Author Topic: No hurricane Irma input?  (Read 10618 times)

George A

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No hurricane Irma input?
« on: September 09, 2017, 12:54:34 PM »
I've been checking over the last few days and was surprised to NOT see any members reporting from Florida. If there's one place a reliable diesel generator would stand out, it would be in hurricane country.

Have we lost members from that area?
I've joined "the dark side"....if it has a spark plug, it's obsolete technology.

cujet

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2017, 04:07:30 PM »
I'm still here in Jupiter, FL on the East coast above Palm Beach. I fired up the Lister to make sure it was running well. No issues noted. I suspect we will not get any significant weather. I fell for the hype and spent days preparing for the storm and it's predicted Northward turn. As of this moment, Irma has not turned North.

As to your question about losing members, I'm sad to report that my closest friend and neighbor Bob Gross (Rocketboy) who got me into the Lister engines, died two weeks ago in a motorcycle crash.

RIP Bob. Here are a few of his videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7hAUK6WFaY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Kz7uFOm84

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj5qML44j5s

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a6njEceHPA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGmfeNMqYVk
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Apogee

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2017, 04:22:47 PM »
Cujet,

Very, very sorry to hear about Bob.  I always enjoyed his posts.  May he rest in peace.

Glad you're still here and, short of the bad news, I hope things are well at your end.  Hopefully the storm won't end up being a direct hit where you're located.  That being said, I have a hunch you may end up being very glad you prepared for this one.  Stay safe and take no chances!!!

Even if you don't get any significant weather (I'm thinking you will), take the storm surge issue very seriously. 

Fingers are crossed that it ends up being uneventful.  Thoughts are with you.  Hang in there!

Kind regards,

Steve

« Last Edit: September 09, 2017, 05:16:44 PM by Apogee »

George A

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2017, 08:41:50 PM »
Very sorry to hear of Rocketboy's death. As mentioned, his posts were always interesting and well thought out.

As for yourself and anyone in the area, please take the warnings seriously. Godspeed, my friend.
I've joined "the dark side"....if it has a spark plug, it's obsolete technology.

SHIPCHIEF

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2017, 12:19:03 AM »
Steve;
I'm sorry to read that Bob 'Rocketboy' Gross has passed from this world. I enjoyed his webpage with the play-by-play of building the generator, then using it through 2 or 3 hurricanes. Also, I was building a VAN's RV-8 as he was finishing his Rocket.
Please be encouraged to carry on in the aviation and diesel generator hobbies and forums. Your contributions are valued.
I didn't realize how long I had been away, but Hurricane Irma reminded my of you 2 guys.
Ashwamegh 25/2 & ST12
Lister SR2 10Kw 'Long Edurance' genset on a 10 gallon sump/skid,
Onan 6.5NH in an old Jeager Compressor trailer and a few CCK's

cujet

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2017, 01:13:30 PM »
So far here in Jupiter, peak occasional gusts are about 40. Mostly calm until a band moves through. I suspect power will remain on, and peak gusts will reach 60 tonight. This hurricane is huge, but at the moment, not particularly powerful. The live webcams on the FL Keys show people still driving around.


Yes, it really sucks to lose such a close friend. Bob had just arrived at his TN cabin, after flying his second 787 trip for American Airlines. I spoke with him less than an hour before he died. Cyndi and I were going to fly up to his cabin Sunday to view the eclipse. Bob went out on his Triumph Tiger to the grocery store, purchased hummus and other healthy foods. On the way back, he went straight, where the road went right. No skid marks, no cars, no debris in the road, no evidence of animals. He did not even try to make the corner. He was going about 40-50 mph, wearing full gear, and full face helmet. The officer that found him said he did not have a scratch on him. Even his helmet was scratch free. All of us think he had a heart attack.

The bike did end up hitting the tree, but Bob was found to the left, so he never made it to the tree.



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Apogee

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2017, 07:04:35 PM »
Yes, it sounds a lot like a heart attack, especially given the details you shared.

In a way, in the grand scheme of things, I envy him.  First, it didn't happen while he was flying (or landing) with a plane full of people.  Kudos to him for that!  Second, he was in a place that he loved and doing something (riding his bike) that he also loved.  I can only dream of being so lucky when I go.  Doesn't make it any easier for the folks left behind though.

