# Get your wood ready, they're calling this one "Frankenstorm".



## smokee (Oct 25, 2012)

Hurricane moving up the east coast is suppose to hit a cold blast. I'm skeptical but will be prepared.


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## showrguy (Oct 25, 2012)

hey smokee,
we must think alike, i just posted a thread in the chainsaw forum about the same thing, about the same time !!
must be a pennsylvania thing ??


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## smokee (Oct 25, 2012)

showrguy said:


> hey smokee,
> we must think alike, i just posted a thread in the chainsaw forum about the same thing, about the same time !!
> must be a pennsylvania thing ??



Last year I spent the day before Halloween clearing snow off my still popped up camper. That heavy wet stuff, mind ya. And the year before that we got the double blast of 20" on Saturday and 24" the next Tuesday. I grew up in the pittsburgh area where we got snow more regularly. I moved to this side of the Appalachians and its a different ball game. These "hook" storms that drag moisture off the Atlantic.


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## Encore (Oct 25, 2012)

I saw that on the news this morning. They said if it settles with that cold front, western PA could be in for quite the snow fall around the first of the week next week. 

Seems really weird considering the temps right now but that's the weather for ya.


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## mybowtie (Oct 25, 2012)

I'm ready....But hope its just rain. I hate plowing when the ground isn't froze up. Makes a huge mess....


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## mellow (Oct 25, 2012)

And of course all we get here is rain. I would love a weekend to be able to stay inside with the fire going and watch movies if the electric is still on.


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 25, 2012)

Looked out my kitchen window after lunch today...WTF, there's a pickup down by my garden.

Walk outside, it's a power company tree crew 

(My transformer is on a pole along my garden instead of on the street like most places). 

If I hadn't just dropped $350 on the dog yesterday and $700 on a new water tank and other improvements on the basement last month I would've had them trim up the 220v line downstream of the transformer while they were here. Guess where a big limb will fall in this storm


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## ShaneLogs (Oct 25, 2012)

I heard, that up here in Maine, We might be getting a "sno-a-cane". LOL! :hmm3grin2orange:


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## Snotrocket (Oct 25, 2012)

I will be absolutely stunned if it snows before Halloween 2 years in a row.

I just spent the last 2 weeks off from work getting ready for winter so I don't care. Bring it.


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## Mac88 (Oct 25, 2012)

ShaneLogs said:


> I heard, that up here in Maine, We might be getting a "sno-a-cane". LOL! :hmm3grin2orange:



And guess who showed up in our driveway yesterday? Our outlaws from Maine that we were visiting a short time ago. I guess their timing was perfect. ;o)


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## dave_dj1 (Oct 25, 2012)

And for us last year, we got our biggest snowfall in October!


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## terryknight (Oct 25, 2012)

we'll be ready, but with all the storms here the weak most of the weak tree have been weeded out.


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## stihl023/5 (Oct 25, 2012)

Mac88 said:


> And guess who showed up in our driveway yesterday? Our outlaws from Maine that we were visiting a short time ago. I guess their timing was perfect. ;o)



I have a father in law in Florida and that is not far enough!:censored:


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## jrider (Oct 25, 2012)

This storm has the meteorologists drooling like a boy looking at his first Playboy.


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## ShaneLogs (Oct 25, 2012)

Yeah, Pretty much!


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## Ductape (Oct 25, 2012)

I may get some gas for the generator just in case. Looks to me that most of it would go inland south of us, so I'm not exactly worried. If we got the six inches of rain like they are predicting...... it would get interesting.


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## ponyexpress976 (Oct 25, 2012)

Who has 2 thumbs and ain't f-ing around like he did last year? This guy! A week with no power/water last halloween resulted in the purchase of the military surplus generator. 12 hours of shoveling and moving branches to get the chipper out...that sucker is gonna dang near be parked in the road before the storm hits...maybe I can make some money on it instead of saying "I'll call you when I can get the machine out".


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## buildmyown (Oct 25, 2012)

Who remembers the storm on Halloween night 1991 the movie the Perfect Storm. Similar setup with this storm but its looking to be a good one if it does what they say. Saws with be sharp gas cans will be full trunk toped off.


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## stihly dan (Oct 25, 2012)

Hope its a good one. Haven't had a good storm in awile. Saws are sharp, fueled, and truck is empty, ready to get that nice oak that falls. last year was good, maybe this year better.
And I love sitting in a warm house, seeing all the lazy people bundled in snow suits looking out the window for a sign of the power crew.


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## openloop (Oct 25, 2012)

Im not holding my breath for any snow.... From what Ive been seeing its going to consist of rain and 40mph (tops) winds. Maybe it will do me a favor and blow all my leaves further down the street :msp_biggrin:


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## stihly dan (Oct 25, 2012)

No snow is fine as long as it comes with 100 mph winds.


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## CWME (Oct 25, 2012)

Guess I will fill the generator, spare 5 gal cans, saw mix cans, and the truck with gas tomorrow. Hope the gas stations haven't jacked the price of fuel way up because of the "potential" :censored:. Got the lanterns and Coleman Stoves cleaned up and ready to go tonight. Need to bring one of the stoves and lanterns to my Sister so they will have some backup. Need to grab another gallon of coleman fuel at the store tomorrow on the way. 
Got two bags of charcoal so I can bake/cook in the dutch ovens if I feel like it. Got about 4 months of wood in the basement and plenty of food.

Should be good to go for the basic power outage.


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 26, 2012)

I've named it the Frankensnowmaddegonoreastero'cane ... that should pretty much cover it.

Of course I snagged a permanent loan of a 5kw generator tonight which should pretty much assure nothing happens to New England beyond some rain. I don't even want to know what the flip side of that good luck coin will be like. 

(I *don't* expect any significant outage this time even if we get hit head on, unless it's my own 220v line. I live right on a main drag and we were out for 3 days last time and if CL&P repeats that performance it will be a truly epic fail. The other 12 years combined I didn't total up 24 hours worth of power outages).


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## H 2 H (Oct 26, 2012)

Stay safe guys/gals 

Tonight on our local news they talked alot about what was going to happen there; and I'm in the PNW


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## GeeVee (Oct 26, 2012)

Heading past me right now, 200 mi off the coast. I live 1000 feet from the ocean and 900 feet from the river, on a barrier Island. There is an inlet 2.5 miles north of me. 

Wind is 40 right now, no rain, might get 1-2 inches today and tomorrow. Surf is blown out, probably be good Sunday- Monday 

My acreage 15 miles south of me is Hammock land about four miles west of the same barrier island, three miles west of the same river. 

No doubt I'll have some blow down. The trees sit on limestone. 

Closing on a fixer-upper in a week, so I might take the opportunity to go to the Ranch and exercise my saws this weekend.

Be safe.


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## hanniedog (Oct 26, 2012)

Still quit a bit of crops out in my area, last thing we need is wet snow and wind.


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## Somesawguy (Oct 26, 2012)

I need to top off the gas cans, and make up some fresh mix. Other than that, I think we're ok. My soot eater came in, so the chimney will get a good cleaning this weekend as well. 

Of course we made plans on Sunday to go to the range, so not much will get done then.


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## smokee (Oct 26, 2012)

It's getting uglier by the minute boys and girls: :msp_scared:

East Coast braces for monster 'Frankenstorm' - Yahoo! News


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## Chris-PA (Oct 26, 2012)

I got to thinking about last year's Halloween storm and decided to stop back in to say how much I appreciated the moral support then. This will be a different beast but I'm betting on a prolonged power outage - at least if it does go down it will probably be so wide spread that it will be out a while. I've got a new-to-me more powerful electric start generator this time (had to repair the automatic voltage regulator on it), and the old one still runs too. I'll be topping off the gas cans, picking up some oil and starting up both generators tomorrow. Probably hook up the new one for a dry run and see how it handles the load. 

Got plenty of good running saws and sharp chains. I'm hoping the weak trees have already gone down - I don't need more wood as I have not finished cleaning up the stuff from last Halloween. 

Stay safe folks!


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## dingeryote (Oct 26, 2012)

You guys in the northeast, get your stuff lined up and things battened down. 
Everything is pointing to winds that are bad but not real bad. The big ugly is all the dadgum snow and ice.

Here's whatcha gotta do.

Go Buy a Brand New Arctic cat snow Machine. Something real nice for you, a smaller one for the wife, and a new trailer to haul them with.
Then go buy a brand new Meyer Snow plow for the truck. Get the top model with the QD frame, and upgrade the front suspension on the truck while at it. 

