What to do if you lose power during a winter storm?

[Anonymous]

If you have a gas stove, you can still use it in a power outage.

[Anonymous]

It's a gas fireplace, not at all as dangerous as an uncleaned wood fireplace. Start it now and if you smell gas, shut it off and open your windows. Chances are it works perfectly.

Two years ago our furnace gave out right in time for an arctic blast, and I was fostering a dog who had just given birth to puppies. They needed to be kept very warm. Luckily we had a working wood fireplace, so we made up the fire and kept the puppy box close to it until our furnace could be repaired. The humans fared well, no problem.

OP, you and your dog are not going to die if you are forced to live for a few days in a cold house.

I now have an Amazon parrot and if we lose power, she gets heating priority because she cannot tolerate cold temperatures.

[Anonymous]

We lost power last year (maybe 2 years ago) when it was 10 degrees outside. There was no snow on the ground, but we stayed home overnight bundled up in multiple layers and we were fine. Anyway, roads should be cleared within a day or two, so if your power is out for an extended period of time, you will be able to make it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a gas stove, you can still use it in a power outage.

+1. We always have Kraft Mac n Cheese on hand and that's easy comfort food to make on the gas stove top for our kids. And, we usually get some hearty soups that we can heat up on the stove.

[Anonymous]

It never gets that cold in this area. At worst you might need to layer sweaters and fleece jackets, maybe a hat and gloves.

[Anonymous]

For pipes... would you shut off the water? Or just keep it a drip? We may not go above freezing for an entire week.

In the event of a power outage... not when you can heat the house to at least 60-something.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP, I live in an all electric house with no working fireplace. More common than losing power is the HVAC struggling to heat. In that case, it's cold but we have TV and internet and cooking.

We have blankets, sleeping bags, wear coats inside, etc. It is extremely unlikely to get below freezing indoors - e.g. my unheated garage only ever gets to 37 or so, when outside temps are in the teens. You can all sleep in one room and even make a blanket fort / cover windows and door openings with blankets to keep heat in that one space. Drip your faucets.

Make sure you have flashlights, a crank or solar charger, books and radio and games to keep you busy if the power's out, water, and no-heat food like PBJ.

New to me this year: I have battery heated scarves and can charge the battery with my solar charger, so we'll see how that goes.

Neighborhood streets often never see county plows. If you physically cannot shovel out and don't have a car that can handle several inches on the road, consider calling a landscaper now to contract for snow removal.

[Anonymous]

Solar plus battery

[Anonymous]

We do have a generator, but it's small and only powers the fridge and some outlets, which includes the router (I wfh). We have a propane tank for our oven/stove top so we can ignite it manually.

We have a fireplace, and I just asked DH to check it and make sure it's usable. We haven't used it in several years.

Many years ago when we first moved here, we lost power for 4 days during the summer. We had just moved in and the basement wasn't usable as there was work being done on it. So, we left and stayed with my sibling up north.

I think we will be ok this weekend.

[Anonymous]

I live part time in a place that gets 30 feet of snow and we frequently lose power, and using the generator isn’t always practical depending on snow conditions. We have a propane fireplace but the process to use a battery start backup is finicky, so I get the fireplace worries you’re expressing.

When we have lost power in a winter storm for multiple days, the most important things are hot water/hot drinks and staying warm. We stay in one small room that faces south and gets warm during the day. We had a small camping stove that we use on the deck and make pasta, Mac and cheese, ramen, hot chocolate, etc. It’s really important to be constantly drinking hot liquids and stay hydrated if it’s bitterly cold and dry. We keep hats and socks on and get in sleeping bags under the covers. The dog will usually go inside a sleeping bag once it’s cold enough, and then we fight over who gets him. We keep a stash of really good anticipated books unread for times like this. We also have a small solar charger that’s enough to run a laptop or phones, and download movies and shows in advance of storms. Typically the way these fronts move through, there is a really sunny day after the storm passes, and that’s usually when we need to recharge stuff. Remember that batteries die faster in the cold so you need to preserve more charge than you think, and expect that the Internet will go down at some point.

If there is any interruption in your water supply due to frozen water mains: monitor your hot water heater. If your water supply is cut off you’ll eventually have an empty tank and this can damage the coils. When we’ve had water mains go during power outages, the first thing we do is turn off the breaker for the hot water heater.

[Anonymous]

You go out and buy a generator today. We have propane camping stoves and plenty of propane. IMO a winter storm is easier to manage than a summer one bc it's easier to stay warm and keep the food cool. Not having AC and any sort of refrigerator in the summer is awful.

[Anonymous]

OP it's kind of nuts to me that you typically bail out and go to a hotel when you lose power for a couple of days. You must be wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It never gets that cold in this area. At worst you might need to layer sweaters and fleece jackets, maybe a hat and gloves.

Low or 1 and high of 19 next week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Go move back in with your parents. You aren't ready to adult.

This. How ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP it's kind of nuts to me that you typically bail out and go to a hotel when you lose power for a couple of days. You must be wealthy.

OP here - what do you do when you lose power in the summer? Sit in the house when its 90 degrees?