First of all… I’ve been through hurricanes. As long as you don’t open the fridge, it’ll be fine for hours. I’d need the ac to be connected 24/7. Already got a bunch of battery packs for my phone, so everything else can take turns.
My whole entertainment system runs on one surge protector, so I guess if I’m bored, I’ll run that.
AC, I can make do with everything else via battery packs for the phone. If I do not have access to battery packs, I will just eat myself into a temporary coma and sleep for the 24-hour duration.
@Kidsandliz@tightwad Who wants to have a strange, sweaty, nosey, suspicious person who says they’re a neighbor knocking on their door asking if they have power? That’s how people get shot in Texas and why Facebook was invented in the first place!
@tightwad In my Texas neighborhood, when the electricity goes out everyone goes out on their front porch. Then we all say, “you too?” Having confirmed it’s the electric company and not just our house we go sort out what to do without power for a while. I’m only the same grid with a small hospital so we don’t have very long power outages.
@Ignorant The AC is hard wired to a circuit, so it bypasses the outlet requirement in the question.
@Kidsandliz@kuoh@moondrake Facebook/Nextdoor allows me to contact multiple neighbors at the same time, without having to actually talk to them. The internet was invented for just this purpose. On the plus side I would still have the internet…
@Ignorant@Kidsandliz@moondrake@tightwad We’re only a tiny step away now from the Bruce Willis movie Surrogates. Just need Boston Dynamics to step up their game and rename themselves to VSI.
@moondrake if the power goes out at night, I just have to look out my front window because so many people have porch lights on. During the day, I just automatically assume it’s everyone because it’s usually during a thunderstorm.
Don’t have one yet, but I’m thinking about a
/image DeWalt Power Station
to run the fridge during a power outage.
/youtube Dewalt Power Station WorkshopAddict
@PocketBrain Yeah, now that I’ve looked into it, appears that refrigerator and AC are two of the only things not recommended for MSW inverter. I was just going by that single test in the video.
For the expense of that Power Station, I wonder why they don’t use a PSW inverter?
Would plug in everything. I’m sure it will be fine. Nothing quite like the smell of magic smoke in the morning they always say… or was that something else.
@Fuzzalini@narfcake Surprisingly, I had very few electrical problems on my `72 MGB (owned early 2000s). The horror stories on the message groups were fairly legendary, though.
@Fuzzalini Lucas, inventor of the intermittent wipers. And intermittent lights. And intermittent fuses. And intermittent relays. And intermittent starters.
@meverett Must not have been a Monday or Friday car.
It wasn’t specified if only the standard outlets are being shut off. (My house has hardwired 220 volt central air conditioning.) If not, I’d plug in an outlet tap and choose a few important things. If yes, one of the outlets on that tap would go to my trusty vintage AirTemp window shaker, and the rest would be same as above answer.
I’m going to presume the one outlet is on a 120 volt, 20 amp circuit and not on a 208 volt, 30 amp circuit. (With a single 208v/30A circuit, I could easily run everything I’d need for weeks including half of my A/Cs, though I’d have to shut everything else down to wash and dry a load of laundry.)
My basement stays right around 68°F all year without any cooling, so if it were hot I’d just sleep down there instead of my bedroom; thus A/C isn’t needed.
I have plenty of charged rechargeable batteries and battery chargers, so things like flashlights and the phone and tablets wouldn’t be a problem.
The stove is gas, so cooking isn’t a problem given a match and I could put the stove on a UPS if I wanted to use the oven for anything.
With them closed, the fridge (and its freezer) and the chest freezer will stay plenty cold for more than eight hours. Thus I’d probably use the one “fridge outlet” for an hour on the fridge, an hour on the freezer and then six hours on something else, repeating this twice to get thru the 24 hours.
Entertainment would have a number of possibilities, though I’d probably just read (kindle or a real book) if I were looking to conserve power. However, I could easily keep the internet up along with my Plex server and the 8-bay NAS that holds its media (I’d do this with its existing UPS so that unplugging it to juggle things around would not require me to shut anything down). I’d have to change where the big TV plugs in to use it, but watching on a tablet or the PC’s 21" monitor would work without rewiring anything.
That pretty much covers everything I’d want over a 24 hour period.
I already had a spool of white 6 gauge wire on hand and didn’t want to go buy a spool of black. If I’d known the internet was going to give me this much flack I may have spent the extra money!
@melonscoop You also could have wrapped the white wire with black tape, at least near its ends. This is a completely legitimate way to deal with this problem and meets the NYC electrical code (which is one of the toughest codes in the country).
The last time I was without power, I felt a strange delight.
First a rare silence, as none of the fans were running, and second a peace, as there was nothing for me to do, once the immediate preparative steps were complete. It was an experience of mindfulness for free – there was no burden even of opportunity cost.
