| Steve & Susan 2005-05-31, 8:54 am |
| On Mon, 30 May 2005 11:03:07 -0600, Notan <notan@ddress.com> wrote:
>While I'd *love* to have an automatic transfer switch, the automatic
>systems are prohibitively expensive, at least for us.
>
>Since your "big freeze," have you purchased a backup system?
No. I have a generator in the garage that I can wheel out and hook up
if I needed. Nothing automatic and nothing as effortless as what I
want.
I'm in about the same situation with one being prohibitively expensive
right now. Susan and I both work in the public sector and I am about
$15,000 - 20,000 behind what others in private industry would make
doing a similar job. She's a fire/ EMS dispatcher, which pays about a
step above fast food, but not as much as a video store manager. I
know, boo hoo... .
Instead, I installed a shut-off where I can turn everything off
without turning off the well to two other homes and bought a lot of
3/4" copper tubing and sweat solder equipment for repairs. I also
leave the water running a trickle. I'm not sure if that will work to
relieve the pressure if the power is off to the well, but who knows.
The one thing I haven't done yet is put a deep freezer in the garage
for meats. That was probably the first thing I should have bought
moving out here.
I do want to do something for power backup, but I'd probably sell this
house and move back east to do something different once I completed my
graduate degree. The money saved would probably make a fairly decent
downpayment. If for some reason everything goes into a handbasket, the
generator, better soundproofing and knocking down/ rebuilding the
oldest part of the house (one of the last things a homeowner hates is:
"surprise" and the oldest section of this house has yielded many of
them) are on the list.
Steve
|