The other night, the Meralco transformer on our street went kaput. It caused power fluctuations and low voltage for a few minutes and an all-out outage eventually.
We were partly spared from a total brownout since we had some power banks, rechargeable fans, and lights for such situations. We got through the night still sweaty and uncomfortable but less miserable.
Meralco did respond to the complaint rather urgently but repair work took quite some time. They did send out technicians a couple of hours into the outage but it took them two crews and shifts to install a new transformer. Power was only restored well into the morning yesterday.
Among my concerns when it comes to outages is refrigeration. An overnight outage should be manageable as long as we keep the insides cold. But alas, the power fluctuations fried our fridge. I did flip its breaker off as quickly as I was able, but the initial surge probably knocked the sensitive electronics out. It wasn’t getting cold and I wasn’t able to hear the compressor buzz.
I keep our fridge well-stocked. The freezer was still full and half of it was occupied by specialty meat cuts that I keep on hand so I can always cook the wife and the kid something special when I feel like it.
With the fridge not cooling, all the stuff eventually thawed over yesterday despite our attempts at keeping them cold. I had no choice but to engage in a cooking marathon to avoid part of the stock going bad. The earliest an “authorized” repair guy could check the fridge would be Friday, so I’ve really no choice but to just empty it out.
Yesterday, I already turned some beef sukiyaki slices into gyudon and marinated some 3 kilos of flank steaks in a variety of sauces. Fortunately, they’re now sitting inside my brother-in-law’s fridge and freezer along with some other nitrate-filled items that should’ve weathered the thaw. At least those we can enjoy at a later time.
Today, I’m cooking steaks, salmon, and sausages. There’s also pork adobo stewing on the stove and I’m still wondering whatever we could do with the chicken.
I guess I have to notify my grocer to skip this week’s delivery since I have no way to keep produce fresh.
There’s not even a guarantee that an economical repair of the fridge is possible. We have to consider the possibility of needing to replace it entirely. To be fair, it served us for a good decade. Considering how disposable appliances have been, I guess sulit na din.
Anyway, the wife’s reporting to the office. The kid is already at school. And I’m just here fussing with containers of meats and fish in between tasks from my actual day job.
I know some people (*wink wink*) who might be wondering after reading this if they can help me deal with my surplus food, heck. Sure, why not. You know the drill. Hehe.
We should be able to hold Meralco liable for such damages. Lakas makasingil kahit na pulpol ang pasilidad at serbisyo.
Still, I need a new ref.