In an emergency......

[Big Al]

What would you do for power? In the news recently there was a town that lost it's gas supply for over 3 days so 16000 electric heaters were brought in. The problem was these were switched on all at the same time... bang goes the electric wires feeding the town so now they have no electric and no gas.

If you were in this situation what would you do or better what would you do to PREVENT being harmed in this situation....

[becks77]

Well, we have camping equipment so I guess that would do for a while or we could move out temporarily to the in laws.
Not really sure either of these would last for 3 or more days though.
Goes out to check rations of bottled gas.

[shell]

i have a hob that runs on bottled gas and have a spare bottle,also an open fire and plenty of turf and wood,plus a little stanley burner in the sittng room so we wouldnt starve or get cold,in the bedroom we have spare duvets, eiderdowns,but my c.h runs on oil with an electric agnition so that wouldn`t work,and my oven is electric too,but we`d be ok i tkink with the back up we have,maybe we should talk to my dd `s partner who works as a wind turbine technician for a multi national company and have a turbine installed just in case?mmm not good idea as they are enormous things to stick in my back garden,go back to rubbing sticks together i say

[jim]

Dear Big Al,

Although we're on conventional gas & electric we do have back-up from candles, an Esse "crofters range" (designed to run on peat but we use our stock of driftwood) and a box of tricks consisting of a car radio, reversing light and car battery that I charge up once a month. (The components of the box of tricks came from a wreck that no caressing with spanners would get through mot, so I had to scrap it!)

So, we're alright for light, heat, cooking and entertainment. The bit that really would worry me is if the electric pumps at the waterworks clapped out leaving us without fresh water. Somehow I don't really fancy a cup of coffee from the rainwater butt!

Anyone got any thoughts on water supply cuts?

Love and Peace
Jim

[John Headstrong]

I have a wood burner and a pile of wood so no problem for heat or cooking.

on the electrics side, I have a stack of batteries that will eventually be connected to a small (300w) wind turbine (I just need to put it together and raise the tower). I can power my laptop and router/adsl/wifi on 12volts, I can charge my phone from it also. and with a cheap 600w inverter from maplins I can fire up the combi boiler.

bring it on !

it is a shame we got so little snow.

[invisiblepiper]

Candles, duvets and wee calor gas camping stoves!
Bonfire in the garden.(Big garden)

[invisiblepiper]

an Esse "crofters range" (designed to run on peat but we use our stock of driftwood)

Jim

Jim - just reread this - can you tell me more about it? - We live opposite a beach - and there is a vast amount of wasted wood.

[Clara]

...be smug about being off-grid already

[jim]

Dear Invisiblepiper,

Esse is , or was, a Scots company that built stoves. Recently they've build big stuff that look like Aga/ Rayburn and run on all kinds of fuels from solid to oil, gas and electricity. The one we have is an Esse Diamond, made of cast iron with a firebox to one side, hot plates above and oven on the other side controlled by use of dampers in the flue.

It stands, on legs, 22 ins high, 25 ins long and 17ins deep. (Approx) It was described as a "Crofters Range" and designed to burn on peat, but as I said, we use driftwood. The Solent throws up plenty and a Sunday afternoon walk gets us bagsful in 10 minutes or so. The bloke I spoke to on the 'phone at Esse said that their biggest market for them these days was narrowboats and yachts but that was some 15 odd years ago when we first ordered it. I've looked in the usual drawers for documents that accompanied it for the address but came up with nothing. Am now going to do a websearch. Get back to you if I find anything,

Love and Peace
Jim

[jim]

Dear Invisiblepiper,

Lots of Esse sites out there but couldn't find our particular model. This link

http://www.esse.com/stoves/index.html

had a 'phone number you could try,

Love and Peace
Jim

[John Headstrong]

I love the esse range but I also lust after the 'Louis Ranger' from http://www.windysmithy.co.uk/html/woodburners.htm

range1.jpg (28.42 KiB) Viewed 4766 times

when my kitchen is redone I want one.

[red]

we'd be ok with the woodburner, and cooking one pot wonders. lighting - lots of nightlights, and lamps.

[invisiblepiper]

Thanks Jim - I will investigate - there is a blocked off chimney at the back of the house which sits between kitchen and 'dining' room (We all hang out here). The kitchen used to be the coal house and is very cold - even in summer - so a stove would be great. The stone hearth is still there under the carpet - so I just need to check if the chimney can be unblocked easily.
Will also check the Louis range John! Thanks.

[Odsox]

We should be OK as well.
We have a bottle gas hob and oven for cooking and a wood burner for heat in the sitting room. Every room has a battery powered emergency light from the days when our electricity supply failed every time we had a thunderstorm (they have now installed "self healing" fuses on the power lines) and if we really really really need electricity we have a 5kw generator, but that has a petrol engine and is very thirsty.
I really ought to take advantage of this recession and get stuck in and buy/install that long promised wind turbine, cos I'm sure that next year oil prices will start to rocket again.

[Elizabeth]

Our electricity often goes off - normally only for a few hours!

We always have an emergency torch - which is only for emergency!

Lots of candles. We also have camping stuff.

We are only on electric, but have an open fire in the dinning room.