Power Cut (how prepared are you?)

[Apache]

I have a little story for you. Sunday afternoon about 4.45 the power went off. Wasn't terribly worried, checked consumer unit, all ok. Went to see a neighbour who had already phoned NEDL and they said power on in 1 hour.

6.00pm came and still no power, rang NEDL again - "fault on the wide area distribution network" and power on by 7.30pm.

Decided to light the BBQ (had a few Highland cow burgers left over from Sat) even though it wasn't BBQ weather. I also own a Kelly [Volcano] kettle that I lit to boil some water to make coffee and fill a flask.

8pm arrived and it was starting to get dusky in the house, no power so rang NEDL - power expected back 10.30pm. Damn I was going to miss House on Sky 1. Never mind - break open emergency cupboard. I have in stock for these situations the following:

• 36 old fashioned candles
  
• 20 tea lights and empty glass ramekins to sit them in
  
• Gas stove (flat suitcase type) & kettle
  
• Matches
  
• 2 LED pushlights
  
• Various torches (around the house, including a 3Dcell LED Maglight by the bed)
  

Lit half a dozen tea lights, batteries in torches/ pushlights. Lit fire even though it was warm - gives off a lot of light. Filled the kettle. Got battery powered radio from the shed. Also popped around to check on a couple of elderly neighbours.

It's amazing how you run out of conversation with loved ones sat in poor light with no TV all evening. Trying to read by candle light is fraught with danger and strains your eyes very quickly. I even had a talk to write and my laptop battery went dead in about 45 minutes.

Midnight came, so I rang NEDL once again. Was getting ****ed off with the automated system so deliberately talked rubbish so got an operator. Nice lady who said she'd phone the engineer and call me back. True to her word she rang me back within 5 minutes and said the engineer told her that it would be another 2-3 hours. I went to bed.

It seems we are getting power from a large generator with attached fuel tanker wired in to the local substation 250 meters away. It has been there two days now. Wonder what's wrong.

Did get me thinking - how long could I cope with no power? I have access to a generator but almost no petrol (the ~ 500ml I had was mixed with two-stroke oil).

How prepared are you guys for these situations? :C

 

[batty]

Being a youngster you probably won't remember powercuts through strikes years ago, how long ago was that. I have a stove on my van so probably could last for a few days and have some candles so could get a bit of light but we do take electric for granted.

 

[Apache]

Think it was 70's Batts - I was born early 80's!

 

[sparkytim]

This seems to be how DNOs "maintain" sub stations now , wait untill something blows up then replace it.

Sizable Market town Sub station near me Blew up last year killing EDF guy

Whole town on Genny for weeks untill they replaced it all.

 

[Andy™]

How prepared are you guys for these situations? :C

never had a major power cut for a long time, but could easily manage

got genny in van (along with fuel!)

could also run low power stuff from inverter for a few hours* before needing to start genny/engine to recharge battery

(* once i replace the additional batteries which are almost dead!)

got a few battery LED lights etc, and a few snap lights

could easily & quickly connect genny to CU for heating (or TV!) etc if required

or could just go somewhere else for a bit

last power cut that affected me was last year - just about to leave my garage, and power went off. electric shutter. fortunatly, i have already added a 16A plug outside to power shutter in case of mains failure

and as for DNO using genny's, i know the local company who transport them to site for Aggreko - many are already at transport yard on trailers ready to go

 

[batty]

Think it was 70's Batts - I was born early 80's!

Are you sure you are not a product of the strikes?

 

[Badger]

well when our substation that is right next to our next door neighbours bungalow blew up and yes i really do mean the substation went bang twice, they got us back on within 3 hours, although we had to be rediverted from another 11kv supply as the 11kv side of the substation went up in flaames but to get the sub station and associated wiring replaced took a further 3 weeks although we had no other supply interruption thanks very much to eon though they di a fantastic job

although that got me thinking of buying a smallish generator and putting a change over switch and a socket connection to house supply on the wall to be able to run the generator in the event of a major power outage.

 

[Badger]

due to us having fish and pond aquatics and needing power the generator idea wheels will be put in motion pretty rapido :^O

 

[Andy™]

you mean you dont already have an auto start backup genny?!

 

[Apache]

How easy would it be to connect a genny into the mains? Is the changeover switch expensive?

 

[Andy™]

changeover switch

other option is a 2NO2NC contactor - NC is mains, NO is external feed. coil is wired to external feed. as soon as a supply is at external, it will change over

would also be useful to have a light/buzzer to indicate mains power is available again

 

[MajorOak]

In 1996 our village Cottenham near Cambridge, was without one phase for 5 days. What was really frustrating was our neighbours had power. At the time, my wife and I where in a small flat with a telly, desktop pc, a fridge and cooker. The internet as we know it didn't really exist and we had no pet fish commitments. We ate out every day, talked more than i think we ever have talked before and since and had a pretty good 5 days.

When i was a kid, i used to love power cuts, the excitement of getting the candles out. Sitting around telling ghost a story or two.

Now, my Marine fish would be dead, my Koi Carp would be dead and without my daily fix of the internet who knows!!

Guinness

 

[Apache]

[quote name='Andy

 

[NozSpark]

The easiest way is to have your "essential services" on a seperate CU.. this could be run as a sub main off the main CU via a plug/socket arrangement.

Un plug socket in the event of a powercut and plug into genny output.. when power comes back on all your other stuff will come back on..

 

[Apache]

Or just run an extension lead from genny!

 

[NozSpark]

Ah,

but that way it would be easier to have lights, c/h, fridge/freezer, TV, internet.. all your low power essential stuff....

an extension lead will only give you what you can plug in

 

[Apache]

Ah,but that way it would be easier to have lights, c/h, fridge/freezer, TV, internet.. all your low power essential stuff....

an extension lead will only give you what you can plug in

Wouldn't it be easier to have a changeover as Andy suggested and turn off non essentials?

 

[NozSpark]

Ah,,

but then by design you'd be exceeding your supply!

and you'd be making an assumption that everyone else in the household will remember that you are running off genny... It would be very easy to just plug the kettle in and make a cuppa!

 

[Apache]

Ah,,but then by design you'd be exceeding your supply!

and you'd be making an assumption that everyone else in the household will remember that you are running off genny... It would be very easy to just plug the kettle in and make a cuppa!

Yes I see that.

 

[androiduk2002]

Had some thing very similar happen to me a few years ago December 27th power went out , genny was set up and connected to sub station about 20 ft from house i was renting ! ! ! ! ! for 3 weeks it sat there running day and night broke down twice once it run out of fuel second time a dirty a filter . Only way to sleep was through exhaustion.

Was not a happy bunny