Rusty's Ramblings

[Geo]

1) Nothing. It uses some batteries, but otherwise it probably saves energy.
2) Convert the fireplace to gas. We use gas for the HVAC and hot water, it's been reliable.  That way we'd have heat and good cook bratwursts or something.
3)Get a power supply. Basically a battery/ inverter.
4)Get a good inverter wired into a vehicle.
5) Get a portable generator.
6) Get a permanent generator.

I'm sure that my wife could manage a gas fireplace, a power supply, or a fully automatic permanent generator hardwired into our electrical system without me.

It's those intermediate solutions I'm not too sure about. I've got plenty of cords because of my Christmas decorations. But I doubt her ability to carry a generator outside & start it. Or for that matter get the garage door open during a winter storm to get either a car or a generator outside. But, those are workable options for me. I could switch between refrigerator and freezers, (or furnace with some wiring).


I gotta go resynch the Ecobee with Alexa because of the power outage.

How much property do you have available? Perhaps get some kind of wind-driven power device (not necessarily a windturbine), enough to get at least the basic powered items working?

[Unorthodox]

You're limited in size on the wind things by most city ordinances.  There's a couple vertical turbines you can get to fly under ordinances, but they generally don't generate much at all. 

A building power supply can get you a good 8 hours or more if you have room for it, but those little suitcase things won't run a fridge for long if that's what you're thinking. 

Go with the gas fireplace.  It's one of the things we had to give up in the expansion (would no longer be center and way too much money to move the chimney), but I'll add one to the basement in the future. 

[Rusty Edge]

How much property do you have available? Perhaps get some kind of wind-driven power device (not necessarily a windturbine), enough to get at least the basic powered items working?

I wish.

Our subdivision is really into conformity. All of the mailboxes must be identical. All of the units  are condominium duplexes, and they are supposed to look like large single family homes. The garage doors and main entrances are on different sides so that each unit looks like a big house with one garage. You have to go through a comittee to plant a tree. They sued a guy for having a basketball hoop.


Solar panels and wind turbines are out of the question. There are, however, one or two permanent generators next to the airconditioners in this development. It was put in by a board member, so I'm sure that's allowed.

[Unorthodox]

Ah, the HOA hell my neighbors keep trying to enforce on me though I didn't sign on.  (they are now slighted by the circle that they can't even see)

[Geo]

Our subdivision is really into conformity. All of the mailboxes must be identical. All of the units  are condominium duplexes, and they are supposed to look like large single family homes. The garage doors and main entrances are on different sides so that each unit looks like a big house with one garage. You have to go through a comittee to plant a tree. They sued a guy for having a basketball hoop.

I assume all changes have to be proposed to a meeting of all co-owners in your subdivision. And that you and your wife are owners as well?
Or is it simply a committee of senior 'members' that once in the past has been elected and they manage to 'cling' to their committee seat?

[Rusty Edge]

It takes years to amend the bylaws. Usually somebody gets elected to the board or a subcommittee, then they go about having meetings and resolutions, and maybe it could come to a vote the following year. I'm one of the youngest people at 59&1/2. I tried a subcommittee for a while. All we ever did was meet and worry and dither and schedule more meetings. We became better informed, but we never made a decision or assumed responsibility or accomplished anything.

My wife describes this as the French management style.


More often it takes years or a court decision to change something. I really don't want to move again, so I'll live with it.

[Rusty Edge]

Thanks for the input, everyone. Well, the utility called to say that they were sorry and would be replacing and upgrading the equipment that serves us over the next two weeks to prevent further episodes, although there will be outages in the transition.


So, presumably things will be reliable again. We had a discussion. She's concerned that she wouldn't be able to do a lot of things if I weren't around and the power went out again. ( I'll be going to PA to support my mom again next month because my step-dad took a turn for the worse again.  My brother handled the hospital trip, my youngest sister is flying in tonight from the west coast, my other sister will cover the Feb-March transition, then I'll do my first multi-week stretch. It could be another one of those years...)

We decided not to do any capital projects. She figures she can start and feed a fire by herself. She'll just carry less wood at a time. Well, one is ready to light. Hopefully she won't needmore than that. We realized that the boardmember who put in the electrical generator did it because he wore an oxygen generator, and those things have limited hours without plugging in.  I suppose that the gas is reliable because the pumping station that pressurizes the line probably has it's own gas powered generator. The same utility supplies both gas and electric here.  The gas fireplace conversion and the automatic generator seem to be our only real options here if and when we decide to do something some year.  My wife doesn't think she could open the garage door manually, lug a lesser generator outside, start it and hook it up.  Not in this weather. This snow was officially 9&1/2 ".

[Geo]

Imagine that. This weekend we'll already have Springtime temperatures. And its only February.

[Rusty Edge]

In short, my step-dad was hospitalized again last Friday, released, returned to the hospital.... and it looks like another long year.   I am adding travel to my calendar again. I'll be missing my wife's birthday. I guess I spent mine without her last year because I was in PA.

[E_T]

Sorry to hear this.

[Geo]

Take care, Rusty.

[Rusty Edge]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.

On the weather topic- Garbage wasn't picked up yesterday, I guess they were running behind on account of weather, so the can sat out. Last night we had a lot of wind. Not Uno class winds. Maybe 30-40 mph. This morning my wife says that the truck came through and so did the wind. It's 7 degrees. She can't see our can our anybody else's. When I went out to look. The wheels of our can were imbedded in solid ice. Apparently the garbage man simply popped the can  off of the axle, emptied it, and left it on the other side of the snow pile. I took it back to the garage. I"ll get the wheels later. But at least I still have a can.

As for the neighbors, they may have to search the next block, or wait for another neighbor to return them. We lost a recycling bin once when the wind swept the street, so that isn't unusual. Today the weather worked in my favor!

[E_T]

Modern Day Garbage Trucks...  Almost as bad as Mechanical Rice Pickers (lets see if anyone gets the reference... no googling or such)

[Buster's Uncle]

Spock's ears.

[Rusty Edge]

I'm preparing to go to PA, washing, packing, squaring away roof gutters and fire wood, because it's still winter here, with more on the way in the forecast. That and other stuff the Mrs. might need done in the next few weeks crammed into Friday ad saturday. My Dad is maxed out on 3 different anti-seizure meds, but he seems to be adjusting. Down to about one seizure a day. He is Happy to be doing physical and occupational therapy again. So, things are better than they were a few weeks ago, but it's still about as bad as a year ago. Well, we can hope for a faster recovery this year.