The power goes out in your area during the worst time possible. How would you prep for the 1week it would take the grid to do a black start?
Posted by Rough_Community_1439@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 121 comments
Here's a Hypothetical scenario for you. A high voltage lightning arrestor fails on the power grid and it causes a power flicker, causing the ai powered datacenters to all switch to their backup power reserves and the sudden heavy load shedding causes all the power plants to do an emergency shutdown as they went out of tolerance for too long. The utility company says they will take 1 week to restore power. Assuming it's winter in your area, how would you prep for it?
Kodamacile@reddit
5500w of solar - $2500 12kw inverter - $1700 20kwh LFP batteries - $3400
Complete energy security? Priceless.
Chevy Electric Vehicles can also be hooked up to your home to power it during an outage.
Kenpoaj@reddit
Chevy route is more expensive, but probably safer if you arent used to doing electrical work, and cheaper than having a solar company install it.
Equinox ev: 27k (awd, 85kW battery) V2H install varies but about $30k
85kW battery backup quote from my solar company: $130k.
The 24 and 25 model year equinox quality is shit though and ours is a lemon, currently going through buyback. We had 3 2025 loaners, and all had the same issue. But GM does seem to be willing to swap for a 2026 model year currently, so thats nice at least?
To be determined if they are able to do what they said and allow the solar to power the house/charge the car during grid down though.
Kenpoaj@reddit
For future readers: GM doesnt honor their buyback program if the dealer fixes the car, even if its a lemon in that state. Skip the program and just go to court and save yourself time.
devadander23@reddit
What’s the issue with the chevys?
Kodamacile@reddit
Its technically cheaper, because the batteries are huge, and you're getting a vehicle to boot.
BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit
This! Off grid solar, and biogas
Enigma_xplorer@reddit
A week without power isn't really that uncommon and is pretty easy to live with if you are prepared.
For starters, let's talk food and water. I have enough canned food that requires no cooking and water to get through a week without breaking a sweat. I like to use disposable plates and utensils so I don't have to wash them (well water means no power, no running water)
For heat I primarily have wood/coal stoves. With these I can heat the house 100% and have enough fuel to last the whole season.
Battery banks keep the cell phone charged, though how useful it would be is debatable. There may be no cell service but at some undetermined time there will be again and I will be ready. Even for entertainment I have plenty of games music and audiobooks that do not require cell service.
Radio, to keep me informed. Even if everything else has gone to hell radio service will likely still be up and running distributing important information.
Battery flashlights/headlamps will be important, have plenty of batteries that are rechargeable.
I have a small solar charging array to keep batteries topped off.
while I don't use it much, having a generator is a huge help. It runs the furnace, the well pump, keeps the fridge cool, and the phones charged. Don't need to run it much but it's life on easy mode.
If I don't want to run the generator and my solar generator isn't cutting it I have adapters to charge things from my car.
With these basic preps I am more than prepared to comfortably get through a week long power outage. Ironically, the biggest weak point isn't my preparations it's everyone else. My elderly father for example could not manage on his own in a weeklong power outage. I may well have to leave the house where all of my carefully laid out plans are to go to him. The simple solution would be to bring him back to my house but depending on the situation I may not be able to get back if I was lucky enough to make it to him in the first place. Without communications or traffic information I would just have to get in the car and go and hope for the best. I would of course stock up the car with some supplies just in case but it wouldn't be enough. I also have a lot of elderly neighbors who I would feel obligated to help. Same for my sister/brother in law and their kids. It's also not just the number of people it's their particular needs. I mean for me, I can get by fine without AC. That could be lethal for 85 year old neighbor though. I really have no plans for running the generator for the majority of the day for days or a weeks just to run an air conditioner.
Very quickly I could find myself a bit over taxed lending out my generator, giving away food/supplies. or just taking people in. With all that said, you can only do what you can do. I've accepted that I'm going to do the best I can and that just may not good enough. I as an individual can't save the world nor was it my responsibility to. Again as a human being I have an obligation on humanitarian grounds to do the best I can regardless of the personal hardships it may cause but I've also accepted whatever happens beyond that is not my fault. That said you would be surprised at how much more you can do than you thought you could when you are forced to improvise.
More_Mind6869@reddit
We had a well with a solar pump that filled a 500 gallon tank on a tall stand for gravity feed and a 12 colt pump for a shower with a propane on demand H2O heater. No generator or fuel needed.
USB Rechargeable headlamps are common now and don't need batteries. Can charge off a small power pack for phones.
Enigma_xplorer@reddit
Yeah I mean it would be great to have your own solar powered water tower but that's just not something many people have or could justify spending money to build.
While it is true USB powered electronics are becoming more popular and can be recharged of small battery banks I'm not a huge fan of them for this purpose. If I have a flashlight or headlamp I need it to work right now. With battery powered devices I can just swap in rechargeable batteries and go. I can recharge them when I can if I can. It's also nice that those same batteries can go into anything from my radio to my flashlights or or headlamps or whatever battery powered stuff I need to power. With USB powered stuff you are forced to recharge it to use it which may not be possible nor do you have the time to wait if you need it. I also hate the fact they are not serviceable generally speaking. I have LED maglights that are 10-15 years old that still work great with fresh batteries. USB powered stuff with their non replaceable batteries means when the battery dies it's trash. Worse yet when you are likely to realize it is trash is when you need it and realize it doesn't hold a charge for more than 15 minutes or worse yet swells up or bursts into flames when you do try to charge it and there is nothing you can do to fix it.
Relative_Ad_750@reddit
You can swap usb-charged batteries, too, in many instances.
