Home Electricity Outage - Maverick XL w/400 Watt Inverter kept us in Charged Batteries for 5+ days

[uh50]

This post is dedicated to Cory Foster, a lineman from West Virginia. He left home to come and help East Texans get their power back up after a high winds storm played havoc with our power companies here in rural East Texas. He lost his life due to heat exhaustion. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. If you want to read more about Cory and maybe help his family, here is the link for the full story: Cory Foster

We were one of the 47,000 Upshur County Rural Electric Coop in East Texas that were without power since last Thursday night, very early Friday morning. We were luckier than some since we had lots of Ryobi 18V Batteries and inverters for small and short uses of certain things. And, thanks to relatives, we had an EGO 2000W Inverter with four 56V batteries.

Mi Camión Azul ran for five+ days to keep the 56V and 18V batteries charged. We let the little truck rest at night for a few hours. It took the 400W outlet on my truck about 2 1/2 hours to charge one 56V battery along with various 18V stuff. We had an EGO 2000W Inverter that ran some small appliances when we needed them. We ran things like the microwave, can opener, satellite internet modem, and satellite TV. We ran the refrigerator for a couple of days until we were forced to make a decision. Either, stay somewhat cool with the 56V fan or stay hot and let the food spoil. So, we emptied out the refrigerator and brought ice for things to keep cool

We’re also thankful for the EGO 24” 56V fan that allowed us to sleep some in the hot house. The cool thing about the fan is a water input that sprays mist like the old fashion water coolers we had back in the ‘50s in West Texas. It gave a nice respite when needed to cool down.

During the outage, Rita my wife, was talking to our neighbor last Friday and they discussed the top of one of our Sweet Gum trees had fallen across the fence. Rita committed to her that I would move the top of the tree. It was about a 40’ Sweet Gum and about 1/3 had fallen from the top. So yesterday Rita pushed me to get it cleared off the neighbor’s lot. So, I did. Turns out that the tree was not ours, but did belong to the neighbors. Rita wanted to immediately call her and tell her it was her tree and I told her no, I would clear the tree first, which I did. It took me about 3 hours in the Monday afternoon heat. I drug about 1/4 of it to the front yard to get ready and haul off, the rest I drug through the gate just inside our yard.

When I was through, Rita called and told her the tree top and limbs were cleared, in our yard, and oh, by the way, the tree was yours, not ours. The neighbor told Rita that she knew a guy that we could hire to haul the tree top and limbs to the burn pile and he wouldn’t charge us much. Rita laughed when she told me that she wanted us to hire someone to haul off her tree. Just kinda normal thinking these days, isn’t it?

To be fair, the neighbors are in their mid-80s. She probably didn’t even catch that the tree was on their lot.

Thanks to Ford for making a little truck that can idle for 5 days in East Texas heat of over 105° (heat indexed) without overheating. It just sat there and ran, and ran, and ran, keeping my batteries charged. The little truck allowed us to stay a little cool and have some normalcy during a stressful time. Thanks, Ford.

Thank God, Upshur Electric Coop, SWEPCO, and line crews from Louisiana, Arkansas, and as far away as West Virginia to get the power restored for us late this afternoon. A special thanks to Cory Foster and his family.

On early Tuesday evening, we got home from the store to see the lights on in the carport. Man, that AC sure feels good.

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[TedTX]

Respect to lineman…. Especially Texas Lineman. At University the locals would adopt home sick prone dorm students for meals, free babysitting and more. The younger couple with kids that adopted me had a linesman father. He would be gone a lot during tornado and hurricane outbreaks so I would help out around their house mow grass etc, change tires, watch kids while mom was shopping. He would come home shirt stiff with sweat salts dried on back after a few days round the clock repairing downed wires.

 

[Edge Haley]

This post is dedicated to Cory Foster, a lineman from West Virginia. He left home to come and help East Texans get their power back up after a high winds storm played havoc with our power companies here in rural East Texas. He lost his life due to heat exhaustion. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. If you want to read more about Cory and maybe help his family, here is the link for the full story: Cory Foster

We were one of the 47,000 Upshur County Rural Electric Coop in East Texas that were without power since last Thursday night, very early Friday morning. We were luckier than some since we had lots of Ryobi 18V Batteries and inverters for small and short uses of certain things. And, thanks to relatives, we had an EGO 2000W Inverter with four 56V batteries.

