Emergency lighting

[Dutchoma]

My dh is suffering from an undiagnosed lung condition and on oxygen during the day and a breathing machine at night. If we have a power cut we will not be able to light candles because you cannot have a naked flame near the oxygen. We have an emergency supply of the oxygen, so no worries with that.
Does anybody have any idea what to do about some emergency lighting? Obviously we have a couple of battery torches, but that's not much bood doing the cooking.

I wouldn't worry - how often to you really need emergency lighting? Once in a blue moon really.
But if you're really worried, how about glow sticks, or some wind up lanterns - the sort you use when camping

Well, power cuts happen...

You could buy a camping lantern that is battery powered. I have one, but can't remember where I got it from, sorry.

Can you look into hiring a small generator if you're worrying about power cuts?
Or try a camping shop for electric battery operated lights

I would go for a few wind-up camping lanterns. You will not have to remember to buy batteries. With modern LEDs they last quite a long time. As you are not actually camping, size and weight are not a concern.

Ordinary emergency lighting as used in office charges off the mains and only runs for an hour or so as it is intended for safe evacuation in an emergency.

"Power cuts happen" - really? Where do you live? I can't remember having a power cut since the miners' strike in the 70s!

Wind up torches and lanterns are your best bet, then no need to worry about batteries discharging when not being used. But as others have said, you wouldn't be able to cook anyway if naked flames are not an option.

You need some leisure batteries and they will run 12 volt lighting for weeks,

www.12voltplanet.co.uk

www.the12voltshop.co.uk/Shop/

You can charge them up off the mains, one would run lights for a week,

In your case I would have at least two,

You can add a solar panel and it will keep them topped up permanently.

You can get a simple system cheaply, I would have a chat with one of the specialist shops, and explain all your needs,

lots of my friends run entire homes off these systems, so it will be really easy to set up a system for your needs.

There are many websites discussing the various merits of the different set ups,

we have 12 volt, so when we have power cuts life go on as normal, I wouldn't be without it. I run decent LED lights, so the batteries with a solar top up go on for ever.

You can add 12 volt TV, microwave, charge phones and laptops, so in your case it would insure you don't have any extra effort going on.

A camping lantern will give plenty of light for cooking by, plus a head torch.

My dh can get 3 nights on cpap from a powerpack which hold their charge a long time

Thanks quoteunquote and CMOT. Does the powerpack charge up again CMOT when the power cut is over? My husband uses a VPAP and is on a three night contract, which frightens him more than it should.
We live in the centre of Northampton middleagedmotheroftwo and powercuts do happen. For my husband the fear of it happening is a bit out of proportion and part of his illness.

You just plug it in to charge - ours seem to need an overnight charge to get to full capacity. We have more than one as dh still likes to camp, and an ehu isn't always available. DH has a ResMed VPAP

So have we. Had it for about 18 months now. Have yo got it from the Brompton?

No, dh has OSA but very severely and the VPAP functionality means it ups the pressure when he has a cold or whatever and he's been much better on it than single pressure CPAP. NHS will only give him bog standard, not even with humidifier, so he bought privately

We have it all from the Brompton, humidifier as well, with an extra mask and a spare humidifier. Anything we want we just e.mail and they send it. But we don't have a power pack.

Bob can't get there any more as he is on oxygen as well, so the local hospice keep an eye on him.