Hitzer 503 and the 2010 Blizzard!

NOPEC and I have similar experiences and posts this afternoon. In SE Pennsylvania, we have been clobbered by 3 major snow storms so far this winter and have broken our all-time record for snow accumulation in a single winter season. 70 inches of snow so far this season! Having just had 20 inches of snow 5 days earlier, we learned of another storm, which started 2 nights ago ended about 24 hours later.

My wife and I began preparations with slow-cooking some food while we still could, duct taping the bathtub drain and filling the tub for cleaning and flushing water, filling a 5 gallon container with drinking water, and bringing in extra buckets of black diamonds from the coal bin in the shed. Mountain climbing headlamps, rechargeable flashlight, and handcrank flashlight provided the lighting. White gas lantern and candles available as a backup, but not needed. We planned on the Hitzer to provide some cooking heat and also had a backpacking stove and plenty of Coleman fuel. Our refrigerator would be the Great Outdoors.

We knew our house would be as warm as it usually is, but we also knew we needed to make some extra arrangements to keep our Hitzer's fan blowing. A 12V, deep cycle battery and a 750W power inverter seemed just the thing since the fan wattage is under 100. When the power went out--as we knew it would--I hooked up the battery and inverter. Ran like a charm, but I did not know for how long. The answer was that this arrangement ran for 12 straight hours at the full speed fan setting. Not bad and good to know for the future. When the deep cycle battery was exhausted, I ran an extension cord outside into the garage and hooked the inverter up to my car's battery. Also ran well and every few hours, I started the car for 10-15 minutes to make sure the battery was replenished. A second car's battery was close by if needed--it was not.

With these preparations, we felt an embarassment of riches and options. Would the morning coffee be made on the Hitzer, with the backpacking stove, or by plugging the percolator into the inverter? Meals were heated on the Hitzer (note crockpot liner sitting on hopper cover in photo); the "refrigerator" worked well; plenty of water. The mead (honey wine) produced from my honey bees remained cold and refreshing--strawberry mead is not bad in a blizzard.

Overall, no complaints and we had a fun time "camping" as my wife put it. Mama ain't happy ain't nobody happy...

So much fun, it almost makes you want to disconnect from the grid permanently, doesn't it? Seriously, it's a great feeling to know you can ride out a few days with minimal inconvenience. Almost makes you want to call the neighbors in so they can be jealous.

Well done! Nice setup. Do you just trickle charge the battery?

I'll bet that stew tasted especially good!

Deep cycle battery is trickle charged on an ongoing basis as part of an emergency, 12VDC sump pump in case the 110V sump pump does not have power. Easy to grab the battery and bring it upstairs when needed for the fan motor.

Speaking of "jealous", while shoveling snow this morning, a woman stopped her car after driving by, backed up, and--I believe--wanted me to be sure to know that she was doing well heating her home with a wood stove. I was supposed to be jealous of how well she handled things and how fortunate she was. Knowing that coal is a far better option, I did not say a word, but I wanted to say something like "wood is so passe, I have a thermonuclear reactor for all my power needs." I wisely did not.

It is good to know you can get along just fine without the grid if you plan ahead. Very enjoyable.