May 13, 2008    

---

     

Coping with a Power Outage......

Appliances and electronic equipment are more susceptible to power surges than ever before, thanks to their delicate micro-circuitry and computerized controls. We strive to provide high quality power to our consumers. We install lightning arrestors, fuses and breakers to protect the system from the damaging forces of nature and surges beyond our control, and for public safety. Otero County Electric can’t protect the electric system on the consumer’s side of the meter. However, you can help protect your own equipment by unplugging it during a power outage and by installing surge protection. Although we work to get the lights back on as fast as possible, there are some steps to take which will make an outage easier to cope with. First of all, leave a couple of lights on to monitor when power is restored. It is possible that the light bulbs may suffer damage, but bulbs are cheaper to replace than other electrical appliances.

 

To Help Protect Your Appliances:

• Turn off or unplug appliances that come on automatically such as your water heater, water well, heat pumps, air conditioner, refrigerator and freezer. (You may have to turn some appliances off using their individual circuit breaker connected to that particular appliance. This will prevent overloading the power line circuits when power is restored.)
• Unplug sensitive appliances like VCRs, DVDs, computers, TVs, microwaves and answering machines.
• To avoid a fire hazard, turn off any appliance that was in operation when the power loss occurred, such as ovens. Double check to make sure your oven and burners are turned off.
• Finally, set the thermostat on your heat pump, or electric heat to the OFF position.

 

When the Power Comes Back On:

• Give the electrical system a chance to stabilize by gradually reconnecting the appliances you previously unplugged.
• When the power comes back on, turn on only the essential appliances and wait 10 to 15 minutes before reconnecting the others.

 

Refrigerator and Freezer Information:

• Keep doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature.
• Refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
• Freezers that are full will hold temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed.
• You can obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible.
• Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased.
• Keep your refrigerator temperature at 38 - 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Keep your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.

 

If you have any questions please feel free to call:
Clint Gardner - Manager of Marketing and Member Services at 505-336-4550.

 

---