<p>We lost power for 5 days in the big ice storm in New England in 1998. Fter that fiasco, we bought a generator, and hired an electrician to set things up so that we can flip a switch and run several circuits. That way, we can get power to our water pump (we have a well), refrigerator, and wood boiler, among other things. It came in handy last month when we lost power for a day and a half! We have a home business and can’t afford to lose power.</p>
<p>A stand alone gas fired water heater is not dependent on electricity. I.E. as long as it has a standing pilot light and you don’t have a well.</p>
<p>Well, at least this happened while you are home to take care of the house - have you disconnected all the hoses and covered the tender plants? Good thing you aren’t on your tropical vacation this week!</p>
<p>We have a well pump AND live in a place where below 0 (F) temps are regular occurances in the winter… have not had to deal with a prolonged outage, but I have always been concerned about the pipes if it happens. I guess if it went on for more than 8 hours or so in that weather, I would turn off the intake valve and run all the faucets & flush the toilets to get as much water out as I could, then pour in some RV antifreeze into the drains and toilets (maybe I should go buy some…). We can stay warm enough with our trusty Finnish soapstone stove for sleeping, and can even cook in the bakeoven. Might get old pretty quck without working toilets, though :(</p>
<p>violadad, you probably meant to say “CO Detector” (not CO2 detector). I second that suggestion! Get a couple in case one goes bad.</p>
<p>If the power has not gone out yet:</p>
<ol>
<li>Make sure you have enough batteries for you flashlights and CF lanterns (if you don’t own any, they are dirt cheap, I got mine at Costco) so you will not get stuck in th dark.</li>
<li>Check the batteries in your smoke detectors! If yours are like mine (wired into the electrical system of the house), and the batteries are old, you will hear them asking loud and clear asking for fresh batteries. The noise is annoying and hearing-damaging.</li>
<li>Follow the advice about letting the water drip when the temps get low.</li>
<li>If you think the power will be out for a while, take care of your fridges and freezers. Put all of the stuff outside (it is cold and the stuff will be OK), but make sure critters do not get to it. Toss any ice you have in the ice maker. Before your house temperature gets anywhere below the freezing temperature of water, your ice deposits will melt. A puddle of water under the fridge is not a pleasant thing.</li>
<li>Fill up your car gas tank. You might have to get to a hotel or a shelter if things go really bad.</li>
</ol>
<p>Gosh, 6 days without power taught us some survival skills. Thank goodness the temperatures were in the low thirties only.</p>
<p>wrap your pipes- it will save energy and less likely to freeze.
Also drain hoses and store
if you are real concerned you can put foam over outside faucets but our bathroom crawlspace is unheated and we have never had pipes freeze.
know where shut off valve is on water heater & at meter.
get out the barbeque
don’t use it inside
no not the garage either
close off rooms you don’t use
keep drapes closed, that holds a lot of heat
stock up on canned goods if you think of it- it may get old cooking by candlelight
but really I agree 32 deg is not that cold unless there is a lot of wind and you are out in it for long periods of time
( of course it may seem colder to you if you just returned from the Caribbean)</p>
<p>BunsenBurner, thank you for the headsmack. It was deserved. toblin mankes a valid correction, as I was thinking electric hwh or those with well pumps where delivery to refill the tank heater would be affected.</p>