What do you all do to be prepared for long term power loss?

[wilso]

I think that it is important to be prepared with a reliable backup power source. I recently purchased a 4patriots power kit. The solar panels and battery pack provide me with peace of mind, knowing I can keep my essential devices powered during a long-term blackout. Btw, the company offers a wide choice of products for emergency preparedness.

 

[davrow]

I'm in a fire zone in California. There isn't much purpose to being too prepared for a long term power outage. The high temp high winds driven fires, whether natural or due to arson, will destroy any preparations I make.

So I prep for a non-SHTF 10 day outage, which we have experienced. Other than missing the A/C in the over 100 degree temps we had no real issues, just stayed home and waited it out.

In a true SHTF scenario we will not last long, so no reason to worry about it.

(We're in the desert, no food to hunt or grow. Without a functioning society we're flat out screwed.)

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I'm in a fire zone in California. There isn't much purpose to being too prepared for a long term power outage. The high temp high winds driven fires, whether natural or due to arson, will destroy any preparations I make.

I dunno. Lived in Socal for quite some time, in an extreme fire hazard area, and power outages didn't equal fires.

 

[davrow]

... and power outages didn't equal fires.

Other way around. Fires here almost always result in power outages.
For one thing, like PGE, they (utility co.) sometimes turn the power off for areas near the fire.

 

[BlueKnife]

Other way around. Fires here almost always result in power outages.
For one thing, like PGE, they (utility co.) sometimes turn the power off for areas near the fire.

I don't think he was saying that fires don't cause power outages. He was saying that power outages aren't always caused by fires.

 

[TractorTYMe]

I have a power switch and a 12Kw gas genny I run it every 60 days for 1h and change oil every 25h. In MT we don't get enough sun to have solar panels be a viable source for the cost. I can stay good for a natural even, but if the purge is comming I will have to hold out as long as not getting shot up and ammo/health will hold.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

I have a power switch and a 12Kw gas genny I run it every 60 days for 1h and change oil every 25h.

Nice to see I'm not the only one who starts them more seldom and then let them run until fully warmed up.

I cringe when people leave generators on the factory setting, starting once a week then run for five minutes.

 

[TN8Man]

I recently had my heat pump hvac system replaced with a tri-fuel system which I think was the first time the company did this. It has heat pump, propane furnace for auxiliary and I can switch to custom emergency electric coil heat if I run out of propane. I also have a wood burning stove if needed.

I asked the hvac guy if the system in propane furnace mode just runs off 120V and he said yes! So I said ... I'm going to wire the HVAC system 120V to my transfer box so I can get the propane furnace in a power outage using my generator.

 

[hayden]

Thankfully I don’t need to do much of anything. We are already 100% off grid, so not subject to grid failures. Of course our own system can fail in which case we would just run off the backup generator which is plumbed into a 275gal bulk diesel tank.

 

[WinterDeere]

This crowd would probably really enjoy Forstchen's "One Second After", which is mostly about the breakdown of society following catastrophic damage to the power grid. I can vouch for the audiobook version of this on Audible, very well-done.

Amazon.com : one second after