There's trees down all over the north east

[weatherguy]

Got over a foot so far and still snowing , lost power hours ago. Trees and large branches everywhere, I should be able to get a years worth of wood just in my neighborhood.
On another note, it's 75 in the house with the PH doing it's thing.

 

[Knots]

I heard a rumor that in Connecticut, the tree clearing maintenance that they do for utilities actually chop and split the wood from the trees into piles where they get taken down and are free for the taking as firewood Just have to load and go with it. It'd be nice if they did that around here-

I lived in CT for 45 years. Here's what I saw: A power line crew once cut and stacked (but not split) the trimmings they did along the power lines in the woods. It was hickory, oak, and maple. It was very difficult to get it out and only me and friend were willing to go through the physical labor to get it out so we had time t work it.

As far as road-side utility work wood goes, I don't ever recall seeing it cut to length and never stacked or split. Both the crew and the police directing traffic have friends and cell phones. If you showed up too early they waved you off the pickings. The moment they left, there was someone on it. I rarely got anything along the road and if I did I really had to hustle.

 

[edyit]

in our area the power company will cut to 4' lengths and stack in a neat pile anything that won't fit into their chipper.

 

[firefighterjake]

They pumped our numbers up a little. 13-21". I gotta run out and get French Toast fixins'
View attachment 223913 ...

Local "supermarket" was pretty busy last night . . . I was half tempted to run around the store at breakneck speed yelling "Bread, milk and beer . . . bread, milk and beer . . . Storm's comin' . . . I need bread, milk and beer!" I settled for a box of brownie mix and peanut butter chips.

 

[Manly]

I heard a rumor that in Connecticut, the tree clearing maintenance that they do for utilities actually chop and split the wood from the trees into piles where they get taken down and are free for the taking as firewood Just have to load and go with it. It'd be nice if they did that around here-

Yes. They will also deliver and stack it if you give them an address. All included in the price we pay for electricity.

 

[Ashful]

I pushed maybe 2" of snow, 1 blade width, down the driveway. The resulting pile was so heavy that it stopped an old steel plow truck, which weighs roughly 8000 pounds, dead in its tracks. I had to break it into thirds to move it.

No snow blower is going to be able to touch this stuff.

It came down so wet here that what might have been a foot of snow amounted to less than 2” of soupy wet stuff. The type of snow that breaks shovels.

I had the snowblower already mounted to the tractor, so I tried it, but it just slopped out of the shoot and landed atop the snowblower. I dropped that in the barn, and did clean-up with the front-end loader. All walks were hand-shoveled, at substantial weight and effort.

 

[Knots]

I settled for a box of brownie mix and peanut butter chips.

Breakfast of champions!

Yes. They will also deliver and stack it if you give them an address. All included in the price we pay for electricity.

LOL!

Doh! The plow guy just got stuck off the side of my driveway.

 

[ToltingColtAcres]

How far from Providence are you?

11.5 miles ENE

 

[weatherguy]

I lived in CT for 45 years. Here's what I saw: A power line crew once cut and stacked (but not split) the trimmings they did along the power lines in the woods. It was hickory, oak, and maple. It was very difficult to get it out and only me and friend were willing to go through the physical labor to get it out so we had time t work it.

As far as road-side utility work wood goes, I don't ever recall seeing it cut to length and never stacked or split. Both the crew and the police directing traffic have friends and cell phones. If you showed up too early they waved you off the pickings. The moment they left, there was someone on it. I rarely got anything along the road and if I did I really had to hustle.

I live on the ct border and drive in CT for work all the time. I see the wood cut, not to any particular length all over the back roads. If I still had a truck id pick it up, but don't at the moment.
I would think the well travelled roads would get picked clean quick, but I see stuff on the back roads sitting for weeks some times.

 

[Knots]

I live on the ct border and drive in CT for work all the time. I see the wood cut, not to any particular length all over the back roads. If I still had a truck id pick it up, but don't at the moment.
I would think the well travelled roads would get picked clean quick, but I see stuff on the back roads sitting for weeks some times.

I guess I should have said that I was in Fairfield County. It's densely populated.

 

[WES999]

Lots of of trees down around here, many with out power, I was very fortunate, never lost power, only lost some a few branches on the dogwood in front of my house.

Ex wife lives about 1/2 mile away, not so lucky, transformer fire cut power to the neighborhood and to make matters worse, a large limb broke off (I will be cutting that up for fire wood when it is safe) and ripped off the wires to the house. Power may not be back on until Sunday.
Stopped by their house yesterday to clean out the fridge, it was 45 inside, makes you really appreciate having a wood stove.

