2 Hours. It started as a nice day.

[mikea]

When I bought the house among many, thoughts occurred to me:

My brother had a power outage that lasted a week. His was the absolutely the last house to be re-connected. Ironically he likes having an electric stove. He had a permanent backup generator installed.

I thought I might be be in better shape since I'm just outside of the village downtown, but my power lines come in from overhead on the street and thread through my trees. If one of my trees came down my house and only my house would be without power. I knew if that happened I could be on my own for days. I've been thinking of getting a portable generator setup at a minimum. I even have the Northern Equipment catalog open to the generator page on my desk.

I talked to an electrician from the airport about helping me with the power transfer panel and asked him to find out what it would take to get my power service entrance brought in underground.

I was on the phone and working after having just joked with my co-worker that my office gossip is the dog is doing better and the winds are blowing outside. A few minutes later there was a loud boom and the windows lit up blue with the thundering arcing sound like out of "Frankenstein." This happened 3-4 times as I ran to unplug stuff.

I yelled to my neighbors that exactly what I thought could happen did happen. Their power was out, too! I figured that my transformer blew a breaker for the area.

I drove though town and a house down the road had yellow caution tape and signs around the downed power lines.

I stopped by the airport in time to see Tom Skilling on TV predict some more severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening. Me with no sump pump power.

Now their power is on. ComEd said it would be two hours, 3 hours ago. I figger it'll be days. You'll see how I took care of myself. Interestingly I was able to stay connected throughout until the UPS failed. I would have been uninterrupted if I had plugged the monitors in to it.

My UPS worked but it won't charge off of the generator. I think it gave its life.

It's not just you in the country Diana.

 

[mikea]

I gotta call a tree guy,too.

I called my insurance guy and he said, "Act of god!" and "You should have bought flood and sewer damage.,": Which I did.

 

[KennyFlys]

Ouch. I'm sorry for the hassles, Mike.

 

[ErikU]

I'm on Seattle City light and lost my power for 5 days in our last big storm. This is within city limits of a very large city!!

After several days what really sucked was the boredom... (what the heck do you do once the radio batteries are dead) and my fish tank. I tried to keep them alive by heating fresh water on my camping stove every three hours for 5 days, but in the end I couldn't keep up with the cold and they nearly all died.

I did have a small inverter that I could run a couple lights and the TV (doesn't do much good when the cable is out too), but not enough to run the tank heater. I think an inverter and a car is a great option. It's cheap, and you can start or drive the car to charge the battery. I have since purchased a larger inverter. Lucky I had a wood stove for heat. Ran out of wood but the neighbors shared.

Also, the batteries for the phone company and the cell towers died after about 24 hrs.. so NO phone service at all. A tree fell on my house and tore a big hole in the roof and the side. talk about hassles.

Life goes on, as it did for eons before electricity. Frustrating though!

 

[mikea]

I did have a small inverter that I could run a couple lights and the TV (doesn't do much good when the cable is out too), but not enough to run the tank heater. I think an inverter and a car is a great option. It's cheap, and you can start or drive the car to charge the battery. I have since purchased a larger inverter. Lucky I had a wood stove for heat. Ran out of wood but the neighbors shared.

Also, the batteries for the phone company and the cell towers died after about 24 hrs.. so NO phone service at all. A tree fell on my house and tore a big hole in the roof and the side. talk about hassles.

Life goes on, as it did for eons before electricity. Frustrating though!

I remembered I had run through my options during all that previous thinking. I have a 300 watt inverter. I figured the sump has to draw 5 amps so all I'd get out that would be a blown fuse. I have a battery pack/invertor probably the same 200-300 watts I have the UPS which I read now is supposed to last 6 minutes at full load.

Being a pilot and a geek I have lotsa flashlights. I even just bought more little LED night light emergency outage lights. I had one at every exit. I went around turning them off to same the batteries.

I have a feeling I'll be without power at least all night. I'm making a run for gas and debating whether I want to run the TV on the generator.

 

[bbchien]

Amazing how fast life reverts to the Iron age. Hope you get restored soon, Mike....

