Posted on 08/28/2011 9:58:32 AM PDT by SamAdams76
Well at least this happened on a Sunday and not on a day I had to get to work.
Woke up this morning to some heavy rains and winds, all attributed to some storm named Irene that was supposed to blow itself out off the New Jersey coast last night. All in all, the winds weren't any worse than what we get from your typical winter storm but unfortunately some sort of tree or "branch" brought down a power line in my neighborhood, rendering us without any of the modern conveniences.
So now I finally get to use that Briggs and Stratton generator that I paid about $1,000 for three years ago after an ice storm left us without power for nearly a week back in December of 2008. Now ever since I bought that generator, it sat in the shed, in mint condition, waiting to get stolen, as we never lost power again. Or at least the power never went out when I was home to get it turned on.
Pouring sheets of rain, I dash out to the shed and was glad to see the generator still there, hardly moved at all since I put some oil and gas into it all that time ago. Dragged it out into the yard and now I have to figure out how to turn the thing on. Turned the house upside down looking for the manual and finally located it on top of the old refrigerator in the garage where I also found my old iPod player that I thought I had lost forever - turns out it's only worth $8 according to this website. I think I paid $399 for it, which allowed Steve Jobs to get a haircut back in the day.
After messing around with some switches and the choke, I finally get the thing started which was impressive considering the gas was nearly three years old and it was pouring rain. So now I have to run around the house and garage, collecting all the extension cords so I can start rigging up the lights, the refrigerator, and most importantly the router so that I can get the internet going again.
Now I'm rummaging in the basement, looking to see if I can get the sump pumps hooked up to the generator so that my house doesn't flood. It's dark down there and I can't see anything nor is there any working flashlights handy. Now I know that my house contains at least a dozen flashlights of various shapes and sizes, but on this particular morning, I cannot find a single one that works.
So now I have to have an encounter with The People of Walmart as that is the closest big-box store to my house that would possibly have flashlights still in stock after all the media fear-mongering of the past few days.
Getting to the Walmart was not easy as there were tree branches all over the streets and the rains were torrential and my wipers were not able to keep up. But I did get to the Walmart and I did find it to be open. I don't think even a real hurricane would close a Walmart. Besides, I think many of the workers actually live there so if they need to keep the lights and AC on all night, might as well let in some customers.
Now I just want to get in and out of this place, so I blow by the greeter before he has a chance to say hello and offer me a carriage and haul myself over to the camping section. As I expected, the flashlight section was more or less completely cleaned out. The only flashlights still available were those gigantic metal ones that take about eight size "D" batteries and double as a police nightstick. They were almost $50 - not including batteries.
Having no choice in the matter and knowing that I was going to look like a total dweeb buying this monstrosity of a flashlight in the Wal-Mart the morning of the big storm, I went up to the register along with a gigantic blister-pack of "D" batteries. Of course, the cashier has to prolong the experience by asking me if I want a Wal-Mart credit card, if I want a three-year extended warranty for my flashlight and then she had to throw in there that if I had come earlier, I could have gotten a cheaper flashlight.
Less than a half hour after getting home, the power got restored. But at least I know my $1,000 generator actually works and should the power go out again, I'll have a $50 state-of-the-art flashlight to get around the basement with - that is, if I can find it.
stimulating the economy.
Dude, have you ever heard of ‘’Sta-bil’’? It’s a additive you put in the gas if you’re going to leave gas sitting in the tank(which you should never do anyway). Keeps the fuel from either breaking down or getting moisture in it. You’re damn lucky your $700 generator wasn’t a piece of junk leaving it sit as you did.
Take the batteries out of the flashlight, if you want it to work in three years.
Sounds like you had a fun day.
I’m pretty sure I did put some fuel stabilizer in the tank last time I started it up. Probably what saved me this time. Before I put it back in the shed, I’m going to run the tank dry and change out the oil.
This never really happened. It was just some loser trying to write a humorous “I’m so much better than people who shop at Walmart” piece and failing miserably.
The author is a flaming idiot. We have 4 of those little LED headlamps that cost us about 6 bucks a piece IIRC. They’re great to have one hand when the power goes out. No, they aren’t stylish. But they do put put a lot of light and your hands are free to do some actual work.
And what kind of fool buys an expensive piece of equipment and then doesn’t learn how to use it properly?
Fellow Preppers feel free to continue ripping on this person.
That is all
L
Neatest new product I’ve seen recently, is an led replacement bulb for those generic flashlight bulbs.
They come in two sizes that I’ve seen. One for 2-cell flashlights, the other for four.
Put one of those in that 4-cell nightstick and you could probably point it at your ceiling and leave it turned on for a month, never needing a candle.
Interesting story there, SamAdams76.
I would only add that using three-year-old gasoline is not a good idea (necessary here and I understand). I’ve been told numerous times to not use gasoline that is over three months of age since it starts breaking down chemically after that time. There are, of course, gasoline-extenders on the market.
If I can talk the old lady into getting a generator I would periodically change the gasoline.
Again, a good tale and well told.
Well being that it might be another three years before I need to fire that generator up, do you think it is a good idea to store it with an empty tank? Or should I keep about a gallon in there so I can start it up from time to time?
You should get over to the “Hurricane of Hype” thread. Many there will be shocked you made it to WalMart and back alive during the storm of the century. I’m pretty sure Obama told you to stay home ; )
Pretty sure the flashlight would have stopped working after three years, because the batteries leaked all over the electrical contacts in the flashlight.
Necessitating a new flashlight...
Never leave batteries in a radio or flashlight indefinitely if you don’t use the gadget with some regularity.
Similar battery issue with using a scaling up version, such as sealed lead acid batteries for backup power in a pinch - after several months, go back and charge them up.
They’ll degrade after a while if not recharged.
Well I always wanted a “real” flashlight. It is big enough where you can place it on the floor and it will act as a floodlight, lighting up the whole room. Makes one hell of a weapon as well, should I have to go out in the yard in the middle of the night and come across an intruder.
“it doesn't matter...they'll be returned on Monday”
I was over on the “Hurricane of Hype” thread...tough crowd!
I dont know if it was true or not. But I was really surprised he found a blister pack of D cell batteries. That was the ONLY size battery we could not find.
Around 20 years ago my Father told me the best way to store the generator is to just run it dry. He must have been right because a year or so after he died, I needed a generator. I went over to the old house and hauled it home.
To my surprised, after putting some gas in it, it cranked right up. Well 5 or 6 years pass and the power goes out. I get the generator out and try to crank it. Then I discover I left it full of gas. It will not crank.
The next day, I take the carburetor apart and lose some part. I plan on replacing the part but keep forgetting. Finally sell it to a guy who can repair it.
A year or two ago, I buy a new generator. Not very powerful but enough to run the refrigerator or the window ac but not both. Not even close to powerful enough to run the central ac. I just remembered, I left gas in it.
Ok...good story, and glad your generator worked. But can I add that all those “Wal-Martians” ie., employees had the work ethic to drag themselves to that store, in the same awful conditions you choose to drive to get a flashlight that you suddenly needed. They were there—probably thinking about the tree that might come down on their roof; or their family sitting in the dark at home.
I work retail (mgmnt) and I can tell you that that store probably had dozens of call offs and those who did brave the elements (and are keeping the store open for ‘needed’ items. Front line retail is low pay and thankless...on days like today though pleasant customers ‘boy was I glad to see you were open!’ Can keep up morale.
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