Hidden Dangers of Power Outages

1/28/2021 (Permalink)

Candles on a Night Stand

When the power goes out it can be very annoying, especially if you have no internet.  But, there are more serious concerns that you should be considering to protect your home.  Without power several critical systems in your home are going to be offline.  Here are some items to consider:

Sump Pumps: these pumps are located in the basement and prevent water from entering from the ground.  Without power the pump will not operate and water could enter from the sump pump pit.

Heating units: even gas powered heating units need electricity to run the blowers/fans that push the air through ducts and around the home.  Without heat the pipes are susceptible to freezing and rupturing. If the temperature outside is below freezing consider turning the faucets on just a little bit to keep water moving in the pipes.  This not only introduces warmer water from underground pipes but the movement of the water helps prevent freezing.

Freezers:  If you haven’t thawed your freezer in a while you may have significant ice buildup that will begin to melt and cause water to puddle at the freezer door.  You are better off putting a baking tray under the door rather than opening the door and trying to manually remove the ice.  Opening the door will cause the cold air to escape and will lead to more rapid thawing/spoiling of food if power is not restored quickly.

Of course a back-up generator is your best bet for restoring power quickly but these can be costly, especially built in units.  If you do have a generator (portable or built-in) make sure it is wired to provide power to the critical systems above.

If you do experience storm damage, call the experts at SERVPRO!