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[baggers]

Our electric went off Boxing day at about 9.00 because of the flooding in Rochdale. About 18-20,000 homes left without power. Even the mobile phone service went off for a few hours.

Came back on about 22.30 tonight 37hrs later, big generator now parked next to our substation.

There are about a dozen or so emergency ones running around the area as the main substation was overrun with water, even though in 2010 it has had £468k spent protecting it from that 1 in 200 year flooding event  . Only took 5 

Luckily daughter the other side of town still had power so all freezer stuff transported there but lost a fridge full of food stuff

Earlier on today there was a burger van touring the area giving free burgers, etc for those without power, nice touch I thought

And yesterday water was down, hardly half pressure (must be a shortage).

[baggers]

Sub-station supplying us is old and failed a few times especially at Christmas, so a few years ago I installed backup lighting and any 12v lights in the house can be switched on when required. 

[SIR Philbutt]

Our electric went off Boxing day at about 9.00 because of the flooding in Rochdale. About 18-20,000 homes left without power. Even the mobile phone service went off for a few hours.

Came back on about 22.30 tonight 37hrs later, big generator now parked next to our substation.

There are about a dozen or so emergency ones running around the area as the main substation was overrun with water, even though in 2010 it has had £468k spent protecting it from that 1 in 200 year flooding event  . Only took 5 

Luckily daughter the other side of town still had power so all freezer stuff transported there but lost a fridge full of food stuff

Earlier on today there was a burger van touring the area giving free burgers, etc for those without power, nice touch I thought

And yesterday water was down, hardly half pressure (must be a shortage).

Heard that was a failure at one of the pumping stations, not connected to floods/power fail

Sub-station supplying us is old and failed a few times especially at Christmas, so a few years ago I installed backup lighting and any 12v lights in the house can be switched on when required. 

,
My dad did that during the miners strike/power cuts, 4 car batteries in the garage supplying. Even had a 12v tv and fridge

[Lazydocker]

....
Interested in this. I'm sure my neighbour had some sort of reverse plug that he just plugged into a 3 pin plug. But he's a complete self-abuser and probably has it wrong

a 13 pin plug on either end of a cable would do it!   

ISTR he just has a 3 pin, 13A that he plugs in and it feeds back in somehow.

[Shackeng]

Thanks for the thoughts but no 'leccy' and a fridge full of stuff lost is insignificant compared to what some people are having to deal with.

I bought a cheap generator 30 odd years ago, and it has more than paid for itself on the rare occasions it is required.

Seriously be looking into this at the mo, gave up the chance to buy one a few months ago  wont again

How do you connect it to the house electrics then? Do you use some kind of change over switch? ie you can only have the genny supplying the house or the grid ..... and not both

Easy, make up a lead with a 13A plug on it from the genny, plug into a convenient socket, switch off the mains switch in the house, start the genny and switch on. I should point out that this is probably illegal, but it supplies power when required, and going by the noise in our close, everyone else does the same. It is also possible to do it correctly with a changeover switch as my daughter has done, but this requires more expense.

[STEMO]

That would only power the ring main though? Not the lights?

[YZ250]

That would only power the ring main though? Not the lights?

I'd imagine various lamps plugged in around the house would take care of that. 

[STEMO]

That would only power the ring main though? Not the lights?

I'd imagine various lamps plugged in around the house would take care of that. 

Of course. Just checking I wasn't going mad, which, of course, I'm not, as you know.......don't you? 

[Shackeng]

That would only power the ring main though? Not the lights?

In mine power flows back up to the main bus, so we have power everywhere. Everyone else here works the same way.

[TheBoy]

Wouldn't that power the whole street...   ...right up to the point the genny overload trip blows.


My genny just powers fridge freezer and servers.  Anything else, we can survive a few days without tizzy.

[SIR Philbutt]

Wouldn't that power the whole street...   ...right up to the point the genny overload trip blows.

Not if you throw off the main switch

My genny just powers fridge freezer and servers.  Anything else, we can survive a few days without tizzy.

What size genny have you got - i've been looking at 2.8 - 4 kVA for fridge + chest freezer + Boiler + some lights and maybe tv

[TheBoy]

Mine is just a wee one, 1kw. Which is enough for my needs, and I just plug into it what needs powering.

I can cook on our camping stuff, light by our camping stuff, and heat a room by camping stuff. So, as said, just need to plug in fridge freezer and UPS for all servers/phones/technology stuff.

[SIR Philbutt]

Mine is just a wee one, 1kw. Which is enough for my needs, and I just plug into it what needs powering.

I can cook on our camping stuff, light by our camping stuff, and heat a room by camping stuff. So, as said, just need to plug in fridge freezer and UPS for all servers/phones/technology stuff.

We cooked on camping gear and had gas fire on for heat but if it had been colder would not have been enough. We went swimming so we could shower, that's why i'm including boiler.

So a 2.8 kVA would be sufficient ?

[TheBoy]

Mine is just a wee one, 1kw. Which is enough for my needs, and I just plug into it what needs powering.

I can cook on our camping stuff, light by our camping stuff, and heat a room by camping stuff. So, as said, just need to plug in fridge freezer and UPS for all servers/phones/technology stuff.

We cooked on camping gear and had gas fire on for heat but if it had been colder would not have been enough. We went swimming so we could shower, that's why i'm including boiler.

So a 2.8 kVA would be sufficient ?

Boiler is hard to wire in, as will be hardwired.  But wouldn't need much power.

Some model boilers electronics might not take too kindly to a genny output without filtering.

[Shackeng]

Mine is 1.7 Kw, runs fridge and freezers (high starting loads), boiler, TV and a few lights. Sufficient for survival.