12 years ago the Rochester area was hit with an ice storm,500 million in damage,we lost power for 11 days.

Flash forward,last Wed.night Thur.morning we get another one.150,000 homes with out power.Guess what? Lines at stores,genorators sold out in minutes,basements flood etc.

Short memories huh?

Myself? I was brushing my teeth when we lost power,I pulled out my surefire from my pocket and finished brushing (even flossed)went downstairs and turned on our gas fireplace and got out battery opperated lights and oil lamps.My wife was busy hanging sheets over some doorways to close off some of the downstairs and I then got out our camp stove and a dozen of those little propane tanks for the stove and a small propane heater.

Got out a battey opperated radio with tv channels and turned it on.Had a gin and tonic,listened to the tv by the warm fire.

My sump pump runs a lot in the spring,but I got a back up that doesn't use electric,it ran every few minutes for 3 straight days.

We stayed warm,dry and happy.I was quite pleased my plans and equipment covered all the bases,while others drove around looking for sumps,batteries,space heaters etc.

It justs blows my mind so few think ahead.

We have an annual ritual here in S. Florida when cub reporters from local news stations are sent to live around the clock at Home Depots and supermarkets for the annual hurricane preparedness event. It greatly resembles running with the bulls in Paploma. Fistfights have broken out over the last sheet of lumber on a pallet. I can't remember a year when we haven't had at least one close call, so those like yourself with any sense plan ahead. Regards, Keys

"My sump pump runs a lot in the spring,but I got a back up that doesn't use electric,it ran every few minutes for 3 straight days."

I don't need one and am just curious, but what DOES the backup sump pump run on? I've often thought that electric sump pumps seemed almost guaranteed to be powerless when most needed.

You are right,they fail when most needed!!

This back up runs on water.You run a copper line over to above your sump and conect it to the back up If your main sump fails or the power goes out,the water rises to above the level it would normally pump at,now the back up float rises and trips the back up switch,which lets the water from the copper line drive a turbin which pumps out more water than it takes to run it!! Cheap piece of plastic pump that costs $100,but works well and saved my finished basement. <img src="images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

I am from Webster, NY I have power back as of late Sunday. It did give me a chance to use all my gear. My wife doesn't balk so much now! <img src="images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> In hind sight I would have liked a generator to run the furnace. But I would first have it rewired.

Sounds like a useful piece of equipment. May I ask the source? My basement has always been bone dry (good thing, considering how much is stored down there), but a friend lives where his sump pump runs constanly whenever there's an especially high tide. I know I'd have trouble sleeping with that setup.

Thanks.

Webster NY "where life is worth living".Also home of some of the best "suburban" deer hunting around.Its my home to <img src="images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />born here 44 years ago

The pumps can be gotten at almost any home center type store.Mine is a Zoeller(sp?)

Any ideas for those in a high rise apt. complex? No fireplace. No way to hook up a generator.
Would a propain heater like you are talking about be safe? What about backup power?

I have seen rechargeable battery powerd AC power inverters at wholesale clubs like SAM's or Costco. Not sure of the power capacity, or if safe to use in a confined space. Should have enough power for small appliances, or some types of heaters. I know that a discharging car battery gives off combustible fumes. Perhaps could be placed on a balcony, or that their design uses a different type of battery that is safe for indoor use. Regards, Keys

You'd have to get the mother of all power inverters to run a heater. The little ones are usually for running a laptop, or maybe a portable TV, say 30 watts. Even a small heater is going to pull 1000 watts. You can probably get a 1000 watt power inverter, the guys that have the car stereos that you can hear a half mile away use them. So going to a stereo shop is the place to start. But it's gonna be expensive.

Then we come to the battery system, for long term demand, I think a 12V car battery is good for maybe 4 Amps (call it 50 Watts/battery), so you'd need 20 car batteries to provide 1000 Watts of power. And that's assuming that your power inverter is 100% effiecient at converting the power. Its not! So call it 40 car batteries.

You might be able to do it with less if you're looking for only a short amount of time... but if your power is only out for a short time you wouldn't need a heater anyway. <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> I don't think its gonna be very feasible.

There is one propane heater designed and approved for interior use, Mr Heater Buddy. About $90-$100 retail. It uses the 1lb disposable tanks and will burn about 4-6 hours depending on low-high setting. It can be connected via an extra hose to a bulk container but the instructions say not to use bulk containers indoors.

I believe the bulk container restriction to be a legal loophole. It would be safe to use a bulk container BUT it is possible that it would continue to burn so long that it could conceivably use all the oxygen or give off so much carbon monoxide as to make a small room unsafe. Get a battery powered carbon monoxide detector and ensure it is enabled when using the heater.

At the same time, make sure you have adequate air exchange in the space. The most common solution is to open a window just a bit to provide a source of fresh air to the space.

Alternates to the Mr Heater Buddy would be Kerosene heaters. They also give off "bad gas" and should be monitored with a carbon monoxide detector as well.

In both cases you should have a fire extingusiher handy. Kerosene heaters can be knocked over spilling fuel that would spread fire quickly. Propane heaters are open flame heaters and can catch billowing curtains, etc on fire. Make sure you get an ABC fire extingisher.

There are pros and cons to each. You may also want to think about alternate cooking sources at the same time. Some kerosene heaters can support a pot or pan on top to heat food and water allowing you to perform two tasks with one device. For lighting you could use the same kerosene and use oil lanterns like Dietz or Aladdin. They would help provide some minor heat as well as light. There is one model of Dietz lantern that will allow you to cook a cup sized pot at the same time. Kerosene has a long shelf life, 5+ yrs, if kept sealed and moisture free. A sealed 5 gallon gan should help you weather a week long power outage with ease. The issue may be where are you going to store fuel.

I already had a propane camp stove and liked the portability of the Mr Heater vs having to store a second fuel for a kerosene heater. In my case I have several propane lanterns, a 2 burner stove, a bbq grill, a torch (for plumbing repairs), and a heater. I have several of the propane tanks for the grill and a dozen or two of the 1lb tanks. I decided to standardize on one fuel source.

There are also freestanding fireplaces that are "vent free" meaning you don't have to vent them. Because there is no chimney, much more heat is added to the room vs a more traditional fireplace or vented gas fireplace. We have a natural gas vent free burner in our traditional brick fireplace with chimney. I keep the damper closed and most of the heat is transferred into the room. I can open the damper to help regulate the heat if needed.

It was able to keep our 2000 sq ft house around 55-65 F while outside temps were in the high 20's and low 30's during the last power outage. The room with the fireplace would be 65 while the remainder of the house was on the lower end. We used the Mr Heater as a room heater while in other rooms away from the fireplace. It claims it can heat 250 sq ft of space. I was able to teach my 6 yr old how to light the portable heater with the piezo electric built in starter button.