When the Grid Goes Down

[Weedygarden]

I'd like to discuss the thoughts about what the impact will be when the grid goes down. It will be more than being without electricity in our homes when it happens.

There will be a big dramatic response from many people within a little time.

The ability to get items will be almost nil. Grocery stores won't have lights. Their coolers and freezers won't work. Their registers won't work.

Gas stations won't be able to pump gas. There probably won't be any ability to manufacture and transport any kind of fuel. We'll all be stuck with little ability to drive in a short period of time.

Phone towers won't work, so no cell service.

Hospitals will struggle to provide medical treatment to some patients who need oxygen and other life saving treatments.

I think of this kind of like the children's book, When you Give a Mouse a Cookie.

What else will be impacted?

 

[kenv1950]

What else will be impacted? every part of your life , just glad I know how to live with very little

 

[Hooch]

I was just wondering last night if a emp hits either solar or man made, will my led headlamp light be damaged n not work.
If so, I need to find some glow sticks n keep one on me at work.
The first time i was in a power outage in the mill was during a bad snowstorm around 2am. It was so dark i couldnt see my hand in front of my face.
So a regular power outage wont affect my phone or headlamp..i always keep one or both on me..but a emp hits ..phone wont work for sure ..for light..if my headlamp doesnt either..that's not a fun thought.
Does anyone know if solar lights will not work too?

 

[UrbanHunter]

I think there is a time line that you have to consider. If the grid goes down some things will stop immediately others will remain on for up to 8 hours...
The first things that will stop are the usually things:
. Electric lights, both indoors and out
. Freezers and refrigerators
. Gas station pumps (that don't have a backup)
. Elevators (that don't have a backup)
. Computers and Cash registers (that don't have a backup)
. Your local internet routers (that don't have a backup)
Within 8 hours electrical systems that have backups will start to fail
. City Water purification and waste water treatment plants will stop
. Pumps to re-fill water towers will stop and tap water will stop when the towers run empty (If you don't have your water storage filled you are SOoL)
. The cellphone towers and regional internet will start to go down as their power backups fail
. Traffic lights will go from flashing, to dark, as their backup power and networks fail.
. As the backup systems for Emergency & Law Enforcement radio systems go down, they will not be able to efficiently dispatch LEOs, Fire, or Ambulances...
. (there may be vehicle to vehicle transmissions for a few days, until their fuel runs out and they run their batteries down)
. Over the air TV and Radio will go down as their backup power systems fail (the emergency broadcast system will go down)
. Hospitals will start to lose power as their generators run out of fuel (several days later), no operations, no lights, no fridges for meds, no compressed
oxygen. They will try to use bottled oxygen as long as they can.
. The pumps that compress natural gas are electric and shortly after their backups go down the natural gas supplies will stop flowing.
. As the gasoline for generators is consumed people will start running out of options for heating, cooling, and lighting...
Things will get very quiet.

 

[Supervisor42]

. The pumps that compress natural gas are electric and shortly after their backups go down the natural gas supplies will stop flowing.
. As the gasoline for generators is consumed people will start running out of options for heating, cooling, and lighting...
Things will get very quiet.

Don't know about elsewhere, but all around here that is incorrect.
The engines that run the NG pumps run on the NG that they are pumping.
I know that because I am one of the few that are certified to work on them .

Almost all backup generators at businesses around here run on a never-ending NG supply.
...And yes, we test them with every hurricane.

 

[Supervisor42]

. Pumps to re-fill water towers will stop and tap water will stop when the towers run empty (If you don't have your water storage filled you are SOoL)

Elsewhere, likely.
But this is false for us too.
The engines that run the water pumps, run on NG also. (That endless stuff ).
Do you care to guess what our electric-power-generation plants run on?

 

[Sourdough]

I lived for years with no electricity from any source. The nearest electricity was 80 miles away.

My very best friend was Coleman Lanterns. Several lanterns and 25 spare mantles, matches & zippo lighters. This was back in the 70's & 80's.

I suspect for most today the absence of water will be their most pressing issue.

Something to think about, most have never experience "zero" light. Humans naturally fear the dark.

"ZERO" light is total complete 100% absence of any visibility......ZERO.

I now inventory over 100 each of all types & size batteries I need.

 

[kd4ulw]

That’s why we prep. It wouldn’t be smart to try and go to town to stock up after this scenario, as civil order could break down very quickly.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Sorry @Supervisor42, I was going off the reports from the Texas event a few years ago when they did not have sufficient pressure to run some of the turbines because someone had switched from natural gas powered engines to electric motors in the network... and when the grid went down the pressure dropped.

I guess that is the other thing about what to expect, it all depends on your location and how interdependent things are on your local grid.

Remember, that to the PC leadership all combustion is bad, and electric is good. In this case going green can be a bad thing...

