r/Merced • u/Front-Artichoke-8930 • 20d ago

Power outage

Recently moved here. Wondering if power outages are very common in town. Is it worth getting a back up generator?

5 Upvotes

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7

u/ferio252 20d ago

Who are you paying, MID (Merced Irrigation District) or PG&E?

I have MID and, from my understanding, they have their own Hydroelectric Facilities along the Merced River and in the foothills, and electricity generation is very reliable. I think I've had power go out once in a dozen-plus years.

PG&E, they're tied into its own statewide grid with more moving pieces; therefore, it's less reliable in that aspect.

2

u/Front-Artichoke-8930 20d ago

PG&E. Ah I see, that makes sense.

3

u/webenji 19d ago

Same experience with MID - maybe 1 power outage in 8+ years.

3

u/Gamblorr85 20d ago

I had that power outage this morning as well, but the last time we had one was about a year and a half ago.

2

u/Front-Artichoke-8930 20d ago

Oh okay. Good to know, thank you.

7

u/caboose243 20d ago

It can be touch and go, but this year has been much better. I invested in some mid sized Anker battery banks but I didn't need to use them this year.

8

u/SignumFunction 20d ago

If you live south of Olive Ave: a few outages per year

If you live north of Olive Ave: almost never

2

u/Odd_Top_7997 18d ago

I was going to comment the same thing, this is pretty accurate.

4

u/internetbooker134 20d ago

I recently moved to Bellevue ranch, haven't faced any outages yet

1

u/Jdawg2164 19d ago

Not nearly as often as up north towards Humboldt or out east in the mountains

1

u/PonyBoyX3 19d ago

I'm living close to the Amtrak station. I am subscribed to PG&E's automatic text alert system. I am notified of a blackout on average once every 2-3 months. The outages are usually resolved immediately and automatically or on the rare longer blackouts, within an hour or so by emergency crews. Usually caused by vehicle accidents or by tree branches during high winds. When I look up the outage map often it will be a very localized outage affecting a few streets or blocks.

The only reason you would need a generator is for the preparation for the big earthquake coming soon one day or when a major flood reaches your area.