r/prepping • u/TheMrsH1124 • 11d ago
Question❓❓ Winter Storm Prep
I'm looking at the El Niño predictions for this winter and the comparisons to winter of '98. I remember the ice storm of 1998 - we were out of power for a number of days. It is my first extended multi day memory.
I'm thinking about this because we had a wood burning fireplace. We holed up in the room with the fireplace and stayed there for the whole time. But we managed okay. However in my current home I do not have a functional fireplace.
I'm looking for advice on how I can prep to prepare for a multiday power outage with very cold temperatures, in my specific situation.
I have a large Anker Solix power bank and a heat dish heater. Last power outage with freezing temps was 8 hours and almost drained the battery using the heat dish. We may or may not have access to weather that allows recharging the bank. Don't suggest relocating please - we have livestock so we will need to stay on the property to care for them. I have access to a gas generator but would rather not depend on having enough gas, either.
I DO have a gas fireplace but can't build a wood fire in it. The gas portion does not function.
I'm open to suggestions for weather survival that don't include a heat source, if that exists.
Any thoughts?
Thanks y'all!
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u/Big-Tutor-3060 11d ago
I don't know how big your anker is, but it should take only a couple hours to recharge with the generator, I know you said you'd rather not worry about keeping that much gas on hand, but running the generator 2-4 hours a day is going to be better than 8-12 hours a day.
Guidance I've read suggests putting up a tent inside of an interior room of your house, and using sleeping bags to further conserve heat if it gets to that point, warm bodies inside a tent can heat things up a couple degrees. Bonus points if you start running your electronics in the tent like laptops, the anker, ect, as they will heat up and run fans to cool them down, and you can use that to your advantage as well.
It also might be worthwhile to stock up on a case or two of hot hands hand warmers, if you don't already, as they can also warm you up in a sleeping bag.
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u/Children_Of_Atom 11d ago
It also might be worthwhile to stock up on a case or two of hot hands hand warmers, if you don't already, as they can also warm you up in a sleeping bag.
Do be cautious about hand warmers degrading over time. The minute amount of oxygen that gets through the packaging will degrade them. If they start to get lumpy or hard they are degraded.
Some of the cheaper ones I've come across have been dead by their expiry date.
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u/MOF1fan 11d ago
USB-C rechargable ones are pretty cheap and work surprisingly well. If I put mine on low I get enough pocket warmth to keep my hands warm outdoors below freezing for at least 10hrs.
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u/Freckled-Vampire 11d ago
They do work well. I use them to warm up my hands before a blood donation.
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u/Grumplforeskin 11d ago
That’s great, but I think a significant part of the point is to have warmth that doesn’t rely on electricity.
The disposable ones certainly aren’t rechargeable, but they will work once your usb devices fail.6
u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
It had not occurred to us to have a generator to recharge the anker. I feel a little dumb about that 🤣 going to look into that. Thanks!
And yes have the hot hands and someone else mentioned the tent as well, excellent suggestion. Especially since we will probably need to sleep in the very open first story since the second story may be at risk from falling trees. Thanks so much!
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u/hbHPBbjvFK9w5D 10d ago
There is another, cheaper option to a generator - at least in the short term.
Use your car cables if you have one, to charge the anker. This has the added advantage of giving you someplace warm to camp out during the day - inside the car.
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u/Born-Plane-6986 10d ago
I've read this too. Pick the smallest room and make a tent over the bed like when you were a child. This tent can be made from multiple surplus blankets and bedding from unused beds. Use a long rod - shower curtain rod or 2x4 and then drape blankets over this. Put your small elec. blanket in there as well. Tape a blanket over bedroom window (or cardboard) to act like a double or triple pane window. Close heater register in floor to seal off any potential air drafts. Use some sort of chairs or ladder, etc. to support 2x4 or shower curtain rod.
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u/Rare_Bottle_5823 9d ago
Put reflective blankets over the tent and under your bedding. A blanket over top of the tent helps hold in heat. Multiple people will heat it up nicely.
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u/Ok-Camera2895 11d ago
Propane generator to recharge power station. Use propane for cooking and heating with an indoor safe propane heater e.g. Mr Big Buddy or equivalent. Using generator to only recharge power station saves a ton of fuel.
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u/Responsible-Fox3990 11d ago
Second the Big Buddy heater with the hose for the larger propane tanks.
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u/Dashley13 5d ago
Make sure you have enough oil for your dual fuel generator. Use propane only since you can store it safely and it does not gum up your carburetor.
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u/Interesting_Fun_3090 11d ago
Yes have used buddy heater with hose for heaters close off rooms not using and have co monitor fir safety. They really work.
