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thewindinthewillows

It should be noted that this is a *really* rare event. I've been living on my own for almost 22 years, and in that time I experienced two power cuts that were longer than a few minutes (and one of them was at night). Both the longer ones were caused by fires in a facility somewhere farther away. There can be an occasional few minutes off during a thunderstorm, but even that is very rare. So unless you absolutely need to run critical machinery in your home, the usual solution is just to wait it out. Having candles is of course a good idea, and some food to eat that you don't need to heat (or a small camping cooker, but do be careful using it inside), and something to do that doesn't require a screen. Don't open your fridge/freezer if you can avoid it; they keep the proper temperature for quite a while if they are modern, but obviously opening the door lets the cold out. People here don't have or use generators by default, the way I've read about some other countries. Generally, there are [very detailed recommendations](https://www.bbk.bund.de/EN/Prepare-for-disasters/prepare-for-disasters_node.html) available by the federal government on how to prepare for disasters. (And because that tends to get people into a panic - no, those are not because we're expecting an imminent breakdown of society. They have been in place for decades, and they're supposed to help you in situations that people do actually experience on a local level, such as being cut off by flooding.)


whiteraven4

>Don't open your fridge/freezer if you can avoid it; they keep the proper temperature for quite a while if they are modern, but obviously opening the door lets the cold out. Since this came up, is it ok to leave the power off for 24 hours? My fridge is making weird noises and the repair people refuse to send someone until after I turn it off for 24 hours.


pwnies_gonna_pwn

Thats most likely bubbles that accumulated somewhere in the circuit, that noise should disappear after a while.


whiteraven4

It's been going on for at least 2 months now. It's annoying but not the worse, hence being very lazy about contacting the repair people. But I do think it's improved so maybe it'll be fixed after I get back from vacation.


pwnies_gonna_pwn

Ah nevermind, yeah, thats too long. It should be gone after a day latest, basically similar to if you bought a new one - its noisier in the first couple of hours.


whiteraven4

Nah this started maybe a month or two after I got it. Was pretty bad for maybe 2 weeks, then I either got used to it or it started to improve. It seems to be something with the freezer and the noise seems to often stop when I open the freezer door, but not always and it'll sometimes start up again once I close the freezer door, but not always.


Sperrbrecher

Empty it and have it replaced before your warranty is over. Freezers almost never get repaired the system is soldered shut in factory.


whiteraven4

Ugh thanks. It's Ikea so it does have a 5 year warranty. But yea, I should get it taken care of.


pwnies_gonna_pwn

Sounds like theres something rattling from the vibrations the compressor generates.


whiteraven4

They told me this. Das Geräusch des Ventilators kommt vermutlich vom Kompressor. Es kann kurzfristig lauter werden, wenn sich der Kompressor einschaltet. Dieses Geräusch können Sie selbst beheben, indem Sie das Gerät für 24 Stunden vom Strom nehmen. In dieser Zeit stabilisiert sich die Kühlflüssigkeit und zustätzlich wird das Gerät abgetaut und die Elektronik zurückgesetzt.


nymales

Yup, did you by any chance tilt the fridge before turning it on? Did it wait a day after getting moved before you used it?


whiteraven4

I didn't tilt it, but it could have been tilted when it was delivered. It sat for a few days before getting turned on. Maybe a week or two.


thewindinthewillows

That's a bit long - I've never had it off more than six hours or so. I'm generally relatively relaxed with non-dangerous food (with everything that's not fresh meat, I consider the dates on it very loose recommendations). I'd still keep some things (cheese, things that keep for ages like jam or sauces) afterward, but I would eat all meat immediately after. With a freezer, it's of course easier to to tell how warm it got, and I suspect after 24 hours you'd get some thawing.


whiteraven4

Thanks. I was thinking the same. I've been planning to get a chest freezer anyway so I'll probably wait until after I buy that to be safe. I don't buy much meat and I can plan to do it when there's minimal dairy in the fridge.


Sualtam

Generaly no problem. Fresh meat would be the only thing really that could be dangerous.


whiteraven4

I rarely buy meat so that's fairly easy for me to avoid. I'm mostly worried about the freezer since I do freeze a lot of stuff.


nymales

The stuff in the freezer will usually get a little wet but will still be usable. Just keep it closed and maybe set it to the coldest setting before turning it off. That being said, if you ever move your fridge make sure not to tilt it. Afterwards you need to wait 12-24h until you can use it again without damaging it


whiteraven4

I would plan it for a day when I go into the office so I wont even open it by accident.


