When the Water and Electricity Shut Off in Project Zomboid [Survival Guide]

At Project Zomboid, by default custom sandbox options, water and electricity are cut off at a random time within 14 days. Once the electricity shut off, your survival becomes very difficult because the fresh food in the refrigerators in the game eventually rots. This means that you can only use canned food left in the containers. Even if you build a farm, it won't help because you can't use a refrigerator because you don't have electricity. So you don't want your crops to rot.

New players may not realize it, but water is even more vital than electricity. Because water is the source of life and if you can't drink water your character will die. After the water is cut off, the only water left in the world of Project Zomboid is the water left in the pipes of the sinks. In this article, you will learn how to make preparations before the water and electricity are shut off and how to survive much longer in Project Zomboid.

How to Prepare for Electricity Shut-in Project Zomboid

In Project Zomboid, there is only one way to survive electricity shut, and that is with a generator. These generators provide electricity for your safehouse after the power goes out. Your refrigerators, lights, and all other electrical devices will work able to work with this generator. This way you can store your leftover food and crops for the winter as you wish. Best places to find generators are Warehouses, Garages, Sheds, and Storage Units in Project Zomboid. The generator is quite a heavy object, about 40 kilos. So when you go to find a generator, make sure you take a car with you, because it is not wise to take a 40 kg generator on foot to the base. When you carry something too heavy, you start to slow down, and worse, you can injure yourself.

You cannot use the generator as soon as you find it. You need a certain level of expertise to use a generator.

There are two different ways of operating generators, these are:

1. On the character creation screen choose Electrician, one of the best occupations in Project Zomboid. If you choose the Electrician occupation, you will know how to use generators from the beginning of the game without having to read the magazine.

   
   

1. Read the magazine called How to Use Generators.

How to Operate Generators in Project Zomboid

Once you have learned how to use a generator through the Electrician occupation or by reading magazines, put your generator outside. The part about putting it outside is incredibly crucial because if you put it in a closed place, like inside your house, you can die from gas inhalation. And also if the condition of the generator drops without you realizing it, it can explode and burn your house down. It goes without saying that you also need gas to run your generator.

1. Put the generator on the ground outside.
2. Then right-click and select Connect Generator.

   
   

1. Right-click again and this time click Turn on.

And your generator is now running. And also if you right-click on the generator and select Generator Info you can see the remaining fuel, the condition, and the devices to which the electricity is connected.

Another thing to be aware of is not to lower the condition below 50%, because when it is lower than this level, there is a possibility that it can explode and start a fire at any time.

If the generator's condition drops, you need the Scrap Electronics item to repair it. You only need to carry a messdriver with you to find them. You can collect Scrap Electronics by dismantling all the electronics in the houses you enter and by dismantling the digital watches of all the zombies you kill in Project Zomboid.

How to Prepare for a Water Outage in Project Zomboid

What to do in Project Zomboid in the event of a water cut? Just like electricity, water is cut off within 14 days as a default setting. As important as electricity is, water is vital. So it's best to be prepared even before the water goes out. There are many ways to eliminate the water problem. You can collect water by leaving items such as buckets and pots out in the rain. Or, if you are a good carpenter, you can build rain collectors. You can even meet your water needs easily from freshwater sources. This article focuses on 3 different ways to prepare for a water shortage.

How to Collect Water with Rain Collector

The Carpenter occupation is one of the most useful in the game. They allow you to build your own house in your best base location in Project Zomboid, they even allow you to build rain collectors so you don't run out of water.

At the same time, these rain collectors can be connected directly to the taps and you can continue to use your water fountains as if the water has not been cut off.

To do this:

1. Place your Rain Collector on the top floor of your fountain as in the photo so that it is not directly above it.

1. Connect the rain collector and the sink with a wrench.

1. Your purified clean drinking water is ready to use.

How to Collect Water with a Bucket

If you don't have a high level of carpentry and you don't play Project Zomboid with a friend, then you can resort to this method. You can use anything with a wide mouth, such as pots and pans, in this method.

Take all your pots and pans and put them on the ground in your garden when it is raining. You can take it back when the rain is over, but there is something very important to note here. The water you get this way will be tainted, so before using it, boil it in the oven or on a campfire and purify it.

How to Collect Water from Fresh Water

In Project Zomboid you can fill nearly everything from freshwater sources such as streams, rivers, and streams. But this water will be tainted just like rainwater.

So be sure to purify the water by boiling it before consuming it.