topic Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home in Home

Disadvantage of an all electric home

151949 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:17:32 GMT

Electric went out around 2PM. NO AC in 91 degrees and 100% huimidity. Also no stove to make dinner, and gas grill needs a new gas bottle, so couldn't use it either. Sandwiches for dinner. I also have clothes in the dryer wet so I took them out and hung them up on the lanai. No sooner did that than it started to rain, by the time I grabbed them they were wet with water that had come thru the screen and so they were all dirty again, because the screen is dirty.

Sometimes it is best to just stay in bed all day.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Katcat1 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:26:43 GMT

@151949 You had a bad day. I remember when I had electric heat in the floor (radiant heat). Horrible. Yes, your feet are warm and that's it but luckily I lived in San Francisco at the time and it never got really, really cold. I hope you have a better day tomorrow and get your air conditioning on tonight.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

golding76 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:27:29 GMT

151949,

I hope your electricity snaps back on very soon. How precious a commodity it is, especially during any periods of extreme weather.

If the heat becomes too much, go visit a local eatery and get something that soothes your soul in an atmosphere that cools you off.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

kittyloo — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:28:47 GMT

sorry for your predicament. One of the reasons to keep a camp cook stove and lantern in the garage.

power used to go off around here for days. Always a good day to read a book, or take a nap.

It's no fun without any devices either.

At least you are dry. chin up.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

151949 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:29:51 GMT

It came back on a little after 7. I have the towels in the washer AGAIN. We tried to go out for ice cream but everywhere was closed due to no electric.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

aroc3435 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:32:38 GMT

Every once in a while we hit a day like this. Hope your power is restored soon. Used to live in an area, about twenty-five years ago, where a squirrel would hit a transformer around once a week and knock the power out. It was usually on a weekend so at least most people weren't trying to get to work or get their children off to school.

My significant other has a small charger that is always at the ready so at least we can run a lamp or plug in an induction burner to boil water. We have a charcoal grill, too, and an ample supply of candles. Having lived through many hurricanes and blizzards we are prepared--bottled water and food that doesn't need refrigeration.

Again, good luck for a speedy fix.

aroc

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

SilleeMee — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:34:44 GMT

If I had an all-electric house then I would invest in a back-up generator. Especially if i lived in a place where disasters are likely to occur.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Annabellethecat66 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:36:53 GMT

@151949 First I'm sorry this happened to you. Second, I understand your pain and frustration.

I live in an all electric home (not by choice but back in the 70's when we built our house we HAD to have all electric).

Back several years ago (after my husband died) I was living here ....alone...and we had a huge snowstorm. No one could get down our street and no school. When there's no school, they aren't as quick to clear our street.

Add to that the wires (all of them) leading from the street to my house went down across my driveway. I couldn't get out even when they cleared the street.

For 4 full days me and my cat (Jack the cat back then) lived in the house without heat, electricity. During the day we were in my car keeping warm. I had a video player that worked in the car and we watched DVD's.

During the night I'd use a batter I had (with the heating pad) and lots of blankets and slept in the bed. It was pretty bad but I survived it til (like I said 4 full days) the wires were put back up.

I always try to see the positive side of things. So, the positive side of this is that I know (even after many personal difficulties) I can survive everything.....and I was lucky that I had not pulled my car into my garage.

Other than that....I'll NEVER live in another all electric house again. Oh! I do have lots of big batteries now...thank goodness I haven't needed them...knock on wood.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

151949 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:39:00 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
If I had an all-electric house then I would invest in a back-up generator. Especially if i lived in a place where disaster are likely to occur.

Our generator is hooked up to run the refridgerator , and has a few outlets so we can plug in and charge some batteries for camp lights and my CPAP & a radio.It would not run AC or the stove - only essentials. We certainly wouldn't get it out and all hooked up etc just for a regular power outage - it's for emergency use - like after a hurricane when the electric will be off for days or even weeks.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Sweetbay magnolia — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:39:01 GMT

The alternative is?

