[Penguin_ie]

We were lucky here on the Bentonville side of Rogers, only lost powers for two hours on Thursday, but my BIL on the other side of town was without power for three days! I also thought this was just a particularly bad ice storm, but aparently it was so bad, my mother in Switzerland saw it in the news!

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by gregandvicky

What kind of generator and how much. Does it do the whole house
?

The one I'm running right now is a Honeywell 7500 watt *continuous*.

That's important because they rate these as peak and continuous, and the lower number is the one you pay attention to.

Yes, it runs whole house. I have a large shop building that was stubbed for power (lines run from main hookup to shop but weren't hooked up), and ol' boy put a new breaker box in the shop, hooked up the cables, put a 240 volt breaker in, made a heavy hook-up cord, and wired it in.

I turned the "mains" off to the house so it doesn't back-feed, then start the generator, and throw the breaker on, and......"it blinded me with science".

The generator is running freezer, fridge, 1 1/2 horse well pump, TV, lights, and charging batteries.

It is shut down at night, then fueled and started agin in the morning. Consumes ~1 gallon of gas per hour.

I have my name on a waiting list for another generator, and even if it comes in after this is all over, it's mine.

Hope that answers questions.

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by CVer72529

RogMar,

As usual, your stories are great. You, my friend, also have the best attitude in all of Arkansas. I hope you get powered up soon enough. Take care.

Thank you and thank y'all for the good wishes.

Remember the old saying, "Stop crying or I'll give ya something to cry about"?

We live by that around here.

Yes, it's not easy, but folks around here tend to fix what's wrong, and deal with what they can't fix.

I haven't been told I have a terminal disease, I haven't lost my eyesight or hearing, so I can still enjoy all the critter paying homage to the cold weather grasses I put in for them, and enjoy these warm, sunny days that have sprung up.

I'd rather not be filling all these 5 gallon gas cans (), but it's a lot better than the alternative.

Enjoyment is found where it is.

We have *steep* inclines on the dirt roads going in and out of here. About 10 miles of them whichever direction we go.

When this dirt freezes....the thaws..it is unbelievable. It turns into the worst mush ya ever saw (keeps the tourists out). We just get used to it.

However...right now...it's like your own personal "reality show". Gotta leave the road now and again because of obstructions.

We get on the dirt road, or get ready to leave, and I put the truck in 4WD low, and grin and say, "HERE WE GO, DARLIN'".........

Now I drive out, she drives in, and we didn't even have to stand in line for the ride.

Muddin' at it's best.

The line between "country folks" and "city folks" is becoming very, very clear at the businesses. Tempers are wearing thin out there.

Above all, I think that we should take a minute, and think about those hundreds of workers that are out there trying to get us going again.

Yes, I know it's "their job", but a less than desirable, hard, dirty job has been held by many of us.

My wife got back to work at Wal Mart for the first time yesterday.

A guy came in late, wanted to send money. He was dirty, and very, very tired. He asked my wife, "Ma'am....would you mind filling out the form for me? I'm so tired I can't do it".

Went on to explain that he came in from a downstate power comapny to assist, and that *everybody* out there was working 16-18 hours a day.

A lot of you folks were only out a day or two. Some folks are coming up now. They're telling us they still have about 2,000 poles before everybody's up out here.

A tip of the hat...a raise of the glass...and in this household, an extra prayer for them boys.

As I got ready to send this, I got a phone call that a power utility truck from out of state tried to cross a flooded low water bridge near Antioch, and got swept away. Locals are already down there helping.

Y'all see what I mean?

[DC at the Ridge]

Originally Posted by RogMar

Thank you and thank y'all for the good wishes.

Remember the old saying, "Stop crying or I'll give ya something to cry about"?

We live by that around here.

Yes, it's not easy, but folks around here tend to fix what's wrong, and deal with what they can't fix.

I haven't been told I have a terminal disease, I haven't lost my eyesight or hearing, so I can still enjoy all the critter paying homage to the cold weather grasses I put in for them, and enjoy these warm, sunny days that have sprung up.

I'd rather not be filling all these 5 gallon gas cans (), but it's a lot better than the alternative.

Enjoyment is found where it is.

We have *steep* inclines on the dirt roads going in and out of here. About 10 miles of them whichever direction we go.

When this dirt freezes....the thaws..it is unbelievable. It turns into the worst mush ya ever saw (keeps the tourists out). We just get used to it.

However...right now...it's like your own personal "reality show". Gotta leave the road now and again because of obstructions.

We get on the dirt road, or get ready to leave, and I put the truck in 4WD low, and grin and say, "HERE WE GO, DARLIN'".........

Now I drive out, she drives in, and we didn't even have to stand in line for the ride.

Muddin' at it's best.

The line between "country folks" and "city folks" is becoming very, very clear at the businesses. Tempers are wearing thin out there.

Above all, I think that we should take a minute, and think about those hundreds of workers that are out there trying to get us going again.

Yes, I know it's "their job", but a less than desirable, hard, dirty job has been held by many of us.

My wife got back to work at Wal Mart for the first time yesterday.

