Preparation for Power Outages in Winter

Good idea. I'll remember that if I have enough warning. Thank you!

I know they cost about $5000 but if you live in a rural area, can you get a generator that is hooked up to your house? Not a gas generator. My brother had to have one because he was on CPAP and the power needed to be on for that, so if the power goes out, the generator would go on within a few seconds. At least you could heat water for the horses, etc. I don't know how it works since it's for houses...

I might have to close the windows.

Hey OP, movee sun is. problem solved to where th

[link to www.amazon.com]

For water storage. There are several brands/options. Holds up to 100 gallons. You can always take a sponge bath, but you need water in emergencies.

Emergency space blankets, as others have said.

Fortunately, we have a wood stove and that is a godsend! But I see you are an apartment dweller, so not so feasible in your case.

Best to you!

Last Edited by Kamchatka on 08/31/2015 02:13 PM

I love my flannel sheets. Thank you!

Thank you so much, everyone. I have a long list here and will begin my shopping this afternoon. I now know of things I had no knowledge of and am not so afraid of winter coming. Thank you, dear friends. I'll be back to check out anymore suggestions.

go green solar panel Wind Turbine maybe?

Most wood pellet stoves are EPA approved. They burn very cleanly and emit no visible smoke except when first lighting up.

Mine has connections for a 12V battery, so if the AC power goes out it runs on battery. I once ran it for 5 days using a car battery.

The downside is that you have to buy wood pellets, which come in 40lb bags and cost about $250/ton.

Now all the scoffers that belittle me for years about my humble place in the sticks
will be eating humble pie in the cities soon.

Burned wood all last winter. Furnace is due for limit switches but I never bothered! $20-$30 when I bother with it!

Maybe 8-10 cord of wood ready, 3 or 4 chain saws but shouldn't need them.

800 gallon of water in the green house if needed, shouldn't freeze.

6 deer put up last year, bow season now. Still have most of that and black Angus grass fed beef I processed myself.
150 pounds or so for taking care of it. Most canned.
Keep it from freezing, no problem, burn wood!

Big generator waiting for me to put back together.
Want to try wood gas for that!

I'm ready. Let the games begin.

God bless.

OP, the silly classic rock remark with the one, two, or three dogs (for heat) refers to the classic rock group Three Dog Night. Very small joke, but IF we wind up in the situation you're worried about, joking may be all we have going for us. Every bit of humor will be accepted.

We used a small kerosene heater when we lived in Japan. Of course, the houses weren't as air-tight as those here, so we used them all night on the worst weather nights. And we survived. I might not use them that way here in the US where we're so air-tight that we could die with no replacement oxygen coming into the house/apt.

We're in our late 60s/early 70s here, but out in the rural belt on the far side of Puget Sound. Lost power here the other day due to the wind storm that took down trees. Out of power for 18 hours, but then we're set up for that. Used our oil lamps for light, and managed to cook by the light of a few LED lights on the gas stove. Our hot water is gas also, so even in a long duration outage we can have a shower.

One thing you might consider is getting a few rolls of that bubble wrap and putting that up (bubble side to window surface) on the room you want to keep warm. I used clear package tape to keep it up, but you could use silicone glue too on some of the bubbles. We also built two of those candle/clay pot jobs. Ours was a set of three nested pots connected with a threaded metal eye-bolt that sits over the candle in another clay saucer for security for the candle.

As as a Christian, I believe we could see what is being called the 'snatching' of the Bride of Christ. Not a rapture, but taking out of danger of the real believers... not all those who go to church, but those who really desire to be faithful. If you're interested, one site is Thecallofthebride.com

Plenty of "three-dog-nights" in the offing.

i still haven't even finished watching that shit even after Directv found out i was watching it for free and cut me off

Yes winter is coming :gameofthrones:

Last Edited by Big Duke6 on 08/31/2015 02:40 PM

I plug the furnace and fridge into the generator. Run it for an hour at a time as needed to conserve fuel.

Deep cycle battery for phone charging.

