Black-Out Test Run

[damaralenoire]

Does this mean a weekend without coming on the UK-Preppers.co.uk site

[mallie99]

Does this mean a weekend without coming on the UK-Preppers.co.uk site

I might have to cheat and use my mifi

[damaralenoire]

so are you planning to mock run this scenario with just the idea that you are powerless, or that the power is out more local or national. Whenever i run my blackout sundays.... I try to avoid using my phone and landline and desperatly struggle to avoid jumping online lol

[riversong]

I did this in May 2013 and it was an interesting experiment.

Didn't turn off freezer as it was a waste of food but didn't use it. In a grid down situation
it will need to be cooked.

I managed from Friday 7pm until Saturday 10pm when I got news that a close friend
was close to dying. (He died a few days later..). I had to stop the experiment tp be close at hand.

It was an interesting experiment living out of freeze dried foods and mre I seem to recall.
Didn't do a lot of cooking on the camping gaz stove. No TV but a wind up radio. Constant Radio 4 seemed a little novel !!

I won't say it was too difficult but it was only 1-1/2 days. As time went on, it will obviously be more difficult.

One point about phones. I turned off the iphone and without electricitiy, all the landlines didn;t work because the phones work on electricity. But get yourself an old-fashiioned phone that plugs directly into the socket. It takes power from the line and this will continue until the exchange genny's run out.

Allons-y

[mallie99]

The basic plan here is to simulate a localised power failure with the intention to see what we use without thinking about it. This isn't a full breakup of society test and I don't plan on eating into our supplies - principally because I've not got any supplies to eat into.

For instance:

Internet: The household Internet is linked to power, so that is out of the question. However, I do have a Mifi device that can be used. But... This is battery powered, what happens when the battery dies and how do I charge it? So, that will be used very sparingly if at all.

Freezer/Fridge: If everything went off for 2+ days then we'd have to know what is in the freezer and fridge, what needs eating etc. The plan is that this too will go, now the freezer is pretty understocked at the moment and this experiment will point us down the line of thinking about what we should actually stock our freezer with and what we can and can't cook without power.

TV & Entertainment: This experiment will give us change to see just how much the flashing picture device in the corner has become integral to our daily life. We have board games, but will not have music or films to watch. Have we got enough? Is there anything we're missing. I mean, we might actually have to talk to each other!

Communication: As I said, Internet is possible sparingly, as is mobile phone use because we cannot charge the battery (and may not know how long until we next are able to)

Food: This is localized, but we should be thinking about what food needs to be eaten within the house. What then can be feasibly stored for later emergency use and where it should be stored. Also, finding out how long will it take food in the freezer to defrost.

Heating: This is the big one, my SOH just last night exclaimed "But the heating is Gas!" Didn't have the heart to tell her that the controls are all electric. No heating, no hot water.

Hope that answers some of the questions that have come up.

Mallie

[lonewolf]

just a thought, it is possible to buy a recharging lead for your mobile phone which can then be recharged from your vehicle(I'm assuming you have one) using the cigarette lighter socket, costs about £6. TV would be out, but what about using a radio? either battery charged or wind up, at least you could keep up with the news and listen to music if you wished.

[Chainsawman]

Live like that anyway!
Only heating is wood fire (logs from wood), don't use the cooker etc in kitchen; got propane and cooker in 'conservatory'.
No freezer - use far too much elec.
Electricity usage is £25/month for 5 bed house (fortunately there's so many drafts it never gets damp). Big bottle propane lasts about 18 months. Water is metered at £22.00 per month. We don't 'worry' about what we use, just seems pointless throwing money away.
Potatoes cooked in fire.
I reckon the cold is good for you - neither of us have had a cold for as long as we can remember.

** a certain amount of discomfort is beneficial **

[ready]

honda ex650 suit case generator are the finest small machine ever made..you could run one to charge phone and run tv..they wont run greedy stuff like kettles etc.....they are very quite and fuel effiecent......camping gas stove or a 9kg propane cylinder and a two ring and grill burner.there cheap to buy these days and you can cook propper meals with them...iv got a parafin heater that produces 3kw of heat and doesnt smell

heres the blurb

The Zibro R 224 TC you have a compact and lightweight single burner kerosene stove in the house. The stove is simple to operate and can be used anywhere. Ideal for home or your holiday ! The stove has no gas or drain needs to function , even an outlet is unnecessary.

The Zibro oil heater has a nice nostalgic feel and gives a wonderful radiant heat. The stove is very quiet with fast temperature . The flame of the stove is visible , bringing a cozy glow immediately. Besides increasing and comfortable atmosphere , this kerosene heater also very safe . He is actually equipped with an anti-tip and a safety stop . Also, the top not piping hot , but only lukewarm . The R 224 TC is easy to start : the push of a button is enough . The stove comes complete , including a transfer pump .
• Equipped with anti-tip , safety stop and safe- top
• Suitable for rooms up to 85 m3
• Heating Capacity : 2400 watt, Fuel Tank Capacity 4.0Ltrs


you can boil a kettle and cook on them........

thats ya heat.......power......and cooking taken care of you will be able to use the tinter web,watch tv,be toasty warm and not get an ear bashing off the mrs.....oh yeh and be really really smug when you get a real power cut and your neighbours are cold and misreble

[Plymtom]

I've looked at this and it's a non starter, nothing but an actual disaster could separate some of my family form their TV's though we are talking game playing on PC's and x boxes as apposed to watching tv generally.

The thing is this reminds me of making a tent out of a sheet and a table as a child In my teens I went camping with a few school friends on Dartmoor at Easter, we were ill equipped, the tents had not got sewn in ground sheets, it snowed and was freezing, we were in the woods beside a river and managed two or three days before giving up and going home, there was a very real (to us) survival element to it, bear in mind we are talking mid seventies here, dependence on technology was not what it is now so the wrench was nothing like it would be, it was great to get home and warm, yet the experience was uplifting, no passing cars, ticking clocks, what I am saying is yes keep the freezer going perhaps the phone or a mobile, but don't use them, Blackout dry run could be as much a break from the norm, try and enjoy it.

[rik_uk3]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50000mAh-Back ... 27df2d3992

This will charge your smartphone a few times and a tablet two or three times.

No problem using your freezer foods when playing 'blackout' its the food you'd use first in the event of a real blackout. Don't forget to cover it with a quilt or two and the food will last days before thawing. You can buy a small petrol generator for not a lot off ebay. Run it a couple of hours a day to charge batteries and freezer

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-x-PARAFFIN- ... 56471db677

Will burn all evening on a few ounces of paraffin, much cheaper to run than gas lanterns and easier to move than candles.

I use hurricane lanterns and Coleman/Vapalux lanterns, these give off around 1Kw of heat and a lot of light.

No need to sit in the dark when the power goes out or live off dried food.