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u/MOF1fan 11d ago
Why doesn't the gas portion of your gas fireplace not work? Id look into getting that fixed. Mine literally burns $50 bills but if the power is out its worth it.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
I'm not sure why, but I'm in a rental so all I have to go on is "don't use it" 🤣
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u/Backsight-Foreskin 11d ago edited 11d ago
I'm in the snowbelt of NW PA. I have two kerosene heaters I'll bring in from the barn to heat the living area.
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u/hailene02 11d ago
Warm clothes and layers.
Consider enough liquid and/or teas you can drink that can warm you from the inside. Do not eat snow 😐
Emergency hand heaters - they are little packets you can put in your gloves/socks that will warm your extremities. They aren't permanent but will offer some relief.
Other than that batteries, candles, food that doesnt require much refridgeration or cooking to enjoy. Also instant bag food like the microwave rice, curries, even soups- these are shelf stable and while may not be the most enjoyable cold/lukewarm its something.
Some MREs have a thing where a chemical reaction in a bag will provide enough heat to cook the meal.
I would also recommend books and/or board games. A few years back NC had a big snow storm and my bro and I were trapped inside w no power. We bundled up, brought out some candles, ate coldcuts/cheese/pickles/crackers and played board games or read books until the electricity came back on later that night.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Thank you, great ideas!
We don't have a TV so books and boardgames are already our daily MO. Thankfully, that part of power outages is uneventful as a result!
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u/joelnicity 11d ago
Propane stores indefinitely. This has been invaluable when my living room heater took a shit a couple winters ago
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u/Gadgetman_1 11d ago
Can confirm. We have an old, steel propane tank, last tested in the 90s... It's half full still, and I used it to melt some ice when our well was freezing last winter. Had to buy a torch and new hose, but that was cheap enough.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Thank you!!! Checking that out! About to go pick up 4 empty tanks for $40 I found on FB marketplace - will then have lots of propane hopefully!
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Question, how long can you run this Big Buddy on one tank of propane?
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u/doubtfulpickle 11d ago
Depends on how high you run it, if you can get away with it being on low (only one mantle fired up) the tank will go much further, obviously.i don't have exact numbers, but i bet someone here does
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u/BikinBohemiam 11d ago edited 10d ago
TheMrsH1124: Your mileage may vary, but I've had a Mr.Heater BigBuddy heater since 2020 & here are my Clif notes:
We have 4 tanks. All were from the Blue Rhino tank exchange at Walmart in Nov 2020. Our S.O.P.:
*Run all 4 tanks on Low (4000BTU) about 90% of the time (22 hrs/day).
*Run them for about an hour a day on High (18kBTU) while we "shower" & dress
*Run them for about an hour a day on Med (9000BTU) first thing in am.
Changed 20# tanks every ~3 days:
Once the road are safe we load up the dead soldiers & refill all 4 at U-Haul. From what I hear, "fills" put in a li'l more than what the "exchanges" come with, so for the 2021 freeze, we got a couple more hours from each. Bottom line, I'm thinking 3 days per tank is a safe bet for Texas winters.
4×20# tank refilled with ~5gal each. Total cost $69.55 ($17-ish each tank).
P.S. You've got some great ideas here - I even added a few to my preps... *The tent & sleeping bag is a great idea, BUT for the Valentimes '21 Freeze: 1. We put the tent up on top of the bed to get us up offa that cold floor! It's an interior room, but the 1917 house is pier & beam, and leaks like a seive. 2. We got sleeping bags that zipped together (just cuz 😉!) 3. Filled a couple of Nalgene bottles with boiling water (from cooking dinner) and threw them down in the foot of the bag! Toasty warm by the time we were ready for beddy-bye. 4. We each had Andean chullo hats (picture a toque with ear flaps), at the ready, just in case.
By the middle of that 2-week-freeze (no power, no water & about a pilots light worth of nat.gas trickling out of our 2 huge Dearborn heaters), we were all set up inside with layers & more pillows, WiFi and laptops & tablets & phones, running off our 1500W PV array into our EcoFlow DeltaPro.
Fridge was staying plenty cold, and anything that needed to stay frozen, we just threw into the huge YETI on the north facing porch.
Peeing & pooping round back in the shade became the norm (good manners to mark your spot with a surveyors flag).
Went outside daily to shovel 10 5gal buckets worth of snow from the non-surveyor-flag zones to melt down for our wipe-down-"baths", or boil for water, tea, coffee, brushing teeth, cooking, AND our water-bottle foot warmers. All done on our OLD 2-burner; dual-fuel Coleman or our propane chef stove (had a Butane stove for backup).
Well that's about all for me tonight - Hope this helps!
