Dealing With Power Failure
Being Prepared For Power Outages
When the power goes out, candles and flashlights are convenient and can be fun for a short time. However, in the event the power is out for a longer period of time, being prepared for emergency heating and lighting can make a difficult situation easier.
Your options for dealing with a power failure depend on how cold it is outside, how long you’re without power, and whether you have tools, equipment, and systems in place that can meet your needs without external power sources. This web site will help you make decisions to prepare for short and long term power outages.
Planning Ahead: You can ease the hardships of a power outage by weatherizing your home to reduce its energy requirements and by installing energy systems that operates independently of external sources. It’s a good idea to have on hand flashlights, extra batteries, candles, and candle holders in a convenient place that you can readily and easily find in the dark. A well insulated and air sealed house can hold heat and remain comfortable for several hours.
Coping with Power Failure
Depending on the Season, Keep the Heat In (or Out) During winter months, the main purpose of a backup system is to keep the house warm (and sometimes to keep the basement dry). You have to be able to keep the heat in, prevent unnecessary air infiltration, and prevent pipes from freezing.
In summer months, the main purpose of a backup system is to keep the house from becoming too warm. Those that have difficulties with extreme heat (seniors, asthmatics etc), especially need to have an alternative plan to power their homes.
To be sure your home is prepared for power outages; take an energy audit of your house, then work to implement as many changes as possible.
Most natural gas and LP gas water heaters will continue to work without electricity, so you should have hot water during a power failure. Most electric water heaters will keep water warm for 6 hours or more depending on location and insulation. Most central heating systems use electricity and will not operate during a power outage. You may be able to connect a portable generator or inverter to a gas or oil furnace and heat as usual.
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Don’t use a backup generator to heat your house if it is all-electric, or gas powered, to power resistance heaters, such as baseboards and fan heaters as doing so isn’t a very efficient, or economical way of heating your home. Instead, install a wood, oil, natural gas or propane stove that uses a chimney; or install a pellet, oil, natural gas or propane stove that vents through the wall. Fan assisted air circulation makes auxiliary heating devices more effective.
Although most wood or gas fireplaces are inefficient, they may be used to heat the space where they are located. If your house has a wood stove, you probably already know how well it works to heat your home. If your home doesn’t have a fireplace or wood/pellet stove, you may want to consider installing a space heater that can be used during a power outage. Heaters are available that operate on wood, pellets, natural gas, propane, kerosene, or heating oil stoves.
When the Electricity Goes Out:
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After the electricity goes out, turn off all lights and appliances. Appliances that have electric clocks, or are always running, have an active connection to the grid and can be damaged if there is a power surge or voltage drop when the power is restored. To protect computers, TV’s, and the like you may want to unplug them, or at least insure they are plugged into surge protectors.
To conserve existing heat within the home, concentrate activities in one or two adjacent rooms. Close off unused or un-needed rooms. The kitchen and an adjoining room usually are good choices during a power outage. Food in refrigerators and freezers should be safe for up to 24 hours, provided the refrigerator and freezers doors are not opened unless absolutely needed. And even then, make it as quick as possible. If the power is off for more than 24 hours you may need to throw away any items that may have been thawed to long.
Although you may be tempted to heat your house in an emergency with a gas cooking stove, these are designed for short term cooking needs and can discharge large amounts of odorless, deadly carbon monoxide. They also can release substantial amounts of moisture into the room that can lead to mold and condensation problems.
Portable kerosene heaters and camping propane heaters also may seem like a natural choice for emergency heating, but they are strongly discouraged because they are not vented outside and can cause serious health risks, even death! Opening a window slightly for fresh air still won’t provide adequate ventilation and the cold air coming in is usually greater than the heat provided by portable gas, propane, kerosene, or oil heaters can provide. If you do decide to use any fuel burning equipment in your house, be sure you also have an operating battery powered carbon monoxide alarm to alert you to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. If the alarm does sound, you will need to evacuate everyone from the house and open doors and windows to ventilate the house of these dangerous gases.
Keeping Warm with Room Heaters:
Some new wood stoves and space heaters vented to the outside are very efficient. If you are considering the purchase of a room heater, consider the following:
Heating Your House During A Power Outage:
Fireplaces: Existing open fireplaces, even those with glass doors or air circulating fans, are poor space heaters, they may be useful in an emergency. If you haven’t had your chimney inspected, now is a good time to do so. Chimney’s should be cleaned and inspected annually to avoid hazardous conditions, such as creosote build-up if the fireplace is used constantly thru out the winter months.
Gas Logs: If you don’t have or don’t want to haul wood, the least expensive alternative is to install artificial gas logs in an existing wood burning fireplace. Like wood burning fireplaces, they primarily are decorative but may be able to heat one room in an emergency.
Wood Stoves: Wood burning stoves are very effective and efficient room heaters. As with fireplaces, the chimney should be cleaned and inspected annually to insure safe operation. When using a wood burning stove or fireplace, you should insure you have ample supply of “seasoned” (dry at least 6 months) firewood on hand because seasoned firewood can be difficult and expensive to obtain in winter months especially during severe weather conditions. (It’s that supply and demand thing. You know, the greater the demand and the shorter supply equals greater price and lesser quality).
Pellet Stoves: Some people prefer pellet stoves over wood stoves because the pellets automatically feed into the combustion chamber as needed. Pellet stoves burn very efficiently. Most are vented through an outside wall and don not require a chimney to the roof. Since most pellet stoves have fans and electric controls, be sure the model you’re considering can operate during a power outage.
Vented natural gas, propane, oil, or kerosene heaters: These stoves do not have a visible flame but they do have a fan to circulate heat. Some are “direct vented,” which simplifies installation. Verify that the models you are considering can operate during a power outage. There are a few high efficiency models that are available today that use gas/propane, kerosene, or heating oil.
Un-vented natural gas/propane fireplace heaters:
As stated previously, un-vented gas or propane heaters are strongly discouraged as they pose potentially enormous health and safety issues. Most health experts warn against using un-vented or “vent-free” gas fireplaces in homes due to serious health hazards. Because they have no chimney or vent to the outside, these heaters release potentially dangerous combustion byproducts into the room. Continuous use can create substantial amounts of humidity into a room causing condensation and mold problems.
Extended Power Outages:
If temperatures are below freezing, either drain the plumbing system to help avoid frozen pipes and turn off the incoming water at the main water valve, and open all water faucets in the house including showers and hose connections. Or be sure to let water slowly drip from a faucet at the lowest level in the house, as running water is less likely to freeze.
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