Keeping my fingers crossed. Checking back on home to see if powers on and will start gas station hopping. The power is off at most every gas station near me.
YOU DONT RUN IT INSIDE. There's always a few folks each year that do themselves in from carbon monoxide poisoning by running one inside. Run it outside, well away from any windows or doors and run an extension cord to the things that need powering.
Glad to hear things worked out. The storm ended up being pretty light in our part of the state (Vermont). Just had to shovel the driveway. They still called a snow day though. Was a good reminder to get the generator out and check it over, we haven't had to use it in a couple of years, fortunately.
This was a lesson in considering plan b, c, d, e... By the time I realized generators were out of the question, all firewood had been sold out. As an eagle scout, I forget our motto: be prepared, that which I was not. I really feel for the 5 million Texans without power though. There are 2 million people that have gone 30 hours without power and it got down to 5 degrees F last night. Many have posted pictures of their refrigerators being warmer than the inside of their homes.
Wow that really is crazy, being from PA those temps aren't that unusual most winters but people expect them and plan accordingly. I can totally image it catching people and the grid off guard and causing huge issues.
Was in the same boat here in Houston. So far we’ve made it without interruption but my plan was to take my nano tank and hospital tank and put them both in the tub with slow running warm water from my gas water heater surrounding them and over flowing into drain. I’m looking at champion inverter/generator’s. They put out 3% THD and I can run my gas furnace Without burning up my control board. Not to mention lights and plugs.
Our grid wasn’t designed for the high demands of heating elements.....I suspect a ton of extra load put a strain on our grid system. Boggles my mind that residents were asked to conserve energy while multi floor virtually empty buildings were running business as usual. Texans underestimate cold the same way northerners underestimate heat.....
Funny story. I’ve never been to Texas but maybe 15-20 years ago, my plane stopped over at Dallas Fort Worth and we were grounded because of ice. Apparently they weren’t used to deicing planes. My only Texas story ever.
Agreed, However. I’d rather make an investment that doesn’t pose a threat of burning up my other investments. Harmonics can reek havoc on electronics. Transformers step down voltage then rectifiers convert ac to dc. Those transformers are vulnerable to high THD’s (harmonics) within their windings. 20 years of commercial electrical experience, I’ve seen electricity do weird things. I personally wouldn’t trust a regular generator for anything past camping.
It's not the cold or weather at all, it's the fact that none of us have power. 5 million people have gone 30 hours with no power. Their homes are colder than their refrigerators. I'd take -30 degrees F with power in Minnesota over 5 degrees with no power in Texas any day of the week. I'd even take our Texas summers with no ac over this. My grandfather who is 95 has gone 20 hours now with no power.
I can't find a generator anywhere unfortunately! I do think that they have slowly repaired about half of the wind turbines and I imagine they are prepping them for this storm.