OddUnderstanding6255@reddit
I am prepped for that scenerio. I heat with wood and have a large supply. 3500 watt generator and interlock byplass to run basic household appliances minus well pump unfortunately (larger inverter generator on my list). I have 60 gallons of gas and plan to run the generator off and on to keep freezers cold, cook as needed. I have 40 gallons of water for 2 of us stored along with enough food since I won't have access to the well and a river 1/2 mile away if needed.
Grendle1972@reddit
Why are you using a generator to keep feeders cold in an ice storm? Temps are going to be below freezing, the food is frozen. Put the food in coolers and set them outside or in an unheated garage if you have one. Save with the fridge, take the perishable out, and put them in coolers. Freeze the reusable ice blocks for coolers to assist in maintaining consistent temps in the coolers. There is no need to run a machine whose job is to keep stuff cold/ frozen in winter during a power outage in an ice/ snow storm. Mother nature will take care of it for you. If the temps start to come up, then you can use the freezer/ fridge. But till then, let mother nature do her thing for you.
Relative_Ad_750@reddit
Because he doesn’t want to deal with all that hassle?
badgko@reddit
Speaking of mother nature and from experience. The bears love this.
Arlieth@reddit
I was gonna say, the entire fucking garage is your cooler now.
Mala_Suerte1@reddit
We have a generator, portable propane heaters, a solar generator and solar panels. Our heat, tankless hotwater heater and stove are all propane. The heat and HW heater require electricity to run, so we connect the solar generator to them and they function as normal. We use the propane heaters as backup, but we also have a wood stove in the basement.
dittybopper_05H@reddit
I would chill out, maxin', relaxing, all cool, shooting some b-ball outside of the school.
Lost_Engineering_phd@reddit
Did anyone else notice how oddly specific this scenario is? The OP did not just ask about just any extended power outage event. It's like this person has been listening to the right people (engineers). The threat to the power grid posed by data center load shedding is absolutely real. This nearly happened in Virginia on July 10, 2024, In response to a voltage fluctuation caused by a fault, 60 data centers, automatically switched to their backup generators. For context, this amount of power is roughly equivalent to a third of all households in Virginia. This massive oversupply nearly lead to a cascade failure that would have lead to a regional blackout. It is possible that could lead to cascade failure of the rest of the grid for the same reasons.
As for answering the question, I like a multi approach. I'm a big fan of Kerosene heat. A couple 10K BTU kerosun heaters work amazing. 2 gallons per day per heater and removable tanks so I can fill from the outside drum. Remember to leave room in the tank, kerosene at -15f expands a bit when it warms up. Guess how I learned that... If you have never experienced a kerosene radiant heater you are missing out.
I'm not up with the times with solar generators, I should get one I guess. But I have a number of gas generators, odd things is the one I always end up using is the little $100 2 cycle mini generator. It is light, quiet, reliable and cheap. My 13KW generator is great for running my welder, but honestly way more than needed for some lights and electronics. The big generator burns way more fuel running light load than the little guy nearly maxed out. I built a hush box to put the mini generator in and it is nearly silent when running. It burns about 3 gal per day, over 16 hrs.
Alarming-Leg-2865@reddit
I have been a big advocate of the absolute likelihood of a grid down scenario. Not just from weather but from other more nefarious sources. One EMP detonated 30 miles over the continental US is enough to put most of the country into blackout. One missile launched from the deck of large cargo or container ship is all it would take. The US does constant radiological scanning along our coast lines and in our ports looking for this possible threat. If you haven't read it you should read Peter Vincent Pry's threat assessment report to the president and congress back in 2021 about the effects of an EMP attack or even a CMU event hitting us.
Lost_Engineering_phd@reddit
30 mile would not quite be high enough to cause the gamma electron cascade in the thermosphere required to generate a large area EMP. My former work required knowing MIL-STD-188-125 thoroughly.
While a single large event like that is very concerning, it is also unlikely. The US would respond by making special deliveries of B83's, 16 of them in each B2 spirit immediately. I am far more concerned about there being 50 or so cells that would do a coordinated and strategic action at certain critical choke points on the Grid. The damage could lead to a full grid down situation and with black start plants damaged or isolated it would be frightening long to be without power. Worst part is it would be very difficult to determine who did the attack. This makes this kind of attack far more likely.
But at this rate the most likely real threat is not from foreign actors, or intentionally caused damage but unintended consequences of greed. This possibly is quickly approaching 100%.
hzpointon@reddit
The Iberian power outage took 24 hours to restart from full blackout. They imported electricity from France to reboot the grid. How unrealistic is this in your scenario? Maybe a week is very worst case scenario.
Lost_Engineering_phd@reddit
Not my scenario. While we can learn lessons from the Iberian power outage, it does not reflect the scale or architecture of the US power grid.
The fact of the matter is that the engineers that work these complex and dynamic networks for a living every day, will tell you, even they do not know how the systems will perform in this scenario.
What we do know is the 2021 Texas ERCOT failure was from under supply and lasted 2 weeks and 3 days, That caused 111 fatalities and $195 Billion in damages. There were 49 other states in the US unaffected due to ERCOT Independence from the US grid. The larger the footprint of a disaster the more difficult and longer it takes to recover. Of the 9 power grids in North America only ERCOT and ASCC are isolated. It is entirely feasible that an oversupply cascade failure caused by data centers in each region could spread across the entire grid. If this happens 47 US states will be in the dark. There will be an extreme manpower shortage, recovery will take an extended time.
