Prepping for a long power outage during the winter. What am I missing from my list?
Posted by sawotee@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 40 comments
Getting kind of worried with how cold it has been very quickly. Wasn't this cold last year or the year before. I think the last time it got this cold this early was in February 2021, when that snowstorm hit. Luckily we didn't lose power at all, but that can change at any given time. Our grid (I think) is better than Texas'. If the power goes out, it'll probably be a couple days before it is restored. However, I want to prep for two weeks to account for logistical issues / extended severe weather. Because of the cold, I'm not worried about food spoilage since I've got several coolers from fishing I can shove everything in then lock up outside.
I live in a house, but rent, so I cannot use a generator. To have a transfer switch installed will be $800-$1000. I'm sure my landlord would be receptive to it, but I'm uninterested in investing in another person's property. If I owned my own home, that would be my first priority in addition to a generator.
Here are the things I have and the things I plan on buying within the next several weeks. What am I missing?
- ~~Mr Buddy Heater~~
- 20lb Propane Tank
- ~~Hose connection for Mr Buddy Heater to larger tank~~
- ~~Coleman Propane Stove~~
- Hose connection for Coleman stove to larger tank
- 10 gallons of water (I keep several cases on hand in addition to this)
- Tub bag water thingamabob
- Two weeks worth of quick, easy to cook nonperishable food
- ~~Lots of blankets~~
- Hygiene kit
- First aid kit
- Fire extinguisher
- ~~Carbon monoxide detector~~
- Battery bank (Jackery or Ecoflow)
- Solar panels
- ~~Books~~
- DVDs
- DVD player
MinerDon@reddit
This is nonsense. A gas powered generator especially in winter is much more versatile than solar panels and an overpriced power station.
You don't need a whole house generator and you don't need a transfer switch. You can run necessary loads with an extension cord. When I first moved to Fairbanks I rented a dry cabin for the first 6 months as I was getting my property setup. In the dead of winter there was a horrible ice storm that took out almost everyone's power.
The first thing I did was walk out the front door, fire up my honda EU2200i generator and plug an extension cord into it. I didn't own the cabin. I wasn't making any improvements to the cabin. What I did have was power while most other people did not.
You can buy a 2000 watt firman inverter/generator from costco for $299 with a 3 year warranty. They run about 8 hours at 1/4 load on 0.9 gallons of gasoline. They are whisper quiet.
My entire homestead runs on solar, but in an emergency you cannot beat a gasoline powered generator.
Relative_Ad_750@reddit
I think you should first consider how comfortable you want to be and any special risk factors (how well insulated is your home? risk of pipes bursting? Etc) The suggestions in this thread range from survivalist (rocket stoves) to a reasonably normal lifestyle (generator, propane barbecue, etc.)
Your decision will likely be influenced by your discretionary income.
And as someone mentioned, you don’t need a transfer switch for a small inverter generator or battery power station to make a significant improvement in your comfort and safety.
matchstick64@reddit
Depending on your budget, a rocket stove conserves cooking energy outside using twigs. A jet boil or knockoff heats water super quickly and doesn’t use much fuel.
Battery powered string lights give off a lot more light than you expect. Just keep replacement batteries. Multiple rechargeable phone chargers & flashlights. I also keep a pack of battery powered lanterns to use when walking through the house.
Also, from 1st Hand experience during a Nola hurricane warning, the water bob is difficult to dry to reuse. I’ve stocked up on tub liners instead.
Don’t forget a manual can opener (ask me how embarrassed I am).
I’m in Texas, so if we have another big freeze, I’ll put a small tent on my bed with an electric blanket powered by my Jackery. I’ll recharge the Jackery with a solar panel during the day.
I keep the immediate needs stuff in a bin for as soon as power is out for more than 10 mins. We have our process down for what gets powered first. (Internet router, then light go up)
27Believe@reddit
What are the tub liners pls?
Relative_Ad_750@reddit
Waterbob.
matchstick64@reddit
Amazing, 10 Pack Disposable Bathtub Cover Liner, Ultra Large Bathtub Liner Plastic Bag for Salon, Household and Hotel Bath Tubs (90x47 Inch)
FatHenrysHouse@reddit
Paper plates! Conserve your water.
sawotee@reddit (OP)
Just went to Costco not too long ago and picked some up.
dancingqueen200@reddit
Currently I have no power and I wish my family still had a barbecue.. other than that I would say that my battery powered candles from pottery barn have been lifesaving
sawotee@reddit (OP)
I’ve got a grill. Need some more charcoal though.
