Re: Hurricane Irene Be safe
All is still quiet in north west NJ. Had a few showers earlier today, but nothing lasting longer than a minute or two. Got the generator out and started up, checked the oil and filled with gas. Have 15 gallons of gas for the generator, and if that runs out, there are another 15 or so in the boat I can siphon in a pinch. All flower pots, pattio furniture, etc put in garage. Boats have extra bungies on the tarps.
My real concern is water flooding the finished basement. But the generator should carry us through, and there is also a battery backup sump pump too. The generator is only 5500 watts (240V) that is wired to run the whole house. this is very convenient, as all lights work and no need for candles, etc. And the frige, freezer, and well pump all work without having to make any special connections. Can even run one burner on the stove top to cook. And now with most lights being CFL, it reduces the load on the generator even more. Still, you have to be careful what you turn on, and remember to turn off lights when leaving rooms. its easy to exceed 5500 watts. Big storms like this can easily take out power for a few days here, so a generator is mandatory. I would like to get a bigger and quieter generator, would be nice to run the AC, but they are expensive.
