Isabel

[Larry Gude]

Fun with Generators...

...part II

Plug the cord into the generator and into an exterior outlet

Make DAMN sure that the generator puts out 120 volts and no more than 15 amps on the pigtail in question. Hopefully there is a fuse or breaker on the generator end allowing no more than that to flow through said pigtail to your house.

The receptacle is most likely 14 guage wire and that, 120v/15a is all it is rated for. It will be REAL easy to overload this because you will have power in probably half your outlets. Through on the fridge, computer, fish tank, lamps etc... and...snifff...snifff...smells like something is burning.

If you are not sure, DON'T. You can start an electrical fire real easy and burn your house down. Insurance will NOT cover this when they figure out what you did.

 

[Otter]

Probably the smart thing to do is have an Electrician set all this up for ya...

 

[Vince]

Originally posted by Vince
Most come with a pigtail type connectors, but you can get a licensed electrician to wire an outlet and switching relay straight into your main circuit breaker box.

 

[jlabsher]

Coming from the midwest where we have no hurricanes I have been in a quandry about what to do with my windows. Should I board them up or what? Using plywood would be a major pain since most of my windows are on the 2nd floor and I'd be doing it alone with a ladder. I was thinking about paneling or 2x4s. The neighbor had mentioned just using tape to keep them from shattering.

At $20 per sheet of plywood it would be over $400 to do all my windows, I believe my deductable is $500 so it looks like a tossup.

 

[Bertha Venation]

Originally posted by otter
Probably the smart thing to do is have an Electrician set all this up for ya...

Yes, but, at this point, low on funds, with the stores undoubtedly running out of generators anyway, I think the thing for me to do is to get set up to be w/out electricity for a while. If we lose what's in the fridge & freezer--c'est la vie. All things considered we will be damned lucky if that's all we lose.

I just remembered--I'd better put the bird bath in the garage too.

 

[Ponytail]

It'll be severely downgraded by the time it hits land. We'll be lucky to see 80mph winds.

Rather than me fight the idiots at Lowes and Food Lion, I'm not even going to tape up the windows. I'm heading north for a wedding anyway. I'll deal with it when I get home. That's what insurance is for.

 

[http]

Originally posted by jlabsher
Coming from the midwest where we have no hurricanes I have been in a quandry about what to do with my windows. Should I board them up or what? Using plywood would be a major pain since most of my windows are on the 2nd floor and I'd be doing it alone with a ladder. I was thinking about paneling or 2x4s. The neighbor had mentioned just using tape to keep them from shattering.

At $20 per sheet of plywood it would be over $400 to do all my windows, I believe my deductable is $500 so it looks like a tossup.

Boarding-up windows is for beach houses, trailers and sh!tholes. Would you really drive 290 nails through your nice siding or window frames? Just get any debris or loose things from outside buckled down, ask your neighbors to do the same and cash in on insurance if anything breaks your windows. If it really hits us at Cat 3 or 4, I'll probably buckle down everything INSIDE of the house as well, just in case windows go.

 

[Ken King]

Re: Fun with Generators...

Originally posted by Larry Gude
...part II



Make DAMN sure that the generator puts out 120 volts and no more than 15 amps on the pigtail in question. Hopefully there is a fuse or breaker on the generator end allowing no more than that to flow through said pigtail to your house.

The receptacle is most likely 14 guage wire and that, 120v/15a is all it is rated for. It will be REAL easy to overload this because you will have power in probably half your outlets. Through on the fridge, computer, fish tank, lamps etc... and...snifff...snifff...smells like something is burning.

If you are not sure, DON'T. You can start an electrical fire real easy and burn your house down. Insurance will NOT cover this when they figure out what you did.

Yeah, probably should have covered that, but my exterior outlet was wired with 12/2 and is the only item on that breaker. I also have very isolated control over my house electric and each room is "breakered" independent for lights and outlets. I trip all items I don't need and only run the refrig and one room at a time.

While not rocket science it is important to be safe and you need to be careful with the extension cords if you choose that path and don't overload them either and watch were you run them as there will be lots of water with this storm.

 

[nomoney]

Originally posted by jlabsher
Coming from the midwest where we have no hurricanes I have been in a quandry about what to do with my windows. Should I board them up or what? Using plywood would be a major pain since most of my windows are on the 2nd floor and I'd be doing it alone with a ladder. I was thinking about paneling or 2x4s. The neighbor had mentioned just using tape to keep them from shattering.

At $20 per sheet of plywood it would be over $400 to do all my windows, I believe my deductable is $500 so it looks like a tossup.

You don't have to really use plywood at all; you could always just use masking tape and make an X on all of them. It won't stop them from breaking; but it will keep them from shattering into a million unmanagable pieces if something does hit them. Just FYI.