EnvironmentalHome988@reddit
Long power outage, you say. Mine was out for 3 nights, pretty cold out -35 at night. I've got a wood fireplace, and we camped out in front of it the first night. Put my family up in a hotel for the other 2 nights while I stayed home with the pets. Realistically, I just got take out for food, so I didn't have to go into the fridge. Block ice kept fridge cold enough, freezer food went outside. House got down to 11c before power was restored. Nothing I couldn't handle without a sweater. Fireplace kept the one room plenty warm.
Looks like you have everything covered on that list. Altho if you have to rely on your vehicle, I'd make sure it has a remote starter. Block heater won't do you any good when the power is out. Set it to turn on for half an hour, every 90 mins. Shouldn't have an issue in the morning.
Tinman5278@reddit
I'd buy a small generator and a spider box before I'd buy a Jackery or Ecoflow setup. You don't have to use a transfer switch.
I note that you don't mention any sort of lighting. You probably have a flashlight in one of your kits but you'd want more than that for a 2-week outage. You can grab some cheap solar LED lanterns off of Amazon. Set them on a window ledge during the day to charge.
sawotee@reddit (OP)
Never heard of a spider box before. I'd have to look into it.
Yeah forgot to mention I have some LED lanterns along with rechargeable batteries.
Vagus_M@reddit
Unless there’s an actual product called that now, a spider box is a homemade outlet box you’ll find on construction sites.
WSBpeon69420@reddit
If you don’t have power why would you buy a power distributor?
Tinman5278@reddit
You do know what a generator is, right?
WSBpeon69420@reddit
Yes when I just looked up the spider box it said it doesn’t hold a lot of power it just distributes power from a power source
Vagus_M@reddit
Re: Fire extinguishers A popular economy brand, Kidde, has a recall on two of their models. You can absolutely thrift store or dig up some empty covered extinguishers and turn them in for new ones.
https://www.kidde.com/home-safety/en/us/support/product-alerts/recall-kidde-fire-extinguisher/
Second, as far as hygiene one thing that I have done is heating up a couple of cups of water with some baking soda and sponge bathing. It does a decent enough job keeping you clean, and you don’t use a bunch of water like you would for most soap or get itchy. It was admittedly a little rough on my face.
cserskine@reddit
How many people are there? A 2-4 person tent is easy to keep body heat and reduce use of the heater, especially when you’re sleeping. Get some foam floor tiles or mattress pads to keep the cold away from your body. Plastic sheeting and duct tape can be used to minimize the area needed to heat. Body wipes are a good option in lieu of cold showers. Please also get a decent C02 detector!
lavenderlemonbear@reddit
Triple recommend the CO2 detector if you're using any gas powered thing indoors. Getting some cheap fleece blankets to pin up over doorways will help block heat into one part of the house so you're not trying to heat the whole building. And ditto on the small tent.
ZivH08ioBbXQ2PGI@reddit
CO2 is what you breathe out. CO is what you fear with combustion. Both are important, but it seems that you're mixing them up.
ilblank@reddit
I agree with this from experience. Compartmentalization of the house helps a ton. We hunkered down in one room for a week. Wish I was better prepared to keep in the heat and taken more precautions to ensure we didn’t poison ourselves with carbon monoxide (we had one detector but more is better).
2airishuman@reddit
Hi Sawotee
Been through many power outages over the years in Minnesota. Some in winter.
The first thing you will observe is the absence of light. So you want light sources that will run for a long time and produce a diffuse light that does not have to be aimed, so that you can cook food, do dishes, take a shower, go up and down the stairs, etc. Look at the Sofrin BLF LT-1 lantern, consider getting more than one, there are other choices too from other manufacturers.
Next problem is cooking. If you have nonelectric cooking appliances already, great, if not, your best bet is a low-profile butane stove. I have this Iwatani one that is presently out of stock but there are many other similar stoves on the market: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D88GZLQ - a butane cartridge will last for a day or two, I have a dozen of the on hand. Keep in mind that a stove will heat water when plumbing does not work.
