Dealing With Power Outages in Rural Life

Power outages are nothing new to rural residents, but new technologies have helped reduce the number of outages and reduce the length of those that can not be prevented.

Is There a Good Time for a Power Outage?

You would think the least problematic time for a power outage would be in the middle of the night; no lights are on, no one is watching TV or listening to a radio or using a computer – everyone is sleeping. In fact you’d think that a power outage at night would go completely unnoticed. Not so. The small soft noises that a home makes get so ingrained in our subconscious that when they suddenly go away, it tends to wake us up.

Power outages in the evenings are inconvenient; this is when we are likely using computers, listening to the radio, lights are on and needed. Maybe we’re fixing the evening meal in our all-electric kitchen.

Early morning power outages are often the worst. This is when many households are preparing for the day, men using electric shavers and shoe polishers, women lay out the array of power tools needed to primp and fluff their way to beauty, breakfast on the stove. A loss of power now can cause nervous breakdowns!

The best time for a power outage to a residential city area woud be during the day when the homes' occupants are away at work, but in rural areas this tends to not be the case. Rural residents often remain on their properties to farm or run a business; there are several in our area: a blacksmith shop, a machine shop, several woodworking shops, a cast stone maker, several auto repair and body shops. Also, people who run a septic service, a couple of excavation services, an electrician and a few general contracting/home builders. While the work crews for these are out on jobs, the wife and mother of the family is often the company nerve center; taking phone calls to schedule services, ordering supplies and doing bookkeeping. The equipent she uses requires electricity.

Jimmy Robertson, head engineer for Newport Utility District, Newport TN, has some entertaining tales of what causes power outages in rural areas, however he reports that most power outages are caused by squirrels doing acrobatics on the wires; they somehow bridge a pair of wires, causing a short circuit as the kilowatts of power enjoy the newfound path of current flow, pop a breaker on a transformer up-line of the short, and blow the squirrel to bits in the process. But other things can do it too; snakes crawling into equipment housings, to warm up on the toasty machinery, tree limbs that fall across a run of power lines, a motorist who skids off the road and slams into a power pole, freezing rain that ices up lines and pulls them down, and gusty winds that whip lines around enough for them to touch can also do the trick.

The Usual Pattern of Power Outage

In most cases, power is restored quickly; 30 minutes or less. If it takes longer, it’s because it was not something simple like squirrel acrobats and the crews are restringing lines or replacing snapped off power poles. During major storms when trees come down by the dozens and access becomes limited, power can be out for hours… or days. And remote areas have been without power for a week or more.

These interruptions are not as frequent as they once were, thanks to new computerized switching systems that automatically route power through alternate runs when a breaker blows to minimize the affected area.

For anyone who depends on electricity to operate their home and or business, the best option for reducing discomfort and loss due to an electrical power outage is to have a back-up source that will supply at least your basic needs. Basic needs will include a few lights and power for your refrigerator and freezer, to prevent all of your cold-stored food from going bad, the water well if you use one, possibly a septic pump, and essential business equipment.

There are a few tricks in deciding what generator is suitable for your needs. Electric generators come in a variety of sizes,and can be powered by gasoline, propane or diesel.  What is best for you?  How should you connect it to your home?   This page on Home Generator Installation gives great advice on selecting the proper size, including a wattage chart for common appliances, and some tips for proper installation.

Improperly Connecting a Generator Can Be Lethal

How you use a generator to power appliances is of high importance.  If you will simply plug an extension cord into the generator and then plug the fridge and a few lights into the extension cord the only real concern is that the cord is of sufficient size to safely carry the needed current.  But, if you plan to patch the generator into your homes power panel to run selected lights and appliances throughout the home, this must be done properly to avoid "back-feeding" power into the electric utility's power grid.  Doing this could prove fatal to a lineman attempting to service lines that should be dead.  Improperly connecting the generator to the panel; such as leaving the neutral wire of the generator open by using a three conductor patch cord instead of a four conductor, for example.  Could prove dangerous to your home and you.  Here are some great tips on avoiding a bad generator installation.

Generator Placement

Before the need to use a generator is upon you, decide where you will store the generator, how it will hook into your home and what impediments may have to be overcome in order to accomplish the installation.  Will you have to drag the generator over mounds of snow to get it in place?  Could carbon monoxide poisoning become an issue, such as running the generator in your garage?  Do you have sufficient fuel, properly stored and at hand?

Being Prepared For An Emergency

WRITTENBYSHAWN has an excellent hub on being prepared for an emergency  that lists supplies and equipment you will want to keep on hand, and some emergency procedures to know and practice.  One more thing to add is to practice properly installing your generator with all members of the family who are at all likely to be called upon to do so if you are unable.  Determine proper placement, connection and fueling procedures.  Make sure everyone knows how much of a load the generator can take so careless use of household lights and appliances don't overload it.  And when the emergency is over, how do you properly disconnect the generator and switch back to the local power grid for electricity?  Making sure these are understood and practiced will help your whole family deal effectively with a power outage.