What to do when you wake up in the Dark
I was on my way home from a week of consulting last Friday evening. I called the house to leave a message for my fiancee to let her know when to expect me. My first indication that something was wrong was the answering machine didn't pickup. Finally, Bob, one of my residents picked up. He let me know there was no power at the house and there hadn't been for most of the day.
In case you didn't hear, the northeast was hit with high winds last weekend, widespread power outages expected to be followed by a mean arctic front with below zero temperatures. I had visions of cold nights and frozen pipes. I knew the house would hold heat for most of the day and into the night and the refrigerator would keep things cold for up to 24 hours. But I didn't know how long the outage would last and it was better if I took care of things in the daylight.
I got to the house at dusk, but I would have to be working in the basement. Luckily, I invested in some small LED lanterns and rechargeable batteries over the summer. The LED lanterns (12 LED open pattern) aren't bright, but they turn a dark room into one that can be navigated. You can make out a printed page by their light. They don't present a fire hazard like emergency candles. And best of all, they run for about 250 hours on a single charge. I was able to hand out lanterns to my residents and not have to worry they would burn candles. The were a little pricey, $10 or $12 a piece, but I was happy to have them and they are handy in non emergencies, also.
I have a small generator, 1750 watts, about 15 amps. Gravity and thermal expansion send steam to the radiators, but the oil fired steam boiler has a large motor to power the blower and fuel pump and there is a an igniter that provides a spark to light the fuel air mix. I had tried it in the past and it has just enough juice to power the steam boiler. But the generator can be finicky and it's easy for the carb to get clogged by the varnish that distills out of old gas. Since I use the generator rarely, I have to cross my fingers every time I pull the rip cord. This time I got lucky, and it started easily, even though it was stored in the cold shed behind the barn. I disconnected my house from the grid (so I don't zap the lineworkers by back feeding electricity into the grid) and isolated the circuit for my furnace so there would be enough energy to run the blower. It spun weakly at first, but it kicked over and the igniter caught. It took a while for the large capacity boiler to warm up, but eventually, I heard the familiar sound of air being pushed out the radiator valves by the rising steam. I set the thermostat a little high to give myself a bigger buffer zone and let it run.
Now I had light and heat. After I got the house up to temperature, I tried for refrigeration. But this time, I was stymied. I shut down the Boiler, but I was unable to get the refrigerator going. I suspected the problem was that the generator wasn't able to create enough current to reset the breaker for the refrigerator. Looking at it now, I realize the refrigerator and Boiler breakers are right next to each other. This means that they are on opposite legs of the 240 volt supply, they alternate in the circuit breaker bays in the panel box. That means that if I am powering the boiler, I can't reach the Refrigerator circuit. The house has 240 volt power, 120 volts on each of two legs. I was connected to one of those legs with my 120 volt generator, the refrigerator circuit was on the opposite leg.
Luckily, the power came on a half hour later, and the frig started on power from the grid. That's what usually happens during a power outage. It is rare that we are without power for more than 12 hours. But it was nice to know that I had the parts necessary to prevent real damage to the house. Frozen pipes can ruin your day.
In retrospect, I'd look at these areas. Pros: a generator and my maintenance (using Extends fuel stabilizer in it) provided a way to power the house. Having the lanterns on hand provided safe lighting for an extended period. I already had the wiring in place to be able to hook up my generator for the boiler and isolate myself from grid. Cons: I had to go out and buy gas, my usual supply for the snowblower was exhausted. I need to figure out a circuit change that will allow me to power the refrigerator. I had the generator hooked up in the bulkhead to the basement, but the cover opened a few inches was not enough to do a good job allowing the exhaust to escape. CO2 and CO are heavier than air and do not carry away well with just convection. An exhaust pipe that leads directly outside is in order. I also think I need more lights and batteries. I really worry about my residents making a mistake with a candle.
Looking ahead can save a lot of heart ache and angst, so I'll take these lessons to heart and make some changes this summer. I do believe in preparedness, but I don't have the resources to take myself off the grid. There is a balance there, being prepared to limit the damage of calamity, but not living for one. I can't promise my residents that we will have all creature comforts no matter what, but being able to keep the house warm and provide refrigeration in spite of an extended outage seem appropriate. In the 9 years I have owned the house and 12 years I have lived in the area, I have never seen an outage that lasted more than a day, so I think my measures are adequate.
