Wondering what to do when the power is out? To gauge how much inconvenience a problem can cause, we can base that problem on its spontaneity, its Area Of Effect (AOE), and its fixability. A power outage ticks all of the boxes, we can’t predict it, it affects the whole neighborhood, and we can’t fix it ourselves. After natural disasters like a hurricane or a tsunami (power outages are also a side effect of them) a power outage is probably the next worst thing.
Power outages can occur abruptly, with no regard to your plans or activities. Brownouts are a type of outage where the electrical power itself is briefly interrupted. (i.e. the lights dim). In the worst cases, blackouts, which are total power outages, could last a day or longer.
Understanding what to do in the event of a power outage can reduce the amount of confusion and disruption in your life. This article will go into detail on how to deal with power outages and what you can do to keep yourself occupied through it. How to deal with a Power outage?
A power outage can cause a huge amount of damage not just to your daily life, but to your appliances. In this part of the article, we will discuss how you can minimize or even mitigate the damage.
1. What to Do when The Power Is Out?
1.1. Verify that Your Electricity Is Out
The first thing you should do when the electricity goes out is to confirm the reason for the power cut. You can get a hint as to what might be going on if you notice some typical causes of power outages. It can be caused but a simple MCB trip or it could be an area-wide outage. Given below are some easy ways to assess the situation
To find out if an MCB tripped, check your primary electrical panel. Fuses are installed to prevent circuits from burning, which could start a fire or harm equipment. Try to determine what brought about the issue. Before turning the circuit switch back on, disconnect everything from that circuit. If you do not understand the working of the panel, do not try to fix it yourself, hire a professional electrician to do the same.
If none of your circuit breakers is triggered, the issue is probably more widespread. Are there no streetlights? Other homes are they dark? Ask your friends if they are having any issues.
1.2. Contact Your Local Utility Company if Your Power Goes Out
If you have identified that the power outage is in a widespread area, the first thing to do is to report it to your utility company. You can purchase electricity from authorized Retail Electric Providers in deregulated energy marketplaces. (REPs). Find the local TDSP (Transmission & Distribution Service Providers), EDU (Electric Distribution Utilities), or TDU (Transmission and Distribution Utility) to find out who to contact when the power goes out. There are a lot of acronyms there, but they all relate to the local utility that produces and distributes electricity.
Contacting your utility company using a cell phone will also help you get helpful information like the reason for the power cut, and the duration of it and you can even ask them for updates on the status of the situation.
1.3. Unplug or Switch Off Your Equipment
After having contacted your utility company, the first thing to do sound is to unplug or switch off all of your electrical appliances first during a power outage, start with safeguarding your pricey devices and appliances. The danger of damage exists whether the power is out for a few minutes or several days. Apply the same guidelines you would to prevent brownouts on equipment. For the following causes, disconnect or turn off all appliances:
A Power surge is a sudden, fleeting rise in the voltage of an electrical system. Power surges can range in duration from a few milliseconds to several seconds and in magnitude from a few volts to thousands of volts. Power surges can cause damage to sensitive or expensive appliances and electronic devices. The fragile components of these devices, such as circuit boards and microchips, can be overloaded and harmed by high voltage.
These devices can suffer accumulated damage from frequent power surges, which decreases their lifespan and raises the possibility that they will break down or malfunction. Power spikes can be avoided by using surge protectors. The voltage that reaches electrical equipment and appliances is reduced by devices referred to as surge protectors, preventing harm.
The best way to remember which appliances to turn off during a power cut is to keep a list. When the power comes back on, it’s simple to forget what you were using, like the gas stove or iron, which poses a safety risk, particularly if you’re not at home. If you have a list not only will you remember which ones to turn off but also which ones to turn back on when the power is back. When power is restored and all of your home’s appliances come on at once, the strain may cause damage to the system’s breakers to trip.
1.4. Make Sure to Keep Your Refrigerator and Freezer Doors Closed
A lot of food gets spoilt because the refrigerator and freezer doors are left open causing heat to enter them. A refrigerator can maintain its temperature for about four to six hours before it starts warming up. A freezer filled to the brim can hold its temperature for nearly two days, while a half-full one will only remain cold for a day.
Following are some suggestions from Cornell University food science professor and Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) member Bob Gravani for keeping food securely chilled:
1.4.1. Verify the Temperature
Different food requires different temperatures to remain fresh, so set the temperature accordingly. Make sure to keep the temperature below 4°C (40°F) and above -18°C (0°F). The specific temperature for each food is readily available on google.
1.4.2 Use Containers
Containers can be used to store refrigerated foods To store foods that need to be chilled, have some coolers available. To keep food as cold as feasible if the power goes out, freeze containers of water (such as empty gallon bottles), ice cubes, and gel packs in advance for use in coolers. If at all possible, research the availability of dry ice and block ice in advance. Refrigerated foods stay fresh and last longer.
1.4.3 Take Extra Precautions
When in question, discard it. Food should be thrown away if it is ever above 4°C (40°F) for two hours or more. Never rely on the look or odor or taste of food to determine its safety. If there are still ice crystals on food in the freezer, it can be refrozen or cooked, but it’s best to throw it out if you’re uncertain. Despite being fully prepared, eating food that has not been maintained at the right temperature can make you sick.
1.4.4 Fill the Larder
Maintain a three-day stock of nonperishable food, such as canned goods and boxed milk, that doesn’t need to be cooked or refrigerated. Additionally, make sure you purchase enough bottled water.
1.5. Making Use of Flashlights as Illumination
What should you do if your electricity fails at night? You’ll probably need a light source soon. Although candles are a classic option, they increase the danger of fire. They can increase already oppressive temps during the summer. setter substitutes are flashlights, battery-operated lights, and lanterns. Even light bulbs with built-in batteries are available; these lights charge in your light sockets until they are required. During a power outage, they ought to provide you with 6 hours of illumination. Having a quick stock of extra batteries on hand never hurts.