I would just like to comment to you, this is a prepper discussion group. There's lots of other places where you can express normalcy bias. Many of the prepper discussions are "what if" scenarios and looking at the worst case. If you have spent any time around engineers you know we are always considering worst case scenarios. And no small part this is why there have been so few worst case scenarios. Unfortunately for the last several decades the accountants and MBA'a seeking higher and higher profits, have overruled engineers. Every system is near it's absolute breaking point, this will eventually lead to massive interconnected Cascade failures that will be completely unstoppable.
hzpointon@reddit
There's no need for the final paragraph. I asked the question because the Iberian power outage was restored within 24 hours. You made a great counterpoint that the US has isolated grids that aren't comparable to Europe and highlighted another real world outage with corresponding length. It was a good debate, and then you basically tell me to leave preppers because of normalcy bias???
Not every prepper is considering absolute worst case scenarios, they're interested in how it compares to previous real world failures.
"Every system is near it's absolute breaking point, this will eventually lead to massive interconnected Cascade failures that will be completely unstoppable."
This is your opinion without sources. I agree with you on several (most) points, however we have seen resiliency in quite a few power outages. It's good to put real historical numbers to it.
The ERCOT case is interesting, if it wasn't an isolated grid would it have been more resilient?
Lost_Engineering_phd@reddit
Fair point, I could have phrased things better I guess. But as an engineer I'm just thoroughly frustrated with the situation of our world and extremely bitter watching everything fail. I'm becoming a very grumpy old man.
I should have elaborated that I am referencing all infrastructure, not just the power grid. Everything is interconnected and the combined cost of permanently deferred maintenance will be hell to pay.
The question of if ERCOT could have managed the over demand is not an easy one to answer. A lot depends on if they interconnect to the Western WECC or to the Eastern SERC or SPP interconnects. There would also be the question of the capacity of the interconnect tie lines. If there is a cool breeze they could safely push an interconnect to over 200% of rated capacity for a time if needed. It would have certainly been an interesting balancing act.
I appreciate your optimism that resilience has been demonstrated in the past. My counter argument is that it was done by a generation that has mostly since retired and knowledge transfer was not deemed cost effective. Additionally, the equipment was not nearly as old as it is now. Much of the 30 year life expectancy equipment is double that age now. And there is no plan to replace it. There are nearly 70,000 transformers still in use in the US that are filled with PCB's banned in 1979.
MagicToolbox@reddit
My parents generation went to the MF Moon with little more than sticks to slide together. This little slab of silicon that I'm tapping on may have more computing power than all the digital computers of that time. They built damn near the entire interstate expressway system.
My grandfather's generation invested time, energy, and manpower to get infrastructure built. The CCC put people to work, taught skills, fed people - even provided medical care. They State and National Park system is thier legacy.
We have not maintained those legacies. They are well past thier expected life span, we need to seriously invest in people rather than sending them to jail. We need to rebuild the water distribution system, the power distribution system, adding resilience rather than squeezing every last GD penny out of the end user and sending it up the line.
throwAwayWd73@reddit
NERC certified transmission systems operator, who moved to a support role to get straight day shifts. Couple minor things like the number of interconnections for the US And Canada is 5. (Eastern, Western, Quebec, Texas, Alaskan)
Did some quick Google Iberian peninsula blackout was 15 GW depending which interconnection for the major ones Western 1/10 of summer peak 150GW or Eastern 1/36 of Google's claimed hourly confirmation of 549GW.
Interestingly enough, the 2003 Eastern interconnection blackout that was a partial one involving the North Eastern United States was about 61.8GW, with the majority restored in a little over a day. So it may be slightly similar. Really it's hope for a top-down restoration, bottom up where everything's blacked out is going to be a nightmare.
I routinely have this conversation with my one co-worker about how smart some of the people that initially designed everything were, but their replacements are absolutely incompetent and it's amazing the power stays on.
Ding ding ding we have a winner. Deregulation of the electric grid temporarily saves the end user money while corporate squeezes every dime. Then due to lack of appreciable maintenance because it costs money, they run stuff until the catastrophic breaking point.
One of your other replies touched on the data centers automatically starting their generators which lowered load increase frequency causes more generation to trip off. Makes me think of Another fun bunch of lessons learned that keep occurring is solar and wind farms that trip offline due to fault current and settings that can't ride through compared to a giant turbine generator that has inertia and resists change. Some of that was due to lack of coordination on set points, but that was somewhere in Europe so I wasn't too invested in the follow-up.
Wendys_bag_holder@reddit
We need to think about water. All water that’s not well will stop about 24 hours. Water plants use electricity. There were also well waters the froze over last time Texas had a freeze, the electric heater went out. Knew someone who lost a lot of animals. I like your comments. I use a lot of the same preps.
hoardac@reddit
I kept a garage full of vegetables above freezing one winter with one of those. They work pretty damn good.
AdministrationOk1083@reddit
I've got a home standby. Black start implies the natural gas is going to go down, so I've got another generator, wood for backup heat and fridges, some small amount of solar for batteries and inverter, and propane and wood for cooking. It would be a pita but we'd survive
alessaria@reddit
Solar generator big enough to run my freezers, butane burner for cooking, kerosene heater for warmth, solar lanterns for light. All of it has been tested and is ready to go.
More_Mind6869@reddit
You use a kerosene heater indoors ?
Grendle1972@reddit
Where wise would one use it? People have and do use them, even today. Just crack a window and have a battery powered CO detector.
Free_Magazine517@reddit
I had this during sandy. I had a generator and 2 full propane tanks to cook with. I raided my ambulance co ice machine and put it in gallon zip lock bags so it could possibly be re frozen or be potable water if need be. Otherwise it was business as usual and went to work.
