BrianK Posted December 23, 2025 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2025 (edited) 2 hours ago, Magwa said: well the lights are back on just short of 7 days .... man depends on electricity like our ancestors depended on Fire! Correct. Most homes are dependent on it, not all but most. Being w/o power is the pits. Glad to hear you got power back. We're rural and my plan after we first moved to rural Maine was to revert back to pre-REA days. Kerosene figured prominently in those plans. That plan worked fine for short outages which we had a lot of. Then we had an ice storm that put 4-5" of ice on everything. Trees came down and power lines couldn't take the weight. So out came our kerosene appliances to supply our light, heat, and cooking needs, to include melting ice for the toilet, washing, and after filtering, drinking*. What worked for short outages then showed the flaw. Pre-REA days had homes that weren't as tight as todays homes. Burning hydrocarbons produces water which started to condense on the cold walls. We were screwed. Store shelves were empty and the area was devastated. We know because we had to go out to see what was going on. Most folks couldn't move but our 4x4 made it through and around the downed trees. We were w/o power for 5 days and only got it back that soon because we're on a trunk line. It was that ice storm that caused me to rethink things. I put in a solar (PV) system with battery back-up. Now if the power goes out I can furnish power in seconds from the massive 24v batteries. Typically the solar part is useless in a storm 'cause of the clouds, but if the clouds clear out our smallish system will power the house if we're careful in consumption. But I also put in a welder/generator and that can easily handle larger loads and recharge the batteries. Sort of like the way a WW2 diesel/battery submarine worked. I also had built an addition specifically for a wood stove. We have a lifetime supply of wood. * W/o power our well pump doesn't work. And since it wasn't TEOTWAKI I wasn't going to remove the pump and 100' of piping to use the well casing "bucket". But our weather, the reason I came here... We're back in the deep freeze and snow is expected over the next 36 hours. When I woke up it was 18* and that was actually warmer than yesterday this time. 3 more months of this. Edited December 23, 2025 by BrianK added the weather report Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterrex Posted December 23, 2025 Report Share Posted December 23, 2025 60 deg today. Warmer the next 2 then back to winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 24, 2025 Report Share Posted December 24, 2025 15 hours ago, Magwa said: well the lights are back on just short of 7 days .... man depends on electricity like our ancestors depended on Fire! I know for a fact that you are quite well-versed on basing things on fire - so I never had any concerns at all about how you were gonna come out of this, brother... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magwa Posted December 24, 2025 Report Share Posted December 24, 2025 23 hours ago, BrianK said: Correct. Most homes are dependent on it, not all but most. Being w/o power is the pits. Glad to hear you got power back. We're rural and my plan after we first moved to rural Maine was to revert back to pre-REA days. Kerosene figured prominently in those plans. That plan worked fine for short outages which we had a lot of. Then we had an ice storm that put 4-5" of ice on everything. Trees came down and power lines couldn't take the weight. So out came our kerosene appliances to supply our light, heat, and cooking needs, to include melting ice for the toilet, washing, and after filtering, drinking*. What worked for short outages then showed the flaw. Pre-REA days had homes that weren't as tight as todays homes. Burning hydrocarbons produces water which started to condense on the cold walls. We were screwed. Store shelves were empty and the area was devastated. We know because we had to go out to see what was going on. Most folks couldn't move but our 4x4 made it through and around the downed trees. We were w/o power for 5 days and only got it back that soon because we're on a trunk line. It was that ice storm that caused me to rethink things. I put in a solar (PV) system with battery back-up. Now if the power goes out I can furnish power in seconds from the massive 24v batteries. Typically the solar part is useless in a storm 'cause of the clouds, but if the clouds clear out our smallish system will power the house if we're careful in consumption. But I also put in a welder/generator and that can easily handle larger loads and recharge the batteries. Sort of like the way a WW2 diesel/battery submarine worked. I also had built an addition specifically for a wood stove. We have a lifetime supply of wood. * W/o power our well pump doesn't work. And since it wasn't TEOTWAKI I wasn't going to remove the pump and 100' of piping to use the well casing "bucket". But our weather, the reason I came here... We're back in the deep freeze and snow is expected over the next 36 hours. When I woke up it was 18* and that was actually warmer than yesterday this time. 3 more months of this. Yes I like the Idea of solar just not all the batteries... but we have a wood stove in our kitchen and it will heat the house to around 64 to 67 not really warm but plenty warm if you put on a sweatshirt and use a blanket , water is not a problem i use a gas gen to fire up the well and pump plastic food grade barrels full we keep 100 gallons will last a week even flushing the toilet. if it is yellow let it mellow and if it is brown flush it down so we do not flush every time. if SHTF we have a stainless casing bucket to use by hand just remove pump which we can pull by hand. So heat to cook on and water are the basics we use candle lanterns and bees wax candles, did not really even miss the Tv but we have a 2000 watt lionenergy motorless generator that we charge when the well is running and we have solar panels for it it will run a 4 watt led for 99 hours and we charge our phones and my hearing aids and we have a ham radio it will power as well. it never gets below 80 percent... so power is a habit not really a necessity but we too love it when it is on and we use it like sugar it is addictive.... but with a bit of effort i believe we could convert back to not needing it if we had to would be hard but oh well so is life.