Flashlights, battery-operated lights, and lanterns. play a big role in keeping your surroundings illuminated whenever power outages happen. Even light bulbs with built-in batteries are available; these lights charge in your light sockets until they are required. During a power outage, they ought to provide you with 6 hours of illumination. Having a quick stock of extra batteries on hand never hurts.
Candles are a classic option, the yellow flame is definitely nice but they can be a huge fire hazard if they go unnoticed. They can increase already oppressive temps during the summer, still, you never know when you might need them so keeping a pack is a good idea.
1.6. Make Sure Your Household Is Secure and Comfortable
Power outages can cause quite a bit of panic among family members so make sure your family members are prepared for a power outage. A Power outage can happen frequently as a result of weather disturbances or many other factors. Extreme, cold weather, heat, and storm risks could affect family members.
Everyone should be gathered in the coziest area of your house. That could be a space inside with few windows or doors that allows drafts, such as a basement in the summer or the winter. Make sure that everyone has the basic amenities that they might need and keep checking up on them at regular intervals. To prevent foodborne illnesses, as we have mentioned above, check the food in your refrigerator. To keep warm dress appropriately, consume plenty of water, and eat cautiously. Infants, young children, the elderly, and individuals with medical conditions deserve special consideration.
2. Tips for Keeping Warm
What should you do if there is a wintertime power outage? The most crucial factor, when it’s the cold temperature outside, is to conserve the heat in your house.
2.1 Insulate
One of the main things to focus on is preventing cool air from entering your house. To do so insulate cover windows and doors with blankets or tape plastic over them.
2.2 Decide on A Warming Area
Select a “warming room” because it is much simpler to keep one area warm than it is to heat several. You will be spending your time in this room until the electricity is restored. The smallest and fewest windowed room is the finest one. Have your entire family—including pets—bunker down in this area.
2.3 Cover-Up
Don’t forget to stay warm by using comforters and hot water bottles. A tried and tested method to stay warm is to set up a tent in the center of a large room as they are well-ventilated. Tents quickly warm up because they are made to retain body heat and are compact. Use blankets to trap body heat.
2.4 Be Careful
Under no circumstances should you use gas stoves, grills, or ovens to help keep your surroundings warm, that is a very big safety hazard. This leads to a build-up of toxic gases which could heavily damage your lungs if inhaled and could cause a fire if sparking takes place when the power returns.
3. Water Issues
The safety of your water is also crucial. You might not have access to water for very long if the municipal water purification facility also loses power at the same time as you do. By filling up your bathtub, you can store water.
If an outage takes place at a water treatment facility, make sure to check your water’s safety level as it could be a health hazard to you and your pets. According to Diane Vukovic, the water flowing from the faucet might appear to be clean but it might not be safe to consume. She suggests that we should bring the water to a complete rolling boil for one minute on a gas stove to make sure it is safe for consumption.
You most likely won’t have access to water until the power is restored if your home utilizes well water. Connecting your good pump to a gas-powered generator is the most effective method to restore water pressure. A backup generator will come in the clutch, to maintain a constant flow of water during a future outage. You might also want to find out if your good system can accommodate the addition of a manual, non-electric pump.
4. Protect Your Pipes
Having no power can also put your house in danger. If the house isn’t heated during the winter, pipes can easily freeze and explode. Turn on all of the cold water taps in the home so they are dripping to avoid pipes from freezing. Even a small amount of water flow can keep pipelines from freezing solid.
Vukovic adds that this is a poor answer when water outages are also a problem. According to them we should completely shut off our pipes at the main and drain the water that is stored and, keep it in buckets for future use. Additionally, drain your water tank to prevent cracking. The drain plugs can be filled with antifreeze to safeguard your drainage system.
5. Charge Up
Using straightforward tools, you can maintain your electronics powered during a power outage. Before a power loss, a power bank the size of a deck of cards can be charged, or small solar panels can keep your cell phone charged with power from the sun. You can use a power station to charge laptops, fans, and other larger appliances. A small solar panel can come in really handy to power small appliances like an led bulb or even a laptop charger.
6. Ways to Keep Busy During a Power Outage
After taking care of all the things we mentioned above, dealing with a power outage can get very boring. Here are some fun activities to do when the power goes out and you get bored.
6.1. Play Some Board Games
Board Games are a dying breed of entertainment, as they have been replaced by games on your cell phone or your laptop. When the power goes, to conserve phone battery, playing board games can be a really fun activity to do with your family.
6.2. Read A Book
Books fall in the same category as board games. They have been replaced by reading on your phone but whenever the power goes out, indulge in a book it’ll be a refreshing experience. The feel of a book in hand will never get and cannot be replaced by the experience of reading on a phone.
6.3. Go out For a Walk
If it is safe to do so, go out for a walk. Whenever the power goes out, there’s an unmistakable silence in the environment. That silence is enjoyable on a walk, it helps you feel your surroundings in a completely different way.
6.4. Take A Nap
If the problems related to a power outage are taken care of then probably the best thing to do is take a nap. With no noisy notifications, loud television, and even the slight humming noise from the machine’s tap will be something you miss when the power comes back.
6.5. Spend Some Quality Time with Your Family Members
There are not many occasions when you get to spend time with your family members, a power outage is one of them. With no one sticking to their computers or cell phone, gathering up the whole family and reminiscing about fun times can be an engaging and intuitive activity.
Now that you know what to do when the power is out, click here to read more about fun things to do with your friends (although with power).
Last Updated on by kalidaspandian
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