Crappy ice

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Power still down. No sun for solar. Fave auto shop out of deep cycle batteries.

Power co. Has no due date on power.

Red wine and mountain house for dinner looks like. Elaine saidhell yeah to generator. LOl.

More when solar kicks in.

This is what emo would be like so great exercise.

More eventually

Ure

 

24 thoughts on “Crappy ice”

  3. Interstate has really great deep cell batteries. Quality.

    I can relate to what you’re dealing with. – I have a couple practice runs on good days (Spring and Fall) to maintain equipment and check for anything I might need, for when shit really does hit the fan.

    Hang in there George.

  4. Absolutely good reason for a stand-down day.
    Contemplate life, liberty, happiness (and gensets).

    Might consider a PTO-driven generator as you already have a diesel tractor…

  5. Beating eggs from 2021. And today eggs are expensive/shortages. Ha!

    Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) block the binding of multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants to human ACE2

    Abstract

    The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still spreading worldwide, and there is an urgent need to effectively prevent and control this pandemic. This study evaluated the potential efficacy of Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgY) as a neutralizing agent against the SARS-CoV-2. We investigated the neutralizing effect of anti-spike-S1 IgYs on the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, as well as its inhibitory effect on the binding of the coronavirus spike protein mutants to human ACE2. Our results show that the anti-Spike-S1 IgYs showed significant neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, various spike protein mutants, and even SARS-CoV in vitro. It might be a feasible tool for the prevention and control of ongoing COVID-

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33191178/

    • Woops. I was in a hurry an didn’t see you’d already posted. George may delete it anyway. It showed up on the wife’s FB feed.

  6. Electricity has stayed on. VOIP and cell voice have stayed up. All data comms went out yesterday mid-morning. They were on for a while this morning, but eventually went to hell when the home-bound rug rats got on the computers. I have some limited cell phone data comms right now.
    The ISP is waiting on a parts store to open to get an upper tier network widget to restore full comms to a lot of homes. The tower is working fine.
    Every time we have a weather or grid related event, the data comms go down. Every time. Moral to the story- be prepared to live and work without the internet.

  8. I would suspect, George, that you get Clif’s news letters and voice ruminations but if not this just popped up in my Inbox:
    Overnight in Bangkok
    Don’t listen to those rumors!
    https://clifhigh.substack.com/p/overnight-in-bangkok?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=681568&post_id=100480183&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

    I don’t know how effective a Thaiwanese ninja would be over here in the States but when you try to kill off half the World I would suspect that you’re going to tick off a whole lot of people with “certain skills” that you ought to pay attention to.

  9. I done did good., but it was a total accident. I thought the market would continue the up swing momentum from yesterday., so near the close i jumped-in., thinking to shave a couple of percentage points and bail out.., wow – the NASDAQ 100 jumped 400 points in the first twenty minutes ! I did not expect that ! Not complaining though. Got out when it went over 405 points. A LOT MORE THEN LUNCH MONEY !
    Big divergence in the market though. NASDAQ up 380.., DowJones down 150. Worth keeping an eye on. [ Mainly due to Meta announcing a multi-billion dollar stock buy-back ‘scheme’.]
    –
    Hope all is well in the Outback.

  11. ” No sun for solar.”
    With my damaged battery offline, and the past few days of dark, overcast rain, I saw my 3.2kW panels producing 40 watts for me!
    But I DO have a 10kW generator with a refurbished carb (and a spare new carb kit) that I can clip into the distro box if we have a long term outage like you. I’m kinda at the end of the power string in this subdivision, and we feel the ‘glitches’ in our small island power grid. This area was powerless for weeks after hurricane in 2014.

    Nothing like a real emergency to test your preps, eh?

  12. I thought you had a genset?

    I suggest you not even mess with a consumer/commercial generator. I did that for years, and after the third failure, went with the USAF. Now, mine is an MEP-002A. The newer version is the MEP-802A:

    https://www.govplanet.com/for-sale/Generators-and-Power-Equipment-2006-Fermont-MEP-802A-5kw-Generator-Set-Michigan/8593562

    Mine is rated at 5kw, but will put out about 7800w continuous, eating a maximum of .44 gallons of diesel, and puts out 46dba @ 1m — Oh, and it’s EMP-hardened…

    The first thing I did was buy a cheap trailer. My genset weighs about 800 pounds and has a built-in skid. It also has the soundproofing cabinet, which is aluminum, but adds probably a hundred pounds to the unit, and was optional with the 002/003/005 gensets (I consider it a necessity. Diesel gensets are not quiet…)

    The newer ones are a little noisier and a little thirstier, but they’ll pass the CARB AQ test.

