Lights are Flickering...
By DE
@DaddyEvil (146380)
United States
April 24, 2025 6:49pm CST
It has been raining off and on all day but started storming about half an hour ago, then the lights started flickering. We're on the same circuit as the hospital at this house so I hope we don't lose power.
We've lost power twice in the last 7 years here. Once when a semi truck and trailer ran off the road and knocked a power line down. (The driver was drunk at the time.) That took about six hours to fix.
The second time we lost power was when lightning struck one of the transformers at the power station just down the street from our house. The guys from the electric company showed up right away and started working to replace the transformer but had to stop twice when it started lightning close to us... It took them about 4 hours to do the work and bring the power back online.
We have a 6000W power station (portable) here but we haven't used it yet. It's supposed to be strong enough to run our lights, the fridge and the air conditioner if we need it to do that for 24 hours.
Do you have a power station or a generator if the power goes out at your house?
21 people like this
20 responses
@allknowing (144371)
• India
25 Apr
Load shedding as we call it is regular here We have a Home UPS that takes care of our fans, lights, TV and Computer when power goes off
2 people like this
@allknowing (144371)
• India
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil I do not suppose you need this as it happens rarely where you ive but you can always keep those lanterns and candles
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Oh, nice! I always hated being left in the dark until the power came back on again.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@allknowing I won't get rid of the lanterns and candles, just in case. Something could happen to the power station but I certainly hope nothing does.
2 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (114957)
• Marion, Ohio
25 Apr
We have a small generator. But our electric company is very good at getting things fixed. We have not needed it
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
That is nice!
Most of the electricity cables are underground now so it takes a lot for the power to get knocked out and it's usually just along certain parts of the city that there's a problem. Like when the lightning hit a transformer at the electric company. We watched that happen from our front porch. It looked like a bomb went off!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
22h
@wolfgirl569 The electric company buried most of our electric lines after we had that nasty ice storm in 2015. I thought that solved all our electric problems until that semi truck took out one of the light poles just up the street from us.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (97512)
• United States
25 Apr
It seems our power going out a couple times every year. Almost always it is due to storms. The longest was four days after an ice storm, and the shortest was probably an hour. The hour was when some moron was not careful with a tree.
I’m very glad to hear you have a generator.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (97512)
• United States
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil Two weeks is just crazy! I would have gone nuts.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@AmbiePam Pretty was away at college when that happened and I'm happy reading and being left alone... The second week, a friend came and insisted I go stay with him and his family until the power came back on. He helped me chip the over two inch thick sheet of ice off my car so I could get out and go to the grocery store and do other errands. He lived on the other side of the city from me and never lost power at all during the storm or after it.
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (188248)
• United States
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil Naturally, all of the above. We get a fair amount of heavy weather. I also have an indoor heater for the winter.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@snowy22315 We had several indoor heaters at our last house. This house has central heating so we've never needed the heaters here. (I think Pretty still uses one sometimes, though. When she comes out of her bedroom and I'm in the little hallway between our bedrooms, I feel a draft of hot air.)
I hope the storms we're getting now miss you.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Believe me, I understand. You do have flashlights and lanterns or candles, right?
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Oh, nice! Have you ever used yours yet? We haven't used ours yet and, I hope, we never need it. But it's nice to know it's here if we do need it.
2 people like this
@rakski (135630)
• Philippines
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil fortunately we haven't used it for power outage. But we were able to use it when we had our circuit breakers replaced
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@rakski It's nice to have it for repair work on your house. We may need ours for that in another month when the electrician comes to work on the wiring through the house.
2 people like this
@arunima25 (89934)
• Bangalore, India
25 Apr
We do get power cut or load shedding here, though not much. But definitely during bad weather or when some technical glitch is there. We have a backup generator in our apartment and so it doesn't bother much.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@arunima25 That's very nice! I'm not an electrician so I don't know how to hook ours up to take over when the power goes out. I just know how to hook it up after the power is out.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
It's always nice to have some kind of backup if the power goes off for any reason. I'm glad there is a generator for the apartment when that happens. 
2 people like this
@arunima25 (89934)
• Bangalore, India
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil Yes, and it's very quick. Sometimes we don't even realise that there is a power cut. Most of our appliances except for our geyser and iron box works on the backup.
2 people like this
@much2say (57477)
• Los Angeles, California
25 Apr
We don't have an extra power source . . . but generally the power is back on pretty quickly here (eek I hope I just didn't jinx myself). There were times it was off for hours, but it wasn't a serious biggie . . . to be honest, I loved it having to be without power so we can be creative with family time. My biggest worry was food in the fridge/freezer - I would scream if I had to toss out everything - thankfully we've never had to do that in this house (again, I hope I just didn't jinx myself). Hope you didn't untimately lose power out there!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Thanks. Nope, no power loss last night, thank goodness!
