I survived Hurricane Ike - with a little help from my (TCH) friend.
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Pretty Darn Active Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 373
From: Houston, Texas
I survived Hurricane Ike - with a little help from my (TCH) friend.
My apologies to any of you looking for my replies to the "threads" I dropped while preparing for and recovering from Hurricane Ike.
At our home in the Rice University section of Houston we experienced hurricane force winds all night long, but suffered only very minor damage. We were without electric power for a little over a week.
At my business office nearby we were without power a little longer and had substantial wind and water damage. It has taken until today to recover, and the recovery has pretty much consumed me. I did have a wireless broadband access, but no time for blogging and such.
I started this thread to share what a big help the TCH car was to us while we endured the week without electric power.
In an ironic twist, it was some of my early difficulties and disappointments with the car that enabled this.
A couple of my early "learning" experiences with the power and light switches on the car had left me stranded with a dead (12 v.) battery. After the second occurrence, I was determined not to be stranded again.
I has also been disappointed to read in my manual that using the TCH 12 v. battery to jump start another car was not recommended. The ability to assist another motorist with a jump start is a cultural expectation.
These two things combined in my mind to let me conjure up a truly unacceptable situation: Suppose the world were to actually wake up to realize that Hybrid cars made the best sense, and suppose that everyone came my conclusion that the Toyota vehicles were the best choice. Then we'd wind up in a world full of nothing but Toyota hybrid cars, prone as they are to the kind of mistakes that leave us with dead batteries - AND NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE ANYONE ELSE A JUMP START!!!!!
I solved the problem for myself by purchasing a portable battery power unit. If any interest is posted, I will post the product details and specs later. For right now, I'll just mention that my unit has a leak-proof, spill-proof battery in a neat, clean, smooth, easily carried package along with an inverter and an air compressor. It can be charged up either from 110 v. AC house current or (via a cigarette lighter style plug) from a 12 v. DC car system. It has plenty enough power to jump start a large displacement auto engine, let alone the TCH. And it can be used as a portable AC or DC power source.
My thought, at the time I bought the unit, was that I could keep it in my trunk, charged up and ready to provide an emergency jump start for myself or for anyone who might need the help. And who knows, I might also at some time need to add tire air when no other source is convenient. Or I might sometimes want to power an AC device in the car or in the outdoors.
As it turned out, the first chance I got to use my new toy was, in fact, to save myself from yet another self-inflicted dead battery situation, and it worked like a charm ! (It's amazing, but this TCH car has set me up to do this to myself more times in the few months I've had it than I have in 50 years of driving all of my other cars combined.)
But the second opportunity came from something I never had considered: my need for a source of electric power for a week following Hurricane Ike.
Every morning I would charge the thing up from the car and then use it as a source of power for my notebook computer (with wireless broadband) at all day the office. This, together with the cell phone that I would also charge from the car, kept me in business for a week. In the late afternoon, I would recharge the unit from the car and then carry it into the den to use it as a source of power at home for television, computer, internet, and occasionally even lighting (normally we used candles and battery powered lamps as much as possible). Next day: same routine.
Of course, one could I could have recharged the unit from my other car, but I would have needed to let it idle the whole time required to do the charge - what a waste of gasoline. Idling the engine for an hour or two would have used a whole lot more energy than was actually needed to charge the unit. With the TCH, however, all I needed to do was leave the car "on" and in park, The system would then run the ICE only as needed to maintain a good state of charge in the big battery, in effect burning only enough gas to supply the energy actualy needed to do the charge job.
(Side note: We knew some of some folks who were suplying themselves with AC power by running their ordinary cars continuously all night just to power inverters with an extension cord running into the house. Now that was truly a waste, and not too easy on their engines either.)
Another side note: The Houston Chronicle, post-Ike, ran a hurricane preparedness article based on recent experiences in the city. Their recommendations included using a hybrid vehicle with an inverter.
In my case, using the TCH with the portable battery power unit worked out so wonderfully that I an planning to buy a second battery power unit. Normally, I'll just carry it in the other car for emergency use, but if I get caught with another extended [ower outage. I'll have twice as much reserve power, and managing the charge-up times vs the use times will be a lot simpler.
Who knows, based on our experience, the Minister of Finance may approve a little bit larger unit, so that she can run her hair dryer. Or maybe, just maybe, she might approve a second TCH to charge it up.
At our home in the Rice University section of Houston we experienced hurricane force winds all night long, but suffered only very minor damage. We were without electric power for a little over a week.
At my business office nearby we were without power a little longer and had substantial wind and water damage. It has taken until today to recover, and the recovery has pretty much consumed me. I did have a wireless broadband access, but no time for blogging and such.
I started this thread to share what a big help the TCH car was to us while we endured the week without electric power.
In an ironic twist, it was some of my early difficulties and disappointments with the car that enabled this.
A couple of my early "learning" experiences with the power and light switches on the car had left me stranded with a dead (12 v.) battery. After the second occurrence, I was determined not to be stranded again.
I has also been disappointed to read in my manual that using the TCH 12 v. battery to jump start another car was not recommended. The ability to assist another motorist with a jump start is a cultural expectation.
