Winter Blackouts

[tails666]

Been a lot of chat on this and we had some cutouts last year and being out in the sticks we have had the odd power line taken down in high winds but iv always got a led torch by the bed a wood burning stove and full wood store and now I'm putting led pound land lights by every door in the house and looking into getting a solar power back up for the freezer? ?!!

[farnet]

Tails666 - a low output portable gennie might be a good idea for the freezer, thats the short term, as the solar is a great idea, but you will need all the extras like caravan batteries, invertors, and load balancing charging, which does all add up.

[ForgeCorvus]

Ebay is your friend

Alarm clock

Massive Tea-lights

Huge candles

Hurricane lamp

Kettle

Stove

Shaver

Not recommendations, just a few bits I linked to

[ggc]

With regards to an alarm clock, if you happen to go (or be dragged to) Ikea, have a look at the alarm clocks there. They have a larger selection in the shop than their website. I don't think they do any wind-up ones but most of them are powered by a single AA battery. I've had mine for 4 years now and have only recently put the 3rd battery in it.

When it comes to shaving, it's always handy to have disposable razors in the house. For those who are keen on saving money then a Double Edge razor is a cheap and effective method of close shaving, and you can get 100 blades for about £8 on Amazon. If you've never used one before then look into the technique because they are quite different to the razor blades you buy in the supermarket.

I can second Dangerman's recommendation of the Degen DE13 wind up radio. Not only does it hold a charge very well but it also has a built in torch and USB charger

[dazthechippy]

plus one on the Degen DE13.

i bought mine after reading reviews about it here and online, holds charge, good size (small), torch idea is good and the sound quality is pretty good too.

[Yorkshire Andy]

When it comes to shaving, it's always handy to have disposable razors in the house. For those who are keen on saving money then a Double Edge razor is a cheap and effective method of close shaving, and you can get 100 blades for about £8 on Amazon. If you've never used one before then look into the technique because they are quite different to the razor blades you buy in the supermarket.

When someone wants to try it slip a Feather blade in Ive used one for a few years now since i refuse to spent £10 on 4 blades for any of the big brands... bar/ tablet of Tabac shave soap last me about a year and a half

[ForgeCorvus]

When it comes to shaving, it's always handy to have disposable razors in the house. For those who are keen on saving money then a Double Edge razor is a cheap and effective method of close shaving, and you can get 100 blades for about £8 on Amazon. If you've never used one before then look into the technique because they are quite different to the razor blades you buy in the supermarket.

When someone wants to try it slip a Feather blade in Ive used one for a few years now since i refuse to spent £10 on 4 blades for any of the big brands... bar/ tablet of Tabac shave soap last me about a year and a half

Straight or Safety ?
I use a Straight as I refuse to spend anything on razorblades

[pitchshifter]

Oh man! Just seen these glowing reviews for a Degen de13 the day after I bought a Duronic Apex because it came up on my suggested items on Amazon ! Anybody have any experience with these? I can always send it back if it's rubbish...

[Waterbaby]

I have a designated power cut box in the shed where we can find it (have had a couple of 20 hour + powercuts).In it is torches and batteries,handcranking torches,radio and lantern,camping lantern and spare cannisters,candles and matches,an old style phone and a flask.
I also keep a single camping stove and spare cannisters,and try to have a small log pile in reserve for an open fire.
I find headtorches are really handy,and I also try to keep a carton of long life milk so the fridge doesn't get opened unless necessary.

[Decaff]

hi all, this is my first offering on this site so if my stuff is nothing new. sorry.if you have a home bargians store near you, they sell scented candles in glass jars for £2.99 which burn for appx 100 hours(they last longer than my wifes £20 yankee candle of the same size).they actually smell ok too.

The trick to getting a full burn time with jar candles is make sure from the very first lighting that you have the wick trimmed to the correct length and that it is lit long enough to melt the wax all the way across so that there is a small pool of wax completely covering the surface, if you don't do this then the next time you light it, it will only burn across to where you last melted the wax to, this causes "tunnelling" in the candle and once started can't be stopped. If you do this every single time you light them you use the whole candle. If you cant be around for the time this takes you are better off lighting smaller candles. I've got loads of Yankee jars and some I've had for 3 years and still going!

Worth remembering too that putting any candle into a hurricane type vase will extend the life of your candles as they are not in a draft blowing the flame around and you get a cleaner burn, keep checking the wick and at first signs of that mushroom curl trim it again to stop soot coating the vase, jar and walls. Plus of course the safety aspect of keeping them in a contained space makes it safer when there are pets or small children around.