    https://www.govplanet.com/Generators+and+Power+Equipment?ct=35

    • If I have to get a gen.. this is the one I am going to get.. tri fuel..
      https://www.amazon.com/DuoMax-XP13000HXT-000-Watt-Electric-Generator/dp/B092CJQ51F/ref=sr_1_3?
      what I have been telling the kids is to get one of these..
      https://shopsolarkits.com/collections/off-grid-solar-systems/products/complete-all-in-one-solar-kit-hbk-7
      Price is down.. with twenty eight KW of battery backup and ten thousand recharge.. along with a ground mount.. roof mount is ok but to sweep the snow off of it..
      trying to talk the boss into letting me get it.. she is reluctant because she knows that we are financially strapped right now.. the thought is.. got one system that will kick on.. power comes to the line in the house and then the other solar will kick on to.. with thirteen kw.. that would run all essentials..
      the oxygen concentrators fridges and even a light or two.. a gravity fed wood stove.. multi fuel.. and your set..
      I have gotten the stove.. just have to get the solar.. a generator is nice.. but if there is a shtf scenario.. you have to make the fuel for it..
      that takes energy as well.. easy to make but it takes energy none the less.. if you use methane…https://www.ebay.com/itm/314129956593?
      https://www.homebiogas.com/
      then you have to have a constant source of sewage and raw material.. a family can make enough for some cooking..
      https://shopsolarkits.com/collections/off-grid-solar-systems/products/complete-all-in-one-solar-kit-hbk-7
      the heater I am suggesting is this one..
      https://rocketheater.com/
      then when the power companies come over and grind up the branches etc.. you can say oh leave it.. and have plenty of raw heat.. just have to dry it..

    • the Problem and the argument I have on that.. is years ago I put in a few solar panels.. to show the kids this is what I believed in.. and I won’t go into it but the one thing I had ranted on for decades.. ( solar towers and push solar to home owners)
      anyway a gentleman I had gotten to know that was in the experimental portion of govt that was developing something for a deep space trip and I mentioned my putting a few solar panels on the roof of the house.. he laughed and gave me a great deal of guff over it. for ten dollars a watt or better was just to expensive and wouldn’t ever pay itself off.. he had a nice whole home backup generator that he had diesel for.. It was nice etc.. anyway..
      years later.. a hurricane hit the east coast of the USA..took the power out for a great deal of people.. him included..
      a few weeks into the endavor.. I get a phone call.. it was him apologizing to me.. he said I have given you so much guff over your installing solar.. I was the brilliant one..then we ran out of diesel fuel I went to get some only to discover everyone else had the same idea and none of the pumps are working.. it is hot enough in our home to cook we are slowly roasting to death..
      that is the big argument I have on a home generator.. ;you can make fuel to run it.. but making the fuel also takes energy and raw resources..If the pumps go down for Natural gas your screwed.. you got a paperweight.. until you can make the fuel.. where as long as the sun keeps on shining.. you will have the solar radiation to keep the power going.. by the USA developing the infrastructure with profit as the main business model.. they essentially shoved all their eggs in one basket.. leaving the grid and the nation in a fragile situation of a poor national security.. letting in millions of illegals was just plain stupit.. there is a reason we have a vetting process.

    • 7 kw per hour constant will run some things.. but like for us.. the electrician told me the lowest that we could use and still be able to use an air conditioner was ten kw or above.. with ten kw being the lowest..
      In texas.. george isn’t living in an earth bermed home or earth sheltered.. so he has that hot muggy weather to deal with in the summer time.. miserable hot and muggy.. they would cook without an air contitioning system..
      I would cook here in the wastelands with out one.. how the parents dealt with it when we were young is besides me.. LOL..and most air conditioners use between seven and twelve kw per hour ..
      years ago I was taken back by the hot water system they have on the space station.. it is literally the size of a small book.. this tripped my trigger big time.. electric.. on the space station they use DC voltage from the solar array..
      the energy used if used constant was 75 kw per hour.. amazing .. it didn’t take long for me to realize that in a home setting it wasn’t feasible to use such and item.. still hooked up just flipped the breaker on it LOL.. now george could get a coolerado air conditioner.. that takes about one kw per hour.. to cool.. but the cost is still going to be about ten grand with the installation and changes that would have to be made to get it to work..

  14. It is great practice, but still a royal pain. We had 3 days of practice last year when hurricane force winds stopped Colordo Springs in it’s tracks. There were 6 trees down on our property, no power in lage segments, of the city, and many people in our area fled to the comfort of hotels out of toown. We were snug as bugs in a rug, had lights, heat, and knew are animals and property were safe from predators….nice feeling. Showed us areas we eed improvement, but for the most part reassured us wre have been on the right track. Prayers for you both. Press on!!

  16. Hopefully you and Elaine will have electricity by the time you read this.

    TWO prep items to consider wrt losing electricity in an Ice Storm:

    #1
    I am up “North” compared to George but our longest outages here in my area have always been related to ice storms that bring down LOTS of limbs and trees. Here once of those happens the temperature gets COLDER, as in a LOT Colder so backup non-electric heat is imo a must.

    For that reason I have for 35+ years kept around a couple of kerosene heaters, one of the big round ones (about 24,000 btu) and one of the smaller “flat” ones (about 10,000 btu). In fall I always test them out and make sure everything is up to snuff do a test run of them and then put the away ready to go. I also keep about 15 gallons of kerosene which is good for about 3-4 days of use (no natural gas in my place and no way to put in a propane tank or a wood stove … ALL electric).

