Post by Dave Simmo on Mar 3, 2021 13:29:51 GMT
Here goes East Texas. We were froze in 7Days. Snow and Ice No Power from the Grid. Natural Gas failed 4 days Straight. City water out 7 Days. Cops Fire Dept and EMS Out, Wind Turbine Froze solid. Lots of wind but locked up tight .
What I had done was just barely enough to Support our Farm. Here is What. The piece of junk 12 volt cheep Chinese screw pump. Worked 1/2 inch Pipe into the well Slow as hell but there was water. ( Toilets and Drinking was OK) Minimal amp usage. I know in my review I slammed this Pump but it worked and can be dropped into the well when lines are froze to the house./Cold water only the Hot water heater pipes had froze. ( I Cut the HW Pipes out and Slapped Valves in place them off )
The Big inverters Worked well, But My Main panels are 17 feet to 21 feet up. Covered with 8 inched of slow and Ice. Not good. Then Something did happen the 10 Year old HF 40 and 60 watt Kits Panels did not care at all about the snow and Ice they were still shoving out 14 volts all four Kits. Covered with snow. We placed everything TV and small Fridge on this array. I did not even think these panels were) still working anymore. (Had not had time to remove them and now glad I did not ) I had considered them junk I have now bought two more HF 100 watt kits to expand this section of the array. (Lights tv and water we kept were OK by these junk kits)
Then Came Heating. NG went out. We had a NG generator 3000 watt no NG, No Heat. The wood stove became a life saver. We did have lots of wood stacked and went trough almost the entire stack we had stored up.by the house. Lights heat and water though not perfect we had it.
Then came Neighbors ( They all Think you are Insane until an event Like this Happens Then this)
Gasoline we maintained a supply of about 55 gallons and 55 gallons of diesel. The Gas stations had closed. No Power to run the pumps Local big chains shut down. I mean the Big boys Wally world all of them) When Neighbors see lights and TV on from the road, They Show up. Our inverters the 1500 watt ones we loaned out talk about grateful neighbors.( Same one who think we are nuts) Wood we had a large excess in the woods. One neighbor came buy with a bucket loader and we filled it up for them and loaned an inverter to them too.
Some needed Gas and others Diesel. to my surprise none needed food. It is yet to bee seen. (Lesson Learned Black out windows in our living space) Question in Mind How frenziedly are these folks going to be if and when this happens for a longer period of time SHTF day.
( Black out Window and Bigger dogs Needed )
Items to work on and Stock
HF Kits 100 watt kits expand and Maintain them.
12 volt screw pump (on the shelf they fit on the end of a water hose and come with their own cord / and a water hole one for the pump one end on the fawcet,
PVC Glue.2 Cans of Cold Weather type. Sandpaper. lowes and HD were out of alot of this stuff. Heat Gun to make Fittings with ( All hard ware stores we out of fittings and Valves after pipes thawed out Two weeks now and still no PVC in the stores Glue was out of stock also)
Fittings and A couple of Valves
Cheap 2.5 ft fridge. Camping Supply
Pot belly Stove and wood for it. Offer Neighbors Trees to cut and Stack/
Dried Beans/Rice and non perishable foods. ( When this happens again and it will I will need to be able to share. Starving Hungry folks will not like asking for beans.
Pellet Rifle and Pellets ( Small Game Squirrels and Rabbits)
Note to self Place Panels low so I can clean the off never again on top of my house. High Pitch roof and Ice make it impossible to clean Ice and snow off of roof.
Skill that was called upon by neighbors that made me useful to them. The ability to work around frozen water lines for them so they had water.
Prep and Prep hard your neighbors will not and even the one you do not know will show up. God bless all of you