Power Outage - Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!

[Norstar]

(Please forgive me if I've posted this in the wrong area. I couldn't resist being the first person to post in this area!)

Yesterday, we experienced a 5 hr power outage. We didn't care; but, for the fish, it didn't help that it was a cold day!

I thought I would share with you what I did, and what I learned that I am going to have to do - lol

I have a 110 gal. discus tank that needs plenty of heat. After the power went down - living in South Surrey - I knew that it was going to be off for a while. I immediately placed 2 sleeping bags on top of the aquarium and completely covered it up. If it would have been in the middle of winter, I probably would have placed blankets as well.

I didn't have that option in my fish room. So I kept the door closed to keep the heat in. I also placed a couple of flashlights at either end of the room, so my angelfish parents wouldn't eat their fry.

The next purchase I am going to make is an APC Back Up power supply or two. A generator would be nice, but my wife would kill me. I'll probably place one on the discus tank, and only connect the pump and heater. The other one will be for a couple of 60 watt light bulbs to keep the aquarium room lit. Costco and London Drugs seem to have some pretty good deals. Maybe I can get one for Christmas (wink, wink)

I am also going to have to figure out if it's still possible to use a gas fireplace during a power outage. I believe the switch that controls it has an electrical current that turn it off and on

That's about it. If anyone else has any other suggestions, I would love to hear them.

[jake007]

entry moved

[Melody]

Great thoughts :) . For the gas fireplace, mine will turn on during power outages but the fan doesn't work. I dont' know that they're all the same, but that's how it goes with mine.

Power outages can cause health issues - a fine place to post it I would say :D . I moved your other post because I had never moved one before....lol....but also because I figured if anyone else had the same suggestion, they'd find yours quickly in the suggestion section. I'm not concerned about the small stuff overall, to tell you the truth. There are bigger issues in forums to remain focused on than worrying about the exact best place to post something. Civility and professionalism is my focus.

[bettakim]

"I am also going to have to figure out if it's still possible to use a gas fireplace during a power outage. I believe the switch that controls it has an electrical current that turn it off and on"

Your fireplace should work, depending on model. Just fire up the pilot, and turn on the fireplace. Best one to have is one with a fan and one that is rated for heating not just for looks, they really throw out the heat. If you have a fan and it's not working, have someone come look at it. Also make sure to have them cleaned every year for optimal performance.

We survived 6 days with no hydro, running a power inverter from the trucks into the house to keep the tanks,waterheater and for the hubby t.v. going. Our nat. gas fireplace heated the entire upstairs (we live in a bungalow). Had to alternate between everything to ensure we didn't over kill the inverter but it worked. I did loose my very large angel and some danio fry as they were to close to an outside concrete wall and got chilled really quick. We've been discussing getting a natural gas generator so I don't have to mess with gas cans in the middle of our Ontario winters but they are quite the price to buy, thankfully we can install so that is another good chunk of money saved.

[Melody]

Great suggestions Kim - is that your business? You seem very well informed.:)

[bettakim]

My hubby is a licensed tech and I'm an HVAC designer. I do mostly custom home stuff - figuring out the size of furnace/ac, where it will be put to what/where the duct work will go.

[Melody]

This is where you plug your website...lol. Nice to have specialists around!