For me, they include:

* Run the generator every year
* Boredom is a terrible thing
* Candles don't put out enough light to be useful.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On 10/31/2012 8:31 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
For me, they include:

* Run the generator every year
* Boredom is a terrible thing
* Candles don't put out enough light to be useful.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.



Things you should have already known.
Family here learned also that you should not run your generator indoors.

My neighbor who came over for water an outage or two ago was complaining
that they could not find any D cells for their portable radio.

Some people never learn.

On Oct 31, 8:40*am, Frank wrote:
On 10/31/2012 8:31 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:

For me, they include:

* Run the generator every year
* Boredom is a terrible thing
* Candles don't put out enough light to be useful.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
* *www.lds.org
.

Things you should have already known.
Family here learned also that you should not run your generator indoors.

My neighbor who came over for water an outage or two ago was complaining
that they could not find any D cells for their portable radio.

Some people never learn.

A inverter is a wonderful thing, just connect to your car battery and
let engine idle. for a 100 bucks you can get a thousand watt inverter,
for lights, radio and a tv if the load isnt too heavy

Ah, yes, the old reliables.

During 2003, I asked one neighbor how he was doing. Fine, but no batteries
for his radio. I gave him some. Later, I asked if he was going to do
anything different for the "next one". Nope. So, this time I didn't bother
to ask how he was doing.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Frank"
wrote in message ...

Things you should have already known.
Family here learned also that you should not run your generator indoors.

My neighbor who came over for water an outage or two ago was complaining
that they could not find any D cells for their portable radio.

Some people never learn.

Nice thing about the car. You're fairly sure it runs. And you probably have
some fuel in the tank. Did the TV have static and such on the picture? Or
did it run properly?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"bob haller" wrote in message
...

A inverter is a wonderful thing, just connect to your car battery and
let engine idle. for a 100 bucks you can get a thousand watt inverter,
for lights, radio and a tv if the load isnt too heavy

On 10/31/2012 7:53 AM, bob haller wrote:
On Oct 31, 8:40 am, Frank wrote:
On 10/31/2012 8:31 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:

For me, they include:

* Run the generator every year
* Boredom is a terrible thing
* Candles don't put out enough light to be useful.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

Things you should have already known.
Family here learned also that you should not run your generator indoors.

My neighbor who came over for water an outage or two ago was complaining
that they could not find any D cells for their portable radio.

Some people never learn.

A inverter is a wonderful thing, just connect to your car battery and
let engine idle. for a 100 bucks you can get a thousand watt inverter,
for lights, radio and a tv if the load isnt too heavy


My next door neighbor owns a welding company. When the neighborhood
had a sustained power outage, she brought one of her big diesel
generators home from the shop and shared it with us. Her house was one
of the most badly hit in the storm, and everybody'd run over there
first and helped clean things up even before attending to our own
problems. Groups handle disasters better than individuals can.

Well, if it's the right group, that is. I've heard
on NYC, the groups spent more time looting
than repairing.

Nice to hear some good people left in the world.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Moe DeLoughan" wrote in message
...

My next door neighbor owns a welding company. When the neighborhood
had a sustained power outage, she brought one of her big diesel
generators home from the shop and shared it with us. Her house was one
of the most badly hit in the storm, and everybody'd run over there
first and helped clean things up even before attending to our own
problems. Groups handle disasters better than individuals can.

bob haller wrote:
-snip-

A inverter is a wonderful thing, just connect to your car battery and
let engine idle. for a 100 bucks you can get a thousand watt inverter,
for lights, radio and a tv if the load isnt too heavy

I agree. Before the storm I noticed that the State[?] had chained a
generator tot he pole at a very busy intersection.

Seems to me that was a waste of a generator that could have been
better used somewhere else.

You could hide a battery, but that thing was just screaming 'steal
me!'.

A battery is a lot more reliable left unattended.

you could swap out batteries faster than you can refuel a generator.

seems like a good marine battery would last longer than a tank of gas-
and would cost 1/5 of the generator. [this was a 5K or so generator.]

Am I all wrong here? Do traffic lights need more juice than an
inverter could supply? [granted there are 8 lights at the
intersection, but they are LED-- plus the switching equipment]

Jim

If you want to stock up on candles, then buy candles made with bees wax instead of paraffin. When bees wax burns, it produces much less soot, and that makes for a healthier indoor environment.

