Power brown outs

What is everyone doing in case of a power blackout / brownout?


TRO

Alcohol, white gas, and solar cooking / heating water.

Candles and flashlights for light.

Battery operated radio.

Hoping the power comes back on.

Depends on when it happens... if it happens in the middle of the night, I'm gonna go back to sleep

During the day, put on the battery operated fans and chill out with as few clothes on as possible.

Eat the stuff in the fridge first, then if the power outage starts going on too long then it's time to fire up the grill and start bbq-ing the stuff in the freezer.

(Block Party!!!!)

At night, open some windows (with screens) put the fan in the window and go to sleep just like when I stayed with my grandmother as a child.

I'll use up the battery powered lights first saving the hurricane lamps (lamp oil) for last ditch lighting because of the heat and fire risk.

One day I'll get my generator (paying off debt = first priority).

Here in FL we've had our share....usually when it is during a T storm, the 1st thing I do is look across the street to see if the FPL equipment is as it should be. What I mean is that there is what looks like a huge knife switch that acts as a safety feature. Their (FPL's) technical term for it is a 'Drop out' switch. So far, 3 of th last 3 times it was tripped and hanging down. Calling FPL and using their terms to describe what is wrong usually convinces them I know of what I speak....We usually get the truck within an hour. Then we just hang on.

If it is longer than that.....I start thinking about wheeling the generator out.....I think our next "BIG" purchanse will be the 'whole house generator'.

Not a lot of power outs here, I can’t remember ever having a brown out. The few power outages we have are short duration things. A few hours is the most it’s ever been off.


I’m an avid tent camper, I have all I need to survive without power for a long time. Winter would be a problem for heating the house But the kitchen range and pulling the kero heater out of storage in the garage, it should be doable. Also the garage is heated with wood, it can easily be kept very warm with all the fire wood I have.

I keep telling myself to work toward being less grid dependant.

I did some reading on kerosene powered refrigerators once. They are aqua-ammonia like the ones in travel trailers. Does anyone have one of these, and if so how do you like it.


Seems like it would work for non grid homes.

Assuming the blackout is mid-to-long term, like the Great Eastern Blackout of '03 (we had no power for 2-3 days where I lived) or longer...

I'm doing what samhain is doing as far as the refrigerated goods go. Not that I couldn't afford one, but I live in an apartment building where a generator would not only be a possible noise/space problem, but would arouse suspicion and be a liability for theft, etc..

As for power for my small electronic devices, I've got a Black & Decker Power to Go portable battery. This will recharge the small luxury electronics (PSP, Nintendo DS) but the digital camera battery will have the priority here, should I want to document events as they unfolded.
As for the laptop I've got a car battery and an inverter, however long that will last.

I shouldn't have a problem with lighting, at least for quite a while. I've got a buttload of battery-powered lanterns, flashlights, batteries, and bulbs, most of which I've found on clearance (name brands and good quality though). I went kind of overboard here because during the '03 blackout, I was grossly underprepared and had only ONE glowstick and one Mini Mag-Lite with half-dead batteries. By Day 2 I was sitting in the dark, work calling me and telling me not to come in, scared out of my wits!

As for cooking I've got a propane grill for grilling, and a portable stove that runs on butane canisters. I don't need to use much fuel in the latter if I'm making something as quick and simple as Ramen noodles.

I've also got candles just sitting in my desk drawer waiting to be used, even with some brass candleholders w/ finger rings that I got at an antique store and untarnished at home.

Got it covered

1. Wood Burner
2. Propane Cook Stove
3. Generator wired into the house
4. Oil Lamps
5. Manual coffee pot, can opener
4. Travel Trailer
5. Camping gear
6. Rechargeable batterys
7. Cabin in NY
8. Propane Grill

Problem is the power doesn't go out that often, last time was for only 10 hrs, I don't get to use everything that often, except at my cabin in NY no power, carry water, no frig, use coolers etc. Actually I can live quite nicely without electricity.

I didn't know that. I take one of those Walmart LED lanterns when I'm camping. They put out a lot of light for there size and seem to sip batteries.

As for blackouts, we have assorted battery-powered fans, lanterns, radio, etc and a large, 400 watt emergency power battery thingy.

In the winter we just put on clothes if we get a little cool. I love Texas!

Our freezers have lots of blocks of ice in them to help keep them cool. If it looks like it'll be a few days I'll start canning stuff, grilling stuff, and swap BBQ with the neighbors.

We were going to get a generator but Hurricane Rita convinced us otherwise. All the houses across the street lost power for six days. A bunch of them shared a generator to keep their fridges/freezers going but after three days the cost in gas outweighed the cost of food. gas prices have doubled since then. Overall, we decided we can make do without electricity if we must. Our stove and water heater are gas plus I have a ton of camping stuff. Overall, it'll be kind of sticky in the summer or cool in the winter, but nothing unbarable.

-Blast

I don’t know if propane is different then natural gas, but my natural gas water heater has no electrical connection to it at all. I just put a new one in on May 8th of this year and only hooked up water, gas line and the vent.

The kitchen range is hooked to electricity, but it’s only used for the timer / clock and piezo lighters. It will still work with no electricity if you light it with a match.

I've been doing a lot of reading on standard refrigerator alternatives lately. One of the most clever I've run across have been homemade versions of a Crosley Icy Ball. These things run off of about a cup of kerosene a day. These are along the same lines of the gas absorption refrigerators used in RV's.

"...Propane and Natural Gas Fired Hot Water Heaters by code still run off a wall plug that runs a blower..."

Maybe where you live, but not at our stick house in CA. We have a propane water heater, vents above and below, but no electric blowers of any kind. (but then, our water comes from a well, electric pump. Bummer)...

