Power outage protocols
 

We're having an outage for maintenance this morning. 4 hrs, 8-12.
I've already got one car out of the garage as the door opener is not easily gotten to with both in the garage.

I'm thinking since they say they'll be turning the power on/off several times during this 4 hour period that it might be prudent to unplug the surge protestors on all our computers and sewing machines, rather than just turning them off.

What is the consensus?

Thanks.

unplugging things certainly won't hurt. an easier solution may be to turn off breakers. plus if you are concerned about surging there typically are other items besides puters n sewing machines that wont be happy with you!

I am no electrical engineer, but I would think turning off the power strip surge protector is about the same as unplugging it. In a lightning strike unplugging is better, but lightning is kinda hard to predict, so most people just have a surge protector as a their name implies.

For me is a pain in the butt with no electricity to get the cars in or out of the garage. I have to open the door after I pull the handle, and open the door, get in the car, pull the car out, lower the door and lock it, then go through the kitchen and out the back door, around the house down the side yard to the driveway. It makes me really appreciate electricity.

Turning it off at fuse box would be easiest. I don't know if it would work for a lightning strike, but it couldn't hurt and that was what I saw it used for

I am. And I would do nothing.

I don't remember ever being warned about an outage. They just do it around here.

Around here I unplug electronics and things (refrigerators and air conditioners) that are all going to try to start up at the same time. The power seldom comes on smoothly - on/off on/off and couple of times before it's on for good. It may be perfectly fine for 3 freezer compressors and two AC units to try to start up at the same time, but it's easy enough to hit the breakers.

Since only electricians and God can make light.

Here's my $.02 worth.

I've seen the voltage get changed when the utility changed the transformer taps. Voltage would get too high in the evening. I reminded the utility via e-mail to keep my max voltage within U.L. parameters or my insurance can be compromised.
Just a CYA thing I did cuz I could as a smart a** Electrician.

Anyone with a match can make light.

Thanks everyone. We came thru the outage without incident. I was even able to get my wife's iPad up on the internet after I turned off our router early.

'YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!'

Good thing I'd gotten instructions on how to do that from my good buddie Zeke back in KC Mo last night. I'm a newbie when it comes to iPhones and all this iPad stuff.

I don't know what router you have, but it should handle a restart from off and go back to operation with no input from you at all. And so should the iPad.

I update the firmware on mine, and do a restart and it just stops the internet during the restart, but comes right back.

They did Glen. The problem was when I turned it off early. She wasn't aware that when the power was going to be off she wouldn't have internet access. I was able to use her phone as a hot spot and she had access during the whole outage time.

Ok, now I understand.

I would hear about killing the internet for my wife's iPad as well.

We seem to be getting more power outages around here, so I bought a UPS and plugged my WiFi router and cordless phone into it so I would still be able to use phone and internet to see if the outage was reported, find out expected restart and after that still have something to do or watch on the laptop and iPad.

Just need a battery backed up sump pump to keep from overflowing the sump.

I heard about internal battery backed up LED tubes that retrofit into 4 ft fluorescent fixtures. Going to see if it’s true in a week or so and may buy a couple and put in strategic locations- they should run for 90 minutes- of course if I’m not home, they’ll just light up place for the spiders.

I was under the impression that compressors don't like off/on/off/on restarts. I make sure the Heat Pump isn't getting cycled 5 times in a minute.

Last outage blew the invertor in the kitchen fridge.
Cost $900 for a $350 part.

Next one will be $350 since he didn’t attach the ground wire and I ended up climbing up there to look anyway.

My point being that’s the only thing in 12 years of regular outages that ever blew because of power fluctuations. If you have an expensive fridge and no supplemental power, consider flipping that breaker.

I recently invested in a whole house surge protector. I hope those things work - thanks, PG&E.

I just wait for the power to come back on. 100% sucess rate... no issues.

Quit making up "problems" :D....

That statement is correct, but typically they just draw too much current and the CB trips.

Your thermostat is supposed to prevent short cycling, assuming it's 'modern'.

I've had enough equipment fried over the years to know better.

I have literally never heard of an outage for maintenance.

My local electrical co-op seems to be able to do maintenance by powering-down specific components without interrupting power to anyone, ever. The only time we ever have an outage is when a storm downs some lines or a transformer blows, but those are events that don't happen every year.

Same here.

Well, at the old commercial building I worked at they had to replace the pole that our 3 phase transformer was on. The pole started to warp, and once it was off center, the bend in the pole increased slowly. It only served our building. They did call to schedule the replacement. We told them Friday about noon was perfect. We pulled the power to the 3 phase panel to the equipment, and we went home early on Friday. It was really tough to leave early.

The primary risks are micro-outages (milliseconds in length), voltages surges (extremely rare), and short cycle outages (seconds).

Your local electrical provider is short cycling your power during an outage. Turn breakers off if it makes you sleep better. But eventually they are going to get powered up again. And if they can't take cycling on/off then something is wrong.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1603294273.JPG
Here's a pic of what they were working on up the block.
They went around and pulled some connectors that went from the high tension lines to the poles with transformers on them to disconnect us from the grid.

My big problem now is I can't seem to keep my wife's iPad connected to the internet when she shuts the cover to shut it down. I tried to set it up the way it was before I messed with it prior to the outage but haven't had much luck.

I think she solved it herself!
She did a total reset of the iPad and is happy with it now.
Thank goodness.