Colorado B.S. Thread

Fully understand why they cut the power. Makes total sense.

But

1. the execution was amateur at best. Starting with the inconsistent and sometimes lacking communication.

2. not fully understanding how long it would take to test then reenergize the lines. The original communication said “until 12pm Sunday.” A team member of mine finally got power back on Tuesday around 11pm.

3. Xcel isn’t reimbursing for lost food. That’s bullshit.

Lastly - they need to have a better plan moving forward. We often have red flag days here. Are they going to cut the power every time? That doesn’t seem like a viable solution.

And lastly’er: time for me to invest in a propane generator or battery wall packs.

Super lastly’est: watch Xcel raise their rates to recoup the lost millions of dollars of revenue. Would only make perfect sense within a monopoly.

 

I agree with ya on some of it, but more so just highlighting the scrutiny both ways.

I don't know how long 100mph+ winds were in the forecast, but I would argue that is an outlier in the context of frequent red flag days for Colorado. I also recall hearing that over 600mi of line were shut down, and in order to reenergize, it also needs to be inspected. So Xcel fubbed on their unrealistic timeline to have service back up. Definitely sucks about perishables and agree that should be recoup'd some how. Also think the rate hike is likely and BS, but this is the fattened country we live in now.

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Y6--VOPHu/

 

mighty fine day today

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=K78XuNgr4c4

 

Having lived in areas prone to Power outage's they never ever Reimburse for this, if they did this they would just be put in back into your rates + 100%.

There are tons of ways to preserve refrigerated food, learn how to do this, because this is the future (power shutdowns). Or go with "Powerwall" or LNG Generator (doesn't require Elec to run)

 

Years ago, probably somewhere in the 15-20 range, I submitted a claim for loss of food. And they accepted it.

My plan is to add a battery wall pack or generator that can run off my natural gas line or propane tank.

 

I grew up in a time when it was a regular occurrence to have the power go out. Didn't even have to be a storm.
Candles and blankets, Coleman stove and lantern. Camp it out.
Don't open the fridge to inspect and check the temp, you just lost all the cold. Treat it like a cooler and keep it shut. People tend to panic and "check the temp" every hour. Every time the door is opened, you replace cool air with warm.
Wait it out, it comes back eventually.
Running off propane or batteries is not a foolproof idea.
Get a gas generator and extension cord for the fridge if you're really concerned, people swear by the Harbor Freight units. There is no need to power the whole house, and you can burn it down if you do it wrong.
And a solar generator of your choice for your internet needs. Or charge the phone in the car.

 

i've played a total of 3 hours of Helldivers! Who would have guess babies need so much attention!

 

Speaking of which…

 

was thinking something by that can power household essentials.

Not a phone and headlamp

 

What's essential besides the fridge? I guess that's all I care about since I can go into the cool basement in the summer if the AC goes out.

 

I looked at what it could power in that listing.

Portable fridge is all it had for a significant appliance.

I assume my kitchen fridge draws a lot more power than a Dometic et al

 

I have a Scamazon 4000W open frame gen I am looking to get rid of if anyone is seriously looking. Used last summer a few times for the camper is all, powers the entire TT just fine. Wanting to get an enclosed, super quiet so I can dry camp at some of the state parks w/o disrupting others... This one barks like a fuggin dog.

 

Looks like you're correct. electrical connectors make things problematic. However I've got the harness and can leave you all connectors if interested.

 

Retaliation. https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/12/marshall-fire-lawsuits-xcel-energy/

What kind of self reliance BS is this? Don't you know this is 2024? We are well into the process of ceding all liberty to .gov in exchange for the promise of security and absolution of any and all personal responsibility.

 

This is why they cut power last weekend. They don’t give a fuck about wind. It’s all about $$$$

 

All I can do is lead them to the water.

 

Printed up a license plate frame that covers the edges so I no longer attempt to slice an ear off or get a cool forehead scar checking tires or lubing chain.
Had to find one that didn't cover any part of the plate, per CO law. This one is actually two parts, I just needed the backside.


https://www.printables.com/model/198669-michigan-motorcycle-license-plate-frame

 

Anyone collect/have CO pint day Glasses?

 

I hate to put it bluntly, but power is not guaranteed.
In my opinion Xcel, as well as many other power companies across the county, are learning from what happened in California (where rolling blackouts during high winds is normal) with the lawsuits against PG&E.
Xcel is being sued for the Marshall fire because they have deeper pockets than the cult. It is still not a proven fact that their system alone caused the fire. Xcel did claim responsibility for the million acre fire in the Texas panhandle which sparked a company wide initiative to replace aging poles across the 8 states that they provide power in. Since the beginning of March me as well as hundreds of my lineman brothers have been working 16-18 hour shifts 7 days a week replacing poles. Here in Colorado 700 poles were replaced in 28 days alone. Then the last major snow storm hit which caused all kinds of damage as well as last weekends wind storm. From my experience the majority of damage is caused by customer owned trees, not from falling poles.
I've lived in the Denver metro for 44 years and this type of wind event in the area is very uncommon. There aren't many overhead electrical systems that are built to withstand these winds so in areas that do experience this the power companies proactively shut down parts of the grid for the safety of the public. I've worked several hurricanes and it's very normal for people to be out of power for weeks at a time, but they are also proactive by shutting off their breakers and leaving the area until power is restored. It's just Colorado isn't used to that so I guess as a lineman I take pride that our work on the system is very reliable here.
It is true that before they can re energize sections of the system it all has to be patrolled. Even with all the internal lineman as well as hundreds of contractors, it's a very time consuming process. This is the first time in history that Xcel has ever shut down power to the grid ahead of a weather event so it's a learning process for all. It's never a bad idea to have a generator to run the fridge and furnace. The rest you can live without for some time.

Don't get me wrong, even though I'm an Xcel employee I still have my problems with many things this company does. This is just my interpretation of their actions during this storm. Just know that us blue collar scumbags are all busting our asses out here and doing the best we can with the workforce we have.

Oh yea and trim your fucking trees!!!