OP
gjgalligan
Member
I am prepared for my final home, yes.
Good for you!
But you might want to make sure your current home is prepared so you can stick around here a bit longer.
I am prepared for my final home, yes.
CO detectors are not expensive and every home should have one or more.
I
The natural gas guys? Well,, they found out the natural gas was pumped by electric pumps.
When the electricity stopped so did the natural gas pumps.
,,,,
We had 8 gallons of drinking/cooking water. AND I had taken 8 one gallon milk jugs and filled them with tap water for flushing the toilets.
In 2015 I was an advisor in Afghanistan and was living in a barracks with all manners and ranks of U.S. military. We would lose electricity and water in the barracks just about every afternoon. I placed 5 gallon jerry cans in every stall for flushing. One can would usually provide three flushes.
After a couple of weeks finding toilets filled to the brim on a regular basis, I came to the realization that our military is filled with men who have no idea how a toilet flushes. I had to explained how to use the jerry cans to fill the tank. Several young men had assumed I just wanted them to pour water in the bowl.
I finally got people flushing the toilets and found out no one was re-filling the jerry cans once the power was back on.
Edited to add:
I also had to teach them that courtesy dictates you fill the tank AFTER you flush.
Note on CO detectors: If you sleep on the same floor as your gas furnace or gas water heater. CO is heavier than the breathing air, so get a detector that plugs into a wall outlet, and have it plugged in between your bed and the furnace! In this case, by the time the ceiling mounted CO detector goes off, you will already be dead (or brain dead, which some think may be worse!)
Ivan
A gallon or so of water, poured directly into the bowl, WILL flush it.
Carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air, that's why it was used in some gas balloons long ago.
CO detectors are not expensive and every home should have one or more. I even have one in my cook box for my camp for the cook tent as I use a big propane stove.
Carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air, that's why it was used in some gas balloons long ago.
Google says exactly that also.
However, building codes require (in Ohio) that in a garage connected to a dwelling, the garage floor must be 4" lower at any doorway into the dwelling (some cities require 12"). It may be associated water vapor, but something make the combustion fumes heavier than air at our altitude. That may be because Air is 79% nitrogen and only 20.9 % oxygen. The real world isn't composed of pure anything. Fire fumes are hot so they rise (which is why smoke detectors are on the ceiling) and most fumes from hot water tanks and furnaces are too. But fumes from pilot lights will sink to floor level due to less heat. 95% efficacy furnaces don't have enough heat left in the fumes to make them rise, so there is an exhaust fan to move those fumes outside. Why because they will fall to the lower areas and that will kill you.
Ivan
BSA1, are you anticipating needing to use the genny elsewhere than your house? I can see the portability being ussful in that case.
But if you're just hunkering down at home, I'd think a stationary setup would be more practical and easier.
You'd want to keep the genny and tank protected if you live in an area that gets extremely cold.
If you're anticipating an extended outage, as you suggest, I'd get a transfer switch installed in the house and avoid the hassle of running extension cords hither and yon. A couple of weeks running stuff from extension cords would get tedious really fast.
Living in the country we are somewhat more prepared than cityfolk. Last year I became a active prepper although I have a bunch of holes left to fill in my preps. FEMA recommends having enough supplies on hand for two weeks. Real life events show it is more likely to be a month or more.
One item I want to replace is my generator. My current one is gas operated. With the power out I will not be a le to get more gasoline so I want get a dual fuel generator. My plan is to put the generator, 40# propane tank and long extension cord in a garden type wagon. The wagon has pneumatic tires, floor and sides are metal mesh and the sides can be lowered. Think of a mini fire wagon. Everything I need is on the wagon and all I will have to do is pull it out of the shed, roll it to wherever I need use it, connect the extension cords and start the motor.
Propane never breaks down chemically like gasoline. The only problem with long term storage is with the valve becoming inoperable. We have a propane grill so I will simply rotate the tanks and keep a third tank in reserve.
I probably should get a chemical toilet to help conserve water.
Extreme weather teaches us what we have overlooked.