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
S
SaniererNRW12311 Oct 2022 21:47Pianist schrieb:
I just need to prevent the house from cooling down so much that the water supply line freezes and bursts.So we are talking about weeks or even longer...
Hello, using local emergency power is hardly going to be effective because it is inherently not very efficient. You can also prevent your house from freezing quite well with a wood stove. For your pipes to freeze and burst, you would need very low temperatures for probably a week or more without any heating at all.
If you know how much power your heating system uses, you might be able to use your car’s power outlet (typically providing 150-200 W) as a temporary solution. Alternatively, you could get a good inverter that converts 12 volts DC into clean 240 V sine wave power. In that case, your car would need to idle outside the house. Depending on the car, the alternator can supply between 0.8 and 2 kW, consuming about 0.8 liters per hour. This is the most inefficient solution, but with the advantage that, first, it likely is already available and, second, it works in an emergency. Emergency generators require continuous maintenance and care if they are to run reliably when needed.
Best regards,
Andreas
If you know how much power your heating system uses, you might be able to use your car’s power outlet (typically providing 150-200 W) as a temporary solution. Alternatively, you could get a good inverter that converts 12 volts DC into clean 240 V sine wave power. In that case, your car would need to idle outside the house. Depending on the car, the alternator can supply between 0.8 and 2 kW, consuming about 0.8 liters per hour. This is the most inefficient solution, but with the advantage that, first, it likely is already available and, second, it works in an emergency. Emergency generators require continuous maintenance and care if they are to run reliably when needed.
Best regards,
Andreas
I
Interrupt11 Oct 2022 22:50You could also consider getting a power station with a solar panel. This way, you would be somewhat self-sufficient, at least for the essentials. They start at a few hundred euros, but usually with one kilowatt or less. These are more suitable for camping. Some models can be connected together. For the larger setups with multiple batteries, you can easily pay a five-figure sum. The question is how much that is worth to you and how you would connect it to your oil heating system.
I still think a generator is the most economical and practical solution. However, it’s inconvenient if you can’t also use the fuel in your car. Only using Aspen fuel is not ideal either, as it has a limited shelf life (maximum five years in sealed containers, one year in opened containers). Maybe you could give away the fuel shortly before it expires and then stock up on fresh containers.
I still think a generator is the most economical and practical solution. However, it’s inconvenient if you can’t also use the fuel in your car. Only using Aspen fuel is not ideal either, as it has a limited shelf life (maximum five years in sealed containers, one year in opened containers). Maybe you could give away the fuel shortly before it expires and then stock up on fresh containers.
G
Gartenfreund12 Oct 2022 03:34It takes a few days for the pipes to freeze. After that, the water must be drained from the heating system. It’s questionable whether potable water will still come from the tap.
I would be more concerned about the rats coming from a flooded sewer system. When pipes freeze, we are talking about a blackout lasting much longer than 72 hours.
Is security still guaranteed then, or should one expect looting? Many people’s refrigerators will be empty.
I would be more concerned about the rats coming from a flooded sewer system. When pipes freeze, we are talking about a blackout lasting much longer than 72 hours.
Is security still guaranteed then, or should one expect looting? Many people’s refrigerators will be empty.
Pianist schrieb:
Let's assume the system requires 200 Watts. If you want to keep it running for 24 hours, you would need a battery capacity of 4.8 kWh, or am I mistaken? The system doesn't run continuously for 24 hours, unless it's really freezing. For emergency heating, fewer operating hours should be sufficient. We run our heating system for about 6 hours per day down to an outside temperature of 5°C (41°F) without increasing the flow temperature – but this is not underfloor heating and it's an older building.
A new pump is definitely an advantage; it should consume between 20 Watts at part load and a maximum of 50 Watts. The heating control won't use much power once the heater is on. It would be interesting to know the power required for ignition. You can also test by connecting a power meter to the heater and measuring its consumption and peak power draw over a few days. For this, you would first need to convert to a plug connection, or you can measure values at the terminal with a multimeter while it is running.
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