just got back from 3 days in the Keys...iguanas are everywhere... mangrove and yellow fin snapper are excellent...

got the batteries for the cordless drill and spare auto batteries on charge...topped off the Eneloops

freezing a couple more gallon jugs of water

identified mislabeled circuits on the power panel so I can back feed if necessary from the garage

topped off the gas and propane tanks...

watch and wait... keep safe all

Izzy, Les, and the rest of you folks down there, stay safe.

Give us an update when things settle down.

May the Force be with you! I hope it doesn't get too rough for you folks there. I live in SD; the only danger here is being bored to death!

For all of you in the path of the storm, be safe and best wishes.

Stay safe, friends!

Good Luck!

Don't forget to get some cash, Could be a cash economy for a few days.

And if a neighbor owns a Bobcat, remind them that you're BFFs :-)

Just heard a gov down that way says 3 days food and
water....

I have assumed HurCon IV and all the preps that must be doneto achieve HurCon IV.

Tomorrow, if there is no change, I will excute and assume the preps required for HurCon III.

wildman... didn't get any general response to the post on tropical weather, but since Isaac looks like it's heading your way, you might like the models at the bottom of the Crown Weather site

http://www.crownweather.com/

stay safe

We're not in the path of Isaac up here, but we do get some good storms from time to time. With that in mind, I made up a box a few years back with basic storm supplies that I keep next to our bottled water. This is what it has in it:

-4 fixed blades with sheaths (Buck 473's)
-DMT diamond sharpener
-4 pairs work gloves
-box of dust masks
-box of ear plugs
-hand wipes
-orange flagging tape
-100ft nylon rope
-2 tarps
-roll duct tape
-small pry bar
-4 flash lights
-plenty of spare batteries
-a fencing tool (kind of a combination hammer/wrench)
-6 whistles on lanyards
-6 FRS two-way radios
-2 Grundig crank radios (am/fm/sw/small led light)
-First Aid kit

Everyone also has their own bug-out backpack with individual supplies; like clothes, water, food, important papers, ect. (We used the list at read.gov as a guide). We've also got a bag for the dog that we keep with his fold-up crate.

I wanted everything together and easily accessible, that way, if an emergency does happen during the storm, all our supplies are easy to find. If things are especially bad and we have to abandon the house, we can do it nearly instantaneously, instead of having to search for stuff.

Otherwise, I have a list of stuff I usually run down before hand:

-All vehicles full of gas/diesel
-Leave one truck at my mother's house (I live on a dead-end, so it's possible to be blocked in. Having a car over there means another vehicle option within walking distance.)
-Fill up extra gas cans
-Make sure water stocks are good
-Make sure sump-pump works
-Grab a 3" trash pump and hoses from work
-Make sure generators work
-Make sure chainsaws work/chain is sharp
-Pump some water out of the pool
-Charge the portable tools (drills/circular saw/reciprocating saw/cut-off wheel)
-Bring in anything that can fly away

There might be more, but that's what I remember off the top of my head.

Those of you in hurricane country, stay safe. I am reminded of a comment of a friend, who went through Andrew with his family huddled in their bathroom - fatalities after a hurricane during the cleanup phase often equaled or exceeded the more conspicuous toll during the hurricane. Watch out for those live power lines!

if you are going to board up... the "plylock" spring clips work pretty well for a quick installation on masonry, and the TorX headed deck screws are a better option than regular Phillips screws for frame construction...paint your plywood if you have time, and number the panels...

Thanks Les. I assume HurCon III Today. We've already made the decision to weather the storm at home. I only have to top off fuel tanks and 1 can of gas, and secure the missile hazards in the yard.

Tomorrow I'll assume HurCon II.

Stay safe down there everyone.

I'm sure you DO isolate your main when backfeeding....RIGHT? Because like all Equipped.org readers, you're responsible, intelligent and take care of not only yourself, but those who are helping you in a time of emergency.





Lineman Killed By Generator Back Feed - Victim Helping Restore Power in Alabama
http://www.electricenergyonline.com/?page=show_news&id=38786

Also related:
http://www.inspectionsbybob.com/home-ins...-linemans-life/

This is interesting to me, I don't live in hurricane country. Why paint the plywood - is it to discourage someone from stealing your plywood and repurposing it to protect their own property?

main breaker will be OFF ....

plywood is rather expensive (I have 27 windows to cover), and if you have the time, a coat of exterior paint, especially on the edge can prolong its life... also helps prevent warping...for a lot of folks, storing the covering between seasons seems to be an excuse to not have any....my 18v Rigid cordless drill is one of my "must have" supplies...numbering just speeds installation ... hadn't though of someone stealing it, but they would have to have a #25 TorX bit..one of the carbines comes out of the gun safe

FWIW... I usually board up for a Cat 2 and 3, and will evacuate to a relative's house ( post Andrew building code) for > 3... the house has been 125mph sustained without problem...

