Whole home backup power
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This thread is a reminder that I really need to start working on this for us…
So we have this ridiculously big back yard, the outside location shouldn’t be an issue.
But there are so many options, I feel like I’d need to take a week off from work just to figure them all out and figure out which ones would be best for us…
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This retired sparky does not have a backup generator. What I do have are two portable generators and a whole lot of construction grade extension cord.
I changed the connection at the furnace to a plug and cord. I figure if the power is going to be out for a while I can hook up the sump pump and the furnace and go stay somewhere else.
I really should put an inlet on the side of the house but the utilities here are all underground and in 5 years we’ e only lost power when a little tornado came through a few years back. Even then power was restored in a few hours.
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@ShiroKuro Most people live without backup power; having it is definitely a luxury. I wouldn't worry about taking the time off to look into and implement it....
@ShiroKuro Most people live without backup power; having it is definitely a luxury. I wouldn't worry about taking the time off to look into and implement it....
But please be sure to research thoroughly before you decide to get one.
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This retired sparky does not have a backup generator. What I do have are two portable generators and a whole lot of construction grade extension cord.
I changed the connection at the furnace to a plug and cord. I figure if the power is going to be out for a while I can hook up the sump pump and the furnace and go stay somewhere else.
I really should put an inlet on the side of the house but the utilities here are all underground and in 5 years we’ e only lost power when a little tornado came through a few years back. Even then power was restored in a few hours.
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This retired sparky does not have a backup generator. What I do have are two portable generators and a whole lot of construction grade extension cord.
I changed the connection at the furnace to a plug and cord. I figure if the power is going to be out for a while I can hook up the sump pump and the furnace and go stay somewhere else.
I really should put an inlet on the side of the house but the utilities here are all underground and in 5 years we’ e only lost power when a little tornado came through a few years back. Even then power was restored in a few hours.
… and go stay somewhere else.
That was always my plan. The problem is when there’s a huge power outage everyone else has that plan and the nearby hotels fill up.
Once I spent a week hopping between hotels every night or two for a week. You’d believe the reports that power will be restored tomorrow, then when it isn’t, and you call to extend, they say no because the room has been rented out. So I find another hotel. Then the same thing happens again.
The next month I bought the generator.
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He has a daughter nearby. He may be hoping that any power outages aren't too widespread...
When we had dogs, the "stay in hotel" plan wasn't really viable. The dogs are gone, but now Mr wtg has limited mobility and packing up to go somewhere would be a pain.
It's always something!
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Daughter lives close and the Airbnb is about 30 min away. One of those should work.
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i’ve had a couple of events of more than one day power loss since I’ve moved to Reno. One was while I was still working remotely, so I found a coffee shop and a library that were out of the power loss zone and had Wi-Fi during the day, and pretty much just came back to the house to sleep in the dark. The only real cost to me was about the hour drive and everything in my refrigerator and freezer going bad.
The other time I can think of was much more uncertain about when power would be restored, so I just locked up and left town. All the local hotels were a combination of full and price gouging, so I drove to California and stayed a week.
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i’ve had a couple of events of more than one day power loss since I’ve moved to Reno. One was while I was still working remotely, so I found a coffee shop and a library that were out of the power loss zone and had Wi-Fi during the day, and pretty much just came back to the house to sleep in the dark. The only real cost to me was about the hour drive and everything in my refrigerator and freezer going bad.
The other time I can think of was much more uncertain about when power would be restored, so I just locked up and left town. All the local hotels were a combination of full and price gouging, so I drove to California and stayed a week.
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… and go stay somewhere else.
That was always my plan. The problem is when there’s a huge power outage everyone else has that plan and the nearby hotels fill up.
Once I spent a week hopping between hotels every night or two for a week. You’d believe the reports that power will be restored tomorrow, then when it isn’t, and you call to extend, they say no because the room has been rented out. So I find another hotel. Then the same thing happens again.
The next month I bought the generator.
… and go stay somewhere else.
That was always my plan. The problem is when there’s a huge power outage everyone else has that plan and the nearby hotels fill up.
Once I spent a week hopping between hotels every night or two for a week. You’d believe the reports that power will be restored tomorrow, then when it isn’t, and you call to extend, they say no because the room has been rented out. So I find another hotel. Then the same thing happens again.
The next month I bought the generator.
We have the same problem with hurricanes. By the time you need to rent a room there are none- zero. It's a fictional option. The y say conditions in shelters (I've been told) during hurricanes aren't ideal. In the case of my acquaintance his experience included backed up toilets and no toilet paper. The authorities come through with cars with sirens and bullhorns telling us to leave. I spent Helene at a friend's house in Pasco. I stayed home for Milton. Milton was the one they thought might hit Tampa directly. It wiped out much of Ft. Meyers instead
Btw, Our power is underground. The power in HI isn't underground for residential. Drilling tunnels through volcanic rock- not happening.
The privatized utility charges a fortune (I mean an astronomical amount) but never keeps the lines properly maintained vis a vis trees and underbrush. Better to give the money to the shareholders. Bog stand routine there. So in a storm, the poles fall over, the broken lines start fires, and towns burn to the ground.
Oh, and if there's a hurricane in HI, there's really nowhere to go. You're ****ed.
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