While you're doing that, send the wife to the sporting goods shop, and have her pick up new ski's for both of you.

This only works if you REALLY plan on enjoying the snow, so start cheering the storm every time the news freaks start talking about blizzard.

From informal studys done around here, the above methods are 95% effective and should turn the storm back out to sea.
I have seen winter storms chicken out and go around our entire state when only 3-4 PTO driven snow throwers were purchased, and a couple plows mounted, so it works...

Good luck to you guys!!
I am confident the hype will once again, be more painfull than the storm itself, thanks to folks taking prudent measures.

If any of you guys wanna come west, there's an independent film festival running all week in our tourist town, and bieng off peak season all the B&B's and resorts are available at decent rates. Bring the Wet suit and catch some surf, as water temps are still in the 50's if that's what you're into.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## dingeryote (Oct 26, 2012)

Oh yeah, almost forgot.

Here's a really COOL new wind map just in time to watch the whole thing blow in.

You can zoom in to a particular area to see the localized winds.

It's really cool to the point of bieng artistic, and would make a killer display on the wall if it were possible.

Wind Map

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## Snotrocket (Oct 26, 2012)




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## Coldfront (Oct 26, 2012)

You guys can have it. I think I will go fishing this weekend.


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## smokee (Oct 26, 2012)

Coldfront said:


> You guys can have it. I think I will go fishing this weekend.



Best steelhead fly fishing i've ever done was during the worst weather of the year. Fish don't seem to mind and the weekend warriors stay home and watch tv. :msp_biggrin:


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 26, 2012)

Well then I got a good storm,:bang:


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## dave_dj1 (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi hope it fizzles out before it gets here. I don't want another Irene like we had last year.
Stay safe all.


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## dellwas (Oct 26, 2012)

We're supposed to get lots of wind and rain here in Nova Scotia, but hey if you don't like Maritime weather wait a minute :msp_rolleyes:



ShaneLogs said:


> I heard, that up here in Maine, We might be getting a "sno-a-cane". LOL! :hmm3grin2orange:


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 26, 2012)

Well, did decide the last two trees that could possibly do significant structural damage to my house will come down first thing in the morning.

It won't be pretty because I would've liked to clear the brush from their landing areas...but we'll still turn 'em into firewood in a week or two when I have more time.


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## zogger (Oct 26, 2012)

Dalmatian90 said:


> Well, did decide the last two trees that could possibly do significant structural damage to my house will come down first thing in the morning.
> 
> It won't be pretty because I would've liked to clear the brush from their landing areas...but we'll still turn 'em into firewood in a week or two when I have more time.



--go for it! Like you said, you can buck them up later. Better on the ground when and where you want them. Moms nature has a cruel sense of humor.


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 26, 2012)




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## morewood (Oct 27, 2012)

dingeryote said:


> Oh yeah, almost forgot.
> 
> Here's a really COOL new wind map just in time to watch the whole thing blow in.
> 
> ...



That map is awesome....it could put you in a trance if you watched it long enough.

Shea


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## CTYank (Oct 27, 2012)

Saws and generator are on cold standby. 12v battery charged, to power inverter for lights, so generator can have long time-outs.

We're on a main feed, so power is pretty reliable. Main prep here is to cut up downed trees for other.

(Took me a long time last year to haul & prep Irene's damage; current problem is wood storage space. We'll cope.)

Do remember, if you connect a generator to house wiring, to OPEN the main breaker. Linemen have a problem with being electrocuted. They'll find you.


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## dingeryote (Oct 27, 2012)

morewood said:


> That map is awesome....it could put you in a trance if you watched it long enough.
> 
> Shea



Yeah, it's strangely captivating. Should be a hoot to watch when the next storm blows in off the lake.


Stay safe!
Dingeroyte


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## Steve NW WI (Oct 27, 2012)

Sorry east coasters, I couldn't resist. Fixed the map for ya:


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## zogger (Oct 27, 2012)

dingeryote said:


> Yeah, it's strangely captivating. Should be a hoot to watch when the next storm blows in off the lake.
> 
> 
> Stay safe!
> Dingeroyte



I like it but couldn't get it to zoom back out after zooming in. Have to look at it again.


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## smokee (Oct 27, 2012)

I'd like to live 500 miles south and 2000 mies west of the "screwed" zone.


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## dingeryote (Oct 27, 2012)

zogger said:


> I like it but couldn't get it to zoom back out after zooming in. Have to look at it again.



The button to unzoom is on the left abover the windspeed legend.

Took me a Min. to find it too.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## Blazin (Oct 27, 2012)

Meh....an extra 30 pack and I'll survive


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## stihly dan (Oct 27, 2012)

If it could just land a couple hundred miles north. I like a nice historical storm. Bring it on lieutenant Dan.


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## Chris-PA (Oct 28, 2012)

Went to a party at my SIL's last night, and along the way out 78 into NJ we passed a convoy of maybe 15 to 20 bucket trucks and other support trucks from Georgia heading east. Also a flatbed filled with transformers. On the way home the signs on the interstate read "state of emergency in effect". They are taking this one _very_ seriously, and so am I actually. This thing will be a strange storm - not quite as intense at the center as a hurricane, but much bigger. The latest Five Day Forecast Map has it going right over us.

Gutters and drainage are cleared, both generators run, I've got batteries and have charged everything. I've got fuel and premix and bar lube. We've got food and plenty of water, and of course wood for heat although it will be more wet and miserable than cold. The cars and tractors are parked where trees can't get at them. The big wild card is the trees and the damage that could cause - the 100yo catalpa over our house and the northern red oaks are the ones I worry about. That and all the leaves will wash into and clog up drainage, so I have the foul weather gear ready because I'm sure I'll be out in it trying to keep things running. 

The shumard oaks have lost most of their leaves, but the northern reds still have most all of theirs. I did not take notice of that last year, but that is why I lost so many northern red oaks in the Halloween snow storm last year, while the shumards were OK. In the middle of summer it's hard to tell them apart, but when they leaf out in the spring and at this time it is much easier to identify them.


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## spidermonkey17 (Oct 28, 2012)

Wind here in Richmond,VA has started to pick up but we won't see much till later and the brunt of it tomorrow. Friday we had all of our bucket trucks and chip trucks empty and also put two cranes on stand by. After last year nobody is taking this storm lightly. On the plus side i sold 5 cords of wood yesterday, two of them people had called me about the other three the saw me driving my truck and trailer with wood on them and i sold a cord sitting at a stop light. 

so now we play the waiting game, i am prepped up on food, h20, beer and smokes let the hurricane party begin


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## colin.p (Oct 28, 2012)

dingeryote said:


> Here's whatcha gotta do...
> 
> From informal studys done around here, the above methods are 95% effective and should turn the storm back out to sea.
> I have seen winter storms chicken out and go around our entire state when only 3-4 PTO driven snow throwers were purchased, and a couple plows mounted, so it works...
> ...



I'm quite sure that at some quantum level the above statement is a "written in stone" law of physics.
I remarked something similar a couple of "less snow than normal" winters ago when a friend complained that he only used a brand spanking new snowblower a couple of times, to blow an inch or so of snow off his driveway all winter. I said I hoped he would then buy another brand spanking new snowblower for the upcoming winter as well.:hmm3grin2orange:

As far as us in eastern Ontario, they are calling for lots of rain, but fairly warm weather.

Issued : 11:00 AM EDT Sunday 28 October 2012

Today
Cloudy. High 13.

Tonight
Cloudy. 30 percent chance of showers this evening. Low 8.

Monday
Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Periods of rain beginning in the evening. Wind becoming northeast 30 km/h in the evening. High 14.

Tuesday
Rain. Windy. Low 13. High 18.

Wednesday
Periods of rain. Low 8. High 12.

Thursday
Showers. Low 6. High 10.

Friday
Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. Low plus 2. High 6.

Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud. Low minus 1. High plus 5.

* in reply to Terry, yes the temps are in celsius, as we, in the People's Replublic of Canakistan, use the metric system, enforced by our ever present Big Brother Government.


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## flashhole (Oct 28, 2012)

We're in the Southern Tier of Upstate NY (Owego) on top of a hill. We personally were not impacted but six years ago we had the 100 year flood, last year we had the 500 year flood, maybe this is the 1000 year flood. If water gets up to my level I'll be out looking for Noah and his ark. Have about 3 days worth of firewood in the house with another weeks supply under cover on the front porch. Plenty of gas for the generator, good supply of food and beer, lots of bottled water on hand, flash lights all work, candles at the ready, propane tanks for the grill are full, chainsaws are ready, tractors are fueled, plenty of feed in stores for the livestock, vehicles are gassed up, wife is looking good ..... bring it on Sandy!


