So, it's the dead of winter, and the power goes out.

[FTL_Ian]

My furnace is hooked up to electricity.  I presume this powers the oil pump and fan.  What does one do if the power goes out?  Get under blankets and hibernate?   

Also, Mark seems to think the furnace has a pilot light, is this true?

[Vote Tyler Stearns]

Do you live in an area that has frequent power outages?  We live in an area that has a fair share of outages during/following storms, but rarely long enough that you're in danger of freezing to death. 

You don't have a wood stove...or a propane heater that will run without electricity?  We heated with an oil fired furnace for a few years when the kids were little and we were too busy to cut/split wood, but have always had at least one, normally two, woodstoves for back-up heat.  We now heat totally with wood, with a propane heater back-up in our basement to keep our pipes from freezing if we go away and can't tend the wood fires.  Haven't burned a drop of fossil fuel in two years.   

Oh yeah...some power outage pointers...have a land line phone or make sure you have cell service where you live because cordless phones go out, too, when power does.  Always call your power company to let them know your power is out -- don't assume someone else will.  Several times we waited to call thinking a neighbor already did.  Ended up the power company wasn't even aware there was an outage in our neighborhood.  Keep your flashlights (with fresh batteries) and candles/matches in an easy-to-get-to location.  It's a drag stumbling through your house in the dark looking for them.  Keep some gallons of fresh water on hand.  We used to think we could just melt snow in a pot on the woodstove, but there have been a couple times when the power went out and we had no snow to melt!  If a storm is bad and you suspect you may lose power, fill your bathtub with water that you can then use to flush toilet, wash dishes, wash yourself, drink (if your tub is clean!). 

Ayup...love New Hampshire...

[Ron Helwig]

You might want to look into getting a generator.

I got one that runs off of LP (can run off NatGas as well) for around $3,000. It is hooked up to the main circuits and will automatically come on when needed. It is boxed in, so it doesn't make all that much noise. All the critical stuff in the house can run off of it: well, furnace, A/C, TV, microwave, office computers, etc.

I got mine at the Home Despot - http://www.homedepot.com, search for generator.

[mvpel]

In the deadest dead of winter, towns will open up the schools or other town facilities as temporary shelters.  When it's 20 below, it can be difficult for a fireplace or other non-electric heaters to keep up, and some people are forced to abandon their homes.

If it looks like things are going to be down a while, such as during an ice storm:



... you should shut off your main water valve and drain out your pipes to prevent them from freezing and splitting, and subsequently flooding your house when they thaw.

We've been thinking of getting a generator ourselves - you don't need it very often, but when you really need it, you need it really badly.

[Tom Sawyer]

My furnace is hooked up to electricity.  I presume this powers the oil pump and fan.  What does one do if the power goes out?  Get under blankets and hibernate?   

Also, Mark seems to think the furnace has a pilot light, is this true?

You live in a heavily populated area... they get those areas back on line the fastest. Out here in the boonies it takes a little longer.

You could consider a propane heater as a backup, of course I love our woodstove.

Also as someone new to the north, don't get too worried. You don't get alot of ice storms in Keene. And when it is the coldest it is usually the nice Canadian high pressure... clear skies not windy and not much snow. The heaviest snow storms are when that pesky southern warm moist air comes up. So it will be in the 20's or 30's and big snow flakes, kind of nice out. Also they are much better able to handle snow up here, so I just stay home and enjoy it till they get the roads cleaned up.

[FTL_Ian]

You might want to look into getting a generator.

I got one that runs off of LP (can run off NatGas as well) for around $3,000. It is hooked up to the main circuits and will automatically come on when needed. It is boxed in, so it doesn't make all that much noise. All the critical stuff in the house can run off of it: well, furnace, A/C, TV, microwave, office computers, etc.

I got mine at the Home Despot - http://www.homedepot.com, search for generator.

You have a generator inside your home?  Gasoline powered generators also generate fumes, so I guess LP or NatGas ones do not?

[mvpel]

No, the generator sits outside the house, and is hooked up to the gas line and the house panel and the transfer switch via conduits:

[FTL_Ian]

Spiffy, I'll keep that in mind for the future when I custom build.   

[FTL_Ian]

About the shutting off of water to pipes, what are the parameters for that to happen, only if the power is out for a period of time?  If the temp in the basement drops to a certain level?

[Russell Kanning]

That doesn't help if you can't drain them.

[Pat K]

"Also, Mark seems to think the furnace has a pilot light, is this true?"


No it does not, it has some kind of electric spark ignition.

Wich of coure won't work with out power.

[Kat Kanning]

I was worried about this when I first moved, cause in Oregon we'd have the power go out for a week at a time, so I bought a place with a wood stove.  But in the two and half years I've lived here, the power's never gone out for more than 5 minutes...if that long.  Not saying it won't happen, just maybe you don't need to worry about it much.  Come over and sit by our stove if you get cold. 

[cathleeninnh]

Ours went out for 2 hours the other day. Just long enough for Don to drive to MA to work as he couldn't here. By the time he got there, it was back on here. In the meantime we had a fire in the building next door that was unrelated. Blocked road, fire trucks, smoke. It was a pretty exciting morning.

Cathleen

[FTL_Ian]

I wasn't worried, just curious.  I do my best not to worry about anything.  It's a waste of effort.  Best to be prepared and deal with whatever comes up instead of worrying, which accomplishes nothing.

[KBCraig]

I wasn't worried, just curious.  I do my best not to worry about anything.

You're thinking ahead and asking intelligent questions. Being from hurricane country, I'm surprised you're not already familiar with generators.

The kind that mvpel has is great, but you can run your essentials (furnace and fridge) with a $600 generator. Just make sure you have an electrician set up the circuits and transfer switch so that you'll power the stuff you need, while not powering the stuff you don't need. The transfer switch is especially important, so you don't backfeed the grid and kill a lineman.

Support free trade with the capitalist Chinese:
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Kevin