Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled Are You Prepared for a Power Grid Failure? and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/can-you-survive-a-power-grid-failure/.
Are You Prepared for a Power Grid Failure?
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
HansGruber
Ronin
I am...but not at my primary home.
My cabin, however? Ready to go. Spent the last weekend there, and while yea, we had electricity...what little would have gone to heating (hot water heater) would have been handled with the LP genny.
Gonna get solar panels put in next year, I think.
My cabin, however? Ready to go. Spent the last weekend there, and while yea, we had electricity...what little would have gone to heating (hot water heater) would have been handled with the LP genny.
Gonna get solar panels put in next year, I think.
Good article, thanks Mike!
While being a very good article, another important area that should likely be more addressed and considered is alternative fuels storage like sufficient capacity and it's storage. Batteries? Battery size , placement and location is part of the keys for example. A very big key. And, is a very important one. Batteries are rarely light for their size, can emit gases and have other characteristics that need addressing when choosing. Wet cell batteries for example emit gases and are corrosive, needing protective anti corrosive enclosures plus ventilation. Battery placement once selected also has other requirements such as placement, where and distance. Transferring power to and how far? Copper cable for example can be a cost deterrent from point A to point B. Aluminum is cheaper, but leaves much to be desired as far as conductivity. Haven't even touched on fiberoptics. Am just touching surface. One point is to Never neglect your own storage 1st with alternative power otherwise you lose important benefits when and if connected to grid. Can be very involved process.
Wind generators or turbines? There are typical turbines with their high towered tri-bladed set ups. But, there are also vertical set ups with many more blades resembling vertical blower motor fans. Advantage is they may take up less horizontal space and may possibly be more acceptable in different scenarios. Very interesting field.
While being a very good article, another important area that should likely be more addressed and considered is alternative fuels storage like sufficient capacity and it's storage. Batteries? Battery size , placement and location is part of the keys for example. A very big key. And, is a very important one. Batteries are rarely light for their size, can emit gases and have other characteristics that need addressing when choosing. Wet cell batteries for example emit gases and are corrosive, needing protective anti corrosive enclosures plus ventilation. Battery placement once selected also has other requirements such as placement, where and distance. Transferring power to and how far? Copper cable for example can be a cost deterrent from point A to point B. Aluminum is cheaper, but leaves much to be desired as far as conductivity. Haven't even touched on fiberoptics. Am just touching surface. One point is to Never neglect your own storage 1st with alternative power otherwise you lose important benefits when and if connected to grid. Can be very involved process.
Wind generators or turbines? There are typical turbines with their high towered tri-bladed set ups. But, there are also vertical set ups with many more blades resembling vertical blower motor fans. Advantage is they may take up less horizontal space and may possibly be more acceptable in different scenarios. Very interesting field.
Keystone19250
SAINT
Generator on my camper and propane for cooking. I’m good for a month.
KillerFord1977
SAINT
I was fine for water, foodand shelter.
The southern build style of homes was not prepared for the weather and repairs are expensive .
Learned my lesson on things you dont take into consideration.
The southern build style of homes was not prepared for the weather and repairs are expensive .
Learned my lesson on things you dont take into consideration.
Most southern heating systems don't crank heat like northern ones do either. Heat pumps help though.
jumpinjoe
Hellcat
But beware, heat pumps lose much efficiency at and below 40F. At and below 30F they are almost worthless as far as heating goes. That's the reason there is almost always some auxiliary heat source installed with heat pumps ..... typically electric heat strips.
So the reality is this .... out in Texas over that extra cold week, any heat pumps were virtually worthless even if they had had electricity. Reverse cycle heating/cooling (heat pump) systems can be a real money saver when everything goes as planned and designed. And they're usually much more efficient when installed in original construction. When it's a retrofit in older construction it's always less efficient under any circumstance, sometimes far less efficient.
So the reality is this .... out in Texas over that extra cold week, any heat pumps were virtually worthless even if they had had electricity. Reverse cycle heating/cooling (heat pump) systems can be a real money saver when everything goes as planned and designed. And they're usually much more efficient when installed in original construction. When it's a retrofit in older construction it's always less efficient under any circumstance, sometimes far less efficient.
Exactly. Heat pumps don't work up north too well, weather gets too cold. Can't keep up.
Nice thing about heat pumps though is if living down south in normal weather? Using heat pumps condenser if connected to water heater can heat water too, helps with water heater running costs, but needs "tempering valve" to cool down water. Install usually pays for itself in no time. Wish HP's could run efficiently up north for that reason. The recent frigid Texas weather was a real head turner!