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## terryknight (Oct 28, 2012)

^^^^ that's in celisus correct? 

just finished cleaning my gutters in the rain. all boats with trailers are out all non trailable boats have been retied for storm surge/wind, the shop has had the drains cleared and everything on the floor, in the part that can flood, picked up. have fuel for the saws, and chipper. but i'm not expecting a hole lot outta this storm


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## stihly dan (Oct 28, 2012)

For all the people with generators, Why are you stocked up on water? Don't you run your pump on the generator. Just curious.


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## CWME (Oct 28, 2012)

stihly dan said:


> For all the people with generators, Why are you stocked up on water? Don't you run your pump on the generator. Just curious.



Lot of well pumps run on 220, not all generators put out enough for a 220 circuit. That and I would bet 80% of the generators run out there are not wired into a gen tran box etc.


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## dingeryote (Oct 28, 2012)

stihly dan said:


> For all the people with generators, Why are you stocked up on water? Don't you run your pump on the generator. Just curious.



Start up draw on even a 1/2hp submersible pump will tax most 5kw gennies pretty bad.
If other things are drawing at the time it ain't good.

It's a lot easier to just have the jugs filled and draw from them for use, than it is to shut everything else down every time you turn on the tap or flush a toilet.

We run a 8500kw peak gennie and even it gets taxed hard off the 1hp constant pressure well, so the Jugs are used for everything but bathing and refilling the jugs once a day.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## stihly dan (Oct 28, 2012)

I have a 5500 watt gennie. Thats 25 amps continues. The 3/4 hp well pump draws about 12 amps 15-16 on start up. Its on a 20 amp breaker. I have not had any issues, although because a well pump is expensive, I do make sure to shut fridge and freezers down when we use water. If its a prolonged outage, we have shower time. Everyone takes a shower 1 after the other, gets what they need done. then shut the pump breaker off. and run the house normal. Thats how we do it. So was just wondering.


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## Chris-PA (Oct 28, 2012)

We have a water cooler, so there are bottles of water in reserve. Generators don't always work, and I don't usually run them non-stop. We don't really need power all the time, especially with wood heat.

Also, east coast inventories of fuel have been at quite low levels lately, and with everyone filling extra cans and the possibility of infrastructure damage one should consider that fuel might not be available for a bit if things get really ugly. So I won't be in a hurry to use up all my fuel right away. And if this thing turns out to not be as bad as it looks then I won't have to go to the gas station for a while.


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## smokee (Oct 28, 2012)

I'm sick my pop-up camper's still up. We just got back around noon and it was already wet from the weekend. My wife insisted I put it down wet. If something happens due to the storm, we have excellent insurance. If I put it down and it mildews, it's on us. I'll try to put it down tomorrow for a day or so but that mildew spreads fast and ruins quick. The weather the last two years at this time's been a bear for my camper.

Be safe.


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## ShaneLogs (Oct 28, 2012)

Just think of it this way, Lots of trees down to saw up


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## smokee (Oct 28, 2012)

Well, I caved. Went out and bought 5.5 gallons of Kero. I know, I know... but I don't have the insert in yet. I guess, with little ones, I shouldn't gamble. I got a call from PP&L, recorded message, saying they think all hell's going to break loose and expect to be without power. I still have the gas logs in there so I can heat from that and the Toyostove DC100 double-clean. It's actually a nice unit. 20k btu's with two combustion chambers. If I light it outside and let it run for 5 minutes then bring it just in from the porch there's no smell at all. It's the only one I know of that you can vary the flame without soot. works well but I'd rather have the insert. Couple more weeks and it'll be installed. can't wait.


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## bert0168 (Oct 28, 2012)

smokee said:


> Well, I caved. Went out and bought 5.5 gallons of Kero. I know, I know... but I don't have the insert in yet. I guess, with little ones, I shouldn't gamble.* I got a call from PP&L, recorded message, saying they think all hell's going to break loose and expect to be without power*. I still have the gas logs in there so I can heat from that and the Toyostove DC100 double-clean. It's actually a nice unit. 20k btu's with two combustion chambers. If I light it outside and let it run for 5 minutes then bring it just in from the porch there's no smell at all. It's the only one I know of that you can vary the flame without soot. works well but I'd rather have the insert. Couple more weeks and it'll be installed. can't wait.



Got that same call too. Kind of scary, 18 yrs and never really lost power in any storm, PP&L is good about their systems so this has me concerned. 

Got a 5500 KvW gen hooked up on a transfer panel. Never had to use it yet but think this one is going to put it to the test.:sweat3:


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## flashhole (Oct 28, 2012)

"For all the people with generators, Why are you stocked up on water? Don't you run your pump on the generator. Just curious."

There is also the problem of flooding causing drinking water sources to become contaminated even if you can pressureize your system. Not a problem for me because I'm up high but it was a very serious issue during the last two floods of the Susquehana river here in NY. We will be lucky if the only issues are power outages. I figure I need to run the generator 4-5 hours a day to keep the freezers operating properly and not lose any food. If we go longer than a week or so without power I might have a problem.


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## flashhole (Oct 28, 2012)

"Just think of it this way, Lots of trees down to saw up."

Ain't that the truth. It took me two years to catch up to the cutting, splitting and stacking from the last big blow. All that wood is neatly stacked and covered for this winter and next.:msp_smile:


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## Arbonaut (Oct 28, 2012)

We're rooting for you people. What the hell is a hurricane doin' pounding down way up in there, in almost November anyhow?


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## smokee (Oct 28, 2012)

Ronald Reagan said:


> We're rooting for you people. What the hell is a hurricane doin' pounding down way up in there, in almost November anyhow?



Much appreciated. Not sure what the hell's up with all this. We had the remnants of a hurricane early last September that knocked out our power for a few days but this is nuts. They canceled the kids school tomorrow and Tuesday already. Lucky me I work from home.  lots of projects to keep 3 boys busy. I'd say we'll do some cutting and splitting but I guess weather might not be so good.


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## LAH (Oct 28, 2012)

Lookin' for snow here. A couple inches tonight & a foot or two Monday night. Hope the power stays on. Put a trailer load of wood in the wood room yesterday.


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## smokee (Oct 28, 2012)

Just got in from dropping the camper top. They're calling for 75 mph winds tomorrow and I'm not taking a chance. Damn things two years old and water was dripping inside as I dropped it. :mad2:


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## dingeryote (Oct 28, 2012)

smokee said:


> I'm sick my pop-up camper's still up. We just got back around noon and it was already wet from the weekend. My wife insisted I put it down wet. If something happens due to the storm, we have excellent insurance. If I put it down and it mildews, it's on us. I'll try to put it down tomorrow for a day or so but that mildew spreads fast and ruins quick. The weather the last two years at this time's been a bear for my camper.
> 
> Be safe.



Smokee,

Dunno if it's too late or not. 
A little trick to buy time when you have to fold up canvass that is still wet, is to hit it with Lysol before stashing it.

It wont stop the mold, but retards it's growth quite a bit and buys time.
Usually a couple days anyhow. 

The temps dropping will help too.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## smokee (Oct 28, 2012)

dingeryote said:


> Smokee,
> 
> Dunno if it's too late or not.
> A little trick to buy time when you have to fold up canvass that is still wet, is to hit it with Lysol before stashing it.
> ...



Thank you for the tip. A good fella on here pm'd me that camp dry works well too. I really take care of my stuff and hate to do this. It's going to bother the heck out of me knowing its out there soaked. Hopefully the cold, as you mentioned, will help out a little. :msp_thumbup:


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## Joe Homeowner (Oct 29, 2012)

*Bread and Milk-NOW !*

Ole Stevo ( of the Patriotic Bra ) nailed it: 
*HYSTERICAL NEWSCASTS* ( and why do they always show those ditzes with ball caps standing in surf or exotic do's swirling on camera ? Why ? Get into those overheated studios you fools . We know what it's doing outdoors. )

Love the Wind Map app with the T.S. region ( *"Totally Screwed"* is good meterologic tech talk ).

