Are kerosene heaters the best, or only source of heat in an emergency?

Someone posted something about testing out kerosene heaters and lamps on the long-term prep forum, and it got me thinkin'.

I've been through a blizzard with the power out and no source of heat. At earliest opportunity, purchased a kerosene heater. Used it a bunch of times, but even with the window cracked open a little, it was smelly and seemed dangerous.

Now I have a fireplace, but live in a townhouse, where space and association rules make it impossible to store more than a little firewood or Duraflame logs.

The winters here are cold, and ice storms with power outages happen regularly.

Are there any other practical sources of heat? (unit and fuel easily stored, not too dangerous re fumes and tip-over risk, etc.)

if it were me, i'd go out and pick up a small propane 1lb cannister heater. The canisters are light, and easily stored.
Unlike kerosene which can spill, leak etc. Also kerosene has an odor when it burns, propane has little odor.

peace
al

Given limited storage space, kerosene probably gives you the most BTUs for the least hazard.

But you're right about the ventilation issues. At least crack the windows open and have a good CO detector.

Seems you should bring the issue up with your neighbours and the association. If everybody faces the same risk, perhaps some accommodations can be made. Freezing pipes etc. are everybody's concern.

If you're on natural gas for heating, be aware that the gas usually keeps flowing even when the power is off. (These guys are mostly independently powered -- they use jet engines to drive their compressors, running of course on natural gas.) Consider a gas fireplace that doesn't require line voltage, or get a generator to run your furnace / fridge / freezer.

My 2¢.

That's a tough one living in a townhouse. Any chance of storing a few Duraflame logs under a bed / a closet / attic crawlspace? You already have the fireplace, so you might as well use it (Though I'd prefer a wood-burning stove). I doubt if your association rules will allow either kero or propane to be stored on the property. Do you have a propane grill out back? Grab that bottle if you have to. Just don't store propane inside! Also, fire extinguishers and CO detectors - a battery powered one.
If you must, can you block off a few doors and live in fewer rooms, heating only those rooms? Let the uninhabited rooms get cold. If you're friendly with other people in the building, ask them over. A few people will heat up a room with just their body heat. I suppose they could drag over a mattress and some blankets.

If you already have a fireplace, consider converting it to a gas stove.

We had a fireplace in the middle of our living room which we replaced with a Vermont Castings gas stove hooked to a thermostat and *removed* the electric forced air units in our whole downstairs with the exception of the outlying rooms.

It now pretty much heats the entire house.

You could probably hardwire it to the gas main and have an aux natural gas tank.

And it looks nice and I don't have to cut or haul firewood and no firewood debris.

Oh, and our heating bill went down.

-john



(ironically, I didn't have a picture handy of the front of the unit)

There are no good answers to this.

The association has a right to tell you to have little or no alternative fuel sources. These fuels are potentially dangerous and could do a lot of damage or kill people if it got out of hand. Just as a passenger in a car you are driving at a dangerous speed can demand you drive safely. The association has a right and an obligation to other tenets to have some rules that protect the collective.

This does not sit well with the person that is preparedness minded to have to deal with this, but no one is making you live there.

I would not want to trust other residents I did not know to act right with dangerous fuels in a dwelling that is attached to my home. In a single dwelling we have the freedom to do as we see, but not when it is an apartment or condo that is attached to other peoples homes.


How to solve it?

If you have a gas or propane stove (or put one in) this could work.

Electric heaters with a large generator set outside may work. But then you have fuel to store for the generator.

Or you could move.

Small propane wall-mounted heaters that don't require electrical power are good, reliable and safe. For fairly normal living in short-term situations where fuel use isn't an issue these are a good option.

As things get more desperate and fuel gets dearer I use other options. I keep a small propane catalyst heater that runs off the wide one-pound bottles handy. I can get about six hours per bottle and keep about a dozen on hand. These will also run a one-mantle lantern that puts out about the same light as a 75w bulb and a single burner stove so I can do some light cooking, make coffee and heat soup.

I mention the stove and lantern because both put out a good amount of heat.

Now, down here in Florida, it doesn't get all that cold for all that long but cold here is usually wet-cold and with wind. Also I am sensitive to cold. Sixty degrees Fahrenheit is flannel and jacket weather to me. I can handle heat in the high 90s with relative humidity near 100% but acclimated to that has a price. A price a pay when it gets cold.

The plan is that as it gets colder and the utilities fail we progressively retreat to a small interior room. This room, next to the bathroom, gets extra protection by rigging blankets or plastic over the door and any windows. All of the surrounding rooms get a similar treatment and all the most used travel routes have doors and/or blankets placed to make air locks.

A small, well insulated, with a couple of people inside and protected from losing heat by multiple doors tends to stay pretty warm without much heat. One or two candles or oil lamps pretty well does the trick but some thought has to be given to ventilation.

Colder temperatures, less well insulated or larger rooms, fewer people may require more heat. The small space heater, stove and lantern can be brought in as needed.

In the field, or if things go bad in a big way at home, there is always getting into a poncho or modified trash bag. With your legs tucked under your enclosure you place a candle or small oil lamp. Take reasonable care not to catch your poncho on fire. In such a small space a candle flame provides a lot of heat. This puts you into your own private warm environment and protected from any wind. This is sometimes a much more efficient use of fuel and time than trying to assemble and light a conventional fire.

"...I have a fireplace..."

Most fireplaces are very inefficient, wasting a large percentage of the heat generated by the burning wood. An insert would make a huge difference, but only if you can have a supply of wood on hand.

A propane powered heater such as the Mr Heater will help, and they have a low oxygen level sensor that will turn them off if necessary.

A propane powered catalytic heater might do the trick, but indoors I would only use the one pound throw-away canisters. If you go for a refillable bottle (like those used on a BBQ), leave it outdoors and run a long hose in. And I would turn it off before going to sleep.

For a small area, you can take a one pound coffee can (a metal one of course), stuff a roll of toilet paper (minus the core) into it, then pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in. Light it and you get heat. When the TP starts to turn brown, snuff it out, let it cool, then add more alcohol and relight. Be advise that you can't see the alcohol burning in daylight, and for sure don't knock it over!!!

"If you already have a fireplace, consider converting it to a gas stove."

I would have to ditto this comment I have a gas fireplace and this past winter the power went out for three and a half hours
(not much I know) but DW and DD had the living room and kitchen blocked off and kept it pretty warm when DS and I returned from the store.

Mike

Hmm, DFW is talking about blizzards, cold winters and ice storms. Probably not Florida :-) though the same principles apply. Sounds to me like it'll take a lot of BTUs to keep warm and protect the property (frozen pipes cause a huge, nasty flood mess when they burst).

I believe the Mr. Heater non-vented wall mount units are legal under many U.S. building codes. (Not in Canada, though.) Oxygen sensors and a ruby catalyst apparently knock the CO hazard way down. So if enough propane could be safely stored, that would be enough to heat a basement room. If upper-level water pipes could be depressurized and gravity drained, and RV antifreeze put in the sink/toilet/shower traps, that could go a long way to preventing water damage.

Idea: there are low-scent versions of kerosene available. Worth a try. Be aware it will gel up in extreme cold.

Idea 2: Could the kerosene heater be placed on/in/near the fireplace, so you could open the flue slightly and lose some of the exhaust fumes? Just a notion.