Stupid things we forget until the power goes out

[BulldogTom]

Yesterday, I am in the middle of my compliance test for Fee Collect when the power goes out.  My monitors and computer are fine, because they are on a battery backup.  So I decide to finish the exam before I shut down the computer.  That is when I discovered that my router to the internet is not on battery backup.  The internet was down and I could not submit my answers.

I need to put my router on the battery backup.  I don't know why that never crossed my mind before....maybe I am getting old.

But I passed the test both times....

Tom
Newark, CA

[JohnH]

Congratulations Tom. 

Good thing the test doesn't have a "Technology" section. 

[RitaB]

Good job!  Good job!

[Abby Normal]

I've had a battery backup on my modem and router for at least 16 years, partly for surge protection for the modem and the network, but having the internet not go down with a power outage is a lot more necessary these days!

[Pacun]

Wow, I have lived in DC since 1986 and I have never had an electrical outrage. I have been lucky that all cables run underground and I don't know what a power outrage is. I hope this continues perpetually. My internet or router stop working from time to time but that business as usual.

 

 

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

I gave up on the batteries.  Seemed like they were always worn out when needed.  Generator for me...  One cord to power office items, one to swap among refrigerators and heater.

Also had an outage yesterday.  Was the kind when you know it is not quick since it did not try to self reset.  Had the gen up in minutes, although I need to clean the garage so the cords are neater... and with the gen.  (Have a rolling storage crate I picked up which will now hold all.)

For me, I have enough backups I do not worry about what I might lose when the power goes out.  At most, a few minutes of work to redo, but usually none to redo (save often)

[Lion EA]

I'm out in the country so lose power often and for long periods (11 days during one of the storms during tax season a few years back).  No power means no electricity, no water, no toilets, no anything.  We're getting too old to haul water to flush toilets.  We finally put in a whole house generator, feeling we're also too old to be dragging out a generator in the snow and ice.  I no longer worry about losing power when I have deadlines to meet, and we don't get cold.  It's worth every penny we spent to have it work seamlessly with no work on our part.

[joanmcq]

The new house I bought came with a gas generator that automatically kicks in if the power goes out. I have no idea if we've had a power outage!  But yeah, I'm out in the country now too. 

[Terry D EA]

ADP battery backups have worked well for me but replacing the battery is quite expensive. I too have a generator to plug in but as Medlin said it is important to swap between appliances and electronic items. A gasoline generator cannot hold a steady rpm and therefore produces a ragged AC sine wave which electronic devices do not like. So, if I am running the office, nothing else is running that would cause the speed on the generator to vary.

[Abby Normal]

Tesla has whole house batteries you charge with solar panels to keep you going.

[joanmcq]

My realtor has one of those. He said it was fully charged by 2pm. 

[BLACK BART]

On ‎12‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 7:01 PM, Lion EA said:

I'm out in the country so lose power often and for long periods (11 days during one of the storms during tax season a few years back).  No power means no electricity, no water, no toilets, no anything.  We're getting too old to haul water to flush toilets.  We finally put in a whole house generator, feeling we're also too old to be dragging out a generator in the snow and ice.  I no longer worry about losing power when I have deadlines to meet, and we don't get cold.  It's worth every penny we spent to have it work seamlessly with no work on our part.

We occasionally have the same problem (except for water) and sometimes it's out for a week or more. We've used portable generators from Lowe's for the computers, but everything else is back to pioneer days and, as you say, we're wearing out faster than the machinery.  If I may, can I ask where do you get a whole house generator (local or national company?) and about how much does the thing cost (plus installation-varies according to locale I suppose).  Never mind if you'd rather not say, but thanks anyway.

P.S. Has anybody else here noticed that once your local utility office consolidates, closes down, and moves off; then service quality declines rapidly. Our suppliers moved three states away and, while assuring us service would be the same or even better, things went straight downhill.  At one time I could have a serviceman here in an hour; now it's either a clueless clerk who wants to know what state I'm located in, or a recording saying all will be fixed in X days (and, implicitly, "stop bothering us").    

[Lynn EA USTCP in Louisiana]

We , really my mother as it was her house at the time, contacted a local electrician re the cost of installing a whole house generator for our ~1800 swift house in the New Orleans area. Prices vary, depending on the preferred max output. I think the range they quoted was $8000-$12000; my mother opted not to pursue this.  I would expect installation costs to be less on a new construction, or at least you are less aware of the cost ! 