Candles made from bees wax are more expensive, but you don't need them very often.

I don't know your answers. If you do find out,
please write again, and let us know.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
...

I agree. Before the storm I noticed that the State[?] had chained a
generator tot he pole at a very busy intersection.

Seems to me that was a waste of a generator that could have been
better used somewhere else.

You could hide a battery, but that thing was just screaming 'steal
me!'.

A battery is a lot more reliable left unattended.

you could swap out batteries faster than you can refuel a generator.

seems like a good marine battery would last longer than a tank of gas-
and would cost 1/5 of the generator. [this was a 5K or so generator.]

Am I all wrong here? Do traffic lights need more juice than an
inverter could supply? [granted there are 8 lights at the
intersection, but they are LED-- plus the switching equipment]

Jim

On Wednesday, October 31, 2012 8:30:36 AM UTC-4, Stormin Mormon wrote:
For me, they include: * Run the generator every year * Boredom is a terrible thing * Candles don't put out enough light to be useful. Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus www.lds.org

Here's a good alternative to candles:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

We bought one of these over a year ago and keep it plugged in and charging up all the time. It got its first use for Sandy and did very well; nice and bright and very convenient. Besides the wall charge, it can also run off 3 AAA bateries or you can charge it up with the generator crank on the side. We're going to get a couple more for the next hurricane.

The only thing I wish I'd done to prepare was to check the drainage system by my wife's greenhouse. It was clogged with leaves so we ended up with a 3" puddle in front of the door; since my boots are 6" that wasn't a problem, just an annoyance.

I start my generator on the first weekend of every month and run it for about five minutes, just so it doesn't rust. (I changed the oil last weekend, figuring that it might get heavy usage during the storm.) Depending on the season, I'll also start the snow blower or garden tiller at the same time to make sure they're ready for action.

Paul

On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:01:45 -0400, Jim Elbrecht
wrote:

I agree. Before the storm I noticed that the State[?] had chained a
generator tot he pole at a very busy intersection.

Seems to me that was a waste of a generator that could have been
better used somewhere else.

You could hide a battery, but that thing was just screaming 'steal
me!'.

A battery is a lot more reliable left unattended.

you could swap out batteries faster than you can refuel a generator.

seems like a good marine battery would last longer than a tank of gas-
and would cost 1/5 of the generator. [this was a 5K or so generator.]

Am I all wrong here? Do traffic lights need more juice than an
inverter could supply? [granted there are 8 lights at the
intersection, but they are LED-- plus the switching equipment]

Might be a question of the kind of voltage. If the traffic system is
set up for 120AC power - probably is - the generator is simpler than
the several pieces you would need for a battery/inverter/charger or
quick change hardware. Got to mount them into some kind of assembly
and wire them somehow and then do it different the next time you use
it for something else. Might have to make the battery change without
interruption or you might lose the synchronization between
intersections.

Multiple use - that same generator can be used to power other things
in other times and places. Battery? Back to having to adapt it to the
load de jure.

More likely the reason - a generator can be drained and stored
indefinitely. If it's quality, it can be rebuilt indefinitely. A
battery needs service even in storage and with the best of care, it's
life is limited.

For $36.49, I'd buy two eaches $9.97 fluorescent lantern from Walmart, their
house brand "Ozark Trail". Use the rest of the money to buy Raoyvac D
batteries.

My experience with LED lanterns, the light pattern is really not very even.

How's yours? Are you pleased with it? Didn't mean to rain on your parade,
but my experiences are different.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Pavel314" wrote in message
...

Here's a good alternative to candles:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

We bought one of these over a year ago and keep it plugged in and charging
up all the time. It got its first use for Sandy and did very well; nice and
bright and very convenient. Besides the wall charge, it can also run off 3
AAA bateries or you can charge it up with the generator crank on the side.
We're going to get a couple more for the next hurricane.

The only thing I wish I'd done to prepare was to check the drainage system
by my wife's greenhouse. It was clogged with leaves so we ended up with a 3"
puddle in front of the door; since my boots are 6" that wasn't a problem,
just an annoyance.

I start my generator on the first weekend of every month and run it for
about five minutes, just so it doesn't rust. (I changed the oil last
weekend, figuring that it might get heavy usage during the storm.) Depending
on the season, I'll also start the snow blower or garden tiller at the same
time to make sure they're ready for action.