 

[ScottM]

I gotta call a tree guy,too.

I called my insurance guy and he said, "Act of god!" and "You should have bought flood and sewer damage.,": Which I did.

I have had this happen twice. IT is on the Comm ed side of the box. Call them and they come fix it. Including removing the tree.

If you need any help with stuff let me know including a place to stay, cold storage, etc.

 

[qbynewbie]

Mike,

Be very, very, very careful how you hook that up. You could very easily and inadvertently be sending power down the lines from your house to the pole and beyond.

This is significant because a lineman who expects the power to be off at a pole could be seriously injured or killed because you've sent line voltage upstream. I'm not kidding: it's happened and you can only imagine the kind of liability that you're looking at in that kind of case. For starters, you wouldn't have any worries anymore about your house.

Edit: I see that you are using this right now. If you read this, I think I recall that you can pull the main breaker to eliminate the outgoing feed to the power company's network. But that may not be correct and may not provide sufficient isolation from the power you are applying to your home wires. I hope someone else here can provide some additional information.

You may have this all well in hand but, if not, get an electrician to provide a cutoff switch for you. In most areas, it's illegal to electrify your circuits without isolating your house from the incoming electrical network.

 

[mikea]

It's been 8 hours since the "within 2 hours." I ran into 6 ComEd crew trucks taking a break at the Thortons when I went for gas.

I thought two were heading my way. Nope.

I wonder if those customer service reps know they're lying, are following orders, or if they do it for amusement. BTW, the first time I called where the phone actually rang, was nearly 4PM after most power was restored and I after I selected "downed power line" I heard "We are only taking emergency calls" and it disconnected. I'm sure that since I called so late I'm last in line, in spite of them saying the line was live and sparking. I'm sure it's live but it stopped sparking.

Brian, I know about the issue with power cut-over. I'm planning on putting in a transfer switch like this: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200321029_200321029

It's not so complicated that I couldn't wire it myself. I was an electricity and electronics geek since I was 6.

My brother has the full automatic setup with the auto-testing natural gas generator but it was like $4500(?) installed. I know I can get a tri-fuel portable generator for $1900.

When I talked to the electrician he wasn't sure what I had in mind, with the external inlet outside. Now that I know I can run the generator out front without making so much noise it keeps the whole neighborhood awake, I'll put it up front where my panel is. I had thought I had to run the feed from my back yard to keep the noise down. It's noisy enough to make conversation difficult out front but the noise drops fast as go further away.

For now I have a half dozen extension cords. I did rig up my TV and watched "Island in the Sky" for the first time on the TiVo. Somehow a movie about survival seemed appropriate.

The one I rented is a 7500 watt. It's only used about 4 gallons of gas in the 8 hours mostly powering the fridge. Not bad.

I'm sure glad the weather was a nice pleasant 77 degrees today (currently 65). I would have been toast in extreme heat or cold.

The other good(?) survival news today: I was informed I survived the ax at work.

 

[mikea]

Heh.

http://01856bc.netsolhost.com/order/04397.asp?page=J04397

Is there a way to put a quick-connect in a natural gas line? Maybe like a compressed-air connector?

 

[Diana]

For now I have a half dozen extension cords. I did rig up my TV and watched "Island in the Sky" for the first time on the TiVo. Somehow a movie about survival seemed appropriate.

Sounds like you're making the best of it.

The one I rented is a 7500 watt. It's only used about 4 gallons of gas in the 8 hours mostly powering the fridge. Not bad.

We got our timing down to a science. Filled it up late at night and it went all night. Going out there in the cold wind and slipping all around on the ice was the fun part. It sure is a noisy gadget!

I'm sure glad the weather was a nice pleasant 77 degrees today (currently 65). I would have been toast in extreme heat or cold.

I think I'd rather be cold than hot.

The other good(?) survival news today: I was informed I survived the ax at work.

I'm glad you can look on the bright side Mike.

I hope you get back to normal soon.

 

[Skip Miller]

Mike,

Be very, very, very careful how you hook that up. You could very easily and inadvertently be sending power down the lines from your house to the pole and beyond.

