keep it full w/o overcharging.

Something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-Tro...=1498747383&sr=8-5&keywords=power+center+case

Scroll down a bit and they offer the power center case, battery and a charger for about $170.

 

[FlaGator]

Originally Posted by Aerides
Here in S Fla, our plan for Hurricane's is to stay in the house during the storm, then assuming it's secure afterwards - we leave to the nearest hotel, which is likely several hours drive.

I would think the drive could be slow due to debris on the roads, and traffic. Also wouldn't all the hotels for about 500 miles distance be booked full with people who evacuated before the storm ?

Yes, finding a hotel within 200 miles can be tough, but 500 miles from Miami gets you almost to Atlanta, so there are plenty of options. Florida does a good job of clearing roads, and has one of the best (maybe THE best) emergency management systems for natural disasters of any state.

After Wilma hit S.FL. in 2005, my wife and kids bailed out for Disney World 2 days after it hit while I dealt with the local situation until power was restored 2 weeks later. Would have joined them but for work obligations

I'm in a different part of FL now, and my plan is the same as Aerides. No reason to be inconvenienced as long as your dwelling survives intact and can be secured.

 

[FlaGator]

https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-802-...=UTF8&qid=1498749113&sr=8-10&keywords=xantrex

Something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-Tro...=1498747383&sr=8-5&keywords=power+center+case

Scroll down a bit and they offer the power center case, battery and a charger for about $170.

And here's a pricier, but more capable option:
https://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-802-...=UTF8&qid=1498749113&sr=8-10&keywords=xantrex

They are handy, but battery replacement runs about $225 for the set.

 

[Hermit]

I just bought a 7000 watt gas/propane generator from Costco. I am wiring my house for a 50 amp generator, but this 30 amp generator was on sale for about $600 so I bought it. If I decide to buy a bigger one, I'll give this one to the kids. I have to disassemble the carburetor to put a smaller jet in it so it will run at 8700 feet. The new jet just showed up yesterday. That will be fun!

My son tells me I should get a Telsa Powerwall.