ᐅ Preparing for a Power Outage

Created on: 6 Feb 2021 15:35
Ötzi Ötztaler
The weather is expected to turn quite unpleasant, and in some areas, ice rain could actually cause a few power poles to topple. I don’t think this will happen, but just for fun, here’s a question:

How do you prepare for a 48-hour power outage at -5 to -10°C (23 to 14°F)?

It never hurts to think about this kind of situation, even if it’s unlikely.
H
haydee
8 Feb 2021 10:07
Water is not an issue here either. I am only a few meters away from two wells that used to provide drinking water. The wells were never decommissioned. Just a filter in between and done. Toilet water comes from the stream or a tank.
However, carrying every drop to my parents’ place is quite a workout.
I
icandoit
8 Feb 2021 10:17
The worst thing that can happen is losing internet access. :p
debaser8 Feb 2021 10:23
I would go to my somewhat paranoid friend, who has equipped his house with a 6kW diesel generator that automatically takes over whenever the grid power is out for more than a few minutes. 😀
K
knalltüte
8 Feb 2021 18:45
Well, the last power outage here was only a few weeks ago. According to hearsay, an animal got stuck in a transformer box. This caused the power to go out in three districts for between 30 minutes and 1.5 hours. Our first thought was, of course, the missing UPS before the coffee machine. Fortunately, I had just brewed a fresh coffee, and the employee with the highest coffee consumption managed to hold out just barely.

Given the current weather here, an outage is not even that unlikely:
(this is the company bike, left outside the door on Friday)

Bicycle in front of red brick wall, heavily covered with snow, saddle and handlebars covered
G
guckuck2
8 Feb 2021 19:02
debaser schrieb:

I would go to my somewhat paranoid friend who equipped his house with a 6kW diesel generator that automatically switches on whenever the mains power is out for more than a few minutes. 😀

And you think he would still open the door for you then? ;-)
H
haydee
8 Feb 2021 21:06
The weather here is not that extreme.
About 25cm (10 inches) of snow – not much.
About 10 degrees Celsius (14°F) below zero – cold but not unusual.

Power outages happen occasionally. Sometimes only one phase, sometimes the entire supply. They never last long.