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I am not getting a lot of info on the Web on how to survive/heat my property in the winter if the power went out and it is dangerously cold up here in Minnesota this time of year.
I was wondering what the most prudent way to HEAT my house/property if/when a power outage occurred in dangerously Winter cold like it is now?
I don't have a fire place. I don't have fire wood. I don't have a sunflower heater (or whatever they're called).
I also use gas (propane) for HVAC, as well as cook top, hot water, and gas log (I don’t use, they stink unless vented).
Our private driveway is 1/2 mile up our mountain, ice/snow is a big concern during Winter, I store around 50 gallons of gasoline for my generator. If power is lost for a long time, I wheel the genny out of the garage and plug it into an inlet to power the house. The genny will run 10 hours using 6.5 gallons gas.
Since you might have pipes that would freeze, supplying power to your furnace would be most prudent. That means a small generator and interface you can switch. However, a gas wall heater or even gas cooktop can supply heat for the living space in a push. Those don't stink like some gas logs are prone to do.
The Sunflower heaters work well, but you must have them vented so you don't get carbon monoxide poisoning.
The gas will flow to your gas furnace unless there's a break in the line, so a generator or bank of batteries to keep your furnace running is a good idea.
Without wood or coal, you basically limit yourself to electricity, natural gas and propane. The sunflower heaters work well in limited spaces, but can't heat large areas very well, and they aren't the most efficient option as they burn through fuel pretty quickly, but they do work.
One other option is a pellet stove, but they need venting and electricity to run too, so again back to the generator.
Heating your pipes can be tough, but you can leave the water running at a trickle to keep them flowing, but if it's cold enough that won't help, and your sewer can also freeze. If you have a basement, that would be the best place to put your auxiliary heat source as the ground insulates well and the heat will rise up to keep your pipes going.
For what you describe, a generator would be a good investment, but remember, you need propane, gas or diesel to run it. Diesel will gel in very cold conditions unless you're running number 1, or put in anti gelling additive. Gas or propane are best for the cold, but remember to add some Heat or deicer to your gas as it can freeze up the water in the fuel.
You need to keep a good supply of fuel too, and rotate it as it will degenerate over time.
Spent part of a week last year without power - thank you ice storm. Wound up wearing a lot of warm clothes and eating canned food. Ironically, the situation was more boring than exciting. Not much to do when there's no power, light, nor internet.
I am not getting a lot of info on the Web on how to survive/heat my property in the winter if the power went out and it is dangerously cold up here in Minnesota this time of year.
I was wondering what the most prudent way to HEAT my house/property if/when a power outage occurred in dangerously Winter cold like it is now?
I don't have a fire place. I don't have fire wood. I don't have a sunflower heater (or whatever they're called).
Any suggestions?
I believe my furnace is run on gas.
1. a generator for your furnace (and plenty of stored gasoline)
2. a Mr. Heater Big Buddy propane heater (for backup), and extra propane cylinders...
Are you living in a travel trailer like you suggested in your other thread? Generally these have some sort of propane heat that does not depend on mains power to operate.
Failing that, look at one of those "Buddy" heaters, they are catalytic so can be used with limited ventilation. Typical travel trailers will leak plenty of air for these to work fine.
Your primary heat should have a large power switch. This can be replaced with transfer switch like the one in the following link.You only need a small portable generator for this setup. Total cost might be $700 including generator and install. Keep in mind the generator can also be used for other things, for example it might be enough to power a refrigerator in the summer during a power outage.
Next step up is what they refer to as interlock, this is installed in the breaker box and physically prevents the main power and your backup circuit from being on at the same time . Technically you don't need this but it should be installed for safety reasons. It prevents any possibility of power backfeeding into the grid where it could potentially harm a power line worker. When the power goes out you would first flip the main breaker disconnecting from the grid, you can then turn on the circuit for the backup power.
The backup power circuit would typically terminate outside somewhere. You connect a larger portable generator to it. One of the benefits of this system is can power any or even all the circuits in your entire house, however you need to be careful that what you are powering is not drawing more power than the generator is capable of. you can't just go switching everything on. Another benefit is you have larger portable generator if you need it somewhere else.
The one downside is it does not come on by itself. Total cost might be $3k.
The next option is using automatic transfer panel, this is installed next to your electrical panel. when the power goes out it will automatically start the generator that is usually fixed position. These often limit how many circuits can be powered but can be set up for the full house. Costs vary but minimally $5 or $6K.
The ultimate solution is solid fuel heating appliance like coal or wood that is manually operated. Generally speaking this is not something you might want to install just for emergency heat. Primary benefit is they just work and can solve two other issues, you can cook with them and make hot water. Here is example of how you would make hot water, this can be utilized with electric/gas water heater or just a tank. T he basics are pretty simple, hot water rises and cold water sinks. It will naturally circualte from the stove into the tank. This does not heat water fast but will heat it to very high temperatures given time, sometimes excessively hot. Be sure to install the pressure relief valve and the mixing valve.
There is other options especially if there is no budget, you have the room and want an excellent conversation piece in your kitchen that also has practical purposes. Refurbished antique stoves are available that will burn coal or wood. The have additional burners/oven on the side for gas, the reason these stoves have gas was for summer use. The burners on the right and the small oven below them in the following example is heated with gas. The entire cooktop on the left is heated with coal or wood. The firebox is to the left besides the oven. To the regulate the temperature being supplied to the pot or pan you can move to the left or right or for higher heat the plates can be removed.
Are you living in a travel trailer like you suggested in your other thread? Generally these have some sort of propane heat that does not depend on mains power to operate.
Failing that, look at one of those "Buddy" heaters, they are catalytic so can be used with limited ventilation. Typical travel trailers will leak plenty of air for these to work fine.
No. 2000sq ft house I have a mortgage on.
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