 

[Tirediron]

I was just wondering last night if a emp hits either solar or man made, will my led headlamp light be damaged n not work.
If so, I need to find some glow sticks n keep one on me at work.
The first time i was in a power outage in the mill was during a bad snowstorm around 2am. It was so dark i couldnt see my hand in front of my face.
So a regular power outage wont affect my phone or headlamp..i always keep one or both on me..but a emp hits ..phone wont work for sure ..for light..if my headlamp doesnt either..that's not a fun thought.
Does anyone know if solar lights will not work too?

what will work is a guessing game, the glow stick could be a life saver, especially somewhere with lots of trip hazards. The small stuff should still work, an old school incandescent flashlight should still function. the little head lamps should still work maybe

 

[LadyLocust]

I lived for years with no electricity from any source. The nearest electricity was 80 miles away.

My very best friend was Coleman Lanterns. Several lanterns and 25 spare mantles, matches & zippo lighters. This was back in the 70's & 80's.

I suspect for most today the absence of water will be their most pressing issue.

Something to think about, most have never experience "zero" light. Humans naturally fear the dark.

"ZERO" light is total complete 100% absence of any visibility......ZERO.

I now inventory over 100 each of all types & size batteries I need.

You are quite right. I struggled to adjust when moving from the ranch to town because it was always light. (We were about an hour from the closest grocery store). We did have power lines but they went out semi-regularly. I actually like the true darkness because I feel more at peace (yeah, I know that sounds sappy) but I think that's part of what has made folks so psycho; they are out of sync. Also, you learn the moon phases as a biproduct - it provides nighttime light.

 

[Hooch]

what will work is a guessing game, the glow stick could be a life saver, especially somewhere with lots of trip hazards. The small stuff should still work, an old school incandescent flashlight should still function. the little head lamps should still work maybe

I will get some glow sticks and stash them around my area at work and in the gals bathroom too..I'll keep some at home as well just to by me time to figure out what works.
I always have my headlamp on at night there but then iij thought..crap..that might not survive.
I guess it all depends how far away it all is, how much shielding that metal building offers..probably how powerful the zapper was..

 

[Hooch]

Don't know about elsewhere, but all around here that is incorrect.
The engines that run the NG pumps run on the NG that they are pumping.
I know that because I am one of the few that are certified to work on them .

Almost all backup generators at businesses around here run on a never-ending NG supply.
...And yes, we test them with every hurricane.

Do you know what power source pressurized the ng pipes to keep them flowing and where does that happen in relation to the generators you work on?
I recall vaguely here in the us a few years ago that a ng pipline from texas I think that goes up the east coast went down because of something to do with what keeps the pipes flowing and pressurized.

 

[Hooch]

You are quite right. I struggled to adjust when moving from the ranch to town because it was always light. (We were about an hour from the closest grocery store). We did have power lines but they went out semi-regularly. I actually like the true darkness because I feel more at peace (yeah, I know that sounds sappy) but I think that's part of what has made folks so psycho; they are out of sync. Also, you learn the moon phases as a biproduct - it provides nighttime light.

And the stars

 

[Supervisor42]

Do you know what power source pressurized the ng pipes to keep them flowing and where does that happen in relation to the generators you work on?
I recall vaguely here in the us a few years ago that a ng pipline from texas I think that goes up the east coast went down because of something to do with what keeps the pipes flowing and pressurized.

If (when) the power-pole grid here is smashed to the ground, the NG pressure will drop because of the thousands of NG-fueled backup generators that fire up on the same day. Our NG comes from thousands of local wells, not sure what went on in Texas, other than their NG supply system was woefully inadequate. @Pearl mentioned in another thread that they were laying lots of new pipelines out there lately.

 

[Tirediron]

in this part of the world the compressor stations are all run and monitored from a remote internet connection, so the grid goes so does the NG pressure, my guess is that it is the same most places. the guys who know how to run the engines without electronics are few and far between,

 

[Tirediron]

And the stars

there is a lot of light at night without the electric fired light polution. I calved cows for years, only used extra light when it was really needed, some time there is not as much and you trip over a cow , but then you learn about red flashlight lenses and that ends

 

[Amish Heart]

Little granddaughter and I use headlamps, and sometimes not much of anything if the moon is full. Last night was pretty dark, though, when we came home from the hospital, and needed light to put animals up. Our old hardware store and grocery in our little town proper don't use much electricity...have the old cash registers. The hardware, I don't even think has electricity, never has. The grocery would lose the refrigerated stuff, but you could still buy the other stuff. Bins of produce in there are in baskets, not cooled, local stuff. Lots of cans and bulk stuff on the shelves. But there'd be no restocking, no trucks coming in. No Walmart shopping 15 miles out. If the grid goes down, there is no reason in the world I'd want to go to a store for "last minute" stuff. You should have that already. Let the unprepared duke it out.

 

[LadyLocust]

there is a lot of light at night without the electric fired light polution. I calved cows for years, only used extra light when it was really needed, some time there is not as much and you trip over a cow , but then you learn about red flashlight lenses and that ends

Sooo is that referred to as cow tripping instead of cow tipping

 

[Morgan101]

With no electrical grid life would revert back to the late 1800's before electricity, as we know it, was even invented. Maybe I have more faith in mankind. It would certainly be a huge adjustment to be sure, but we aren't stupid. Technology has evolved, but it hasn't been entirely lost. We could go back to the old ways of doing things.

