Power still out in Nor Cal

[Fat Boss]

It's day 3.  I'm struggling to survive.  I've resorted to putting my 2 stroke leaf blower gas in my generator to keep the fridge running.  Occasionally fighting off hoards of Orcs.  Anyone else still struggling from Powergeddon?

On a positive note, I still have 4500 gallons of water in the tank on my hill, so the flushing action is still working! Oh, and nice cold Sierra Nevadas in the fridge helps pass the time.

[Hawkeye O'Saben]

Sierra Nevadas are the thing that will kill you.  Ugh.  Couldn't get away from those when I was at Chico St.  I'd rather drink Hamm's.

[Fat Boss]

Funny, I learned to love Sierra Nevada Pale Ale when I went to Chico St.

There's an easy way to tell if a beer is good or not.  If that last warm sip is good, then the beer is good.  How's that last sip of Hamms?

[Hawkeye O'Saben]

23 hours ago, Fat Boss said:

Funny, I learned to love Sierra Nevada Pale Ale when I went to Chico St.

There's an easy way to tell if a beer is good or not.  If that last warm sip is good, then the beer is good.  How's that last sip of Hamms?

I learned to take my own beer (Sam Adams Boston Lager) to parties, because the only thing people would have was Sierra Nevada.  I think there's something in the air, cuz nobody outside of Chico has told me they like it.  Someone brought a case to a party in Sac, and everybody that wasn't from Chico hated it.

Pretty sure that last sip of Hamm's is the same as the first sip.

[David Hawkins]

Can some one explain to me how the Power Lines started the Fires?  They are blaming it on this latest one too.

[BIKEBOY]

On 10/29/2019 at 12:15 PM, tesgt350 said:

Can some one explain to me how the Power Lines started the Fires?  They are blaming it on this latest one too.

David, I’ll take a stab at it....

They're saying that PG&E’s infrastructure is OLD and falling apart. Hence, weak power poles and old lines. So again, hence, these Santa Ana winds are bringing down the power poles/lines and the wires are “sparking” fires. That’s how I understood the problem last year at this time anyway. 
 

Sadly it’s no different than a lot of the US’s infrastructure.....dated and falling apart. One of these days we will HAVE to spend the funds needed to repair a lot of the shyt that needs it, and by the time they decide to do it, the costs will be significantly higher than if they did some or a lot of it now.

 😕

Edit- This will not jive with the conspiracy’s of “laser beams” starting them however. 🙃

Edited October 30, 2019 by BIKEBOY

[Hawkeye O'Saben]

Yeah, high winds and sparks coming off the lines is what I've heard.  Also heard of one that was started when a line was taken down by a falling tree (or branch).  I don't understand why they don't bury those things.  Nothing to spark then, and they wouldn't have to turn the power off to half the state every time the wind blows.

[Fat Boss]

The cost would gigantic to bury all the lines.  I have my own power pole on my property that PG&E maintains.  For them to bury that one line they'd have to dig up my driveway, trench up the hill about 100 feet, and repair anything they screw up along the way.  That's just one house.  There's over 100,000 miles of lines in CA, much of it in very hard to access areas.  Once buried, there's risk of water contamination and corrosion.  The costs would be staggering.  

I'd like to see some technology improvements that would instantly notice a power line going down and de-energize it before it hits the ground to arc and start a fire.  I think something like that would be a better option.  Or cut down the millions of trees that are anywhere near the lines?

[Hawkeye O'Saben]

As opposed to the cost of the fires?  Which are gonna continue as long as those lines are exposed.  Or the costs to the consumers having the power cut off - business and residential.  And let's not cut down more trees and increase the CO2 even more, that's just more fodder for the climate change brigade.  Besides, it's not the trees that are the problem, it's the dry underbrush that is going to light up from a spark.  There is actually a species of tree that only opens it's seed pods in the heat of a fire, because the underbrush is cleared out and the seeds can actually germinate, so for that habitat, this is the way it's supposed to be.  Putting houses there is the real problem.  Now you're battling Mother Nature, and that's a fight Ma Nature is gonna win every time.

[twobjshelbys]

Why is this a problem in California?  Most of the mountain west has power lines above ground (Although within modern subdivisions most are underground).  Only California hasn't figured out how to mitigate the fire danger.  When we lived in Massachusetts a high tower power line was about a mile away from where we lived .  Everything was cleared for the width of the right of way and nothing growing reached more than about half way up the towers.  (See note 1)  In Colorado most lines in rural and the carrying lines are above ground.  We never had issues because the brush under and around was cleared regularly.  Additionally the undergrowth was regularly cleared by controlled burns and in areas where nothing was at risk fires were allowed to burn out.

California either (1) utilities don't know how to maintain their spaces or can't afford it or won't spend the money or (2) tree huggers get in the way of preventive maintenance.

And yeah, building in a fire prone area and not clearing an area around the property (no trees near by) are the property owners problem.   Building houses on steep slopes is equally stupid and every year some fall off the edge.  People take those risks assuming insurance will bail them out, and the result is that insurance for everyone costs more.  You can build a house in the flood zone too (ask me how I know this) if you're willing to pay the flood insurance.   Selling the house can be a problem.

The news the other night had people whining about the cost of their fire insurance skyrocketing.  CA must have a pretty good insurance commission because when the big fires hit a few areas in Colorado the companies simply withdrew from the market.  Policies were expired and not renewed and the company no longer sold  fire insurance in the sate. 

 

Note 1:  As a result of the  initial clearing that happened when the lines and towers were run the particular area we wear nearby grew back with wild blueberry bushes.  They were the best kept secret that only the locals (and those we told ) knew about.  There were blueberry farms nearby that sold them (pick your own) but they were pretty flavorless. The ones under the power lines were wild and much smaller but immensely more flavorful and sweeter.  I used to pick a gallon ice cream pail and freeze them they would last us a year.

Edited November 4, 2019 by twobjshelbys

[Hawkeye O'Saben]

Interesting thoughts on the brush clearing.  I remember Trump said something similar last year, equating it to a foreign country, and was pretty laughed at by everybody, but if it's done in CO, well, that's another issue.  But the problem is you're making logical sense, and that of course, isn't allowed.  And I'm sure you can build in flood areas, cuz we have several round this area that make the news every year when they get flooded out, and then there's New Orleans that is not only in a major flood area, but below sea level.  Yet they still rebuild.