Potential UK power failure

[Yorkshire Andy]

https://www.photonicuniverse.com/en/cat ... cells.html


Look into this supplier ^ got my stuff from them very helpful

[grenfell]

On a more simple approach and probably a good idea even if one does have solar panels or generators is something we used to do in the seventies when there were more power cuts than we get nowadays. My parents had a chest freezer and it was kept full and empty space filled with bottles of water to act as a cold store should the power go off. Additionally my parents kept an old duvet ( or eiderdown as we called them then) and blankets and when the power went out they would wrap the freezer up .

A great idea but I don’t have the space for an additional freezer and if I did, I think the world went mad for freezers recently so quite hard to find one that isn’t top of the range

I didn't really mean get another freezer just to use up the blankets , , more just an idea with what one might have in the first place.

[unsure]

after the power to my house went off 5 times in a year [ blown cables in the street], i had a connection fitted that when you throw the switch it takes the house off mains power and onto the genny thats sat outside in a steel box . that runs on lpg so i don`t have to worry about petrol going bad in the tank .
so far ive had to use it twice since i had it fitted but its there if and when its needed . runs everything except the shower .

[Bosworth]

May I ask how many hours your gen can run for?

I’ve been interested in a generator for a while but haven’t bought one. Worried about (a) noise, (b) fuel storage, and (c) pointless effort to keep a fridge cold when the world has gone to shite and it doesn’t matter anyway.

I love in London so hard to hide even a quiet genny.

[Yorkshire Andy]

May I ask how many hours your gen can run for?

I’ve been interested in a generator for a while but haven’t bought one. Worried about (a) noise, (b) fuel storage, and (c) pointless effort to keep a fridge cold when the world has gone to shite and it doesn’t matter anyway.

I love in London so hard to hide even a quiet genny.

Mines a big building site 5kva unit it's not quiet but we have wasteland out back and not many people round...

I've built in a exhaust duct into the shed which carries most of the fumes out (I've a tub of exhaust putty to make a good seal should I need it) shed damps down a lot of the sound ...

You can get quiet gen sets but they are not cheap the honda EU series for example

https://www.generators-direct.co.uk/cam ... b8QAvD_BwE

Can often be picked up from caravanners on eBay / Facebook for much less



If you've got a driveway a pure sine wave inverter and your car can make a good basic standby emergency power supply... Just have to watch someone doesn't have your car away whilst it ticks over on the drive......

Disconnecting the gear linkages is a reasonably quick way to imobilise your car (depending on car) or a disk lock

[HomeHardener]

Not sure how quiet they are but some pretty hefty looking generators on the mod sales website, looks like the type they put outside a house with a long term power issue/failure with fuel tank built in

[Yorkshire Andy]

Just remember an engine and generator also needs tlc and spares to hand what ever you get go for a known brand not some cheap Chinese pile of poo.

Honda
Generac
paramac

For example have a half decent after sale network

Factor in cost of fuel stabilizer

A small fuel tank holds back run time Vs risk of fuel going stale

I keep a spare spark plug and recoil cord on the shelf
And do a oil change yearly regardless of use and run it every few months under load for 15 mins to keep the fuel from been sat in the carb too long

[jansman]

We used to have a 6k site gennie,but generators need TLC .Don't have one anymore.The noise signature is massive.I remember a 3 day powercut in 1990.Walking the dogs at night it was obvious who had power when nobody else had!

We now rely on LED back up lights,and small scale solar battery charging.Fortunately ,we have solid fuel heat and those stoves have cooking plates.Low- tech all the way.

[diamond lil]

What jansman said ^^^ Sometimes keeping a low profile and doing things the old way is vastly easier

[Yorkshire Andy]

I've got both use the generator down the allotment for example...

More strings to your bow and all that.

Case of flooding for example I could get it on the shed roof and run pumps to hell with the noise


Been in a rented house putting a wood burner in would be nothing but agro..... I can run the boiler off the generator to heat the house if needed ...