Had a power outage today

[left-of-center2012]

Thunderstorm knocked out power here in Albuquerque to about 25,000 homes for several hours.

I have several flashlights, a small battery operated lantern, and a portable battery operated radio.

Got to thinking, wish I had a battery operated fan,
and some sort of non electric charger for my cell phone. (I shut it off to save power)
The battery is not removable, so spare batteries for the phone are not an option.

Any suggestions?
Thought some here may have past experiences with surviving hurricanes, etc.

Thanks

[Meadowoak]

1. You can get a solar charger that sticks on a window for like $10.

[left-of-center2012]

6. Do they work in a thunderstorm?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. How about a solar-powered battery charger?

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Cell-Phones-Accessories-Phone-Solar-Chargers/zgbs/wireless/2407762011

[csziggy]

3. I have a Ryobi fan that works off the same 18 volt batteries as my tools

That's the thing I like about the Ryobi stuff - you can get all sorts of tools that all use the same kind of batteries and chargers.

The fan will go for many, many hours on one of the batteries and pushes a LOT of air. It's kind of noisy but who cares when it is really hot and you have no other way to cool down? A friend uses hers outside while she's gardening to keep the bugs off.

It can also plug into the wall when the power is working but as I said it is really noisy so I don't bother with it unless we have an outage.

Oh - Ryobi also has a pretty nice light that works off the same batteries.

The major disadvantage is that Ryobi is only carried by Home Depot.

[lapfog_1]

11. yeah, I have one of those too... good choice

and, if you are worried about extended outage... pick up like 2 or 3 marine deep cycle batteries and a decent battery charger, charge them up and attach to an inverter... should give you 12 to 24 hours of 110 so you can plug in the ryobi and whatever else you might want. Bad news is that the entire setup might cost as much as $500. Attach a power strip to power the rest of your stuff.

And... for the ultimate off grid experience... another $150 will get you



For off grid operations... cell phones, laptop, wifi (including the cable modem), fan, a small lamp... can't beat it.

[csziggy]

16. Frankly I am considering getting a whole house generator

Propane powered so I don't have to hunt gas and auto start so I don't have to deal with it.

After the last couple of hurricanes, with five/six days of outage area wide I would have been in deep trouble because of my health problems without my friends. The first one their old generator crapped out and they bought a new one. But their power was restored about six hours after they got it home. They loaded up their generator, a window AC, hooked it up to my refrigerator and freezer and had me set up in my library with computer, WiFi, power recliner, TV, and AC.

Last time around they brought over their refurbished old generator before the storm and had me all ready to go before the storm hit.

But I can't keep imposing on them so I need to be more self reliant. I considered solar panels and batteries, but our house is surrounded by trees and we can't get enough panels and sun to keep supplied. So it will have to be something like a Generac. I might even buy a smaller unit for the well 'cause if we don't have power, we don't have water!

[Major Nikon]

4. Power companies hate this trick

[left-of-center2012]

7. what is it?

[2naSalit]

8. A solar charger being charged by the

flashlight on the iphone thingy.

[jberryhill]

14. Lol

I’ve pretty much given up on people having basic functional knowledge.

[eppur_se_muova]

21. No, they love it, because it just squanders power.

Perpetual motion machines *STILL* do not provide limitless free energy.

[Major Nikon]

22. Just sayin'

[Olafjoy]

5. Arizona Heat

They sell a small fan at Wal-Mart that runs on regular batteries.
If all I have is a fan, misting myself with ice water in front of the fan helps make me feel even cooler.
Put all your ice in an ice chest right away if there is a power outage. It seems like it lasts longer and you don’t want to keep opening the freezer. Running an ice cube over my arms and legs also helps.
We have had wicked storms this monsoon season.

[2naSalit]

9. Get your bandanas out and

get them wet, them drape one around your neck and shoulders, another around or on your torso and if need be on the backs of you legs.. Keeping your head/hair wet helps too. Any kind of cloth that holds water will do, though.

[PJMcK]

10. I have a similar problem (suggestion at the end)

Our mountain house is in the lower Catskills. Often, during the winter or during thunderstorms, our power will go out for anywhere from a few seconds to several days. We've stocked the house with canned food, bottled water, flashlights, batteries, candles and so on.

The real problem for us is heat in the colder parts of the year. If the power is out, our forced-air/propane-fueled heater will not function and the house becomes unlivable. While we have an extremely efficient fireplace, the bitter cold is untenable.

For the last couple of years, I've thought of buying a gas-powered generator in the range of 750-1,000 watts to use as a backup so we could keep a few appliances running, such as the refrigerator and the heater with a little juice left for a lightbulb or two.

However, I've changed my mind.

The solution for us is to have an automatic propane-powered generator connected to our systems. If the power goes off for more than one second, the generator kicks in. The furnace will keep the house warm enough to prevent pipes from freezing and the living spaces will be comfortable.

The gas-powered generator I was considering priced around $500-$750. It requires manual connection and manual integration with house electrical system. The functional problem is that I very likely won't be there when the power goes off so I won't be able to connect the generator and fire it up.

The automatic system I'm considering is expensive. It will be much more powerful than the manual system with power between 9,000-10,000 watts. More importantly, it will be monitoring the house's electrical system constantly. If there's a problem, it will kick in. However, the generator is about $2,500 and the combined installation (electrical and propane-related) will probably be an additional $1,000. Of course, the additional cost of propane gas when the generator is running won't be insignificant.

Nonetheless, this home upgrade will make the house more livable and comfortable.

I apologize for going on at such length but this has been an issue for me!

