How often do you lose power in Orlando? How long? (Winter Park: house, neighborhoods)

[FrostytheSnowman2]

I have thought about moving to Orlando, but long story short, I have a medical condition that requires electrical equipment. Therefore, I am concerned about power outages. I would very much like to learn about how often power outages typically occur in Orlando and how long they typically last. I am interested in reading about anyone's recollection of the last few years and about sources of information you may be aware of. Thank you.

[firmbizzle]

I've never lost power. I have a generator in my garage that has never been used.

[FrostytheSnowman2]

Originally Posted by firmbizzle

I've never lost power. I have a generator in my garage that has never been used.

Thanks for your response. So that I can get an idea of how often Orlando typically loses power, would you be willing to give me a time frame (specific or general) about how long you are referring to? Did you just move to Orlando, or have you been there for years?

[WellShoneMoon]

Originally Posted by FrostytheSnowman2

I have thought about moving to Orlando, but long story short, I have a medical condition that requires electrical equipment. Therefore, I am concerned about power outages. I would very much like to learn about how often power outages typically occur in Orlando and how long they typically last. I am interested in reading about anyone's recollection of the last few years and about sources of information you may be aware of. Thank you.

I don't think it's helpful to ask how often Orlando loses power, because the answers are going to vary a lot, depending on where you live in this area. For example, a few years ago we had a hurricane just offshore, and I lost power for 22 hours, whereas my daughter, who is three blocks away from me, lost power for several days in that event, and others in this area didn't lose power at all.

It seems to me that if your health requires a steady supply of electricity, you ought to have a generator or some means of guaranteeing your power supply wherever you live. Any area, not just central Florida, can lose power at one time or another.

[bmw335xi]

It depends where in Orlando you live and the specific property. Generally, I’ve only lost power from a hurricane and it’s usually just a few hours. A home generator would fix that. You also could drive to Atlanta if you know a hurricane is coming and don’t want to risk being without power.

[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.

Originally Posted by WellShoneMoon

I don't think it's helpful to ask how often Orlando loses power, because the answers are going to vary a lot, depending on where you live in this area. For example, a few years ago we had a hurricane just offshore, and I lost power for 22 hours, whereas my daughter, who is three blocks away from me, lost power for several days in that event, and others in this area didn't lose power at all.

It seems to me that if your health requires a steady supply of electricity, you ought to have a generator or some means of guaranteeing your power supply wherever you live. Any area, not just central Florida, can lose power at one time or another.

[Arcenal813]

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.

Even then... The power is origination from an overhead source somewhere, and it's when that fuse sitting on the pole atop the riser to underground trips that the entire neighborhood will lose power. Is it less likely? MAYBE... But then when I had a house in a fairly wooded area just outside of Orlando, with underground feed, we still lost power for DAYS in the aftermath of a hurricane. Some friends of mine with overhead power didn't lose any at all.

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.7059...7i16384!8i8192

This line here goes underground at the pole to the left. If a branch falls on those lines to the right, and/or a pole falls and the different phase wires touch, the entire neighborhood being fed by the underground line is out.

My take on this: Just get a generator. Even a cheaper one will save you lots of hassle.

[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.

Originally Posted by Arcenal813

Even then... The power is origination from an overhead source somewhere, and it's when that fuse sitting on the pole atop the riser to underground trips that the entire neighborhood will lose power. Is it less likely? MAYBE... But then when I had a house in a fairly wooded area just outside of Orlando, with underground feed, we still lost power for DAYS in the aftermath of a hurricane. Some friends of mine with overhead power didn't lose any at all.

https://www.google.com/maps/@28.7059...7i16384!8i8192

This line here goes underground at the pole to the left. If a branch falls on those lines to the right, and/or a pole falls and the different phase wires touch, the entire neighborhood being fed by the underground line is out.

My take on this: Just get a generator. Even a cheaper one will save you lots of hassle.

[firmbizzle]

Originally Posted by FrostytheSnowman2

Thanks for your response. So that I can get an idea of how often Orlando typically loses power, would you be willing to give me a time frame (specific or general) about how long you are referring to? Did you just move to Orlando, or have you been there for years?

I've been here since 2006.

[connor35]

I used to live there and lived-in Lake Nona very close to the airport.

When the last hurricane came through, I knew people without power for a week.
Our house was never without power for more than 10 minutes thanks to the airport's grid being high quality.

So you may want to search to see if there are parts of the city that are prioritized more.