City Prep: Best emergency heat?

[photoshooter]

My budget for right now is to cover the bare bones basics for winter necessity.

We're OK on food & water - but continuing to build up stores, now I'm working on heat for winter - then on extras like TP / medicines and such.

My plan is to - once the budget allows - add a wood stove unit in place of the generic fireplace we've got in the family room. My preference is to build a new chimney on the opposite side of the house, and put the wood stove down in the basement. That would provide heat (which rises) to more of the home, than with the wood stove at the other end of the home where it has no second story above that room.

When it comes to doing anything with the fireplace THIS YEAR, I just don't have the budget. I'd rather use the limited funds I do have to make sure the basics are well covered, then continue to improve the systems as I have funds available.

 

[RichardR]

Are the buddy heaters pretty hot to the touch? They obviously have a guard... just wondering how kid friendly they are.

The internal ceramic burner gets glowing hot but it's fairly well shielded & I have no qualms about using it inside of a tent, so I'd say they are about as kid friendly as any heater could be.

You would still probably want to make sure they didn't go sticking fingers or other things inside of the protective grill in order to touch the glowing ceramic burner though.

As far as operating costs, store bought 1lb bottles cost about $2.50 each & will provide 4000 btu's of heat for about 6 hours or 9000 btu's of heat for about 3 hours.

If you use a 20lb tank (or refill your 1lb bottles from a 20lb tank) you can get the operating costs down to about $1 for 6 hours of 4000 btu's of heat.

 

[Indy317]

What are you wanting "emergency heat" for exactly? If your funds are that limited, your only option seems to be a Buddy Heater. However, that is only going to go so far. I have the original (I think), one canister Buddy Heater. It is the 4,000-9,000 BTU model. What I used a small, 4" fan from Walmart to help circulate the air if need be. I had to use mine indoors to help get my kitchen cold water pipe unfrozen. It was really too big to sit under the sink, and it was making the bottom of the metal sink very hot. So what I did was sit it outside the sink with the doors open. Since the heat rises mostly straight up through the top vent, I sat that 4" fan about two or three feet away. I then had it blowing in a manner where air was slightly blowing over the vent, taking the very warm air into the cabinet area under the sink. It didn't take long and my cold water pipe was unfrozen.

I also have used it to heat up the garage when I need to change oil.

That being said, the Buddy Heater, even the large one that can put out 18,000 BTUs, shouldn't be considered anywhere near a long term item, unless you have the money and ability to store lots of large propane canisters. Using these indoors, you don't want to bring anything larger than the one pound propane tanks in the home.

 

[Jay]

My son installed one of those corn stoves last year. He cleans up after farmers a couple of hours per month, and currently has in his garage enough corn to last him for three winters, for just a couple of bucks a day.

 

[POC]

I think pretty much any kind of hat will be good to go. You might look into a plastic construction type hard hat. Or one used to mountain climbing.

 

[photoshooter]

What are you wanting "emergency heat" for exactly?
I also have used it to heat up the garage when I need to change oil.
...
That being said, the Buddy Heater, even the large one that can put out 18,000 BTUs, shouldn't be considered anywhere near a long term item, unless you have the money and ability to store lots of large propane canisters. Using these indoors, you don't want to bring anything larger than the one pound propane tanks in the home.

Winter storm power outages, supplemental heat in basement during the winter months... bonus usage is camping, spot heating garage during projects, etc.

My basement can get downright cold due to a crawlspace that opens into it. (I didn't design it, but I don't want to shut the crawl off since the main "Family room" is above the crawl - plus there are some water pipes in that area.)

We're a year or two away from downsizing to a different home (kid goes off to college soon!) So any changes to structure, fireplace, etc, need to add value to the home. Next home can be customized to fit my lifestyle. This one just needs to get us through the bad economy.

 

[Indy317]

Winter storm power outages, supplemental heat in basement during the winter months... bonus usage is camping, spot heating garage during projects, etc.

The Buddy Heater should do you well for all but the winter storm outages. I would go ahead and buy the big one, because it has three settings, two of which can be found on the mid-range model. For a winter storm outage, you will need to be prepared to seal off a room from the other parts of the home. You will need some think plastic, and likely a heavy blanket to block a walkway or doorway opening. The only thing that would really provide any real heat in a winter outage would be a woodstove type set-up. If I didn't have a stove and had a winter outage, I may abandon the home for a relatives home. If I wasn't able to do that, I would seriously consider just staying in the car with the heater running, which would mean having extra gas available and using emergency foil blankets, cold weather sleeping bags, hats, wool blankets, etc..

 

[photoshooter]

I picked up the Mr. Heater Big Buddy, along with a hose for running off the big 20# tank.

I'll pick up the adapter for refilling the little bottles off the 20# next time I'm near a Gander mountain. But, if the storms hit and we lose power, I don't want to be jacking with little bottles. I know how to do soapy-water leak tests, so CO shouldn't be a problem if I'm attentive.

I just wanted to know whether it was better spending my $$ on a better propane heater, or going back to Kerosene.

Kerosene has easy storage with long shelf life, but are sootier and the heaters need to be cleaned much more often. (I used to clean my kerosene heaters at the start of every season). Add in the asthma factor with soot, and it made more sense to go with the propane.

