Four days with no power and 12 to 15 inches of snow, some thoughts

I've seen other people post after their power outage so here goes

Most useful flashlights
My Fenix HL 21 Headlamp, I used this all the time, it was handy when doing something with the generator and just going out to take care of the horses (they didn't like it)
I used my Fenix TK40s as general room lamps, setting them on low was enough light

I have a TK70 and a TM11 didn't really use them. I turned them on one time and my family complained they were too bright.

Other observations
I had stocked up on gas for my generator so that wasn't an issue. (Used about 35 to 40 gallons of fuel). Water was an issue; I am on a community well so I didn't have water. In hindsight I would have had more water stocked up. I had enough for the humans it was the animals I wasn't prepared for, we ended up getting water from a neighbor who had his own well and it was hooked up to his generator. I lost my land line and internet, which I didn't think was a problem but I also lost cell. I was kidding with my wife that maybe I should dig out my ham radio.

I live on a dead-end up a 1.5 mile hill, that climbs almost a 1000 feet, most days if you wanted to get out you had to cut our way through a downed tree or deal with a downed telephone or power line.

Thanks for the advice on the most useful lights to have for a long power outage. I can understand the headlamp being the most practical. Hands free illumination is very conveniant in complete darkness. Glad you had a generator and lots of fuel.

If I had no water and no land line, I'd definitely be considering the ham radio..

Sorry for your pain. I live down in Kent, and although I haven't lost power, many of my neighbors have. One of my co-workers who lives out in Maple Valley still has no power. They have shut my power off several times for a few seconds, which is really annoying (not compared with what you went through, of course.) I keep having to reset my clocks and boot-up my computer (time for a UPS -- I never replaced my old one when it died). And my cable/internet service was out most of the day. But I am ready with my flashlights! I also have a Coleman LED lantern, and a fluorescent lantern.

tomwoh said:

Water was an issue; I am on a community well so I didn't have water. In hindsight I would have had more water stocked up. I had enough for the humans it was the animals I wasn't prepared for, we ended up getting water from a neighbor who had his own well and it was hooked up to his generator.

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Hate to point out the obvious but you had thousands of gallons of water laying all around you. Next time your water gets cut off you might not be so fortunate though so best have a plentiful supply of bottled water anyway.

Yeah...some big metal feeds buckets and a small fire or two, 1 hour tops, you could had 20-30 gallons melted...

Grab some 7 gallon water containers from wally-world, throw a couple of DROPS of bleach in there, write the date filled, and forget about it until you need it.

+1000 on the headlamps...hands free illumination is king in a real world power-outage.

Four Days With No Power And 12 To 15 Inches Of Snow, Some Thoughts

Wow, you could be my counterpart in Fall City! We have a hobby farm, we have horses, I like flashlights, and both my wife and I are ham radio operators. We don't have a generator and I usually keep an eye on my 100 gallon stock tank, but if a storm were coming, it only makes sense to top it off. Right now, however, without a generator, I would have the issue of the stock tank heater. You would probably get a kick out of my "outfit" to take care of the horses in the morning and evening. I have a blaze orange winter hat that has a cap light on it. I know most people like their headlamps, and I have one too, but for going out to the barn, my cap light works the best for me. Everybody in the family has a flashlight, or two, or three. Thanks for your post. Those are good tips.

Re: Four Days With No Power And 12 To 15 Inches Of Snow, Some Thoughts

Would a diffuser helped in not spooking the horses?
or would a neutral or warm tint helped.

MichaelW said:

Would a diffuser helped in not spooking the horses?
or would a neutral or warm tint helped.

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Im thinking a different color...alot of animals can only see in certain shades...that's why hunters wear certain colors, and use red or green lights...some animals can't see those colors. Try some google-foo on "horse vision", etc.

I live right in Seattle on a big hill and I was annoyed but you had it much worse in terms of much more snow, losing power and the water issue. It really made a difference in terms of severity with this last storm just exactly where you live.

StarHalo said:

If I had no water and no land line, I'd definitely be considering the ham radio..

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+1

That actually would be a good idea with no internet, phone, or cellphone service.

Regarding melting snow
I was melting snow with my wood stove. I was shocked at how slow it was melting. I checked the temp with my grill thermometer and at best I was hitting 196 degrees. It's a small stove and "green" so I'm wondering if that is why it doesn't get that hot. Even though I know that it takes quite a bit of snow (I believe it's about 5 to 3 ratio) to get the same volume of water, it took me about 45 minutes to melt enough snow to fill my biggest pot (about 2 gallons) with multple trips outside to get more snow. I didn't record how much water the horses drank, but we generally plan on 5 to 15 gallons per horse depending on the weather.

Regarding a light to not spook the horses,
I talked a bit to my wife about this and between 3 Costco tarps collapsing and tree's coming down close to the barn she thought the horses were a bit spooked in general. She mentioned the morning she went out and the tarp on the end of the barn had collapsed the horse nearest that end of the bar didn't want to come out of her stall. Regarding the diffusor now that I think about it I wasn't using the built in diffuser.

Regarding storing water,
This goes to being prepared when my wife is worried about the weather she usually fills up a couple 100 gallon troughs. There full now

Bit confused.

You have a wood-burning stove that is actually marketed as being "green?" But, it burns wood.

Those water bob's that fit in a bathtub are good for storing water in case of a power outage. I don't own any but am considering getting a couple. Cheaper than dirt had them , but I am sure alot of vendors on the net sell them. Do you have a transfer switch wired into to your main power panel?

Monocrom said:

Bit confused.

You have a wood-burning stove that is actually marketed as being "green?" But, it burns wood.

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Low pollution was the old green--being carbon-neutral is the new green.