This is significant because a lineman who expects the power to be off at a pole could be seriously injured or killed because you've sent line voltage upstream.

You are absolutely correct, and it may not just be line voltage. As soon as your power goes through a transformer (used to step down the voltage from the main high voltage distribution grid) it will be stepped UP as you push power through it "backwards" towards the grid. You can kill people this way!

Most power company line crews will ground out both sides of a transformer when working on it, though, just to foil Joe Homeowner who doesn't know how to hook up his generator.

OP, I know you intend to do this the right way. This post is just for the rest of us Joe Homeowners!

-Skip

 

[mikea]

Almost 24 hours. I ran my bank errand in a panic because I slept until 11:30 AM I teh way back I ran into the nearby Home Depot, mostly for a new rake. As per usual, even though I swore it woudl be a quick in n' out, I got ideas just by walking around. They had a display of gas cans. If the 5 gallon ones aren't too expensive.... I have a 2 gallon and a 1 gallon and I justified the $8 purchase by saying if it saves me one or two trips for gas with gas at $4 a gallon...

I filled up the can on the way home. When I pull in, and see that the generator had run out of gas. It took almost the whole 5 gallons. I think I saved a trip to the gas station.

ComEd automated system: "Estimated restore time 3:45 PM." No matter what, I get to pay an extra day for the generator.

 

[mikea]

You are absolutely correct, and it may not just be line voltage. As soon as your power goes through a transformer (used to step down the voltage from the main high voltage distribution grid) it will be stepped UP as you push power through it "backwards" towards the grid. You can kill people this way!

Most power company line crews will ground out both sides of a transformer when working on it, though, just to foil Joe Homeowner who doesn't know how to hook up his generator.

OP, I know you intend to do this the right way. This post is just for the rest of us Joe Homeowners!

-Skip

I can imagine Cletis fixin' it up right. "Ya take two old extension cords and wire the plugs on both end, tape it with scotch tape an' yew don't need the green wyr, and then yew plug it into the generater and yer house! Then EVERYTHING WORKS!

----
The engine or the generator just got cranky. I saw that the charging light on the Macbook was blinking and a CFL light I used last night wouldn't light. The engine was sputtering. It took a bit of figgering but I finally figured out where the throttle cable was and gave it a few revs. Must have been carboned up or had a junk in the carb.

 

[bbchien]

Mike, as you may be peripherally aware, we have a huge (300 A) Knife switch on the side of the basement to take the house off the grid. The input box on the outside is wired for 3 phase. I only have 6 KW but it's enough to run the essentials.....

 

[mikea]

Mike, as you may be peripherally aware, we have a huge (300 A) Knife switch on the side of the basement to take the house off the grid. The input box on the outside is wired for 3 phase. I only have 6 KW but it's enough to run the essentials.....

It occurred to me that the 7500 watt generator I rented was way more than I needed and I knew better. Chalk that one up to the stress of the situation.

The ComEd crew showed up at around 4:45PM. Other than telling them in no uncertain terms they couldn't walk around more than necessary on my fragile tile roof...I had power by 5:30.

I called the rental place at 4:48 and they closed ta 5:00. I would have had to pay for a second day anyway. I'm off now to return the thing.

I still have to find out how to get the tree cleaned up. I hoping the village will do it, else I'll try taking my chain saw to it. I called the aborist but I understand they're really expensive. The downed tree blocks the view down the road when turning from our street.

In the midst of all this we got the mower mounted on my John Deere tractor and in spite of having a few pieces missing, I worked long into the night mowing 2 1/2 of my yards and the road edge.

I filled 6 bags with clippings when my neighbor said to stop it and we left some go as mulch on the lawn.

I was afraid to cut too short, but it looks like the lawn will live.

I get to enjoy that sense of accomplishment my cousin told me about.

I'm officially a suburbanite!

I'm think I'll keep an eye out for a portable generator. It definitely has moved up a bunch on the "someday" list.

