Power outage was a learning experience.

G

GP44

Member
A storm knocked the power out in town last week and it lasted for 8-10 hours.
Wife and I were in our shelter in the basement when we lost power because the tornado warning sirens blew about 9:00 PM.
I have the router and modem plugged into a UPS so we had a half hour of extended WiFi to be able to watch the radar on our phones and the weather outside on the security cameras.
By watching the cameras we can see how bad the storm is without leaving the basement.
Wouldn’t hurt to have some solar powered lights outside so we could see things better though.
After the storm let up I went out to start the generator and the battery was too low to crank it. Didn’t make any difference that I had a charger on the battery while on standby. The battery switch had been left in an on position so that I could start the generator with the remote control.
I bought a REAL battery to replace the tiny generator battery and am using a battery tender to keep it charged. Set it up so that I can connect or disconnect the battery in seconds with alligator clips.
No more working on the generator for an hour to get it started.
Ordered a 24 pack of D batteries for the lanterns and 02Cool fans.
That battery powered fan in the window was what made sleep possible after the storm because the house was still hot from before the storm but the air was cool outside after the front went through.
 

Do you still have a battery operated radio for weather alerts? The lack of Internet is why everyone still has to own a battery operated weather radio.

Do you think of your car as your life raft? I do. It is my Information Hub because of the 12V lighter plug-in.

It’s also good to have a portable power pack for your phone always fully charged and in a memorable place. When your phone dies, plug it in to the power pack.
 
Yes! We have phone chargers and a radio in the car but I really like watching what is happening on the weather radar on the phone.
bingo said:
get a portable inverter and solar panels....2000 watts...charged without use lasts a year...when needing charge..can be charged through the cigarette lighter in a car...or solar.....if no power at home to plug into 110
Click to expand...
Are you charging batteries with a 2000w solar array and an inverter or are you charging a power station?
 
My generator is a 9K generator that produces about 7500 watts so it is big enough for fridge and freezer and window a/c or furnace and for the sump pump if water runs into the basement.
We had two 3.5” rains followed by another 2” in one week awhile back and that was the first time water ran into the basement in a long time. We had power from the grid at that time.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
What amazes me is the stupid things you do when the power goes out. The TV's down, no lights, no internet, I know I'll do some wash. The light over the kitchen table is out, so I'll flick on the one over the sink. The toaster is taking a really long time. OH, yeah, the vacuum won't work either.
Click to expand...

And then when the power does come back on …. you stand there for a few seconds in disbelief staring at a light that just came back on ….. especially if it’s been hours - anyway, that’s me.
 
We'll soon be into the prime part of hurricane season, so I'm starting prepping.

Gas can for the portable generator full?

Everything in the yard that needs trimming trimmed?

Lot's of candles and batteries?

Where the heck is that battery-powered radio?

All the rest can wait. At least we get a couple of days notice. Ice, Spam and white bread can wait...Lol.
 
When we moved to a rural forest, 20+ years ago, one of the first things I bought was a generator....6500 watts. It's big enough to give us the basics....lighting, refrigerator, etc. Luckily, we've only had one long power outage....about 18 hours....hopefully, we will continue to be lucky.
 
bingo said:
get a portable inverter and solar panels....2000 watts...charged without use lasts a year...when needing charge..can be charged through the cigarette lighter in a car...or solar.....if no power at home to plug into 110
Click to expand...
Learning a lot about solar now. I like the idea of a battery box that has the built in controller and inverter where all I add is a battery and the solar panels.
But I’ve got a ways to go before I start putting anything together.
 
GP44 said:
Learning a lot about solar now. I like the idea of a battery box that has the built in controller and inverter where all I add is a battery and the solar panels.
But I’ve got a ways to go before I start putting anything together.
Click to expand...
utube is a great resource for researching..after looking at all..we bought bluetti...
 
Power cuts are obviously a bigger problem to some than others. They're not common here and rarely last for more than a few hours.
We keep a couple of torches and a box of candles just in case. We can also cook meals in the campervan and have a wood burning stove in the lounge.
 

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