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianK Posted December 24, 2025 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2025 It's as cold as a witches bosom and started snowing last night very lightly. By morning we had maybe 3" and when I went out to plow @ 1300 approx' 6" was on the ground. I like to pack down a layer on the driveway to make subsequent plowings glide over the gravel, but this snow was just too light and fluffy so I wound up plowing it. Still not done though. The paddle controller I had epoxied to a cup holder as a 3rd hand. The bond snapped and the controller wound up in my lap. I reached a point where I could stop and came in and just repaired it. I'll do something different that just might make for a better controller holder. Things are never easy. I think that's an immutable law of nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rsquared Posted December 25, 2025 Report Share Posted December 25, 2025 16 hours ago, BrianK said: Things are never easy. I think that's an immutable law of nature. I was always taught that if it was easy, anybody would do it. And that's why the rest of us are here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianK Posted December 25, 2025 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2025 Isn't that the truth Rsquared! Today a harassment "storm"; just enough snow to be annoying but not enough to amount to anything. It's light and fluffy and so little accumulation that I'll get rid of it with a leaf blower. I still have plowing to do from yesterday but the repaired part hasn't fully cured yet and won't be cured until 1500 so I'll get to the plowing on Saturday. As light and dry as that snow is it'll still move easily then. When I got up it was 20*F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianK Posted December 25, 2025 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2025 Can't edit it, it's been too long. My week sense is screwy due to Christmas, I meant Friday in the above post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98Z5V Posted December 27, 2025 Report Share Posted December 27, 2025 On 12/25/2025 at 5:36 AM, Rsquared said: I was always taught that if it was easy, anybody would do it. And that's why the rest of us are here. Truth right there, brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianK Posted December 27, 2025 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2025 I got the control paddle repaired and remounted and 3 days after the storm finished plowing the snow out of the way. Normally that would be a mistake but with our fridgid weather the light fluffy snow never had a chance to melt and refreeze. Today, more of the same. When I got up it was 10* and it's not supposed to warm up very much. It's overcast and the sun can't be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhouse Posted January 1 Report Share Posted January 1 Sweat my arse off yesterday mowing, whipping, edging, all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madhouse Posted Friday at 10:30 PM Report Share Posted Friday at 10:30 PM 82 right now, had to switch back over to a/c. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisco Posted Saturday at 03:15 AM Report Share Posted Saturday at 03:15 AM On 12/25/2025 at 8:33 AM, BrianK said: Isn't that the truth Rsquared! Today a harassment "storm"; just enough snow to be annoying but not enough to amount to anything. It's light and fluffy and so little accumulation that I'll get rid of it with a leaf blower. I still have plowing to do from yesterday but the repaired part hasn't fully cured yet and won't be cured until 1500 so I'll get to the plowing on Saturday. As light and dry as that snow is it'll still move easily then. When I got up it was 20*F. Our weather in Northern Wisconsin is basically the same as yours. Could have written a similar post. We are getting more snow than usual this year. And being on the big lake we get an inch or so of lake effect snow most every night. 3 winters ago we broke our snowfall record by 30 inches. Hope it is not like that again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianK Posted Saturday at 02:46 PM Author Report Share Posted Saturday at 02:46 PM 11 hours ago, Sisco said: Our weather in Northern Wisconsin is basically the same as yours. Could have written a similar post. We are getting more snow than usual this year. And being on the big lake we get an inch or so of lake effect snow most every night. 3 winters ago we broke our snowfall record by 30 inches. Hope it is not like that again. Probably due to global warming (that has killed us many times in the past 20 years. Of course I jest using the words of the doom prophets and their false religion.) winter came early and the cold of global warming keeps hanging on. Our heating systems have been working hard. An almost full tank of #2 fuel oil (350 gallons) at the start of the season needs to be refilled. Typically we use one tank per winter. Already one tank mostly gone. Three more months to go. It's not the cost, it's how I measure the cold of winter. Friday morning I woke up to 4*F and this morning it was 15* but it was forecast to be 0* or lower. It's nice and clear though and due to that I thought the forecast was going to be true. Our clear sky typically doesn't hold the heat. Maybe it was cloudy as we slept. Toward the end of next week we're forecast to be over 30*F and if so, and no rain, I'll hit the woods with a test small game hunting conversion for the KIDD SG. I bought a heavier trigger for it and initial testing told me that it solved the issue of my old and cold fingers not feeling the 2 stage wall right before the break. But actual testing in the field will prove it or not. Stay warm folks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magwa Posted Saturday at 03:32 PM Report Share Posted Saturday at 03:32 PM 38 degrees rain and fog can't see poop! river is still high for almost a month now can't fish weather sucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sisco Posted Sunday at 02:54 AM Report Share Posted Sunday at 02:54 AM 11 hours ago, Magwa said: 38 degrees rain and fog can't see poop! river is still high for almost a month now can't fish weather sucks! We finally got ice fishermen in front of us yesterday. Playing roulette, they have about 4 inches at best with a current. 11 years ago I lost two friends through the ice in one year, so I decided to quit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magwa Posted Sunday at 02:49 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 02:49 PM 11 hours ago, Sisco said: We finally got ice fishermen in front of us yesterday. Playing roulette, they have about 4 inches at best with a current. 11 years ago I lost two friends through the ice in one year, so I decided to quit. This homie does not go out on the ice I have many friends who love it but nope not me..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.