I've also got a basic L-shaped heating dish (the cheap propane tank heater) that hooks to the 20# or bigger tanks that I used all of last year for taking the chill out of the basement. - I'd fire it up first thing in the morning when I wandered down to the man-cave and run it for about 20 minutes while the furnace was bringing the house up to daytime temps. That little heater will become the back up while I get the Mr. Heater broke in this year.

Thanks for the help.

 

[JetGirl]

My son installed one of those corn stoves last year. He cleans up after farmers a couple of hours per month, and currently has in his garage enough corn to last him for three winters, for just a couple of bucks a day.

Yep...corn burners are the shiznit. If...no, "WHEN" we move from here, that's one of the first things we're doing.
Hopefully, it won't be forever and a day until then! We're sort of looking now, but selling this place in this economy will be a beach.

 

[LawDog76]

Anyone know where to find the heat output vs fuel cost of propane vs kerosene?

Biggest factor is how much you're paying for your propane. Back home I was getting 18lbs for $13 at the propane place in Churubusco. Kero was running about $4 a gallon. AmeriGas propane exchange (the exchange company Wal-Mart, BP, and Home Depot uses) charges on average $20 for 15lbs.

I've had to heat my home with two Buddy Heaters for a while due to an Ice Storm that went through the Whitley and Allen county area a couple winters ago. Both heaters ran about 4 days on one tank non stop on the low setting. (Wasn't exactly tracking run time but I know I got atleast 4 ful days of run time out of a tank.) I don't remember the outside temps at the time either, but with a heater running on each side of house (one story 3 bedroom w/basement) temps in the house varied from 68 - 74 degrees depending on the time of day.

The Kero heater I have burns about 1 1/2 gallons of kero in a 12 hour period. However it kept the house about 80 the weekend my furnace went out in the middle of winter. The one Kero heater was able to out do both Buddy Heaters (on the low setting) but with the wife and daughter having asthma, they kinda suffered a bit.

 

[SemperFiUSMC]

If your planning to have to heat part of your home for a couple hours in 30 degree weather, kerosene will work. Planning for two weeks of sub-zero weather? Forget it. Unless you have hundreds of gallons of kerosene on hand you'll have to abandon your home or you'll freeze to death.

Look at an outdoor wood burning furnace. I like wood a lot. All you have to do is drive around in upper Michigan and see the stacks and stacks and stacks of firewood. Not the most efficient fuel there is but it works well, is readily available, and will give you and your family something to do.

 

[POC]

Garn Smokeless Wood Heating Systems Outdoor Hydronic Boiler Wood Gasification
The best, IMHO, most clean burning on the market.
Not cheap, @$15K, but it is worth it, IMHO again.
I don't have one, yet.

 

[Indy317]

I'll pick up the adapter for refilling the little bottles off the 20# next time I'm near a Gander mountain. But, if the storms hit and we lose power, I don't want to be jacking with little bottles. I know how to do soapy-water leak tests, so CO shouldn't be a problem if I'm attentive.

I think you did good with the Mr. Buddy purchase. I have seen a few Kero heaters, but they also seem to be the ones that burn down houses...at least more so than ceramic plate type heaters. As far as CO, you absolutely must have a CO detector, no exceptions. Install it as stated in the manual. I may be wrong, but I also believe that CO can be a byproduct of incomplete combustion. I'm not sure of the chemistry, maybe this isn't true at all. I would just say that just because their aren't no leaks may not mean there isn't a CO danger.

 

[photoshooter]

You guys are just trying to get me in trouble with the building inspectors and such in Marion county.

Perhaps one day when I have that home in the country... that won't be for a few more years, unless one of you want to purchase my home for what I payed for it...????

 

[LawDog76]

If your planning to have to heat part of your home for a couple hours in 30 degree weather, kerosene will work. Planning for two weeks of sub-zero weather? Forget it. Unless you have hundreds of gallons of kerosene on hand you'll have to abandon your home or you'll freeze to death.

Look at an outdoor wood burning furnace. I like wood a lot. All you have to do is drive around in upper Michigan and see the stacks and stacks and stacks of firewood. Not the most efficient fuel there is but it works well, is readily available, and will give you and your family something to do.

Photoshooter lives in Indy and probably can't install a outdoor furnace due to HOAs. I know I can't with mine. There's not to many places we can drive around here and just pick up wood either. Far as the Kero heater, 3 gallons a day should get him by. Personally I wouldn't abandon my home in sub-zero weather if I just had a Kero heater to stay warm. Living in a one story as I do now, I'd just close off a couple of rooms like a bedroom or office depending on the current temp in the house. With a two story home I'd just have everyone remain upstairs with the heater. Since CO gas is heavy, it's one less thing to worry about unless you have a stairway with a closing door and keep it shut.

 

[singlestacksig]

If you are using a Mr. Heater Buddy hooked up to a large tank make sure you get the fuel filter.. I killed 2 heaters do to the regulator going bad from bulk tanks.. Mr. Heater figured out the problem & suggested one always use a fuel filter..
a NEW 1# tank is not going to be a problem, but if you use refilled ones you might have a problem..

 

[Lucas156]

My apartment currently has a CO detector and fire detector built in already so do new house codes require this also?