In case you didn't hear, the northeast was hit with high winds last weekend, widespread power outages expected to be followed by a mean arctic front with below zero temperatures. I had visions of cold nights and frozen pipes. I knew the house would hold heat for most of the day and into the night and the refrigerator would keep things cold for up to 24 hours. But I didn't know how long the outage would last and it was better if I took care of things in the daylight.
I got to the house at dusk, but I would have to be working in the basement. Luckily, I invested in some small LED lanterns and rechargeable batteries over the summer. The LED lanterns (12 LED open pattern) aren't bright, but they turn a dark room into one that can be navigated. You can make out a printed page by their light. They don't present a fire hazard like emergency candles. And best of all, they run for about 250 hours on a single charge. I was able to hand out lanterns to my residents and not have to worry they would burn candles. The were a little pricey, $10 or $12 a piece, but I was happy to have them and they are handy in non emergencies, also.
I have a small generator, 1750 watts, about 15 amps. Gravity and thermal expansion send steam to the radiators, but the oil fired steam boiler has a large motor to power the blower and fuel pump and there is a an igniter that provides a spark to light the fuel air mix. I had tried it in the past and it has just enough juice to power the steam boiler. But the generator can be finicky and it's easy for the carb to get clogged by the varnish that distills out of old gas. Since I use the generator rarely, I have to cross my fingers every time I pull the rip cord. This time I got lucky, and it started easily, even though it was stored in the cold shed behind the barn. I disconnected my house from the grid (so I don't zap the lineworkers by back feeding electricity into the grid) and isolated the circuit for my furnace so there would be enough energy to run the blower. It spun weakly at first, but it kicked over and the igniter caught. It took a while for the large capacity boiler to warm up, but eventually, I heard the familiar sound of air being pushed out the radiator valves by the rising steam. I set the thermostat a little high to give myself a bigger buffer zone and let it run.
Now I had light and heat. After I got the house up to temperature, I tried for refrigeration. But this time, I was stymied. I shut down the Boiler, but I was unable to get the refrigerator going. I suspected the problem was that the generator wasn't able to create enough current to reset the breaker for the refrigerator. Looking at it now, I realize the refrigerator and Boiler breakers are right next to each other. This means that they are on opposite legs of the 240 volt supply, they alternate in the circuit breaker bays in the panel box. That means that if I am powering the boiler, I can't reach the Refrigerator circuit. The house has 240 volt power, 120 volts on each of two legs. I was connected to one of those legs with my 120 volt generator, the refrigerator circuit was on the opposite leg.
Luckily, the power came on a half hour later, and the frig started on power from the grid. That's what usually happens during a power outage. It is rare that we are without power for more than 12 hours. But it was nice to know that I had the parts necessary to prevent real damage to the house. Frozen pipes can ruin your day.
In retrospect, I'd look at these areas. Pros: a generator and my maintenance (using Extends fuel stabilizer in it) provided a way to power the house. Having the lanterns on hand provided safe lighting for an extended period. I already had the wiring in place to be able to hook up my generator for the boiler and isolate myself from grid. Cons: I had to go out and buy gas, my usual supply for the snowblower was exhausted. I need to figure out a circuit change that will allow me to power the refrigerator. I had the generator hooked up in the bulkhead to the basement, but the cover opened a few inches was not enough to do a good job allowing the exhaust to escape. CO2 and CO are heavier than air and do not carry away well with just convection. An exhaust pipe that leads directly outside is in order. I also think I need more lights and batteries. I really worry about my residents making a mistake with a candle.
Looking ahead can save a lot of heart ache and angst, so I'll take these lessons to heart and make some changes this summer. I do believe in preparedness, but I don't have the resources to take myself off the grid. There is a balance there, being prepared to limit the damage of calamity, but not living for one. I can't promise my residents that we will have all creature comforts no matter what, but being able to keep the house warm and provide refrigeration in spite of an extended outage seem appropriate. In the 9 years I have owned the house and 12 years I have lived in the area, I have never seen an outage that lasted more than a day, so I think my measures are adequate.
posted by MMP at
12:32 PM
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