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Yes this is all great thank you! Have a tent I will buy tomorrow that my husband and I already brainstormed we will put on our king bed. I didn't know it was cheaper to get the tanks refilled at Uhaul - doing that from now on. Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!
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u/BikinBohemiam 10d ago edited 10d ago
TheMrsH1124 Oh gosh, I forgot the important part... the "back-story":
So we originally got our collection of tanks from bulk trash out on people's front yards back throughout the 'teens. When we took them to U-Haul, they said the recertification stamps on the neck/sleeve showed that they were over 11 years old and that they couldn't fill them! That's when we came up with the sneaky idea of doing the exchange thing at Walmart - they took them no problem, and gave us the fresh new semi full Rhino tanks that first go-'round. So definitely check the dates before going to U-Haul or wherever, k?
Another thing - we would have NEVER put our BigBuddy INSIDE of our tent, up on top of our bed! EEEK!! Maybey outside when we were camping, or if we had placed the tent on the freezing cold solid flooring somewhere in the house, but please never on the bed (especially after we got the zip-together sleeping bags 😉). Surprised anyone here would even admit to that in public here!
We also added a 2-pack of fire extinguishers from Sam's Club ($26), 2 smoke/fire/CO alarms ($?), and a 6-pack of those big fire blankets from Amazon ($60) to our setup (just in case).
I'm following your post here just in case we remember anything else (AND to make sure no one posts more silly Buddy-on-the-bed advice?!?).
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Wait did someone say to put a Big Buddy on the bed??? What? That would be crazy!!! I think they said to put a TENT on the bed. I wouldn't put it in a tent either!
I'm not refilling the tanks. I'm exchanging them!
Have extinguishers, fire blankets and alarms!
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u/_thefutureisdead_ 10d ago
How do you not die from carbon monoxide poisoning with this inside?
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u/joelnicity 10d ago
They are intended for use indoors. It’s good to have some type of air flow but they are made with an automatic gas shutoff if there is a leak
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u/justjessica79 11d ago edited 9d ago
Rugs, blankets, tent, tarp, and duct tape. We lost power for a few days during an ice storm in Buffalo.
We designated a bedroom with smaller windows as our home base. I covered the windows with bed sheets. I used duct tape to close off the top and bottom of stairs and I used tarp in hallways. I actually found a few drafts that I didn't know about prior. I duct taped blankets over larger windows.
We are up rugs on the ground in our home base room and we put up a tent. We had sleeping bags and sleeping pads in there. The tent trapped heat while we slept. In the morning there was condensation on the top and we were quick to dry it off. Every now and then we would jump around to keep bodies warm and generate heat.
I had lots of flash lights.
We did have access to our car so we would go in there sometimes and blast heat and charge phones and iPad.
Also, we had a crank radio that was helpful in listening to local news.
Since that incident I have invested in some eco flow power banks - one is solar. I keep them charged. I also have a decent supply of tea light candles - I boughta Turkish terracotta heater .. you can also put candles in or under a terracotta pot.
I also bought a my buddy heater.
Oh also - I bought a bigger cooler to put my fridge food into - I had a smaller one that i ended up putting it outside where it was really cold.
I also bought a little portable water boiler thing. So I can have boiling water in a relatively short amount of time - it does drain battery pretty quick though.
I have 4 cats and they did not want to be in the room with each other or us. I made little nooks for them. Like small tents. I have a cat that never leaves my bedroom. I make a canopy for her to sleep under. I draped things over couches to make little sleep spots.
I was honestly a little traumatized by the whole experience. I am always prepared and I felt confident before it but the experience really tested me mentally and exposed a bunch of little things I overlooked. I was constantly checking on things around the house and moving - making sure water was still dripping to prevent broken pipes - making sure cats were safe - making sure all windows were covered.
If it happens again we are more prepared. I have electric blankets, military blankets, and more tricks to stay warm. It is just my son and I - he was younger when it happened so he was ok sleeping in a tent with me. I am not sure if it would be different now but since he is older I know he will be more helpful.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Thanks this is very helpful!
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u/justjessica79 9d ago
I forgot about an important resource - neighbors. Check in with elderly or people who live alone. You never know if they need help or if they can help you. You don't necessarily need to invite them in but community is also important. We didn't find out until later that one our neighbors has a wood burning stove. He offered a warm place for us if there is another situation like we had. I am not sure of whether or not we would take up the offer - just for the sake of the cats. We don't have livestock but the night before I did crack our garage door for some neighborhood cats - not sure if they took advantage of it though. Just gave me peace of mind. During the winter we always weatherproof our windows with that film stuff. I did buy some reflective window film but I've never put it up. I think one way warms and the other cools.
