Author Topic: Hurricane Michael Thread  (Read 5646 times)

Searchboss

Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #15 on: October 11, 2018, 09:08:29 AM »
Here in Middle GA we made it through the storm without losing power or sustaining any damage besides some smaller limbs down at our house. Sadly there are a number of people around our area who were not as lucky. There are a lot of people without power and/or trees down in the county.

BennyMG1

Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #16 on: October 11, 2018, 09:31:34 AM »
Still no power in Reynolds city limits. The commander is checking on our house and property outside of town this morning. I am at work. Our hospital is running normally.
Trust, but verify. Russian proverb

Ravenwood1950

Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #17 on: October 11, 2018, 11:51:58 AM »
Sorry to post so late, took the recyclables to the dump this am and other errands. I am fine here, thanks to the good Lord! Just yard debris to get up again, yuck! And some good rain we needed.
Ravenwood

Lilburner

Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #18 on: October 11, 2018, 12:23:26 PM »
We're taking check-ins on the SEPN text network from those who either don't have power or internet, or just don't have occasion to get on the site.

If you're not on, you're welcome to join.

Here's an overview.

http://seprepnet.com/forum/index.php/topic,2876.msg17267.html#msg17267
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
~ Daniel Webster

joebob

Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #19 on: October 11, 2018, 07:33:13 PM »
I don't have any problems but limbs down and a general mess to cleanup.  I was real concerned last night after Irma dropped 2 trees on my MH last year. I lost power a few times last night but only for a few minutes at a time.

RWS

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Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #20 on: October 13, 2018, 11:14:08 AM »
Got my phone back this morning.  That comes with internet service.  Still no power which has not changed my lifestyle much as I have solar power and solar hot water. 
I got a call from one of my solar customers yesterday saying his batteries were not charging correctly & could I come check out his system.  The system he was talking about was on his horse barn.  They have been taking in horses from locals that do not have water & the barn has a well on solar power.  I went over (7 mi) and found a setting on the charge controller had been changed.  I reset it to correctly charge and will go by there this afternoon and re-check.  The home owner also has solar on his new house.  He said what he likes is that he even has hot water and every thing they NEED works.  Picture is horse barn with 2 bedroom house on top & 9 yr old solar panel array.
« Last Edit: October 13, 2018, 02:14:50 PM by RWS »

RWS

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Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #21 on: October 13, 2018, 02:26:15 PM »
I took my neighbor that I am helping to put in an off grid system, a couple of modified sine wave inverters and some portable solar panels.  His 4 freezers had been without power for 2 days.  We found out that it took all three panels to keep up the battery voltage while running a freezer.  The inverter alternately shows battery voltage or load watts to make it easy to monitor.  I had 2 inverters and the neighbor had an old Toyota pickup used on the farm.  The truck had a marine battery making the inverter hookup easy.....easy.  Whth the truck idling it would keep up the battery voltage while running one freezer.  The inverter being 2000 at was capable of running several freezers BUT we could not keep up the battery voltage up.  So only buy a 1000 watt inverter next time and save a few $.

I must edit this to say not all freezers will run on the modified sine wave inverter.  We found out that those with digital control (computer board) would not run. They would power up and see the square wave and shut back down.  Only the older style with LED and mechanical thermostat would operate on the modified sine wave inverter.  Digital control requires a sine wave inverter.
« Last Edit: October 15, 2018, 10:31:36 AM by RWS »

RWS

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Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #22 on: October 13, 2018, 02:38:10 PM »
Yesterday evening my cell phone had a voice mail from an old customer "Please call".  Not a good call, especially when the power is off.  They are running a pair of Outback VFX2524 inverters that gives them 240VAC.  They run as a master slave pair.  Well the slave detected an error and shut down leaving the well inoperable and half of the house loads unpowered.  I asked them what the error message said.  They asked "How do I find that".  I said never mind.  Un wire the battery positive wire to the inverter with the red led lit.  Wait 30 sec or more and hook up the wire again.  It should reboot and come up running if there was no serious fault.  If it did not then they had a problem.  They called back.  It rebooted and came up running.  Next time I am down that way I can check the error log on the controller.  They are 1.5 Hrs away.  They were over joyed that the well was working again and all solar loads had power.
« Last Edit: October 13, 2018, 07:39:21 PM by RWS »

RWS

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Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #23 on: October 13, 2018, 07:51:31 PM »
One of my neighbors lives about 1/8th mile back in off the hiway.  The power goes in overhead on poles along the driveway.  The wire (14.4KV) is broken in several places and laying on the ground.  The wife asked when I thought the power would come back on.  I told her when we see them fix the neighbors line then they would be getting close.  It's funny what you learn when you talk to your neighbors.  I was carrying water around, but they did not need any pointing to the swimming pool.  They told me they were moving.  They had sold their house.  It seems the guy that bought the adjoining 220 acres wanted their house also so they sold.  They said he lives in S. Florida and this was his BO location.  Maybe he is a big deer hunter as we are in 1400 acres of pine trees.

RWS

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Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #24 on: October 14, 2018, 03:47:11 PM »
YEAH.  My power is back on 3:45 PM.  Went to church this morning and power was on in town which is Ga. Power and out here it is EMC.

Amish

Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #25 on: October 15, 2018, 02:50:12 PM »
I have been seriously humbled! I went to Florida this weekend to help a few storm victims. No social media and news channel  can prepare you for the magnitude of devastation. For years I have put off learning radio communications and worried more about food, water, shelter ect...... I can tell you after being in this area were phones and data were non existing it is now my TOP priority. Families that have not spoken to love ones are wanting to get messages out but can not. They cant leave because there car is to badly damaged, they are too old or disabled. Luckily we had a sat phone and I was able to make some calls on the behalf of a few folks.
Seeing this first hand only drives my motivation to being more prepared. Dealing with so many people who have lost everything, sleeping on their lawn, not knowing if they were going to have a meal that day, no bath in a week, building debris piles in there back yard  to have a private designated place to use the restroom. This has been oh so humbling!!!! Now imagine the desperation these folks would have if no one was coming to help.....

RWS

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Re: Hurricane Michael Thread
« Reply #26 on: January 04, 2019, 07:41:53 AM »
I have been working a little on the roof of the pump house next door.  A few shingles blew off during during the hurricane.  I have shingles off & new felt on.  Now to put on 2 x 4 strips to attach a metal roof.  I found a place in Macon that sold metal roof metal.  I went by there yesterday and put 26 ga. brown metal on order.  They will cut my order to my dimensions & call me so I can go by and pick it up next week as they are very busy with other storm repair/upgrades to metal roofs.
In this picture you can see the small place the shingles are missing.  I have already removed 4ea 110 Watt solar panels.  I am in the process of repurposing them into 12 volt battery chargers.  I hope to bring a couple of the chargers to the Spring campout.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2019, 08:15:14 AM by RWS »

 

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