Hey, this is better than the ad $$$$ telling the dumb folks how criminal the the other guy is. Or, if you don't vote for #@%$#&, your privates ( is this allowed oh high executioner moderator ? :msp_sneaky: ) will be forcibly removed. First the elections B.S., now the Biblical Storm. 

Now, run out, get your bread and milk fast, Fast since one 0600 broadcast panned a store's empty shelves. Empty shelf DVD ! Bread and milk.:confused2:


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## PA. Woodsman (Oct 29, 2012)

Joe Homeowner said:


> Ole Stevo ( of the Patriotic Bra ) nailed it:
> *HYSTERICAL NEWSCASTS* ( and why do they always show those ditzes with ball caps standing in surf or exotic do's swirling on camera ? Why ? Get into those overheated studios you fools . We know what it's doing outdoors. )



I (and many others here) feel very uneasy and nervous about this storm, and partly because like you said that's ALL you see and hear-we know it's bad and telling us over and over doesn't make anyone feel any better but I guess they get their "high" from this stuff since it is their job.

Feel more nervous because of the unexpected-at least with snow you can try to shovel out but heavy wind and rain is more bothersome. Plus we have the memory of that mess one year ago....

STAY SAFE EVERYONE-I hope we all make it through okay! :msp_scared: :confused2:


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 29, 2012)

Last night the wind was from the west, going over my roof and made for a hard time getting the stove started -- must've been turbulent up by the chimney cap.

Today it's out of the NE...and I'm getting a real nice draft from the venturi effect of the wind blowing over the chimney!


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## flashhole (Oct 29, 2012)

Same here with the venturi draft. Fire is burning really well. We expect the worst of this one between midnight and 7AM Tuesday. Heavy rain and wind but we kinda get that anyway. We'll see just how bad it gets. Power is the big issue for me. We know it will go out but for how long?


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## Chris-PA (Oct 29, 2012)

PA. Woodsman said:


> I (and many others here) feel very uneasy and nervous about this storm, and partly because like you said that's ALL you see and hear-we know it's bad and telling us over and over doesn't make anyone feel any better but I guess they get their "high" from this stuff since it is their job.
> 
> Feel more nervous because of the unexpected-at least with snow you can try to shovel out but heavy wind and rain is more bothersome. Plus we have the memory of that mess one year ago....
> 
> STAY SAFE EVERYONE-I hope we all make it through okay! :msp_scared: :confused2:


Yeah, I paid last year's little snow storm no mind before hand, and that was a big mistake. And since I watch no TV I have no idea what they are showing. 

Barring direct physical damage here we'll probably make out OK, but this is not a typical storm by any means. Its tropical storm force winds stretch almost 1000mi. Hopefully it will not be as bad as it could be, but if things go wrong it could have a very big impact on a large region, including taking out critical infrastructure like oil refineries. And of course power could be out for a long time. So even if we don't take direct damage here life could get interesting for a while. Getting hysterical about these things is never useful, but this is a serious storm and anyone who takes it lightly is a fool.


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## PA. Woodsman (Oct 29, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Yeah, I paid last year's little snow storm no mind before hand, and that was a big mistake. And since I watch no TV I have no idea what they are showing.
> 
> Barring direct physical damage here we'll probably make out OK, but this is not a typical storm by any means. Its tropical storm force winds stretch almost 1000mi. Hopefully it will not be as bad as it could be, but if things go wrong it could have a very big impact on a large region, including taking out critical infrastructure like oil refineries. And of course power could be out for a long time. So even if we don't take direct damage here life could get interesting for a while. Getting hysterical about these things is never useful, but this is a serious storm and anyone who takes it lightly is a fool.



It depends what weather channel you watch-WFMZ local news says "4-8 inches of rain with high winds, the worst being later today until Tuesday morning". The Weather Channel which has people standing about 5 feet from every shoreline on the East Coast says "10" or more" but they usually aren't as accurate with our predictions for some reason. Let's hope that we get the lower amounts but we'll see-I think it's the wind that has me most uneasy but I think I have bad memories from last year's snowstorm on my mind. Most of my trees that got hammered last year in that got a good haircut from it, and I trimmed them back over the Summer but you never know...I guess it's human nature to think the worst....I always worry about my stovepipe toppling over but it is braced with two braces and has been up since 1989; again, the mind is a scary thing lol!!


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## smokee (Oct 29, 2012)

These guys on the weather channel are really cheezy. Everything has a nickname and is the worst in history. I don't doubt it's a heck of a storm nor do I argue the fact but I think the way it's presented is heavily sensationalist. That's what the "news" has become and I'll bet in ten years we'll look back and say that all this was normal and what's on the news then is worse. I'll take the good old Walter Cronkite delivery anyday.

Lots of rain but little wind. The worst has yet to come. See how easy that was?! :msp_biggrin:


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## PA. Woodsman (Oct 29, 2012)

smokee said:


> These guys on the weather channel are really cheezy. Everything has a nickname and is the worst in history. I don't doubt it's a heck of a storm nor do I argue the fact but I think the way it's presented is heavily sensationalist. That's what the "news" has become and I'll bet in ten years we'll look back and say that all this was normal and what's on the news then is worse. I'll take the good old Walter Cronkite delivery anyday.
> 
> Lots of rain but little wind. The worst has yet to come. See how easy that was?! :msp_biggrin:



You're right....do you also notice that the Weather Channel's predictions aren't very accurate for your area?


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## zogger (Oct 29, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> Yeah, I paid last year's little snow storm no mind before hand, and that was a big mistake. And since I watch no TV I have no idea what they are showing.
> 
> Barring direct physical damage here we'll probably make out OK, but this is not a typical storm by any means. Its tropical storm force winds stretch almost 1000mi. Hopefully it will not be as bad as it could be, but if things go wrong it could have a very big impact on a large region, including taking out critical infrastructure like oil refineries. And of course power could be out for a long time. So even if we don't take direct damage here life could get interesting for a while. Getting hysterical about these things is never useful, but this is a serious storm and anyone who takes it lightly is a fool.



It has to be nasty. I don't think they are overhyping it at all. It's been blowing like crazy here in NW Georgia for three days now! And it got cold, heck got a little fire going now. We are WAY outside all these supposed to be hard hit areas. I've got tin off the roof of the shed right now. It's not raining so I'll wait until whenever the winds die down to fix it. Josh and I were going to fell a few trees this past saturday but I nixed that because of the wind.

I haven't heard the weather guys say it, but seems to me hot moist air moving real fast and hard, hitting cold air moving similar hard, perhaps even get some tornadoes out of this storm as well. I also wonder about the coastal nuke plants.


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 29, 2012)

its starting here


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 29, 2012)

high tide is 9 pm with full moon there saying 12' above the nounal


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## zogger (Oct 29, 2012)

tomtrees58 said:


> high tide is 9 pm with full moon there saying 12' above the nounal



I hope your wood yard doesn't flood out!


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## Chris-PA (Oct 29, 2012)

zogger said:


> I also wonder about the coastal nuke plants.


As well you should. Most don't even have backup generators for the cooling pumps like the ones that failed in Fukushima. If there are widespread prolonged power outages even the inland ones may be an issue, like the one 12mi from me. 

Man, I would not want to be on Long Island or in Southern New Jersey right now. The central pressure is about as low as they've ever recorded previously.


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## Ironworker (Oct 29, 2012)

Just drove back from the city where I went to get a generator and it is bad out there and the worst hasn't even arrived yet, not being one for media hype, this one appears to be as bad or worst than predicted, and we are not ready for 70-90 mph winds.


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 29, 2012)

me climbing in 60 mph winds


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## tomtrees58 (Oct 29, 2012)




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## Fred Wright (Oct 29, 2012)

So far, in inland Delaware it's been a lot of wind and rain. The entire state coastline is under evacuation order (read "suggestion") and some of the lower areas near the coast are flooded. State of emergency is in effect.

Officially, the brunt of this is slated to arrive late tonight. We're optomistic, hoping the lights don't go out. The ol' sump pump is doing fine and the backup pump is in place, just in case. If the power goes we'll have a swimming pool down cellar but we'll be toasty warm up here. 

Just took the nickel tour of the property... that wind roaring through the trees sounds like a freight train when it gusts. Seen some sticks and little branches laying about, nothing serious yet.


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## Ductape (Oct 29, 2012)

Dammit..... the lights are already flickering here. :msp_sad:


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## zogger (Oct 29, 2012)

Ha! You nuts man! hahahahah I bet that was exciting!

