I love the winter, but not having electricity stinks. We were without power for most of the last 24hrs. Last night was miserable. All six smoke alarms and the house alarm went off at 1am. Apparently the fireplace made them unhappy. Cellular signal has been spotty with towers overloaded I’m sure. I couldn’t answer when the Ring alarm service called so they started sending FD. It was such a fiasco with alarms going off everywhere and I was focused on shutting them all off. I remembered that they would be calling and ran for my phone. Sure enough they had called. I immediately called them to cancel Fire. We spent the next 30 minutes getting a ladder out of the garage and pulling down six smoke alarms.

I’m in North Richland Hills, NE of Fort Worth just a few minutes. Currently the power is on, who knows for how long. There is a “boil water” notice in effect for most of Tarrant county, we’ve been spared that mess but I don’t know how. Take care guys

As I mentioned earlier. A small Honda generator and a 5 gallon container of gas and a couple of quality extension cords and this would of been a very survivable inconvenience. Maybe when it's all over some will take necessary precautions to be able to stay home and ride out a future version in relative comfort for no more than the cost of another arsenal item.

I live about 45 miles NW of Lubbock and so far we have been over 160 hours below freezing and they forecasting at least another 40+. This started last Thursday and it's not expected get above 32 until sometime this Friday. I know you folks up North think this is nothing but for us this unheard of. We had air temps of -5 and wind chills of -25 and -30. On the good side we did receive some snow which will help farmers in spring when they start they planting but it's hard to think about that when I'm freezing my a$$ off now.

Despite having limited access to electricity, we've had access to running water this entire time in my area. However, it appears, running water is in short supply and maybe cut off soon.

My family went through 11 days with no power in the aftermath of a brutal ice storm/snow storm 14 years ago.

I had a generator - and 10 gallons of fuel. By day 5 I was out of fuel and the gas stations were still dark and empty.

Fortunately my neighbor had an older pickup with 1/2 tank fuel and no anti-siphon mechanism. He gave me almost all the fuel and I was able to ration it. (he had a propane stand-by unit)

I now keep 20 gallons of treated fuel in my shed during the winter months. You can never be too prepared.

Do people in NM and TX actually even own snow shovels let alone snow blowers?

After living in both WY and MO I have become a big fan of gas heat. That was one of my big must haves for our current house, but we never could find one. Going through this event though I will never again buy a house that isn't gas heat. At the same time having a transfer switch and ability to plug up a generator just jumped way up the priority list.

ERCOT is going to have a lot of explaining to do after this.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Do people in NM and TX actually even own snow shovels let alone snow blowers?

We had one, but only because it moved back from WY with us.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Do people in NM and TX actually even own snow shovels let alone snow blowers?

No, not unless you used to live up north.

The kids in my neighborhood were using spade shovels and trenching shovels to shovel driveways. Not because we needed shoveling, but because they wanted to put it in buckets and containers and mold it into shapes. They were even putting dyes in the "molds" and making them look colorful like snowcones.

I sold my snowblower before leaving Canada, but I still have my scoop shovel, my push shovel, and my steel bladed ice scraper from my Alaska and Canada days. I got them out yesterday and the neighborhood kids were thanking me for showing them how to use the cool tools. I had a mischievous grin on my face knowing I was subversively making drudgery seem cool. Their parents and I had a good laugh about it and compared it to the toy lawnmowers and weedwhackers to make them want to do the lawn when they "get old enough"

Stugots sono fredde!

quote:

Originally posted by SigM4:
After living in both WY and MO I have become a big fan of gas heat. ... At the same time having a transfer switch and ability to plug up a generator just jumped way up the priority list.

Definitely! With natural gas heat and a small generator you can survive a good long while in comfort if the power fails.

We have a 4KW, 5KW surge gasoline-powered generator and a circuit-by-circuit transfer switch. This allows us to keep powered-up:

• Furnace
  
• Refrigerator
  
• Stove (natural gas, but electronic controls and ignition)
  
• Sump pump
  
• Water well pump
  
• Main (network) computer, LAN, WLAN, and Internet connection
  
• Main entertainment center in family room
  
• Alarm system
  
• Surveillance cameras and NVR
  
• A minimal amount of lighting
  

That generator is rated to run 13-1/2 hours on four gallons of gasoline at half load.

