I had a sump pump put in 20 yrs ago. Got a new pump since then, but the man who put it in also made a drain pipe.hole for me. I can leave the drain open and if the pump fails the water will just go down the drain. I use the pump in summer to make water for the duks. I have a huge tub to collect the water in. I have pvc pipe running out the house wall and into the tub, So since i have the drain i don't have to worry about the pump shutting down.And relatively unreliable.
Owner has a sump-pump. About half the homes in our area do because of the near to the surface underlying rock/shale. Owner gets about 2 days of steady rain and he starts looking to the condition of his sump pumps.
And Owner has even had the grid power go off while the cellar is pumping out.
So he bought a generator.
He started with a USED Craigslist generator - $100. He fixed it up and it ran for about a week (2008 Ice Storm) until he didn't need it. Then he loaned it to a neighbor who used it overnight. While being used for the neighbor the engine threw a rod through the side of the block.
Turns out most Craigslist generators are now "beyond their service life" and subject to various maladies. Owner's friend the "Small Engine Repair Man" opines that a typical "contractor's generator" is good for about a week of continuous use - then plan on it failing. Small Engine Repair Man has a decidedly low opinion of contractor generators.
Owner now has yet another $100 generator - but he has not had to use it like the 2008 Ice Storm. The most recent try to run it as a test showed an issue with one of the "phases" (220V center ground) which Owner traced down to the plug connection between generator head and device local panel. The plug is multiple - and subject to corrosion.
Life of a contractor generator.
But the thought weighs on his mind - I can tell as Owner's search history shows he is looking at various "ex-Military" diesel generators online. Trying to get one with low hours for a good price seems to be what is holding him back.
And - of course - for long term use like nation-down grid condition, fuel might suddenly be hard to find.
Owner likes his kerosene lamps - but kerosene will probably run out before gasoline does in a grid emergency.
He now has a couple of Coleman white gas lanterns - and his solar panel and my solar LED light among others.
I don't like the dark.
Dobbin
I think they don't care about the grid because they don't care about the people. My guess anyway.I've long not understood how they're prepared to spend trillions to combat climate change but won't spend a few billion to protect the grid.
because they do not care about the people. That is exactly why.I think they don't care about the grid because they don't care about the people. My guess anyway.
They do care about the Grid because that is their conduit to move money from your wallet into theirs. When the Grid fails, that conduit closes.I think they don't care about the grid because they don't care about the people. My guess anyway.
Was that 90% down over 6 months of Winter, or over 6 months of summer?
The lack of clean water is what will kill the most people, winter or summer(though might be worse in the summer).
I spent almost an hour trying to find the study to link, but failed.
I think that it was an average, and that it doen't really matter the season, since each has its own confounding factors.
For Winter, most Americans don't have a secondary non-grid heat source, nor enough food.
In Summer, oppressive heat and seasonal drought, combined with too much work required to make the food required for the year would do in many of our aging population.
I think that the effects would likely be felt more in the Winter, and that cold is much better at denying movement than heat.
The fact that rioting season usually ends when it's cold bears this out.
Even if you have a good well, it would be worthless to most people because with no power the water would just stay underground and help no one. Anyone can spend maybe $10 and build a well bucket out of plastic pipe and one or two fittings. Then you need a rope long enough to reach the static water level in your well. You also might need some information on how to remove all the crap in the well so you can use your new well bucket.If you have your own well, that problem is solved, but lots of folks, like us, don't have access to a well.
For perspective, two watts will give you as much light as a kerosene lantern.
I have a different view than many on here (I know big surprise).
I don't see a lot of use for small solar during any long term grid down situation. I could see charging batteries for your comms and maybe for a couple of flashlights.
As for low-voltage LED indoor house lighting, not so much. Especially not without blackout curtains. And why need it much anyway? Go to bed early and get up early, sleep when it is dark. Use candles or a oil lamp when required.
Refrigeration would be nice but even a compact under-counter fridge needs 300 to 400 watts of solar plus two or more good batteries and a fair inverter.
What would you need a bunch of electronics for in a long-term grid down situation?
