One step away from the Stone Age

[Wolf359]

I think some folks who think they build better have a basement which you will not find in Houston for a reason.
They build on a slab … and the earth moves there …
So even if the pipe is in one of the places left to put it … It can be insulated … and gas is reliable for home use.
I have owned four houses … none were all electric … somebody made that choice …

Yeah it looks like you don't have to bury the gas line to winterize it. May ways to do it, from heating the gas to adding heaters.

 

[4WD]

Yeah it looks like you don't have to bury the gas line to winterize it. May ways to do it, from heating the gas to adding heaters.

My gas line is 36” deep but comes up at the meter and then penetrating the brick.
My power line seemed like an exposure to falling trees … so paid to have that buried too

 

[AZjeff]

Apart from this device in my hand, I live a very simple life. Wood cook stove, wood heat, gravity water from a spring, canned food from the garden and store bought. I just got my power on late yesterday. I still can't go anywhere since I live on a mountain and the road is still ice. I have plenty of kerosene for the lamps. I could easily go another month. I could probably go a couple more months if I had to.
I'm not a prepper of survivalist, I've just lived like this all my life. All that said, my heart goes out to all those who are suffering in Texas and other places. Left, right or independent, they are our fellow Americans and one of us suffers we all suffer.

You sir are a rare breed. There are others living that life scattered about but not many. I have experience with everything you list but not all at the same time as a lifestyle. The older I get the harder it would be to do it and it would be impossible to do where we currently live. Much respect.

 

[Justus1]

You sir are a rare breed. There are others living that life scattered about but not many. I have experience with everything you list but not all at the same time as a lifestyle. The older I get the harder it would be to do it and it would be impossible to do where we currently live. Much respect.

Thank you for your kind words. My lifestyle is more from heritage than from any plan. On the other hand, I would have no idea how to navigate through a city. I wouldn't know how to ride a subway or how to get through an airport. I would have no clue how to drive in a city.... And now, I'm too old to learn.LOL.😄

 

[gathermewool]

if you don’t realize CNN is fake … you need help

read my post again. If you come to the same conclusion you have some reading comprehension issues I can’t help you with, bub

 

[gathermewool]

What would that news source be?

Newsweek, Wall street Journal, NP(L)R , Ars Technica, Fox News (not the usual talking heads!!!), Reuters, and many more. Not every super biased organization has bad stuff and not every one bases a news organization’s credibility on what their stupid and/of extremely biased talking heads say.

I ignore the ultra right and left. Not too hard.

It‘s a shame we the people have MADE it easy to sell bias ridulous headlines for those who don’t wish to read any deeper than that.

 

[4WD]

read my post again? If you come to the same conclusion you have some reading comprehension issues I can’t help you with, bub

You started with assumptions didn’t you? I’m an Independent BTW
I don’t watch CNN in the US but it’s all that comes to some countries I work in
Did you post a list of what you consider objective news ?

 

[4WD]

Why are you watching CNN?

How hard is it to stick with known moderate (both sides) news sources. Well, what would you guys have to call “fake news” then besides the obvious?

Notice the “you guys” … what guys ?

 

[gathermewool]

You started with assumptions didn’t you? I’m an Independent BTW
I don’t watch CNN in the US but it’s all that comes to some countries I work in
Did you post a list of what you consider objective news ?

I was picking on you for the first part where you had knowledge of what CNN was talking about. I then continued on withvmy own thought that inadvertently seem tied to you. I apologize for that. I think we’re on the same page.

I’ll be registering same after years of being on the “right” side, if you catch my meaning.

/

There are more news organizations I won’t consume than I do. CNN is on the tippy top of the list for that which I very rarely consume. When do I? Well, their coverage of natural disasters and world events isn’t any more or less than, say, Fox.

I don’t listen to any of the ALL OPINION radicals on either side, I can’t stand them at all.

Someone is sopping up what they’re selling, be it an overly biased view of world events or out and out misrepresentation, such as what’s being discussed here in this thread.

 

[gathermewool]

Notice the “you guys” … what guys ?

see my last post.

 

[PandaBear]

I heard the reason backup biomass capacity is not online is because they are contracted only to be seasonal, and in winter it is not worth the maintenance cost to keep them online.

We get what we negotiated (optimal cost instead of worst case scenario), and it is working exactly as expected.

 

[PandaBear]

Don’t forget you need water to flush . They say at the first sign of an emergency you should fill all your bathtubs with water.

How will that scale to a community scale? 500k residents all filling bath tub at the same time? It won't work.

Google what happen if everyone flush the toilet at the same time and see what's the answer.

