I learnt a valuable lesson today, about what not to do with my roof sprinkler systerm.
1. Do not run the pumps on idle for 2 hours without turning the sprinkler valves on! I almost cooked my pumps. When my neighbour came over and put me straight, we tried the sprinklers, and they wouldn’t work – no water in the system. Luckily we managed to fix things, but if the Kangaroo Ground fire had come through just then, we’d have been toast.
2. Stop being a nice little woman and INSIST on a proper set of instructions for the running of the whole system.
3. Do not lose your nerve. The pumps and sprinklers should NOT be turned on until you can see the whites of their eyes, flames that is.
One of the local CFA guys is coming over tomorrow morning to walk the Daughter and I through what we should be doing. Asking for expert help is something I should have done long ago. I know the theory, but theory goes out the window when you’re faced with the real thing. [I didn’t face the real thing today, just a very tense dress rehearsal, and for that I’m extremely grateful]
So there you have it. I made a whopping great mistake, but was luckier than I have any right to be.
It’s funny, this luck thing. I never win at raffles, or lotteries or even scratchies, and think of myself as an unlucky person. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe all the little losses pay for the few big wins…like today.
Goodnight all. I’m knackered and going to bed.
-smile-
Meeka
Authors' favourite books
NANO 2012
January 15th, 2014 at 1:26 pm
I’m reminded of one of the first of your blog posts that I read — the one about the alpaca volcanoes. You continually give me a view of a part of the world that is so different from my own little corner.
I hope you continue to write and that the sprinklers do their job!
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 11:42 pm
lol – I’m often worried my ‘aussi’ posts will be boring, precisely because my world is kind of different to those of you in the US. I’m glad I can provide a small taste of Australia. 🙂
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 6:52 am
That near miss feeling is not a comfortable one… So long as fortune favours you when it counts. I don’t even bother buying lottery tickets.
After today you only see the holes… the CFA guy will help you see the cheese 😉
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 10:42 am
lol – I like that…’see the cheese’. 🙂 And you’re right, although I will never be completely comfortable with my ability to act properly in a fire crisis until I actually put myself to the test- just not this week I hope.
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:07 am
Goodnight Sweetie, sleep well but most of all sleep safe. I hope the CFA men tomorrow are a great help and have you working everything perfectly though I hope you never have to test it for real.
xxx Sending Hugs Galore xxx
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:26 am
Thanks David. At this point I’d almost welcome a [small] fire so I know what to expect. Like I said, theory only goes so far. 🙂
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 2:46 am
That’s what rehearsals are for, right? So, I’m interested in how you create a defensible space around your home to protect against wildfires. Is there a fire break? Are sprinklers your main defense? Studying different disaster mitigation techniques just now. Inquiring minds (okay, my inquiring mind) would like to know. Stay safe.
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:24 am
Hi Honie. The defensible space directly around the house is not that big – somewhere between 10 and 15 metres. The reason is that I live in an area where you’re not allowed to cut down the gum trees.
Inside that area I’ve landscaped so it’s mostly a rock garden – i.e. nothing to burn. Then the shutters protect the windows. What most people don’t realise is that if the glass breaks, one ember can burn a house down from the inside out.
Finally I have the sprinklers on the ridgeline of the roof and all around the eaves. -smile- And the wine cellar if all else fails.
I’ll try an take a picture showing the shutters down, etc.
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 1:00 am
Good thing you made the mistake during a dress rehearsal…that’s why dress rehearsals exist!
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:19 am
lol – that’s true but I wish I’d known it was only a dress rehearsal at the time. For a while there before we fixed everything I was a…bit…worried. 😉
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 12:27 am
Yes, you were lucky. And it never pays to be a ‘nice little woman’. I’ve learned that one, too. I’m glad all turned out well.:)
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:17 am
-grin- we’ll have to swap war stories one day 😀
LikeLike
January 14th, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Phew!!!… sleep tight vegemite. xxx
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:16 am
lol – not much chance of that, but thanks 🙂
LikeLike
January 14th, 2014 at 10:09 pm
A very good thing to find out before the event!
Hopefully we make it through another summer without having to find out if our plans are the right ones.
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 4:16 am
It’s 4am and I’ve been awake for an hour since power failure >> fan stopped >> hot hot hot.
I’m really glad I didn’t have to learn the hard way yesterday. Roll on the cool change.
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 7:58 am
It’s horrible isn’t it. I was up at 3am with Number 2 “it’s too hot, I can’t sleep”. A one room AC here that we don’t like running through the night, once I turned it off to go to bed the house just fried.
😦 bring on the cool change indeed. No lightning though please.
LikeLike
January 15th, 2014 at 10:45 am
I turn the aircon off at night too. Apart from anything else, it can’t cope after a day of sustained heat. Went to sleep with windows open and a fan pointed at my face. Woke up at 3 coz the fan was off – power outage. Then couldn’t get back to sleep until dawn. I guess we just have to grin and bear it.
LikeLike