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What did you neglect in your preps?

The bad:

- I neglected finishing my permanent wiring for direct house hookup of one of the gennys, which resulted in no power to the well. Had to scramble and finish that Friday night/Saturday AM. Got it working.
- Ran out of water for flushing on Friday, until I realized I had a couple of old 5 gal Crystal Springs jugs stored in the basement.
- Was juggling extension cords quite a bit. Need at least 2 more...a 25 and a 50 footer.
- Forgot to fill bathtubs and the RV onboard water tank. D'oh!

The good:

- All 3 of my gennys started (two propane, one non-ethanol gas).
- Was able to keep fridge and freezer cold, saving the 1/2 cow we just provisioned.
- Had plenty of fresh fuel on hand, plus more in vehicles and boat tank.
- Ryobi ONE+ batteries, chargers and small USB power source kept phones charged, rotating the Ryobi batteries to a generator-powered charger, as needed. Good for Ryobi flashlights, too.
- Was able to keep Internet access up from Saturday on, with the same genny that was powering the well pump
- 48v golf cart used for neighborhood transport, easy to keep charged via a spare genny plug, when not in use. Same genny as well pump.
- Tankless hot water heater is a very low generator load for hot water, as long as you have propane.
- Used my tractor to help clear the road into the neighborhood, as the neighbors did chainsaw work. Plenty of extra diesel on hand, but not needed.
- My propane cylinders lasted far longer than anticipated (running 5500w gennys at relatively low demand).
- Old school/non-inverter generators didn't damage any electronics.

Lessons:

- Finish preps before the storm, including the bigger projects.
- Work from a checklist so you don't forget action items (like filling water receptacles).
- Think you need 1 genny? Buy 2. Need 2? Buy 3. Etc.
- Physical labor goes way up when the power goes out.
- My son and nephew were supposed to be in western NC for nephew's bachelor party, which was thankfully cancelled, based on the forecast. Heed forecasts, even when they might be over-hyped.
 
I don't know really. Got 1 circuit wired for the jenny and the freezer is on it. Got a Berkey Water filter. Could use the fridge in the camper. I have a stove and heat in basement on gas. I filled up 10 gal. of gas for jenny. Don't won't to ever know how long that lasts. Pray for folks. It's gonna get real as time passes. Samaritans Purse is pretty good to get boots on the ground
 
Remember fellas, water in plastic has a 2 year shelf life. Plastic starts breaking down into the water. Especially in "milk jug" style containers (6 months)
If you buy one of those 5 gallon water jerry cans and store it empty until needed will it stay safe to fill with potable water just before shutdown?
 
If you buy one of those 5 gallon water jerry cans and store it empty until needed will it stay safe to fill with potable water just before shutdown?

Long term storage containers are different and have a much longer shelf life ( the water usually goes bad before the plastic)

He's talking about reusable milk jugs.
 
I found a few problems with my preps during this emergency.
We didn’t get hit hard, and I had plenty in my RV, but I’ve let my gasoline stash get low. Many areas close to me will have a week or more without power, and fuel stations are had if not impossible to find or get to before they run out.

I would have lasted 3 days at best.
Are you talking about getting gasoline right before the storm? Because gasoline is really complicated to keep in storage for long period of time… it will go bad… Besides the safety issue.
 
I had 20 gal of fuel. I could run my fridge and small freezer an a light bulb or two off my little Honda EU2000 for days if needed. Natural gas cooktop and flat grill would keep me eating so I was good there. Water is a different animal..should have more non potable stored and fresh too. I keep a decent amount of cash on hand. If it was winter I’d just keep the fireplace burning. I’m sure I’m lax in other areas but I could make do.
That's it, knowing how to make do......
 
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