 

[PandaBear]

Have to ask.

Texas has been aware of the potential of this rare situation for two decades. I will pick a random number, $40 per month. If each Texas household paid $40 per month to reduce the likeliness of a system breakdown from a event that seems possible to happen once every 10 to 20 years, would Texans be wanting to pay for the increased likeliness their power will be available for a event that may happen once every 10 to 20 years?

$40 per month over twenty years = $11,520 per household.

Of course the above number is just pulled out of my fourth point of contact..... but redundancy and other means of supplemental or alternative power delivery comes with a cost, it is not free.

Well, they picked toll road instead of tax for more road. My bet is they would want lower cost and have each household take care of their own disaster planning.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

How will that scale to a community scale? 500k residents all filling bath tub at the same time? It won't work.

Google what happen if everyone flush the toilet at the same time and see what's the answer.

So one of the concerns I have is I'm below the waste treatment plant. My neighborhood has a pump station and a generator to run the pump station if the power goes out. Our waste is pumped 3 miles to the north.

Have always wondered what would happen if we lost the pump for a few days at a time. Probably make for nasty yards!

 

[Snagglefoot]

How will that scale to a community scale? 500k residents all filling bath tub at the same time? It won't work.

Google what happen if everyone flush the toilet at the same time and see what's the answer.

Just for fun let’s calculate it. Houston treats 449 million gallons per day. 449 divided by 24 is 18.7 million gallons per hour. Divided by 60 minutes in an hour is 0.3 million gallons per minute which is 300,000 gallons per minute. An average bathtub is 42 gallons. 42 x 500,000 = 21 million gallons. 21,000,000 gallons divide by 300,000 gallons per minute is 70 minutes so yes, it would have to be a slow trickle to fill a normal bathtub in 70 minutes. I do recall back in the day that they could estimate how many people might be watching a movie on TV judging by the water pressure drop during a commercial.

Like they say up here, to keep from getting attacked by a grizzly bear you don’t have to outrun the bear. You just have to outrun your buddy.

 

[4WD]

If we had a major event imminent or I was able to get out early enough, the first thing I’d do is buy as much gas an propane as I could. Unfortunately, that would only last so long, even if confined to one room with minimal load, letting fridges and freezers thaw if the issue is long-term, etc.

Fuel to live, if not comfortably, for a several days. If worse came to worst, my Legacy will get us 400 miles away!

Sure, enough watts to live by, stay safe even if it takes a little work…
I have extras to help too, even my two 3500/4000 campers will run a few things … light/quiet too
Two can load my 6500/7500 … it was my workhorse before deciding to get a 9500/12500 ES/DF …
But, it is heavy and stays put here … (5/6 run … my WH was never commissioned)

 

[PimTac]

And remember, don’t flush the toilet every time. Save your flush water for when it’s really needed.

 

[PandaBear]

Just for fun let’s calculate it. Houston treats 449 million gallons per day. 449 divided by 24 is 18.7 million gallons per hour. Divided by 60 minutes in an hour is 0.3 million gallons per minute which is 300,000 gallons per minute. An average bathtub is 42 gallons. 42 x 500,000 = 21 million gallons. 21,000,000 gallons divide by 300,000 gallons per minute is 70 minutes so yes, it would have to be a slow trickle to fill a normal bathtub in 70 minutes. I do recall back in the day that they could estimate how many people might be watching a movie on TV judging by the water pressure drop during a commercial.

Like they say up here, to keep from getting attacked by a grizzly bear you don’t have to outrun the bear. You just have to outrun your buddy.

So as a municipal I'm sure if they advise residents to "just fill up your tub" when they run into problem in a free for all battle royal is going to end well between the residents. I remember people telling stories back in 1967 in Hong Kong when water was on ration, the government ration water by limited "zoning" (like rolling blackout) between different hours to keep the water pressure stable. Yes, old people recalled yelling to their downstairs neighbors and tell them to shut off their water faucets when it is not their turns.

So if you give this kind of advise (just let it tricklefor 70 mins), you will get water pressure issue and some people will get water while others won't (depends on their locaiton and pressure), then you also have brown water when the pressure drop and then increase, and finally people may leave their tub and then suddenly came back with a flooded bathroom.

So yeah, that's not going to work, and that's why they ask you to store gallon waters in containers for emergency instead of fill the tub AFTER a disaster.

 

[Snagglefoot]

And remember, don’t flush the toilet every time. Save your flush water for when it’s really needed.

If it’s yellow let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.

 

[PandaBear]

If it’s yellow let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.

You can pour some bleach to it and save your precious water.