RickDick-246@reddit
This happens to me regularly. I live on a mountain pass where we get 40 feet of snow and power goes out typically for 4 days at a time during a couple big storms a year.
I’ve got my backup generator, easy to cook food, plug in lights that charge and automatically light up without power, a rechargeable fan for white noise, plenty of games, and plenty of beer.
I keep my truck above half full at all times and refill my propane tank just before the first storm.
I actually enjoy those weeks a lot of times.
in_to_deep@reddit
Sounds gracefully bliss
Alarming-Leg-2865@reddit
When I lived in NYC and when a big winter storm was coming I would pack up the snowmobile on the truck and my wife and I would head to a little motel we always went to just off the main interstate in Vermont. Used to piss my boss off because he knew we would get snowed in and I would not be able to come home for me to be at work on Monday.
The motel had a backup generator because it was just off of the Appalachian Trail and other snowmobilers would come there to stay for the night before continuing on the next morning. None of the rooms had a refrigerator but the snow would be piled up so high against the back wall of the motel that we would just open the window and stick our cooler in the snow. Instant refrigerator. After the big snow the only way anybody in the small town could get around was by either snowmobile, horse drawn sleigh or pole skiing. Even then the state or county only came in and did the main roads for the first week. Used to ride the snowmobile into the backwoods along country roads not yet plowed and people who live this life style already had heavy canvas tarps draped over their vehicles they knew they wouldn't be using for a while. While in town you would see people on snowmobiles pulling a sled with their kids in it to the store. Was like a Winter Wonderland. Miss those times.
RickDick-246@reddit
It is. At the same time, the highway closes in both directions due to avalanche danger and makes me a little nervous.
I’ve thought about getting a snowmobile but it really doesn’t solve the problem with the avalanche danger.
I do have airlift insurance so if there was a real medical emergency, I could get picked up by a helicopter but typically the weather would be too bad for them to come in time depending on the issue.
joelnicity@reddit
It sounds like you live alone too
RickDick-246@reddit
Nope family of 4 trying to make it a family of 5. There are tough parts of life like the 20 minute drive to and from school for the kids and very few other kids their age being around.
But raising kids where they can go in the backyard and have basically thousands of miles of forest to explore is worth it to us. Our oldest absolutely rips on skis and they get to experience some very unique things in life. At some point, we’ll move off the mountain but for now, we think the benefits outweigh the cost.
Messier_82@reddit
40 Feet? Damn what mountain range is this?
Soggy_Information_60@reddit
For summer outages got solar panels and batteries for fridge and freezer and phone charger, and stove is gas so got a big tank and can light with matches. For winter same cooking setup but wood stove for heat. Got buckets always full to flush toilet, can replenish from stream. Keep multiple full water-cooler jugs and a dispenser for before getting organized to boil stream water.
TheLostExpedition@reddit
Nothing, I live off grid. My heat is wood based with propane backups. My fridge is gas, half my lights are gas, the others are led. 1500kw worth of reserves, gas generator, vehicle generator, 600w of solar pannels. The only "Grid thing" we have is water. But we don't actually need it. It's just convenient.
Rough_Community_1439@reddit (OP)
Dang. I wish I was as energy efficient as you. I am running 10kw worth of panels and only put away around 3kw per day in my 10kw reserve
TheLostExpedition@reddit
I didn't mean the k... it's only 1,500 watts capacity from my small power banks.
Rough_Community_1439@reddit (OP)
Still impressive that you got your setup running that lean.
booksandrats@reddit
Winter? That's the best time for an outage! I'd put the freezer contents in laundry baskets on the balcony. Fridge contents into coolers then the balcony. Then relax with my kitties on the couch. Lots of warm blankets, candles, oil lamps. If I don't want a cold meal I can use my charcoal bbq, Bic flame disks, esbit stove or flameless ration heaters. I've got a big battery pack for boosting a car that also charges usb equipment. Lots of solar lights and chem lights. I'm friendly with my neighbours and can help them with food and water if they need it.
iamfaedreamer@reddit
no worries, we've got food, water, sanitation, cooking source and fuel for up to 3 months. we'd lose the fridge and freezer but have 4 months or so of shelf stable, longer if we ration. if it's winter it's still no worries, as it hardly gets cold in where we live anymore. if it happens in one of the few times it does get cold per winter, I'm a crocheter and have crocheted so many warm blankets we'd be fine. also our apartments are very well weatherproofed and keep out the cold really well. it wouldn't get below 50 in the apartment on the coldest day here.
badgko@reddit
Just another winter at my home. Usually about a week but has been as long as four weeks. Everything cooked on propane grill, camp chef stove, or my pellet smoker connected to a generator. Generator runs the freezer and fridge. We have a well stocked pantry. I make sure all my propane bottles are full before winter starts and we have gas on hand for the generators. We've never reached a concerning point where we thought we were going to run out. Gas was the largest consumable.
My neighborhood is heavily treed. Powerlines in my neighborhood are underground. But power coming to my neighborhood is not. Wind, freezing rain, or both regularly take our power out by dropping trees and limbs onto the exposed powerlines to the neighborhood.
We do have additional resources well beyond what I've noted, but we're only talking about a week not The Fall. :-)
tempest1523@reddit
I’m in the South, winter is less of a concern than a long term power outage in the summer.
IamBob0226@reddit
That's a lot of words to ask how we'd prep for a 1 week outage.
No-Breadfruit3853@reddit
Live normally except with a space heater and my power station that'll last me throughout the week charging my phone, psp, 5g gateway, and my heated blanket.
