Important information Preparing for a power cut.

[JohnW2]

No I think it is more likely to happen at night - everyone is at home using home appliances- charging cars- lights are on so that is when the system is more likely to fall over and not when no one is using it.

Why "no"? Although I might have done, I wasn't actually suggesting that that it was less likely to happen at night but, rather, my main point was that the chances of such a power cut happening at all (day or night) is, at present, extremely low. Furthermore, I was responding to eric's point about "not being able to reach some sort of light" and that, of course, would only be relevant during the hours of darkness!

In any event, as Harry has said, but depending upon what you mean by 'night', I disagree with what you say about night. As things currently are, and probably for quite a long time to come, the lowest demand time of day (hence the time when 'load-shedding' power cuts are least likely) is during the 'night' (say, 9 pm onwards), the peak period (when such cuts would be the most likely) being early evening (when it is not even dark for more than half the year).

 

[bernardgreen]

List of cuts and loss of service suggest that a significant percentage of loss of service are reported at night

Live List of Power Cuts in London, East Anglia & South East England | UK Power Networks

www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk

National Grid - Power Cut Map

powercuts.nationalgrid.co.uk

 

[JohnW2]

List of cuts and loss of service suggest that a significant percentage of loss of service are reported at night

I'm not so sure about "reported" at night, since that's true of virtually none of those on the first page of the list (I got bored after that ) - BUT, a very high proportion on that page were reported between 7am and 9am, suggesting that they probably 'arose during the night' but were not noticed until people woke up.

However, it goes without saying that 'unplanned' losses of power (due to faults) will arise at random times of day/night, so no reason to assume that their onsets would be any less common at night. The discussion has been about deliberate 'load shedding' cuts and, as I've said, it seems most unlikely, at present, that they would occur 'at night' (after the evening peak).

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I'm not so sure about "reported" at night, since that's true of virtually none of those on the first page of the list (I got bored after that ) - BUT, a very high proportion on that page were reported between 7am and 9am, suggesting that they probably 'arose during the night' but were not noticed until people woke up.

Our last power-loss, was many years ago, and preceded by numerous 'brown-outs'. Our microwave oven is really the only thing which would report a power loss - it's clock will flash to show the time is not correct. Eventually the brown-outs progressed to a total loss of power, due a damage/faulty underground cable, between us and the sub-station at the end of the street. It was off for around four hours.

 

[ericmark]

Before replacing the battery, I bought a modern replacement. Yes it will jump start a car, and it has a light, but no 13 amp socket, or cigarette lighter socket, the USB outlet seems a bit hit-and-miss.

I have been testing, and it seems the problem is it needs over a set load, or it will auto turn off. So with a low output USB lead, it turns itself off.

Other battery packs I have don't have this problem. I have found USB leads which have an intermittent fault is the main reason why emergency lights fail to work, the torch or battery pack has been sitting what we think is on charge, but in fact doing nothing. My 12 volt AGM lead acid chargers can work on 6 volts as well, and it required someone to push a button to select charge type before it will work, so just a 1-minute power cut, and it switches off.

Once we have a power cut, then too late. But how much time do we spend preparing for something which happens once in a blue moon? Duracell Optimum last according to packet, just under 10 years. Kodak copy write 2024 so can't be that old, I got the phone out as writing so small, then I saw it, so seems life only around 3 years. So getting spares does not really help, as you end up disposing of them without ever using them. So there is a problem with this preparing, how far do we go? There was a comment about candles, and yes these have a much longer shelve life, although it can cause fires.

My daughter has a USB torch in her handbag, very small, but good light, in fact more than the massive jump-starting battery pack. We had a torch which would solar charge, lying on the south facing windowsill, as I was writing this I looked, gone, it was buried under a load of rubbish on the dining table. Knowing my wife, she will likely clear the table and put all on it in a box or bag, never to be seen again.

Unless screwed to the wall, it will go missing. Or it needs to be large.

 

[JohnW2]

..... But how much time do we spend preparing for something which happens once in a blue moon?

That, of course, is a very succinct version of what I have been writing at much greater length!

... and the answer to that question will obviously be a very individual thing which, as we know, will vary dramatically between different individuals.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Duracell Optimum last according to packet, just under 10 years. Kodak copy write 2024 so can't be that old, I got the phone out as writing so small, then I saw it, so seems life only around 3 years.

My stock of candles, some as old as 40 years, will not date expire, even in 100 years - kept together with a box of none expiring matches. Battery devices, are best habitually made use of, then the batteries replaced when needed, plus keeping a small stock of replacements, in a drawer. Our emergency torch, is made use of each week, to read our water meter, in the cupboard, under the kitchen sink.

 

[JohnW2]

Battery devices, are best habitually made use of, then the batteries replaced when needed, plus keeping a small stock of replacements, in a drawer. Our emergency torch, is made use of each week, to read our water meter, in the cupboard, under the kitchen sink.

For what it's worth, I have a 'wind up' radio and at least two or three 'wind-up' torches - but I do have to remember (and address) the fact that their rechargeable batteries do not last for ever

 

[bernardgreen]

But how much time do we spend preparing for something which happens once in a blue moon?

 

[SimonH2]

We had a torch which would solar charge, lying on the south facing windowsill, as I was writing this I looked, gone, it was buried under a load of rubbish on the dining table. Knowing my wife, she will likely clear the table and put all on it in a box or bag, never to be seen again.

Unless screwed to the wall, it will go missing. Or it needs to be large.

Oi, what are you doing with MY wife ? That sounds just like her

 

[SUNRAY]

For what it's worth, I have a 'wind up' radio and at least two or three 'wind-up' torches - but I do have to remember (and address) the fact that their rechargeable batteries do not last for ever

I've found they last a vanishinly short time due to overenergetic hand work

 

[SUNRAY]

Oi, what are you doing with MY wife ? That sounds just like her

no one knows as it was dark during the power cut.

 

[JohnW2]

I've found they last a vanishinly short time due to overenergetic hand work

In terms of my experience, that would seem to be a significant over-statement.

 

[plugwash]

However, it goes without saying that 'unplanned' losses of power (due to faults) will arise at random times of day/night,

I expect that some are more random than others. There will be failures due to random events sure, but there will also be failures due to overloading (which I'd expect to happen either in the morning when people go to work, or around teatime when they come home) and failures due to planned works that did not go as planned.

Also I'm not convinced they bother to notify regular customers for short outages even if planned. That may be one of the benefits of going on the "priority" list.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

That may be one of the benefits of going on the "priority" list.

From past experience, they do use an auto-announcement phone call, to advise on progress, when there is an outage. Of course that will fail, with VoIP.