If the grid went down for a month would you be OK?

Feisar

I had a rummage about the kitchen and I think we'd be OK for a month plus a .22LR rifle should supplement the boredom of pasta!

neonman

You should read the following book. Blackout.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackout-Marc-Elsberg-ebook/dp/B01FCQLSPC/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529874051&sr=1-6&keywords=blackout

It is about a hacker that takes out the power grid in Europe and the fallout from it. Safe to say we'd all be pretty fu&ked.

Ubbquittious

Should be grand but that's presuming nobody will come in and try to ransack the place. Which is always possible in that kind of situation

L1011

There'll be no piped water within hours. You might be fine for water 95% of the time but good luck this past few weeks.

I've enough gas for gas cooking for a month if careful, probably 2-3 weeks of very boring food but portion control would have to be put in place and you'd have no idea in advance.

Gonad

After the few days of snow and all that carry on I dread to think what would happen .

Tabnabs

Waste would soon become a problem, especially human waste. Access to medication would be an issue for some (possibly even fatal). Curfews or even Marshall law may be enforced and stop movement thereby a further problem for savaging food in urban areas.

Be grim, like.

Graces7

Well, I lived without any electricity from last September until January and did fine . Until nearly Christmas I had no cooker. Used the solid fuel fire and a tiny camping stove. Mostly the fire

Being very isolated and often housebound I keep stocks of food etc in for around 3 months.. I have gas for several months also, One cylinder on, another spare.

Not sure what your terms of reference are that you refer to problems with "waste"?

Do water supplies rely on electricity? we use and flush the toilet in power cuts and I certainly did those months .

In such situations you simply decide on a place for this and avoid contaminating everywhere? An outdoor bathroom. In Ireland within living memory there were many homes without a toilet or power.

my3cents

Water - plenty pumped by petrol pump from river but would need to boil it.
Fuel - wood and coal for range for about 3 months plus 5 large gas cylinders for the gas hob - about a 2 years at normal use but without electric to boil water use of gas would go up.
Waste - septic tank can be flushed with a bucket full of river water.
Food - keep at least a months supply including dog food, bit of a self reminder - must get another plastic bin so we can keep an extra couple of bags of chicken grain to insure continuity of egg supply.

L1011

Graces7 wrote: »

Do water supplies rely on electricity? we use and flush the toilet in power cuts and I certainly did those months

Yes, during power cuts you are either using already treated water in a reservoir or there is still power at the treatment plant. Total outage and there won't be any newly treated water being produced.

Graces7

L1011 wrote: »

Yes, during power cuts you are either using already treated water in a reservoir or there is still power at the treatment plant. Total outage and there won't be any newly treated water being produced.

If we still collected rainwater(AHEM!!!) ... or used the many small springs... When I was first in Ireland I had no water or septic tank etc for 3 months. And here I keep water stored.

Running water and a sewage system are modern luxuries..

Graces7

If no power then you need to think re freezer and fridge being out. Change what we store..a little of everything.. then the losses will be minimal

For meat, rely on tins.

Also learn to make bread and get flour and yeast /soda in.. no more sliced pan!

This is how i have lived decades....

Ubbquittious

After the hurricane the mains water lasted about a day. The local telephone exchange went down even quicker even though they have a transfer switch for a generator they don't use it. I have a gas instant hot water heater for the shower and the sink which works great until the mains pressure goes but I'm putting in an ordinary hot water cylinder powered by the stove that will serve as a backup and a 3-way valve to switch between the two. Should save a bit of gas too

I wonder during the recent bread shortage how many picked up a bag of flour instead and did any shop run out?

L1011

Graces7 wrote: »

If we still collected rainwater

I do - still have my herb garden watered without touching the mains since the drought started, probably still a quarter of a tonne of water left.

Ubbquittious wrote: »

I wonder during the recent bread shortage how many picked up a bag of flour instead and did any shop run out?

Most wouldn't have a clue what to do with it. Don't normally eat bread myself but do actually have strong flour and yeast for pizza and loaf tins for some inexplicable reason so would have been fine if I wanted to!

my3cents

My wife only makes bread if there is some form of shortage. She says that her own bread tastes to good so she eats too much of it and puts on weight.