It’s really cute how some of you assume there will be internet, either wireless or otherwise. Irma blew through here last year and there was nothing for days. I’m glad I saved enough water to flush a toilet.
@PocketBrain when Irma came through, we had internet during the entire storm even after we lost power. We fired up the generator and watched Netflix. We lost internet the morning it blew over. Then we watched old DVDs.
Plugging in the modem would be worthless without the router. While plugging in a single device (e.g. laptop) directly to the modem via an ethernet cable is technically possible, I don’t have any battery powered devices with an ethernet cable port. My desktop has one, but obviously it requires its own electrical outlet (2 counting the monitor).
How’s about the microwave? I know that the fridge is plugged in but I better not take any chances with my supply of hot pockets and eat those immediately.
/giphy hot pockets
@tnhillbillygal I know it’s a joke, but you’d be better off time-sharing a single outlet between the microwave and refrigerator. If you try to run both off the same circuit, you will quite likely trip your breaker every time you try to microwave something.
It’ll alternate between the computer and air conditioner. If it’s a particular night… maybe the tv for a while. I’d still keep the fridge plugged in but I got caught in the super outbreak (tornadoes) in 2011 and had no power for 9 days. Wasn’t as hot tho… but between 2 fridges and 3 freezers I only lost about 2 items. I packed those suckers with ice after waiting for an ice truck to show for 6 hours (I was 2nd in line, yay) and rarely opened the doors and lost practically nothing when many lost a lot of food.
@Limewater
Which is why I like his channel. He is very knowledgeable on the subjects of his videos, bit also makes people laugh while demonstrating what not to do with electricity.
@DVDBZN Humorous… but I know so little about electricity that it was blah blah blah @/&! inverter blah blah blah big spark @/&! @/&! blah blah blah destroy furniture (oh wait - use duct tape) blah blah blah lights, TV, phone, action blah blah blah car won’t start opps @/&!@/&!@/&!@/&!@/&! blah blah blah
Edit - that is weird it is in italic since I didn’t choose that
had to go with a/c because i couldn’t sleep without it. phone can last 24 hours without charging. it’s very bright in our apartment most of the day and light enough until about 9pm these days so don’t really care about lamps. television is the only other really tempting one since i do watch a lot of tv & watch it to fall asleep as well. but could plan to just see a movie and go out to dinner that night and play word games on my phone at bedtime.
Having computer and modem as separate choices is cruel.
I ruled it unfair and chose computer anyway, rationalizing that somehow I’d have internet service.
Don’t need TV with a working computer.
I also can’t sleep w/out AC, but since the fridge is working, I’ll just move it into the bedroom and leave it open.
@rtjhnstn Those shouldn’t matter. The only way to cut power to all but two outlets in your house would be to actually go into the walls anyway, or pick a circuit with only two outlets and turn all the others off at the breaker box.
This isn’t a weather event.
I suppose I’d plug Aunt Martha’s breathing machine back in…wait…how long was the power out?
First of all… I’ve been through hurricanes. As long as you don’t open the fridge, it’ll be fine for hours. I’d need the ac to be connected 24/7. Already got a bunch of battery packs for my phone, so everything else can take turns.
My whole entertainment system runs on one surge protector, so I guess if I’m bored, I’ll run that.
WON’T SOMEBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE BATTERIES?!?!?
@shahnm Don’t worry; the fridge gets to stay plugged in & the batteries will be safe.
It is summer! Ask this survey in fall or spring to get a less skewed result.
AC, I can make do with everything else via battery packs for the phone. If I do not have access to battery packs, I will just eat myself into a temporary coma and sleep for the 24-hour duration.
A 16-outlet heavy-duty outlet strip.
@MostlyHarmless
AC isn’t plugged into an outlet, so it still works.
I’m plugging in the cable modem and wifi so I can get on Facebook and ask my neighbors if their power is out too
@tightwad instead of go over there and knock on the door and ask? Then you could use the outlets for something else. Just sayin’ :wink"
@tightwad is your AC gas powered?
@Kidsandliz @tightwad Who wants to have a strange, sweaty, nosey, suspicious person who says they’re a neighbor knocking on their door asking if they have power? That’s how people get shot in Texas and why Facebook was invented in the first place!
KuoH
@kuoh Oh. I have always known my neighbors regardless of where I have lived.
@tightwad In my Texas neighborhood, when the electricity goes out everyone goes out on their front porch. Then we all say, “you too?” Having confirmed it’s the electric company and not just our house we go sort out what to do without power for a while. I’m only the same grid with a small hospital so we don’t have very long power outages.