These two things combined in my mind to let me conjure up a truly unacceptable situation: Suppose the world were to actually wake up to realize that Hybrid cars made the best sense, and suppose that everyone came my conclusion that the Toyota vehicles were the best choice. Then we'd wind up in a world full of nothing but Toyota hybrid cars, prone as they are to the kind of mistakes that leave us with dead batteries - AND NO ONE WOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE ANYONE ELSE A JUMP START!!!!!
I solved the problem for myself by purchasing a portable battery power unit. If any interest is posted, I will post the product details and specs later. For right now, I'll just mention that my unit has a leak-proof, spill-proof battery in a neat, clean, smooth, easily carried package along with an inverter and an air compressor. It can be charged up either from 110 v. AC house current or (via a cigarette lighter style plug) from a 12 v. DC car system. It has plenty enough power to jump start a large displacement auto engine, let alone the TCH. And it can be used as a portable AC or DC power source.
My thought, at the time I bought the unit, was that I could keep it in my trunk, charged up and ready to provide an emergency jump start for myself or for anyone who might need the help. And who knows, I might also at some time need to add tire air when no other source is convenient. Or I might sometimes want to power an AC device in the car or in the outdoors.
As it turned out, the first chance I got to use my new toy was, in fact, to save myself from yet another self-inflicted dead battery situation, and it worked like a charm ! (It's amazing, but this TCH car has set me up to do this to myself more times in the few months I've had it than I have in 50 years of driving all of my other cars combined.)
But the second opportunity came from something I never had considered: my need for a source of electric power for a week following Hurricane Ike.
Every morning I would charge the thing up from the car and then use it as a source of power for my notebook computer (with wireless broadband) at all day the office. This, together with the cell phone that I would also charge from the car, kept me in business for a week. In the late afternoon, I would recharge the unit from the car and then carry it into the den to use it as a source of power at home for television, computer, internet, and occasionally even lighting (normally we used candles and battery powered lamps as much as possible). Next day: same routine.
Of course, one could I could have recharged the unit from my other car, but I would have needed to let it idle the whole time required to do the charge - what a waste of gasoline. Idling the engine for an hour or two would have used a whole lot more energy than was actually needed to charge the unit. With the TCH, however, all I needed to do was leave the car "on" and in park, The system would then run the ICE only as needed to maintain a good state of charge in the big battery, in effect burning only enough gas to supply the energy actualy needed to do the charge job.
(Side note: We knew some of some folks who were suplying themselves with AC power by running their ordinary cars continuously all night just to power inverters with an extension cord running into the house. Now that was truly a waste, and not too easy on their engines either.)
Another side note: The Houston Chronicle, post-Ike, ran a hurricane preparedness article based on recent experiences in the city. Their recommendations included using a hybrid vehicle with an inverter.
In my case, using the TCH with the portable battery power unit worked out so wonderfully that I an planning to buy a second battery power unit. Normally, I'll just carry it in the other car for emergency use, but if I get caught with another extended [ower outage. I'll have twice as much reserve power, and managing the charge-up times vs the use times will be a lot simpler.
Who knows, based on our experience, the Minister of Finance may approve a little bit larger unit, so that she can run her hair dryer. Or maybe, just maybe, she might approve a second TCH to charge it up.
Active Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 53
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Re: I survived Hurricane Ike - with a little help from my (TCH) friend.
Wow, That is a cool story and not something I would have thought of. I for one would be interested in the unit you purchased so I can get one.
Well I am glad you got through Ike OK and I love your resourcefulness!!
Well I am glad you got through Ike OK and I love your resourcefulness!!
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,389
From: Mid Hudson Valley, New York
Re: I survived Hurricane Ike - with a little help from my (TCH) friend.
Very cool. Such a great story on how the TCH helped you!
I love the wording of this paragraph!
Who knows, based on our experience, the Minister of Finance may approve a little bit larger unit, so that she can run her hair dryer. Or maybe, just maybe, she might approve a second TCH to charge it up.
Last edited by mikieboyblue; Oct 11, 2008 at 08:54 AM.
Active Enthusiast
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 244
From: Arlington Heights, IL (Chicagoland)
Re: I survived Hurricane Ike - with a little help from my (TCH) friend.
As far not "jumping" other cars.
I don't see a problem with it -
as long as you DO NOT start the other car while hooked up. (put the other persons keys in your pocket)
Starting the other car could do one of two things:
1) blow the main fuse (100A?)
2) damage your car via voltage spikes from the starter of the other car
The downside to this method is that it takes some time to charge the "dead" battery. This depends on how dead is dead!
I don't see a problem with it -
as long as you DO NOT start the other car while hooked up. (put the other persons keys in your pocket)
Starting the other car could do one of two things:
1) blow the main fuse (100A?)
2) damage your car via voltage spikes from the starter of the other car
The downside to this method is that it takes some time to charge the "dead" battery. This depends on how dead is dead!
Thread Starter
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Pretty Darn Active Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 373
From: Houston, Texas
Re: I survived Hurricane Ike - with a little help from my (TCH) friend.
Here's a link to the page for the unit I have, a Xantrex Xpower 400 plus:
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/61/p/1/pt/29/product.asp
Jack
Last edited by Smilin' Jack; Oct 11, 2008 at 07:48 AM. Reason: added link
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