Blackouts

spaceHopper

So if we have load shedding or even blackouts what are you going to stock up on? What have I missed?

Lighting: Home Store and More camping led lights. Rechargeable AA batteries Ikea, regular batteries, candles and reflectors 

Cooking: Camping Stove gas. Mets for tranga, BBQ cylinder, Extra BBQ cylinder, Camping Gaz for campervan. 

Heating: Wood, kindelling briquets

Car: Two Jerry Cans of Diesel (need to be able to visit elderly mother)

Food we can easily cook or no cooking: Potatoes, Pasta, Rice, Noodles. Tins of beans Soup, pasta, chilli, meet balls..... UHT milk, butter.  Bread from freezer. Cereal. Burgers and Sausages in freezer (OK for 3 days)

Water, Beer, Wine, Juice...

Battery Radio Books Games Cards

Wet wipes 

The Continental Op

In my case the house and living style is designed around the power going out.

Cooking is on a gas hob or in winter a solid fuel range that also heats water.

The only thing that really needs power is all the computers we run but its no bad thing when they can't be used.

As you have a camper van I'd look into setting that up for living in and having it stocked up for say two weeks with no power and no shops. Then store any additional food in a way that it can be easily thrown in the camper van.

Bullocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119458464#Comment_119458464

Does the range have a circulation pump or can you still light it without power ?

Citizen Six

Have you though about just getting a back up generator and connecting by switch to your fuseboard?

Your freezer won't keep as long if you keep opening to retrieve food from it to cook.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119515079#Comment_119515079

Its an old fashioned direct system with no coil and no need for a pump it works on the bases of hot water raising and displacing cold water. Any solid fuel heating system should have a good degree of safety built in that at least means you haven't got to put a stove out as soon as the power goes but most don't.

PalLimerick

Only candles in my case. But, we won't have power cuts or at worse minimum ones.

MrMusician18

Load shedding is on a rotational basis and lasts about 30mins if I recall correctly.

No need to go all doomsday prep. Just keep the fridge closed and wait it out

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119515480#Comment_119515480

I think thats wishful thinking - Expect the best but plan for the worst and prepare to be surprised - Dennis Waitley.

We haven't had many power outages recently but in the past there was a lot of problems with trees coming down across the cables so any storm meant we'd be off for a bit. Trees grow so it could happen to us again.

I hope you have enough candles getting a good supply now will be cheap and easy but if there are panics in the winter I doubt they will be got so easily. When talking about candles its always worth mentioning to remember to have matches and a lighter handy.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119515592#Comment_119515592

Ah Dennis the mennis Waitley

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119515561#Comment_119515561

The electricity system isn't designed to be switched on and off. I bet more than a few people will end up thinking they have gone all doomsday prep when their power doesn't come back on because they didn't check their own circuit breakers - if we get a power cut the RCD often trips.

monkeybutter

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119515652#Comment_119515652

everyone has had a power outage at some point

so if they haven't figured that out do they deserve to survive the doomsday

not that anyone would survive doomsday, by its very nature

Furze99

An old paraffin light might come in handy, light and heat from it :) But yes otherwise, gas hob and solid fuel stove. Plus a petrol generator to top up the freezer and pump water if rural.

The Continental Op

Paraffin might give off too strong a smell for some people. Great idea I have few paraffin lamps but I tend to burn lamp oil in them which isn't quite as stinky.

GY A1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119515079#Comment_119515079

Would a battery and inverter keep the pump going for long,

and recharging it when power is back or having battery hooked up to solar,

or would a better plan be a small generator that could power the fridge and a couple of lights also ,

Graces7

All ready and all equipped. After a while in a house that was all electcic andcoastal...

Bottled gas cooker,,, sold fuelstove that heats water and will run radiators.. Gas lamp... Lots of food which I iwill add to in the next few weeks,

It gained more meaning when I came offshore,.. and feels... snug

Tabnabs

To all those with bottled gas, how long can you go for with gas shortages, i.e. if you can't get replacement bottles or refills? It was a problem for campervans and boats using the Campingaz bottles during the summer. How long a stock do you hold to avoid shortages?