The only thing like that I have done (on land) was climb on the roof two years ago after the tornado hit and cut small branches off the main log and then drag a tarp over the whole mess and get it nailed down. Thunder/lightning/big winds/heavy rain, etc while it was going on.


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## wagz (Oct 29, 2012)

tons of rain already here in central PA. wind is stiffening....


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 29, 2012)

I think the worst is past here...if it had been nighttime, it would've been the proverbial "Dark and Stormy Night"...and not much more.

Coast is still getting hammered, but the height of the surge in Long Island Sound was at low tide so it wasn't the very worse case scenario.


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## smokee (Oct 29, 2012)

wagz said:


> tons of rain already here in central PA. wind is stiffening....



We're going to get it shortly after dark...just when I don't want it. Winds have been picking up all day - it's going to be a long night. Lost power for a minute or so a little while ago. I can't see it staying on with what's out there now.


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 29, 2012)

From the town east of me:





Saw a FB friend refer to them as "house crushers" this morning...and I think that's a good term.

Hmmm...for looking like the worst is past, we're getting more and more brownouts here ('puters are on a UPS to help protect them).


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## Turkeyslayer (Oct 29, 2012)

Dang that aint good:help:


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## DTB (Oct 29, 2012)

It is terrible here, lights are flickering. Went out twice today to recover wood. The second time the plastic came off, wood got really wet.:msp_angry: Wife helped me the second time to recover it. What a scene that was!!! We both got soaked!! My wood was so nice and dry. This is a shame!!! Now will have to wait for some warmer days to dry it. Of course there wont be too many more of those.


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## cantoo (Oct 29, 2012)

Dalmation, looks like that house needs a bit of work. I used to be in the modular housing business and that house looks like it might be a factory built one. Any chance you know the owners or if it was a prefab? Looking at the damage it looks like it might not have been put together properly. The main shell of the house looks fine but the roof panels failed to do their job. We actually hit a highway overpass with one of our houses during delivery and the damage was minimal, just broke the tops off some of the roof rafters.


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## dave_dj1 (Oct 29, 2012)

Up here in Ny it got worse just before dark, wind is blowing pretty good but I think we've had worse. I have the generator ready with extra gas, hopefully we won't need it.
Stay safe all!

I agree with cantoo that the modular doesn't look like it was put together properly. Shame either way though.


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## AIM (Oct 29, 2012)

No rain here on the west edge of Ohio yet. The wind is pretty wicked but nowhere near what many of you are getting. Stay safe.


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## ShaneLogs (Oct 29, 2012)

Ronald Reagan said:


> We're rooting for you people. What the hell is a hurricane doin' pounding down way up in there, in almost November anyhow?



No idea... Suppose to come in late tonight.


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## dingeryote (Oct 29, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> As well you should. Most don't even have backup generators for the cooling pumps like the ones that failed in Fukushima. If there are widespread prolonged power outages even the inland ones may be an issue, like the one 12mi from me.
> 
> Man, I would not want to be on Long Island or in Southern New Jersey right now. The central pressure is about as low as they've ever recorded previously.



Actually they all do. Primary coolant pumps are steam driven, secondarys are Electric and have a primary and secondary diesel generator, plus battery back up should off site power fail, and a redundant system run off of a dedicated diesel fire pump. In addition, on site fire protection assets and "Other" systems can be utilized for cooling. Site specifics are different, but the generic requirements for liscensing are the same.

The safest condition for any contingency is when the thing is operating at full tilt. 
The operations guys have gamed every scenario likely and a bunch that aren't.
This isn't Japan. Indian point has issues, but thier Navy Nuke operations crew isn't one of 'em.


Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 29, 2012)

DTB said:


> It is terrible here, lights are flickering. Went out twice today to recover wood. The second time the plastic came off, wood got really wet.:msp_angry: Wife helped me the second time to recover it. What a scene that was!!! We both got soaked!! My wood was so nice and dry. This is a shame!!! Now will have to wait for some warmer days to dry it. Of course there wont be too many more of those.



Don't sweat it -- rain is just surface moisture and goes away almost as fast as it comes. Back before dryers, folks used to hang their clothes outside in January...they'd freeze stiff as a board then loosen up as the ice evaporated away.

It's the water inside the wood that you need to season it to remove. That will get it down to your average humidity, which is usually high-teens / low 20s for most folks.

Putting it up on pallets to keep wood from wicking the ground moisture and dew is more important then a tarp over it.

Though it's nicer to bring in dry wood inside instead of rained on/snowed on wood.


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 29, 2012)

cantoo said:


> Dalmation, looks like that house needs a bit of work. I used to be in the modular housing business and that house looks like it might be a factory built one. Any chance you know the owners or if it was a prefab?



Don't know...it was just in the TV News. I'd be surprised if it was stick built though, little starter homes like that around here are almost always prefab for the last 25 years or more.


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## cantoo (Oct 29, 2012)

dingeryote is right about the back up systems. I work off and on at Bruce Power and the back ups to the back ups are crazy. We have better health care on site than the local hospital and better/more fire departmentpersonnel and equipment. I was just part of a team that built a backup Control room named Fukushima, somewhere around 5 mil to build it so they could safely test the systems they have in place. They have some pretty big diesel generators jsut sitting there ready to go, and somewhere around 32,000 galoons of diesel to feed them.


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## bert0168 (Oct 29, 2012)

Just lost power here, running on generator. This is the worst of the wind right now.


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## ponyexpress976 (Oct 29, 2012)

wind has noticeably increased in the last hour or so....sucked the screen door open a few times. Had the dogs out for the last time tonight and got a little scare. Branch broke in one of the poplars and I thought I was a goner. Bear (the rottie at my side) didnt even flinch. The branch was about a half inch in diameter and two feet long. Sounded like 8"es when it snapped and thudded to the ground!


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## deepsouth (Oct 29, 2012)

Just watch out that you aren't in an eye, like the cyclones we get in the southern hemisphere. 

I've been through a decent cyclone and it is eerily still when the eye passes over then you get another good dose of wind etc etc. Have to be careful if you do go out that you can get back to safe cover. 

Just read one of our news sites and Sandy is 3x larger at about 1500km across than TC Yasi that did huge damage to northern Qld a couple of years ago. And that was a big system. 

Stay safe!


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## artbaldoni (Oct 29, 2012)

Lost power here at 1845. Had the generator running by 1900. Hard to tell from inside that there is a crazy storm going on outside. Not looking forward to the long night and possibly longer day ahead.

Good luck to you all!


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## darkbyrd (Oct 29, 2012)

Couldn't work because of the wind, quit midday (no rain, won't get much here). Already have one tree down, snapped 10' off the ground (well away from any houses, fences, or livestock).


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## bert0168 (Oct 29, 2012)

Just took a trip out to see what killed the power. Had a top come out of a huge white pine out by the street, probably took out the primary.

Got the chit scared out of me trying to get back to shelter when the wind suddenly blasted thru. I won't do that again. Noticed I lost a bunch of trees, mostly conifers but nothing into any structures yet. Man I hate losing nice mature trees but it's better than losing a life.

We're in the thick of it now. Sit down, strap in and hold on!


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## thenorth (Oct 29, 2012)

crazy wind here right now in N. ontario.....
perhaps i should go out ant rope the trees........lol


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## Dalmatian90 (Oct 29, 2012)

New York City is getting absolutely hammered by the surge tide right now. One FDNY station had to call a mayday when they got trapped in their own firehouse by flash flooding; it's probably going to take a week to get power and subways working again in lower Manhattan (and that might be wildly optimistic).

It's nice here now, walked the dog, lost one junk tree that's across my driveway but where I can drive around it. I'll check the wood lot side tomorrow.


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## John_DeereGreen (Oct 29, 2012)

Just a little rain and wind here...maybe 30-35 MPH gusts...

Hoping that the rain is all we get...

Good luck to you guys further east...I'm still having nightmares from the hours I worked after the frontline winds that hit here came through back in June.


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## darkbyrd (Oct 29, 2012)

This site took several tries to load, but looks really really cool. A graphical representation of the winds over the US http://hint.fm/wind/


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## dingeryote (Oct 29, 2012)

darkbyrd said:


> This site took several tries to load, but looks really really cool. A graphical representation of the winds over the US http://hint.fm/wind/



Yeah it's really cool looking and fascinating. Just not accurate with the 4 hour old data.
Darn if I would have thought about making wind an art project though. 

