Lessons learned this week from a tornado.
The County got ripped up Thursday night. We lost ten power poles a half mile away.
I thought we were prepared. I was wrong as mistakes were made. We were off grid for 3 days.
My son next door has the big solar system on his house that also powers his well.
We added a well as well as a backup. We added a hand pump too. I then merged our two water lines with a ball valve always in the off position.
Mistake1: I never told anyone how to use the ball valve if needed. I have prepared some notes that will now tell the world that if the valve is open to merge the two lines, the ball valve leading out of my personal well must be turned off. Otherwise, his will will suck up water from the aquifer and pour it down my well back into the same aquifer.
Mistake 2: Two years ago we purchased a pre-manufactured home and moved it to the retreat. It had a space in the utility room just large enough for a freezer. There was an outlet behind it. I installed a freezer. The kitchen has a two door refrigerator, with the outlet behind it. We recently built a covered back porch and we added another freezer. I installed alarms on bot the freezers that looses a small light at the kitchen sink if a door is ajar or the power goes off to them.
We own two portable generators to maintain those freezers of power grid is down. If long term, we will jerk the meat.
The problem with the freezer in the utility room was as a 99 year old I had to pull the freezer out by myself in a cramped wash room the get the power cord. I also realized the outlet is a 15 amp shared outlet that is bad on appliance motors.
So I purchased a 15 foot heavy duty extension cord so now the cord will always be in front of the freezer. Today I ran a 20 amp dedicated circuit to the power pole 15 feet away. Now the cord can hang out the window for generator power. Problem solved.
Mistake 3. The kitchen freezer/frig combo could not be pulled out to get to the cord. I discovered straps on the top for moving the double wide. I removed them but still could not move it. After two heart attacks I found a metal plate bolting it to the floor. The wall outlet was 4 feet high. It now has a pull string tied to it with the other end screwed into the wall in case the cord is dropped in the future.
Mistake 4. We own two mid-sized generators with the manuals lost. I am not a machine person. I could not crank either machine. Half a day later my son showed me a fuel line cut-off valve.
I now have a laminated list of instructions for myself and anyone who borrows one of the generators.
On the back are emergency details one in our clan need to know if a generator is needed, such as the water wells.
Mistake 5. We have a small office in a bedroom with 3 computer systems. We also have Starlink on the roof with radio equipment freely sharing the 100 MBS service with two there buildings here.
To hook up to the generator took time and patience to trace all the required wires tangled under desks and coffee tables. I now have starlink, router and one full computer system all wired together. That plug in under the window and color coded in orange. It will plug into the generator cord slipped into the window.
Mistake 6. I tried to use a friends computer to post to my website. I could not remember my password.
I now have certain passwords on the front of my computer monitor. If I am dead the family can get into all systems.
The good news is I only needed one generator. If parked behind the back door, 4 long extension cords can all end up at the generator. The generator runs (2) 20 Amp independent circuits. So I can run the office and one freezer. Then remove those plugs and run a bedroom A/C unit and another freezer.
