Do you have a generator or other backup power source?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/fef52be2.jpg
This was the power outage map from the beginning of August after a storm with 100 MPH winds hit the Omaha area. We were without power for almost exactly 48 hours; one of my coworkers had to wait nearly a week to get power restored.

I considered getting a natural gas one installed after we had a particularly bad outage during COVID but the cost doesn't really make sense considering how few outages we've had in the time we've lived here.

Yep. I live on a remote island, so if power goes down it's often a while before it comes back up again. Generators are pretty common here.

I have a whole house battery unit because brown-outs are pretty common where I am.

not much free electricity on the streets

I own bolt cutters all I can say girls gotta do what she gotta do

I've never had a power outage that's lasted more than an hour or two so if a real outage does happen I'll basically be a helpless baby.

There's been one point in my entire life when I would have needed one, and that was the result of what was described as a "once-in-a-hundred-years" storm. So unless I live to be 135 years old, I probably won't need one again.

The amount of effort needed to maintain a generator, combined with having to constantly replace the fuel (a generator won't do you much good if it won't run because the gas is stale, and gas goes stale fast ), makes it an incredibly poor investment unless you have fairly regular and prolonged power outages. Especially once you factor in the cost of the generator, and the need to set it up in a way that keeps it safe from the elements (and being stolen or damaged), but also in a way that doesn't vent the exhaust back into your house and kill you.

The most my power ever goes out for is maybe an hour or so in the middle of a major thunderstorm, and it's never really been much of a problem. It's not even remotely worth the effort to get a generator.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

There's been one point in my entire life when I would have needed one, and that was the result of what was described as a "once-in-a-hundred-years" storm. So unless I live to be 135 years old, I probably won't need one again.

The amount of effort needed to maintain a generator, combined with having to constantly replace the fuel (a generator won't do you much good if it won't run because the gas is stale, and gas goes stale fast ), makes it an incredibly poor investment unless you have fairly regular and prolonged power outages. Especially once you factor in the cost of the generator, and the need to set it up in a way that keeps it safe from the elements (and being stolen or damaged), but also in a way that doesn't vent the exhaust back into your house and kill you.

The most my power ever goes out for is maybe an hour or so in the middle of a major thunderstorm, and it's never really been much of a problem. It's not even remotely worth the effort to get a generator.

We had the power go out for three days at my parents' house and the generator was enough to keep the fridge and freezer running, as well as running the well pump - but not all at once. We missed my sister's college graduation because keeping the generator running took constant attention. Every time the well pump kicked on or off the damn generator had to be manually throttled up or down.

Now I have city water and if the power is out for a few hours I don't much care. It sucks that the heat doesn't work, but blankets exist for a reason.

willythemailboy posted...

It sucks that the heat doesn't work, but blankets exist for a reason.

After Hurricane Sandy, my power was out for 10 days. We basically kept warm by pinning up tarps in the doorways of the kitchen, then boiling water on the stove (we were fortunate enough to have a gas stove that worked fine, both for heat and for cooking). Apart from that, we mostly just bundled up in sweats and hoodies or flannel.

Granted, that was also early November. It probably would have been much worse if the power had gone out in, say, January.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

After Hurricane Sandy, my power was out for 10 days. We basically kept warm by pinning up tarps in the doorways of the kitchen, then boiling water on the stove (we were fortunate enough to have a gas stove that worked fine, both for heat and for cooking). Apart from that, we mostly just bundled up in sweats and hoodies or flannel.

Granted, that was also early November. It probably would have been much worse if the power had gone out in, say, January.

People keeping warm is relatively easy. Keeping pipes from freezing is not. Luckily I haven't had to deal with that for quite some time.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

There's been one point in my entire life when I would have needed one, and that was the result of what was described as a "once-in-a-hundred-years" storm. So unless I live to be 135 years old, I probably won't need one again.

The amount of effort needed to maintain a generator, combined with having to constantly replace the fuel (a generator won't do you much good if it won't run because the gas is stale, and gas goes stale fast ), makes it an incredibly poor investment unless you have fairly regular and prolonged power outages. Especially once you factor in the cost of the generator, and the need to set it up in a way that keeps it safe from the elements (and being stolen or damaged), but also in a way that doesn't vent the exhaust back into your house and kill you.

The most my power ever goes out for is maybe an hour or so in the middle of a major thunderstorm, and it's never really been much of a problem. It's not even remotely worth the effort to get a generator.

That's why I originally bought a high-powered inverter that I can hook up to my car. They're not very expensive (I think I paid less than $160 for the one I have, which is 1500W continuous, 3000W surge), require no maintenance, and are fairly small (about the same of a small tackle box). When you need to use it, you just attach the cables to the battery on your car or pickup, start the engine, and let it idle. It uses a lot more gas than a dedicated generator, about $150 worth for 2 days, but a dedicated generator with that kind of output would cost almost that much in maintenance.

I've only needed it twice, once when the power was out for about 12 hours, and once during that big two-day outage.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/d/d3700231.jpg

I've also bought a few solar panels and some portable battery units. One medium-sized model with 2 kWh, and a small one that's really just a gigantic phone battery pack (90,000 mAh). The batteries are supposed to last for at least 10 years. I also have a power station that uses the same batteries as my Greenworks garden tools. I used that along with a solar panel during that 2 day outage to power a portable fan and a light.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f1f3d425.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/e/e289d8ed.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f8b2521e.jpg

we have a generac 7209

I have a portable one handy that I won at a company picnic. It's pretty durable for a moderate amount of power to stay virtually comfortable. I wish I could use it more but power failures are a once a year thing.

i don't need one

A couple of battery backups for my phone, and a hand crank solar radio that can be used to charge stuff too, and that's about it.

I simply live with the elements.
I lost power a few years ago in a snow-in and just bundled up in blankets and read
I lost my AC for the better part of a month in August this year and simply sweated it out