Paul

On Oct 31, 1:32*pm, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Well, if it's the right group, that is. I've heard
on NYC, the groups spent more time looting
than repairing.

Nice to hear some good people left in the world.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"Moe DeLoughan" wrote in message

...

My next door neighbor owns a welding company. When the neighborhood
had a sustained power outage, she brought one of her big diesel
generators home from the shop and shared it with us. Her house was one
of the most badly hit in the storm, and everybody'd run over there
first and helped clean things up even before attending to our own
problems. Groups handle disasters better than individuals can.

I keep some of this stuff in the house for lighting and cooking in
emergency.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campingaz

"Pavel314"

snip

I start my generator on the first weekend of every month and run it for
about five minutes, just so it doesn't rust. (I changed the oil last
weekend, figuring that it might get heavy usage during the storm.) Depending
on the season, I'll also start the snow blower or garden tiller at the same
time to make sure they're ready for action.

{{{

Run for at least 1/2 to 1 hour under 50% load.

On 10/31/2012 9:10 AM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Ah, yes, the old reliables.

During 2003, I asked one neighbor how he was doing. Fine, but no batteries
for his radio. I gave him some. Later, I asked if he was going to do
anything different for the "next one". Nope. So, this time I didn't bother
to ask how he was doing.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Frank"
wrote in message ...

Things you should have already known.
Family here learned also that you should not run your generator indoors.

My neighbor who came over for water an outage or two ago was complaining
that they could not find any D cells for their portable radio.

Some people never learn.



We have a lot of power outages with lines coming here along treed roads.
In one extended one, before I had a generator, this neighbor had to get
water for his toilets from the creek a quarter mile away. When the
power was only out a few hours, they had run out of water to drink or
brush their teeth. Even with a generator, I still keep bottled water
and extra water for flushes. There are times that the well pump is
broken. When that happens I can hook up to a next door neighbor and
I've had them hook up to me.

If you don't have a few bottles of water, a flashlight, or a few extra
batteries, you're a FUBAR loser.

On Oct 31, 9:17*am, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Nice thing about the car. You're fairly sure it runs. And you probably have
some fuel in the tank. Did the TV have static and such on the picture? Or
did it run properly?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"bob haller" wrote in message

...

A inverter is a wonderful thing, just connect to your car battery and
let engine idle. for a 100 bucks you can get a thousand watt inverter,
for lights, radio and a tv if the load isnt too heavy

At the time I had dish satellite TV and cobbled together a light, tv
and dish receiver so my then wife could see the amazing race...

today i could power the tivo connected to comcast or use my new
flatscreen on my outdoor HDTV antenna.

Cable typically dies when the back up batteries die, although my tivo
has a couple hundred hours of recorded shows in stock

I've decided to phase out candles. New light sources will include oil lamps,
propane lamps, and battery power lamps.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"nestork" wrote in message
...

If you want to stock up on candles, then buy candles made with bees wax
instead of paraffin. When bees wax burns, it produces much less soot,
and that makes for a healthier indoor environment.

Candles made from bees wax are more expensive, but you don't need them
very often.




--
nestork

Sounds like you and neighbor need more water storage containers, to fill
when the water is on?

Interesting idea, to plumb in a "share tube". I like it.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Frank" wrote in message
...

We have a lot of power outages with lines coming here along treed roads.
In one extended one, before I had a generator, this neighbor had to get
water for his toilets from the creek a quarter mile away. When the
power was only out a few hours, they had run out of water to drink or
brush their teeth. Even with a generator, I still keep bottled water
and extra water for flushes. There are times that the well pump is
broken. When that happens I can hook up to a next door neighbor and
I've had them hook up to me.

If you don't have a few bottles of water, a flashlight, or a few extra
batteries, you're a FUBAR loser.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote:

For $36.49, I'd buy two eaches $9.97 fluorescent lantern from Walmart, their
house brand "Ozark Trail". Use the rest of the money to buy Raoyvac D
batteries.

My experience with LED lanterns, the light pattern is really not very even.

How's yours? Are you pleased with it? Didn't mean to rain on your parade,
but my experiences are different.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
We have a couple of these
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-CPX6-High-Tech-LED-Lantern/dp/B00339B0RW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=NI53XQK6Q6TA &coliid=IXWA5I6JIGVBR

I also got the rechargeable batteries for them. The batteries are
sealed lead acid and they come with both a 120v and a 12v charger. You
can also use 4 D cells. The light seems to be very even to me.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK

You're all good, except for beer and pop tarts.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"bob haller"
wrote in message
...

