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    Have you ever lost electricity for a long period of time.

    Severe ice storm here in west texas last weekend sent trees falling on power lines and power poles breaking in half or falling. Without power for 3 days, we were the lucky ones to get power back quickly. Didn't even see the sun for seven days. Ever think of buying a generator? I am considering it now.

    +7  Views: 1066 Answers: 6 Posted: 9 years ago
    Colleen

    Moderator
    A few years back during the Halloween storm that hit the east coast. Went a full week with no electricity. My heat for the week was two small propane heaters. One for the birds, the other for me and the dogs. I'd move it from room to room as needed. Every business around me was shut down. I spent the week reading. Most cold and boring time of my life. I bought a generator as soon as I could get one which was one day before the power came back on. I will never go without a generator again.

    6 Answers

    Never for a few days. I'm in Austin and it rarely gets that cold. Once we did have rolling black outs meaning no power (was severely cold) but my heat was gas and it stayed on.. So sorry for you, Zorro, I thought West Texas was all sand (lol)......

    zorro

    Got more ice today, not as bad.

    We haven't been out of power for that long in quite some time. Usually ours comes back on in a day. With that said the winters are getting worse, I'm in the middle of putting together a PTO driven generator. I've considered many options from the small portable generators up to whole house generators. Whole house are nice you don't have to be there to start them, but they are quite expensive. The most complaint's I've heard about  PTO generators are , You take away a tractor, If its that bad I won't be using a tractor. You have to unhook equipment from a tractor and hook up the generator, I can do that in bout 3  minutes, most tractors big or small have quick hitches now. If its that bad and I have to get out I can hook the snow blower up and clean the lane out in 1/2 an hour. The house will survive that long and only drop a few degrees in temperate. and finally Its one less engine to take care of. Just my thoughts if you have this option. By the way Its going to be a 10 kw going on a 23 horse John Deere subcompact utility tractor   """"flip those two levers  to hook and unhook,""

    I haven't experienced it myself, but Scotland is being battered with rain and gusts of wind as high as 140 mph.  There are  still approx 32,000 without electricity since yesterday.


    Thursday night the gusts of wind were above 90 mph in our  area  and I ventured outside to take the clothes off the line because I thought I heard rain. It wasn't rain, but pea size hail. Pea size hail blowing sideways   HURTS when slapping against my  face and hands during hurricane force winds. LOL


    http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/551093/UK-weather-Scotland-140mph-winds

    zorro

    I know you miss the tumbleweeds.
    country bumpkin

    Moderator
    I love tumbleweeds. I made a Christmas tree from a big tumbleweed. Scotland is beautiful. The grass stays green all year long.
    Ducky

    Moderator
    Yikes! Hang on to each other. That looks awful. :)
    The grass stays green all year long?? Wow...hot spot.
    country bumpkin

    Moderator
    No reading between the lines Ducky...LOL
    Ducky

    Moderator
    I can NEVER read between the lines. :)
    mycatsmom

    Don't you get snow in Scotland, CB ?
    mycatsmom

    CB, At first I thought you said, " I went outside to take my clothes off '' . LMBO
    country bumpkin

    Moderator
    MCM your thoughts are so kinky you make me blush! :)
    zorro

    Atleast theres no sand or dust blowing there.

    Yes, for a couple of days only. That was enough to make me really appreciate electricity. Fortunately at the time, I had a wood stove to back up the electric heating system.

    I have lived years without electric power in my youth. Then when I moved to a place that most folk would consider a summer cottage without electricity it didn't take long to get electric lights set up. An ongoing dependency on electric power wherein you have nothing to do without electric power but twiddle your thumbs is a fast track to thinking the end of the world has come. I like going without electrical power for a few days to see where I might prefer to have some alternative way to pump the water to the kitchen sink if need be....or heat the house. I've seen lots of innovative children born into this marvelous age huddled around campfires toasting marshmallows as part of their get-by-until. But I know the joy of electricity's return wipes away their tears. They would rather forget that they ever had been subject to the dark gloom of a  matchless night...till dawn's early light.  


    ....and there they are, all confidant and secure in the extreme rarity of their adventure in powerlessness just recently...tapping their computer on and checking the refrigerator for a cold beer.

    Loma Preita earthquake California 1989.  We lost electricity and gas for 3 days and the following week it was spotty.  On and off.  You certainly learn real quick how dependent we are on electricity and gas in our daily lives. It was in October, Northern CA  is nothing like other parts of the world where temps drop down to below 0 but when you are not used to it, 40 degree nights you think you're going to freeze to death. 



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