Yesterday afternoon we were having snow again (only 8 inches this time) with wind. The power started going on and off as in blinking fast. We live in a forest and usually a tree or limb falls on the power line and when the wind blows the power goes on and off. The electric company comes and removes the problem and we are good until another storm. When the power seemed to affect only half of the house we checked our circuit breakers and they were all on. About 4:00 am we decided to turn the main breakers off to the whole house and toss on extra blankets until daylight. Now we have no power, no heat (it was 24 degrees F. and my DH would not let me use the wood burning stove since it hasn't been used since we had central heat/AC put in). There also was no electricity for the well water to work so my husband turned the power back on until until our daughter got ready for work. Two hours later the power company came turned off our power and removed the electric meter which was blacken and melting. He told me to get an electrician out and call them back and they would put on a new meter. Really thought he was joking and was going to get our power back on. No they are not even allowed to recommend a electrician. Almost 4 hours later the electricians arrived and fixed the problem and then we had to wait another hour for the power company to put on a new meter. At any particular time our house could have caught fire. We are very grateful to have made it through this ordeal. The moral of this all is when we upgraded to central heat/AC the people that installed the unit didn't check to see if we had adequate service to support the extra electricity usage. Mother nature was wonderful and provided us with sun to help keep the house warm. My DH did have three pairs of socks on and it took about 2 more hours for the house to reach normal temperatures. Will add a couple of pictures of the burned up meter (not good pictures as I took with my cell phone). The car with the snow on it is mine and the electric company guy with the thick gloves held the very hot meter while I snapped a couple pictures in hopes that the insurance company may reimburse us for some of the repair cost.
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The furnace repairmen came and replaced almost everything, in doing so they put some kind of meter on that reads voltage coming into the house. We are not getting the right amount of voltage (it is coming into the house to low) which in time they say will make our appliances go bad. Will call the electric company again about this. Called them a few years ago and wasn't home when they came. They left a note stating the voltage was fine but we still were burning out lots of light bulbs until putting a few fluorescence ones in. Will have to make a stronger request for them to replace our transformer.
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2718Oh Anita! So lucky! Take some time to relax now and get some rest. I'm sure you both need it!
10393hope you feel better and warm now, after the sleep and the shower, Hope the insurence will make everything alright for you. Take care!
743313Know a little about how you felt. We didn't have the fire hazard but wiring under the house burned out & furnace quit when we had snow & ice & temps were 12 & 14 degrees. We had to go to a motel because no one could get to us for a few days. I do not like being cold./Lillian
145791Anita, you all are very lucky - in spite of the horrid storm and situation - it sure could have been a different story - had your DH not turned off that breaker - I will be praying for you and the family - please take care of yourself. *4U
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by capoodle
31 Jan 2011
The compressor in the furnace burned up and under the 10 year warranty it will be of no cost to us. The repairman put the unit into emergency heat for us and said the new compressor should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday. We have been using three of the six baseboard electric heaters for our heat and was happy to turn them off. Besides the cost we were using ceiling fans to help even out the heat. The compressor is more useful when using the A/C so we are perfectly safe the way the repairman set it up for us. Every single repair person we have gotten out can give us no reason why the house didn't catch fire. My father did the electrical work on the house and he used industrial/commercial grade parts which the service people have never seen in home use so he must be looking down on us forever keeping us safe. There are no words to express how blessed we are.
211079You were very lucky your home didn't burn down. Hope the insurance will cover the cost for you. I know how expensive and electrician can be.
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by capoodle
30 Jan 2011
The surge has made our furnace malfunction so repairmen are coming to look at it Monday afternoon. We never took our baseboard electric heaters out when we had central heat/AC put in so we do have a heat source. The good thing is it is just above freezing with light wind. Something else to try to get the insurance company to pay.
27683Scary stuff! I'm glad you are ok and hope your insurance company cooperates.;)
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by capoodle
30 Jan 2011
We have several smoke and fire detectors in our house from the years we burned wood for heat. Now that I've thought about it there is nothing on the outside of our home or any home we have lived in to alert of any dangers. There is probably something available for commercial use but will do some searching and asking around to see if there is anything to alert homeowners of outside dangers. As for the bill we don't have it yet but have contacted the insurance company and they will cover everything except the $100.00 deductable after we get the electric company's work order summary.