At the time I had dish satellite TV and cobbled together a light, tv
and dish receiver so my then wife could see the amazing race...

today i could power the tivo connected to comcast or use my new
flatscreen on my outdoor HDTV antenna.

Cable typically dies when the back up batteries die, although my tivo
has a couple hundred hours of recorded shows in stock

I'm glad that works for you. And the 12 volt charger means, you can charge
it off a car, the next day. What did it cost? And, was / is it worth the
money, for you?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Jim Rusling" wrote in message

We have a couple of these
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-CPX6-High-Tech-LED-Lantern/dp/B00339B0RW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=NI53XQK6Q6TA &coliid=IXWA5I6JIGVBR

I also got the rechargeable batteries for them. The batteries are
sealed lead acid and they come with both a 120v and a 12v charger. You
can also use 4 D cells. The light seems to be very even to me.
--
Jim Rusling
More or Less Retired
Mustang, OK

That sounds analog, retro, kewl. Groovy, man! Far out!

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"PeterD" wrote in message
3...

In the blackout in the 1960s, us kids couldn't wait to do our homework by
candlelight. I remember working on a map of France.

"nestork" wrote in message
...

If you want to stock up on candles, then buy candles made with bees wax
instead of paraffin. When bees wax burns, it produces much less soot,
and that makes for a healthier indoor environment.

Candles made from bees wax are more expensive, but you don't need them
very often.




--
nestork

You can almost double the useful light from a candle by putting an aluminum
pie pan behind it so the light is directed toward your book or whatever.
( 1 candlepower becomes 2 candlepower in technical terms).
Any highly reflective surface will do, of course, but be careful about
setting something on fire.

But the total light from a candle is only about 3 lumens. Compare that to a
40 watt
standard incandescent light bulb which puts out about 400 lumens.

Tomsic

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
I've decided to phase out candles. New light sources will include oil
lamps,
propane lamps, and battery power lamps.


Check out the solar power lawn lamps. Take outside during the day to charge
and bring them in at night.

Seen them at Dollar Tree. Why not stick them
in the window, so the sunshine charges them?

For a buck, likely to be junk. I've got a solar
motion flower that is ammusing.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Ralph Mowery" wrote in message
m...

Check out the solar power lawn lamps. Take
outside during the day to charge and bring
them in at night.

On 01/11/12 02:01, Jim Elbrecht wrote:

Am I all wrong here? Do traffic lights need more juice than an
inverter could supply? [granted there are 8 lights at the
intersection, but they are LED-- plus the switching equipment]

Yes. There is a fair bit of power involved in lights and cabinents.

Also, it is easier to train people to start, refuel and stop a
generator, than it is to deal with deep discharge batteries and the
inverter.

Also, when you start doing the figures, there can be some heavy currents
running through the cables from the "battery" to the inverter.

Generators are heavier and less portable than batteries and inverter.

then there is the question of the wave form in the inverter Vs the
desired sine wave form of the generator.

On 10/31/2012 5:48 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Sounds like you and neighbor need more water storage containers, to fill
when the water is on?

Interesting idea, to plumb in a "share tube". I like it.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Frank" wrote in message
...

We have a lot of power outages with lines coming here along treed roads.
In one extended one, before I had a generator, this neighbor had to get
water for his toilets from the creek a quarter mile away. When the
power was only out a few hours, they had run out of water to drink or
brush their teeth. Even with a generator, I still keep bottled water
and extra water for flushes. There are times that the well pump is
broken. When that happens I can hook up to a next door neighbor and
I've had them hook up to me.

If you don't have a few bottles of water, a flashlight, or a few extra
batteries, you're a FUBAR loser.



I've got enough and neighbor had to borrow containers too.
Neighbor's got plenty of money but if thieves ever broke into their
house they'd probably leave money on the table when they saw how little
stuff they had.

Water containers are free. Most folks drink enough
juice and soda, that they can store a bunch of
water, over a period of time. That's how I did it.

Milk jugs not suitable, the plastic is too soft. They leak.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Frank"
wrote in message ...

I've got enough and neighbor had to borrow containers
too. Neighbor's got plenty of money but if thieves ever
broke into their house they'd probably leave money on
the table when they saw how little stuff they had.