A guy came in late, wanted to send money. He was dirty, and very, very tired. He asked my wife, "Ma'am....would you mind filling out the form for me? I'm so tired I can't do it".

Went on to explain that he came in from a downstate power comapny to assist, and that *everybody* out there was working 16-18 hours a day.

A lot of you folks were only out a day or two. Some folks are coming up now. They're telling us they still have about 2,000 poles before everybody's up out here.

A tip of the hat...a raise of the glass...and in this household, an extra prayer for them boys.

As I got ready to send this, I got a phone call that a power utility truck from out of state tried to cross a flooded low water bridge near Antioch, and got swept away. Locals are already down there helping.

Y'all see what I mean?

I agree wholeheartedly. While it was miserable while I was out of power, and the clean-up isn't fun, either, I keep in mind that I was lucky. I was lucky that the pipes didn't burst, lucky that I have a gas stove and gas water heater. Lucky that none of the trees fell on the house. Lucky that I have a garage to park the car. But most of all, I was lucky that there were a lot of people out there who were prepared to go out while it was sleeting and snowing and raining and freezing, and got into their vehicles and took them out in conditions that weren't driveable. People who sanded and salted the roads. Police officers and private individuals who pulled over and helped direct traffic, who hauled tree limbs out of the road, who helped tow people out of ditches. Utility crews who've worked themselves into exhaustion repairing lines, putting up new poles, and who've brought the magic of whole neighborhoods lighting up in the darkness. It may be their jobs, but I think we're all lucky that they are willing to do those jobs in the worst conditions imaginable, that they stick it out when they are tired and wet and cold, and that while it may be weeks before all the power has been restored, that these people will do what needs to be done to achieve that.

[fancygal]

I turned the "mains" off to the house so it doesn't back-feed,

Very, Very, Very important sentence. That way you will not "fry" the utility worker guy when he goes to work on the line and turn your electricity back on. Pretty please remember and do this.

and in this household, an extra prayer for them boys

AMEN! and AMEN!

[dvcgal]

I would just like to say that I was caught in the ice storm with the nicest people! My hubby and I are moving out there in the next month or so and last Tuesday we walked over to the Red Robin in town and the managers were serving people because they did not have a large staff and they were extremely kind and friendly and within 20 minutes of us sitting down, the power went out. The manager continued serving and taking care of everyone til the last customer left. Our hotel was fabulous! They gave discount rates to every resident that walked in the door! They charged half of what they normally do and still offered a free breakfast. The hotel actually lost money last week but it was no big deal and they were happy to do it! I have been in areas that have been hit by natural disasters before and price gauging was always an issue and I was just happy to see a community come together and help each other out without trying to make a buck! I cannot wait to move there!!!

[sherrenee]

We finally got power back on today after 8 1/2 days! On the up side my husband was able to make quite a bit of extra money (he is an Electrician) hooking up generators and fixing meters etc. good thing considering he couldn't work for 4 days (the job he is running is in Jasper (Newton County for those that don't know where Jasper is) there was no way on earth he was going to drive there with all the ice)
I sure do love electricity!

[RogMar]

Originally Posted by sherrenee

We finally got power back on today after 8 1/2 days! On the up side my husband was able to make quite a bit of extra money (he is an Electrician) hooking up generators and fixing meters etc. good thing considering he couldn't work for 4 days (the job he is running is in Jasper (Newton County for those that don't know where Jasper is) there was no way on earth he was going to drive there with all the ice)
I sure do love electricity!

Congrats to you on the power restoration!

Good that your husband could make some extra cash plus help others burdened down.

We are the last house on a feed that comes from the south.

Neighbors about a mile down the road are the last on a feed from the north.

The north feed is up and they have power al the way to the north.

The south feed......nada. Soonest estimates are the middle of the month.....and could go to the last of Feb.

On top of that, my *brand new* generator had a hissy fit yesterday, and long story short, I ended driving to Thayer, MO with a neighbor, returning with a new generator, and neighbors were in place to set it up, get it inline, so we were back up and running by 8:30 last night.

Judging from the number of beer cans, plastic cups, and swizzles, I think we had a good time after that.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by RogMar

Congrats to you on the power restoration!

Good that your husband could make some extra cash plus help others burdened down.

We are the last house on a feed that comes from the south.

Neighbors about a mile down the road are the last on a feed from the north.

The north feed is up and they have power al the way to the north.

The south feed......nada. Soonest estimates are the middle of the month.....and could go to the last of Feb.

On top of that, my *brand new* generator had a hissy fit yesterday, and long story short, I ended driving to Thayer, MO with a neighbor, returning with a new generator, and neighbors were in place to set it up, get it inline, so we were back up and running by 8:30 last night.

Judging from the number of beer cans, plastic cups, and swizzles, I think we had a good time after that.

you may have lost the power, but at least you still have a sense of humor..

Keep it up,

Nita

[Mems]

Our place in Van Buren County, off Highway 254 is still without power. We heard it will be at least 2 more weeks, more likely 3. It's been a week and 2 days now. Good neighbors and working generators all around us!