Good day!
I am wondering whether it makes sense to prepare for a power outage this winter. And if so, in what form. Having a full oil tank is useless if the heating system doesn’t have power. There are these battery storage systems like Ecoflow and similar devices. My heating system is permanently wired. Of course, I could modify the wiring so that a plug-in connection is added. If the power actually goes out, I would unplug it and use a short cable to connect it to one of the outlets on the battery unit.
However, I have no idea what the actual power consumption of the heating controller, burner, and circulation pump is. The heating controller is a 20-year-old Vitotronic, the burner is also of similar age, but the circulation pump from Wilo is fairly recent.
Let’s assume the system consumes 200 watts. If you want to keep it running for 24 hours, you would need a battery capacity of 4.8 kWh (4.8 kilowatt-hours), or am I mistaken?
I consider operating additional devices such as a computer or telephone system to be less important, since in the event of a power outage, internet and phone connections usually don’t work anyway, and working is not really possible. Refrigerators and freezers can also be spared in cold winter conditions since you can store items outside somewhere. But heating really should keep running...
Looking ahead, I am working towards greater self-sufficiency with rooftop photovoltaic panels, battery storage, and a heat pump with flat collectors, but that will take time, so for now I am looking for a minimal solution for the coming winter.
Matthias
I am wondering whether it makes sense to prepare for a power outage this winter. And if so, in what form. Having a full oil tank is useless if the heating system doesn’t have power. There are these battery storage systems like Ecoflow and similar devices. My heating system is permanently wired. Of course, I could modify the wiring so that a plug-in connection is added. If the power actually goes out, I would unplug it and use a short cable to connect it to one of the outlets on the battery unit.
However, I have no idea what the actual power consumption of the heating controller, burner, and circulation pump is. The heating controller is a 20-year-old Vitotronic, the burner is also of similar age, but the circulation pump from Wilo is fairly recent.
Let’s assume the system consumes 200 watts. If you want to keep it running for 24 hours, you would need a battery capacity of 4.8 kWh (4.8 kilowatt-hours), or am I mistaken?
I consider operating additional devices such as a computer or telephone system to be less important, since in the event of a power outage, internet and phone connections usually don’t work anyway, and working is not really possible. Refrigerators and freezers can also be spared in cold winter conditions since you can store items outside somewhere. But heating really should keep running...
Looking ahead, I am working towards greater self-sufficiency with rooftop photovoltaic panels, battery storage, and a heat pump with flat collectors, but that will take time, so for now I am looking for a minimal solution for the coming winter.
Matthias
W
WilderSueden11 Oct 2022 19:53A more practical solution is a suitably sized backup generator. You can easily increase its capacity by storing a few extra fuel containers in the garage, and any unused fuel can be used by the car.
I do have something like that, but it would actually be the least efficient solution. You also need to have enough Aspen fuel on hand, because otherwise the device will clog up after years of inactivity. That’s why only Aspen is used.
By the way, there haven’t been any cars in my family for years that require pouring in any kind of liquids...
By the way, there haven’t been any cars in my family for years that require pouring in any kind of liquids...
S
SaniererNRW12311 Oct 2022 21:06Pianist schrieb:
I’m wondering if it really makes sense to prepare for a power outage this winter. No. What would that seriously accomplish? Power outages can happen. So what? A few hours, and that’s it. If there were a nationwide blackout, I think we would have far more serious problems than having emergency power at home for 1-2 days.
Besides, you can also manage more cost-effectively with a blanket for 24 hours. It takes a long time for a house to completely cool down.
W
WilderSueden11 Oct 2022 21:08Pianist schrieb:
I do have something like that, but it would actually be the least efficient solution. Plus, you need to keep plenty of Aspen fuel on hand because otherwise the device will gum up after years of inactivity. That’s why only Aspen fuel.
By the way, in my family, there haven’t been any cars that require pouring in liquids for years… Do you want a solution that’s cheap and works, or one that will still be acceptable at the next day off from school? If the former, then a generator. If you don’t use it for years, your concern is actually completely exaggerated. Or you can spend a lot of money on batteries and storage, only to end up without power because the weather was bad three days before and the battery is empty.
SaniererNRW123 schrieb:
No. What would that actually achieve? Power outages can happen. So what? A few hours, and that’s it. If there were a nationwide blackout, I think we'd have much more serious problems than having emergency power at home for 1-2 days.
Besides, you can keep warm for 24 hours much more cheaply with a blanket. It takes a long time for a house to cool down completely.That’s probably exactly how it will be, as you say. I just need to prevent the house from cooling down enough for the water supply pipes to freeze and burst. In an absolute worst-case scenario, of course, I could turn off the water supply in the street and then drain both the pipes leading into the house and the pipes inside the house, just like I could completely drain the heating pipes.In the long term, though, I am interested in a solution suitable for frost protection.
Matthias
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