[jklcpa]

There is another way to use a portable generator to run many of the things in your home without running a bunch of long extension cords and swapping them. You can have an electrician install a cut-off device so that the generated electricity doesn't feed back out to the street, and the electrician also installs a plug that will feed the generator's electricity directly into the home's wiring. The generator may not run the entire house, but you can turn off the breaker switches so that it is running only those that you choose to have "on", and you can switch those on and off as needed.

[Medlin Software, Dennis]

1 hour ago, jklcpa said:

There is another way to use a portable generator to run many of the things in your home without running a bunch of long extension cords and swapping them. You can have an electrician install a cut-off device so that the generated electricity doesn't feed back out to the street, and the electrician also installs a plug that will feed the generator's electricity directly into the home's wiring. The generator may not run the entire house, but you can turn off the breaker switches so that it is running only those that you choose to have "on", and you can switch those on and off as needed.

Cannot stress enough not to feed power back.  It can kill someone.  If power outages are annoying, then an auto switch generator is the way to go.  If not annoying enough to spend on automatic transfer and permanent generator, then a portable is fine.  Even for a week in '86, I was able to run a donut shop on one small generator.  Home is just as easy, when you realize how little really needs power at a single time. The real secret is to have a generator in advance, and to test it once a quarter.  Hard to get a generator when many are looking at the same time.

A $300-$400 portable generator and about $50 in two good extension cords will run almost any household enough to keep lit, warm, and fed - including any home medical needs.  A decent permanent gen is probably $5k without installation.  The 8 to 12k installed sounds about right, new or old.  Just paying an electrician to permit (getting permit, getting inspection) is at least five hours of their time...  For that amount, my outages would have to be several times a year for weeks at a time, which would likely only be in a rural place I could not live in since it probably would not have high speed internet at a price I could stomach.

[Gail in Virginia]

We have a portable generator, with the cutoff switch/panel that Catherine describes, for our house.  By judicious switching as needed we can run the well pump, freezer, refrigerator, furnace and lighting that we need.  My husband can even watch television if the cable did not go out when the power did.  We have had the same generator since 2000 (for some reason there was a really good sale on generators that year, lol.)  However, my parents are in their 80's and their back up heat source is a wood stove.  I am trying really hard to talk them into an automatic, permanent generator.  I don't think either of the them needs to be worrying about putting gas in a generator, or pulling the cord to start the motor.  And since we leave more than 10 miles away, I don't want to have to try get to them in a bad storm. 

But they are used to the way things are and I may never talk them into changing.  And we don't have that many multi-day power outages. 

[Lion EA]

I got a recommendation from a tax preparer in a neighboring town who also had a home office, as well as a couple other recs.  Had them all out to talk to us and bid.  We liked one and contracted for him to do everything:  permits, purchase, installation, inspection, advice.  We're in pricey Fairfield County, CT, so probably paid about the top of the range for the services plus the cost of a mid-range generator (small house but need to run my office), so easily $11,000 total.  But, the time I was out of business those 11 days during tax season and another week the beginning of October and all the food spoilage when unexpected outages hit and hubby slowing his recovering after shoulder replacement by hauling water to flush toilets and eating our and draining our pipes and fleeing to hotels when the temperature drops and the stress and sleeplessness during each hurricane season, ice storm, wind, etc., I really think it's worth every penny.  I turn 70 next year and want to be visiting my granddaughter and not loading food into coolers or staying in a 42 degree home.  Generator tests itself every Saturday.  We have a service contract and just went from twice/year to once; friend who recommended has gone to every two years.  Propane guy was showing his apprentice our generator (they now install, but did not then) like a proud owner showing under the hood of his new sports car!  He said our Kohler is better than whatever make his employer installs.  When we had our chosen electrician install, he said it was then at least 90% of his business.  During outages, you hear generators humming all over town.

[Catherine]

1 hour ago, Lion EA said:

Generator tests itself every Saturday.

The neighbor's generator tests itself for fifteen minutes every Sunday morning at 9AM.  We only really notice in the summer when windows are open; it's not disruptive or annoying at all.

[Lion EA]

Ours sounds a bit like a sports car running through all its gears, but not loudly.  I don't think any neighbors could hear it, even during the summer, with the two-acre zoning here.  And, it doesn't test until noon!