    I have only had to use them twice in 35 years, all but two times when we lost electric it came back on in less than 10 hours, but for those two times they were a very important to have around since we didn’t have to move into a hotel/motel like a lot of people did and the power was out for a few days (yep even in the city)

    For those who have never used kerosene heaters once they are HOT they are virtually smell less … BUT … during fire up and shut down they create a terrible smell and vapors from the unburned kero. Trick is to LIGHT THEM OUTSIDE, let them stabilize, and THEN bring them inside (be sure to NOT fill the fuel tank to the top!!). Ditto with SHUTDOWN. Take them outside and THEN shut them down.

    (also have Mr. Buddy heater, the two burner one, with a hose to run off of a regular propane tank. they work great but that for me is a back up to the kero heaters)

    #2:
    For lights many don’t realize that there are screw in light bulbs that you can put into any standard light fixture that are LEDs and run off 12-24 volt power. If you buy those be sure to buy the ones rated for “12 to 24” volts since the ones just rated at 12 volts if you apply a charging power to the battery (13.6 volts or higher) THE 12 VOLT BULBS WILL ALMOST INSTANTLY BURN OUT.

    Put them in your chosen light fixture, find an old style flat extension cord and cut off the plug end. Strip the wires on the plug end to attach to your 12 volt battery (deep discharge batteries best but even an auto battery will work for awhile) and plug your light fixture into the other end of the extension cord. You may NEED to change which wire is attached to which battery terminal since LED’s require a specific DC polarity per wire but you will know that if the light doesn’t come on when it is finally attached to the battery.

    I keep a box of 6 of the 12-24 volt LED light bulbs (they each draw 1 to 1.5 amps I think) around “just in case”, though I haven’t cut off the end of an old style 2 wire extension cord for attaching to a 12 volt battery. I figure that is simple enough I can do that if I need to.

    CHEAP way to have 12 volt lighting available, if needed, via your regular light fixtures just by changing the bulbs and plugging into an extension cord that goes to a 12 volt battery.

    Once the electricity comes back on BE SURE TO CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS in the fixtures before plugging them back into your house current since those 12-24 volt LED lights will blow out as soon as 110 AC is applied to them.

    Stay warm everyone!! and hope everyone’s electricity comes back on soon!!

    OH … and for George: For my camper I put in a 200 amp hour deep discharge battery, just slightly bigger than a 27 size and will fit in all the standard 27 size battery boxes. A LOT cheaper than two 100 amp hour deep discharge batteries BUT it does weigh a LOT.

    • “For that reason I have for 35+ years kept around a couple of kerosene heaters, one of the big round ones (about 24,000 btu) and one of the smaller “flat” ones (about 10,000 btu).”

      As do I. I’ve got an original Kero-Sun Omni-105 (about 20kBTU) and a Kero-Sun Moonlighter (8700 BTU see: https://www.ebay.com/itm/225359607542 ) along with a couple new type 23.5kBTU heaters, which are junk, when compared to the old Toyotumi (Kero-Sun and Toyo-Stove) heaters. I also have a two burner Mr. Buddy tank-mount heater. I tested the propane heater and the Moonlighter when we got our first big cold snap of the season. When the temp hit -12°F I shut my furnace off. When the temp hit 50° in my house, I lit the heaters. It took about 4 hours to raise the inside temperature to 74°F.

      I considered the test, successful.

      The old Kero-Suns did not have a finger guard over their tops. Instead, the top is stamped of heavy gauge steel and is designed to be used as a cooking burner. I’d never tried the Moonlighter, so fixed myself coffee (in a RevereWare percolator) and bacon & eggs on it (in a RevereWare frying pan) while toasting bread by the propane heater on a “toaster” I cobbled out of a rotisserie rod while the bacon was frying.

      I also sent George pix…

      BTW, those “self-powered” stove fans (like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y55MKB2 )?

      I attached one to the Buddy using a piece of square tubing. I’m gonna guess it increased the effective heat output by at least 30% by throwing the heat out, instead of allowing it to just radiate up.

      FWIW the Moonlighter and Omni-105 are my “4th layer redundant” cooking appliances. My range, Coleman stove, grill, and woodstove are ahead of it…

  17. Now we know why eggs have gone out of sight and the farms are burning down. The copyright is from 2020 so it’s been known since then. Love the “pseudovirus” designation.

    Chicken Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgYs) block the binding of multiple SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variants to human ACE2
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33191178/

    Abstract
    The SARS-CoV-2 virus is still spreading worldwide, and there is an urgent need to effectively prevent and control this pandemic. This study evaluated the potential efficacy of Egg Yolk Antibodies (IgY) as a neutralizing agent against the SARS-CoV-2. We investigated the neutralizing effect of anti-spike-S1 IgYs on the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, as well as its inhibitory effect on the binding of the coronavirus spike protein mutants to human ACE2. Our results show that the anti-Spike-S1 IgYs showed significant neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, various spike protein mutants, and even SARS-CoV in vitro. It might be a feasible tool for the prevention and control of ongoing COVID-19.

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