Scav-STALKER@reddit
Let out a “god damnit” and having a boring ass week and try to work on cleaning up the house I guess. I mean I grew up in an area where a weeklong power outage in the winter wasn’t unheard of, its more of an inconvenience than something that needs serious prepping assuming you don’t keep bare minimum food around.
Usagi_Shinobi@reddit
Well, since I have a fireplace that works, probably go buy some more firewood, and make sure that the battery bank is working correctly, and go about my day.
Wendys_bag_holder@reddit
One thing I didn’t notice, and I’m sorry if I missed it, no one mentions the rechargeable radio with NOAA stations. When cell towers and electricity goes down the only way we can get updates or evac orders will be the emergency broadcast on the NOAA band. I always learn the NOAA bandwidth wherever I’m at.
Rough_Community_1439@reddit (OP)
Knowledge is key to survival. Most use their phones for the weather and don't realize that when a cell tower flips to the emergency backup that they only get calls and text, no internet.
Wendys_bag_holder@reddit
You are correct. We should all learn cheap skills like using a radio, navigation and reading a topography map, learn what you can about your area. Knowledge and practice are keys to survival when it hits the fan.
Wendys_bag_holder@reddit
I’ve dealt with this. I have solar power charges that have room lights, I have electric lamps that are rechargeable via the solar batteries, I have 5 ways to start a fire and cook, I have a bob and water purification methods when the water goes out, I keep enough water and food for 30 days for everyone and animals, I have done tons of cold weather stuff and we all have the gear for sleeping outside when cold, we used cold weather gear/cold rated bags and extra space blankets. Huddle, build a fire if you can and everyone loads up and has fire watch so we can take care of eachother. Always keep more ammo the you think you could ever use. Hope that’s helpful.
Immediate-Outcome843@reddit
I would close up the kitchen with blankets over the windows and doors to other rooms. Get out my canners and boil the big pots of water on my gas stove. Once the water is hot it will keep the room warm for a while better than running the burners and riaki g carbon monoxide. I can't use the oven because it has no pilot light.
Leave water trickling in the bathroom and kitchen sinks.
Heat would be the only issue because I have city water and a gas stove. Oil lamps and can cook on the stove top. If it's winter I'm not worried about the fridge/freezer. I store most things in jars anyway so I could clean out the cold storage before it went bad.
RemoteRAU07@reddit
Um...it takes a LOT longer than 1 week to do a cold start of the grid. The power plants I used to do work at took two weeks just to restart themselves. As well as about a thousand contractors of various kinds, and power from the outside.
neomage2021@reddit
I have solar, whole home batteries and if it was cold a wood burning stove. 1 week would be fine.
Snoo49732@reddit
Pack up my husband and my dog, shut the water off and bleed the lines, and head to my moms house 20 min away lol. She's got a Woodburning stove a roof washing cistern water system, a generator and a septic system. I'd also unplug the fridge and empty it and take it all to my moms.
Jolly_Green23@reddit
I live in a hurricane prone state, and while I'm not usually affected by hurricanes in the area I now live, I'm prepared for long periods of no electricity.
zergling3161@reddit
15 gallons of gas in storage, 30 gallons of water and 1 month of emergency food per member of the house.
I gotta buy another 1 month emergency food for the new baby
EastTexasCowboy@reddit
We have a lot of solar then a whole house generator to back that up. 2 solar setups, house and shop. 14kw and 10kw panels. All DIY and not grid tied. 27wk generator on NG and 150kwh of batteries. Some backup propane heaters. A water well for the cattle which gives us backup water.
The power goes out here fairly often. The last time was 4 days. As you can guess, we barely notice.
That's how we prepped. So far it has been more than enough but you can't prep for every scenario so I'm not getting cocky. Just trying to do my best. .
SnooMarzipans6812@reddit
Given we only have about three weeks of real winter each year, and the odds are low of this happening during that time, I’m just doing more cooking and baking with my gas stove and using my 2 fireplaces. Reading (physical) books and playing acoustic guitar instead of screen time. I always have enough food, water, and dog food to last at least 3 months.
Infamous_Emu2992@reddit
We would drive to my work which is a resort that have big diesel generators. Get a room and clock in at my scheduled time.
hoardac@reddit
Flip the interlock then start the generator.
benyacat@reddit
I live in Kyiv, Ukraine. I live in a typical city apartment with running water and central heating. Now we're expecting Russia to shut down the power plants. This happened in the winter of 2022-23 and in the summer of 2024, and power was supplied every four hours. Elevators in the city weren't working, and in some high-rise buildings, water supply and heating. Now all businesses have generators, but few residents have backups. I have spare water, Ecoflow, warm camping sleeping bags and electric blankets, and propane for a camp stove.
Internal_Raccoon_370@reddit
I wouldn't need to do anything. I have whole house solar. If I don't get enough sunlight to keep the house going and charge my batteries, I run a backup generator for a few hours to recharge the battery bank.
Arlieth@reddit
I live in Southern California so winter is still... quite warm. Which means I have to worry about my fridge and freezer contents going to shit. Taking out a small home equity loan to install a battery backup would be first on my list since it can charge on my solar.
If I had no chance in hell of saving my food, I've got a week of MREs, butane stoves and cartridges, and like 50 gallons of water at the ready (40 in the water heater). If I need to heat food in retort pouches I can also throw in one of my wife's heating packets in some greywater (it's the same stuff they use in MRE flameless heaters, just warms up using ambient humidity)
The worst time for me to have power go out is in the middle of summer. So keeping a tub of pre-made electrolyte solution is kind of important.