During Super Storm Sandy in November 2012, I lived on New York's Long Island and we were without power for 12 days and it was REALLY COLD! Twice a day, I would sit in the car and run the engine and charge our phones. Of course, I'd turn up the heat and power up the seat warmers. Subsequently, I purchased a DC/AC convertor that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car but it has a three-prong AC outlet for any use. I usually charge my computer with it when I'm traveling.

[left-of-center2012]

13. i don't have a car

[csziggy]

17. What brand are you looking at?

I've seen Generac but would like to do some comparison shopping. Not only have we been without power for days after hurricanes, the nasty daily thunderstorms this year have been knocking our power out two to four times a week sometimes for up to six hours. I've gotten fed up with this situation and need a better back up system.

[PJMcK]

18. Generac is supported by the local service

The Home Depot equipment is comparable but we want to keep our business local and Home Depot is 45 minutes away.

[csziggy]

26. OK, Generac seems to be the leader for local support here, too

I really don't want to buy major appliances through HD.

My sister is going through hell right now - she bought her dryer through HD and over a month ago it stopped working. She had an extended warranty on it. The only company that provides the extended warranty service is out of Orlando - she's in Tampa. They only go to Tampa once a week.

So every Friday for the last month she's had to sit home on Friday waiting for their guy. He's replaced circuit boards, messed around with the dryer, and left. She'll put in a load of clothes, the dryer gets far hotter than it should and shuts off, then will not restart - same as it did before the "repairs."

The warranty says that if it can't be fixed after three attempts HD will replace the unit. When she tried to get them to live up to that HD found an out. They claim it cannot be covered since it is in an un-airconditioned space. HD delivered and installed the unit. She was not told this at the time. She has read the extended warranty contract and cannot find where it says that. She has called the local store and the national headquarters, they can't tell her which paragraph says that.

She will not give up on this. She's already called HD's president's office to complain. They have pissed off the wrong person. She once went after Ford when they sold her a lemon and would not do anything about it. She won, big time, against Ford Motor Company and the local dealers (she had been to more than one dealer service to get the problems fixed).

HD will regret this. Meanwhile, I will avoid buying anything major from Home Depot!

[Eugene]

12. I got a crank radio/flashlight/USB charger for emergencies like this.

It also has a solar charger but cranking is faster.

They go for about $15 to $20.

[Brother Buzz]

15. No vehicles in your world?

I understood cell phones can be charged on 12 Volt vehicle juice.


Barring access to the big ass 12 volt vehicle battery, you could do a MacGyver and change your cell phone using stuff around your house:

[braddy]

19. Buy a power bank and remember that a laptop can slowly charge a cell phone.

https://www.amazon.com/external-cell-phone-batteries/b?ie=UTF8&node=7073960011

[left-of-center2012]

24. Thanks

I think the power bank is the way to go.
Will charging a cell phone drain the laptop battery, when the electricity is off?

I saw this :

POWERNEWS 4 USB 500000mAh Power Bank LED External Backup Battery Charger F Phone

[braddy]

25. I don't know how quickly a cell phone drains a lap top but in the situation where someone has

a dead or almost dead cell phone during an emergency, it is nice to know they can make some calls off their laptop battery.

[sl8]

28. You could probably do better than than that eBay powerbank.

The problem with those no-name units with grossly exaggerated ratings is that you have no idea of the build quality or actual capacity. 500,000 mah is obviously not true, unless it happens to be the size of a small suitcase. So what's the actual capacity? Unless you or someone you trust tests it, you have no idea. Also, for me personally, if someone is willing to lie to me that blatantly, I'd rather not deal with them. Then again, for 15 bucks, you might want to roll the dice.

Anker and RAVPower are two well regarded manufacturers; I'm sure there are others.

Also, if you're interested in something between a USB powerbank and a gas generator in capacity, consider an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Depending on the size, you could not only charge your phone for a very long time, you could run a small fan. If you have a desktop PC, a UPS could save it from power related problems. Both Liebert and APC make good products, in my experience. Obviously, they don't tend to be nearly as portable as the smalller USB powerbanks, if that's a consideration.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

20. I live in Santa Fe.

I've been here for ten years now, and have lost power perhaps five times altogether, fortunately never for more than maybe two hours.

But power outages happen, and I keep on telling myself I need to buy more candles.

I don't use my cell phone all that often, so most of the time it's going to be fine, even in a power outage.

Not long after I moved here, my older son was visiting. We were driving around and he suddenly said, "Where are the solar panels?" He was right. This state, and a lot of others, should be operating largely on solar energy. But we're not.

Several years ago a company that installs solar panels had an information desk set up in a local store, and I spent some time talking to the man there. Basically, since my electric bill is under fifty dollars a month, there's no point to installing solar panels on my house. I should probably be more appreciative of my low electric bill, but we should still be all solar at this point.

A side comment, since I live in a state where you pretty much never own the mineral rights under your property: I'm honestly surprised that the power companies haven't gotten legislation passed that has us not owning the solar energy that rains down on our homes. If I can think of that, I'm amazed that they haven't.

[jpak]

23. I have a solar charger that has a Li-ion battery

Charges day and night.

I also have a portable car battery jumper that has USB port and a 12 v DC plug that I can use to charge a phone.

And D-cell fan (and a hand pumped mist sprayer) to keep cool.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

27. Motorcycle battery. Seriously.

Back when TV was the way it was meant to be, analog, I had one of the 5" portable TVs that ran off AC, about ten D-cells, or an external DC power source. Over ten years ago, before the conversion to digital broadcasting, I was able to watch TV during a power outage.

I suppose that if you have a USB TV dongle for your computer (there are such things), you can do that now with the digital broadcasting.

A motorcycle battery is small enough that you can carry it around. Plus, you can use it in your bike if you have to go somewhere. A trickle charger will keep it topped off.