Warning – Like just think ahead

Warning – Like just think ahead

Just be mentally prepared if public electricity goes out for an extended period of time.

Why I suggest that is because the Hemlocks presently uses public electric power to “boost” up our endless ( I hope the springs will run forever as long as it keeps raining and snowing) supply of water so that we get city water pressure coming out of our water taps (like in the kitchen and when washing our hands), refilling the toilets, running the electric washing machine, etc.

Now I have even tested that setup, most recently during the ice and wind and snow storm here a month or so ago (this was an involuntary test for several days in February, 2015), and all worked well……BUT. We had no public electricity, but we did have water. The usual effect here was that the water pressure was then “gravity powered” vice electric powered, which meant water use (like toilet refills) just took longer for the benefits in use we expect. We did not have to manually raise water from a well, for another example.

Most people these days get good city water that is ultimately gravity powered. But the catch is how to pump that water up to water tanks and “on the hill” tanks that then feed our houses and work places. That usually takes some electricity. Now in the old days, one could see the usual wind mill around many farms, so even then people used power to get their water.

Said even another way, the Hemlocks is “off grid”, like it does not use any “city water”, period. That is both good news and bad news, depending on how you look at things. And it is just coincidental to the history of the place. It has been that way for over a century of time.

I could probably jury rig that (a water pressure boost) to, but have not tried that yet so far.

Now the consequences of public electric power going out are far beyond our water use, like just pumping gas for our cars and trucks, and our home heating thermostats that are usually electrically powered. What happens if our water pipes freeze and burst is another obvious question.

And none of this is idealistic, either.  Public heath concerns, like waste water treatment to prevent the usual diseases like cholera and typhoid, come to mind.

PS  The springs ran routinely during a 2 year drought around the Hemlocks a few years back. In my mind the drought was due to the Hemlocks getting few rain and snow falls, like less than our fair share. I lost two coastal giant sequoia tree plantings, for example. (Others in the region have done better by the way). Other local areas survived OK, too. Beyond this area, I sensed most were getting their fair share of showers and snow. In the last few years, the drought is over in my mind.

PPS  Once we got public electricity, which is pretty good to me (both at the Hemlocks and around the world when I lived there). I believe the Hemlocks got “AC” (the present system of alternating current is called “AC”) public electricity (it already had Edison DC (direct current) electricity) during rural electrification around here, which was probably in the 1930s. Well, I think we ultimately became “dependent” on getting public AC electricity routinely. For example wood stoves got dumped.  It used to be routine to go as much as 8 days without public electricity, but now people start complaining (often over the public electrically powered telephone) as soon as an hour or two without other public electricity. Now we even routinely expect fresh or frozen foods at the local grocery stores. Canned foods (with labels) are for the “poor people” in many people’s minds. Most people don’t know how to “put up food” for another example.

PPPS Most likely we won’t lose public electricity all the time. More likely will be some kind of scenarios like “rolling black outs” that often give us a chance to use the benefits like pumping gas and heating water for later use and even help heating our living spaces during the cold season. These rolling black outs may last a long time, like months or even years, depending on where you live and the situation. The usual period when you get electricity is around 4 or up to 6 hours each day. Now “rolling brown outs” are something altogether different, too. The most probable effect is increased maintenance and replacement costs to many customers.

PPPPS The present system in the new world USA is pretty good, to me. Said another way, why wreck it? There are other alternatives to problems like too many people, for example.