Stay safe

 

[Knots]

8-12" forecast for Tuesday. Looks like Mother Nature realized that she forgot about us in February this year...

 

[Ashful]

Lots of of trees down around here, many with out power, I was very fortunate, never lost power, only lost some a few branches on the dogwood in front of my house.


Stopped by their house yesterday to clean out the fridge, it was 45 inside, makes you really appreciate having a wood stove.

If it’s 45F in the house, there’s likely no need to clean out the fridge. I target 40F, but many keep their fridge at 45F.

There are still people around here without power from the nor’easter on March 2nd, I’m glad I’m not one of them. We were only out 3 days, which ran me about 25 gallons of gasoline for the portable generator.

BTW, for those who were recently running their genny’s, here’s how I keep mine ready for next time.

1. Always run fuel stabilizer in your generator gas. You never know which tank full will be your last, for a given event.
2. When it’s done, shut off fuel valve and run it dry.
3. Drain carb bowl. Most good generators (Honda GX engines) have a drain screw for this purpose on the carb bowl. Kohler or Subaru may have a spring plunger on the bowl. Cheaper brands may require you to remove the bowl and dump it. This is critical, though.
4. Drain and replace oil. It’s too cheap to not do it, and who knows how long this generator might sit (3+ years?) before you use it next.

If the tank is full (bad timing), I might pull the fuel line and drain it. But if it’s less than half full, I just count on the stabilizer to do its job, and top off with fresh gas the next time I use it.

 

[jetsam]

If it’s 45F in the house, there’s likely no need to clean out the fridge. I target 40F, but many keep their fridge at 45F.

There are still people around here without power from the nor’easter on March 2nd, I’m glad I’m not one of them. We were only out 3 days, which ran me about 25 gallons of gasoline for the portable generator.

BTW, for those who were recently running their genny’s, here’s how I keep mine ready for next time.

1. Always run fuel stabilizer in your generator gas. You never know which tank full will be your last, for a given event.
2. When it’s done, shut off fuel valve and run it dry.
3. Drain carb bowl. Most good generators (Honda GX engines) have a drain screw for this purpose on the carb bowl. Kohler or Subaru may have a spring plunger on the bowl. Cheaper brands may require you to remove the bowl and dump it. This is critical, though.
4. Drain and replace oil. It’s too cheap to not do it, and who knows how long this generator might sit (3+ years?) before you use it next.

If the tank is full (bad timing), I might pull the fuel line and drain it. But if it’s less than half full, I just count on the stabilizer to do its job, and top off with fresh gas the next time I use it.

Or drill a hole in the bowl and put a propane line in the hole. No fuss, no muss, no looking for gas next time! I converted my old Generac to propane years ago and am still glad I did.

 

[mustash29]

SE Ct & very rural here.....

Wednesday it rained all day but turned into big fat heavy wet flakes about 4 pm. Got home from work at 7. From 7:30 to 8:30 the neighborhood sounded like a gigantic bowl of Rice Krispies. Snap - crackle - pop - every few minutes.

8 pm - Out in the front yard letting the Shelties do their business when a 25 foot x 10" diameter limb broke off of a huge oak tree on the other side of the road at the end of my driveway. It hit the high wire (4800 volts) and summersaulted 1/2 way across the road, smashed the mailbox, broke the wire insulator off the pole cross bar, blew the transformer about 4 houses up the street but never actually broke the high wire.

Loaded the stove & went to bed.

Thurs 3 am - fired up the 5500 genny, blew 5" of slop off the driveway & went to work.

Fri - Cut up the mess of burnable limbs from the back yard, still have to chip the crap.

Sat 1 pm - Power back on. Now safe to work near the road, cut up the 25' oak limbs & chucked them on the "needs split" pile.

Now they are saying 5-8" for 'noreaster #3 Mon night & Tues.

 

[mass_burner]

Seems like the last storm prepped the ground cause I see more trees down from this weaker storm. I think all tolled we got ~4" .

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[jetsam]

I had a 6" branch fall on my chicken run, but happily it was a glancing blow and the run didn't take any serious damage. Was fun getting it off, though- the top is hardware cloth and 2x3s in the middle, not good walkin' up there.



The whole thing wound up falling on top of the run during (sub)limbing- all the weight is up in the air in this photo.



And here's my power line. Pine trees again! I think they are out to get me this month.