Jim Rusling wrote:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote:

For $36.49, I'd buy two eaches $9.97 fluorescent lantern from Walmart, their
house brand "Ozark Trail". Use the rest of the money to buy Raoyvac D
batteries.

My experience with LED lanterns, the light pattern is really not very even.

How's yours? Are you pleased with it? Didn't mean to rain on your parade,
but my experiences are different.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
We have a couple of these
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-CPX6-High-Tech-LED-Lantern/dp/B00339B0RW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=NI53XQK6Q6TA &coliid=IXWA5I6JIGVBR

I also got the rechargeable batteries for them. The batteries are
sealed lead acid and they come with both a 120v and a 12v charger. You
can also use 4 D cells. The light seems to be very even to me.

I hate looking at lanterns. Especially bluish light ones.

Greg

"Stormin Mormon" wrote:
For $36.49, I'd buy two eaches $9.97 fluorescent lantern from Walmart, their
house brand "Ozark Trail". Use the rest of the money to buy Raoyvac D
batteries.

My experience with LED lanterns, the light pattern is really not very even.

How's yours? Are you pleased with it? Didn't mean to rain on your parade,
but my experiences are different.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Pavel314" wrote in message
...

Here's a good alternative to candles:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

We bought one of these over a year ago and keep it plugged in and charging
up all the time. It got its first use for Sandy and did very well; nice and
bright and very convenient. Besides the wall charge, it can also run off 3
AAA bateries or you can charge it up with the generator crank on the side.
We're going to get a couple more for the next hurricane.

The only thing I wish I'd done to prepare was to check the drainage system
by my wife's greenhouse. It was clogged with leaves so we ended up with a 3"
puddle in front of the door; since my boots are 6" that wasn't a problem,
just an annoyance.

I start my generator on the first weekend of every month and run it for
about five minutes, just so it doesn't rust. (I changed the oil last
weekend, figuring that it might get heavy usage during the storm.) Depending
on the season, I'll also start the snow blower or garden tiller at the same
time to make sure they're ready for action.

Paul

What I have been using for years, camping, working, in the dark, the best
thing to have, at least one. Check link. If you don't have one, get one.
Candles are good, and make heat, for power outages. I use kerosene for heat
in those cases. I now also have gas stove.

http://www.kmart.com:80/northwest-te...lockType=G2 2

Greg

Fluorescents are yellowish. And, the Dorcy one is close to white light.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"gregz" wrote in message
...

I hate looking at lanterns. Especially bluish light ones.

Greg

I really like those. I got two off ebay. Then, Kmart got them, cheaper.

Those have the blue LED light you don't like?

I really like mine, they provide useful light. The three D cells last a long
time, and provide a stable base.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"gregz" wrote in message
...

What I have been using for years, camping, working, in the dark, the best
thing to have, at least one. Check link. If you don't have one, get one.
Candles are good, and make heat, for power outages. I use kerosene for heat
in those cases. I now also have gas stove.

http://www.kmart.com:80/northwest-te...lockType=G2 2

Greg

On 10/31/12 10:15 AM, wrote:
On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:17:26 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

Nice thing about the car. You're fairly sure it runs. And you probably have
some fuel in the tank. Did the TV have static and such on the picture? Or
did it run properly?
A TV or computer is fine on a regular inverter. We have done it a lot.

In fact this was my first generator

http://gfretwell.com/electrical/redneck_power.jpg

Honda engine?
This is one circumstance where farmers would be at a distinct
advantage. Most probably have plenty of fuel on hand. A PTO driven
generator should get them by for some time.
I don't suppose there are many plow jockeys in Hoboken, NJ though.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote:
I really like those. I got two off ebay. Then, Kmart got them, cheaper.

Those have the blue LED light you don't like?

I really like mine, they provide useful light. The three D cells last a long
time, and provide a stable base.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

They are bluish but don't stare at you like a 360 lantern.

Of course I always have my trusty led flashlight in my pocket in dark
times.
I also use it when I'm working on things when I need more light.

Greg


"gregz" wrote in message
...

What I have been using for years, camping, working, in the dark, the best
thing to have, at least one. Check link. If you don't have one, get one.
Candles are good, and make heat, for power outages. I use kerosene for heat
in those cases. I now also have gas stove.

http://www.kmart.com:80/northwest-te...lockType=G2 2

Greg

On 10/31/2012 7:25 PM, gregz wrote:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote:
For $36.49, I'd buy two eaches $9.97 fluorescent lantern from Walmart, their
house brand "Ozark Trail". Use the rest of the money to buy Raoyvac D
batteries.