@Kidsandliz @kuoh @tightwad You have neighbors friended on Facebook that would not recognize you in person?
@Ignorant The AC is hard wired to a circuit, so it bypasses the outlet requirement in the question.
@Kidsandliz @kuoh @moondrake Facebook/Nextdoor allows me to contact multiple neighbors at the same time, without having to actually talk to them. The internet was invented for just this purpose. On the plus side I would still have the internet…
@Ignorant @Kidsandliz @moondrake @tightwad We’re only a tiny step away now from the Bruce Willis movie Surrogates. Just need Boston Dynamics to step up their game and rename themselves to VSI.
KuoH
@moondrake if the power goes out at night, I just have to look out my front window because so many people have porch lights on. During the day, I just automatically assume it’s everyone because it’s usually during a thunderstorm.
Don’t have one yet, but I’m thinking about a
/image DeWalt Power Station
to run the fridge during a power outage.
/youtube Dewalt Power Station WorkshopAddict
@compunaut this would be a good thing for meh to sell .
@compunaut That DeWalt has a Modified Sine Wave output, so your fridge may run less efficiently or simply balk at it.
@PocketBrain Yeah, now that I’ve looked into it, appears that refrigerator and AC are two of the only things not recommended for MSW inverter. I was just going by that single test in the video.
For the expense of that Power Station, I wonder why they don’t use a PSW inverter?
Is the right answer plug in one of these things you are selling to day to then get us 6 outlets?
@awk I use a couple of these in my server room. Never a lack of outlets in there.
@awk ok to daisy chain? Asking for a friend.
Would plug in everything. I’m sure it will be fine. Nothing quite like the smell of magic smoke in the morning they always say… or was that something else.
@evantribley
@narfcake Ah Lucas, the prince of darkness.
@Fuzzalini @narfcake Surprisingly, I had very few electrical problems on my `72 MGB (owned early 2000s). The horror stories on the message groups were fairly legendary, though.
@Fuzzalini Lucas, inventor of the intermittent wipers. And intermittent lights. And intermittent fuses. And intermittent relays. And intermittent starters.
@meverett Must not have been a Monday or Friday car.
Chest freezer. You know, for the bodies…
It wasn’t specified if only the standard outlets are being shut off. (My house has hardwired 220 volt central air conditioning.) If not, I’d plug in an outlet tap and choose a few important things. If yes, one of the outlets on that tap would go to my trusty vintage AirTemp window shaker, and the rest would be same as above answer.
I’m going to presume the one outlet is on a 120 volt, 20 amp circuit and not on a 208 volt, 30 amp circuit. (With a single 208v/30A circuit, I could easily run everything I’d need for weeks including half of my A/Cs, though I’d have to shut everything else down to wash and dry a load of laundry.)
My basement stays right around 68°F all year without any cooling, so if it were hot I’d just sleep down there instead of my bedroom; thus A/C isn’t needed.
I have plenty of charged rechargeable batteries and battery chargers, so things like flashlights and the phone and tablets wouldn’t be a problem.
The stove is gas, so cooking isn’t a problem given a match and I could put the stove on a UPS if I wanted to use the oven for anything.
With them closed, the fridge (and its freezer) and the chest freezer will stay plenty cold for more than eight hours. Thus I’d probably use the one “fridge outlet” for an hour on the fridge, an hour on the freezer and then six hours on something else, repeating this twice to get thru the 24 hours.
Entertainment would have a number of possibilities, though I’d probably just read (kindle or a real book) if I were looking to conserve power. However, I could easily keep the internet up along with my Plex server and the 8-bay NAS that holds its media (I’d do this with its existing UPS so that unplugging it to juggle things around would not require me to shut anything down). I’d have to change where the big TV plugs in to use it, but watching on a tablet or the PC’s 21" monitor would work without rewiring anything.
That pretty much covers everything I’d want over a 24 hour period.
Holy crap! You have TWO outlets in your house?
I only wish I could live in such luxury.
/giphy Hooverville
Nothing. I’d turn my phone off and take full advantage of a legitimate excuse to ignore the outside world.
My parallel redundant UPS setup. As long as 15 amp amps from one outlet is available it can easily handle all my electronics.
Welp, since I made one of these last month I could afford to spend my theoretical second outlet on something frivolous.
@melonscoop
@melonscoop That’s the perfect case to put your local airline’s x-ray machine through its paces.
KuoH
@kuoh I’m probably on a federal watch list for just posting that picture.
@melonscoop Hey, how come the top terminal labeled “Black” is actually connected to a white wire?
@macromeh @melonscoop I was going to ask this too.
@baqui63 @macromeh @melonscoop it’s probably a trick to throw off the EOD techs.
