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verifiedboomer t1_j384z03 wrote

I have a suitcase sized battery "generator" for short outages, on the order of 12 hours or so. I can run the freezer, fridge, and Internet for about that long before it dies. It weighs about 70-80 pounds and is a beast to haul around. It does not produce the 240 V that I would need to run the well pump, so no one is allowed to flush at the beginning of power failures if we don't have an estimated repair time.

For longer outages, I wheel out a 3500 Watt, 240 V portable gasoline-powered generator. I installed a transfer switch for the well pump only, and use a (now discontinued) APC Power Distribution Unit to split the 240V into a set of 120 V outlets that I can use to recharge the battery, and run the fridge and freezer. This solution used about 5 gallons of gas every 24 hours during the last set of multi-day outages. With this, a wood stove for heat, and a whole bunch of flashlights, we can continue in relative comfort indefinitely, provided we can get out and refill our 5-gallon gas cans.

We have solar, too, and briefly considered a powerwall setup, but we have no place to put it, and it would still end up being useless when the power is out for more than a day or so.

The moral of the story is that our civilization and all its comforts are very brittle. We feel very independent with our setup, but the moment we can't get gasoline, things get medieval in a hurry.

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