best way to heat a home when power goes out?

Blaster229 · Dec 22, 2020

welder516 said:
If you buy out two large propane tanks it would give you lots of service , if we lost power here often i would get it as well .

They house has 500. I was thinking of getting a 250 to feed the generator.

welder516 · Dec 22, 2020

Blaster229 said:
They house has 500. I was thinking of getting a 250 to feed the generator.

If you feel like you could be on lock-down or snow events , it would be what i would do .
You have the perfect place for such a service .

Biggfoot44 · Dec 22, 2020

The OP asked specifically about * Heat * during occasional power outage . For that a Kerosene heaters or two will do nicely for small initial outlay .

If the question was instead , " How to provide total power to operate the house just as if the outside power was still functional ? " , the discussion would be different .

Pinecone · Dec 22, 2020

mterry said:
Kerosene heaters are inexpensive and can crank out plenty of heat.

Just be careful of carbon monoxide build up.

But I have one I picked up YEARS ago that works great.

Thinking about it, I need to check my kerosene supply. And find someplace to fill my container. I keep about 5 gallons around for it.

Pinecone · Dec 22, 2020

KGB-SPY said:
If there is no wood burning fireplace in the house and no natural/propane gas, your only option would be a generator with enough amperage to run a fridge and couple space heaters.

Really?

Maybe ask what his main heat is.

I have oil furnace (hot water baseboard). So with a generator, I have heat.

Pinecone · Dec 22, 2020

Mightydog said:
I had a vent free fireplace which I replaced with a direct vent propane fireplace. Ran the insert up my chimney. Does the job fine.

The nice thing about the vent free ones is, all the heat stays in the house.

Pinecone · Dec 22, 2020

engineerbrian said:
I’ll repeat it too.

Hell, I use a kerosene heater even when the power is on. Its a nice supplement to my heat pump on cold days

That is what I do for my detached garage.

If I am going to work, I go out first thing and fire up the kerosene heater and the ceiling fans. Maybe the heat pump, if it is very cold.

By the time I eat breakfast, have my coffee and get ready to work, it is toasty warm. Normally, I shut off the kero heater, and just use heat pump to keep it warm while working.

Pinecone · Dec 22, 2020

Biggfoot44 said:
The OP asked specifically about * Heat * during occasional power outage . For that a Kerosene heaters or two will do nicely for small initial outlay .

If the question was instead , " How to provide total power to operate the house just as if the outside power was still functional ? " , the discussion would be different .

But enough power to run the existing heating system might be the answer.

Jd2020 · Dec 22, 2020

If you have to use a temporary heat source longer than anticipated remember to shrink your square footage. Hang blankets or tarps across openings and camp out in your kitchen, etc. instead of trying to heat 3000 sq ft

adit · Dec 22, 2020

Kirkster said:
Sex, lots of Sex....

And for the single guys.

K31 · Dec 22, 2020

+1 for the K1 heater. Oh wait, I've used them many years even when there wasn't a power outage so I should be dead. Never mind.

[Kev308] · Dec 22, 2020

OLM-Medic said:
I always wanted a wood stove in my home for this purpose, but that's not going to be an option for now.

Sure we could be talking about the end of the world, but let's say a snow storm knocks out power for several days. What are good an easy ways to keep the home warm enough?

Sure I could just get in my arctic sleeping bag to prevent death, but that won't keep the pipes from freezing.

What kind of heat do you have? If you have a boiler you can probably just run a generator, and modify an extension cord and wire it directly to the boiler. Then you can just cycle it on and off when you want to.

OLM-Medic · Dec 22, 2020

[Kev308];6157096 said:
What kind of heat do you have? If you have a boiler you can probably just run a generator, and modify an extension cord and wire it directly to the boiler. Then you can just cycle it on and off when you want to.

heating oil forced air

as discussed in the generator thread I created, I'm probably not willing to do anything fancy expensive, or jimmy rig a questionable electrical connection.

Mightydog · Dec 22, 2020

Pinecone said:
The nice thing about the vent free ones is, all the heat stays in the house.

Yep. Had a Vermont Castings model that ran great....until it had a bad gas valve. Since I had the stove for about 20 years the valve wasn’t available anywhere anymore. Stuck a Canadian made Ecofan on it to spread the heat into the room. New setup underneath with electric blower.

OLM-Medic · Dec 22, 2020

Mightydog said:
Yep. Had a Vermont Castings model that ran great....until it had a bad gas valve. Since I had the stove for about 20 years the valve wasn’t available anywhere anymore. Stuck a Canadian made Ecofan on it to spread the heat into the room. New setup underneath with electric blower.

This might be a stupid question but...that thing is safe to not have vented? I assumed it would risk CO poisoning to burn propane like that.

Michigander08 · Dec 22, 2020

Kirkster said:
Sex, lots of Sex....

I heard that is what people do in North Dakota.

Mightydog · Dec 22, 2020

OLM-Medic said:
This might be a stupid question but...that thing is safe to not have vented? I assumed it would risk CO poisoning to burn propane like that.

Yep. Actually had a type of catalytic converter on the top that you occasionally needed to clean. Wasn’t recommended running it for more than a few hours at a time though.

Makanik · Dec 22, 2020

Our entire house is electric so we would be screwed if it wasn't for the coal stove if electric went out.

Seagrave1963 · Dec 22, 2020

Makanik said:
Our entire house is electric so we would be screwed if it wasn't for the coal stove if electric went out.

Love our coal stove. We did switch out the electric range/stove over to a propane unit due to such reliance on electric in our home. Plus, it cooks much better IMHO (and the wife is happier with propane).

Archeryrob · Dec 22, 2020

Wood stove, my wife insisted on it as no working parts or electric needed to make the house warm. Class A chimney required though.

best way to heat a home when power goes out?

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