Being prepared for winter.

[CC1450]

I'm a big fan of kerosene heaters for emergency use, and keep one in the garage/workshop for heat out there as needed.

I keep 5 gallons of K1 on hand at all times which will last a few days in a pinch. They put out a great deal of heat, require no electricity and are portable. Obviously a little common sense is required. Ventilation and heater placement are key things to consider. The only thing I dont like is the smell, but it beats freezing and dealing with frozen plumbing.


I've got a generator if need be, but I usually don't fire it up unless the power is out for some time.

[ol'George]

Something to remember is gasoline for generators.
Not to many years ago the country lost power from Michigan to the Atlantic ocean.
No stations had back up generators to pump gasoline they had in the underground tanks.
Nice to have some on hand as well as water/ food.
Lucky power failure was in summer, so no heating concerns.
I had power but son didn't so he spent time in his motorhome "camping" in his driveway.
Always nice to have a full tank of fuel, you just never know when you will need it.

[john hall]

Originally Posted by ol'George

Something to remember is gasoline for generators.
Not to many years ago the country lost power from Michigan to the Atlantic ocean.
No stations had back up generators to pump gasoline they had in the underground tanks.
Nice to have some on hand as well as water/ food.
Lucky power failure was in summer, so no heating concerns.
I had power but son didn't so he spent time in his motorhome "camping" in his driveway.
Always nice to have a full tank of fuel, you just never know when you will need it.

How true that is! We had a real bad ice storm 14 years ago, literally everything was without electricity unless it had a generator. After about 2 days, everyone started running out of fuel for their generators. The handful of stores with power had lines way down the street, even rationing fuel as needed. Kerosene was even harder to come by. Folks were literally driving 45 min. to an hour to find fuel.

[titleist1]

Its good to be prepared....
This is the pre-storm checklist I start a couple days before the storm

Fire up stoker stove in workshop, Nice to get warmed up without going in the house

Generator gassed up & test run

Chainsaw sharpened & test tun

Gas cans filled, lawn tractor & trucks filled, siphon pump ready if gas cans go empty

Coal bin for inside stoker filled to the brim

Wood stash and coal stash inside for hand fed stove if we lose electric

FEL fueled up & ready, extra diesel can full, battery tender hooked up, parked so it is ready to pull right out into plow mode in the driveway

Bathtub filled with water

Stocked up on 5 gal water jugs

Park cars/trucks nose to nose in case one needs to be jumped

Plenty of food but if we get desperate our cats are named Chow Mein, Kung Pow, Roberto, Francais and Cacciatore

When we lose electric since we are near the end of their list it is usually for 4 - 5 days in a major storm so we need to be self sufficient.

Tried to get FIL ready back around Thanksgiving. His 2182 that runs his snowblower was seeping oil from front PTO seal and he didn't want me to replace it. He ran it a couple more times blowing leaves and it was really spraying oil by then. Waited until last week of Dec to take it to local shop (who is very good, but very busy). It is still there waiting to be fixed. His back up walk behind snowblower had not been run in two years...predictably it wouldn't start. He got to pay through the nose to get his driveway plowed.

[CADplans]

I needed gas for the next snow storm,,, so I purchased some today,,,



Will someone please calculate what I paid per gallon??

I stopped at 20 gallons to make the math easy,,,

[Sam Mac]

John

I'm getting screwed and not even kissed down here in Galax. Your getting gas for $1.2518 and I'm paying $1.699

[olds45512]

Must be nice to get gas for .79 a gallon.

[homebuilt]

sam your math is off, without using a pen or calculator he's around 76 to 77 cents a gallon. we're $1.84 up here.

[TIMCRUTCHER]

[QUOTE=Sam Mac;361034]This last storm exposed the lack of preparation that some of you guys experienced, so a couple things that I suggest for the future.

1: Make sure that your Snow removal device will actually run when needed.

2: If it is a hard starter when it’s cold get it inside so that you can have a heater to warm it up even if that requires putting a car outside. Yeah Momma may be unhappy that her car is outside but if the snow removal equipment won’t start she is not going anyplace anyway.

3: Have spare parts that you may need, belts, sheer pins or whatever your machine may need on hand.

4: Have you equipment mounted and tested so that you know you are ready to go. Finding out that you don’t have the proper belts or something else during a storm is just a bit late.

5: I suggest a backup generator but that’s up to you.

6: Make sure you have enough fuel.

7: GO TO THE LIQUOR STORE! You never know how long you might be snowed in.

[Sam Mac]

Originally Posted by homebuilt

sam your math is off, without using a pen or calculator he's around 76 to 77 cents a gallon. we're $1.84 up here.

Yep, screwed that up, now I'm even more PO'd.