Winter power outage, what to do?

[seashoreCM]

Learn how to drain the water pipes, and also put antifreeze in toilets and drains, if you need to close up the house.

You may want to reconfigure the plumbing including putting in reliable shut off valves here and there so you could drain parts of the plumbing and have perhaps one bathroom you can still use.

 

[golfgal]

Learn how to drain the water pipes, and also put antifreeze in toilets and drains, if you need to close up the house.

You may want to reconfigure the plumbing including putting in reliable shut off valves here and there so you could drain parts of the plumbing and have perhaps one bathroom you can still use.

Don't you have that already? We have shut off valves at every water object--it still doesn't address the issue of having water in your lines leading UP TO that bathroom though.

 

[Darcy03231]

We have a generator that will run our furnace, freezer, refrigerator and a couple of lights. We lost power for 5 days last year and managed by using the gas grill for cooking.

 

[mkel34]

Few things we always do.

If you don't have a corded phone, get one. If you only have cordless in the house, the house phone won't work if power's out. We have an old corded phone that we pull out when we need to. If the weather's really bad, our cell reception is sketchy inside the house.

This is not the case for many phone users nowadays. Many people have been converted over to digital phone, they have built in batteries that only last 6-8 hrs. total, not 8 hrs of use.

 

[SaraJayne]

This is not the case for many phone users nowadays. Many people have been converted over to digital phone, they have built in batteries that only last 6-8 hrs. total, not 8 hrs of use.

But if you have digital phone, your phone won't work if the power is out. No power to your modem (or cable) means no phone.

OP, we're one county NW of you and our power is still on...for now. It's flickered a couple times, but it's still hanging in there.

Let's keep our fingers crossed it stays on ~ for everyone!

 

[bicker]

Note that many digital phone systems are installed with pretty hefty battery backups.

 

[C.Ann]

Everything has been pretty well covered here..

A corded land line phone is very important to have on hand.. If you no longer have a land line, at the very least make sure you have a charger for your cell phone that you can charge via your car battery..

Also get a few crank flashlights so you never have to worry about batteries..

When we lost power for a couple/few days last December, DD's DH was able to borrow one of the large generators his employer uses on work sites, but when the funds become available he has every intention of installing a "whole house" generator.. The power goes out quite frequently here - no matter what time of year..

Good luck - and stay safe!

 

[Jeanne B]

I have a propane fireplace (purchased from Home Depot) as my backup heat and a portable Honda generator.

After the ice storm of '98 my ex-DH and I realized the importance of being prepared for a winter storm, I think a lot of people realized that!!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Lots of wood for the fireplace.
Kerosene heater
If you have a faucet on an outside wall open the cabinet doors below the sink to help prevent frozen pipes. Or turn the water on to barely a trickle that will help prevent them from freezing.
Gas up your car because it the gas station has not power the pumps won't work.
Stash of cash

 

[sbell111]

Step one: Load luggage into Jeep
Step two: Load family into Jeep
Step three: Drive to DisneyWorld

 

[S. C.]

Step one: Load luggage into Jeep
Step two: Load family into Jeep
Step three: Drive to DisneyWorld

 

[Liberty Belle]

We had an ice storm when my youngest was 4 months old. We, fortunately, had a working fireplace and plenty of firewood already bought. Still, after 2 days without power, we went to my husband's cousin's house. We were there about an hour and a half and then their power went out, too! Luckily, it came back on after only a few hours.

Our power was out for 8 days. After that, my husband bought a generator, so we have that now, if we need it.

 

[mkymouse1928]

If you get your water from a cistern or well with the use of a water pump, have water on hand for flushing the toilets and for washing up, etc. Of the power goes out the pump won't work! I grew up in a home that had a cistern and if the weather was predicted to be really bad my dad would fill the bath tub and as many 5 gal buckets as he could.

 

[WeLuvDiz]

Our first year in PA we got hit with a massive ice storm and was out of power for almost 9 days. The most important thing we learned is you MUST have a generator or at least a Kerosine heater.

 

[seashoreCM]

Don't you have that already? We have shut off valves at every water object--it still doesn't address the issue of having water in your lines leading UP TO that bathroom though.

You'll have to let the water trickle to protect the lines going up to that bathroom (the one you will keep using) but it is a plus to be able to drain and close off the lines leading up to other bathrooms.

 

[pumba]

the ice storm of 98 kept us without power for almost a week.....my sister and mil had no power for two weeks....
We cooked on top of our gas stove and started that we started with a match.....the oven would not work at all...we kept our freezers closed except to get into and out of it fast with food. we were cold......very cold. We had a waterbed and had to put five blankets under us as well as on top of us..
Keep a hand held can opener......keep cans on hand especially during winters. Soups, veggies, fruits even. We had alot of frozen foods that we some how learned how to cook in a fry pan. Doing dishes was the hardest because we had to heat the water. SO dont cook hard to clean meals. Like spaghetti.
If you have a well, keep large containers of water to cook with or to clean up with, and to flush the toilet.. We had city water so their generators kept us going.
After that storm we invested in a generator. It is the best insurance policy around...We havent had to use it yet.....KNOCK ON WOOD.
Good luck and stay warm