Off-Grid emergency heating for bug in.

[HoneyBadger]

Our "off-grid" heating plan sounds a lot like Kazoo's. After not having a furnace for several days when it was below 10* outside in March 2013, we learned some valuable lessons. Fortunately, we could rely on still having gas and electric then.

Off grid? Isolate one small living space in your house to keep warm. Insulate it well with blankets, bed comforters, sleeping bags, plastic sheeting, whatever you have. We have a big buddy with several spare 20lb propane tanks, but that won't last forever and those aren't safe to use in a confined space. We could run a couple of 1500W electric heaters from our generator, but that also wouldn't last forever.

Assuming this is not a permanent condition, draining water pipes would be a wise decision to avoid freezing pipes and water damage. If we lost gas and electric at our house, without an expected return time and the long term forecast was significantly below freezing, we'd probably bug out.

[StagLefty]

those aren't safe to use in a confined space.

I highly recommend a carbon monoxide detector nearby, which is what I did.
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[Great-Kazoo]

have a big buddy with several spare 20lb propane tanks, but that won't last forever and those aren't safe to use in a confined space. We could run a couple of 1500W electric heaters from our generator, but that also wouldn't last forever.

Assuming this is not a permanent condition, draining water pipes would be a wise decision to avoid freezing pipes and water damage. If we lost gas and electric at our house, without an expected return time and the long term forecast was significantly below freezing, we'd probably bug out.

I highly recommend a carbon monoxide detector nearby, which is what I did.
Sent from my KFOT using Tapatalk 2

The Big Buddy has an O2 sensor / shut off. Unless you really are sealed off w/out ANY outside airflow from other rooms, the O2 issue is ALMOST non-existent .
Back east we had such a draft no matter what we did, short of redoing the wall and roof , there was always air movement within the house. Back then we used a large passive kerosun heater during winter months. Having a guy with access to kero our cost was minimal during colder months.

Everyone should have the detectors already in place.

[DHC]

I thought this was s cool idea and probably something that could be DIY. I know many folks have tent stoves for hunting an stuff.

Might not be the most incognito way of heating a space in the house, but if you had a week like a couple weeks back with some negative temps, you may find yourself wanting to get warm.

http://www.cylinderstoves.com/window...kit-p-121.html

I have a Mr. Heater Big Buddy heater if I have to take the chill out of the air, but you can only store so much propane.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-MH18...g+buddy+heater


What do you all have? Or do you have any better plans?

We have a radiant style kerosene heater with enough kerosene to last for at least a few days. If the need extends beyond a week or so, more kerosene will have to be found/procured. Now that you mentioned it, I'll probably stock up on a few more 5-gallon cans of kerosene. Not much of a plan, but at least it will get us through a short-term outage.

[rbeau30]

We have a radiant style kerosene heater with enough kerosene to last for at least a few days. If the need extends beyond a week or so, more kerosene will have to be found/procured. Now that you mentioned it, I'll probably stock up on a few more 5-gallon cans of kerosene. Not much of a plan, but at least it will get us through a short-term outage.

Yeah I was thinking about those really cold cold days that can happen. I will do what Kazoo suggested... shut down the rest of the house, define one area for living area, probably the most interior of spaces.

I like the soap stone stove idea. Can you just put those in any house? basically cutting a hole in one of the walls for the chimney? I have a gas fireplace, but gas will not be around forever. Plus it requires electricity. I can run it off of a couple C-cells in theory and there is a place to put batteries in a battery pack, but that isn't forever.

Layers of preparedness. Short term i have a Mr Heater, but I need to start thinking about what if...

[HoneyBadger]

The Big Buddy has an O2 sensor / shut off. Unless you really are sealed off w/out ANY outside airflow from other rooms, the O2 issue is ALMOST non-existent .
Everyone should have the detectors already in place.

Yeah, mine shut off after about 4 hours while I was using it to heat my garage (I was conducting a test to see how well it could heat my garage - Answer: not very well) You'll visibly notice that it isn't burning very well if there isn't enough O2.

[rbeau30]

Yeah, mine shut off after about 4 hours while I was using it to heat my garage (I was conducting a test to see how well it could heat my garage - Answer: not very well) You'll visibly notice that it isn't burning very well if there isn't enough O2.

And not as efficient. Normally you cannot smell any combustion.

[XC700116]

I like the soap stone stove idea. Can you just put those in any house? basically cutting a hole in one of the walls for the chimney? I have a gas fireplace, but gas will not be around forever. Plus it requires electricity. I can run it off of a couple C-cells in theory and there is a place to put batteries in a battery pack, but that isn't forever.

Layers of preparedness. Short term i have a Mr Heater, but I need to start thinking about what if...

Yes you can pretty much put one in any house. My mom's house was built around all the newest modern conveniences and efficiency standards and it worked out just fine. Same with my brother's place as he put one in as well. In Northern MN it's really a matter of economics driving their decisions on that since wood is VERY plentiful and they both live in areas where Natural gas isn't an option. So heating costs due to Propane or Electric get very expensive when you're running a furnace from October - May most years. Wood is cheap when you cut and split your own, and the soapstone stoves with the catalytic burn chamber don't take a lot of wood.

Then since both places have a forced air furnace, when they are heating off wood, they set the thermostat to the A/C setting and turn off the breaker for the AC, This automatically runs the furnace fan when temps get high in the living room and circulates it throughout the house. Works great when you've got a house that's got a basement and also warms the other rooms in the house that are away from the living room.

If I knew I was going to stay in my current house for the long haul, I'd probably add one to it as well.

[Great-Kazoo]

Yeah, mine shut off after about 4 hours while I was using it to heat my garage (I was conducting a test to see how well it could heat my garage - Answer: not very well) You'll visibly notice that it isn't burning very well if there isn't enough O2.

You turn the fan on? Mine works well, BUT the shop is also like the house, insulated. For what it is it works keeping you warm. Will it heat a structure of course not it's radiant heat .

[MED]

The only source of heat that I use all winter is two wood burning stoves so no changes necessary for me; I will only own a house that is equipped for wood burning. The two stoves main floor and basement will heat the entire house. I keep multiple chains and spare parts for my chain saws along with 2 cycle oil as well as I have a manual timber saw. I generally have about 100 gallons of gasoline available for extended generator use if needed; I only need electricity to run the well and freezer for short bursts. I don't have anything that runs on natural gas, but I have a good supply of propane and all my camping gear if needed. I plan to build an outdoor fire brick oven at some point, but that is down the road.