topic Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures in Community Chat

Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

gazelle77 — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 04:49:41 GMT

40-50 below.zero. Brrrr!....do you gave a backup plan I case the power goes out? Wood stove or generator? Just curious as I lived where it got to 40 below and it is nothing to take chances with!

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

brii — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 04:53:34 GMT

We have a generator that will kick on if we lose power. But we have never lost power in the winter.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

SurvivedOne — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 04:59:36 GMT

Wow, you are very lucky if you have have never lost power in the winter. Many people have alternate sources of heat. We have a wood stove. Many have generators . If we didn't have a wood stove would definitely have a generator, something else. With a wood stove, it is not just for lost power. Its fabulous anytime.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

SydneyH — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:12:38 GMT

You have to take stock with your surroundings, history of power loss and weather before making a decision about a generator. We are seriously considering an upgrade from our portable one though it has served us well.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

GCR18 — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:22:29 GMT

No backup plan. My cars gas tank is full though. I'd probably go to a friends house or hotel if needed. I'd have to pray the pipes didn't freeze.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

Luv2Decorate — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:28:19 GMT

We have a generator and 2 fireplaces. We are all set. I'm not anticipating any power outages. We have a lot of snow right now and it was windy. They are calling for full gale winds though, so ya never know. I still can't believe that they are going to play the Green Bay/San Francisco game tomorrow. I think it should be postponed for a few days or play it in the nearest domed field, like Minneapolis.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

ShowMe — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:41:36 GMT

No, do not have any back up plans......and hoping we don't lose our power. I live in an apartment. We have gas heat, gas stove, and water heater, but they are all electric ignited. So, if the power goes out, we are sunk. There are heating centers that will be open, and one not too far from here, but with the kind of weather we are supposed to be getting in a very short time from now, it will be hard to get to.......

I am in the St. Louis area.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

ShowMe — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:42:56 GMT

On 1/4/2014 Luv2Decorate said:
We have a generator and 2 fireplaces. We are all set. I'm not anticipating any power outages. We have a lot of snow right now and it was windy. They are calling for full gale winds though, so ya never know. I still can't believe that they are going to play the Green Bay/San Francisco game tomorrow. I think it should be postponed for a few days or play it in the nearest domed field, like Minneapolis.

It seems like the weather never stops them. Those poor players from San Francisco.....bet they will be freezing their butts off.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

mgm2 — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:47:48 GMT

We've never lost power in severely cold temps but we have lost power in extremely hot temps.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

SurvivedOne — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:52:28 GMT

On 1/4/2014 ShowMe said:
No, do not have any back up plans......and hoping we don't lose our power. I live in an apartment. We have gas heat, gas stove, and water heater, but they are all electric ignited. So, if the power goes out, we are sunk. There are heating centers that will be open, and one not too far from here, but with the kind of weather we are supposed to be getting in a very short time from now, it will be hard to get to.......

I am in the St. Louis area.

How are you "sunk"? If you can't stay warm if your power goes out, worst case scenario there are emergency services that will take you somewhere to get warm. We just got through several days without power in my area. Lots of people have to dealdeal with this. You help each other. There are a lot more issues with a house when the power goes out for an extended period than with an apartment. I'm sure you must know somebody you can liase with in case you lose power.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

Heiress-inFL — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 05:53:55 GMT

My first sub-zero temp forecast in KY so I'm not certain what to expect here. My FIL says we will be fine, so I'm hoping he's right. He's lived here all his life and has experienced a lot in terms of weather-related crisis. -HIF

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

ShowMe — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 06:07:48 GMT

On 1/4/2014 SurvivedOne said:
On 1/4/2014 ShowMe said:
No, do not have any back up plans......and hoping we don't lose our power. I live in an apartment. We have gas heat, gas stove, and water heater, but they are all electric ignited. So, if the power goes out, we are sunk. There are heating centers that will be open, and one not too far from here, but with the kind of weather we are supposed to be getting in a very short time from now, it will be hard to get to.......

I am in the St. Louis area.

How are you "sunk"? If you can't stay warm if your power goes out, worst case scenario there are emergency services that will take you somewhere to get warm. We just got through several days without power in my area. Lots of people have to dealdeal with this. You help each other. There are a lot more issues with a house when the power goes out for an extended period than with an apartment. I'm sure you must know somebody you can liase with in case you lose power.

When I said this, I meant that we can't have a generator or any other kind of heating element in our apartments. If you read my whole post, I said there is a heating center not far from where I live. I have been a home owner (several different homes) and I know what is involved with that. Being a homeowner or a tenant, you also have to worry about water lines freezing and it is suggested that you keep a constant drizzle in the tub if it is on an outside wall.....I will be doing this for sure.

Yes, I know there were some areas that were without power during the Christmas.....I really felt for those folks.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

chumlee_ — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 13:25:40 GMT

On 1/4/2014 Luv2Decorate said:
We have a generator and 2 fireplaces. We are all set. I'm not anticipating any power outages. We have a lot of snow right now and it was windy. They are calling for full gale winds though, so ya never know. I still can't believe that they are going to play the Green Bay/San Francisco game tomorrow. I think it should be postponed for a few days or play it in the nearest domed field, like Minneapolis.

We were all talking about that game last night at dinner. I guess it will be the coldest temp of any NFL game in history. The players will be okay, it's the fans that will really suffer. Layer, layer, layer folks! A friend of mine in Bay View said 70" of snow so far?? cheers!

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

qualitygal — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 13:27:34 GMT

Yes, we have a generator, and we have used it before.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

Grade1Teach — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 14:12:21 GMT

We have a built-in generator in our home now. We got one after Hurricane Sandy. My husband's first reaction now is to use it the second the power goes out, but I honestly think it should be reserved for true emergencies. If the power is out for an extended period of time, then I would definitely want to put it on. And, of course, if the temps are freezing.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

glb613 — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 14:13:19 GMT

On 1/4/2014 graycatsrule said:
No backup plan. My cars gas tank is full though. I'd probably go to a friends house or hotel if needed. I'd have to pray the pipes didn't freeze.

Don't you know how to shut off the water and drain the pipes? If not, you need to learn how to do this task.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

sgraham30 — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 16:52:33 GMT

No, no backup plan. In the 10 years that I've lived here, I've never had the power go out during the fall/winter.Any power outages that I've had have been during the spring/summer. Sometimes they've been weather related, other times no one has any idea as to why the power went out.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

Snowpuppy — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 17:31:28 GMT

Generac and a wood burning fireplace.

They're both pretty standard up here.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

Yardlie — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 17:39:15 GMT

No backup plan, but this weather isn't much out of the ordinary for us this time of the year. It's supposed to be 31 below zero tonight with windchills about 55 below.

Our power has never gone out in the winter either. If it did, we would hop in the car and head for a hotel.

Re: Question to those expecting sub zero temperatures

EmmaBunting — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 17:42:03 GMT

On 1/5/2014 Grade1Teach said:
We have a built-in generator in our home now. We got one after Hurricane Sandy. My husband's first reaction now is to use it the second the power goes out, but I honestly think it should be reserved for true emergencies. If the power is out for an extended period of time, then I would definitely want to put it on. And, of course, if the temps are freezing.

Just as an fyi.............it's good to run your generator once a week. Otherwise things can freeze up and not work when you really need it. Your husband is not wrong in this instance. Ours is programmed to run for about 20 minutes once a week.