We suffered a power outage a few weeks ago (thankfully short, as you shall see). I decreed, "Lo, bring forth the lanterns I have prepared for just such a contingency, and let there be light". We got out the three I had prepared, and not a one worked! At least I had my EDC lights, so we were not stumbling around in the dark, but I was hoping for something much better.

One failure was quite perplexing. I had loaded the lantern with 4 AAA lithium batteries, which was OK according to the light's instructions. I tested the batteries after the light failed - two were dead, and two were OK. I suspect the switch contains a malfunction - it is a fancy little thing which is supposed to come on at a high level, and then gradually decline. You stop the process when the light is right for your tastes

I will have to do better next time...

TORX BITs.

They are the devil.

Whenever I buy them I get numerous sets because it seems when you need them you need them and then you bust them left and right!!!

Just before the recent Deep Freeze I decided to test the tool I have to open the cover over the city-water cut-off valve (which is in the front yard). I don't want to be struggling out there in 10 degree weather with water pouring onto the floor indoors from a broken pipe!

It turned out the "key" worked great and lifted the cover right off to reveal ... mud. Nothing could be seen. After some digging with a shovel the valve was eventually revealed.

And there's not much room down there to get a wrench to close the valve. It's doable when the weather is nice, but I'm going to keep an eye out for a better tool since the weather is likely to be miserable if I need to do it.

So my emergency tool works but actually testing it revealed other problems...

Two things from experience. Buy, make, or have made, a long-handled tool. Make it long enough to work standing up. A piece of bent flat stock to engage the rectangular tab of the typical street valve welded onto a length of rebar and a cross-piece of rebar for leverage is usually all you need. I could list sizes but your better fitting it to your situation and some things, like the thickness of the rebar upright, will depend on length. Half-inch rebar works for short handled ones, maybe up to three foot, but 5/8" is less likely to flex.

Also the street valve may have remained unused for decades. Any valve that goes unused for that long can seize open, or closed, or break off entirely. It may need to be replaced the first time you try to operate it. So make that attempt early in the day and on a weekday when a plumber won't cost you an arm and a leg. Check with the water utility to find out who owns the valve. Most are after the meter and are the home owners responsibility. But some utilities see it differently and give you a break.

The good news is that if you inspect and operate the valve once a year it will stay good for a very long time. Checking the water main valve once a year and it is also a perfect time to check the main gas valve for function and to make sure you know how to turn off the electricity.

Working all the circuit breakers once a year, called exercising, can increase their reliability when they should trip. If you do your own electrical work this would be a good time to check all the connections in the panel for firmness and heat. But only do it if you know what your doing. Even then be careful.

So I am with you Comms... My lovely bride reported to me that her SUV has a flat and I should wake up (at 4 in the morning) and take her to work then fix her flat tire.

After the sun rose and I could see what I was doing without manmade lighting, I proceded to take her tire off and have it repaired. Upon returning from having it repaired I tried to put it on the vehicle to no avail. The SUV had to be jacked up higher. No prob, but the jack was MAXED out. Still not a prob. I have a lifted jeep I DO have a jack that will get it high enough. But now the other jack out of my jeep is too tall to fit under the SUV. Damn it! Not a problem. I pulled out my credit card, took the trip to the auto parts store and bought a 2 1/2 ton floor jack. I put the floor jack under the SUV jacked it up put the tire to the lug nuts and it was 1/2 inch too low. SON of a ^@(^&(&^!

To answer your question I ended up using a block of wood that I had in the back yard to get a little more lift. Ya I was not going to qualify for the pit crew award for fastest tire change coming in at 2 hours.

By the way, now I have 3 jacks none of which will allow me to change a tire without a block of wood or a shovel.

Good thing I was prepared...

"It turned out the "key" worked great and lifted the cover right off ... And there's not much room down there to get a wrench to close the valve."

Forget the wrench. Get what is called a Curb Key or Water Meter Key. About $12 at HD or Lowes. There are fancier ones, but a plain one works just fine. Turn it gently, don't rip the valve off.

Keep that muddy area cleaned out, and keep the weeds, ground cover and ivy cleaned away from it.

Sue

Sue, is there anything you DON'T know?

@epirider. That is hilarious. and something like that happened to me helping a stranded driver roadside with a flat. He had a lifted truck with a standard jack and I had the same. Had to drive him to the closest auto store to get him going.

Next lifted vehicle I get, gets a hi-jack put on it.

The front caliper bolts on my truck were torx, found that out the first time I went to replace the pads at 70k. I went to a couple different auto parts stores until I found replacements with normal hex heads and replaced them so I wouldn't have to carry that one torx bit in my tool kit.

Hi-Lift jacks are great if you have someplace to hook them up. The problem is that most vehicles made in the past 20 years plastic bumpers or, at best, lightweight steel that will bend if you try to lift the vehicle that way.

If you have heavy duty steel bumpers a Hi-Lift is great. But otherwise you'll have to come up with some other ideas for attaching the jack. Hi-Lift has a kit that lets you hook the jack to the wheel itself. I've got that kit and have used it to get unstuck, but it won't help you if you need to change a tire. I've also made a longer chain with hooks on each end and pipe insulation to protect the bumper so I an lift either the front or back via the frame, but this is VERY unstable and dangerous, and I wouldn't want to be working on the car lifted this way.

The wood block solution seems to be the best. I have a 12x12x1" piece of oak with an 8x8x2" block of pine glued and screwed on top that I use under the factory jack (or high-lift in loose soil).