He's likely laughing his tail off at the irony of the Irma situation.  Here he beats the Lister drum for years and then misses the big storm by two weeks when it finally arrives... 

Again, I'm sorry to hear of your loss.  I searched for an obit. following your first post but wasn't able to find one.  I figured it would be interesting reading based on his contributions on this site.  I watched all of his vids years ago.  Thanks to your post, I re-watched them all again.  He was a good guy that was talented and did beautiful work.  He will be missed.

Glad things aren't out of control where you're located.  I've been checking the Jupiter webcam periodically and sending positive thoughts.  Hopefully it stays mellow.  I think it was very smart to prepare though because it could just have easily tracked up the east coast instead.

Hang in there and please keep us updated.

Steve

(Rocketboy doing his thing)
« Last Edit: September 10, 2017, 07:47:09 PM by Apogee »

cujet

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2017, 07:45:15 PM »
Well, there was no funeral. I think his mom was going to publish an obit. Sadly, Bob's 88 year old father died 2 weeks after he did. He was in failing mental health, and was not told about Bob's death.

There was a very interesting celebration that, at least for me filled the need of a funeral. Cried my eyes out. A very large number of American Airlines pilots showed up, along with friends and family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_DRgzNF4Ak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD1qK3mnmm4
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Apogee

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2017, 07:56:39 PM »
By Far, the best funeral one could ever have!

Thanks for sharing that. 

Again, may he rest in peace.

Steve

cujet

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #9 on: September 11, 2017, 12:26:09 AM »
Back to better news, the hurricane has mostly moved through the South East coast of FL. My yard is a mess, with a number of downed trees, all ornamental and maybe one pine tree.

Wind gusts hit 87 according to the local news. I suspect we had a few gusts around 100 at my home. It was a wild ride for a bit. My steel flag pole and my neighbors flag pole are bent over.

I have been on generator power since 9AM and connecting to the internet via USB cable to my iPhone. It seems the AT+T cell towers still have power. Nobody else does though.

« Last Edit: September 11, 2017, 12:36:03 AM by cujet »
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Apogee

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2017, 02:32:31 AM »
Glad to know you guys are okay.  Hang tough!

According to CNN it's now supposedly tracking northeast and the computer models don't know where it's going (Tampa or Orlando)....  Still a Cat 2 storm.  The vid I just watched said a nuke plant near Orlando clocked a 99 MPH gust.

Wow!

Go Lister go!!!!   :)

Apogee

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2017, 02:49:45 AM »
Naples airport recorded a wind gust of 142 MPH!

Holy smokes!!!!  :o

mike90045

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2017, 06:38:44 AM »
Naples airport recorded a wind gust of 142 MPH!

Holy smokes!!!!  :o

That's take-off (rotation) speed for the big uns !

cujet

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2017, 05:55:38 PM »
I finally got a chance to post a video of my 20/2 listeroid running the house and central AC. Please excuse the mess, it's just after a hurricane and the fabric garage I had the lister inside of, is no more....

You can see that the electrical box on top has a rag in it. I quickly wired in a capacitor bank in an attempt at reducing flicker. If it helped, it's not by much. Still plenty of flicker from the lights. However, it powers the house just fine, the UPS's on the computers and TV do not complain unless there is a major change in load, and then only for a second or two. I think mama is very happy.

As you guys know, the sound of this thing is an order of magnitude more pleasant than the 3600 RPM portable generator I use for short term power outages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MouOA5D3os4

« Last Edit: September 12, 2017, 08:31:05 PM by cujet »
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cujet

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Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« Reply #14 on: September 12, 2017, 06:04:55 PM »
And if the power outage goes on for months like last time, I will reduce the speed of the lister to 600 RPM. Mike Monteith made me a dual pulley for the ST head. High speed is 800, low speed is 600. I made the generator head mount so it could accommodate the same belt on either size pulley.

Currently, it's running at the higher 800 RPM setting and has no problems with any household loads. Keep in mind that I have gas cooktop and oven. So I don't have high resistive loads. I also have a 80 gallon AO-Smith hybrid water heater, that is the opposite of an air conditioner. It uses a very conventional air conditioning compressor to compress the freon and heat the water. It's discharge air is cold, and air conditions my garage very nicely .

If I choose the lower RPM setting, it still has enough power to run most everything, is even more pleasant sounding, and does not shake. Plus it consumes less fuel under light load.
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