Mi Camión Azul ran for five+ days to keep the 56V and 18V batteries charged. We let the little truck rest at night for a few hours. It took the 400W outlet on my truck about 2 1/2 hours to charge one 56V battery along with various 18V stuff. We had an EGO 2000W Inverter that ran some small appliances when we needed them. We ran things like the microwave, can opener, satellite internet modem, and satellite TV. We ran the refrigerator for a couple of days until we were forced to make a decision. Either, stay somewhat cool with the 56V fan or stay hot and let the food spoil. So, we emptied out the refrigerator and brought ice for things to keep cool

We’re also thankful for the EGO 24” 56V fan that allowed us to sleep some in the hot house. The cool thing about the fan is a water input that sprays mist like the old fashion water coolers we had back in the ‘50s in West Texas. It gave a nice respite when needed to cool down.

During the outage, Rita my wife, was talking to our neighbor last Friday and they discussed the top of one of our Sweet Gum trees had fallen across the fence. Rita committed to her that I would move the top of the tree. It was about a 40’ Sweet Gum and about 1/3 had fallen from the top. So yesterday Rita pushed me to get it cleared off the neighbor’s lot. So, I did. Turns out that the tree was not ours, but did belong to the neighbors. Rita wanted to immediately call her and tell her it was her tree and I told her no, I would clear the tree first, which I did. It took me about 3 hours in the Monday afternoon heat. I drug about 1/4 of it to the front yard to get ready and haul off, the rest I drug through the gate just inside our yard.

When I was through, Rita called and told her the tree top and limbs were cleared, in our yard, and oh, by the way, the tree was yours, not ours. The neighbor told Rita that she knew a guy that we could hire to haul the tree top and limbs to the burn pile and he wouldn’t charge us much. Rita laughed when she told me that she wanted us to hire someone to haul off her tree. Just kinda normal thinking these days, isn’t it?

To be fair, the neighbors are in their mid-80s. She probably didn’t even catch that the tree was on their lot.

Thanks to Ford for making a little truck that can idle for 5 days in East Texas heat of over 105° (heat indexed) without overheating. It just sat there and ran, and ran, and ran, keeping my batteries charged. The little truck allowed us to stay a little cool and have some normalcy during a stressful time. Thanks, Ford.

Thank God, Upshur Electric Coop, SWEPCO, and line crews from Louisiana, Arkansas, and as far away as West Virginia to get the power restored for us late this afternoon. A special thanks to Cory Foster and his family.

On early Tuesday evening, we got home from the store to see the lights on in the carport. Man, that AC sure feels good.

I felt just like you until my insurance agent read me the law.

Legally in my state (GA), and most states, if a neighbor's tree falls in my yard, me or my insurance company is responsible for removing the tree, even if it was the neighbor's tree. I've been through it 4 times with neighbors. It is the home owner's responsibility for the debris removal wherever the tree falls...considered an act of God. One of my neighbor's 8 trees cost me $4,000 to have a tree company remove their fallen trees from my backyard during hurricane Opel....these same neighbor's 8 trees did $14,000 in damage to my home, still at my expense/insurance. Even had to pay my own $1,000 deductible.

RIP Corey

The only variable is you can write a letter to the neighbor if a tree looks diseased or prone to falling, then the liability is passed back to the neighbor. Best to have a signed receipt of your letter.

 

[rat_bastard]

Makes my desire to show a movie in a dispersed campsite for lols seem shallow in comparison, still as a professional rodbuster my bed outlet is a happy offshoot of my desire for heated seats that would help loosen tight back and thigh muscles and a truly comfortable pilot seat.

 

[Montana]

RIP Cory.

 

[uh50]

Makes my desire to show a movie in a dispersed campsite for lols seem shallow in comparison, still as a professional rodbuster my bed outlet is a happy offshoot of my desire for heated seats that would help loosen tight back and thigh muscles and a truly comfortable pilot seat.

Man, Rodbuster is an under-appreciated profession, until you need one. Tough job and quite frankly as a retired construction manager, I've witnessed the difference between a professional and someone hired off the street.

