Emergency heat sources

91bravo

91bravo

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Jun 29, 2008
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Looks like we have bitter cold storms coming that’s supposedly going to put some our power grid down. Those of you who live in the dangerously cold areas, what do you do for emergency heat if power goes out? Down here, a wood stove is a saving grace. We have a large kerosene heater with 20 gallons of fuel on hand. A couple of buddy heaters and a few 20 lb propane tanks. This is the South and the cold isn’t as dangerous as it is in other areas of the country. Please share how yall prep for power outages in extremely cold areas.
 
91bravo said:
Looks like we have bitter cold storms coming that’s supposedly going to put some our power grid down. Those of you who live in the dangerously cold areas, what do you do for emergency heat if power goes out? Down here, a wood stove is a saving grace. We have a large kerosene heater with 20 gallons of fuel on hand. A couple of buddy heaters and a few 20 lb propane tanks. This is the South and the cold isn’t as dangerous as it is in other areas of the country. Please share how yall prep for power outages in extremely cold areas.
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Community, going to a nearby relative for a few days if needed. Remember to turn on your lowest water faucet, just a little bit so pipes don't burst.

I think northern states have more infrastructure to keep power on, normally it's only some hours, not being on.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Community, going to a nearby relative for a few days if needed. Remember to turn on your lowest water faucet, just a little bit so pipes don't burst.

I think northern states have more infrastructure to keep power on, normally it's only some hours, not being on.
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My parents have a fireplace and are well stocked with perishables. My mother in law on the other hand, is not as well prepared, so I would have to go pick her up to come stay with us. Keep hearing that this will be one of those 100 year winter storms, and we are the southern edge of it. Just trying to stay prepared best we can.
 
91bravo said:
My parents have a fireplace and are well stocked with perishables. My mother in law on the other hand, is not as well prepared, so I would have to go pick her up to come stay with us. Keep hearing that this will be one of those 100 year winter storms, and we are the southern edge of it. Just trying to stay prepared best we can.
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How long will the weather be bad/cold for you?
 
I get by on just the warm air rising (& the warm exhaust going up the chimney). Gas has to be fail safe, if it wasn't the furnace and water heater would have a kill switch that shut them off otherwise.

You may not be walking around the houses up here naked and sweating but you're not gonna freeze to death.
 
This has my interest. Living in the South it's hard to justify having much more than the usual home heating options. BUT... With our about to happen freakish cold nights I keep thinking I need something should the power go out. I know people might laugh at the 20's but here that's freakish cold for the area. So I'm looking around at kerosene heaters and just keep a few gallons handy for an emergency. Along with a CO monitor and maybe a couple other small items. Either that or one of the smaller propane heaters that are made for indoor use.
 
That woodstove is the best option imo, as long as you have wood you can stay warm and you can cook on it too. I have a couple old Coleman laterns that provide enough light to do the things you need to in the dark hours. Fireplaces look nice, but most modern fireplaces don't heat a home very well.

A generator is great as long as you have fuel, but a pretty hefty upfront bill to install a whole house unit. Can be worth the peace of mind for the long run. A portable unit can get you through a short term outage.
 
A 30,000 btu vent free propane heater and a "Big Buddy" 18,000 btu vent free heater and a few 20# tanks of propane has worked well for us in really cold weather when the power is out. I also keep a few extra 12 volt batteries and power inverters for L.E.D. lights and TV newscasts. The igniters on our gas cooktop will not work but a bbq lighter will. We are on a rural water system and in the past the big pump has gone out leaving customers without water, so I keep MANY cases of bottled water for drinking and cooking, and 2 1/2 and 5 gallon jugs for toilets. A variety of food types is always on hand, so we manage to stay warm, dry, and well fed even with the frigid weather and power failures.
 
We picked up a buddy heater a couple days ago. I have about a dozen of the 1 lb bottles and 20 lb bottle of propane. It’s supposed to be 6 degrees here in the morning! Rare that we ever see single digits.
 
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