Then staying warm. So the obvious thing here is to have a sleeping bag, those don't really fail, they're portable, and they don't run out of fuel. My mom has a covered porch and likes to sleep outside until it starts getting below 10 F or so, she's 88, you can do it too. The Mr. Buddy heaters are weak sauce and pose a carbon monoxide hazard so IMO don't bother, if you have a fireplace or something that's one thing, otherwise there's no wind inside and warm clothes go a long way.
Next up is water, figure 5 gallons per day minimum per person unless you're really good at conservation.
Food wise depends on your time horizon, 1 week is easy, 1 month is a lot of food, think about a grocery cart full of food that will last you a week and multiply the space and cost by 4, that's a starting point. When it's cold frozen food stays frozen, if you have a way to heat your house you can put it in the shade outside in a creature-proof container.
For the most part the electric stuff (generators and jackery) is just a distraction, 90% chance it will work mostly, takes skill and has limitations, needs fuel and babysitting, I don't bother any more but YMMV. Without electric you will lose refrigeration but that doesn't matter in cold weather
Hope this helps, good luck
i_do_technical_stuff@reddit
Do realize that the cost you quoted of that transfer switch, and the generator you can take with you, negates the need for most of the other stuff on the list, makes things less complicated, and may be comparable price overall.
Otherwise, for two weeks, you need a lot more propane if its your main source of heating and cooking. Don't think "easy to cook" food, think "no cooking needed" food. I am assuming you have electric hot water, electric stove and not gas. Your listed water quantities (not counting "tub thingy") are short for even one person... 1 gal per person per day (you said two weeks, so thats 14gals/person...don't forget pets). Tub water thingy is what you use for toilet flushing, washing, and other uses...tubs are about 70 gals.
All the other comments in this thread are golden too: don't forget lights (more important than those DVDs); reduce the size of the space you are trying to heat to one small room or a portion of a small room; reduce trying to cook/heat food; gas generator may be better choice than solar generator; stock gas if you expect to drive or have gas generator; insulation, curtains,and then blankets and personal warmth clothes/insulation (hats, gloves, footwear, blankets, etc). You are basically snow camping indoors, minis the crampons (hopefully).
Seawolfe665@reddit
Jackery is having a good sale on generators + batteries right now. Smaller rechargers for phones & tablets at least. I would add “puffy” blankets, the ones popular with the hammock campers. I have one by wise owl that I love, but whatever is reasonably priced. Once I found some discontinued down ones on sale for $40. They are light, warm, and pack down. An inexpensive wool blanket might also be a good choice. I can sleep comfy and warm in my tiny trailer down to the high 20’s with the right bedding.
On our last power outage, I just went and snagged our solar & rechargeable lanterns from the trailer, worked just fine. I like the MPowered Luci lanterns.
Oh! And hot water bottles are a forgotten luxury, and if you don’t have one a Nalgene bottle will work.
Particular-Try5584@reddit
Blankets… a couple of extra sets.
If the power goes out and your ambient temperature in your house drops… is your waterbob going to turn into a bath sized ice block? Could be more trouble than it’s worth…
A pro tip can be if it’s super cold to heat a small tent you set up inside (table forts!) and enclose the heat into that.
Carbon Monoxide alarm, and a way to ventilate from all that gas burning.
Salt or sand or whatever you use to make surfaces safe to walk on. Snow shovel Inside the house ready to go.
Battery back up packs, lighting, recharge options/generator, chainsaw if you have trees that might fall blocking your way in/out. Fill your car with fuel at all times.
Adubue@reddit
You mentioned fire extinguishers in your list - I'd recommend two options: For your house (link - keep one in your bedroom and one in your kitchen. One for cooking fires and one if something catches fire while you're asleep.
For your vehicle (link - unfortunately vehicles sometimes catch fire.
They also make B:C extinguishers for kitchens that won't kill an oven. Something to consider.
One other recommendation I have for your list is a Kindle stocked full of books. Battery life is 30+ days of use and reading is awesome!
Virtual-Feature-9747@reddit
For a winter power outage, the priorities are heat, light and cooking.
For heat, if your primary method is the Mr. Buddy then make sure you have checked it out and tested it before you need it. Ensure you have the filter as well as the hose for the 20 lb propane tank? What about additional propane tanks? What is your backup heating method?
