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Heat Source During Power Outage

After following lots of threads in this group on this subject I think that 1 or 2 kerosene heaters make the most sense for my situation:

  1. Delaware Valley area of PA; +2 at night would be near a record low.
  2. Winter outages seldom more than a few hours (but no guarantees :-).
  3. Two-story 3200 sq ft house with lots of cold air leaks. At +20 F, house can drop 6 degrees per hour from a 68 degree start.

All I'm looking for is to keep the temp from falling below 50 F, for reasonable comfort and to prevent freezeups.

Can anyone provide any info sites on kero heaters? Recommendations by brand name? Do's/Dont's?

Or are there better solutions for winter peace of mind? Propane? Or am I way off base about the cost and hassle of using a generator?

TIA, HaroldWho

Reply to
HaroldWho
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Used to own a drafty 150 year old farmhouse in Montgomery county Pa. Kero is the way to go.

So after sitting in the dark for a couple of hours....By the time I wheeled out the generator, ran the cable into the house.... the power came back on.

Always had good luck with the round Corona heaters. Had a 40,000 btu on the main floor and 11,000 btu upstairs.

Reply to
Tom

someone here said they can store enough gasoline to run a generator for a month. I posted a question as to the method of storing, but did not get an answer.

can the gentleman answer this question please ??

Thanks !!

--James--

Reply to
James Nipper

I have friends in Iowa that have Kerosuns, through the wall type. Work great. I had a kerosun in my home for a while, just after a divorce and cash was real tight. Only problem with it was it was not vented and there was an oily film on the windows when I cleaned them. I would only use it in the front part of the house, not tight at all. Went through a gallon every 3 days with 8 hours of burn time a night.

You might consider propane. You might have a propane barbeque with a 20 pound tank. The catalytic propane heater put out some heat, used them on job sites in the winter when I was splicing cables.

It is your choice, good luck with what you choose.

Reply to
SQLit

Just learn how to drain the pipes and live with it.

It's not as if coats hadn't been invented.

As a Guy though, you may like the hobby involved in setting it up. Watch out for CO poisoning is all. Set it all up but if the power goes out, check into a motel.

Reply to
Ron Hardin

He has a bigger tank than my call fire department would appreciate.

RB

James Nipper wrote:

Reply to
RB

Take a look at these propane heaters. I just ordered a couple as backups just in case I have a generator failure. I have kerosene heaters but don't like the idea of using them indoors. I'd also suggest getting CO monitors for any area where these might be deployed indoors.

I've had -20F and power outages again this year so I tend to operate on the conservative side.

RB

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After following lots of threads in this group on this subject I think

Reply to
RB

Have had the same problem. It was comming from the water pipes. I turned the water off at the street after checking all else, and that stopped it, found I had a very small/slow leak underground.

Reply to
George Myers

Traditional method for storing that much gas at a residence is a farm-style elevated tank, well away from main house, sitting on a concrete pad with a spill berm in case it leaks. It can be inside a shed to protect from weather, but shed has to allow airflow to retard fume buildups. In most residential areas local zoning/fire code/insurance availablity makes that a non-practical solution. Have you investigated natural/lpg gas powered generators? If you have gas mains available, they generally stay running during a blackout. Even if you have to use bottle gas, that doesn't freak people out near as much as a gasoline tank, since the risk to groundwater is much lower.

aem sends....

Reply to
ameijers

If you can bring yourself to spend a little more than buy a through the wall vented kerosene or propane heater. The through the wall vented heaters leave all of the products of combustion outside and they draw their combustion air from outside as well so unlike most stoves and fire places they don't draw the heated air out of the home.

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Reply to
hornetd

I have a natural gas furnace and have no problem useing a generator for back up. Just be sure to run the generator every month or two to keep the fuel fresh. I think dragging out a couple of kerosene heaters and fuel for them would be more hassle! If you have gas heat in the home already you has a safe clean source of heat, you just need power. Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Ask you local fire department what they suggest. Around here they have too many calls and deaths due to the kero heats to recommend many of them They make like some types.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Store it in an unused doghouse, far away from any structure.

Reply to
Phisherman

According to local news reports, most house fires from any sort of portable/temporary heater has to do with improper use -- that is, placed too close to flammable material, kicked over, filled while operating (yes, that, too). Any heater rated for indoor use and with directions followed should be safe, although a fire dept. check isn't a bad idea.

Reply to
Frogleg

There's an assortment of non-electric backup heats. Each has advantages.

Kerosene heater: Comes in different sizes. Portable. Fairly easy to use. Kerosene commonly available. Relatively safe (safer than storing gasoline). Some odor.

Propane: Also different sizes. Some use 16 ounce bottles, some use gas grille bottles. Safer than gasoline if you don't have a leak. Clean heat -- very little odor. Some risk of carbon monoxide.

Burners on stove: Convenient, and there. If you have a natural gas stove, it's always there, and essentially always available. Puts out some carbon monoxide. but when was the last time you heard of a hausfrau dying of monoxide while cooking?

Generator to run furnace: Needs gasoline storage. More hazardous. Provides a couple hours of runtime, when you can run the furnace and heat the entire house.

Woodstove or fireplace: Safe if maintained. Good heat, and vents through chimney. Needs for you to stock wood during spring and summer, you likely won't find many sources of wood in the fall or winter.

Vented wall heater: Incredibly good idea. Needs no electric (some have a blower fan). Safe if installed correctly. As dependable as your gas supply.

Talk to your friends, see what they use.

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I agree 100% with that. Too bad so many people don't follow the instructions and think they are safe. Most approved standard equipment is designed to be more fool proof.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 19:07:31 -0000, HaroldWho wrote in alt.home.repair:

Sincere thanks to everyone who replied. I did some more Googling on "kerosene heaters" and got a bit more info; all appears to come from the same original text :-)

All things considered, it's probably the most cost effective solution to drain the pipes, put antifreeze in the traps and toilets, and go to a motel.

I think I'd need several heaters, up and down stairs, to even maintain 50 degrees. And there is the indoor pollution problem.

Nothing is ever simple. Sigh. HW

Reply to
HaroldWho

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