Here's one that is closer to the Minuite, but boring. West virginia is about to catch hell.
NWS - National Mosaic Enhanced Radar Image: Full Resolution Loop

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## Gavman (Oct 30, 2012)

Hope everyone fairs well in the storm, been headline news here all evening, thoughts are with you folks


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## Chris-PA (Oct 30, 2012)

dingeryote said:


> Actually they all do. Primary coolant pumps are steam driven, secondarys are Electric and have a primary and secondary diesel generator, plus battery back up should off site power fail, and a redundant system run off of a dedicated diesel fire pump. In addition, on site fire protection assets and "Other" systems can be utilized for cooling. Site specifics are different, but the generic requirements for liscensing are the same.
> 
> The safest condition for any contingency is when the thing is operating at full tilt.
> The operations guys have gamed every scenario likely and a bunch that aren't.
> ...


That's certainly good to hear, although it's directly counter to several articles I've read which stated that many US plants do not have back up generators. But you can't believe everything you read!


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## dingeryote (Oct 30, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> That's certainly good to hear, although it's directly counter to several articles I've read which stated that many US plants do not have back up generators. But you can't believe everything you read!



The Anti's disinformation often gets repeated as fact by the less than impartial media.
All PWR abd BWR's have multiple backups and redundancys for safe shut down, or would not be Liscensed to operate period.
If a back up generator is down for main't it is a BIG deal, and if there isn't an operable redundant generator, the facility gets shut down, period.


10CFR will have everything that the media is too lazy to look up, and the anti's too dishonest to admit.

NRC: 10 CFR Appendix A to Part 50&mdash;General Design Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## wagz (Oct 30, 2012)

here's our local forecast for the next few hours:

tropical storm conditions including strong winds and heavy rain
48°
RealFeel® 31°


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## terryknight (Oct 30, 2012)

just woke up for the 3am turn on the sump pump run. damn float switch is broken. oh well still raining not much wind i think he worst is over now


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## Blazin (Oct 30, 2012)

Generator is runnin here :coffee:


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## bert0168 (Oct 30, 2012)

Light is just starting to come up now. Nothing on any structures but will see the extent in a few once it's completely light out.

Still on gen power.

Had some eggs cooked on the wood stove this morning.


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## cnice_37 (Oct 30, 2012)

terryknight said:


> just woke up for the 3am turn on the sump pump run. damn float switch is broken.



Sounds like its working to me


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## sdt7618 (Oct 30, 2012)

hope you guys are all ok, Sounds like it might have been a wild night.

Stay safe out there.

Steven


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## flashhole (Oct 30, 2012)

Sandy's path kept us on the fringe of all the major activity. Worst for us in Owego, NY was just before 2:00 AM. No damage here. Lights didn't even flicker. 84 year old neighbor lady lost a tree and already called and asked me if I could take it. No problem. More rain expected today (Tues) and tomorrow. Unless it unexpectedly doubles back we're in the clear for this storm.


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## LAH (Oct 30, 2012)

Southern West Virginia, 'bout 2500 feet.

Monday just before dark






Tuesday 8AM


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## zogger (Oct 30, 2012)

LAH said:


> Southern West Virginia, 'bout 2500 feet.
> 
> Monday just before dark
> 
> ...



hey cool! Ya I know bad storm but pretty I guess first winter pics!

Have an online friend lives upper part of your state, no contact for a couple days, guess she and hubby are snowed in no power. 

One of Garden Goddess's sons lives in that blacked out flooded area in NYC, ditto no contact for two days now.


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## LAH (Oct 30, 2012)

I have all utilities as this point. The wind has settled a little but it looks like after 10AM things are going to pick up again. So far this is the only damage on my place. Don't think my truck & trailer will be going anywhere for a couple days.:bang:


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## terryknight (Oct 30, 2012)

not much damage here 10 ish in of rain. couple bradford pears split, one at my bosses hoiuse hit his porch not biggie, lots of limbs down that's about it. periodic rain til 230


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## Encore (Oct 30, 2012)

We got quite a bit of rain and some pretty crazy winds but still have power here. Lots in the county without power but we are good thus far. Lots of trees down though. My phone will start ringing as soon as the weather backs off. 

I don't envy you guys getting the snow. Too early for that stuff. 

Normally I don't mind if I lose power, but with all this rain my sump pump has been running quite regularly so I was pretty paranoid all night that it'd go out and start to flood the basement before I could get it started. I was up throughout the night checking lol. Gas is too expensive to run the gen without cause. Sleep is cheap


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## Chris-PA (Oct 30, 2012)

dingeryote said:


> The Anti's disinformation often gets repeated as fact by the less than impartial media.
> All PWR abd BWR's have multiple backups and redundancys for safe shut down, or would not be Liscensed to operate period.
> If a back up generator is down for main't it is a BIG deal, and if there isn't an operable redundant generator, the facility gets shut down, period.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link and I will read it, but I am most definitely an anti nuke, so you're not winning me over with that nonsense. Clearly the back ups and contingency plans are too vulnerable to the fallibility of man and the forces of nature, and the costs of the consequences way too high. And I say that from my engineering and technical background. The generators in Fukushima were worthless once the sea water flooded the power distribution in the basement (dumb) - there is always a common failure point no matter how many back ups you have. 

Anyway, the Ported Plastic Poulan was screaming this morning. It was flawless. My neighbor and I cleared several downed ashes from our lane and the road, as well as a pine another neighbor lost and a large ash that fell on the pasture fence. Mostly the stuff on the road just got sectioned and I pushed it off with the loader. I'll cut it up when it stops raining. There's several broken power poles and a really big oak took out the line and a transformer pole down the road - the township was clearing that tree. I'm drying out by the stove and the generator is droning. 

The generator is working well enough and it's so nice to have electric start and an actual muffler! I'm having a bit of trouble adjusting it - the voltage is a little high and the frequency is a little low. I started off with it at around 55Hz, and found out that the well pump was running just a bit too slow to get to the high level shut off! So I compromised and cranked it up some, so now it's at 58Hz and 262V, and I turned the high shut off pressure on the pump down a bit. I'm not sure the electronic voltage regulator is working entirely correctly - the cheap electrolytic capacitor in the end bell had exploded and I replaced that with a much better cap. It's definitely regulating but maybe to a little bit too high of a voltage. There is a trim on the circuit board, but I have no schematic and the board is potted. I think the trim is a stability adjustment not a voltage setting. Not a big deal and the old generator is also working. I may head out later and see if I can find any more gasoline.

This has been much easier for me than last year. My daughter is home with her roommate from college, and neighbors will no doubt be stopping by to warm up, charge phones and chat. It could be a lot worse.


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## cnice_37 (Oct 30, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> This has been much easier for me than last year. My daughter is home with her roommate from college, and neighbors will no doubt be stopping by to warm up, charge phones and chat. It could be a lot worse.



Pics of daughter and college roommate or it didn't happen....


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## Ductape (Oct 30, 2012)

cnice_37 said:


> Pics of daughter and college roommate or it didn't happen....




You sir...... are without taste ! :msp_biggrin:


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## Fred Wright (Oct 30, 2012)

My brother and I made it through the storm OK. He wrote yesterday to say they got a lot of rain, some wind but they're fine. They live near Norfolk.

Got up this morning thinking I'd be going to work. Good thing I called the company weather hotline first. There was no damage here, just some sticks and small branches in the yard. That happens every time we get wind around here. Yesterday, the trees in the woods were swaying. I thought some might break or blow over but they didn't. No power outage either. The lights flickered a couple times last night but the electric stayed on.

In the photo there's the pipe I ran out the basement steps window for the backup sump pump. Never did need it. I was going outside last night every hour or so, watching the regular pump discharge pipe. It didn't even run continuously. The ditch alongside the property came close to overflowing but the rain wasn't coming down fast enough to overwhelm it.

Right now it's cloudy with a little sprinkle of rain now and then. Sky is clearing to the east.

The folks closer to the bay didn't fare as well. A lot of flooding down that way, many roads were closed. Looks like much of the dune line Downstate has been washed away. Here inland we were blessed. Just some wind and rain.


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## artbaldoni (Oct 30, 2012)

Power off here since 1830 yesterday. Talked to Power Co, probably not back on for 2 more days.


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## dave_dj1 (Oct 30, 2012)

Well we dodged another bullet in my neighborhood. Not so much as a flicker of the lights and not any real heavy rain. 
Stay safe all.