When I was in Germany about 100 years ago - ok the 80s - they had metal shutters that rolled down to cover the windows. The shutters were outside but could be controlled from the inside. The could be closed tight, cutting off all light/most of the air, or left slightlty open, letting in some light and air. Even in the almost closed position the window would still be covered from weather damage.

Never saw them before or since, but think I would get some for the house if I needed them / could figure out where to get them.

Saw those shutters in Spain and always wanted them since. Found several manufacturers when I googled "metal shutters".

I am not an electrician. But I have a friend who is and he said I must TOTALLY ISOLATE the back-fed system from the grid. He said if I had no complete 3 pole switch, I should remove the meter.

I do not remember the reason but it was something about the main breaker only opening up one of the three lines. Perhaps someone with a real understanding of power lines could refresh/dispute my friends comments. It might have been something specific to my wiring, but I got the impression that it was standard practice to break all wires to the grid, including the ground.

Nomad.

Nomad.. thanks will check out the wiring under the cover...it is my understanding that both 120v lines are disconnected by the main breaker...

Trying hard not to steal a thread...but...




What you will find (probably) are two very heavy wires each going to a switch. They are not two sides of the circuit, but one side each of two circuits that feed your house. Together they give you 220v. However the switch breaks only one side of each circuit.

Not being opened are the neutral and ground.

If the backfeed is wired wrong (very easy to make a mistake here) you can still put power back onto the grid, even if these are open. I am not sure how that can happen and seek understanding here.

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread...

Nomad

I have now completed my HurCon checklist and have assumed HurCon 1.

Per the Weather Channel, this is going to grow to be Cat 1,000 hurricane just before it wipes out the Gulf Coast. I'm not seeing that. It looks like it will be doing well to grow to be a strong Cat 1 storm at the most.

The beauty of it is, we're ready if it did.

Nomad... as long as the electrician is not black/white color blind, its pretty hard to wire a hot black lead to a white neutral or uninsulated copper buss bar....but again, mechanical devices can fail...It was easier with my older panel, that allowed you to pull a fuse block to isolate the grid... you make the assumption that if the main breaker isolates you from the grid, that it will isolate the grid from you... and then there is that word "assumption"... regards

Keep in mind that Katrina was just barely a cat 1 hurricane in New Orleans. That one was much stronger elsewhere, but the TV images focused on the aftermath of a hurricane that was... about the same strength as this one may be.

Elevation, tides & storm surge at your location matter more than wind speed.

I was surprised to see people still buying "D" cells...what for?

People have old crummy flashlights to feed, most likely.

In addition to a few Fenix and 4Sevens AA LED flashlights I have a couple of those old crummy Maglight flashlights that I upgraded with an aftermarket LED bulb, complete with the TerraLUX LED Light Engine (voltage reg circuitry?). Three D cells does a nice job pushing a 3 Watt LED. Add the Maglite reflector and you've got a fairly robust light. ymmv

my 2D LED MagLight is still my go-to flashlight...my ceiling fan gizmo powered by a tent fan did not last but a couple of hours on a AA Eneloop in a spacer vs. 9+ hrs by a real D

1 D Cell is equivalent to 4 AA Cells for capacity -

Rechargable NiMh LSD D cells are available such as the Ansmann maxE Rechargable Battery D 8500mAh

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002A...ler=&sr=8-1

They work very well with the Ansmann Powerline 5 chargers

http://www.amazon.co.uk/ANSMANN-POWERlin...8338&sr=8-3

which can be used with a Cigarette Charger output such as provided with a portable PV solar Charge (20-30W panel) or an SLA battery/Solar PV setup.

The D cells once charged work nicely with the Varta 4W LED 3 D cell Lanterns (equivalent to 12 AAs), which have 3 high efficiency Nichia LEDs.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Varta-4W-LED-Cam...7247433-4786234

These will typically give 300 Lumen for around 6 hrs or 12 hrs on the lower settings. They are quite effective as they can be hanged up side down if used in areas difficult to light.

D cells are also useful for D-cell Maglites with replacement LEDs bulbs. These flashlights are still useful for home use and will typically give out 100 Lumen for around 20 hrs before recharging the NiMh D cells.

