Recent power outage

[atomichawg]

A few weeks ago in central Virginia, we got almost 2 feet of snow, which is alot in these parts. HAd the Jotul Oslo humming along when about 1 in the afternoon, the power went out. Normally, we dont keep the stove going at night and let the furnace kick on after we go to sleep. But no electricity meant that the furnace would not function. We put a mattress in the living room, and slept near the stove. I was very happy to not have to worry about freezing to death with outdoor temperatures in the teens. God bless wood heat.

The next day, the power company couldn't say when the power might be restored. Because we have a well with an electric pump, it meant that we lost water too. Which means no showers, no dish washing, and no toilet flushing. We may get a generator to run that in case the power goes out again.

I'm sure most of you self reliant types will laugh at this, but we ended up going to stay in a motel for 2 nights. My wife refused to stay in our house without running water. The drive into town was treacherous, and there were abandoned cars all over the place, but we made it. Funny thing is, the power was restored later that evening.

 

[LLigetfa]

If you are asking what would we have done, we would have stayed put, especially with two feet of snow on the roads. Yes, a genset would be nice but we don't have one either. Given that my well pump is 220V, a cheap basic genset wouldn't do and I'd want the full meal deal with X-fer switch.

We have a gas cooktop so cooking and boiling water is still possible. As for water, our pressure tank is large enough that if we conserve, there will be enough for a few toilet flushes. If it's yellow, let it mellow but if it's brown, flush it down. For washing, we could always drain small amounts of water from the water heater. I can shower at our fitness centre at work if I have to so that's another option once the roads are open.

My wood heat does a decent job of heating the whole house so I get to sleep in my own bed and I don't have to worry about frozen pipes as long as the fire is going. In fact someone would have to stay home or go back periodically to keep the fire going so a hotel would be out of the question. I'd send the wife to a hotel or stay with friends once the nattering starts.

 

[velvetfoot]

If you go the generator route, you should take a reading on how much the well pump draws on startup. I had to upsize from 5kw to 7.5kW, and it really takes a hit when the pump comes on. I only ran my generator once a day for an hour or so. You can store water in the bath tub. I've put water in there when they say a storm with a history of power outages is coming my way. If it was really cold outside, I don't know how well my little flush-mounted insert would keep up with power. I do have a kerosene heater though.

 

[Northern NH Mike]

Shortly after moving into my house we had an early fall wind/rain storm that knocked out power for 36 hours. Same thing, no electricity=no furnace, well pump stove, fridge etc. We toughed it out. A few weeks later we had another outage. Once the house hit 59 degrees I sent my wife and four year old daughter to a hotel for the night. They were warm, fed and clean.

Fast forward to a month ago. Power is out for another late fall, heavy wet snowstorm. VC hums along for 27 hours keeping the place toasty and a Honda generator is running the fridge, well pump and enough outlets to run the TV, internet etc. We loose power pretty frequently and are out for 24-72 hours depending upon the severity and geographic impact so a generator makes sense for us.

Bottom line is you keep the family warm and safe.

 

[NH_Wood]

Last winter (12 Dec), central New England was hit with a heck of an ice storm. My power was out for 9 days, with some others out for > 2 weeks. Only had my pellet stove (and oil furnace), so, essentially, I was in trouble. Even with draining the water pipes, several points frozen and burst - quite a mess. The storm was certainly a motivating factor in getting a wood stove replacement for the pellet stove (tax credit didnt' hurt either). I'm of the opinion tha folks living in areas that experience such storms should have a powerless wood burner - at least for back up. I know I'll feel REAL good next winter once the stove is in place - will be warm and house will be safe.

 

[meathead]

Having a dug well on the property can come in very handy during long power outages, even if it isn't your primary well. If you have an area on your property with a high water table, it may not be a big expense to have one dug. A bucket and a rope...and whalla - water. Toilets flush regardless of the deposit you make, cooking is no problem since you already have the stove going...and the best part - add a kettle full of boiling water from the woodstove to a 5 gallon bucket of cold water from the well, and you've got a hot shower.

 

['bert]

I just recently added my water well pump (submersible 220 Volt) to the transfer switch. It really does not use that much power to run it. The inrush current for start up was 20.6A and then ran at 6.4A once started. Therefore my 5000 Watt genny will handle it complete with start up. But still it will be turned off during power outages unless really needed.

 

[John_M]

About three years ago we lost power for two days. I had no wood stove and needed electricity to run my well pump, etc. At the time of the outage I was recovering from some medical problems and was very susceptible to infection. Running water was the one item I needed most to avoid infection and I had none.

About a month later I purchased a Honda EU6500is generator/inverter and have needed it two times since. All the necessities and some comfort items are connected to the UL approved transfer switch and I now have a woodstove. So, now I purr right along during a power outage and do not worry about a thing. The generator was expensive but I bit the bullet and went for it. Had it paid for in a few months and do not regret the expense.

A buddy liked it so much that we wired his house for a generator and will let him use mine on a limited basis so he can heat his house, run water, etc., until he is able to purchase his own.

A generator with a properly installed transfer switch and outdoor receptacle for 120/240 volt operation is your friend in need. Highly recommended.

Best wishes,

John_M

 

[John the Painter]

Here on PEI we expect storms like that.Pobably caught alot of you off guard down there.What we do when a storm is forcasted is run off water in the bath tub, pots , and other containers.In the worst case with that much snow just fill a pot and melt it.It's also good to have a little coleman stove and canned food and such as a "survival" pack.

 

[Shari]

If your power is out due to snow and you have a woodstove for heat just bring in a bucket of snow, set it by the stove till it melts and use that water to flush the toilet.

Shari