Simple Easy Preparedness Tip Everyone Should Know When The Power Goes Out
How often do you lose grid power? I know it happens often around here and we are thankful to be unaffected by grid power loss because we are utilizing solar power on our homestead, BUT this particular circumstance could also affect us…
Have you ever lost power while you were away from home and wondered how long the power was out and if the contents of your freezer are still good? We utilize propane for our freezer and refrigerator and we could very easily get something in our line that would cause it to clog (thankfully in 8 years we have never experienced this or power loss), BUT this is one thing that can cause GREAT loss.
Today, I have a simple, easy trick that can take the guesswork out of how long the electric was off and also whether all may be lost.
You simply fill a canning jar or container 3/4 of the way full and allow it to freeze. Once frozen you simply add a quarter to the top of the ice and place back in your freezer.
If you ever lose power while away from home you will now have a gauge as to what happened in your freezer. If the quarter is still on top of the ice the power must not have been out long and things did not even thaw at all. If the quarter is partially through the ice it is likely that your foods may have thawed a bit, but refroze which would indicate that your food should still be fine. If the quarter is at the bottom of the container it is likely that everything thawed and refroze in which case dependent on the contents things may be questionable and it is likely that if you had meats in paper you will see the telltale signs of thaw with blood that has leaked out of the packages from the thaw.
My sweet friend Mona found this tip sometime over the years and wasn’t quite sure where she found it but knew that I would love to know this trick(and she was right) and she also knew that I would LOVE to share it with you all!
What a great way to add peace of mind and a gauge that may eliminate you throwing a whole freezer full of food away out of fear!
So be sure to take a few minutes and safeguard your freezers!
What did you think of this tip? Pretty simple and smart, huh? We LOVE hearing from you all so share your thoughts below in the comments…
Do you have any tips similar to this one that you would like to share? If so please share in the comments below…
That is a great tip! Thank you. Can’t imagine if our freezers went out without us knowing. It would be awful.
Hi Tammy!
I’m wondering what kind of woodstove you use? If you have any ideas after being off-grid for awhile that you would be able to give me ? I am building (my son’s the actual builder) a tiny home as the answer to senior downsizing…. I would want to be able to use it for heat and cooking/baking.
Hi Sue, Congrats on your tiny home. We are heading in that direction and I SO look forward to the simplicity. Currently we are using Efel wood stove – it is not a wood cook stove although I do use it to cook my food and bake some. I have heard that the Kitchen Queen’s are amazing and that is on my list for future. They are pricier, but I have heard wonderful things about them. Keep an eye on CraigsList in your area to see if anyone has a wood cookstove for sale. Sometimes you can find some GREAT deals. Feel free to reach out anytime on your journey sweet friend! Blessings Tam