FAQ — Alta Vista

RETURN TO FAQs

RETURN TO ALTA VISTA HOME PAGE

————————————————————-

Power Outages — Use of “Yeti-6000X” Power Back-up System

Power outages occur relatively seldom in Tahoe-Donner, and they last typically only a short time (up to a few hours). We have provided a powerful 6 kWh battery which can be employed during a power outage, using extension cords as desired. Please use these steps:

— Find “Yeti 6000X” in the garage or in a closet on the garage floor (Photo 1) in the garage under a workbench.
— Unplug its charger (lower left on front panel).
— Unplug any cable plugged into outlet on right (white arrow in Photo 1).
— Roll Yeti to where you like power and plug items directly into the outlets.
— Use extension cords as needed.
— Activate on/off button (yellow arrow in Photo 1).
— After end of power outage, re-position Yeti and re-install the prior connections, to re-charge Yeti.

You may plug in utility items (microwave, water kettle, hair dryer) as you wish, but use ONLY ONE OF THESE AT ANY ONE TIME. (The Yeti power output is limited to 1500 Watts, and these appliances use about 1000 W each, and using two of these at the same time will blow a fuse). Lights, TV, etc. use very little power and can be on simultaneously.

INTRODUCTION:

The basics: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “POWER” AND “ENERGY”
— “POWER” is measured in Watts (W); 1000 W = 1 kW
— “ENERGY” is measured in “POWER” x “TIME”
e.g., 1000 W used 1 hour =1000 Wh (=1 kWh) ENERGY consumption.
— the “Yeti 6000X” battery has an ENERGY capacity of 6 kWh (=6000 Wh),
i.e., it can deliver 10 W POWER for 600 hrs or 1000 W POWER for 6 hours or anything logical in-between.

Tahoe Donner is serviced by TDPUD. As a wildfire prevention measure, PG&E may forc TDPUD to turn off electric power during extreme weather conditions. During such "Public Safety Power Shutoff" (“PSPS”) situations, outages may last for as long as several days. This has actually happened seldom in the past at Tahoe Donner but nowadays, with global warming, it may happen more frequently.
To bridge over outages, we have equipped our Alta Vista home with a 6000 Wh (6 kWh) “Yeti 6000X”back-up battery. In a few simple steps, the battery can be connected to wherever needed. (Using a “power transfer switch” for this purpose is currently not available — use extension cords, instead, as needed).

WE PROVIDE THIS AMENITY FOR OUR OWN PERSONAL USE BUT MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO OUR GUESTS AS A COURTESY. IF YOU MAKE USE OF IT, PLEASE DILIGENTLY FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

=================================

CAUTION:

Do not connect sand use any two of the following appliances at the same time: microwave, toaster, water kettle, coffee maker, hair dryer. If that happens accidentally, the fuse above the right red transfer switch will be blown. To correct, turn off the offending appliance(s), press the fuse re-set button above the transfer switch, and try again, ONLY ONE APPLIANCE AT A TIME. (!!!).

BASIC UNDERSTANDING

Here are some basic notes providing understanding how long the battery will last, and how to conserve battery energy:

— Treat this back-up power like you would use a flashlight. Use only when needed, as it runs out of power after a while. Whenever you use Yeti energy during the brown-out period, such as for lights or TV, the energy left as power reserve will shrink. The front panel of the Yeti shows you how much energy you are currently using and how much is still left. You start with 5-6000 Watt-hours at your avail, which can bridge over quite a long power outage if you are frugal.

— When on Yeti power, there are three items that more or less constantly use power: the Internet system, the TV system (they use about 500 Wh per day just for stand-by); and the refrigerator (figure about 1.5kWh = 1500 Wh per day minimum).

— Therefore, if you want to be super-conservative in a PSPS outage with uncertain duration, you may want to turn off the extension cords and connections to the Yeti entirely during the night hours when you don’t need them.

— The refrigerator uses relatively most energy (minimum about 1.5 kWh in 24-hours), and you can greatly conserve its power consumption by MINIMIZING OPENING THE REFRIGERATOR DOORS AND PLACING ITEMS INTO IT. ALSO, MINIMIZE USE OF THE ICE MAKER (making ice uses a lot of power; better, turn the ice maker off).

— Modern lighting (as opposed to the old incandescent light bulbs) uses relatively little power. Nonetheless, MINIMIZE THE DURATION WHEN ANY LIGHTS ARE ON BUT NOT USED.

— Microwave, coffee maker, water kettle, and toaster are high-wattage appliances (about 1000 Watts power each when in use); but they are usually used only for short periods of time, and the total energy consumed while in use is therefore usually low. ONLY ONE AT A TIME.

DETAILED ENERGY CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS DURING BROWNOUT PERIODS

NOTE THAT YOU HAVE 6 KWH (=6000 Wh) MAX STORED FOR USE DURING A POWER OUTAGE.
This will bridge over several days if you are frugal with your energy consumption.

Here are some rules of thumb:
— Internet: consumes 250 Wh per day
— Refrigerator: consumes ~ 1500 Wh per day if opened sparingly
— Single light bulb: 7-12 Wh per hour (“almost” negligible impact on battery)
— TV: >~ 500 Wh standby per day; addl. ~100 Wh per hour while in use;
— add 100 Wh per hour if you use the DVD player).

— Microwave: ~ 800 W, uses about 80 Watts for a 6-minute engagement
— Toaster: 1200 W; but only ~ 120 Wh per usage event
— Coffeemaker: 800 W; but only ~ 100 Wh per brewing event.
— Water kettle: 1200 Watts;l; about ~ 200 Wh to boil 2 cups of water.
ONLY use o1 utility (toaster, coffeemaker, kettle, hair dryer) at any ONE time

— Shower: DHW is heated by gas and should remain available during a power outage
— DO NOT CONNECT AN ELECTRIC HEATER TO THE YETI (it will exhaust the available battery energy in very short time).
— Space heating: is not available; it requires power to run a fan.
Instead, you may connect the upstairs gas-fireplace to the Yeti.

WE MAY RUN INTO REAL FREEZING PROBLEMS IF THERE EVER IS A LONG POWER OUTAGE DURING VERY COLD WINTER WEATHER. We would be in direct contact with guests in that eventuality.

================================

Call Klaus at 408-731-0794 if there is any question or problem.

This battery power outage back-up feature is new, and we will appreciate your letting us know any noteworthy experience you gain using it during a power outage.

RETURN TO FAQs

RETURN TO BELLA VISTA HOME PAGE

110423