The Continental Op

We have a total of 10kg of the calor 11.34 bottles of which 6 that are kept as backups and one is that gets swapped in and out.

At our rate of use even with a gas caravan shower gas hob and a couple of gas heaters that would take us through a bad winter. Edit> of cold weather and major power cuts.

Over the years I've just picked the bottles up when I've seen them, a couple were left in a hedge just outside the local tip (as was), another was washed up on the beach and I've always been first in the queue when anyone gave up using gas and had them spare. If fact I had about 15 bottles but gave a few away.

Graces7

Always have at least one spare.. and replace as soon as, and they last at least 3 months. Thanks for reminding me as I do have an extra empty and need to send it in.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119538147#Comment_119538147

Back in the day when we used to run the shower off it we would get one about every month. This was on the old geysers with pilot flame, horrible yokes. Just for cooking a dhrum would last at least 4 months.

Ubbquittious

If there are any prolonged and widespread power cuts during the winter you will have a lot more problems than just getting power to run your own appliances

Within the first day your local phone exchange will go into landline-calls-only mode so no more super fast fibre broadband even if your UPS is workin a treat.

Mains water pressure will go.

Mobile phone coverage will be degraded as not every mast has a backup and the remaining ones will be handling a lot more traffic. Give it a few more days that will stop working too. So if you have no satellite phone / Starlink internet / Ham radio you are completely uncontactable just like the good old days.

You try to get petrol for your jenny, pumps not working. Head to the shop, brennans all gone, maybe some junk food and non perishables left.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119587807#Comment_119587807

You are right there cooking on a 4 ring hob we get through a little less than three 11.34kg bottle of butane a year. But we do have an electric oven and an electric kettle so I suspect that would go to more than 4 bottles of year if we had to heat a kettle for tea and coffee.

Another stalwart of cold houses and worth having as a backup if you are going to sleep in a cold bedroom is a hot water bottle.

Graces7

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119588613#Comment_119588613

A HWB is a staple anyways!

zg3409

I suppose the planning is based on the risk and the amount of times. If you are in a city an outage of 5+ hours would be rare. In the very rural country 24 to 48 hours a year would be normal due to storms.

It's unlikely any power cuts due to overload will happen this winter as the plan is to drop heavy commercial users first such as datacentres which have their own generators. If "planned" outages were to happen it would be between 4pm and 7pm on days with low wind generation and high demand.

That said, for up to 3 hours I could survive, so it would be for 12 to 24 hours you need to plan. As said fridges and freezers won't last 24+ hours without electricity. Most heating systems such as mains gas, oil or even wood pellets need electricity to start and run. A small generator would suffice but many only hold around 6 hours fuel. Properly they need to be stopped, let cool down and only refilled when cold, but this could be manageable in an emergency.

Many people are getting solar panels, home batteries with an inverter capable of powering the home during a power cut for a period of time depending on sun and battery size. The batteries can also be topped up prior to storm or expected outage. They are not cheap but can help reduce electricity bill.

In terms of outages for days all society could break down so it's a totally different plan.

Personally I prefer to invest in things that are useful day to day rather than things like generators which in a city may not be used ever.

In terms of internet failing you can get satellite internet systems and only pay the subscription if you need it to work. They tend to be expensive and slow, so not great for day to day use.

Graces7

Being a disabled pensioner since the govt announced the new free electricity I am changing the balance of my fuel arrangements. I have never used the full amount under the old regime

Less use of the gas cooker, and an electric kettle. Planning a small table top electric oven /hob.

Adaptability and versatility.

I have two full spare gas bottles and an almost full one on. They lasted three months when I did almost all my cooking thereon.

Tabnabs

The British National Grid boss warning about blackouts in the new year.

The head of the National Grid has warned British households that blackouts may be imposed between 4pm and 7pm on “really, really cold” winter weekdays if Europe cuts gas exports

Graces7

May I add water cuts to this thread please? We had such a lack at the weekend. I managed to fill a large numer of pans with the trickle before it died totally as the weather was very bad so noone could get to sort the problem. , Jneed ti acquire and fill some large water containers.