The real benefit is having not to constantly recharge so often the smaller AA cells again and again compared to the D cells, which can be a pain.

A direct-drive LED flashlight powered by Alkaline D cells can have a run-time measured in weeks, not hours. It's not bright, but on a dark night it's better than a dead regulated light.

For many applications a 1 watt LED in a 2+ D cell light is more than adequate. If you have an old Maglite® Flashlight which takes between 2 & 6 D cell batteries you can do a lot worse than upgrading with a 1 watt Terralux Ministar LED. For $12.95 you turn a crummy light into a pretty darn good LED flashlight with a lot of throw. The 2 D maglite in my truck has one. Not as bright as the 3 watt in my 3 D Mag, but the runtime should be longer.

Edit: According to the review it doesn't need to be a Maglight. Lots of old D cell lights out there. Dunno, I've only upgraded my Maglites.

besides...buying a pack of D's makes me feel like I'm preparing for hurricane season..

On the electrical thing....if you're going to run your house on a generator, you really should have a transfer switch installed. It breaks the connection to the utility and connects the generator to the home's panel. It also has its own individual circuit breakers for safety. Most places require a transfer switch as part of the electrical code if you are going to run home circuits off a generator.

There are automatic transfer switches, but for the average home owner a less expensive manual one will work just fine. It makes connecting a generator much safer and easier for everyone. You run one 240v extension cord from the generator the transfer switch, push a button, and your house is safely powered.

Either directly connect your devices to the generator using extension cords (or surge supressors) or use a transfer switch. Never, ever backfeed a generator into house wiring without one.

fluorescent tube lanterns,and the big ole Mag-lites use D cells

D size alkaline cells cost about twice as much as AA cells, but contain about 6 or 7 times the energy.
The cost per watt hour from D cells is therefore about one third of that from AA cells.

No alkaline cell is very efficient at high discharge currents, but for a given current D will be more efficient than AA.

As an example, a 0.7A flashlight bulb will only run for about an hour and a half on AA cells, but will run for 12 hours or more on D cells.

The extra weight and bulk of D cells is of little consequence for home use.

I use alkaline D cells in flourescent and LED lanterns, in Maglights, and in fans.

I also have home made lights that use 6 D cells in a plastic holder that is connected via a few yards of cord to a miniature screw base bulbholder with a screw base LED torch bulb.

The very light weight of the bulb and holder means that it is easily hung from any improvised support and lights a whole room.
If the batteries leak, then only a cheap battery holder needs replacement rather than a costly lantern.
The light is turned on/off by a switch near the battery holder, much more convienient than a lantern that might be out of easy reach.
The run time is over 100 hours from 6 alkaline D cells.

The length of time you can run a flashlight or other electronics on a given battery depends heavily on the load. For example, with flashlights, today's LED flashlights often have multiple levels and even the lower levels provide adequate ambient light when you don't need a lot of task lighting. My preference is always to use minimal lighting as much as possible, so using the lower levels on a flashlight is normal for me.

At a reasonable 250mA current draw, that single D cell will last 16 hours. But the AA will last 9 hours, so the D cell provides less than twice the runtime even though it contains 6 or 7 times the total energy as the AA cell. Now which one looks more efficient?

Louisiana Father-Son Team Rescues 120 From Flooding

...

...

Duracell appears to rate their Procell D (PC1300) at around 60 hour at 250 mAh at 70F, though its hard to figure out their non-specs.

Duracell Data sheets

The real advantage to a D comes at much lower discharge rates, 10 mAh or less. A 3D direct-drive LED will be pretty dim at 5 mAh, but it will be a long, long time between "dim" and "dead".

I agree, a low drain light will last a really, really long time on D cells.

My uber long runtime "hurricane" light is to take a one of those plastic, olive drab GI 3D flashlights and stick a NiteIze LRB-07-PR LED bulb replacement in there. Still haven't been able to totally drain a set of D batteries yet, so I have no idea how long a set may last. It's only maybe 10-15 lumens, but with dark adapted eyes, that's satisfactory to see your immediate surroundings or for ambient light. That NiteIze is probably the lowest drain LED replacement commonly available nowadays (like from a big box store) that will work with a D-size light (or many lanterns). It's quite dim and most consumers want brighter, so even these will probably disappear at some point soon.

[quote=ArneyAt a reasonable 250mA current draw, that single D cell will last 16 hours. But the AA will last 9 hours, so the D cell provides less than twice the runtime even though it contains 6 or 7 times the total energy as the AA cell. Now which one looks more efficient? [/quote]

Can not agree, both suppliers data and experience suggests that a premium make alkaline D cell will supply 250ma for at least 50 hours and perhaps a bit longer.
A similar make of AA cell might last 9 hours, but 7 or 8 hours is more likely.

