Our power was out this week for about 5 hours and last week too for about 4 due to a storm. I gotta tell ya it is a helpless feeling. Can’t even make a cup of coffee. No lights, no computer, no microwave, no radio or TV. Couldn’t even work on my trailer in the garage because I needed the electric drill for drilling holes, not to mention the welder. I was about to crank up the little generator just to be able to get something done in the garage but then they got it fixed. It wasn’t wide spread but what if it was? I was a little low on gas for the small engines but what if the stations were out too? We really are very dependent on power and I don’t think we are taking the necessary defensive measures when you look at who wants to disrupt our lives and economy.
More power to you Bing ,if you had a percolator(wally World sells them) you could have made coffee on your grill,if you had one,of course assuming you had water.
EMP not withstanding,I think a small solar powered back up system(zoning permitting) would be a good thing to have for a backup system,you could even run a few things in your workshop off of this,a few lights a small refrigerator and you have covered a lot of necessities,you could even dedicate an array for an AC ,that function when you needed it most.
I know the array would be large ,but you could fuel an electric bike or a small EV from the sun,would at least get you around.
Try 8 days during an ice storm and you have a well for water. You can’t even flush a toilet.
All Bing needs is an auxiliary generator and a transfer switch (on his power box). They’re common in NH, where we often lose power in winter storms.
But this raises and interesting question. If EVs become the most common form of new car, as I suspect they will, and towns in NH occasionally lose power for days on end, as I know we will, will there be alternatives to charge our cars? Will the demands on our auxilliary generators change?
It only happens maybe once a year for a few hours. They are really very good around here restoring power when there is a problem. It was just a reminder to me of how helpless we are when the power does go out and the chaos that could be created if the grid was attacked.
If you were close enough to a nuclear explosion for the EMP to disable your car, I kind of suspect that an inoperative car will be the least of your problems.
Actually ,you dont have to be that close and a solar flare could do it .
[B.L.E] B.L.E http://community.cartalk.com/users/b.l.e
August 7kmccune:
More power to you Bing ,if you had a percolator(wally World sells them) you could have made coffee on your grill,if you had one,of course assuming you had water. EMP not withstanding,I think a small solar powered back up system(zoning permitting) would be a good thing to have for a backup system,you could even run a few things in your workshop off of this,a few lights a small refrigerator and you have covered a lot of necessities,you could even dedicate an array for an AC ,that function when you needed it most.I know the array would be large ,but you could fuel an electric bike or a small EV from the sun,would at least get you around.If you were close enough to a nuclear explosion for the EMP to disable
your car, I kind of suspect that an inoperative car will be the least
of your problems.
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In Reply To[kmccune] kmccune http://community.cartalk.com/users/kmccune
August 6More power to you Bing ,if you had a percolator(wally World sells
them) you could have made coffee on your grill,if you had one,of
course assuming you had water. EMP not withstanding,I think a small
solar powered back up system(zoning permitting) would be a good thing
to have for a backup system,y…
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150k miles? That would be a ford interval I guess.
I have a coworker with a 07 civic which now has 345k miles. The starter has been replaced, as well as the ac compressor. That’s it other than one spark plug change, one trans drain and fill and a few brake pad slaps. Even the rotors are original.
It is showing its age and when the engine cold and he gooses it pulling out on the highway there is the slightest blue smoke from the tailpipe. He is not easy on the car.
I would buy the kit so long as it also included a drum brake conversion kit to get rid of those troublesome and inefficient disc brakes most vehicles seem to have these days.
Average prices are getting up there because that’s what the people want. There a plenty of new cars that could be had for 14 grand or less that would meet most peoples needs.
The reason why some ( I said some, not all) people are living paycheck to paycheck is because they are living above their means and feel they need a 4x4 pickup in the driveway to drive back and forth to work and haul a bag of mulch once a year to their 2500 square foot or bigger home with granite counters and stainless appliances.
Then they complain how its so hard to make it.
I suggest going Amish and just ride a horse. Any nuclear explosion that you survive will also be survived by your horse and it also has the ability go go off road to bypass highways clogged to a standstill by refugees unable to use their cars because there are no gas stations open. Don’t forget to carry a flintlock rifle for foraging. You can make your own black powder and cast your own bullets when modern ammo is no longer on the shelves.
Put your money where your mouth is
You keep complaining how “troublesome and inefficient disc brakes are”
So do something about it
Buy a vehicle old enough to have drum brakes all around
Or convert a vehicle, as you said
Whichever you choose . . . drive that vehicle EXCLUSIVELY, EACH AND EVERY DAY
And then you can tell us all about it
Right now you’re just complaining, but you’re apparently not doing anything to “solve your problem”
Sorry if I offended you 
Your right I am a hypocrite. In fact the two main vehicles we own now actually have 4 wheel disc brakes.
I will say that the van has a drum in hat parking brake and the car has a parking brake built into the screw type calipers and let me tell you, that is a pain putting pads on that thing.
There are tool kits for those kind of brake setups
They’re moderately priced, and not that hard to use
But if you’re the kind of guy that thinks a c-clamp should be the only special tool needed to change brake pads, then it’s not for you
I bought the cheapo 4 sided cube that goes on a ratchet. So the force required when turning in the piston was applied by me, that was the biggest issue. I actually had the cube tool for years, I used to use it when doing rear brakes on early 90s gm w bodies.
No, that’s not the type of tool kit I was talking about
This is what’s needed
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=SCLSL86100B
Got you. I am way too tight to buy that. Now if I did it more often I would. I hope to only have to put one more set of rear brakes on this car in its lifetime.