KuoH
@baqui63 @kuoh @macromeh
I already had a spool of white 6 gauge wire on hand and didn’t want to go buy a spool of black. If I’d known the internet was going to give me this much flack I may have spent the extra money!
@melonscoop You also could have wrapped the white wire with black tape, at least near its ends. This is a completely legitimate way to deal with this problem and meets the NYC electrical code (which is one of the toughest codes in the country).
Screw that. I’d go to a hotel.
The last time I was without power, I felt a strange delight.
First a rare silence, as none of the fans were running, and second a peace, as there was nothing for me to do, once the immediate preparative steps were complete. It was an experience of mindfulness for free – there was no burden even of opportunity cost.
It’s really cute how some of you assume there will be internet, either wireless or otherwise. Irma blew through here last year and there was nothing for days. I’m glad I saved enough water to flush a toilet.
@PocketBrain when Irma came through, we had internet during the entire storm even after we lost power. We fired up the generator and watched Netflix. We lost internet the morning it blew over. Then we watched old DVDs.
@PocketBrain the poll only said power would be cut to my house. when that happens i just use data on my phone.
Coffee pot. Duh.
Plugging in the modem would be worthless without the router. While plugging in a single device (e.g. laptop) directly to the modem via an ethernet cable is technically possible, I don’t have any battery powered devices with an ethernet cable port. My desktop has one, but obviously it requires its own electrical outlet (2 counting the monitor).
How’s about the microwave? I know that the fridge is plugged in but I better not take any chances with my supply of hot pockets and eat those immediately.
/giphy hot pockets
@tnhillbillygal I know it’s a joke, but you’d be better off time-sharing a single outlet between the microwave and refrigerator. If you try to run both off the same circuit, you will quite likely trip your breaker every time you try to microwave something.
It’ll alternate between the computer and air conditioner. If it’s a particular night… maybe the tv for a while. I’d still keep the fridge plugged in but I got caught in the super outbreak (tornadoes) in 2011 and had no power for 9 days. Wasn’t as hot tho… but between 2 fridges and 3 freezers I only lost about 2 items. I packed those suckers with ice after waiting for an ice truck to show for 6 hours (I was 2nd in line, yay) and rarely opened the doors and lost practically nothing when many lost a lot of food.
seriously? Power strip! In fact the fridge’s outlet would get a power strip as well.
The car battery.
/youtube ElectroBoom powered outlets with car battery
@DVDBZN I didn’t even need to watch the video to know this guy is an idiot. He’s got an $8 table from IKEA duct taped together…
@DVDBZN @gspitman Is it actually an Ikea Lack table or a knockoff sold at Walmart or Target?
@DVDBZN @gspitman You should actually watch it. This guy really does know what he’s talking about. His jokes just don’t always land.
@Limewater
Which is why I like his channel. He is very knowledgeable on the subjects of his videos, bit also makes people laugh while demonstrating what not to do with electricity.
@DVDBZN Humorous… but I know so little about electricity that it was blah blah blah @/&! inverter blah blah blah big spark @/&! @/&! blah blah blah destroy furniture (oh wait - use duct tape) blah blah blah lights, TV, phone, action blah blah blah car won’t start opps @/&!@/&!@/&!@/&!@/&! blah blah blah
Edit - that is weird it is in italic since I didn’t choose that
@Kidsandliz
You must have used some sequence of characters that marked those lines for italics such as <i/>.
@DVDBZN @Kidsandliz Asterisks.
*(italics)* = (italics)
**(bold)** = (bold)
***(bold italics)*** = (bold italics)
had to go with a/c because i couldn’t sleep without it. phone can last 24 hours without charging. it’s very bright in our apartment most of the day and light enough until about 9pm these days so don’t really care about lamps. television is the only other really tempting one since i do watch a lot of tv & watch it to fall asleep as well. but could plan to just see a movie and go out to dinner that night and play word games on my phone at bedtime.
Recent daily highs 114, 112, 110, 111, 109…+ humidity, where I live in central Texas. There is no question!
Having computer and modem as separate choices is cruel.
I ruled it unfair and chose computer anyway, rationalizing that somehow I’d have internet service.
Don’t need TV with a working computer.
I also can’t sleep w/out AC, but since the fridge is working, I’ll just move it into the bedroom and leave it open.
AC now, but my wifi if the weather was cooler…
I’d run a big outdoor extension cord next door. One on each side. And to houses behind me. Plus power strips. Plus a generator. No worries.
What if I have solar panals on my house or a generator?
@rtjhnstn Those shouldn’t matter. The only way to cut power to all but two outlets in your house would be to actually go into the walls anyway, or pick a circuit with only two outlets and turn all the others off at the breaker box.
This isn’t a weather event.
Wait… Can I pick something other than the fridge?