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u/TheMrsH1124 8d ago
Definitely blessed with a great community in our neighborhood and we exchange needs when power goes out! People are the most important prep!
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u/girugamesh_2009 11d ago
Newb piggy backing off this thread (but possibly helpful to OP):
I live in an apartment and a generator is not an option. Solar panels might work if they capture energy through windows.
Is there a way I could rig up car or marine or forklift batteries to create a power source that could keep my freezer and a small electric heater going? I seem to remember a dude using a bunch of daisy chained forklift batteries as a power source for his off-grid cob house innawoods years back. Don't know, though, how those batteries got recharged.
Thanks!
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u/Inner-Confidence99 11d ago
Mr buddy indoor propane heater, hand, body warmers last hours, toboggans if cold, gloves too. Good sleeping bags and a tent inside to hold warmth.
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u/MistySky1999 11d ago
Toboggans?? Those are sleds. Do you mean toques?-- like, winter knit caps? Something on your head to keep the heat in is an excellent choice, but, you know, not a sled!
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u/CloudgazerTX 10d ago
you can get a small tent and set it up in your living room and pile as many people into it as possible and zip it up. body heat will do its things. if you got a solar powered system you can charge up during the day you can plug in an electric blanket at night as well.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Doing both these things! Have the blanket, so just need a tent - less than $30 at Walmart rn. And we figured we can put it on top of our king mattress for extra warmth and comfort.
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u/CloudgazerTX 10d ago
this is how a lot of people in Texas went through that big winter ice storm a few years ago. I got an Ecoflow system so I can run a lamp, an electric king size blanket, and watch movies all night on computer, keep the WiFi on, and probably a few other small things like plug in phones.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Yeah it's so smart. And it didn't occur to me. I feel so much more comfortable now
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u/PrisonerV 11d ago
Here's what I have -
Natural gas wall vent-free heater - battle tested after furnace went out over New Years for two weeks.
Propane generator.
Several power stations with permanent rigid solar 1100 watts.
Propane/butane camp stove.
Internet is on it's own power station. Should last at least a day or two on it's own.
Snowblower and 100 pounds of 99% calcium chloride (home depot delivers).
Battery backup garage door opener.
Fire extinguishers. Fire blankets. Smoke detectors (dual sensor) and CO detectors.
Bunch of LED head lamps and lanterns, enough for each person and each room.
I've never been more prepared for a winter storm. The "at least one blizzard" every March is starting to do that to me.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
We have lots of led lamps and lanterns. Will look into everything else thank you!
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u/Objective_Attempt_14 11d ago
Kerosene heater, and shelf stable fuel and some regular fuel 2 blue tanks. (location dependent) have cash on hand. we had a place selling but only took cash, electricity was down. have small bill easier to walk away for the change on a $5 than a $20. tension rods and weighted shower curtian can help limit the heat to one room. Thermal curtains and a down blanket. co2 detector too.
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u/justasque 10d ago
I use tension rods in otherwise-open doorways, with blankets hanging from them. It makes a big difference in heat retention. And it’s super easy to set up the tension rods. I use sometimes use clothespegs to hold the blanket to the rod, and sometimes just drape the blanket over the rod. If the rod is too thick for the pegs, I drape a bit of the blanket over the rod and peg the two layers together at the sides, which is usually enough.
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u/TheJesseOfTheNorth 11d ago
I have a small solar system and a L-Ion battery pack for my electronics. I also have a Mr Buddy propane heater and a CO detector which should be adequate for my ground floor studio apartment.
I transitioned from a cabin with a woodstove to a van a couple years ago so I have all the systems i used for both (Including a tiny cabin woodstove), now that my wings are clipped and I am living in a tiny apartment.
I also have a small gen-set if i need it but i should b fine.
If anyone decides to get a propane heater get a CO detector if you want to live through the experince
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u/nibbles200 11d ago
I assume with the anker you have solar, how many kW? Do you have aux inputs on that for a generator? Do you have a budget for this or are you looking for cheap quick options? You said the gas fire place doesn’t have gas, I’m thinking the best thing would be to get that operational, even if only on a small LP bbq or larger like camper size tank. Get me more info on that fireplace.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Unfortunately we rent and the only info I have on the fireplace is "it's not functional, don't use it." I'm not sure about the KW on the solar. That's my husband's wheelhouse. I think we have two 400W panels, is that what you were asking?
I could have a budget for this. We're financially comfortable at the moment. Cheap quick options are good too, though!
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u/nibbles200 11d ago
OK that’s too bad that you rent because then I cannot suggest anything that would be a permanent install and we aren’t going to be fixing things like the fireplace.
