Bugging in? Can you heat your home? Do you have a plan?

Light Discipline!

 

I reckon I can, but I don't harvest anything but fallen trees just for that reason. Currently firewood here is 80 bucks a cord, I'd rather pay to have it delivered and stacked and save my own until I really need it

 

Short answer is yes. Heat with wood, no need for power. I do have twin generator back up. One gas one Propane. One whole house one just 120 volt. Long term to 20 years.

 

Diesel generator,diesel fuel(not enough) and one solar panel (not enough) plenty of wood(enough)

 

You can get a safe indoor use catalytic heater from Coleman (or 2 or 3) for about $30, and either 1# or 20# propane tanks to power it. Takes about 1# of propane per night. Not a perfect solution, but would help you get by. Also, there are a lot of solar lanterns available for lighting an apartment. I've experimented with those round ones that blow up like a balloon. They work very well and will light up a chair enough to read, or a room enough to walk around. They take almost no room to store.

 

You also can get an adapter to refill your 1# bottles from your 20# bottles,very handey.

 

I have found the 1lb. propane cannusters don't last as long as they used to. Years ago I'd get seven and a half hours in my standard Buddy heater. A couple years back it dropped to five and a half hours. Multiple heaters, different brands of cannisters. I think they are not being filled as much. Just like chips, cookies, etc...... we pay more for less product.
I have 20lb. tanks too, but don't like using them inhouse.

 

I've got a few of those radiator heads you screw onto a 20# propane bottle , you can get somewhere from 2-3 days continuous use out them . They put out pretty good heat on low . I used them in a 3 day power outage , stayed pretty warm . I think the heads are about 50 bucks at Lowes and Depot .

 

Been there, done that, although most winters I don't even need a jacket here at the beach. Heat pump hasn't had a functional defrost coil in it for a decade and when conditions are right, it'll become one big frosty blob. Doesn't work below about 25 anyway, so when I had three days with it frozen solid and temps in the low teens I closed all the doors to the outside rooms, moved myself into the center of the house and heated it quite nicely with two Aladdin 23's. Nowadays I would likely add a couple Rayo's for a quick warm-up in the morning. I kept the place at almost 60 inside with the normal air leaks and drafts around the doors and functional dormer windows being enough to provide ventilation for any fumes. CO detector never barked.


I knew an old farmer in Michigan who lived alone in an ancient two story farm house. In winter he lived in the small living room with the most enormous pot bellied stove I've ever seen. It had rings around it at chest height wide enough to set a coffee kettle on. He burned wood, but preferred rolled newspaper and with very experienced adjustments (Ray was in his mid 90's when I knew him) to the dampers and flue, would really wring the heat out of them. I asked him about the rest of the house and he confirmed that it was unheated and was mostly just used for storage.

I could drag in my brake drum stove, but wouldn't risk moving it without stout helpers.


If I was really in a grid down/cold weather scenario I've practiced building and taking apart a variety of rocket mass heaters that could be built inside the house with stuff we have on hand. With all concrete floors I could lay down a layer of sand and build a camp fire right in the middle of the living room. Open the dormers and let the smoke go out through the roof. The neighbors might think the house was on fire, but the neighbors I have left after the storm would probably bring hotdogs and beer.

We're fortunate that cold weather is usually the least of our concerns.

 

They sell brass caps for the1 lb propane bottles and it pays off big time .
I have found that the 1 lb bottles leak if your only partially use them and or refill them . the quality of the valve is poor . so by adding a brass cap it seals it till your ready to use the rest of it .
I refill my own and have brass caps for all of them. I don't like throwing away gas .

 

I have 4 units with PARTS . Best lamps going for there Job. I lived with the two for years !! in a Hydro plant !!
Il'll post my newest Aladdin
I got at a Garage sale , New wick & trimmer on order & at the WA house ..
Sloth

 

I had one like that 25 years ago. Traded it for a 6" Wilton vice. It was way more than we'd ever need.