Power outage safety?

Question

We are expecting a big ice storm where I live. We have electric everything except for the furnace. What are some things we can do to keep warm if the power goes out?

Answer 1

1: A generator to keep the heat going and carry you through the worst part of the storm.
2. Heater that uses Kerosene oil and a container to store the kerosene in when not in use.
2. Camping blankets, that help retain body heat. Found at most hardware stores or where camping supplies are sold in your area.
3. Sleeping bags - with the appropriate degree rating.

Do not use a gas grill, charcoal grill or anything like that, it is dangerous and may cause death.

Answer 2

Blankets can always help. There are heaters that burn propane, oil, or gas (check your home center or a hardware store). If you have a gas stove then huddling around that can be helpful. If you have a fireplace then you can use that. Or you can rent/buy an electrical generator.

If you live in an all electric house or apartment then you are in trouble, and should find the address of the nearest public shelter. It might even be best to go to a house of a family member or friend that has either a generator or an alternate source of heating.

Staying warm in a modern house without a fireplace or any non-electrical services is difficult, the risk of lighting a fire is too great, plus it will be difficult to get rid of the smoke. Blankets and huddling together can only go so far. I do have a few hints that might help though. Moving around will generate heat, and shared body warmth doesn't have to be done in the nude. Staying dry is critical. Dressing in layers provides extra insulation, one trick that homeless people use is to stuff their coat with newspaper to give them more layers. If the newspaper is crumpled up then it will work better. When you come into a warm area from a cold one then take off your jacket and outer clothing before you try warming up. If you don't then the heat has to go through all the clothing before it can reach you. If you take off the coat then the coat on both the outside and inside gets a chance to warm up.

The biggest key to insulation is dead air, especially if you are trying to stay warm. Wind always makes the severe cold worse; it’s called the Wind Chill Factor or the Chill Factor. But, non-moving air acts as a great insulation. A good coat has light insulation not to make it less heavy, but because those trapped air pockets make excellent insulation. Spray foam insulation or insulation that is rolled out does the same thing they use lots of dead air pockets to provide the insulation.

Move to an interior part of your house, don't try and take a warm bath or shower, since the evaporation of the water will make you colder (this is why sweating cools you down). Cover the window in that room with a blanket or a couple of bed sheets; if you are able to trap air between the window and the rest of the room. Then cover yourselves in blankets and stuff extra clothing inside of your coat and your pants. Don’t forget up and down. It will be warmer if you make a tent and have your family stay inside and it will help if you put a blanket on the floor, especially if you have wood or tile flooring. A candle can give you some warmth, but an exposed flame is a major risk. It would be better to use an oil or gas lantern.

If you have a major story like Wal-Mart or a sporting goods store then you can find some warm sleeping bags, lanterns and other warming devices. There are chemical packets that when mixed generate heat (an exothermic reaction), there are battery heated socks, gas hand warmers, and sterno. Sterno is a compact tablet that when lit generates a lot of heat. It is designed to be a method of cooking for use in the field or the great outdoors. If you use sterno in your house you need to put an upside down pot on the floor where it won’t move or be kicked over easily, then put a smaller pot on top, or better yet an empty metal soup can and light the sterno inside. The trapped air under the pot will help prevent a fire. The sterno will quickly heat up and it will get so hot that it can’t be handled, even with hot pad holders, unless you are very careful. Never forget that it is an open flame, one of the most dangerous things to have inside a home. The sterno will burn blue (the warmest color on the color spectrum) and you may only barely see that heat, so be very careful with it.

Answer 3

If you, or someone there knows what they are doing, and if you can not obtain a portable generator, you can purchase a dc to ac inverter and run a line from your vehicle to your furnace. This would provide enough "juice" to energize the ignition and blower of the furnace. If you have no experience with this equipment, do not attempt it.

If you can get a hold of a generator, make sure you run the generator outside and not in the garage! Also, if you hook up to your dryer outlet, the most common means, or straight to the buss, make sure you trip the main breaker of the circuit breaker panel so that you do not back-feed the incoming service line. Do this before you connect to the dryer outlet and start the generator!

If these options do not exist, do the blankets, etc. thing. Oh, make sure you charge your cell phone up right now before you are out.

Answer 4

You must live in St Louis! There have been two large outages this past year, one in the summer and one in November. Make sure all cracks around the house (windows) are completely sealed. If you don't have really good storm windows, you might consider buying the shrink wrap heavy plastic for your windows. Outlets are another place heat can escape, and they have something you can put on the inside of an outlet to stop heat loss and cold air from coming in. Keep heavy blankets handy and lots of batteries and candles. If you don't have to open the front/back doors, don't. Keep the warmest room blocked off from others and stay in that room. Layer your clothes and keep socks on. Good luck.

Answer 5

Keep all windows closed and avoid opening any outside doors. Close the blinds on your windows to reduce heat loss. Do not use any heaters that burn fuel inside unless you have proper ventilation; it is dangerous. If you think the power is going to go out, turn your thermostat up a couple of hours before the power goes out so that the heat will last longer.

Answer 6

You might have to buy an emergency generator, You didn't say what type of furnace you had, if it's wood you just need wood to burn, every thing else needs electricity to run.

Answer 7

Dress warm, double layer. Don't allow yourself to get sweaty, break out the blankets. Burn a candle inside an empty coffee can (metal coffee can).
Google this for other ideas.

Answer 8

Try not to open any windows. Wear warm clothing inside. DO NOT LIGHT A FIRE INSIDE YOUR HOUSE! You should buy a backup power battery in case you need electricity. Even if you don't have electricity you won't freeze to death inside a house.

Answer 9

Hi! I'm in Central Oklahoma myself and am expecting the worse. Just make sure all phones and other electronics are charged, and that you have plenty of wood! Haha.

Answer 10

Stock up on blankets,and invest in a kerosene heater.