Post by High Priestess on Sept 15, 2018 21:50:25 GMT
Power outages, emergencies/natural disasters, and your Airbnb rental.....
Given what is going on now in the Carolinas in the USA, with the hurricane Florence plowing through and the mass power outages involved, I wanted to suggest that hosts prepare for outages in a few ways.
(1) It could be useful to have a gas generator on the premises, which can run on gasoline or propane or both. THese generators are real workhorses and can power a whole house, but they are loud, and they produce carbon monoxide, which is poisonous to breathe and can actually kill you if you breathe too much. I have a gas generator and in testing it, just running it outdoors for a few minutes, I ended up with a headache (can be caused by carbon monoxide) just from walking by the generator, not even standing long in that area. So be careful with these!
(2) Another option for a source of power in an emergency, which I also recently bought equipment for, is the "Goal Zero" system. Goal Zero is a company which sells solar panels and batteries that connect to them, in a variety of sizes each. www.goalzero.com/
You can buy a solar panel, and one of several sizes of batteries, either traditional lead acid battery or a lithium battery, and it's easy to use the system. You can charge the batteries either from the solar panel or by plugging them into a wall outlet. You can keep them charged, so that they will be ready in case of emergency. You can get a small battery sufficient to power a cellphone or computer, or a larger one that can power high amperage appliances like refrigerators.
This is a photo showing one of the Goal Zero lithium batteries:
The beauty of these types of Goal Zero products is that you can use them for emergencies but also for travelling, eg, to provide power at your campsite. Also, unlike with the gas generator, there is no loud noise, and carbon monoxide produced, so that nuisance and/or danger is not involved.
It is more expensive to set up a solar panel/battery system with the Goal Zero products than to set up such a system with parts you buy and assemble yourself, but their stuff saves you the hassle of having to learn about it or go around locating all the different parts (I am not affiliated w/ this company in any way...I came across their products at my local REI store which sells most of their line...they even sell small solar powered cellphone chargers for $20) Even if you only live in an apartment in a large building, you could still use a small or medium size solar phone charger or small panel and battery setup in an emergency.
(3) Get stocked with flashlights, candles, and extra food and water in case there are road closures and you can't go out for supplies for several days. Water is particularly important because in something like an earthquake, water may be shut off. I suggest getting rain barrels or large 40 or 50 gallon plastic trash cans that you keep filled with water. Change the water every 6 months.
Given what is going on now in the Carolinas in the USA, with the hurricane Florence plowing through and the mass power outages involved, I wanted to suggest that hosts prepare for outages in a few ways.
(1) It could be useful to have a gas generator on the premises, which can run on gasoline or propane or both. THese generators are real workhorses and can power a whole house, but they are loud, and they produce carbon monoxide, which is poisonous to breathe and can actually kill you if you breathe too much. I have a gas generator and in testing it, just running it outdoors for a few minutes, I ended up with a headache (can be caused by carbon monoxide) just from walking by the generator, not even standing long in that area. So be careful with these!
(2) Another option for a source of power in an emergency, which I also recently bought equipment for, is the "Goal Zero" system. Goal Zero is a company which sells solar panels and batteries that connect to them, in a variety of sizes each. www.goalzero.com/
You can buy a solar panel, and one of several sizes of batteries, either traditional lead acid battery or a lithium battery, and it's easy to use the system. You can charge the batteries either from the solar panel or by plugging them into a wall outlet. You can keep them charged, so that they will be ready in case of emergency. You can get a small battery sufficient to power a cellphone or computer, or a larger one that can power high amperage appliances like refrigerators.
This is a photo showing one of the Goal Zero lithium batteries:
The beauty of these types of Goal Zero products is that you can use them for emergencies but also for travelling, eg, to provide power at your campsite. Also, unlike with the gas generator, there is no loud noise, and carbon monoxide produced, so that nuisance and/or danger is not involved.
It is more expensive to set up a solar panel/battery system with the Goal Zero products than to set up such a system with parts you buy and assemble yourself, but their stuff saves you the hassle of having to learn about it or go around locating all the different parts (I am not affiliated w/ this company in any way...I came across their products at my local REI store which sells most of their line...they even sell small solar powered cellphone chargers for $20) Even if you only live in an apartment in a large building, you could still use a small or medium size solar phone charger or small panel and battery setup in an emergency.
(3) Get stocked with flashlights, candles, and extra food and water in case there are road closures and you can't go out for supplies for several days. Water is particularly important because in something like an earthquake, water may be shut off. I suggest getting rain barrels or large 40 or 50 gallon plastic trash cans that you keep filled with water. Change the water every 6 months.