What is the alternative? Are you just going to curl up and die? Of course not. You will adapt and find a different way to do things. Necessity is the mother of invention.

 

[Hardcalibres]

I'd like to discuss the thoughts about what the impact will be when the grid goes down. It will be more than being without electricity in our homes when it happens.

There will be a big dramatic response from many people within a little time.
......

What else will be impacted?

A major and long term grid down will trigger cascading failure in virtually all other modern systems.

The shorter list would be the things that would be unaffected.

The most important changes will those that are a direct or indirect result of what desperate people will do.

It is best to assume that people will go quite berserk.

 

[Tirediron]

With no electrical grid life would revert back to the late 1800's before electricity, as we know it, was even invented. Maybe I have more faith in mankind. It would certainly be a huge adjustment to be sure, but we aren't stupid. Technology has evolved, but it has't been entirely lost. We could go back to the old ways of doing things.

What is the alternative? Are you just going to curl up and die? Of course not. You will adapt and find a different way to do things. Necessity is the mother of invention.

The inventive will invent, the entitled will whine, the scammers will scam, A lot of people will just freak outand probably not live long.

 

[Tirediron]

A major and long term grid down will trigger cascading failure in virtually all other modern systems.

The shorter list would be the things that would be unaffected.

The most important changes will those that are a direct or indirect result of what desperate people will do.

It is best to assume that people will go quite berserk.

A lot of people will go a bit nuts for a few days, then probably fall to their comfort zones, or loot prolly big screeen TVs, then some idiot will torch somehthing cause they are pissed at the system. Cities will burn ....

 

[Pearl]

Texas has it's own grid! I think there has always (since Obama decided he wants to rule the world) been a plan to scare Texas into getting on the big grid. There are Tx politicians trying right now to get rid of our grid! I think the big fail of 2021 was on purpose! When everyone is on one grid they have an upper hand on everyone! If Texas ever loses it's grid, look for the grid being taken out!!

 

[dademoss]

Texas has it's own grid! I think there has always (since Obama decided he wants to rule the world) been a plan to scare Texas into getting on the big grid. There are Tx politicians trying right now to get rid of our grid! I think the big fail of 2021 was on purpose! When everyone is on one grid they have an upper hand on everyone! If Texas ever loses it's grid, look for the grid being taken out!!

Feb 2021. Always remember.

 

[sonya123]

lots of SHTF topics on here lately...( yes guilty too I posted one last week) ....hmmm does that mean anything?

Want me totally ruin your day? So if the entire US grid goes down ( probably not very likely ) and stays down for a long time, all the nuclear power plants in the US will melt down. They have to be cooled, you can't just shut them down ( Fukishima anyone?) and once the fuel for the backup generators runs out they will melt down
there are maps online with all of the locations, thankfully we are not near one

our Amish neighbors live just fine without electricity and we would also if we had to. I would most worry about what happens to my daughter in the city. Her plan is to go to her base and stay there...hmmmm...
People in cities won't get very far if they try to go somewhere, all the traffic lights will go out and it will be crazy traffic chaos everywhere
there are like a thousand pages on this on the other forum

 

[dademoss]

lots of SHTF topics on here lately...( yes guilty too I posted one last week) ....hmmm does that mean anything?

Want me totally ruin your day? So if the entire US grid goes down ( probably not very likely ) and stays down for a long time, all the nuclear power plants in the US will melt down. They have to be cooled, you can't just shut them down ( Fukishima anyone?) and once the fuel for the backup generators runs out they will melt down
there are maps online with all of the locations, thankfully we are not near one

our Amish neighbors live just fine without electricity and we would also if we had to. I would most worry about what happens to my daughter in the city. Her plan is to go to her base and stay there...hmmmm...
People in cities won't get very far if they try to go somewhere, all the traffic lights will go out and it will be crazy traffic chaos everywhere
there are like a thousand pages on this on the other forum

A properly designed reactor does not require an external power source, ask any nuke submarine. They generate power, and can use it.

 

[sonya123]

there is a lot of light at night without the electric fired light polution. I calved cows for years, only used extra light when it was really needed, some time there is not as much and you trip over a cow , but then you learn about red flashlight lenses and that ends

we have no light in our barn now and it's too far from the house to run an extension cord . We use lanterns and headlights. Son's house has no electric he uses an extension cord for his computer and one plug in light

 

[sonya123]

A properly designed reactor does not require an external power source, ask any nuke submarine.

but that is not what they have, all the nuke plants are old , unless they have very recently rebuilt them

 

[elkhound]

i said it before..people will live what i call a 3-5 mile life.

that distance most folks can travel daily for various things and return home and keep a home and all that requires functioning. its the way my area was set up before vehicles. there was a small school and a little store ever so often in these ranges to serve each little section of community.