SeriousGoofball@reddit
Gas fireplace. Ecoflow battery system with 8kw of power. Gas generator that can recharge the ecoflow. F150 with hybrid engine and 7200 watt generator in case the other two generators fail.
Honestly, with minor adjustments, in winter we wouldn't live much differently.
AlphaDisconnect@reddit
Welcome to super typhoon 101. Water is important. Fill your tub. Your toilet has a gallon. Cooking. Iwatani epr-a- but you will need to keep the butane from freezing. Everyone in one room. Blanket it off. Every person is a 75 watt space heater. Add blankets. Keep adding blankets and sleeping bags. A Coleman quad lamp - the old d cell version for night light.
You party. You bring friends. You eat. Cook. Play games. Prep? The dirty p word? No you winter games party.
Arlieth@reddit
I was not aware that butane cans can freeze. Thanks for the tip.
Water heater holds a shitton of water. Keep a short hose handy to drain it.
PenguinsStoleMyCat@reddit
Winter here is typically in the 50's and the lowest we've seen is 38F. If there's a steady supply of gasoline then there's no problem. I have enough gas cans for about 50 gallons worth, in the winter that might get me a full week. I usually don't keep all the gas cans full though, only during hurricane season. I might otherwise have 20-25 gallons on hand.
I can plug my EV into the house and get at least 4 days of runtime with just necessities (fridges, freezers, a backup heat pump, important electronics) so there's also that. Maybe even more than that in winter.
Sweet-Leadership-290@reddit
I WOULD NOT
I AM OFF GRID
Eredani@reddit
In this particular scenario the best prep would probably be a natural gas powered whole home generator. I dont think you would need to be covert about still having power (i.e. lights on, generator noise, etc) but you still might have visitors looking for help.
I think for many like me, the primary concern will be keeping chest freezers running. This can be done with a modest solar generator setup backed up by a small dual fuel inverter generator for an hour per day to top off the batteries if there is not enough sunlight. I have a Bluetti AC500 and an AC200L, 2100 watts of solar panels and a Champion 2500 generator.
It's not clear in your scenario if water and sewer are affected as well, but we are also prepared for that. Are stores still open at all? Have some cash on hand, but you really need to just have everything you might need stocked up in advance. My guess a power outage lasting more than a day is going to freak most people out... at least in my area. Probably not looting but at least a lot of panic.
Regarding food, we are stocked up with multiple ways to cook. If natural gas service is still running we can cook normally on the stove and run the gas fireplace in the winter. We'd just create a microclimate in the living room. If no gas and in the winter the best option for staying warm is probably electric blankets and heating pads.
But really, in this case I might be tempted to just pack a few things and drive to a nice hotel outside the affected area.
chris782@reddit
I'd just dust the ole war wagon off and start raiding with the boys.
Turbulent-Pea-8826@reddit
Turn on my backup generator. We frequently lose power where I live for up to 8 hours. Worse was a whole day. But nothing stopping me from running it for a week.
Given some prep time I would hook it up to the natural gas (which I will eventually do) or also add some solar to the mix.
More_Mind6869@reddit
When the grid goes down I never know it. I don't need it. I've had solar panels and systems for 20 years.
Does that mean I'm prepped already ?
naixelsyd@reddit
Experienced close to that last winter. We have a 6kwh generator, but be warned, once our gas was running low, we discovered none of the local gas stations could pump has ( they had no backup power). Had to drive 50kms to refill. I did consider syphing petrol from the cars, but was a bit too cautious about it asI've never d one it.
Oh, and cell towers upses ran dry witjin 20mins. Fortunately we have some cheap baofeng uv5rs to find out what was happenning.
So now we have purchased a cheap syphon. Saving up for a 1kwh battery bank with 200w solar panels. After that, will add batteries to home solar as well.
J_B_La_Mighty@reddit
Honestly I think im pretty blessed in that, where I live, there is no "worst time", its just inconvenient. I have a solar generator thats always topped up in the car, work would be wholly unnaffected because it can all be done without power. Id have to sleep outside, since I run hot and would no longer have ac, most of my food is shelf stable anyways. I dont know if gas stations need power to function and if they have generators, but this last one is only a concern if it lasted longer than a week, like a month or something, and only because I'd have to bike to work.
Eazy12345678@reddit
data centers have enough battery that they dont go down. then they have diesel generators the size of a school bus . and then they have a insurance plan that covers diesel gas trucks to deliver more gas. Its a billion dollar industry
Unlikely-Ad3659@reddit
Cover south facing roofs in solar, buy an inverter charger, a 5 KW house battery ( bigger if you can afford it) and swop your gas guzzler car out for an ev that does vehicle to load.
You will save a fortune too.
hollyglaser@reddit
Generator
Even_Birthday_8348@reddit
I've had my heat cut off in the winter, it just means it's time to wear all your clothes and hang out under all the blankets
NintenJoo@reddit
Wood burning stove and generators.
I also have a campervan with 200 watts of solar and a couple 100ah batteries.
Camp stoves to cook etc.
Wouldn’t be too bad really.
capt-bob@reddit
All you'd really need is heat, blankets, and a cupboard of canned goods to get through that, I've done 3 days on the natural gas oven heating the place, with waving the doors occasionally for fresh air. Now we're all electric, so a propane heater and a couple full tanks.
BaldyCarrotTop@reddit
Leverage the resources I have: 2 100 watt solar panels with charge controllers. I can use these to keep the batteries in two cars charged. Also a 500 Wh Bluetti. There is 600Watts of solar panels on the back fence that will keep a Delta 2 charged up.