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## DTB (Oct 30, 2012)

Dalmatian90 said:


> Don't sweat it -- rain is just surface moisture and goes away almost as fast as it comes. Back before dryers, folks used to hang their clothes outside in January...they'd freeze stiff as a board then loosen up as the ice evaporated away.
> 
> It's the water inside the wood that you need to season it to remove. That will get it down to your average humidity, which is usually high-teens / low 20s for most folks.
> 
> ...



Thank you for your support in time of mental crisis. I try to always make sure my wood is dry and covered by the beginning of october. I have about 8 cord split and stacked on pallets. This is the first time when all of the cover blew off at one time and got heavily rained on. I went into a state a panic. A lot of blood and sweat invested and almost tears.


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## stihly dan (Oct 30, 2012)

Lost all my covers that where clear plastic. Tore them to shreds. Think I will be going back to the brown tarps. My stacks are three splits deep. It will take awhile for them to dry out. Good thing I have plenty thats under tarps or roofing rubber.


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## smokee (Oct 30, 2012)

stihly dan said:


> Lost all my covers that where clear plastic. Tore them to shreds. Think I will be going back to the brown tarps. My stacks are three splits deep. It will take awhile for them to dry out. Good thing I have plenty thats under tarps or roofing rubber.



Damn, I got a bunch of that from home depot, something like 4mil thick and was going to try it on the top. How did you have it attached? I was thinking staple gun but my stack runs north/south so it's getting broadsided with wind.


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## darkbyrd (Oct 30, 2012)

smokee said:


> Damn, I got a bunch of that from home depot, something like 4mil thick and was going to try it on the top. How did you have it attached? I was thinking staple gun but my stack runs north/south so it's getting broadsided with wind.



I've found that plastic sheeting rots in the sunlight. Need something more durable, or cheaper. I get lumber tarps from a building supply free, or roofing tin that's no good for roofs anymore.


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## bert0168 (Oct 31, 2012)

darkbyrd said:


> I get lumber tarps from a building supply free, or roofing tin that's no good for roofs anymore.



That's what I use, seems to outlast any tarps I've ever bought.

AND the price is right!


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## derwoodii (Oct 31, 2012)

Be light up soon your side, I'd reckon we'll hear the sound of your saws from down here dam may keep us awake but never mind us u cut away git them limbs off them lines. take good care out there.


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## s13rymos (Oct 31, 2012)

I think we got lucky if you look at what happened on the coast.. lost power for a hour or two.. some branches in the yard.. heck even my wood tarp survived.


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## flashhole (Oct 31, 2012)

Our 84 year old neighbor lady lost two ~ 12" diameter oaks. She wanted to pay me to get them out of her yard. I told her (politely) to keep her money and just hauled them off to the firewood work area behind my barn, about half a cord that I will cut up and burn. Nice straight grain, didn't think we had winds that strong but one snapped off cleanly at ground level, the other about midway up the tree. I told her I would come back and remove the rest of the one that was snapped in half after it dries out a bit.


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## Chris-PA (Oct 31, 2012)

I'm sitting in front of the Hampton H200 which is loaded with ash and showing a nice secondary combustion, and cranking out the heat. I don't think I'll even light the big stove tonight, unless I feel like basking in the warmth. Yeah, this wood heat thing is for the birds. 

The new generator is heating the water tank for the shower I'll be taking in a fee minutes. It's running great and has maybe used 1/8 of a quart of oil so far. I hauled another load of white oak down to the house, and knocked the juicy poison ivy vines off the large white ash that we cleared off the road yesterday. Tomorrow I'll haul that up to a processing area and make heat for next year. 

I think it will be several days until the power is back on.


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## MotorSeven (Nov 1, 2012)

No problems here at all from the storm.

For all you tarp guys.....The best thing to cover firewood is roofing tin(actually now it's all aluminized steel). You can get it for free if someone is knocking down an old barn, or if you have a MFC of tin roofing anywhere close, call them ask for seconds or culls. We have a place nearby that always put's their seconds over delivered new tin to protect it. The seconds might be bent or scratched a little here and there, but it has never had any holes in it. I have used these seconds from everything from chicken coop's to sheds. You can flip up a 16' section of tin onto a stack in seconds, then lay a few splits on it to keep it from blowing off. It will last a lifetime, and stacks breath much better that with tarps since you should not cover the sides anyway. Any rain that gets on the sides of a stack will do no harm and will dry off quickly.


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## artbaldoni (Nov 1, 2012)

Power back! Almost 3 full days. Glad for the generator. :cool2:

Up here in PA we had line crews from Mississippi working. Way to pull together USA!!


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## ponyexpress976 (Nov 1, 2012)

Still no power....but the phone has been restored so i have internet again. Genny has been humming since monday am. This Halloween has been so much better than last year's.


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## artbaldoni (Nov 1, 2012)

ponyexpress976 said:


> Still no power....but the phone has been restored so i have internet again. Genny has been humming since monday am. This Halloween has been so much better than last year's.



I feel for ya brother. Hang in there...


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## bert0168 (Nov 1, 2012)

No power here yet in upper Bucks Co. PA either. Had a scare that I lost my genny, turned out to be the magnetic pick up on the flywheel got launched somewhere.

Nice guy I know who owns the local small engine shop tossed a complete replacement engine my way that he said was getting in his way, so I swapped flywheels and I'm good to go.

He told me well settle up later, damn nice guy. It pays to patronize your local small guys and not the big box sluts all the time. :msp_smile:


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## zogger (Nov 1, 2012)

MotorSeven said:


> No problems here at all from the storm.
> 
> For all you tarp guys.....The best thing to cover firewood is roofing tin(actually now it's all aluminized steel). You can get it for free if someone is knocking down an old barn, or if you have a MFC of tin roofing anywhere close, call them ask for seconds or culls. We have a place nearby that always put's their seconds over delivered new tin to protect it. The seconds might be bent or scratched a little here and there, but it has never had any holes in it. I have used these seconds from everything from chicken coop's to sheds. You can flip up a 16' section of tin onto a stack in seconds, then lay a few splits on it to keep it from blowing off. It will last a lifetime, and stacks breath much better that with tarps since you should not cover the sides anyway. Any rain that gets on the sides of a stack will do no harm and will dry off quickly.



Depends on the wind. I had some old tin here in a stack on the ground with a railroad tie on it. The wind folded the tin right over it. Creased it. It held but still..that's a lot o power. And I have had to repair and replace roofing that pulled right off and went sailing, and that was nailed down!

I would be worried about flying sheets of metal in any real windstorm of any size. 

I think your idea has merit over a tarp, but I would really tie that sucker down. Anchor it at the ends and middle, and not rely on just some odd chunks of wood to hold it down.


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## PA. Woodsman (Nov 1, 2012)

artbaldoni said:


> Power back! Almost 3 full days. Glad for the generator. :cool2:
> 
> Up here in PA we had line crews from Mississippi working. Way to pull together USA!!



And Kentucky, Michigan and New York here too...THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS! :msp_smile:


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## dingeryote (Nov 1, 2012)

PA. Woodsman said:


> And Kentucky, Michigan and New York here too...THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS! :msp_smile:



Ran into 6 More brand new Bucket trucks and crews from Trees inc. out of Grand rapids, heading towards East Pennsy.
The gent I talked to, said they stayed behind untill things settled here, and were backing up a bigger crew already in NY.

More is on the way guys, hang in there.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## slowp (Nov 2, 2012)

Line crews from our fair state are going that way. Don't worry, they won't move there.:msp_smile:

When people with green pants show up, they are from the agency I retired from. They'll do well. They send their fire teams to disasters when asked, and became the Go To People in the Katrina mess for getting things done. 

Hang in there.


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## Chris-PA (Nov 2, 2012)

ponyexpress976 said:


> Still no power....but the phone has been restored so i have internet again. Genny has been humming since monday am. This Halloween has been so much better than last year's.


Yeah, we're still out too - but then as a First Energy customer I don't expect much. I can't count how many PPL trucks and crews I've seen, but I've only seen one First Energy truck, and that was at the local gas station getting coffee. The gas station was running on a generator.:msp_biggrin: 

I was dismayed to see that somewhere along the way they installed some disconnect fuses down at the end of road, which means now they can just cut off this little dead end road and pass us by until later. I figure maybe by the end of the weekend they may get to us, but they have to replace two poles and a transformer, as well as splice wires, just to get 9 houses back up. 

For us this has been a walk in the park compared to last year's snow storm - no one got hurt and nothing significant got damaged other than some fencing. I know an enormous amount of other people are suffering though.


