Last winter was a tough one for me. We had sub-zero temperatures here for days at a time.

My power went off, my pipes froze and when everything came on again I had a flood because the pipe in the wall broke.

Generators are a good backup if the power goes off.

It took quite an expedition for the plumber to even find where the leak was. And, they had to tear into numerous walls and ruin the sheetrock in order to find it.

Never mind that I told them right where I thought it was several times and not surprisingly that's where it turned out to be!

(No one wants to listen to the lady who isn't educated in plumbing). Haha...I get it, but still.

That didn't stop me from having to pay a construction guy to have the holes in the walls patched and repaired, and the price of the plumber to come fix my broken pipes.

Most generators are gasoline-driven

Did I tell you how much I hate winter? My house is very small and I still shut off any room or area I'm not using to save on heat. But, It's not well insulated and so each winter, I seriously wish I lived someplace else.

The other aggravating thing is it seems like our power goes off quite often out here for one reason or another. It's super annoying.

So this year, I'm not only 'taking my show on the road' to Arizona for a couple of months, but I'm preparing for everything possible before winter hits.

Ask a licensed Electrician about installing a generator in your home

I had a generator box put in outside and bought an 8000-watt Brand new generator off Facebook Marketplace that I can easily switch on if my power goes off. It's hooked into my panel box so it's a pretty easy fix. Mine Is a Generac and maybe someday I'll upgrade to a big one. 

It won't handle the full power load, but it will come close and at least keep the heat on and the refrigerator running. And the very important INTERNET! So I can at least watch a good movie even if I can't do laundry or use the oven.

I live pretty rural, and when the power goes out there is no cell phone coverage either. And that is just no fun!

I won't say it was cheap to install but Phase 2 did a nice job of getting the job done. 

What are you doing to prepare for winter this year? I sure feel lucky I don't live on the East Coast. That's for sure. Even in the worst of winters at least we don't have hurricanes!

Weather Phobia Quiz: Name That Fear!

Are you frightened by thunder and left anxious after lightning? Are you fearful of floods? Your phobia has a name, and with some help from the weather gurus at the Old Farmer's Almanac, let's play a game of name that aversion with the Weather Phobia Quiz: Name That Fear!

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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