158718you were very lucky that it did not cause more damage to your house. Good luck with the insurance. We live outside Orlando, and believe me - we have had colder weather this year than I ever remember. Or maybe it is I can not stand the cold anymore. LOL
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
Usually we get a taste of your Canadian Clipper which is mean but this winter we are getting more snow storms from moisture coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlanta ocean. Will hope the rest of this winter will be more mild for everybody. Don't have the bill from the electrician yet so will have to wait and see what can be reimbursed to us.
44904Praise the Lord you didn't have a house fire. Always so many things to be thankful for. Judy
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
My parents-in-law had a house fire and lost everything except the refrigerator that was taken to an auto paint garage and repainted and new gasket/seal put in. They were home when a neighbor noticed the smoke and were able to get out. They said the only things that couldn't be replaced was their pictures. Their church asked and many pictures were replaced, some they had never known were taken of the family. Very thankful not to have had a house fire.
10530So glad the ordeal is over for you! I cannot tolerate extreme cold; I hibernate! We have had a much colder winter here in middle Georgia than normal, and I am SO ready for SPRING!
Angel
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
When my daughter lived in Orlando, Florida I spent the last two winters with her and it was nice to get out everyday most generally without a coat. Spring starts March 20th so we only have to put up with this cold weather for a couple more months.
12500I am so glad that your family and house are now safe. Your guardian angels were watching over you. We don't realize how good the simple comforts of life are until we do not have them. Take care and Hugs *4U
Cindy B
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
The electric company guys told my husband this problem is one of the general causes of house fires. Don't know if the colder temperatures helped but there was still melted liquid inside that meter. Even though we put the main breaker to the house off the power was still going into the meter. It was too damaged to regulate. The guardian angels were diffidently looking out for us.
11473I am happy the LORD was watching over you...and that your family was kept safe even though you were cold for a few hours..
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
When we felt there was a serious problem with the electricity we were glad to be cold for a while.
34246What a scary ordeal! Thank God it was just the box that caught fire. PTL no one was badly injured. I'm glad you got it fixed eventhough it got cold for you. Glad it wasn't worse than it was. Take care of yourself! Don't get sick now!
Meri
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
For a couple years my asthma was out of control but now I don't have to take anything except keep an inhaler on hand. Did start to cough when the air got cold. Doing well now that the temperature in the house has warmed up.
15572Thank goodness you, your family and your house are all right. What an experience. I makes me appreciate living in SA as we have hot weather at the moment. Keep warm. Sarah. I have just seen your pictures - I simply cannot imagine being so cold in all that snow.
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
Once you have the proper winter clothing you just get used to the cold but I don't like the ice. It thaws during the day and refreezes at night and becomes what they call "black ice" or ice you don't notice that is there. I do like having all the four seasons and seeing the amazing changes in the landscape but wouldn't mind a shorter winter.
255054Going through that makes you appreciate the things we take for granted daily. We once went two weeks without electricity due to an ice storm.
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by capoodle
28 Jan 2011
Your right we do feel more appreciative to what we have and what could be gone in an instant.
29648Oh Dear, as long as you are all ok! must have been frightening. Bet you had a long hot shower once the water heated... Hugs Sally
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89895Oh dear, I am glad that you eventually got warm. We had a power outage here in Australia two nights ago - because it is so incredibly hot and humid that the air conditioners in the homes must have overloaded the electricity supply. I tried everything to try and cool down - we were even putting packets of frozen veggies on our necks to try and cool down. I can only dream of snow ..............
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by capoodle
27 Jan 2011
I would prefer to be hot and striped down than cold and feel like an overstuffed penguin. lol Take it easy in all that heat I have seen it on the world news.
4077Oh my goodness, I am so glad you didn't have a bigger problem! Wish the pics had shown up but I can imagine what it looked like. Good luck and stay warm!
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by capoodle
27 Jan 2011
It felt good not to have a cold nose and to finally get a shower. Will be able to sleep knowing everything checked out. The electrician turned out to be the brother of an employee that used to work with my DH and they grew up across the river from us.
33580I tried to upload pictures they show up but when I hit submit they are not there. I resized them and tried again but still didn't show. Nothing great to look at just a glob of black melted mess.
1 comment
by hightechgrammy
03 Feb 2011
Anita,
I just read about your near fatal catastrophe. I am so very thankful you are okay. There were so many parts that went right about the whole thing. Surely our Lord had everything under control. It sure is hard to understand. PTL! I gave flowers to all those who wished you well and to you. I wish they were little hugs to make you feel warmer! Jan
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