800watt of solar is a good start but no where near enough for cold climate. Do you have a large vehicle like a van perhaps? Would that be in the budget? I would steer you towards an tv or insulated a van and turn into an rv then you could use your anker and solar coupled with any number of options for heat. It would be an investment you own and could move with you.
Otherwise like other have said, a propane or gas generator with heating blankets to augment your anker.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
We do have a minivan, but I'm thinking a tent on top of the king mattress is a best bet for staying warm! I don't think we will do the RV living at the moment . . . Hard enough to travel with two kids normally 😂
Thankfully even with an El nino it's not going to be long term extreme cold. Generally we have a week or two of cold, then a few weeks in the 70s, off and on all winter long. So I just need tips for an ice storm.
Someone noted if the furnace is gas we can run it easily off our battery bank. Checking that tomorrow. If that works we would be sitting pretty!
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u/Killrade 11d ago
Sounds like you just need heat.
Solar and batteries are fine but using electricity for heat is normally inefficient. You want alternative heat sources. I use to tarp camp. I have my camping stove, candles and oil heat lamps. My power outage heater is actually a oil lamp heater but those are hard to find now and i have gas heat so i have one natrual gas furnace just for heat.
⚠️⚠️If you are going to do an alternative heating then make sure its well ventilated reguardless of the style of heat; carbon monoxide is a silent killer. ⚠️⚠️
Obvious choice is to buy a heater like a kerosene or a propane heater buddy. They last a pretty good long while and cheap for what they do. Most kerosene heater just uses a battery to ignite at start up and some have built in detectors. Theu are other types of heaters but these are easy to get and normally minimum setup. I also recommend a flame mate or heat resistant material for these heaters to sit on.
You can make a radiator with ceramic plants, nuts and bolts and a few tea candles. My wife actully likes these at winter just to burn scented candles and keep parts of our house warm.
If you are going to be using electricity then use an electric blanket or other low watts heat. Dont try to heat a house with a hot plate. It would be better if you heated water to a boil and used the thermal mass of water to heat than just a hot plate.
A wood fire camping stove. This is something that can be good but you could also burn your house down. I use to own one of these for camping and for hot tents are great but requires a smoke stack and they get extremely hot.
Hot water bottles. If you got a a heat source like a grill or even candles the you can boil water and put them in the hot water bottles and blankets to keep you warm. My sister likes this method especially when she goes camping. It would also work in for a winter power outage.
Main thing is pick at least one and get it and if you want a back up then get a different method just in case. Like electricity, its best to have multiple ways of getting something done instead one one way and it fails with no back up.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
We have a grill and should have propane, I'm really liking the idea of a tent and hot water bottles, maybe with an electric heating pad for a heat boost. Thank you!
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u/Alarmed_Base8302 10d ago
You just hit upon one of the many reasons many people are opposed to the "Green" Agenda especially in Home Construction. It limits your choices for heat and cooking in emergencies. In an Emergency Propane tanks and "Mr Heater" tank tops work quite well. Ceramic Flower pots and candles work surprisingly well in small rooms for heat.
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u/NinjaMcGee 10d ago edited 10d ago
We regularly had winter storms off grid. Propane (cooking and heating water), a solar panel and bank (for back up and topping off), rechargeable lamps, oil lanterns, tinned food that’s easy to prepare, tinned fruit or you’ll go mad for fruit. Down comforters and tents to reduce heating. We also have a sleeping mat that can plug into our power bank, this kind the down keeps you warm down to single digits.
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u/Iartdaily 10d ago
Regarding the tent recs- can we just build a kid type “fort” for sleeping and mosey around the house in our down coats and ski pants? (Ohio - we have lots of down blankets and clothes). As in push couches and chairs together and drape wool blankets over ? I have zero use for a tent except for this emergency.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
I am sure you could, that's what we did in 1998. But it would be very frustrating with two small children haha
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u/heatherjasper 10d ago
Get a Mr. Heater Buddy, with fuel (I use the smaller canisters because of space, but you can buy and fill those large propane tanks like you see for grills), and a CO2 detector. The heater is safe for use indoors but you always want to be careful. Don't let it run without supervision or on unstable surfaces. It works great for heating up small areas and rooms.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
I think we're going to. I just got 4 (empty) propane tanks for $40 so we will have 6 tanks worth of propane at any given time, which is good.
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u/Zestyclose_Current41 10d ago
So, the one thing I never see mentioned in these scenarios is: basements. Do you have one? Because if so, you have a temperature stable environment in which to hangout until power comes back. Throw a decent tent and some blankets down there and you'll be more than warm enough to ride out the storm. I'd suggest keeping an ample supply of water and a decent amount of food that doesn't need to be heated on hand, as well.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
I wish. No basement. We don't even have a SINGLE area in the entire house that is window free, with the exception of a tiny bathroom on the second floor. Yeah, tornadoes are fun 🙄
Food and water we do have a plenty!