 

[rmciottijr]

A friend of mine has this http://www.guardiangenerators.com/HomePage.aspx installed in his house and it works great, he got one that would handle the whole house. The only thing we needed to do was setup one of his two A/C unit with a time delay so when the generator kicked on it did not trip the breaker.

 

[gismo]

Mike,

Be very, very, very careful how you hook that up. You could very easily and inadvertently be sending power down the lines from your house to the pole and beyond.

If your generator is 120v only and your service panel is all circuit breakers, you can make it totally safe by plugging into a 240v outlet (like a dryer outlet) and wiring both "hot" sides together. If you try to feed power to the grid accidently one of the breakers will trip because the transformer acts as a short circuit. The reason this only works with CB's and not fuses is because a 240v CB will always disconnect both sides if it trips. A fuse could open on one side only and then you'd be feeding into the grid.

 

[qbynewbie]

If your generator is 120v only and your service panel is all circuit breakers, you can make it totally safe by plugging into a 240v outlet (like a dryer outlet) and wiring both "hot" sides together. If you try to feed power to the grid accidently one of the breakers will trip because the transformer acts as a short circuit. The reason this only works with CB's and not fuses is because a 240v CB will always disconnect both sides if it trips. A fuse could open on one side only and then you'd be feeding into the grid.

It's my understanding that this is a code violation in some areas. In all cases, you need to be careful. There are better ways to hook up a generator (like a transfer switch).

Here's a thread from about a year ago on the WoodNet forums. Generators are discussed fairly often in their home improvement section. There are some very, very knowledgeable electricians there who are pretty willing to help out with advice. (Woodworkers are a lot like pilots in that way.)

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbth...=y&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post3201855

If the thread link I posted doesn't help, search WoodNet for "generator" in the Home Improvement section. Be sure that you change the search criteria to something like "1 year" because the default is "1 week". Or simply start a new thread. Questions asked in a friendly manner generally get very helpful answers.

By the way, WoodNet is a good, all-around forum for woodworking and home improvement issues of all kinds.

PS: I just found a related thread on gardenweb. Let's just say that they aren't quite as friendly as the people on WoodNet, but there is decent information there as well: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/wiring/msg0723421232077.html

 

[wsuffa]

I"m in the dark tonight... big storms through DC area. IN Northern Virginia (where I live) the power company had 250,000 "customers" without service out of 790,000 total customers. That's almost 30% of the NoVa area.

I'm on the laptop (EvDO card), and I've got my little 1.5 kW generator running the refrigerator and a couple of CFL lights. Power's been out 7-1/2 hours, I've been on generator for 3 hours. I'll shut it down the generator around 11 - keep the neighbors happy so I don't get a noise complaint.

I'm guessing it'll be sometime tomorrow before power is restored.

Feh.

 

[mikea]

Yesterday as I pulled back in the driveway with some occasional drizzle, got all stuff in the house, bought in the flags, sat down with my dinner in front of the T and Vee to watch Air Emergency in my TiVo...and the power went off. It wasn't even raining at that point. I strong front came through with an intense deluge a few minutes after.

I went out on the deck and wondered why there was little traffic on the road. I see flashing lights and at one point a ComEd truck stopped out front. I went out and looked. The cops had the road closed to the east. Then I notice the west the road is blocked about an 1/8 mile down. A huge tree and fallen and taken out the lines off of 3 poles in a row. The wires were across the road. There were also some ominous skid marks from the shoulder curving down the road.

It was nice and quiet out there with no traffic. Even the industrial plant-like video equipment in my back yard was dead.

I heard several cars screeching tires down the side streets, as in, "I'm in a hurry! They can't close the damned road!" then at one point "TELL THAT COP WE JUST HAD A HEAD-ON COLLISION HERE!" That'll show 'em.

Power was off until nearly 11 PM. For once my power was on before the neighbors was.

I was glad I had my rotting trees removed.

They tell me the power went off several times last weekend. I was thinking we we should get the village to ask ComEd why they can't keep the power on, but I don't think we can blame them for falling trees.

We've had 3 huge squalls come through, about 8 hours, ever since.