Solar stuff costs money. Everyone should spend their money wisely. A small solar battery charger and the rest of your money into food.
They do care about the Grid because that is their conduit to move money from your wallet into theirs. When the Grid fails, that conduit closes.
Most in that field DO care about the Grid because that is what THEIR livelihood is based upon. And - secondarily - they do recognize how every facet of modern life is tied to the Grid - but most get limited by the world's greatest force of "return on equity" as to how much each individual can do.
So it's easy to blame "them" without looking at the underlying concept. Return on equity.
If it were your buck being invested, you might want a bit more invested to be sure YOU get what you want out of it. But what of the next person in line who does have power says "It all looks fine to me - what your problem?"
The whole Grid is built upon the low bidder. The least cost for the most electrical return buck. They don't build an iota of extra margin into the system UNTIL a weakness is shown - THEN they address the weakness. Thus the whole system exists as a sort of technological monument to "just barely enough."
Better to build this way than build in overcapacity, over durability, over resistance to upset - and have that particular dollar spent in an area where it turns out it is not needed, and deprive that dollar's performance to another part of the system (i.e. to buy a larger transformer instead of wire.)
So there is a "them" - but they're not perfection - just another human being.
Its not easy being human. Not everyone can do it - or fortunately has to.
Dobbin
As for low-voltage LED indoor house lighting, not so much. Especially not without blackout curtains. And why need it much anyway? Go to bed early and get up early, sleep when it is dark.
You must have some awesome natural lighting in your house.
Most people don't
I hate cooking without supplemental lighting, even in daytime....and I have west facing windows that face the stove.
How many women here would prefer to cook, clean and sew with just ambient light? (I do all of the above, so it's just a sample of inside activities that get done when sunlight is not always abailable)
To eschew extra light for little money is a silly POV, at least IMO.
Not far removed from, "AH ain't buying a generator, cuz when the balloon goes up, there won't be any fuel." Yet this same person will replace the contents of a freezer during an extended outage.
There is one group of people who will do quite well in a grid down situation. The Amish.
Don't know about that. They certainly have more ability for living like that but they still get a lot of supplies from the outside world.
I read a book years ago, but I can't remember the name of it now. It was a book about living off grid, but instead of relying on solar and wind power, it was about going back to the 1800's lifestyle. It was a great book, and we learned a lot from it. I understand that for most people, that way of life is unthinkable, but our set up has worked well for us. Yes, we've turned off our power for a week at a time just to see how our system works. We did use our generator to keep the freezers and fridge running, but when fuel runs out, we're still good to go. I don't want to be dependent on any artificial set up that can break down for whatever reasons unforeseen.
The problem with living the 1800s lifestyle now is we don't have that 1800s infrastructure. Most new construction houses don't have a chimney. Things like a wood cookstove are hard to find in usable shape. Most towns are no longer set up with the stores in walking distance. How about a local gristmill. Livery in town to get a horse or a wagon team if you need to hire? Local craftsmen with the skills and tools to manufacture/repair stuff?
They only care about the money.I think they don't care about the grid because they don't care about the people. My guess anyway.
They only care about the money.
You mean like this one?The problem with living the 1800s lifestyle now is we don't have that 1800s infrastructure. Most new construction houses don't have a chimney. Things like a wood cookstove are hard to find in usable shape. Most towns are no longer set up with the stores in walking distance. How about a local gristmill. Livery in town to get a horse or a wagon team if you need to hire? Local craftsmen with the skills and tools to manufacture/repair stuff?
I read it at least once a year.There are 3 books in the Forstchen "After" series, and Lights Out by Crawford is s fantastic read. I may need to dig it out and read it again.
I can.No hurry on my part.Wait 'til the utilities get nationalized.
See Venezuela.
Poke around here.
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I read it at least once a year.
@Millwright
I was thinking about the kubota generator, uses the same V3300 mechanical engine as my tractor and its very reliable.
Kubota 30 kW Diesel Generator
www.centralmainediesel.com
Its oversized a bit, but I want to run everything in my shop too, gotta keep things fixed