And if we should ever have a power failure so wide-spread I can't get more fuel and the generator runs out, there's always the wood stove.

quote:

Originally posted by SigM4:
After living in both WY and MO I have become a big fan of gas heat. That was one of my big must haves for our current house, but we never could find one. Going through this event though I will never again buy a house that isn't gas heat. At the same time having a transfer switch and ability to plug up a generator just jumped way up the priority list.

ERCOT is going to have a lot of explaining to do after this.

Trouble with gas central heating is that fan blower and furnace controls need electricity. Our last house had gas. We could use gas fireplaces if necessary. Stove too if it had been gas.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Do people in NM and TX actually even own snow shovels let alone snow blowers?

............................................

I don't know anyone with snow shovels or snow blowers.
Spade shovel is what I use.
Snow plows are limited to the freeways. Some of the main roads will get some kinda cinder salt.
I'm in central New Mexico and we usually wait for the snow to melt off the roads. Alot of areas a 4x4 is mandatory to get through the snow and the mud.

.

Question for you Texans; is all of your home heating heat pump or other electric based heating?

No NG/propane forced air or boiler based heat with radiators?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Question for you Texans; is all of your home heating heat pump or other electric based heating?

No NG/propane forced air or boiler based heat with radiators?

My is natural gas but many newer are heat pumps. This is a rare occurrence here, we expect and most are prepared for hurricanes but extended days below freezing is abnormal.

My power has stayed on and I am not sure why, my daughter lives 5 miles from me and has had no power. I had the water supply to my master bath freeze but fortunately is did not leak (probably since the other lines were clear and it could expand). It did cause the faucet cartridge to go bad and I found a leak on my tub overflow but fixed both of those this am.

The local McCoys had no power but were open and ran their registers on backup power. They got points from me on that one, the plumbing isle was packed with people trying to get parts to fix their leaks.

Pipes here run in the attics and most of the time builders put water heaters in the attic (mine is an older house so it is in the garage). Since the attics are not climate controlled when it gets this cold everything freezes, when it thaws ruins ceilings and they end up collapsing. Since our water table is so high there is no way to have basements hereon the coast. If I ever build a house I will have a natural gas or propane whole house generator and climate controlled sealed attic area.

BTW, asking if we have snow shovels is like asking people up north if they have hurricane supplies.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:

BTW, asking if we have snow shovels is like asking people up north if they have hurricane supplies.

quote:

BTW, asking if we have snow shovels is like asking people up north if they have hurricane supplies.

I did when living there. Hurricane supplies generally translate to a lot of emergency prep situations though.

Noted! Most of my emergency preps have focused on food and water, clearly I need to branch out.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
As I mentioned earlier. A small Honda generator and a 5 gallon container of gas and a couple of quality extension cords and this would of been a very survivable inconvenience. Maybe when it's all over some will take necessary precautions to be able to stay home and ride out a future version in relative comfort for no more than the cost of another arsenal item.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
Do people in NM and TX actually even own snow shovels let alone snow blowers?

This one doesn't. I did drive to the Stop'n'rob a block away yesterday--it was interesting, to say the least. I do have power and heat, such as it is.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:

quote:

Originally posted by SigM4:
After living in both WY and MO I have become a big fan of gas heat. ... At the same time having a transfer switch and ability to plug up a generator just jumped way up the priority list.

Definitely! With natural gas heat and a small generator you can survive a good long while in comfort if the power fails.

We have a 4KW, 5KW surge gasoline-powered generator and a circuit-by-circuit transfer switch. This allows us to keep powered-up:

• Furnace
  
• Refrigerator
  
• Stove (natural gas, but electronic controls and ignition)
  
• Sump pump
  
• Water well pump
  
• Main (network) computer, LAN, WLAN, and Internet connection
  
• Main entertainment center in family room
  
• Alarm system
  
• Surveillance cameras and NVR
  
• A minimal amount of lighting
  

That generator is rated to run 13-1/2 hours on four gallons of gasoline at half load.

And if we should ever have a power failure so wide-spread I can't get more fuel and the generator runs out, there's always the wood stove.

I need to save this. I’m definitely buying one some time this year (before next winter) and following your lead. I need my pool equipment functioning (freeze protect), kitchen appliances (fridge, stove top, and microwave) air handler, and my home office. F everything else. I could make do for weeks like this.