2 nights without electricity (so far)

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:57 pm

That's the first link in his battery thread... maybe I should list it, instead:
viewtopic.php?p=1129137#p1129137

You'd just need more, or bigger, batteries to run the humidifier. Also listed in that link.

Thanks.
That's more like a shopping list that I can actually understand. I don't remember that thread but then I have slept since then.
There's a reason I have a whole house generator available.....

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:14 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:57 pm

That's the first link in his battery thread... maybe I should list it, instead:
viewtopic.php?p=1129137#p1129137

You'd just need more, or bigger, batteries to run the humidifier. Also listed in that link.

Thanks.
That's more like a shopping list that I can actually understand. I don't remember that thread but then I have slept since then.
There's a reason I have a whole house generator available.....

That's a great (but somewhat more expensive) option, all right.

Have you thought about getting a small Yamaha generator? You could run it outside with a extension cable to your room so you wouldnt have to listen to it. Look up Yamaha EF2000iSv2 on Amazon... might be worth getting even tho its expensive.

Diotima wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:21 pm

Have you thought about getting a small Yamaha generator? You could run it outside with a extension cable to your room so you wouldnt have to listen to it. Look up Yamaha EF2000iSv2 on Amazon... might be worth getting even tho its expensive.

A gas powered generator is not an option for me. I had pretty terrible asthma from the exhaust from our neighbors' generators the first night when I had left the window open

Well SH*T!

Our furnace wouldn't light after the power outage. The surge when they turned the power back on blew out the motherboard. A $1300 repair. Good thing I didn't order the power back up for my CPAP--can't afford it now.

Did YOU know you're supposed to unplug your furnace starter every time there's a power outage???

Janknitz wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:04 pm

Well SH*T!

Our furnace wouldn't light after the power outage. The surge when they turned the power back on blew out the motherboard. A $1300 repair. Good thing I didn't order the power back up for my CPAP--can't afford it now.

Did YOU know you're supposed to unplug your furnace starter every time there's a power outage???

Sounds like a faulty design to me.

palerider wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:14 pm

Janknitz wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:04 pm

Well SH*T!

Our furnace wouldn't light after the power outage. The surge when they turned the power back on blew out the motherboard. A $1300 repair. Good thing I didn't order the power back up for my CPAP--can't afford it now.

Did YOU know you're supposed to unplug your furnace starter every time there's a power outage???

Sounds like a faulty design to me.

I agree with Palerider. I have never heard that nor done that.

The repair person said they’ve seen tons of these since the power outage. We called them last Friday and this was the soonest they could get out because they had so many calls.

When power returns after an outage there are usually surges as load is added and the power source adjusts to the sudden added load.
I wonder if a whole house surge protector could have helped. They are relatively inexpensive but you usually need an electrician to install since it goes into the main panel. I got one at our old house after we bought an electronic clothes washer. I do not think it was ever put to the test though.

Here is one example I found quickly. It diverts surged to ground, away from your devices.

https://www.schneider-electric.us/en/wo ... protection

Well I ended up buying this “generator” https://www.amazon.com/Portable-FlashFi ... H4X60863GK

I was just too intimidated by the DIY option with alligator clips, etc. This was a simpler solution for me, and frankly not expensive.

I used it last night to test it out with AC power. Without humidifier it worked just fine and there was still 1/8 of a charge left after 9 hours. The manufacturer recommends getting a DC inverter for even longer use so eventually I will buy one. My only complaint is the bright LCD screen showing the amount of battery. I need to find a way to cover that.

Meanwhile fires have sprung up around us. A small fire started up in a state Park only 2 miles from the house yesterday morning and planes carrying flame retardant flew over our house. Thankfully it was quickly contained. But the town of Geyserville in the northern end of the county is on fire and people here are experiencing a terrible deja vu. Fortunately the response was swift, everyone evacuated safely, and we pray they get a handle on it before the winds whip up this weekend.

Even higher winds are expected this weekend with hot, dry weather. Half my town has been without power two days already and they anticipate the rest of us will be shut off tomorrow. So I’m grateful I will have this device to power my CPAP. My office is on the same grid as the hospital so it will have power. I can charge it there. And I will look into a solar panel for recharging when our budget recovers.

Keep safe Jan.

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:56 pm

PG&E has had Californians by the short hairs for way too long
--thanks to their long-standing MONOPOLY.
There are laws . . .

PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E have all cut back on maintenance of their equipment and infrastructure over the past 10-15 years, in large part to maximize profit for their investors (all three are investor-owned). So, yes, they ARE culpable when their poorly-maintained high tension towers fail, and their emergency cut off switches fail, and sparks from their faulty equipment cause fires. They are not being held responsible for climate change or the weather. They are being fined for not properly maintaining their equipment.

The public rage and the anger of the Public Utilities Commission that was directed to PG&E for their massive deliberate power outages (at one point last week covering 1/3 of the state, stretching from the Nevada border west to the Pacific Ocean) is caused by PG&E's sledge hammer approach to the issue. PG&E has the ability to selectively shut down or re-route power on a much more granular level than they have been using. In effect, they are punishing their customers for the heavy fines that were imposed on them.

"Fine... go ahead and fine us. We'll declare bankruptcy and avoid paying the fines, and then we will cut off your power and say it's only to 'protect' you. And then when you complain about THAT, we'll tell you to expect ten more years of the same."

That said, given the state of repair of their grid, it is prudent to shut off power in areas of and times of high winds. But to simply flip the switch for huge number of customers over a very wide area for days at a time, irrespective of local wind, temperature, humidity, or location smacks of retaliation... or the behavior of a spoiled child.

Several years ago, when a certain politician and her cronies tried to privatize
our local electric grid, the effort was met with much opposition.
Thank goodness for COMMON SENSE.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:14 pm

palerider wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:57 pm

That's the first link in his battery thread... maybe I should list it, instead:
viewtopic.php?p=1129137#p1129137

You'd just need more, or bigger, batteries to run the humidifier. Also listed in that link.

Thanks.
That's more like a shopping list that I can actually understand. I don't remember that thread but then I have slept since then.
There's a reason I have a whole house generator available.....

What does your whole house generator run on for fuel and how much do you have stored to run it? Will gasoline, Natural Gas, continue to supply you when the power system goes down?

Also consider petroleum will go bad when stored as it ages it goes bad. Propane is the best fuel to store and use. Jim

I live in Alabama and we aren't immune from power issues either. A drunk driver took out a power pole south of me about 3 hours ago and knocked out power to the southern half of the town I live in. The utility company is on the scene, but no power yet.

When it first happened at 3:00am my apap went off and woke me up. I just plugged the apap into a 12v receptacle and went back to sleep. I live in an RV and use the 12v system when camping off the grid. I also have a built in generator I can use when the battery bank needs a top off, but no need for that for an outage that lasts only a day or two.