The Delta 2 will keep the fridge cold and also can spin up the gas furnace. The cars and the bluetti will keep devices and rechargeable lanterns going.
I've also got some kerosene lamps that also put out some heat. I've also been replacing the drafty windows with vinyl windows to keep the heat in.
Cooking will be done on a camp stove.
I think we should be OK.
Ok_Watercress_7801@reddit
I’d be home from work since it’s up in the hills & they understand it sucks to commute on ice in the American south. That said, I’m all set for a week. I’ve got food for my hens & dog, stocked larder/pantry. Lots of wood cut for our little Jøtul that heats an amazing amount and has a large hot-plate. Probably seal off that room to sleep, cook & eat in.
We built an earthen oven (wood fired) that has its own shelter to cook in as well.
With no HVAC, that would mean frozen pipes. I’d shut the water off & open the lines. We’d maybe make a snow privy for poopin in buckets or a latrine. Could just set up a dry toilet indoors, only I t would be unheated.
Cranberry_Surprise99@reddit
Well, I guess my solar powered power bank will be doing some heavy lifting for mine and my wife's alarms. Meanwhile, there are a lot of books on my shelf I haven't read I guess.
SheistyPenguin@reddit
Run a gasoline generator at intervals, until the fuel or fridge food runs out.
I made a burn chart that tells me how much runtime I have left for different fuel levels, if running the generator at full load or half load. We have wireless fridge/freezer thermometers that will start beeping if temperature gets to unsafe or thaw levels. We keep ~15gal on-hand for emergencies, but have more cans if stocking up is an option.
Otherwise, we have a propane space heater. We are in the process of turning our wood fireplace into a gas insert, with a 100gal propane tank. That's going to be another source of emergency heat to keep a chunk of the house toasty!
ollie_the_4runner@reddit
Diesel 13.5k generator and 250 gallons of diesel.... it'll run a couple weeks 🤣
8675201@reddit
I have a generator. I’ve used it when we lost power for five days to keep the refer and freezer cold.
Maleficent_Mix_8739@reddit
We’ve got solar, wind and a tri gas genset and LiFePo4 batteries all tied into a hybrid inverter…..we’re good. You don’t live where we live without a plan. When the snow hits up here we also “pile” just like the Eskimo did, which ramps up our insulation value which ensures the furnace doesn’t have to run forever to do its job.
Minute-Man-Mark@reddit
A lot of PB&Js and whatever I can throw on the grill.
ArcaneLuxian@reddit
We're waiting on baby to arrive at literally anytime. So the worst time would be while at the hospital mid baby ejection or just getting home from said experience. I'll be frank. I'd cry if this happened, partially because of hormones, partially because of the fact that doesnt feel out of the realm of possibility.
After that was out of my system, assuming we were home, lights are the first order of business. We have precharged camping fans/lights, and precharged motion activated pucks in key locations that are not turned on until they're needed. Next filling up two 100 gal bath bladders. And getting out the prefilled water bottles for drinking needs. Getting all our new babies shelf stable formula, soap, for cleaning baby bottles, and our propane stove out and ready for newborn sanitation needs. Corralling this all in the same area so that when the lights are out were not struggling and can conserve power. Next is meal planning. Using as much from our fridge as physically possible then moving to the freezer and finally our pantry as items are used. By meal planning we are avoiding opening the fridge and can minimize the rising temperature. Anything that doesnt have to stay in the fridge (fruit and veg that can be shelf stable for a day or two) is removed. During the day we dont use lights and since we live relatively rurally we take advantage of our surroundings and practice the dig and bury method of human bodily waste removal. All other trash is burned if possible assuming that we can safely do that away from the home. Entertainment for little is crayons, and toys. New baby thankfully sleeps, eats, and has diaper changes. We also have solar precharged chargers for our phones, and candles for when we dont want to drain the battery on our lamps. We have a fireplace for heat and do all our personal cleanliness in the shower with our camping showers. We wash clothes in a 5 gallon bucket with zote or borax and hang dry them in the sun. Whe we inevitably run out of edible refrigerator food we have soup, vegetables, canned meals, fruit, and oatmeal. As well as snacks and powdered electrolytes. It would be inconvenient and possibly the worst week of our lives especially with a newborn but considering that our family is at least together id be grateful.
drnewcomb@reddit
Hook dual-fuel generator to NG and main breaker box and pull starter cord. Cook and heat water with NG. In the unlikely event that NG fails go to gasoline backup. Limit generator usage to 3 hours per day. Cook and heat water on camp stove. 300 W solar backup. Distributed nature of Southern Co. generation facilities makes widespread system failures less likely than places like NYC where power comes hundreds of miles from Ohio.
kkinnison@reddit
2 week vacation to some place i can reach with a half tank of gas. Hopfully they have a pool and free breakfast
kidtykat@reddit
Ive got a generator, a fireplace, I stock up on wood before winter. It doesn't get super cold where I live so sleeping bags at night and everyone cuddling together works to keep warm at night. I could also run a space heater off the generator during the day.
For food, I tend to keep easy to heat meals, freeze dried food and canned items that could be heated outside or on the fireplace inside
Gold-Piece2905@reddit
I built a small off grid solar system with 2 inverter's to plug into. And have 2 generators. I enjoy the solar because you don't have to pour gas in it.
birdbonefpv@reddit
Inverter off my EV powers the refrigerator and computers/phones for a week. Natural gas and propane to cook.
MarvinStolehouse@reddit
Well that's quite the scenario.