My experience with LED lanterns, the light pattern is really not very even.

How's yours? Are you pleased with it? Didn't mean to rain on your parade,
but my experiences are different.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.

"Pavel314" wrote in message
...

Here's a good alternative to candles:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

We bought one of these over a year ago and keep it plugged in and charging
up all the time. It got its first use for Sandy and did very well; nice and
bright and very convenient. Besides the wall charge, it can also run off 3
AAA bateries or you can charge it up with the generator crank on the side.
We're going to get a couple more for the next hurricane.

The only thing I wish I'd done to prepare was to check the drainage system
by my wife's greenhouse. It was clogged with leaves so we ended up with a 3"
puddle in front of the door; since my boots are 6" that wasn't a problem,
just an annoyance.

I start my generator on the first weekend of every month and run it for
about five minutes, just so it doesn't rust. (I changed the oil last
weekend, figuring that it might get heavy usage during the storm.) Depending
on the season, I'll also start the snow blower or garden tiller at the same
time to make sure they're ready for action.

Paul

What I have been using for years, camping, working, in the dark, the best
thing to have, at least one. Check link. If you don't have one, get one.
Candles are good, and make heat, for power outages. I use kerosene for heat
in those cases. I now also have gas stove.

http://www.kmart.com:80/northwest-te...lockType=G2 2

Greg


That's exactly what I have sitting on my desk right now. I found two at
a couple of dollar stores about 5 years ago and have been looking for
more of them since a drunk broke one of my lights last year. ^_^

TDD

On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:01:45 -0400, Jim Elbrecht
wrote:

bob haller wrote:
-snip-

A inverter is a wonderful thing, just connect to your car battery and
let engine idle. for a 100 bucks you can get a thousand watt inverter,
for lights, radio and a tv if the load isnt too heavy

I agree. Before the storm I noticed that the State[?] had chained a
generator tot he pole at a very busy intersection.

Seems to me that was a waste of a generator that could have been
better used somewhere else.

You could hide a battery, but that thing was just screaming 'steal
me!'.

A battery is a lot more reliable left unattended.
But 40 lbs of gas produces something like a hundred times as much
energy as a 40 lb battery.

you could swap out batteries faster than you can refuel a generator.
But you will do it 10 times as often

seems like a good marine battery would last longer than a tank of gas-
and would cost 1/5 of the generator. [this was a 5K or so generator.]

Nope - not even close. A 200AH battery - that's a pretty big one -
will provide 2400 watts for less than an hour. A 2500 Va generator
will run about 4 hours on a 2 1/2 gallon (imperial) (lets say 3 gallon
US) gas tank. Or about 8 hours at half load. The Hyundai 6500 we
rented for the insurance office holds 6 US gallons and will run 14
hours at 1/2 load according to the manual.. Battery vs generator is
not even CLOSE to a fair fight.

Am I all wrong here? Do traffic lights need more juice than an
inverter could supply? [granted there are 8 lights at the
intersection, but they are LED-- plus the switching equipment]

Jim
The inverter could likely run the lights for about 2 or 3 hours. A
Honda 200 inverter generator could do that on half a gallon or so of
gasoline

Yes, with the Jeep lights, you can point them in a direction.

One lantern of mine, I finally half wrapped with aluminum foil. got tired of
being blinded when I was near.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"gregz" wrote in message
...

They are bluish but don't stare at you like a 360 lantern.

Of course I always have my trusty led flashlight in my pocket in dark
times.
I also use it when I'm working on things when I need more light.

Greg


http://www.kmart.com:80/northwest-te...lockType=G2 2

Greg

I've seen them in Kmart, in the camping section.
For ten bucks, well. I think they are a good value.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"The Daring Dufas"
wrote in message ...


http://www.kmart.com:80/northwest-te...lockType=G2 2

Greg


That's exactly what I have sitting on my desk right now. I found two at
a couple of dollar stores about 5 years ago and have been looking for
more of them since a drunk broke one of my lights last year. ^_^

TDD

On 10/31/2012 8:18 PM, Stormin Mormon wrote:
I've seen them in Kmart, in the camping section.
For ten bucks, well. I think they are a good value.


The light uses 3 D cells and will provide many hours of light. ^_^

TDD