 

[ychuck46]

I felt just like you until my insurance agent read me the law.

Legally in my state (GA), and most states, if a neighbor's tree falls in my yard, me or my insurance company is responsible for removing the tree, even if it was the neighbor's tree. I've been through it 4 times with neighbors. It is the home owner's responsibility for the debris removal wherever the tree falls...considered an act of God. One of my neighbor's 8 trees cost me $4,000 to have a tree company remove their fallen trees from my backyard during hurricane Opel....these same 8 trees did $14,000 in damage to my home, still at my expense/insurance.

You are absolutely correct. That may be the law in all states from what I have read. It is certainly true here in TN, but I will oftentimes take care of downed trees regardless of whose lot it was on (we live in a heavily wooded development). I have the equipment, at almost 70 years of age I am still in better shape than most of our neighbors, and I do a lot of wood and paper burning in my large fire pit. Haven't had any home damage because of such trees; that would be tough to swallow but your point is correct.

 

[Barksdale123]

This post is dedicated to Cory Foster, a lineman from West Virginia. He left home to come and help East Texans get their power back up after a high winds storm played havoc with our power companies here in rural East Texas. He lost his life due to heat exhaustion. Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers. If you want to read more about Cory and maybe help his family, here is the link for the full story: Cory Foster

We were one of the 47,000 Upshur County Rural Electric Coop in East Texas that were without power since last Thursday night, very early Friday morning. We were luckier than some since we had lots of Ryobi 18V Batteries and inverters for small and short uses of certain things. And, thanks to relatives, we had an EGO 2000W Inverter with four 56V batteries.

Mi Camión Azul ran for five+ days to keep the 56V and 18V batteries charged. We let the little truck rest at night for a few hours. It took the 400W outlet on my truck about 2 1/2 hours to charge one 56V battery along with various 18V stuff. We had an EGO 2000W Inverter that ran some small appliances when we needed them. We ran things like the microwave, can opener, satellite internet modem, and satellite TV. We ran the refrigerator for a couple of days until we were forced to make a decision. Either, stay somewhat cool with the 56V fan or stay hot and let the food spoil. So, we emptied out the refrigerator and brought ice for things to keep cool

We’re also thankful for the EGO 24” 56V fan that allowed us to sleep some in the hot house. The cool thing about the fan is a water input that sprays mist like the old fashion water coolers we had back in the ‘50s in West Texas. It gave a nice respite when needed to cool down.

During the outage, Rita my wife, was talking to our neighbor last Friday and they discussed the top of one of our Sweet Gum trees had fallen across the fence. Rita committed to her that I would move the top of the tree. It was about a 40’ Sweet Gum and about 1/3 had fallen from the top. So yesterday Rita pushed me to get it cleared off the neighbor’s lot. So, I did. Turns out that the tree was not ours, but did belong to the neighbors. Rita wanted to immediately call her and tell her it was her tree and I told her no, I would clear the tree first, which I did. It took me about 3 hours in the Monday afternoon heat. I drug about 1/4 of it to the front yard to get ready and haul off, the rest I drug through the gate just inside our yard.

When I was through, Rita called and told her the tree top and limbs were cleared, in our yard, and oh, by the way, the tree was yours, not ours. The neighbor told Rita that she knew a guy that we could hire to haul the tree top and limbs to the burn pile and he wouldn’t charge us much. Rita laughed when she told me that she wanted us to hire someone to haul off her tree. Just kinda normal thinking these days, isn’t it?

To be fair, the neighbors are in their mid-80s. She probably didn’t even catch that the tree was on their lot.

Thanks to Ford for making a little truck that can idle for 5 days in East Texas heat of over 105° (heat indexed) without overheating. It just sat there and ran, and ran, and ran, keeping my batteries charged. The little truck allowed us to stay a little cool and have some normalcy during a stressful time. Thanks, Ford.

Thank God, Upshur Electric Coop, SWEPCO, and line crews from Louisiana, Arkansas, and as far away as West Virginia to get the power restored for us late this afternoon. A special thanks to Cory Foster and his family.

On early Tuesday evening, we got home from the store to see the lights on in the carport. Man, that AC sure feels good.