I'd do the same thing I do every winter. Ice storms and multi day power outages are not unheard of here. Going into winter I usually keep 5-7 days worth of propane on hand to run the refrigerator and furnace. Plus a litter extra for a camping grill, normal grill, and propane heater. Plenty of food for the family, ingredients, prepared meals, and canned goods.
Rough_Community_1439@reddit (OP)
I wouldn't be affected too much. it's one of the things I am prepping for.
List of things I have
6 month reserve of foods and infinite eggs.
A well with infinite water
10kw/h solar setup with battery reserve
200kw/h 240v natural gas generator
Infinite free gas(I am direct tap on a well)
Zero electric heaters
Diesel heater
MarvinStolehouse@reddit
That's a big ass generator
Hour_Bit_5183@reddit
I wouldn't have to do anything. My RV's power system would just switch from grid power to battery and if there wasn't enough sun my generator would kick on automatically to keep the 40kwh of lifepo4 I have charged. It can last two weeks with this usage and I could stretch it further.
BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit
Laugh in solar/biogas
JamesSmith1200@reddit
Winter on my area is pretty mild, MAYBE it would get down to the 50’s so not much of an impact there.
If I was prepping for 1 week w/o power: - generator that can be recharged via solar - solar panels to charge things - board and card games along with books for entertainment - small mp3 player with preloaded songs along with small wired speaker and / or headphones - head lamp - small rechargeable lantern
My stove is gas so no problem cooking
Fit_Acanthisitta_475@reddit
Depends on people location. I have small solar and battery to last a day with day time charging.
MovingTargetPractice@reddit
Runs a generator and moves on
Rex_Lee@reddit
You keep a weeks worth of gas? That probably a hundred gallons at least, if you have a decent sized generator
justthenormalnoise@reddit
I've had to do this a few times in FL during hurricane season. In winter, no big deal since we never run the heat anyway, and anyway I have a fireplace and plenty of seasoned wood if it gets too nippy. I always have at least one propane tank filled so grilling meat from my freezer would go great with all the beans and corn and rice I have stocked. I would enjoy the peace and quiet.
backcountry_knitter@reddit
We had a month with no grid power (or cell/fiber) after Helene including a snow fall, so basically same as we did for that. We have solar with a battery and a duel fuel portable generator plus a transfer switch. Also a wood stove - and we keep wood for a few years ahead. We have a camping stove, water, shelf stable and freezer meals/ingredients, wool blankets and sweaters (and other wool layers plus down booties… camping life), lanterns/headlamps, and lots of books.
Unlikely_Ad_9861@reddit
Rely on solar/battery system as much as possible, with propane generator to fill in gaps. Diesel heater for heat until 10 gallons diesel used up - about a week, I think. Propane camp stove. However, switching to live in the camper right away is probably better - it has propane room heat and water heater and stove and lower power draw than the house. 4 x 15lb propane tanks on hand should last a week.
IceDragonPlay@reddit
We had an 8 day outage in winter because of hundreds of trees coming down over the electric lines. It was a strong storm and many of the 100’ tall trees fell down.
Sleeping bags, a wood stove, a gas grill for cooking. We still had water luckily. But it was days before roads were clear to drive out. That was our practice run. It was unpleasant due to the temperature dropping right after the storm but we survived with what we had on hand.
Basically I am always prepped for a 1-2 week power outage. But I also moved because I was totally annoyed with how often power went out every year. A whiff of a windstorm and we could be out for a day a few times a year.
I am not the best at rotating my food reserves because they are not the things I typically eat. They are all things I would eat, just not the usual diet. So I am switching up emergency foods to mylar packed dried foods with longer life spans. And will acquire MREs once I figure out where I can buy them locally 😀
SaveSummer6041@reddit
This has been played out a few times, and the current setup has been reliable:
Whole house generator kicks on, and it's business as usual, for the most part.
supinator1@reddit
Have good discipline on keeping the exterior doors closed. Close the door in the smallest room and huddle inside with warm blankets and jackets. Make sure to get food in the room before closing the door. Exercise to keep warm as well. Probably a good way to lose some weight.
Temujin_123@reddit
EVs -> Bluetti Generator -> Transfer switch -> Home
Summer: No AC (too much power draw), handheld fans, fridge/freezer, gas tankless hot water heater.
Winter: Gas furnace, gas tankless hot water heater, fridge, freezer in garage so might not need to be turned on. This is what I did after the PNW bomb cyclone last year (but only ended up needing it for a day). Warm home and hot showers made a big difference.
I can just about run a week like this. If I needed to go longer, I'd get a small tri-fuel generator and charge Bluetti from it.
Anonymo123@reddit
Winter in CO.. for the most part my home is warm from the sun thankfully but I would put wood in my wood stove and go about life as usual. I have plenty of water to last a week and fuel both wood and propane if needed. I have solar for the small stuff and a generator for the big stuff with months of fuel.
I turn my power off every year for 2 weeks to test my preps, a week is cake.
Starlink for work and entertainment, it would be a tiny blip to me.
largeshinybuffalo@reddit
Turn on the generator. We lost power for nine days in an ice storm a couple of years back, but we keep a couple of generators on hand. We have 2 or three blackouts every winter, though usually only a day or two long.
throwawayt44c@reddit
https://i.redd.it/i0m4qezjwfqf1.gif
gonyere@reddit
Winter? Clear off all the shit piled around the second wood stove we rarely use. And light it up. Haul a bunch of wood inside.
Turn off the water heater. And unplug any heated water buckets, etc in use. Walk around and make sure all unused electronics are turned off and unplugged (computers, video game systems, etc. All the above should drop out daily kwh used to ~10-20+ kwh. Vs the normal 20-40+.