 

[Bertha Venation]

All this electrical talk reminds me of a scene from an old movie, "Mr. Mom." Martin Mull, the "evil" and lecherous boss of the wife, sees that househusband Michael Keaton is doing the macho butch "I'm the man" thing and rewiring the house. Boss asks husband, "what are you putting in, 220?" Husband says "yeah, 220, 221, whatever it takes."

 

[Kimmy]

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

New information about the Isabel has been posted.

They update the information every 6hrs. 5am, 11am, 5pm, 11pm are they times the they update the information.

Just to let everyone know that I went into Food Lion and True Value and the battery supply is low. Food Lion has hardly any water. But I think they will have truck that will come in on Wednesday for Food Lion.

 

[http]

Originally posted by Ponytail
It'll be severely downgraded by the time it hits land. We'll be lucky to see 80mph winds.

Rather than me fight the idiots at Lowes and Food Lion, I'm not even going to tape up the windows. I'm heading north for a wedding anyway. I'll deal with it when I get home. That's what insurance is for.

I agree with you on heading north.

But 80mph winds are nothing to sneeze at (pun by coincidence). Fran in 96 was technically a tropical storm when it hit SOMD. Winds were around 35-40 with gusts around 60. This is what it did to my neighorhood.

http://www.tccgi.com/fran.html

Nothing ridiculous, but I think 80 puts it at Cat 2, and that's something to contend with. Remember, when Fran was at 115, she killed 37 people.

 

[Erin]

Water

Originally posted by Kimmy
Just to let everyone know that I went into Food Lion and True Value and the battery supply is low. Food Lion has hardly any water. But I think they will have truck that will come in on Wednesday for Food Lion.

I got the last gallon of water from Giant at lunch today. So far that is the extend of my preparations. We got the following e-mail at work:

I work with a bunch of meteorologists at NASA, and they are really worried
about Hurricane Isabel. Here's the email one of them sent around this
morning. It's a good time to get those 72-hour kits in order!

Hi everyone - This is an email I've dreaded to write in all my years in
meteorology. Very powerful Hurricane Isabel currently poised to make almost a DIRECT HIT on Baltimore/Washington on Thursday PM / Friday AM.
According to the latest computer models, the Eye is expected to be over
Baltimore/Washington Friday at 1-2am. THIS IS A VERY, VERY, VERY
DANGEROUS HURRICANE, and NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.

Remember how hurricane Andrew flattened south Florida in 1992 - This has
the same potential.

For the current projected hit:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_astorm13+shtml/150858.shtml?

We may not have power, telephones, or water for DAYS. This storm is powerful enough to do SEVERE structural damage to homes and buildings.

IF YOU LIVE IN THE UPPER LEVELS OF AN APARTMENT OR HOUSE, PLAN TO STAY
WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS A BASEMENT. PACK A SUITCASE. MOVE YOUR CAR AWAY
FROM AREAS WITH LARGE, OLD TREES.

Right now, Hurricane Isabel is fluctuating between a category 4 and 5
hurricane, -as strong as Hurricanes Andrew (1992 in FL) and Camille (1969 in MS). This is the kind of storm that levels homes...as Andrew did in south
Florida...Current projections hint that it will hit Cape Hatteras, NC, Virginia Beach, VA and make its way UP the Chesapeake Bay to hit Washington, DC, Baltimore
and Harrisburg, PA. The projections take it JUST WEST of DC/Baltimore -
which is WORSE for us, because the Northeast quadrant of the storm is the strongest. Winds may gust past 150 MPH- imagine a Freight Train slamming
into your house- that's the effect this may have.

 

[Larry Gude]

Ken...

...I know you know what you are doing. Just wanted to clarify as much as possible for our good readers. Very easy go 'kaboom'.

 

[Bertha Venation]

 

[Ponytail]

Originally posted by Bertha Venation

Kinda makes ya horny, don't it.

 

[migtig]

Makes me want a hurricane party

 

[SxyPrincess]

Originally posted by Ponytail
Kinda makes ya horny, don't it.

That was the first thing on my mind.

 

[DoWhat]

Originally posted by Kimmy
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

New information about the Isabel has been posted.

They update the information every 6hrs. 5am, 11am, 5pm, 11pm are they times the they update the information.

Just to let everyone know that I went into Food Lion and True Value and the battery supply is low. Food Lion has hardly any water. But I think they will have truck that will come in on Wednesday for Food Lion.

Thanks. What time does the truck arrive?
I am so scared about his storm.

 

[Bertha Venation]

Originally posted by Ponytail
Kinda makes ya horny, don't it.

I guess not... I'm sitting here looking at it, going... it's a huge mass of clouds... there's the eye... meteorological phenomena... horny? Total