Power outages occur at the most inopportune times. Maybe dinner isn’t fully cooked, the washer is still cycling and it’s hot outside and the air conditioner issued its last gasp. A power outage can be local, regional or countywide. Maybe the electrical grid was strained, or somewhere an underground cable was accidentally sliced, or maybe the house’s circuit breakers tripped.
Naturally the circuit breakers should be checked before anything. If a surge caused the outage, powering back is as easy as a flick of the switch. If that doesn’t work, it’s time to call the electric company with a cell phone, which presumably has plenty of charge left. If the outage is isolated to the homestead, give a Coral Gables electrician a call. Meanwhile, it’s time to implement that outage contingency plan which hopefully is ready to go.
Preppers, survivalists, mountain men and maybe that electrician in Pinecrest get joked about a lot but they’re on to something: being prepared for unexpected events. To take a page from the crisis manual, one doesn’t need to be a survivalist but a home power outage plan is as sensible as opening the fridge or freezer as little as possible to keep everything cold inside. Not every homeowner owns a back-up gas generator. For those who don’t, the house should have the following items to ease things along:
• Battery-powered radio
• Fire extinguisher
• First aid kit
• Flashlights
• Land line telephone that needs only to be plugged into a jack
• Manual can opener
• Matches and candles
• Nonperishable food
• (2) gallons of water per person
Stored water is especially important for a period longer than several days. Stored water intended for boiling and cooking — homes in suburban and metro areas do not come with ground wells — should be kept in larger containers like fifty gallon drums. It only takes a few capfuls of bleach to disinfect a drum full of water — for a gallon, usually less than a single cap.
It’s critical to not cook inside the house during a power outage — leave those gas knobs alone! — and a propane-fuelled or old school charcoal barbecue is another handy piece of kit. A reusable propane tank should always be full so as to prevent any unnecessary trips to the gas station where there may be a long line of customers getting their tanks filled. Cooking outside on a barbecue will help pass the time and encourage that old time camaraderie that gets shortchanged with the surplus of smartphones and tablets on everyone’s person. Any Coral Gables electrician will confirm the charge in those devices is best conserved in the outage persists longer than 48 or 72 hours and other problems emerge.
While all this is going on, keep the switches to the front and back yard porch lights on. When power has been restored, the lights will resume. Cords attached to electronic devices like televisions and computers should be left unplugged because power resumption surges can damage electronics. If some outlets appear inactive, check the circuit breakers again and if necessary give an electrician in Pinecrest a call to check anything that’s not one hundred per cent.
After the crisis has resolved itself, it’s important to replenish the pantry and water stores and any other emergency supplies that were expended. The supply range can be extended to include other materials that may have been overlooked the first time like freeze-dried foods and solar-powered porch lights. It doesn’t hurt to invest in some comfortable lawn chairs and chaise lounges, either.
The data relayed in this report yields some relatively easy methods to weather a power outage. A Coral Gables electrician or an electrician in Pinecrest can be called anytime for a precursory systems check or to help resolve issues after the outage is over. The most important thing to remember is to stay safe.