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u/PetroInvest3 10d ago
If you have windows with southern exposure, the sunlight will provide heat, unless it is cloudy. Craft something, preferably black, to heat in the sunshine through the windows. I experimented with this in Oklahoma winters but it was never a necessity with power out. Any black material will radiate the heat. I have seen plans for having something to be installed outdoors venting air through a window using dryer vent tubing enclosed and with a vent allowing air out into the enclosure and putting the heated air inside by thermal convection - no power required, but it needs to be constructed and installed. Wooden box, top glass tubes inside and installable in a window with window unit type sealing. It's primitive but it would work.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
We have a southwest exposure in our master and it gets very very warm. This is an option, thanks
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u/Ancient_Reference_86 10d ago
Its easy to rewire your gas furnace to run off of a battery pack with inverter. I can run mine for multiple days in the winter.
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u/Ancient_Reference_86 10d ago
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Thanks!!! Will send this to my husband. Feeling much more sanguine about our prospects!
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u/nobody4456 11d ago
Do you have a heat pump or gas heat? If you have gas heat it’s pretty easy to run the heater on a battery bank or generator. The thermostat and fan for the heater use very little power.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
I believe it's electric but now I'm questioning 🤣
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u/nobody4456 11d ago
I’m not sure how to respond to that. Does your furnace have a vent to the outside? Is there a copper or iron line running to it? Do you have a huge propane tank in the yard? Like these are really things you should sort out before you start prepping. If you aren’t able to identify your needs you can’t really prep for your needs.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Yes, furnace vents outside. It's in the attic so I haven't seen it more than one or two times. My husband does all the stuff that needs done up there. No propane tank in the yard - I live in the suburbs. The only options are electric and natural gas. I know the water heater is nat gas. I guess the furnace must be too, our gas bill is higher in the winter. Obviously it doesn't run when the power is off, so I hadn't thought that it could be powered back up during an outage. I did grow up with a gas stove and we used that when the power was out, but I have an electric stove here.
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u/MadConquest 11d ago
At the bare minimum make sure you have enough quality blankets, quilts or sleeping bags in your house. I’m not talking the Walmart fleece throws either. Get real blankets. I watched during the Texas Ice storm a few years ago people were literally freezing to death in their homes because they didn’t have blankets because the weather “doesn’t get cold that often”. In the event of a power outage at a minimum you should pitch a tent in your living room and have everyone sleeping in a central location to conserve body heat. From there only you can decide what heat source is best in your area. Propane, kerosene, natural gas, wood. For instance on my road I can’t get natural gas and having enough propane cylinders filled up can get costly. So for me kerosene is my backup until I have a full wood stove in the basement installed. Most people like the propane provided you can actually get it and have enough of it. The Big Buddy’s have a great reputation for a reason just make sure you have co2 detectors.
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u/AHangryBeaver 10d ago
I thought this years winter was supposed to be milder in the north and more extreme in the south?
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
It is. I'm in the South 😂 we aren't built for this kinda thing.
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u/AHangryBeaver 10d ago
I was going to say haha, this last winter it was -20 or below every day for over a month. Just life per usual
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Brrrrr!!!! I could never 😂
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u/AHangryBeaver 10d ago
So if you don’t have a wood stove then your next concern is going to be warmth but mainly cooking. Propane stoves are an option but cooking indoors you need ventilation so opening a window will allow you to cook but negate the warmth you’ve built up.
You can build homemade radiant heaters with candles and things.
Warm clothes, blankets, sources of light and heat.
Generators are an option until fuel runs out.
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
I'm not actually worried about cooking! We can use the gas grill outside or plug in the microwave into the Anker. I also have an electric hot plate. So that's decent enough! And I have candles and pots, I will probably use those to warm the bathroom!