 

[rowerwet]

I live right on the MA/NH border on rt 125, we got a foot of heavy wet stuff, lost power at 2 AM, no big deal, the wood stove was putting out heat just fine.
Got up at 0340 AM, used the single stage snow blower to clear a path to get the car out and drove to work.
Power was out at the Manchester Airport, so everything was on the generators.

got home in the afternoon and dragged out the generator I bought back when I put in the OPB in '08, at my house in Maine. We were on the generator all night and didn't get power back until about 2 pm friday.

Haverhill and Plaistow got hammered with downed trees and broken wires, there are still people who are waiting for power.

The snow was so heavy and wet it has compacted to about 6" deep, but solid, almost like cement.
Friday I left work in the morning and headed out to harvest firewood, I got two trailer loads of Maple, some of it was from trees blocking the roads.

Saturday I took the kids to the big sledding hill in Groveland for a few hours, then took down a Mulberry (?) tree that was butchered by the heavy snow, and hanging in the street. Another trailer load of firewood for the stacks!

I've got a bunch of trees lined up for tomorrow, after I get any that are still blocking the streets in the area.
There are tree crews everywhere in the area, and they are still ignoring the side streets, just working on the main roads.

Tree Hoarders Paradise!

 

[jharkin]

If it’s 45F in the house, there’s likely no need to clean out the fridge. I target 40F, but many keep their fridge at 45F.

There are still people around here without power from the nor’easter on March 2nd, I’m glad I’m not one of them. We were only out 3 days, which ran me about 25 gallons of gasoline for the portable generator.

BTW, for those who were recently running their genny’s, here’s how I keep mine ready for next time.

1. Always run fuel stabilizer in your generator gas. You never know which tank full will be your last, for a given event.
2. When it’s done, shut off fuel valve and run it dry.
3. Drain carb bowl. Most good generators (Honda GX engines) have a drain screw for this purpose on the carb bowl. Kohler or Subaru may have a spring plunger on the bowl. Cheaper brands may require you to remove the bowl and dump it. This is critical, though.
4. Drain and replace oil. It’s too cheap to not do it, and who knows how long this generator might sit (3+ years?) before you use it next.

If the tank is full (bad timing), I might pull the fuel line and drain it. But if it’s less than half full, I just count on the stabilizer to do its job, and top off with fresh gas the next time I use it.

You know the one thing I dont do is drain the bowl. I shutoff the fuel, let it run dry, then siphon out the tank (so I can fill it fresh next time). Usually I test run every few months but I got lazy this year and last Thu when we we out for a day I was trying to get it going and it was a #$(*#(*&$#. Must still have been some old gas in the bowl.

And as luck would have it, power DID come back minutes after I got it going.

Question - how much do you run yours? I get away with just a gallon or two a day because I only run it a couple hours at breakfast and a couple hours at dinner to chill the fridge, cycle the water heater and run the septic pump. Maybe recharge batteries if needed (I have a deep cycle that I can use to keep the phones charged, and mostly we just read books) In between we just coast. But Ive got the benefit of city water and a gas cooktop....

 

[Ashful]

Question - how much do you run yours?

I have gone thru 3 outages requiring use of a generator in six years. It may sit more than 3 years between outages, hence the fuel draining, etc.

During an outage, if we are home and awake, it is running. I only shut it down and put it away when we leave the house, or when we go to bed. I’m usually busy working on something in the shop, and need my lights and power tools, or watching a movie with the kids in the evening. My wife is using the computer, cooking, watching TV while ironing, etc. We generally don’t run the laundry, during an outage.

We probably average close to 10 gallons per day, running it maybe 16 - 18 hours per day.

 

[sportbikerider78]

That’s your concession prize, for living in Syracuse.

What's yours for living in Philly?

 

[Ashful]

What's yours for living in Philly?

Superbowl trophy.

Well, that, and being 230 miles from that messy pool of mercury you guys call a lake!

"Onondaga Lake is still one of the most polluted lakes in the United States"

Full disclosure, I seriously considered taking a job in Syracuse, when I finished graduate school.

 

[mass_burner]

They're saying 18-26" for us in se mass. Power out this am, came on for 1/2 hr and tree took it out again. Was planning to run the snow thrower, but it's currently blizzard/white out conditions.

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[Ashful]

A friendly acquaintance of mine lost their house in the nor’easter that hit us eleven days ago. Apparently a tree knocked out their power feed, which started the fire. His wife and kids were able to get out of the house without injury, but had to just huddle in the raging snow, while watching the house burn. The fire companies could not get to the house, due to the conditions of the roads, and the downed trees and wires blocking most of the roads that day. They apparently escaped with only the clothes on their backs, everything was lost.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Yes. They will also deliver and stack it if you give them an address. All included in the price we pay for electricity.

I could be a sucker here, but is this true?