On 27/02/2014 08:15, Dave Baker wrote:
In the 25 years I lived in my last house in southern suburbia I can
count the number of times the lecky went out on the fingers of one
heavily mutilated hand. Since moving to the middle of feckin nowhere in
Aberdeenshire it's been about a dozen times in 18 months.
That sounds a bit like a run of bad luck. We lose power a couple of
times a year here in North Yorkshire. The last memorable one was a
direct hit on the village hall by lightning which took down all three
phases in the village as the main breaker went pop.
Usually we lose power in bad weather storms or ice so it is helpful to
have a wood burning stove and a backup generator for freezer etc.
He also looked up the previous outage and that was over a wide area too.
So no general problem with our local supply, just sod's law it seems.
Branches falling onto cables etc.
Not just branches whole trees. My hedge is still recovering from the
last one to fall across the power line (which is now one of the bundled
insulated aluminium 3 phase spiral wound round a steel hauser). This
stuff can actually survive having a tree fall on it and come back up
again! However the poles are all bent (marked do not climb) and some
lost their electricity because it ripped their connections off the wall.
So I'm happy it isn't just my house or its supply but surprised it
happens so often. Is this just a "living in the sticks" sort of thing we
have to get used to?
Something you will have to get used to. Buy a couple of emergency lights
and LED torches with a high resistance bridging the on/off switch so
that about 20uA can flow in standby. That way you have some light when
the power goes off (and stock up on candles).
This version of the 3M dayglo plastic torch is impressive and well worth
having if you live in an area prone to power cuts. The light from its
case is enough to find it and in extremis see by once dark adapted. It
only takes 3 AA cells so isn't that long lasting but it is very handy
since you can find it reliably after the lights have gone out!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Glow-torch...-/271410378344
There is a fob version too. Ignore all the other so called glotorches
they use the old zinc sulphide glows green for 15 minutes after being
blasted by an arc lamp for an hour. This stuff is the real deal.
(no connection with the seller other than having bought one from him)
It is an ideal Xmas stocking filler.
--
Regards,
Martin Brown