Power cuts - are you prepped?

My one niggling problem is that during a power cut my house alarm goes off and shrieks for twenty minutes. The code I was given doesn’t work, I don’t want the alarm but can’t find anyone who will disable it.

aggie

I’ve just ordered a power bank for my iPad and phone , my landline won’t work in a power outage

I’ve just done the same. Wasn’t aware if these power packs before so thank you Gransnetters for the knowledge.

I've joined the local amateur astronomers, maybe we'll be able to see the stars properly. My kids have not yet seen the Milkyway properly....

MayBee70

My freezer is very old and is kept in a cold room but modern freezers have to be kept above a certain temperature. Same with fridges I think. I found all this out when I bought a mini fridge last winter and tried to run it in the utility room that has no heating.

I didn’t know that, thank you for the info. I’m considering replacing my very old chest freezer which lives in the garage so that answers the question about why some new freezers are sold as suitable for the garage and others are not.

I have some battery lights, torches, hot water bottle. I can use my gas hob with a lighting wand as the electric ignition won’t work. Ditto the gas fire. I have a battery powered radio too which is usually my garden radio. Think I’ll manage for three hour bursts. I remember working by candlelight and wearing a coat, hat and gloves in the office and that was for much longer periods.

I used to live in a house with electricty and gas and also had calor gas heater as back up. Have had to move and dowsize so now in flat with only electricity and had to get rid of various things as did not have the space for it , so it will just have to be torches at the ready and hot water bottles and sit in bed to keep warm I guess

JaneJudge

No, I'm not prepped at all

You need some led hats in your life Jane

When we moved into this house, we quickly discovered that this particular area was prone to frequent power cuts. I, therefore, am well equipped with camping stove, candles and torches. Of the latter, some are the ones that are left on charge and come on when there is no power. This means that the house is never plunged into darkness suddenly.

I also have an open fire, rarely used but useful. Last used last week when the power lines were damaged during a storm, and we had no power for three hours overnight (I slept through that) and then again for eight hours during the day.

No, I'm not prepped at all

Getting there. We have torches, flasks and candles and some battery operated lamps have just arrived (Adult DS has SN and I'm worried candles and him will be a safety nightmare.)

Still to do - buy batteries for the lamps and radios (amazingly all the same size!!).

Ongoing will have to make sure we keep phones, tablets and ds's medical devices charged up. And that we have something in that we can eat cold (we usually do)

Pashmiya I’m not scared. I know that I will have done my best for all eventualities, just like I did during lockdown.
I’ve just ordered my stash of power cut stuff including:

Led beanie hats

Battery lanterns

Power pack

Whistling kettle for gas stove (I’ve always wanted a whistling kettle ?- and it’s a very mid century blue)

Flexible lighter to light gas fire, gas oven and candles

Extra AA batteries to add to my already abundant collection

Foil blankets. If DH gets cold it is very dangerous.

I already have plenty of radios as I couldn’t last even 3 hours without a radio.

I need to add a light up collar for the dog so that I don’t trip over her

It’s actually made my feel very happy and organised

OnwardandUpward

Am I the only one thinking of using a hot water bottle/foil blanket to keep warm in an emergency? Or going for a drive?
We don't have an open fire, just central heating so I don't know what else we could do to keep warm in a power cut?

Check your local DIY store - many sell oil heaters that use vegetable based oil. With one of these you can keep one room warm during a power cut.

A hot vegetable dish can be kept warm if you place the pot between two or three cushions and put another cushion over the pot - hay-box principle. It is not advisable to use the hay box method for meat dishes, as they can breed dangerous germs while cooling down.

Food can be kept warm in a wide-necked thermos.

A sports shop will have small hand-warmers (plastic cushions you activate by pressing a foil button in them) they stay warm longer than hotties and can be re-used by boiling them up in a saucepan of water when the power comes back on.

Pashmiya I totally agree

We managed ok in the 70s we will manage again besides it will keep the electric bill down a bit

Do you think it will be age dependent? My Mum lives with us and needs the heating on even now. She is always cold. She is 91.

More media scaremongering why worry about power cuts? if you are ready to believe this latest bunch of fiction you must surely know you will be dead in a few weeks when the news services forecasted Nuclear Apocalypse as come to pass. Stop living in a state of fear and worry and just enjoy life.

Me too, can cope with notice of power cuts, and to be fair 3 hours isn’t too bad. We here, have plenty of duvets, covers, hot water bottles, flasks if need be but then I’m not a big tea/coffee drinker, had some candles but this morning gone out and bought alot more, not forgetting matches too, the candlemakers will be the next lot of people to profit from this. I remember the toilet rolls scenario in the pandemic, the scramble for these!
I was actually surprised to see plenty of candles available in the shop, but then the news of power cuts was only yesterday, although I remember reading before about this. Just me & DH here so no kids to think about when the power goes off. If it goes ahead. I’m sure we can manage with no tv, I’ll have to try reading a book in candlelight, we also have couple torches. Will remind me of the 70’s when we had dinner round the table by candlelight.

It might not happen because of shortages, but power cuts can happen because of storms, workmen digging through cables and all manner of things. It does no harm to be prepared, and if you never use your lantern or candles it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

Report the other day said unlikely... Seems more scaremongering around. Saying that I have a gas stove, If necessary I could cook a complete meal inside my multifuel burner. My lights run off of my battery pack. My laptop and phone are always charged and I have a small charger for phone if needed. I also have a couple of solar powered indoor lights if needed. I have several torches and loads of candles. Seems I am set for a power cut that is very unlikely to happen

volver

^Just a question, will the mobile work because the wifi runs off electricity, doesn’t it? Sorry I don’t understand these things.^

The mobile runs off WiFi if there is Wifi, if that's how you have it set up. If there is no WiFi it switches to the mobile network.

Thank you Volver I think I am getting muddled with laptop and radio links.

Please, please, dont forget about security during blackouts. With houses in darkness and possibly alarms without backup, its may be an invitation for theives. Please make sure you all lock up securely when its dark.

I think it's in my genes. My Mum was always prepared for power cuts, but of course we had a lot of them when I was growing up.

I have candles galore and torches but must sort out a battery radio for myself. Thanks for putting the thought in my mind.

Just a question, will the mobile work because the wifi runs off electricity, doesn’t it? Sorry I don’t understand these things.

The mobile runs off WiFi if there is Wifi, if that's how you have it set up. If there is no WiFi it switches to the mobile network.

I think we'll be fine as we have solar panels with battery storage and have a tariff that gives us cheap energy between 12.30 to 4.30am, which is set up to charge the storage batteries and charge the car. We are also used to setting the washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher to work between those hours. So hopefully it won't bother us a great deal.

growstuff

Yammy

An old plug-in phone,' candles & night lights, torches,log/coal burner, aga.Fully stocked freezer. I hope we will be alright.
When storm Arwen blacked out our nearest city all the cash machines went down for quite a few days, so I was thinking of hiding a bit of cash.
I can still remember the fuss it caused as a student trying to study by candlelight and three of us getting into bed together for warmth.

An old plug-in phone won't work, if your area is 100% digital, as mine is.

Big hint: Make sure your mobile is fully charged for emergencies!

Just a question, will the mobile work because thé wifi runs off electricity, doesn’t it? Sorry I don’t understand these things.