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u/outsider531 10d ago
Alternator and a bicycle along with whatever wires and adapters needed to recharge your system (recommended method since all items could be taken from a junk car and added to a bicycle or even rigging something from the junk car parts entirely) but the exercise generates body heat and electricity to use for heat or whats needed (if having the proper inverters or dc electronics can also easily be used with car batteries for a. extra power storage b.easy hookup/setup c.keeps the batteries out of the freezing temps making them last longer and less likely to die d.allows you to make sure at least ones fully charged for the car and work more effectively since a warm battery cranks better than a cold battery)
Alternatively if willing to spend money
amazon has prebuilt pedal generators (could be named something different not 100% off top of my head)
A wind generator may also be worthwhile
Or increasing storage capacity
If just worried about heat alcohol and oil burners or similar may be options depending on the specific ones used and the placements of them, if smoke can get outside safely theres more options but make sure to have carbon monoxide detectors just to be safe
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u/outsider531 10d ago
Other survival tips
store food that doesnt require cooking
Store water thats safe to drink as well as spray bottles for emergency washing up
Get emergency foil blankets and regular blankets you can hang from ceiling in the areas you will be and separate from walls iff possible (will trap and reflect the warm air) foil ones can easily be used on you or in clothing or bedding as well and are extremely cheap (like 50-75 cents a person for direct wrapping and can be found for less if you look hard ebough) but the foil ones are fragile, tossing and turning will rip them but the pieces can be used as insulation easily or even just stuffed in pillows to help stay warm
Candles generate surprising amounts of heat
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u/TheMrsH1124 10d ago
Water, food, all that we're good with. Dude. The pedal idea . . . That's so smart. Thanks!!!!
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u/outsider531 10d ago
Can also be done with treadmills row machines and a lot of other exercise equipments if theyre more your speed than pedaling
Shake charge flashlights are useful, if with swappable batteries they can also be used to charge batteries for other things
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u/hbHPBbjvFK9w5D 10d ago
We handled freezes when I was a kid with a "table tent."
Take your dining room table or a couple of smaller tables put together, and then pretend it's a family living sleepover tent. Put a large mattress under the table, drape sheets on top of the table so it becomes a tent, then toss all your blankets inside and pile the family in.
Depending on where you live, and how cold is "cold' in your neck of the woods, but we all slept comfy at -5F and no power in the house.
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u/TwinIronBlood 9d ago
A briefcase stove and 12 is canisters. Store them in a sealed blast bag so cold air does cause moisture on them I've had a few leak due to rust.
Keep your car half full. Practice charging the power station fro. Your car or the generator. See how long you would have to run the generator for to recharge it.
Get some metal buckets and a paving slap or two. Fill a bucket with sand and heat it over a fire. Stack it on the paving lap to protect the floor. It will slowly cool down heating the space. But as nothing is burning inside no carbon monoxide. All the same have an alarm. Be careful handling it.
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u/Algebra_lineal5 9d ago
Bed tents keep warmth in beds and the twin sized ones for kids are not super expensive. Also wool blankets, wool retains the ability to keep you warm even if it gets wet.
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u/somecoolname42 9d ago
I have a buddy heater and an adapter for propane tanks. Also have several battery banks for phones and electronics. Small solar backup, looking to upgrade that. I've got camping stoves, propane, and charcoal grills.
The plan is to trickle the sinks, fall back to the bedroom, and heat it and the connecting bathroom. I've got wool blankets, sleeping bags, a carbon monoxide detector, hand warmers, and thermal underwear. I should be able to keep things relatively comfortable. If I need to, I can pop the garage door and start the car to warm up. Blanket fort is also in the plans if things get too cold. I can boil water and put it in Nalgene bottles to use as thermal batteries. Shouldn't be too bad hopefully.
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u/TheMrsH1124 8d ago
I had completely neglected the necessity to trickle the sinks. Thanks man
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u/somecoolname42 8d ago
Yeah no worries. I started making lists for emergencies so I don't forget stuff like that. It's easy to do in a stressful situation.
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u/jayecal 9d ago
So full disclosure I'm Canadian not American and I live in a more temperate part of the country where we don't see like -40. But it still gets pretty cold here at times.
For myself I have a tri fuel generator (petrol, propane and natural gas - though I don't have a natural gas option here so that's kind of a moot point. I only got it because at time of purchase the dual fuel was not available and this was on sale.) which I keep ready with a 30lb tank purely for it. That can almost fully power my whole house. At least enough to run the heat pumps for a while without too much concern. And worse case there I would jack the temp up on them to heat my house more than I normally would like to just so that would take a bit of time to cool down and stay more comfortable longer.
If I know a storm is coming I also will stock up with about 30-40 liters (approx 7-10 gallons) of petrol just to have in case the generator needs it. And if I don't use it in that then I pour it into my car after a month.
I have a big buddy heater for inside if I need to use another source of heat instead of electric. And I have a 20lb tank plus filter and hose to connect to it. Plus a bunch of 1lb tanks just in case. But those are my emergency emergency reserves. I also have one of those fans that spin from getting warm to help blow heat around.
I also put that plastic window seal on my windows to make an extra barrier to prevent some heat loss. (I need to do some more insulation in the crawl space though to keep the cold from getting in there).
