Emergency Power/Storms/Prepping etc

biggen

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This seems to be more for people that don't have insurance. Their FAQ says they don't pay insurance deductibles and they also don't pay for anything insurance covers.

I guess if one felt that insurance didn't meet their needs, this could make up the difference? I'll bookmark it for the future. Thanks!
 

IReallyLikePizza2

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Well for the generator coverage, I'm not sure how my insurance would ever cost the cost of a generator

Quite a few people in the Houston subreddit got the $750 payout to cover spoiled food, with no insurance claims made
 

looney2ns

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biggen

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There is just so much Chinese junk on Amazon. I tend to stay away from most electronics on there unless they are brand name and it says it's sold by the actual manufacturer.
 

IReallyLikePizza2

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What do you mean here? Is FEMA paying you for the generator purchase?
"FEMA announced Thursday it would provide financial assistance to those who purchased or rented generators between July 5-20 because their electricity service was disrupted by the storm, which made landfall early July 8 near Matagorda Bay before passing almost directly over Houston.

The agency typically offers generator reimbursement costs only when it is used to power medically necessary equipment but is waiving that requirement in the case of Beryl, which left hundreds of thousands without power for a week or longer.

"It is unusual," FEMA spokesperson Rebecca Kelly said of such a waiver. "The power outage was so extensive that FEMA has decided to activate this program in order to support this recovery."

The assistance is available to eligible, impacted residents in the southeast Texas counties of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Orange, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Polk, San Jacinto, Walker and Wharton. Applicants must provide itemized receipts or equipment rental agreements, and their generator expenses must not be covered by insurance or other sources.

The reimbursement amount will be up to the market value of a 5,500-watt portable generator, which can cost $3,000 or more, according to Kelly, who said Thursday an individual assistance limit had not yet been set by FEMA. It also had not been determined whether impacted residents could recoup the money they spent on fuel to power their generators, she said, adding that those costs should be included in applications for assistance."
 

mattp

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Of course this is cheap chinese crap, but whats everyones thoughts on this?


Total comes to $35 and gives you 150w 120v AC power, and USB, off of an M18 battery which of course I have plenty
Living in Louisiana we've been through our share of power outages. The hands down best light solution came from my wife. She bought some decorative LED candles for our dining room. One time when the power went out I grabbed them...perfect solution. They run for a day or two on two AAA batteries.
I place a couple in the hall, one in each bathroom, one in the kitchen, etc. If I forget to turn them off, it's no big deal.
To answer your question, I bought a similar thing for my DeWalt batteries. But as posted, it's not UL listed and I wouldn't trust it unattended.
Honestly, the light output is minimal and I have used it a couple times to top off my phone. But, I wouldn't buy it if I didn't already own it.
 
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IReallyLikePizza2

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$299, not a terrible deal

 

abita_brewing

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Do I buy the above generator to try and sell or rent out during a storm? What do you think?
And incur potential liability? Nope. Not gonna make enough renting to make it worthwhile. If charge enough for that... then fall under profiteering/price gouging laws. And also, liability.
 

SIR VEYOR

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To answer your question, I bought a similar thing for my DeWalt batteries. But as posted, it's not UL listed and I wouldn't trust it unattended.
Meliff? Tools sells stuff for several battery lines. I’ve tried some of it, and it does the job. I’m tempted to order their fridge. The coffee maker is Kuerigs I think, so not as jazzed about that one. The air pump is ok, but not really for a truck tire. Smaller tires do ok.

I also have the DeWalt kit that charges batteries off the wall, 12V, or USB-C. And it can power stuff by USB & USB-C. It’s a pretty flexible solution to be prepared ahead, charge Batts in the car, and charge stuff like phones and run lights.
 

mattp

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$299, not a terrible deal

That's a great price!
My advice, buy 2. Run both under load for 30 minutes every year when you change the oil. If you have a space heater, that's perfect to apply a load.
Run all the gas out! I have put those fuel stabilizers in but it's best to just run it all out. Better is to just go with propane or natural gas.
I had something similar and we had of all things an ice storm. Stupid neighbor 2 houses down didn't trim their tree and a branch knocked out their line. 4 houses affected... But because of triage we didnt get power back for 4 days.
I had one of those Chinese generators and it worked good, but they didn't tighten the bolts. They wiggled loose and cracked an engine mount I wedged some wood in and got through the power outage.
I donated it to someone in Grand Isle and bought a new one. I loctited all the bolts on the new one.
Having been through enough damn hurricanes for a lifetime, I made sure it was a "dual fuel" generator. Yeah you get less power out of that 4 kw generator but it will run 24 hours on a tank of propane. And you don't have to wait in line for hours to get propane.
 

mattp

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Meliff? Tools sells stuff for several battery lines. I’ve tried some of it, and it does the job. I’m tempted to order their fridge. The coffee maker is Kuerigs I think, so not as jazzed about that one. The air pump is ok, but not really for a truck tire. Smaller tires do ok.

I also have the DeWalt kit that charges batteries off the wall, 12V, or USB-C. And it can power stuff by USB & USB-C. It’s a pretty flexible solution to be prepared ahead, charge Batts in the car, and charge stuff like phones and run lights.
Meliff sounds familiar.
I have a few off brand DeWalt accessories. I bought an LED floodlight that I like and a glue gun. Also have some aftermarket 18v to 20v adapters for my old DeWalt tools.
Unfortunately none of this is ul listed. So just be careful with this Chinese crap! Don't leave any of it unattended.
 

SIR VEYOR

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Meliff sounds familiar.
I have a few off brand DeWalt accessories. I bought an LED floodlight that I like and a glue gun. Also have some aftermarket 18v to 20v adapters for my old DeWalt tools.
Unfortunately none of this is ul listed. So just be careful with this Chinese crap! Don't leave any of it unattended.
It is a risk assessment thing. But the batteries are UL (IIRC),and have at least parts of a BMS onboard. So a couple layers there, and you should be performing checks in it before critical use.

And from elsewhere:
Is UL Certification Required by Law? No, there currently is no law that requires products to be approved by UL. However, in many manufacturing and service applications, there may be specific codes that require the use of UL-recognized products.
 
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