Tips for an Outage

No one expects a power outage when they’re going about their day-to-day lives. Unfortunately, that’s what tends to make them so frustrating. While it might seem impossible to be fully prepared, there are power outage tips you can keep in mind to keep yourself, your family, and your belongings safe. 

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the things you should and shouldn’t do during a power outage. Having this kind of knowledge will make the experience easier for you, and it could actually keep you out of harm’s way in potentially dangerous situations. 

What to Do During an Outage

The main things to focus on during a power outage are keeping yourself (and your loved ones) safe, and keeping your home/belongings as safe as possible, too. The reality is, you don’t know when the power will be turned back on. Nowadays, you might be able to receive an estimated restoration time from your power company, but those aren’t always accurate. 

So, keep the following tips in mind when you’re going through a power outage: 

• Have extra drinking water on hand. Each person should have about a gallon of water per day for drinking and personal hygiene. 
• Keep a light switch on or a lamp plugged in even while the power is out. When it finally comes back on, you won’t be in the dark as you try to navigate your way through your home. 
• Turn your faucets on, at least slightly, if the power goes out during the winter. Frigid temperatures make it easy for pipes to freeze and burst, which could leave you with a real mess on your hands. 

Always stay away from any downed power lines. It’s never a good idea to try to “fix” the problem yourself, even if you see the line in question. These lines can still be live and extremely dangerous. Instead, they should be reported to your power company. 

Things to Avoid

Perhaps more important than the things you should do during a power outage are the things you shouldn’t do. Common mistakes can cause big problems. So, make sure you avoid: 

• Lighting candles as a source of light. They are a serious fire hazard.
• Letting your phone battery die.
• Keeping electronics plugged in, in case of a power surge.
• Opening the fridge, causing the cold air to escape. 
• Keeping a generator running in an enclosed space, like a garage.

Again, the main thing you should be focused on when there is a power outage is safety. Having a home standby generator is one of the best ways to do that while getting the power to your home that you need during an outage. Generators are safe, effective, and easy to use when installed the right way. 

Keep these tips in mind during the next power outage you experience. Going through an outage is never easy, but these suggestions can certainly make a difference while you’re waiting for the lights to come back on.