Blast-

I know gas is expensive but this surprises me. My 6.5 KW can run 12 hrs on 7 gal. (Not that I would run it 12 hours at a stretch). I would guess a few hours a day would keep the freezer/fridges cold if not opened much. I plan to run it 6 hours/day. That's 3.5 gallons, or 14 bucks a day. Do you consider that outrageous? And spread between multiple families? That's cheap, man! 14 bucks to keep a whole lotta steaks o.k. sounds decent to me.

Red,

Thanks for that info, it puts a generator in a new light. I don't know the exact set up/generator type that my neighbors were using, but it was running pretty steadily to keep everyone's fridges and freezers going. They may also have been running tv's or other stuff, I'm not sure.

I guess in my case the power either goes out for 1 hour or six days, with nothing in between. I'm sure if we got a generator I could split the gas costs among my neighbors in return for running their stuff. Time to do more thinking.

-Blast

HOLY CRAP! I JUST BECAME A POOH-BAH!

-Blast

Congratulations Blast on your Pooh-Bah status

-Bill Liptak

Much better than a poop-bah. Congrats!

I'm in an enviable position weather-wise. I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1992, and it's never been below freezing and I've never lived in an air-conditioned house here.

Because I expect an earthquake, I've got a month's worth of canned and packaged food (for us two), a big propane tank (well, big to me), a propane grill, two propane camp stoves, a dual-fuel (white gas/unleaded gas) camp stove, and enough water to get me started filtering the stream that runs through the park across the street.

We've got survival candles, romantic candles, battery powered lanterns, a couple of 100 Amp-hour batteries, and an 18 Amp-hour battery connected to a solar panel.

We don't keep enough in the fridge/freezer for us not to be able to consume it all before it spoils, although heating the frozen TV dinners will have to be done without the microwave. :->

My big deal is medicine. We're both on life-long pills, and if there's no long term power, we will have trouble getting prescriptions filled. I think I'll ask the pharmacy what their power plans are if there's an earthquake or long term power outage.

Ahhhh, the old "I've finally got this generator so I'm going to run it 24 hours a day." Yep. I've seen it firsthand. O.k., I can see running it 24 hours/day is gonna get EXPENSIVE. But, you, being an experienced ETS guy, wouldn't make that mistake.

Thanks for all your great ideas/contributions/humor to the forum Blast. You da man.

P.S. My best friend shares your views on cats. Or is that just one certain particular cat?

red, it's not your views on cats, its their views on us.

I have read several sources, semi and fully reliable, that predict brownouts and blackouts are coming to an area near you very shortly (late July-September??).

Congrats! We should hit DR up for some kind of plaque or something to go with the honor...

Just one particular cat. Unfortunately, it belongs to my machete-wielding, bullseye-shooting, motorcycle racing-armor-wearing, totally hot wife. You can understand my dilemma.

-Blast

well put Blast---One doesn't mess with the Queen's Cat!!!

Hi TeacherRO

Some New York nostalgia about the summer 77 blackout.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/archivehour

Enjoy!!

What I'd give to get my wife to shoot bullseyes while riding a motorcycle and wielding a machete...

But she is kinda hot...

You have a dilemma, Blast. Death by feline canines and claws vs. death by DW's *the look*.

(Sighing) Well, gotta go play with my ever-faithful dog now. See ya!

Killing me by "The Look" would probably be her least painful way of doing me in. I'm guessing when the time comes she'll cut my hamstrings, break my elbows, skin me alive then make me watch as she sews a nice quilt out of my flesh.

Trust me, size and temper are NOT related.

-Blast

There's been some pretty good threads on developing an emergency stash of prescription meds. As per Katrina, this is a critical area. The solution is quite easy. Here's a good thread about this
and this
I need to develop a better plan for our pharmacy. The clinic doesn't even have a backup generator. The sad fact is most of the docs will be called into the hospitals for triage work where they have backup power...leaving me powerless. I have a SmartUPS, but that lasts 20 min. I've read about hooking up a UPS to a deep-cycle battery for hours of power...I will be looking into that at home as well. Power is the biggie with pharmacy. My little fridge would have to have a backup power source as well.

My father passed away recently, and I will say when the estate is settled, and I sell his house, certain "upgrades" will be done to MY house - one of them is a whole house generator

Consider some solar, too. Generate electricity, heat some water, maybe even a solar oven to cook and to boil water - all with free fuel. Of course solar works better in some locations and at some times of the year than in others.

Hi, new member here, though long term lurker.

Here in London UK, power failures are quite rare though they cause total chaos as no one is prepared.

At my workplace I keep battery lanterns and flashlights with batteries for a few days.
Have a UPS in the office/workshop with a large external battery, this allows 24 hours mormal use of broadband router, pc, desk lamp and desk fan.

At home near London I am off grid anyway (large PV and battery system) so would hardly notice the difference!

Although power cuts are rare, the prospect of a long term one is very worrying, it would not directly affect me that much, the lack of food, drinking water, public transport, and communications would be the worry.

In an extended power failure you are suddenly a very rich person - you have power, literally. How are the home defense plans shaping up? How do you intend to conceal your power wealth?

Home defense is pretty much illegal here, firearms are effectivly prohibited, and although crossbows and kitchen knives are allowed for now! heaven help anyone who uses such against an intruder.

I would hope to keep a very low profile, and not advertise my source of power, PV is at least silent unlike a generator.
I am equiped with blackout curtains, and home made storm shutters. In the long term though I would simply wait for either the return of normality, or until I judjed it safe to travel to friends or relatives in the countryside.

Good point, never gave that much thought.