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## zogger (Nov 2, 2012)

*hey, tomtrees and redray!*

You guys OK?

Garden Goddess's #2 son down there in chinatown, we haven't heard from him since day before the storm hit. she's gotten a bit antsy as to be expected..


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## DFK (Nov 3, 2012)

*Non Union Power Crews told to "GO HOME"*

I may start a riot with this but here it is.

This is what I know to be a fact.
I work for the electric dept in Decatur Alabama.
We got an invite to come up to New Jersey to help to restore power.
Huntsville, Al and Joe Wheeller EMC also got the same invite.
Huntsville, being the largest by far, put 4- crews together. Each Huntsville crew had 4- men and 4- trucks.
Decatur's crew and 6- men and 5- trucks. Joe Wheeller's crew has 4- men and 4- trucks.

Being only 25 miles apart the crews formed a convoy and drove up to the meeting place in New Jersey.
Shortley after arriving they were all told to "GO HOME". You are all Non-Union Crews and you will not be allowed to work on our electric systems.

Millions of people without power and the stuff like this goes on.
It was reported on one of the local TV stations WAFF 48.

David


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## zogger (Nov 3, 2012)

DFK said:


> I may start a riot with this but here it is.
> 
> This is what I know to be a fact.
> I work for the electric dept in Decatur Alabama.
> ...



I went and looked and found an update on that. Those guys got buffaloed by some union guys, but not the utility company. That's a big difference. The utility company claims they never turned anyone away. Jow blow WORKER for a company is not in a position to issue orders like that. Those guys from alabama just got faked out. Perhaps anyway, just reading various reports.

I'd like to see some videos of the incident. Seems this day and age with cellphone vids being easy and common, one of the "turned away" guys would have videoed this confrontation, as it obviously would havbe been both big and important news. As it is now, with reports of "non union" crews working all over the mid atlantic states, that appears to have been a rather unfortunate but isolated incident.


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## bert0168 (Nov 3, 2012)

DFK said:


> I may start a riot with this but here it is.
> 
> This is what I know to be a fact.
> I work for the electric dept in Decatur Alabama.
> ...



Anyone want to defend those unions now with chit like this going on?

I am SURE this is happening everywhere. I know for a fact of one incident where PENNDOT and PECO were arguing over who was responsible for a tree over a major roadway and on wires which delayed its removal for several days.

I STILL don't have power here and don't expect it anytime soon even though I'm on a busy north/south artery and hundreds of cars pass under the dead tree laying on the power wires over the road with the wires laying in the lane of traffic.

:ah::choler::what:


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## bert0168 (Nov 3, 2012)

zogger said:


> As it is now, with reports of "non union" crews working all over the mid Atlantic states, that appears to have been a rather unfortunate but isolated incident.



Of course they are but I would bet a weeks pay that these union guys are giving the non "members" a hell of a time trying to get any work done.


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## zogger (Nov 3, 2012)

bert0168 said:


> Of course they are but I would bet a weeks pay that these union guys are giving the non "members" a hell of a time trying to get any work done.



Could be, don't know! It would help if they documented it and slapped it up on youtube.


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## Dalmatian90 (Nov 3, 2012)

My reading between the lines of the Huntsville situation -- it wasn't non-union go home, it was non-union just sign our local book for the job...basically a temporary membership. The local utility probably has a contract provision that they pay the union X$ per hour for each union worker. Once the job is done, tell them to go punt. The situation was probably exaggerated by the parties on both sides.


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## Chris-PA (Nov 3, 2012)

Dalmatian90 said:


> The situation was probably exaggerated by the parties on both sides.


I agree. I'm quite sure those are union crews that have been working on the lines on my road all day, and I'm glad they are. I'd go another day or two without power rather than have non-union workers doing it. Not everyone is a sucker for the corporations.


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## Downer (Nov 3, 2012)

WoodHeatWarrior said:


> I agree. I'm quite sure those are union crews that have been working on the lines on my road all day, and I'm glad they are. I'd go another day or two without power rather than have non-union workers doing it. Not everyone is a sucker for the corporations.


 
Funny, I think the same thing about both the unionists and corporate-ists. They all seemed like penned sheep.


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## Chris-PA (Nov 4, 2012)

We got power back about 5:30 last night. Making electricity from gasoline sure is expensive, but I was thankful for the "new" Coleman Vertex generator. I've never really been a Briggs & Stratton fan, but the 14.5hp GentTekPro OHV on that thing is a gem. It started right up and ran very well (OK, I had to remove the limiter cap from the idle screw so I could adjust it, but still), it ran clean and it didn't use hardly a drop of oil. My old 10hp Tecumseh exhaust just reeked even when tuned as best I could.

My plans to haul wood yesterday got interrupted half way through when I got a call from my neighbor asking for help because he'd got his saw stuck. I'd heard the saw going all morning, and wondered about that because I had not seen much damage. Well when I got up there I found that he had convinced the crew to put the new poll in a better spot, as long as he cut down a bunch of stuff that was in the way. He was cutting off stuff way too big for his 32cc Echo, including a 22" branch he cut from a ladder. He's been cutting and burning wood for a long time but he's a little scary with a saw and not much on technique - no wedges, trying to make trees go directions they don't want to go, etc. 

I fired up the 2775 and cut him free, and then dropped the remaining stuff in the way. We had to work fast to avoid holding up the crew, and I missed a 2" grape vine that was up in one 10" sassafras, and it swung around like a drunk once it started to go. Wasn't a big deal but I hate working that way. Then I went down and got some bigger and smaller saws and fuel and we made a dent in the stuff we dropped - at least until the crew had to come back and string wires, and then the saws were going to make it hard to talk so we quit. The 24" bar on the Mac made quick work of the big branch he'd dropped, and I managed to keep it out of the rocks it fell onto. They were from Pittsburgh area and commented on how much harder it was working in these rocky hills. We asked "what hill?"

I was glad for the excuse to get out of hauling wood, but now I have to get out to it anyway.


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## flashhole (Nov 4, 2012)

Good deeds and helping neighbors seems to always come back on you in a favorable way. It may not happen right away but it will happen.


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## Dalmatian90 (Nov 4, 2012)

So, I got to working on the tree across the driveway today. 

Box elder. Species kingtree, genus Fuc.

Now I don't have to deal with elm, so I'm sure there is wood out there with a higher work:BTU ratio. It's better then a snowball, and I suppose if I got seconds from S&S Aqualogging and threw them in the stove a few days after they came off the river bottom, they might burn worse then Box Elder. 

So first, the top is a freaking mess with vines. I hadn't sized this up, so I don't have shears in my pocket and have to deal with all of them with the saw.

And oh, my Ranger blew a brake line Saturday and I haven't repaired that yet, so I'm working off a garden tractor and lawn trailer. So I stack the brush to return to haul it to my brush dump or a burn pile once the truck can stop effectively again.

Work my way down the tree, only to discover when I get to the main trunk (which is deeply embedded in a patch of multiflora rose)...that what I've been grumbling about cutting is actually on one of two equal size leaders, the other is buried in even more multiflora rose and autumn olive.

*sigh* Keep telling yourself it's more BTUs then a snowball. But I'm debating whether when you add up labor, two cycle gasoline, and tractor gas to haul it across the yard to the house if you actually gain net BTUs.

Have I ever mentioned I'm not a fan of Box Elder?


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## darkbyrd (Nov 4, 2012)

Dalmatian90 said:


> Have I ever mentioned I'm not a fan of Box Elder?



Sometimes it's just better to give the BTUs back to mother nature in a burn pile, right there. Or, let her rot in the roses.


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## Steve NW WI (Nov 4, 2012)

You haven't mentioned splitting it yet. Box elder can sometimes be fairly decent and straight grained, but more often it's a twisted gnarly mess. Enjoy!

PS - Elm is far better in the btus-work ratio-at least there's heat in elm.


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## LAH (Nov 4, 2012)

I run into black gum, I think [I'm not a tree expert], & this stuff you can bust the outside off but the inside is a mess. If I burn this I try to cut it in a way it will fit in the stove cause I'm not feeding it to the TimberWolf.


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## Dalmatian90 (Nov 5, 2012)

zogger said:


> You guys OK?
> 
> Garden Goddess's #2 son down there in chinatown, we haven't heard from him since day before the storm hit. she's gotten a bit antsy as to be expected..



At least for Tomtrees...he's fine but busy:

http://www.arboristsite.com/off-topic-forum/142889-31.htm#post3929914


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