Storm crews do not get the respect and honor they deserve. I have seen trucks from four different companies down here after a big storm. They are professionals but after a big storm it's still dangerous. Don't back feed your generator without killing the main breaker switch.

 

[uh50]

You are absolutely correct. That may be the law in all states from what I have read. It is certainly true here in TN, but I will oftentimes take care of downed trees regardless of whose lot it was on (we live in a heavily wooded development). I have the equipment, at almost 70 years of age I am still in better shape than most of our neighbors, and I do a lot of wood and paper burning in my large fire pit. Haven't had any home damage because of such trees; that would be tough to swallow but your point is correct.

While I appreciate what posters are saying about insurance and legal responsibilities with falling trees, those are not the points of the story. The three main points are the death of Cory Foster, linemen in general and their willingness to weather the storms to serve the public, and my XL idling for 5 days to charge batteries. The legal aspects are not important compared to those points.

Thank you for your posts, but please stay on topic so others can enjoy the topic.

 

[TedTX]

Hybrid would have been perfect for that role. Can stay in ready mode, 3 gallons per day for air conditioning charging stuff etc. the DC-DC power is massive for the smaller hybrid setup, tested to run inverter at 1500w without issue, could go nearly 3000w based on specs.
The built-in 400w couldn’t be used for charging my new Bluetti AC180 which is a disappointment. But I have a 2200w pure sine that will..

 

[Rojo]

I'm just next door in Shreveport, our power came on just last night, almost a full week since it went out.
This is really sad, I feel like the local guys should have prepared the other linemen about how brutal our heat can be during the summer.

I was wondering how fast the little outlet on the mav would charge my ryobi battery, now I know.

 

[SR-71]

Hybrid would have been perfect for that role. Can stay in ready mode, 3 gallons per day for air conditioning charging stuff etc. the DC-DC power is massive for the smaller hybrid setup, tested to run inverter at 1500w without issue, could go nearly 3000w based on specs.
The built-in 400w couldn’t be used for charging my new Bluetti AC180 which is a disappointment. But I have a 2200w pure sine that will..

When you tested running the 1500w inverter from your Hybrid Mav, did you attach it to the jump points under the hood or directly to the 12v battery under the back seat?

I'm exploring options to run a few items in our home during power outages, especially the forced air gas furnace . . . in the winter . . . in Alaska.

 

[Hybrid Nut]

There was a guy last year that posted some utube videos about his Hybrid maverick.. He hooked up an invertor directly to the 12volt battery under the back seat and ran all kinds of things. Mostly power tools. Not sure of the size of the inverter but much better than the tiny 400 watt.

 

[uh50]

I'm just next door in Shreveport, our power came on just last night, almost a full week since it went out.
This is really sad, I feel like the local guys should have prepared the other linemen about how brutal our heat can be during the summer.

I was wondering how fast the little outlet on the mav would charge my Ryobi battery, now I know.

Actually, the 400W inverter on the Mav does pretty well on the 18V stuff. About the same as the normal time when plugged into a wall outlet. The 40V Ryobi and the 56V EGO take at least 2-1/2 hours each.

You make an excellent point about preparation for the Texas heat. I agree that some preparation should have been given to those linemen from places like West Virginia. It should be required for anyone coming in from out of state. A little safety review doesn't take much time and might have saved Cory's life.

 

[uh50]

There was a guy last year that posted some utube videos about his Hybrid maverick.. He hooked up an invertor directly to the 12volt battery under the back seat and ran all kinds of things. Mostly power tools. Not sure of the size of the inverter but much better than the tiny 400 watt.

Although I have an EB, I've seriously thought about getting a larger inverter. Maybe something in the 2000-3000 W range. I haven't done the research about what the XL electrical system could handle, or what modifications need to be made in order to increase the output.

Of course, 7200 W to 10000 W 240V Generators are less than $1000, but then hauling gasoline all the time is about the same as charging the batteries for the EGO 2000W inverter.

A couple of years ago, I did some research on an 8750 W Westinghouse home generator with Bluetooth start and a 50 Amp transfer switch that connects to the meter. It wasn't much more than a standard generator of similar size and it would run on propane and gasoline.

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