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
Well, these are all good and important points you’ve raised. You never really know how likely something is to happen or how severe it will actually be. Of course, it’s also necessary to distinguish whether we’re just talking about a certain loss of comfort that can be managed somehow, whether we’re dealing with a serious threat to the building itself, or even a significant risk to social stability.
I’m afraid that when you prepare for any scenario, reality often turns out quite different. Or, in the best case, we’re completely spared from such problems, and then the money spent may have been wasted.
Tricky...
Matthias
I’m afraid that when you prepare for any scenario, reality often turns out quite different. Or, in the best case, we’re completely spared from such problems, and then the money spent may have been wasted.
Tricky...
Matthias
Gartenfreund schrieb:
If you want to get a generator, I would recommend a diesel generator. Because if you have an oil heating system, you will usually have enough diesel (heating oil) available for the generator in case of emergency.
I know they say you’re not allowed to do this. But when it comes down to it, I wouldn’t care—as long as I stay warm. Of course, this is allowed. A diesel generator is not a vehicle but a stationary engine. You can operate it with heating oil without worrying about tax authorities. However, the engine should be compatible with heating oil containing sulfur (relative to today’s diesel fuel, but not with diesel or heating oil from 30 years ago).
If you have an oil heating system, I would also recommend using a diesel generator since there is enough fuel available. Otherwise, a gasoline generator is suitable. In the worst case, you can transfer fuel from the car…
A stationary installation is the most convenient, but it is quite complex and expensive. Heating oil can be used for this purpose. In a crisis, most people probably wouldn’t care…
What absolutely must be supplied and what can be omitted? The generator needs to be sized accordingly. Is single-phase power sufficient, or is three-phase power required? How will personal protection, grounding, and grid isolation be ensured?
If the power outage lasts for three days, there will likely be many fires. People start doing the most reckless things then.
I know some who already have emergency plans for their families. Everyone living in multi-family houses first flees to relatives with single-family homes, preferably in rural areas. Enough water, food, heat, electricity, and defensive weapons.
I really don’t want to be pessimistic, but it’s worth giving it some thought. A small generator to run the freezer and heating is definitely useful. The consumption is quite low, and it doesn’t have to run 24 hours a day. The refrigerator is important too, but in winter the balcony works as well (if it’s not easily accessible).
When we built the house, we decided against an emergency or backup power supply. At my mother’s place, I start the generator once or twice a year. It has only been needed twice so far, so that influenced our decision.
By now, I would decide differently…
We now have a generator that can provide backup power. Our installation allows for simple integration. It can also be operated in a protected area and is therefore less vulnerable.
I hope we never need it for several days. If the power outage lasts longer than a week, looting will begin…
A stationary installation is the most convenient, but it is quite complex and expensive. Heating oil can be used for this purpose. In a crisis, most people probably wouldn’t care…
What absolutely must be supplied and what can be omitted? The generator needs to be sized accordingly. Is single-phase power sufficient, or is three-phase power required? How will personal protection, grounding, and grid isolation be ensured?
If the power outage lasts for three days, there will likely be many fires. People start doing the most reckless things then.
I know some who already have emergency plans for their families. Everyone living in multi-family houses first flees to relatives with single-family homes, preferably in rural areas. Enough water, food, heat, electricity, and defensive weapons.
I really don’t want to be pessimistic, but it’s worth giving it some thought. A small generator to run the freezer and heating is definitely useful. The consumption is quite low, and it doesn’t have to run 24 hours a day. The refrigerator is important too, but in winter the balcony works as well (if it’s not easily accessible).
When we built the house, we decided against an emergency or backup power supply. At my mother’s place, I start the generator once or twice a year. It has only been needed twice so far, so that influenced our decision.
By now, I would decide differently…
We now have a generator that can provide backup power. Our installation allows for simple integration. It can also be operated in a protected area and is therefore less vulnerable.
I hope we never need it for several days. If the power outage lasts longer than a week, looting will begin…
Pianist schrieb:
I do have something like that, but it would actually be the most inefficient solution. You also need to have enough Aspen fuel ready because otherwise the device will clog up after years of disuse. That’s why only Aspen.
By the way, there haven’t been any cars in my family for years where you have to add any kind of fluids... Aspen fuel is not necessary. Super Plus without E10 has been proven to remain stable in containers for over 15 years…
There are also additives available for diesel.
As you correctly noted, a battery alone won’t get you very far. Since you apparently have electric cars (which also use windshield washer fluid, coolant, brake fluid, etc.), you might be able to take some from there. There are a few videos about this online. However, it’s not really recommended.
I
Interrupt13 Oct 2022 15:16rick2018 schrieb:
SuperPlus without E10 has been proven to remain stable in containers for over 15 years…Really? I’ll have to look that up again. I thought I read somewhere that it’s shelf-stable for up to 6 months. Otherwise, definitely some good points.
But just to mention it for completeness: If power is fed into the house in three-phase, the generator must be capable of handling unbalanced loads; otherwise, you risk damaging all the devices in your home due to over- or undervoltage. The cheaper generators with CEE sockets often don’t have this capability and usually only provide voltage stabilization on the first phase, which also powers the standard outlets (Schuko sockets). The manufacturer then assumes that only an electric motor (e.g., a concrete mixer) is connected to the CEE socket, which does not create unbalanced loads. The datasheet often states “200% unbalanced load capable.”
Cheap generators are not suitable for this kind of use. Even single-phase ones do not produce a clean signal. Many also fail after just a few hours...
Good generators can handle up to 25% unbalanced load of their total capacity.
Usually, they cost five figures if you really want backup power.
Good generators can handle up to 25% unbalanced load of their total capacity.
Usually, they cost five figures if you really want backup power.
Similar topics