I would expect a zinc carbon D cell to last about 16 hours at 250ma.

My bad on the D cell stats. I went back to the spec sheet for a Duracell Coppertop (because how many folks buy premium D cells for their flashlights?) and the curve I was recalling is actually a 750mA curve, although the exact same color line on the AA spec sheet is used for 250mA, so I guess that's where I got them mixed up. It's not marked on the D cell graph but at 250mA, a D cell should last way longer than 16 hours.

Just curious, how many ETSers out there buy premium D alkaline cells for their flashlights, like the Duracell Procell? Just talking D cells, not CR123, NiMH or other types or sizes of cells.

Greetings to all!!!

Lafayette, La was a very good place to be during this Hurricane. There have been very few downed tree limbs and no one that I know has lost power. That includes folks who live in the country where electricity usually goes out rather quickly.

I am once again happy that I made the decision to leave Slidell, La 11 years ago and we moved here.

Since we left Slidell, La, it has now been submerged twice!!!

Premium Alkalines such as the Durcell Procells are quite expensive when purchased in small twin packs, they compare well with the German made Varta High Energy D-cells etc

http://www.amazon.com/Cell-Energy-Profes...ergy+D+Alkaline

Buying in Bulk is the way to go. Duracell Procells can be purchased for just over 1$ each when buying packs of 24.

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Procell-A...cell+D+Alkaline

D cells compares very favorably (bang for the buck) with AA cells, when you consider that they have 6-7 times the stored electrical energy of an AA Alkaline cell and much greater potential to delivery high Watt/hrs capacities at higher drain currents. i.e > 1 watt loads. D cells are the way to go for home use! AA cells for portable lightweight gadgets.

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Procell-A...cell+D+Alkaline

i.e. just under 50 cents per AA cell. AA cells to compete would typically would need to priced around 15-20 cents per Cell.

I will just purchase the occasional 2xD pack from a local discount store, which are just as good performers as the Varta and Duracell Procell and Coppertops, but will cost around half the price. These are Aerocell 2xD packs from Lidls (German made).

Generally though I have switched to German made Ansmann MaxE D LSD NiMhs rechargeables which are much more cost effective in the long run, although initially they are very expensive.

What would be useful would be a conversion kit which would turn 3-6 D cell Maglites into a usable portable side lamp or Lantern. i.e. a wide base plate around 4-6 inches in diameter to replace the battery end cap for maximum stability as the Maglite stands vertically and a variable Lantern diffuser (wide to up lighter) to replace the Maglite head optics.

Arney... my flip answer a little while back was really the truth...my entire hurricane season specific purchase was a 10 pack of Energizer Max (7 year advertised shelf life) from Sam's Club for a little lesss than $10...for my "fan motor", a second battery fan, and (2) 2D LED MagLights that were door busters a couple of years ago at Lowes during the tax free hurricane days... IIRC they were $12 each..the rest

Midland 300 weather radio
Grundig FR200
Fenix E21
Black Diamond Icon headlamp
miniMagLite LED
Gerber Infinity task light
Coleman HiTec 3AA LED area light
Goal Zero Guide 10 battery pack

are powered by Sanyo Eneloops ... the Eneloops work with plastic "D" adapters/spacers to power the D MagLight, but I drop a quarter in so the heavy duty spring of the MagLight makes contact with the bottom of the AA cell

Glad you're ok, Wildman. It sounds like things got nasty in some areas. Hope everyone came/comes through it just as well.

good news indeed wildman

I am now in Post HurCon V. I am quickly getting stored items broken out and put back in their rightful places.

A friend in Central Missouri tells me that they are getting a "nice" steady rain with winds gusting up to 25mph. He's hoping this rain will continue for 24 hours since the ground is soaking up everything that's coming down.

I intend to take a stroll through the local grocery store that I strolled through yesterday and see if the meats and bottled water is getting restocked yet. It would be good to know the response time for this area to get resupplied.

I went through my local Winn Dixie today and found that approx 30 cases of bottled water had been delivered (massive amt of empty shelves there).

1 bread company has not restocked their allotted shelf space yet.

The meat shelves are about 3/4 stocked with meats and the lunch meats have been completely restocked.

The Milk shelves are still a little light with some empty shelf space.

The freezer space had been hard hit, especially where pizzas were kept. The employees are restocking the freezer section as quickly as they can unload the boxes.

The beer section is well stocked which tells you that I am in "Cajun Country".