When an ice storm took the power lines off our house back in 2015, I started cooking everything in the fridge and freezer and calling friends to come eat it. Good thing, too. The power was out for over 2 weeks!
I'm glad you haven't lost power for long at a time in your present house...
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
I was pretty sure you would have mentioned having one before now if you did. I always worry about you in your "safe place". 
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (84268)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
25 Apr
We have been lucky and no power problems here not even during the last hurricane, I hope your power problems get solved,
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
22h
Thanks. We didn't lose power during the storms last night.
I hope your good luck keeps holding on for years to come.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
We always had flashlights and candles in different areas of the house just in case we lost power but I finally decided I wanted the power station right before I lost my job at Walmart and bought one. We haven't needed it yet but I'm glad we have it if we ever do need it.
I wish you and your hubby had one, too. But you guys could always come stay with us if you needed to.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
I also have a small power bank I bought years ago and lost when we moved. After clearing out my bedroom closet so the guy could get into the attic, I found the small power bank and it still had a full charge after going missing for seven years... I was shocked it was still working!
I'm glad you guys have power banks and his truck if the power goes out there.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
I always hated it when the power went out. While I was growing up on the farm, we had lanterns and candles when the power went out... I always had flashlights and candles until I bought this power station three years ago. We haven't needed it yet and that's kind of nice. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (351421)
• Rockingham, Australia
13h
@DaddyEvil We felt the same about the generator. At least we had it if we needed it.
1 person likes this
@almostoveryou (4837)
• Philippines
25 Apr
Good to know you have a portable power station. We have generators here in the apartment residences. I'm glad we haven't experienced any major power outage since we moved here.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
I hope you never need the generators but glad you have them just in case.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (43051)
•
25 Apr
We cannot have a generator here. I do have an emergency weather radio, with charging ports for phones, etc. that can be hand pumped if needed to recharge. But so far the batteries are still fine in it without having to recharge them.
I hope your power didn't go out. I hate it when it does, especially at night.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Thanks. No, we didn't lose power. I just fell asleep watching a YT video and just woke up. (I was up all day while the guy was here putting in the new bathroom fan and light and showed me how to use them.)
After I emptied out my bedroom closet so the guy could get into the attic space, I started looking through all the boxes that had been stored there since we moved here seven years ago and found the power brick I'd bought years ago to recharge phones if we lost power and it's still fully charged. That surprised me!
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@MarieCoyle True... It's made to recharge phones but can be used for anything that can plug into it.
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@MarieCoyle (43051)
•
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil
So that was a good thing, that you found it. Now if you need it you’ll have it handy. Amazing battery life!!
2 people like this
@celticeagle (173530)
• Boise, Idaho
25 Apr
I hope all is okay and you didn't lose power. Do you have candles? I have often thought it would be a good idea to get a generator. I see them for sale on QVC and HSN sometimes. Good luck!
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (94042)
• Arvada, Colorado
25 Apr
Oh good you have that power station for sure..
No power does not go out here at all..not so far anyway
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Oh, that's very good, too. I was glad to be close to the hospital as they get fast repairs for any power outages here.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (473107)
• Switzerland
25 Apr
@DaddyEvil - We have lanterns battery powered should the light go off. It never happened in Switzerland during 26 years, I hope we will be lucky also here. All power cables are underground also here.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
@LadyDuck I have one battery powered lantern and candles now and a bunch of different flashlights... After a huge ice storm in 2015 knocked the power out for most of the city, all the power lines were buried here, too. There are still a few power lines that aren't buried, like from our house to our stand-alone garage, but all the major lines are underground. But there are still some components to the electrical system that are above-ground.
I hope you're just as lucky in the new house as you were in the last one.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
Thank you. Our power didn't go off.
Then you'd be in the dark if the power goes out... I hope you have candles or lanterns or flashlights if it does go out.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
5h
They're very handy to have around... After you buy it, it will seem like you never use it. 
@Marilynda1225 (84422)
• United States
25 Apr
Hope that storm doesn't get bad enough for you to lose power.
Nope, I don't have a generator if our power goes out.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (146380)
• United States
25 Apr
The storm didn't seem that bad last night but we have limbs down in the back yard today. Thanks.
I hope you have battery powered lanterns and flashlights, at least.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (84422)
• United States
6h
@DaddyEvil Yes I have plenty of battery powered lanterns and flashlights.
1 person likes this