Even a gas fueled home needs electricity to power the blower, usually.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

blackhole99 — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:49:39 GMT

We have a totally electrically run home and always had a back up generator in case the power was out for any length of time. 5 years ago we upgraded to a whole house generator and 2 years ago had a coal stove installed in our basement as back up heat.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

BirkiLady — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 23:53:43 GMT

@151949What about one of those retractable clothes lines hung in your garage to avoid such happenings? I believe most of those homes have the washer/dryer in the garage anyway. It would be convenient for hanging things you don't place in the dryer (bras, knits, many natural fibers, etc.). And, invest in another tank of propane for your gas grill. Sounds like this may be ongoing due to the new developments near you with contractors hitting main conduit wiring (accidentally). Could be a bummer all summer.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

froggy — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 00:58:25 GMT

@Sweetbay magnolia wrote:
The alternative is?

Even a gas fueled home needs electricity to power the blower, usually.

Yeah, but you can still turn on a gas cooktop with a match! It's the lack of heat or AC that would kill me.

Nevertheless not having gas for the dryer or stove would be a deal breaker for me. Hate, hate, hate electric cooktops.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

GenXmuse — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 02:06:20 GMT

Well, at least you saved money today not using electricity-that should be a consolation for you.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Snowpuppy — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 02:11:37 GMT

@GenXmuse wrote:
Well, at least you saved money today not using electricity-that should be a consolation for you.

I would have taken the savings and driven to a hotel with power and room service.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

aubnwa01 — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 02:13:57 GMT

I like having a gas range & water heater, so even if the power's out, I can heat up some food & have a hot shower. I'm in AZ, so it seldom gets really life threateningly chilly here. I have a gas fireplace, which I seldom use, even in the winter. Thankfully, my power has only gone out about 3 times in the 12 years I've lived here. It would be tough in the summer without AC.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Nightowlz — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 02:48:45 GMT

Hope you have power tomorrow. It's no fun to not have power when it's hot or cold.

We have gas heat & gas hot water heater.

When we had an ice storm & lost power we were able to take hot showers & had heat using our generator.

I was also able to use the computer, watch TV, make coffee, hooked up our freezer & refrigerator.

My neighbor has total electric & was mad she could not shower. If I had known she could have used ours.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Mominohio — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 03:24:50 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
If I had an all-electric house then I would invest in a back-up generator. Especially if i lived in a place where disasters are likely to occur.

With the exception of renting or being in most apartments, there really isn't much excuse for not having a back up generator these days.

Over the last couple of decades, the weather most places has left a terrible path of destruction, often more than once. The grid is in very weak shape.

Unless you are like us, and are prepared to live without electric for a number of days, a back up generator seems like it is more important than ever before, as I'm amazed at the number of people who really feel they can't survive without electric for even a couple of days (and I'm not including people with severe health needs for heat/air or to keep medication cool or to run medical equipment in their home, of course they could suffer without power even for just a very short time).

As each generation gets further and further from basic living, and more dependent on conveniences, generators would seem to be something more people would be investing in, and I'm surprised more people don't have them.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

151949 — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 04:32:28 GMT

@Mominohio Generally, generators run on gasoline which you have to store in your home, in the garage , down here in Fl. Garages aren't air conditioned and get very hot in the summer making those gas cans very hot which makes them emit fumes. Gasoline fumes are not just horribly smelly - they also are extremely combustable. It is dangerous to store gas in your house, even if it is in the garage.We would not have a generator at all if we hadn't found one that runs off propane, which is much safer than cans of gas in your garage. Some people have the fuel for their genarator in tanks buried in their yard but - first , it was not an option where I live and second it is very expensive to have put in.

I used to work in a burn unit and I can tell you - many people get burned from gas fumes igniting, usually due to smoking at gas stations when they fill the car, but also from gas fumes from gas cans stored in homes and the fumes igniting. Ifr someone wants to store full gas cans in their home - that's their business but no one is storing them in my house. My DH & I both agree it is too dangerous.

Re: Disadvantage of an all electric home

Desertdi — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 05:10:28 GMT

@aubnwa01 wrote:
I like having a gas range & water heater, so even if the power's out, I can heat up some food & have a hot shower. I'm in AZ, so it seldom gets really life threateningly chilly here. I have a gas fireplace, which I seldom use, even in the winter. Thankfully, my power has only gone out about 3 times in the 12 years I've lived here. It would be tough in the summer without AC.

@aubnwa01 I'm in Phoenix, and there is no gas available in my neighborhood. Can't lay pipe because of the terrain.