UPS for our fridge

[JenniferW]

Has anyone got a UPS battery for their fridge?

I am a bit concerned about power cuts this winter and need to keep my biologic in the fridge, so was wondering if anyone knew of a small UPS that was suitable for backing up a domestic fridge.

If I search online I get UPSs for medical grade fridges or things that are for Americans surviving hurricanes, I am just looking for something to keep the fridge going for a few hours.

[Potatos]

We get a lot of power cuts in our village so we have a small generator in the shed which we use for longer power cuts. We also have a car battery and inverter for shorter ones.

[JenniferW in reply to Potatos]

I didn't think of a car battery, thanks, that's a good suggestion.

[Potatos in reply to JenniferW]

You need to use the inverter too to change the DC to AC. Get a pure sine wave one to avoid damage to the fridge.

[Neonkittie17]

I don’t, sorry Jennifer, but was wondering the very same myself as soon as I heard re power cuts as to how people would manage their meds and also I have just started a new biologic that needs to be kept in the fridge. 🤷‍♀️ As you’re not supposed to put the biologic pens back in the fridge once out there could be a lot of expensive wastage and hassle for getting replacement meds in time.

[Paula-C]

if there is a power cut for a few hours I'm sure if you put some ice packs in the fridge and don't open the door it will be fine. We have a motorhome and went to France last May on a ferry and had to switch the gas off. We put some ice packs in, the fridge was off for 6 hours and the fridge was around 3-4 degrees when we opened it.

[JenniferW in reply to Paula-C]

That's a good idea, I could keep the ice pack bag I use for taking my injections on holiday in the freezer and just whip it out and pop the syringes on it when there's a power cut. If it lasts more than a few hours I can make an emergency trip to work to use the big work fridge.

[helixhelix]

we keep the ice blocks for my medical bag in the freezer, and a thermometer in the fridge. So can move things if a power cut lasts more than a few hours. The bag has a 48 hour cool span, but I think after 36 hours I would be driving off to the pharmacy to ask them to store the drugs for me ( I collect my drugs from the pharmacy)

[JenniferW in reply to helixhelix]

Of course, the cool bag will last longer in the fridge than being carried around in a hot airport. It definitely sounds like the way to go.

[Otto11]

Hi have you contacted your electric supplier? You can go on their list of people in similar positions who need electric for medical purposes (machinery etc too). They will then give you prior warning if your area is scheduled to have a power cut giving you the opportunity to potentially move your meds to a different area etc. It is a bit of a worry though isn’t it? X

[MadBunny in reply to Otto11]

I didn't know you could do that. Thank you . I'll get it sorted .

[Otto11 in reply to MadBunny]

I only found out about it recently & we rang them & it was simple to add me to their list. I mentioned it to an electrician friend the other day & he said yes & knew all about it. It may help I don’t know 🤷🏻‍♀️

We will see x

[JenniferW in reply to Otto11]

I never thought of that. Thanks to my biologics I function like a fairly normal person, apart from a distinct lack of strength and stamina, so I forget how seriously ill we all are. I will let them know. Thank you

[MadBunny]

Thank you for bringing it to our attention- for some reason the thought never occurred to me 🙄

[Hidden]

You can ask to be added to the Priority Register with your Utility Service Providers if you need to store medications in the fridge or if you need power for medical devices or aids like nebulisers, electric wheelchairs, stair lifts etc

nationalgrid.co.uk/customer...

[JenniferW in reply to Hidden]

Great, thank you for the link.