pseudo SHTF at my house tonight

[tyler34]

well I got home around 6:30 tonight and found out my furnace is broken and won't be fixed till tomorrow. so ew will be bundled up tonight and find out if we have enough blankets to make it through cold weather. yay

 

[snapping turtle]

Sorry to hear about that. Each year I make sure the kero heat it in order and I have at least a 24 hour supply about 1 1/2 gallons. Won;t heat the whole house smells like heck but pipes won't freeze and nether will the kids.

 

[originalhonkey]

man that sucks. do you have a fire place,or a space heater?

 

[ol' trucker]

Well that's definately a bummer. hopefully you can stay bundled up. supposed to stay real cold for the next several days. I just had to put a new heater in the house. the last one was 18yrs old. guess I got my moneys worth.

 

[SmileDocHill]

That is more like the FHTF (fart hits the fan) it still kind of stinks but it will likely blow over with a lot less work and prep needed. <--fanning not bowing.

 

[phil]

What better way to see if you are prepared for SHTF! That does suck, having no heat.


SDH...you beat me to it!

 

[tyler34]

no fireplace. I do have a couple small space heaters though. it should be a "fun experience" I don't mind it that much as I'm always hot but my wife and child is another story.

 

[sporter]

What is the furnace doing....we might be able to walk you through a fix.

 

[tyler34]

What is the furnace doing....we might be able to walk you through a fix.

the electrical board is fried so probably not.

 

[sporter]

the electrical board is fried so probably not.

Ouch..

I would advise you get some source of temporary heat like a small Kerosene heater or several electrical space heaters (or a combination) to keep the temps in the house above 55 degrees (60+ even better).
55 ambient and above is the temp needed to keep pipes from freezing in a home.

If you do go with Kerosene heat follow safety directions and make sure to keep a window open at least an inch to keep the air safe in the home.

 

[phil]

As long as you crack open the faucets, you should not have to worry about freezing pipes. Not saying it'll be good for long, but should get you through the night.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Luckily for you tonight's low is not that bad. You'd be in worse shape if the temps had been lower for a while.

A run to wallyworld for a 1500 watt space heater is in order, and as another help you can turn on lights and appliances, basically anything that takes electricity will generate waste heat.

And now it's a cheap lesson on the importance of backup sources of heat, and to know how to drain your water system to keep it from freezing should power be out for an extended period of time.

 

[bwframe]

Say the word and I'm on the way with a "needs to be cleaned" old but working K1 radiant heater + 10 gallons fuel.

 

[IndyGunworks]

A propane heater might do you some good 50 bucks for a tank 20 if you got one to refill, and 35 bucks or so from HD for a one burner... puts off an ungodly amount of heat.

 

[longbow]

You will make it.....

Worst case, you can get heat from the north and south side of your place.


They might not appreciate it!

 

[IndyMonkey]

Time for family bonding time.

 

[redneckmedic]

Sounds like a convenient time for you and your wife to share body heat.

 

[tyler34]

yeah we'll be fine but nothing like a small kick in the nuts during good times to jolt you back into a "survival" mindset.

 

[clt46910]

Yes, a good learning experience. I have a few electric heaters, plus two kerosene heaters with three gallons of fuel. My latest is a couple of propane space heaters and four 20 gallon tanks.

One low the propane heaters burn about a gallon every three hours. Will run for a couple days on one tank. I also have a small well insulated cottage, so the bigger one keeps the cottage just over 60 degrees if the temp stays about 20 degrees or above. Below that I have to turn it to medium to keep the temp over 60.

The propane does not smell like the kerosene but the kerosene heaters are larger and put out a lot more heat. One of the kerosene heaters will keep my cottage up around 80 degrees. I have to open windows when I use one of them.

I seldom use that electric heaters because my home is all electric, I mostly had them from my place in the woods. They seem to give out the least heat of the three types.

You might want to dig out your sleeping bags as well. Dress the kids in long johns, socks and a sock cap if they have them. Stick them in the sleeping bags and they should be fine as far as keeping warm. If you have lighter sleeping bags, put sweats over the long johns.

 

[HICKMAN]

A propane heater might do you some good 50 bucks for a tank 20 if you got one to refill, and 35 bucks or so from HD for a one burner... puts off an ungodly amount of heat.

I've been meaning to get one of those Mr Heater's for a propane tank for awhile.