OP -

Don't forget to stock up on water:
Since you live in an apartment (I got that right?), you won't have a lot of storage space. I'm in a similar situation, living in a 865 sq ft stand alone home. I've been saving 2 liter bottles and 20 oz bottles from vitamin waters and such, storing them in a rubber tote. When there is a threat of a storm (thunderstorm, tornado, winter, etc), I will fill those and stash them in places gallon jugs and such can't fit.

Don't forget to stock up on necessities:

- toilet paper
- personal wipes for when you don't have access to runny water
- other personal products you typically use
- matches/lighters
- candles ... I've been getting candles cheap at Goodwill and Salvation Army (browse there for totes and other odds n ends)
- batteries
- comforters and blankets ... again, Goodwill has them fairly cheap and in good repair
- cordage (cotton, nylong, paracord, etc) ... to help create a blanket tent in your apartment if need be.
- thick socks ... keep your feet warm at all possible
- manual can opener
- lots of canned soups, tuna, etc. complement with crackers and chips
- trail mix and other similar ... fairly healthy snacks that keep for a long while
- vitamins: D3, C, B complex, probiotic (your tummy may well be upset with stress), and whatever else you typically need
- a crank/battery powered radio that also has weather alert feature
- some cases of sodas. yes, not the healthiest, but a sweet treat that doesn't have to be refrigerated. breaks up the monotony of water all the time when the power is out.

Also, I have taken 2 liters bottles, filled with 3/4 or so water, and froze standing up ... and then store in the freezers. So, if the power goes out due to a storm for a few hours or a day ... you can use those to help keep foods frozen or cold as long as possible (better than not having them to help). Also, take sponges, cut them down (if they are the huge ones), soak in water (do not wring out) and store in a good sealing freezer bag ... and freeze. These make great little ice packs to help keep things cold/frozen too.

Also, I will be sending you a private message after I finish this one ....

Gas wall heaters,can't be beat

I live where its warm and sunny ,I may swim on christmas day in the ocean.I spent too much money trying to stay warm over the last decade before moving south.

Work on rubbing two sticks together. Use Youtube if you have a problem with it. That's why most people are fucked.

You can make a solar heater from soda cans. Google it - its on You tube. It produces temps of up to 150 degrees ???
But you need the sun to be out -so for night Down comforters, woolen hats, put up blanket or divider to make a small area around the bed to keep heat in. And sleep with others for body heat. You'd be surprised how much heat people make. There are also Gas space heaters, just make sure you have a Carbon monoxide alarm.

Wash your dogs while you still can!!!

OKAY, here's the link for the soda can heater.

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

And make sure to stock up on lighters/matches

I live in the boonies, Wyoming. We have short power failures all the time. I have a stand-by generator, but it wont run 24 hours a day for very long, so I have made many preps. I have a fire place, and a wood stove. We have many candle/clay pot heaters. Of course we keep a lot of candles and lanterns around. We keep a lot of flash lights (some on guns), and batteries to last a while. We have battery powered motion sensing lights throughout the house and barn. We have stand by vacuum pumps for our milking system. We can survive long term without power, but it isn't much fun.

What about a propane heater? You still need to stay three feet or more from it but propane is easier to store and can be used on a gas stove/oven or grill with a simple attachment you should buy ahead of time. If you can get a decent battery operated fan to blow the warm air around, any heater will perform better.

Only if you have a non digital with knobs.

Might help a bit, but I wouldn't rely on it for long term heat.

[link to www.instructables.com]

be advised propane or any heater including a gas stove will put out carbon monoxide. this kills u in your sleep. also b4 u bet on the gas stove n matches, try unplugging or trip the braker n light the stove NOW!!! the new stoves have safety relays that lock out the gas/hence wont work. if power is out city-wide will t affect the gas coming to your town n house? if u r talking being out for days not hours the gas will get used up that is already in the pipes.
if u r talking days ,try sleeping at hospitals. they do have gennys. longer thou u is looking to move out of the city.

Ha! I know your reference about Three Dog Night (people would use dogs to keep warm at night; a really cold night was a three dog night. Right?)