For light, my go to is USB rechargeable LED lanterns. You can get a 4-pack on Amazon. I also recently got some rechargeable flameless LED candles that provide nice mood lighting. Have a backup light option.
The Coleman stove may not be safe to use indoors. A butane cooktop may be something to look at. If you have a robust solar generator, think about getting an electric induction cooktop. Again, you need a backup cooking method.
For the solar generator Jackery and EcoFlow are both good brands, but Bluetti is my favorite. Take a look at the AC180. If you do have some backup electricity options, an electric blanket works really well if you are watching DVDs or reading in bed.
For fire extinguishers, I recommend First Alert. I bought a 4-pack on Amazon.
YardFudge@reddit
Wrt power, you’ll want diversity… portable solar, small portable inverter gas gen, AND a large (perhaps whole house) solar and/or propane or NG gen. - Start with the small inverter gen for most needs, fridge, freezer. Honda is top, Wen is great value. Hardest part is to buy, preserve, rotate annually ample fuel. Consumer Reports and https://generatorbible.com/ have good reviews. Practice using safely & securely, including a deep ground. - For solar, start small. https://theprepared.com/gear/reviews/portable-solar-chargers/. Come back later for a 100-10,000W system, DIY or pro-installed. If DIY, start small by wiring a few 100W panels, battery, controller, and inverter. - Batteries, by far, are the most expensive part. If you can shift loads to sunny days, you can save $$$. This includes those so-called ‘solar generators’ - The large solar or gen will require an electrician if you want to power household outlets. Start by creating a spreadsheet of all the devices you’ll want to run with it, both peak and stable Watts & how long each must run per day. Get several site inspections & detailed quotes from installers. - These combined give you redundancy and efficiency.
Narfinator29@reddit
Electric blanket, can run it with a jackery for a few hours to get through the coldest part of night if needed
Inexpensive plastic thermometer to monitor the actual indoor temperature without phone/internet
Warming meals
Caulking to seal air gaps in your home (do this before it gets too cold)
AdditionalAd9794@reddit
I don't feel 20lbs propane is enough, you need more in the realm of like 20 gallons, maybe 2 ten gallon tanks. Figure propane will be a cooking and heating source, no?
ssshield@reddit
Propane for cooking seems short sighted.
You should have it for minor outages but you should make a rocket stove out of cinder blocks or bricks. You can just stack the blocks/bricks until you need it.
If you dont need it youve for blocks for other uses.
The rocket stove can cool using sticks/wood/paper/coal/etc.
My plan is gas for short outages like less than a few days but if its unknown or long term its going to be rocket stove until Im forces to use my precious irreplaceable gas.
Sticks and wood heat water to boil things for safety as well.
Im out in Hawaii so if shtf we arent getting any more gas shipments. Foliage is plentiful and renewable.
No_Character_5315@reddit
Legality of how much propane can be stored becomes a issue in some places op should look into how much legally he can store.
Sommyonthephone@reddit
Battery operated radio and get few extra batteries. I also have a rechargeable 12-in TV . You charge it like a cell phone
Routine_Umpire_3071@reddit
More propane. Other than that, you're good. It doesn't go bad.
Keep your car gassed up, and have an extra 5 gallon tank ready for heat and powering devices.
Any ABC fire extinguisher should be good (normally all you see on sale in every store.) Always good to have a few, including one in your car.
I've been through many winter storm outages, as long as 2 weeks. As long as we had heat, we were happy, so that's one thing I have MANY backup options for.
Whole house generator, portable dual fuel generator, gas fireplace, wood stove, propane heater... if I go cold in a storm, something is fucked...
Rarcar1@reddit
Long underwear Hats/gloves Wool socks Boots Do you have pets? If so, how will you keep them warm? Plastic sheeting for windows Draft dodgers for doors (rolled towels work as well) Hand warmers Sleeping bag Wool blankets Anything to protect your pipes from freezing? We have foam rollers on ours but not sure they would prevent freezing. Alarm for flooding in the event a pipe bursts
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
I would recommend you check my post about preparing for a Power Outage. It will help you fill in your blanks.
sawotee@reddit (OP)
Thanks
TheSensiblePrepper@reddit
Happy to help.
2lros@reddit
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0743BQDT4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_18?smid=A21S57FL1F4GX3&psc=1
Get a propane/gas dual fuel generator
Get that for wall pass thru for cords