ᐅ Multi-day Power Outage as Currently Experienced in Berlin: Risks for Heating Systems and Water Pipes?

What about the power inlet socket and generator? I recently watched a video from SHK Info where they operated a Vaillant system using a generator.

My heat pump runs on single-phase power. So it should actually be relatively simple, right?

Hello,

OWLer schrieb:

My heat pump runs on single-phase power. So it should be relatively simple to manage, right?

If your generator provides a clean sine wave output (most basic ones actually produce more of a square wave pulse…) and maintains stable frequency and voltage when the heat pump starts up, it can work. But then you’re no longer talking about a €500 hardware-store generator.

If you really want to use your heat pump reliably, a combination of photovoltaic system with a 15–20 kWh (16–21 kWh) battery, an off-grid-capable inverter, and a grid disconnect switch is probably the best solution. This setup would allow you to charge the battery from a generator if necessary (which could likely be a cheap 2–3 kW generator) and run the house and heat pump fully on battery/inverter power. It’s not enough to supply the electric heating element and the cooktop, but everything else would work.

An easier solution is a wood-burning stove with a stocked wood supply, plus a decent grill and filled gas bottles. And if there’s a prolonged power outage during freezing weather, you can also drain the (monoblock) heat pump. At least in the Vaillant installation manual, I noticed clear recommendations to install drainage valves between the monoblock and the indoor unit.

Best regards,

Andreas

There are valves that open when the medium temperature exceeds 3°C (37°F).

This once gave me quite a scare, but thankfully no repair bill, when I had switched off the monoblock in the morning and then got distracted by something else...

At 10 p.m., you could hear a quiet pop and the valve opened. Turning the heat pump back on and refilling water then restored everything to normal.

I would always install this type of valve for water systems that run outside. The heat loss from it is negligible.

There are many things. And now, probably even more people are rushing around in a panic, spending a lot of money on wood stoves, patio heaters, firewood, drain valves, and so on, because specialty stores naturally know how to take advantage of the situation 😉
And in 99.999% of cases, these purchases will remain unused.

In any case, I find it very unlikely that someone would set fire to the transformer box here and then leave us without power for 3, 4, or 10 days… and even if that happened… some neighbor will surely be warm 😉
That’s the next point. Everyone will go where the chimney is smoking. And as a neighbor with a fireplace, do you want to say, “Snitch on them!”?
The power outage lasts a few days, the neighborhood lasts decades…

True preppers therefore stockpile not only food and other essentials but also weapons… legal ones, and I’m sure many illegal ones too…

In Berlin, you also have to consider this particularity. It was a radial feeder; usually, supply networks are built in a ring configuration.
If this had happened on a normal ring network, they could have simply switched over and at least maintained basic power supply.

There were people who knew very well how the Berlin 110 kV (68 miles) network is structured and where real damage could be done.
That’s why I find it so hard to believe that it was just a few activists with a gas can and a flare…

I fundamentally believe that the conclusion is wrong that everyone must individually prepare to be able to supply themselves with electricity and heating for 10 days.

I also don’t have a tank in my garage to defend myself in an emergency. That’s what the military is for, to protect all of us.

Similarly, a capable team needs to be quickly established to restore damaged infrastructure. And for that, a substantial stockpile of materials required in an emergency must first be gathered.
If that is in place, not all 85 million citizens need to have a generator in their basement.
We need that capability anyway. Every future conflict, whether asymmetric or total, will initially target the energy infrastructure.

MachsSelbst schrieb:
I fundamentally disagree with the conclusion that everyone must now individually prepare to supply themselves with electricity and heating for 10 days.

There is no need for any special conclusion to be drawn from the power outage in Berlin; the overall situation was managed quite well. There were no deaths directly linked to the outages, and the additional strain on hospitals was handled in a way that there was little concern about crisis management, so no major public outcry occurred. The damages were mostly economic in nature.

In my view, some level of personal preparedness is generally sensible. The extent can be debated. I also consider a 10-day requirement to be too high.

From my perspective, it makes sense for the majority of the population to be capable of coping for the first 72 hours. This roughly corresponds to the period in which chaos can last during a major event. After all, emergency services need time to assess the situation and then begin to manage it systematically. Anyone who does not panic during this time and can initially help themselves contributes to better overall handling of the situation.
Those who can do without heating during that time and manage with warmer clothing and a slowly cooling living space do not need special heating preparations. Everyone can keep a container of drinking water on hand to supply household members for a certain period. Anyone who is not in severe financial difficulty can keep some food supplies at home to have enough to eat for a few days without going to the grocery store. Canned goods are a good option.

I am sure that many people in Berlin were well prepared with drinking water and food and thus helped to cope with the situation.