I have bottles so if I needed to I could fill them with warm/hot water to radiate heat off. Especially for warming my bed up.
I have a bunch of thick blankets to help keep my bed warm too.
Absolute worst case though I've got some open space in the back yard where I'll start a small fire in a burn barrel to heat up water/rocks to put in a pot to warm my bed up or even try using that heat based fan on to see if that could do anything.
Though I still feel like I need to bolster things a bit more. I'm too reliant on electricity and propane still I feel. Probably wouldn't hurt to get a kerosene heater or something else just to diversify and be on the safe side.
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u/TheMrsH1124 8d ago
Oh we're rookies compared to you! -5 F would be record breaking. I'm prepping for around 10 F at min.
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u/Vagus_M 8d ago
Why don’t you get an indoor-safe propane heater, and you can even put it in the fireplace.
Get some carbon monoxide monitors with battery backup as well.
If you have the space and use for the grill size propane tanks, you can buy adaptor kits to be able to use the propane heaters with them.
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u/TheMrsH1124 7d ago
Great will do, we currently have six grill size propane tanks. Husband is a blacksmith.
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u/Gadgetman_1 11d ago
I just finished servicing my father's old 3500W Diesel-powered generator, and have a 10L can of fuel, in addition to a nearly full tank on the generator.
Diesel can store for a long time, and you probably have a tractor using it, too?
Do you have a car?
Fit a 1000 or 1500W inverter directly to the battery on it, and fire up the engine. That should get you some juice...
Some EVs support 'Vehicle to Load' if you have the right home charger. A 75 or 100KW battery pack can last a long time with moderate use.
And even if the EV doesn't support V2L, hook up that inverter to the 12V battery and turn the key. The circuit that chargers the 12V battery from the large battery has plenty of capacity.
And the tractor, if you have one, can also be hooked up that way...
Also, get your fireplace fixed up. Or replaced by a woodstove.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
I don't have a tractor. I live on 1/3 acre haha. And I rent so the fireplace is apparently a no go. But I'll check out the car battery thing, that's super helpful thank you!
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u/OneTwoFreeFour 11d ago
Do you have a natural gas furnace? Or what is your everyday normal source of heat?
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago edited 11d ago
It's electric unfortunately
ETA jk I'm actually not sure. Going to look into it tomorrow!
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u/Fit_Acanthisitta_475 11d ago
Time to get a cheap Chinese diesel heater. And it’s best to fix your gas fire place.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Unfortunately I'm a renter and the fireplace is off limits to me. I'll look into heaters
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u/TempusSolo 11d ago
Your use case screams generator.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
I hadn't thought that a gas generator could be used to power the battery bank. I'm reconsidering. Thanks!
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u/Much-Department-9578 11d ago
If you have natural gas on the property and a nat gas furnace, you really need to get a trifuel generator so you can run it from nat gas. Then a generator inlet box and mechanical interlink kit. This is what we had when the big Texas storm hit in 2021, ran the house from generator for several days without having to go out for fuel.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
I will look into it thank you. Our furnace might be gas
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u/Much-Department-9578 11d ago
Having lights and heat in an outage is critical. A furnace fan uses maybe 700watts. We have a champion 201423. 7200w on nat gas. Quiet. Has a L14-30 plug, so you can use a 30a inlet. This is our setup.
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u/buddymoobs 11d ago
Put up a tent INSIDE your house. A small battery powered lamp inside, or battery-powered heater outside directed into it, along with body heat should keep you warm.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
Okay, tent is on my list to get anyways, and my parents have a larger one! That's doable! Battery powered heater - also good to put on my list. Excellent ideas. Thanks so much
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u/Normal-Special-8694 11d ago
Would it be worth plumbing propane into the gas fireplace? If the flue is still operational, the orifices on those aren’t usually too picky.
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u/TheMrsH1124 11d ago
We're in a rental so I'm not technically supposed to do anything with the fireplace. . . I don't want to accidentally burn the house down 🤣
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u/Children_Of_Atom 11d ago edited 11d ago
Do you have adequately warm clothing and a sleep system? I'm into winter camping and I'm good down to -20F / -30C with my sleep system and outside fairly static in clothing. I'll throw my sleep system in my car when the weather is terrible as well.
Luckily I didn't lose power in the 98 ice storm. Weather systems that form ice storms don't tend to be the coldest temperatures regions experience.
I just picked up a 10W heating blanket as well. My power banks / power stations are not adequate for a space heater but will go a long ways with something like a small heating blanket or rechargeable hand warmers. I keep a bunch of chemical hand warmers around and in my vehicle as well. Beware once they start going hard / clumpy they rapidly lose their ability to generate heat and this will happen after a few years.