How often do you lose power in Orlando? How long?

[shadowne]

Fifty plus years in the area and very rarely have I been without power more than several hours at a time. The longest I can recall was just under three days. That's the good news. The bad news is that even a few hours without power in the middle of summer (hurricane season) is insufferable. If you buy an older home on those beautiful tree lined streets filled with old oaks your odds of losing power will increase. Try to buy near a hospital or other high priority service with a strong grid.

[kyle19125]

After strong hurricanes it's not unusual for some neighborhoods to be without power for a week or more, due mostly to being in areas where power lines are predominately above ground and where there is more dense mature tree coverage given tree branches are usually the major culprit. The OP would be wise to consider a better quality whole-house generator into their housing budget.

[RICANRICAN]

In flager County where I'm moving to from nyc they replacing the electrical poles in the main areas many with concrete Poles hopefully this is happening all over Florida!

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Benny the Mutt

Excellent post. One big "depends. Depends on whether or not your power comes in from the ground or off a pole.


In the case of the OP, a permanently installed standby generator would do well. Fires up when power goes out, runs off a tank in the back yard, auto switches power source.

Actually had underground electric in one neighborhood, but on the coast-10 miles in -. When hurricane Erin hit South of us we lost electricity for a week. The electricity somewhere was above ground coming to our neighborhood and we could hear the transformers on the poles blowing blocks away. Also the underground wiring got flooded out when we got 20 inches of rain in a day in tropical storm.

For the whole house generator be sure and have it checked out before hurricane season-same for portable. Had friends who thought they would have power and did not have it when needed because it would not turn on. One hurricane we did not get the portable generator serviced and it failed when needed.

It has been since the 1980s sthat Orlando had black out in the whole area. It was over Christmas when the temps got down in the teens and everyone was using heat. Power was lost for 3 or 4 days in some areas. Hopefully that won't happen again because everything has been upgraded.

To the OP when choosing a place to live being in an area where there is a hospital, gas stations, grocery stores will usually mean your electricity will come back sooner. Neighborhoods with just houses will have less priority to get electric back on. You can register with local authorities before hurricanes to let them know health problems require electricity and they may ask you to go to a shelter with generators for compromised health.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Benny the Mutt

If you mean the 300,000 volt transmission lines? Not worried about them, but the poles strung along neighborhoods are susceptible to large fallen trees, vehicular mishaps as well as destructive winds. If I MUST have power on demand I would have a whole house automatic back up. My uncle lived in Winter Park, 32789 when Charlie was making its Orlando debut. On that Friday afternoon they lost power before 6 pm. It stayed that way for 12 days. Then Frances took them off the grid for a week. I can get by with my Honda 2,500 watt Honda.

I was referring to the distribution pole. The one with the fuse(s) and riser that goes underground. Like the 3-phase shown here that feeds multiple subdivisions back in this area:

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0937...7i16384!8i8192

If those large trees fall onto the lines, or the lines touch for any other reason, those fuses pop, and all of that UG power goes out.

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

Actually had underground electric in one neighborhood, but on the coast-10 miles in -. When hurricane Erin hit South of us we lost electricity for a week. The electricity somewhere was above ground coming to our neighborhood and we could hear the transformers on the poles blowing blocks away. Also the underground wiring got flooded out when we got 20 inches of rain in a day in tropical storm.

For the whole house generator be sure and have it checked out before hurricane season-same for portable. Had friends who thought they would have power and did not have it when needed because it would not turn on. One hurricane we did not get the portable generator serviced and it failed when needed.

It has been since the 1980s sthat Orlando had black out in the whole area. It was over Christmas when the temps got down in the teens and everyone was using heat. Power was lost for 3 or 4 days in some areas. Hopefully that won't happen again because everything has been upgraded.

To the OP when choosing a place to live being in an area where there is a hospital, gas stations, grocery stores will usually mean your electricity will come back sooner. Neighborhoods with just houses will have less priority to get electric back on. You can register with local authorities before hurricanes to let them know health problems require electricity and they may ask you to go to a shelter with generators for compromised health.

Well... It's the fuses that pop and make that noise... Not transformers blowing, but other than that, I fully agree with your post.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

I was referring to the distribution pole. The one with the fuse(s) and riser that goes underground. Like the 3-phase shown here that feeds multiple subdivisions back in this area:

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0937...7i16384!8i8192

If those large trees fall onto the lines, or the lines touch for any other reason, those fuses pop, and all of that UG power goes out.



Well... It's the fuses that pop and make that noise... Not transformers blowing, but other than that, I fully agree with your post.

So the explosion sound is just a fuse?

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

So the explosion sound is just a fuse?

Yeah... Critical components are protected by fuses to prevent catastrophic effects (blowing transformers, etc.)

https://www.yorkelectric.net/faq/wha...%20your%20home.

A transformer CAN blow, but it is very rare, and is usually followed by a fire ball.

[Benny the Mutt]

Yes, the distribution and sub distribution poles go down in big storms and takes out a wide area. The 3 uppermost cables carry kilo volts. Lots of them. When power lines come down a pipe and begin their journey underground, you will find transition equipment including circuit breakers.



When a transformer goes on a pole there is a bright flash followed by a potent explosion. Its caused by a lightning strike.

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

I was referring to the distribution pole. The one with the fuse(s) and riser that goes underground. Like the 3-phase shown here that feeds multiple subdivisions back in this area:

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0937...7i16384!8i8192

If those large trees fall onto the lines, or the lines touch for any other reason, those fuses pop, and all of that UG power goes out.



Well... It's the fuses that pop and make that noise... Not transformers blowing, but other than that, I fully agree with your post.

[Benny the Mutt]

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

A transformer CAN blow, but it is very rare, and is usually followed by a fire ball.

The fireball is burning oil from the transformer plus the nice colors from the burning metal.

[Jensen440]

Frankly, FPL does one helluva job restoring power quickly.