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superpower outage affect a menage on multiple nominal head : HVAC system stop cooling or heating , eventide and night hours turn uncomfortably dark , cell phone battery animation becomes a precious imagination , and that ’s not the one-half of it . Food safety equipment in the thick of a power outage is another serious concern , as refrigerators and freezers stop cool as soon as power cuts out .
bang how long food in the electric refrigerator during apower outageremains safe to eat depends on the type of food and length of the power outage . Every year , an estimated 1 in 6 Americans ( or 48 million people ) get unhinged , 128,000 are hospitalized , and 3,000 go bad from foodborne disease , allot to theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC ) .
Photo: istockphoto.com
The life-sustaining information in this usher can both help keep your household healthy and minimise the cost of supplant thrown away frozen and refrigerate food . Whether you have asummer dimout , winter tempest power outage , or local outage from a fallen tree taking out power lines , come these tips and timelines on what ’s still good in your icebox to remain good .
Monitoring Fridge and Freezer Temperatures
lie with the temperatures inside your icebox and freezer is key when determining whether your food is secure to feed after a power outage . agree to theCDC , icebox should be keep at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and freezers should be kept at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit . However , because many refrigerators and deep-freeze do not have a thermostat — and those that do may not provide accurate temperature readings — it can be unmanageable to know exactly how inhuman it is inside the convenience ’s compartments .
Purchasing a twain of inexpensive appliance thermometer will have you easily supervise the temperature of your refrigerator and deep-freeze before , during , and after a index outage to determine if the food stored within is still good to eat . Choose an analogue poser with an prosperous - to - read temperature dial , likethis Rubbermaid refrigerator thermometer available at Amazon . Fridge and freezer thermometer can also cue you into military issue with your appliances even when the power is running , such as if yourfridge is n’t coolingand require to be repaired or interchange .
Power Outage Duration
When find whether food in the fridge or freezer is safe to consume after a power outage , there is no one cold shoulder and dry answer . One of the most important broker , however , is how long the outage lasts . The longer the power is out , the more refrigerated and glacial food will become dangerous to squander .
4 Hours
A refrigerator power outage hold out 4 hours or fewer generally is n’t a concern . When the doors are left closed , the food inside astandard refrigeratorshould ride out stale for approximately 4 hours . If the power outage hold out longer than this , move the icebox ’s milk , kernel , eggs , and other perishable items to a cooler fill with ice to keep them cold .
24 Hours
If your Deepfreeze is at least half full and remain shut , it should be able to wield its recommended 0 - degree Fahrenheit temperature for about 24 hours . If your mogul has been out for a full solar day , purchase a block of dry sparkler from a grocery or big box store and set it in the freezer to help the compartment maintain 0 degree Fahrenheit . determine the appliance thermometer periodically to monitor the temperature , but avoid opening the door unnecessarily , which will fire the temperature .
48 Hours
A full freezer will keep food cold for the longest distance of time in a mogul outage . When the compartment door remain exclude , a freezer should observe the recommended 0 - academic degree Fahrenheit temperature for about 48 hour , or 2 Day . However , if you still have no electrical energy after 2 day , the temperature inside the freezer may rise , causing icy items to set out de-ice . If the major power has been out for a while — or you sleep together that a long outage is likely — purchase some ironic methamphetamine hydrochloride . About 50 Ezra Loomis Pound of dry ice will help a amply stocked,18 - three-dimensional foot Deepfreeze cold for about two days .
Food Safety Tips Before an Emergency
How to Maintain Food Safety During a Power Outage
During a major power outage , there are several steps you may take to help maintain food safety and decrease the likeliness of foodborne illnesses :
Food Safety Tips After Power Is Restored
Once a power outage ends , it ’s all important to value the safety of the food items in your icebox and deep-freeze . Begin by checking the internal temperature of each compartment . Perishable refrigerated food that has been hive away at a temperature expectant than 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 hours must be thrown out . intellectual nourishment in the Deepfreeze that is still covered in ice crystals can be refrozen or cooked . If you have an contraption thermometer in your deep freezer that reads at or below 40 level Fahrenheit once the mightiness is restored , you could also safely refreeze or cook any of the deep freezer content .
Foods You Should Toss
When cleaning out the icebox after a power outage , any perishable intellectual nourishment items that have been stored at temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 or more 60 minutes need to be switch out . These include :
Foods You Can Keep
While many item stored in the icebox must be discard after a power outage lasting four or more hours , there are several food that are safe to keep if kept above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 or more hr . These include :
Everything You Need for a Lush and Healthy Lawn
Keeping your grass unripened and your plants boom does n’t just take a green quarter round — it set about with the proper tools and supply .
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
Photo: istockphoto.com
