Ice Storm - still got power?

[jrustles]

Woot! DSL is still alive, but unfortunately the generator output is too unstable half the time for the UPS to stay on-line, so batteries are depleting. At least the fridge and furnace don't care how dirty the line is

Originally Posted By: CurtisB
Is that Chinese generator a Champion 1200W?


Yes, I think it's the exact same unit, just a different brand (UNITED POWER). Has a couple of modifications like breaker delete. Don't want to walk out there every single load spike, I'd rather it just droop.

Originally Posted By: Roob
Sounds like you got hit as bad as we did. Guelph lost power for about 4-5hrs, it's back now but a lot of brown outs have been occurring. Roads are skating rinks, car is covered in a 1/2 inch of ice and some cars are damaged by falling branches, mine being one of them. Ah well, insurance. ;(
Haven't had one like this in a long time...


Yeah it's an icey heck out here... sorry to hear about the car, [censored]. How bad is it?

Originally Posted By: eljefino
1/2 inch predicted, 1/10 inch came. Sebago Lake Maine region. Sitting on 20 gallons of generator fuel, more if you count the cars I can tap.


Good plan! I think tapping into the cars might need to happen to keep thing thing going all night. And no no, just one generator. Had to lube up the governor just now too.

Originally Posted By: JR
Branches out everywhere around me. on my second day off grid.
i have the honda EM400 running CFL lights, 24/7 continuous duty. it been running 41hrs straight. just fuel every 5hrs.
the onan belt drive is providing 220/110 in house, including. hotwater (4000 watt).
The kohler 3kw autostart 4cyl 4hp watercooled light unit is running the fridges, freezers, and well. this is a sweat unit for 1950-55. You flip the light switch or. the pumps pressure switch trips the kohler starts right up. turn the swith off or pressure switch opens the kohler shuts down.

Ken


Oh man, I wish I had your setup right now. Then again, I'm just happy to have a genny at all right now. My neighbours are not so lucky. I knew insisting on keeping the old UNITROL water tank would pay off though, rather than "upgrading" to one of those power vented ones!
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
My heart goes out for the OP and others that got hit so hard.

Here in lower Michigan damage is moderate to severe. Lots of power out across the state, with predictions of up to 7 days to restore some areas.

I have quite a bit of tree damage to clean up over the next days. It sucks to loose beautiful trees.

I posted a few pictures in the photo forum: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...2_Ice_St#UNREAD

Best wishes for everyone affected.


*sigh* I hear ya bro. And to you and all you fellas that have been out for a while now, hang in there. Stay warm!!! I wish you all the best

 

[JC1]

I'm in Oshawa (about 70 km east of Toronto). Power went off at 2AM and was back on by 11:30 AM. Other houses in the subdivision are still without power. Sidewalks are a mess. I had about 1.5 inches of ice that I scraped away. All the gas stations were closed this morning as well as the Local Walmart and grocery stores.

Gas stations are back opened. Petro Canada jacked up their price by 5 cents a litre. Esso was 5 cents cheaper but it was a zoo so I came home. I'll gas up tomorrow.

We have internet (Teksavvy DSL), but Rogers is down both cable TV and Internet. Many trees are damaged.

Regards, JC.

 

[andyd]

Most COs down here have standby power that cuts in automatically to recharge talk battery whenever commercial power gets cut. The network shouldn't even flicker. Talk battery is -48 volts DC. It is a physical battery bank that powers the transmission equipment. Regular and stand by power are 2 ways to charge the batteries. All phone equip runs on it. It is an easy way to provide constant, clean power to sensitive equipment. It was the industry standard 8 yrs ago, I doubt it has changed. Kinda like railroad track gauge

 

[salv]

No power outage here in the Plattsburgh, NY area. .75" of ice. More freezing rain is falling right now.

 

[supton]

Morrisonville! I know where that is! Have family up there. They always got a kick out of the fact that they were more north than we were, way back when we lived in Downeast Maine. Glad to hear it's not so bad up there.

 

[Cujet]

Hit 80 today in South Florida. It was shorts, short sleeves and convertible top down weather.

Sorry guys.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Cujet
Hit 80 today in South Florida. It was shorts, short sleeves and convertible top down weather.

Sorry guys.



Hahaha, rub it in!

 

[cjcride]

No power since Saturday night. Staying at BFF's. No cable/internet but still have Electricity.

 

[cjcride]

Can Toronto borrow some of your Hydro trucks? Please.
Originally Posted By: SLCraig
Honestly I think London got really lucky.
I was out last night and have been out today, it has been nothing but regular rain here, the roads are clean now (washed salt away) and there are no issues at all that I am aware of in the London area.

Strange because I know people in Windsor who said they had freezing rain, and also in the GTA area.

Bizarre but we seemed to miss it somehow all together.

 

[IndyIan]

We got lucky on Friday night that 20mm of precipitation came down as ice pellets and not freezing rain so no problems with power outages. We lost power for 3 days last winter and it wasn't a bother for us.
I drove through toronto last night to the airport and it was weird, seeing whole apartment buildings dark with only a couple dim windows. I wonder how many people even have candles...
Maybe some have gas stoves but probably not the newer buildings.
Most of the city seemed to have power along the 401 atleast.
I'll still take a bit of ice over a hurricane though!

 

[Patman]

We only lost power for ten minutes here in Oakville, but 20 minutes away at my in laws place in Burlington they have been without power for more than 24 hours now. I fear what will happen overnight tonight when it gets down to -15C, if the insides of all these homes gets below the freezing mark, they will be dealing with burst water pipes!

 

[jrustles]

Originally Posted By: Patman
We only lost power for ten minutes here in Oakville, but 20 minutes away at my in laws place in Burlington they have been without power for more than 24 hours now. I fear what will happen overnight tonight when it gets down to -15C, if the insides of all these homes gets below the freezing mark, they will be dealing with burst water pipes!

Yeah, it was brutal last night. Woke up at 5am to refuel the ol' Chonda ... nothing like hopping right out of bed into -18C to play with gasoline. Most of the neighbours booked it.

Power still out, because the lateral for our block broke ( like many blocks in Scarborough), odddly the street lights always worked. These one off jobs (approx 80,000left) will take the longest. God bless those hydroworkers though, especially the guys giving up their Christmas dinner to come in from out of province to help out.