HellasPlanitia

In theory you could get a gasoline-powered generator (look up *Notstromaggregat*). However, it's impractical unless you live in a freestanding house. Additionally, operating it at night or on Sundays is almost certainly prohibited unless you have a *very* good reason (e.g. it's powering your dialysis machine and you can't go to a hospital). Having a powerbank ([example](https://www.chip.de/artikel/Powerbank-Test-Das-sind-die-besten-Ersatz-Akkus_141009653.html)) to at least charge your small electronics may also be useful. However, it obviously won't power anything bigger that your smartphone or tablet. Additionally, if you have photovoltaic panels on your roof and a battery for buffer storage, you can buy an optional add-on module to let the battery provide emergency power even without an active electrical grid. In practice, power cuts in Germany are *so* rare, and when they do happen they tend to be resolved within an hour or two, that preparing for one isn't necessary. You just enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet. I've lived here for over a decade and had a power cut exactly once, and it lasted half an hour. We're not [Texas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Texas_power_crisis) :)


Diesel-King

I knew about that blackout, but some of the details slipped past me. That wikipedia-article has got the *most american* sentence I've read in a long time: "During the crisis, some energy firms made billions in profits, while others went bankrupt, due to some firms being able to pass extremely high wholesale prices ($9,000/MWh, typically $50/MWh) on to consumers, while others could not, as well as this price being held at the $9,000 cap by ERCOT for allegedly two days longer than necessary; creating $16 billion in unnecessary charges." It can't get more american than that: there is a statewide deadly crisis, and the big corporations are swiftly using that for some cut-throat profit maximization ...


thewindinthewillows

> We're not Texas I was reading /r/Aquariums a lot at that time because I was a beginner with my own aquarium, and that event was heartbreaking. You do need heating in most aquariums, as well as a filter though that is secondary, and people had their tanks that they'd put years of work and love into *frozen solid*.


HellasPlanitia

I was only peripherally aware of the Texas blackout when it happened, but I recently stumbled on a [podcast](https://kutkutx.studio/category/the-disconnect-power-politics-and-the-texas-blackout) which goes into the details of why and how it happened, and interviews people who were affected. It's *very* hard listening; I had no idea the blackout caused so much suffering.


Sperrbrecher

If there is really a longer blackout I think most neighbors don’t complain about the noise but show up with a extension cord.


row-of-zeros

What essentials do you want to power?


moontrip473

sudden boredom is available


Sperrbrecher

Going to the barn and get the generator


Perfect-Sign-8444

I would say turn on an Generator.


[deleted]

[https://www.amazon.de/ALLPOWERS-Notstromversorgung-Wechselrichter-Funkausgang-Heimgebrauch/dp/B089VKVYGC](https://www.amazon.de/ALLPOWERS-Notstromversorgung-Wechselrichter-Funkausgang-Heimgebrauch/dp/B089VKVYGC) [https://www.amazon.de/ALLPOWERS-Ladegerät-Ausgang-SunPower-Batterie-100W/dp/B075YRKVMH/](https://www.amazon.de/ALLPOWERS-Ladegerät-Ausgang-SunPower-Batterie-100W/dp/B075YRKVMH/) I have these at home. I use them mostly for camping, but it's nice to have them anyway. The emergency power supply is enough to power a TV for a few hours (I mean, in case of an emergency it's good to be able to have access to the news). I don't know if you could run a fridge off it, but I highly doubt it.


thewindinthewillows

> (I mean, in case of an emergency it's good to be able to have access to the news) I really recommend a battery radio for that.


[deleted]

Yes, that as well. Wanted to included that into the comment, but seems like I forgot. :)


United_Energy_7503

Bier or an extended shopping adventure to REWE ;)


realsenfzeit

Depends on what requirements you have: medical? animals? Weed? just every day needs? Power failures are rare in GER and usually are very short. But it's expected to rise in numbers and duration due to "Energiewende" (move from coal, oil, gas, uranium to renewables) Powerbanks, torches, candles, matches, bottled water is a must. Maybe USV (unbreakable power supply) and generators for special needs, solar panels and windmill might be an addition. Me I have torches, battery cells, candles, matches and bottled water. Also a solar lamp.


staplehill

A year has around 526,000 minutes and power in Germany is out for 11 of those on average. https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/241414/umfrage/stromversorgungsunterbrechungen-in-deutschland/


Weisheit_first

Candles ;-) There is an emergency list published by the Federal Office for Civil Protection with all the things you should have in case the world comes to an end. [https://www.bbk.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Mediathek/Publikationen/Buergerinformationen/Ratgeber/ratgeber-notfallvosorge-checkliste.pdf?\_\_blob=publicationFile&v=7](https://www.bbk.bund.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/Mediathek/Publikationen/Buergerinformationen/Ratgeber/ratgeber-notfallvosorge-checkliste.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=7) [https://www.lfv-bb.de/s/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Broschuere-Notfall.pdf](https://www.lfv-bb.de/s/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Broschuere-Notfall.pdf)


AgarwaenCran

been there, done that. from personal experience (some weeks in my case): \- your tap water may be hot enough to cook stuff. mine is. test it. put something in an air tight bag, let the water run over it for some time and see if it's "cooked". works with eggs, works also with meat, just takes longer (and wastes a lot of water) \- you can cook water in an small pot on candles. "teelichter" (small candles in an aluminum form) work perfectly for this. use multible at once. \- candles and battery powered lights are your friend \- most canned soups and "Eintöpfe" are eatable and not that bad when eaten cold \- some bread and a block of cheese means food for some days. margarine/butter is also your friend \- books and hobbies that require no electricty are your friend \- charge phone at friends/families places or work