What are you guys gonna do if the power goes out this winter?

pet_snake_78 · 12-08-16, 09:18 PM

Obviously this question mainly applies to people in cold regions, but does everyone have a plan for power or furnace outages this winter?

My first plan was a generator, but you cannot leave them unattended unless you get a high end model. My second plan was a vent free propane heater but those only go up to 30k btus, require me to go get a permit, and cost about 250$ to have installed plus the tank & propane. My current plan involves Big Buddy propane heater which will produce heat for several hours. If there is a major, major outage then I'll have to bag everyone up and head for higher ground with power. I also have a kerosene heater as a backup but I don't plan to need it as I have enough fuel even on full blast to keep the big buddy going for almost 24 hours. Eventually, I'd like to get a vented propane backup but for now this will have to do.

Jim Smith · 12-08-16, 09:55 PM

Actually, I'm having a Generac 22KW whole house generator installed on Monday. I'm actually doing it for peace of mind in case I'm out of town on a business trip and my wife is home so that she won't be stranded if the power goes out. That said, in the back of my mind, I have been thinking of the convenience of not having to worry about my snakes

It's a big investment, but I've been planning it for a while and it will add value to the house, so I'm really looking forward to it.

**Minkness** · 12-09-16, 12:39 AM

At the moment.....I would cry.....no generator. However I dolive very close to a college campus and all the dorm housing, so I am trying to stay positive that if the power goes out, it will come back relatively quickly.

bigsnakegirl785 · 12-09-16, 12:50 AM

My father has a wood stove, so assuming I'm able to make the 10-15 minute drive there (we have 4-wheel drive so very few instances where I couldn't), I'd just bag everyone up and take them there.

Eventually I want to either have a place with a wood stove or have one installed, because I stress out every winter about power outages. I had a wood stove for a good 8-9 years so it feels weird not having one the past 3 years.

Worse comes to worse I'll stock up on heat packs to keep them warm.

If I had an actual house and not a trailer I'd probably invest in a whole house generator like Jim, but for now those are my options. haha

akane · 12-09-16, 04:39 AM

Durable, native species. My rosy boa is the only one that really needs heat and she survived months without it at her previous owner so just don't feed and I might eand up having them brumate depending how long I am without power. Not much of a risk in the city but we did lose power for 3 weeks out in the country when the main county line went down and they didn't have enough poles in stock to replace the number of broken ones.

**Minkness** · 12-09-16, 07:52 AM

I would like to invest in solar. However until then, I have been wanting to buy a generator as well. I may just grab one at home deopt or something and start a line of credit with them. It wouldn't have to be huge, just enough to run things like the refrigerator, microwave, and 2 heaters. (Snake room and living room). They might go without belly heat but at least they won't freeze!

**Andy_G** · 12-09-16, 10:54 AM

A nearby friend has a generator with my name on it just in case.

**EL Ziggy** · 12-09-16, 02:16 PM

I have heat packs that'll last a couple of days to keep the snakes warm. I would be concerned about the feeders in the freezer though.

Aayrick · 12-09-16, 02:43 PM

Since I live in Alaska, I worry about this happening. Currently my snakes are kept in the warmest room in the house. If I lose heat, that should give me a few hours grace period. If not, I have transport totes ready to go and can take them to another family member's house. I've found the Ziplock brand lockable totes work great for temporary storage/transport of my snakes. Just drilled some holes in the lids and put foam camp pad on the inside for insulation.

trailblazer295 · 12-09-16, 06:29 PM

The issue with gasoline powered generators is they require regular maintenance and need to be used periodically so they still work when you actually need it. For the rare times there are long power outages the cost of them and upkeep is offset by the once in a decade occurance where it is needed. Also gasoline doesn't store terribly well and stations will run dry if it's a major widespread weather occurance. Some people around here with lots of $$$ have the natural gas generac whole house systems but those are big money to install. If you live in an area with frequent power outages for extended periods of time then I can see having a need for them. I looked into them but even natural gas powered ones are $2-3G and just not worth the cost for the so rare times I need it.

Personally I have good ol natural gas fireplace. No electricity needed and an unlimited fuel supply. My plan is to stack a bunch of rubbermaid bins with holes drilled for air. I have one already done as a temp cage while cleaning but it would take me 15min to drill out more in a power outage. Then point one end towards the fire place to create hot and cold. I'd have to adjust the distance to find the sweet spot.

I'm an HVAC mechanic so I'm not worried about my furnace breaking. I ripped out my old one this fall because I didn't want it to break in winter ( it was 17yrs old) when I'm usually the busiest working. My new one I have most of the parts for in my truck so I simply have to walk to the driveway lol. Fixed my AC this summer at midnight doing that. Woke up realized the house was hot, 30min later back up and running and went back to bed. The funniest thing was the next morning listening to the radio the host was talking about how his AC crapped out in the night and his strategy was turn it off and on, kick it, yell at it and poke it. LOL

pet_snake_78 · 12-10-16, 10:40 AM

My snake room gets hot fast in the summer even though I live in the far north, so I have a backup AC. I can also drag the heat sensitive ones to the basement which never gets over 80F even in summer. For the cold, I have three options right now -- Wood Stove in the basement, kerosene heater, and Big Buddy. The Big Buddy would be my first choice since it's the easiest to use. Ideally, I'd have a wall mounted, vented propane heater installed but for now I think I'd be OK.

Thatjanelady · 12-13-16, 05:10 AM

I only live a few blocks from my boyfriend's family so we would all go there if it was an extended outage.

**Tsubaki** · 12-14-16, 03:10 PM

We have a generator, its loud and our neighbours could probably profit from it as well, it's used for festivals and has some over capacity. But i would probably put every animal in a tub, drag them down.. Keep the wood burning heater downstairs going before grabbing it.

.. I've never experienced a power outage that lasted longer than 1 day and that was when i was in elementary school! They're a rare phenomenon here.

pet_snake_78 · 12-14-16, 05:46 PM

As fate would have it, my furnace went down today. I got an HVAC tech out to fix it but the temp only dropped about 5 degrees in the house in the 4-5 hours it took them to get here. Since I didn't lose power, the space heater kept the reptile room warm and no action was required (it's on a tstat so it just ran a little harder). Still was enough of a bother that I am definitely going to install a backup direct vent propane system so even if the furnace takes a coupe of days to fix or replace, I can keep the house warm.