# Best Emergency Heating Option



## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

We rent a place that has an electric furnace which seems to run pretty well. It also has a propane wall-type heater, but we think it also uses electricity (maybe for the blower or thermostat?), but the tank was removed prior to us renting the place.

I've heard that electricity prices are supposed to be lower this year and propane even lower than electricity, so I am looking into getting a propane tank, but my main concern is what happens when we have a power outage? They don't happen often here, but they do happen.

Is there a portable propane heater designed for use inside? Something that does not use electricity?

I've heard I can have the propane supply company attach a fitting where I can fill 20 pound tanks from my big tank when needed. True?

Any other options besides wood heat, which is a long-term goal?


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Your propane heater may still work without the electricity.
Mine has a fan, but I disconnected it as it was too noisy, but the heating part still works. Get the name of the heater, and check either online or at a store that sells them and find out if it will still run without electric.


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## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

Besides some type of heating device; look into warm clothing/sleeping bags. They'd help keep you warm and if they keep you warm enough; you'll be able to save on your other resources.


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## NCLee (Aug 4, 2009)

Your propane supplier should be able to tell you if you need electricity to run the unit. Many of the ventless ones don't need it. 

We've just finished replacing our electric furnace with a gas pack. To have heat when the power is out, all we need is a small generator to run the fan. The new furnace came with the wiring to connect a generator. The HVAC tech said he'd come out and do the final wiring after we buy a generator. 

Fox News recently had a report showing that propane and natural gas will see the biggest price drop this winter. Electricity will have the lowest. Estimated at only 2%, if memory serves. Our electric furnace was 25 years old and was an electricity hog. I'm hoping with the Energy Star rating on the gas furnace, our heating bill will be lower this winter.

If I were you, I'd get the propane company to work with you and your propane heater. If it requires electricity and you don't want to hook up a generator, look into the alternative of running it off backup battery power in an emergency. 

Hope this is helpful.
Lee


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## michelleIL (Aug 29, 2004)

I am trying really hard not to turn on my large furnace. I bought an electralog fireplace and use that to warm up the living room to a tolerable level. I heat up a sock full of rice to place at the foot of my couch when I want to sleep. I stay pretty warm. I also purchased a radiator heater in the bedroom. I will be trying that out too. I also have a big feather comforter, which I need to dig out.


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## Grace&Violets (Apr 4, 2007)

We have gas stove that looks like a wood stove (I wish it was a wood stove). We are trying it out for the first time, today. In a recent post, someone had mentioned converting a gas stove to a wood stove...Since ours has a chimney, would that be possible to do? 

For now, I am hoping that it will help save us some money, during the coldest days. I'm also hoping that some of the heat will radiate to the upstairs, where it is coldest. Our house is a ranch style and the stove is in the basement.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> converting a gas stove to a wood stove...Since ours has a chimney, would that be possible to do?


That wouldnt be a good idea.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Sleeping bags are the best way to 'heat' the home, at least at bedtime...

Unfortunately (for me, as I make my living off of natural gas) gas is very cheap... so people can have their homes at a tropical temp. all winter long.

None of my gas heaters has the need for electricity. I turn on the valve, light a match, and shazam... HEAT! You can still pick up space heaters at stores, new and used....


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

Years ago I lived in a house with gas central heat. It had to have electric to work. One cold winter night the electric went out and we woke up shivering. I don't remember what the temp was, but there was a lot of snow and ice, I know without a doubt it was below freezing out (probably around 15Â°). Here's what we did. 

We closed off all the doors we could, then hung blankets over the rest of the doorways. We all gathered in one room where we lit candles and oil lamps. That was in my pre-prep days and I wasn't prepared for lack of electric so the only candles and lamps I had were deco type things. 

It's amazing how much that room warmed up. In a hour or two we were all dropping the quilts we were wrapped in. It was actually pretty comfortable in that room. 

Now I understand why large families used to live in small houses. They were easier to heat! The house we were in was a 4 bedroom with a library, laundry room, formal dining room, family room... you get the idea, it was a large ranch style house that was spread out way to much to heat by any method other than central heat. 

That one night of waking up cold is the reason I now have a wood stove. I'll never live in another house that doesn't have an alternative method of heat that does NOT depend on someone else like an electric or gas company. 

So my advice is that if you have no alternative method of heat, stock LOTS of candles (jar candles are safest), oil lamps, and oil for those lamps. Be sure you can close off one room to heat in an emergency. You can pull the mattresses off the beds, drag them into the "warm room" and sleep in comfortable until the oil and candles are used up.

In an extreme emergency, if you have a gas oven, you can put some pans of water on to boil. The steam from the boiling water will heat a room. It causes other problems so I would only use that method if there is no other option.


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## booklover (Jan 22, 2007)

Whatever source you go with, I encourage you to make sure you also have a carbon monoxide detector with battery backup. A lot of these suggestions of putting yourself in a very closed environment with anything burning, without ventilation is a certain recipe for disaster. Remember the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning usually feel a lot like the beginning of flu, so if you are feeling poorly, get some fresh air. The detector, though, is a must have in any home, as even ovens and stoves that seem to be working fine can have leaks.


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## zant (Dec 1, 2005)

I have a wall mounted propane heater-no elec-I put small fan near it to spread heat..

NO propane company will hook up adapter/allow you(knowingly) to fill sm tanks off your big tank-MASSIVE lawsuit just waiting to happen..


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

We have propane for use with our stovetop, and one of the first things I did was to buy a CO2/gas detector with a meter that shows if there is a level of either, even below any danger level. Why take chances?

We just had an old wall heater installed as a backup. I dismounted it from the old house, rough-cleaned it, and brought it in to the propane company so they could verify that it was safe. It was, so we had them install it. Cost was less than $200 for labor and piping.

An electric "furnace" is no more than a bunch of resistance heaters in a box. It is almost always the most expensive type of heat to use. Even space heaters are more efficient, because they don't lose heat through ducts.

Candles - I would have to be freezing to death before using these. They are the most dangerous and most polluting source of heat I can think of, other than burning the fat from your hamburger. A well trimmed kerosene lamp is much cleaner burning and safer, as much as any open flame can be safe. Using the burners on the stove (at about medium temp or less) is safer than candles. Stovetops are designed to handle heat, and if you don't get excessive, and the burners are giving a nice clean blue flame, they are safe. We like to save the stews that take a long time simmering for the coldest days to take advantage of this.

Tip on propane heaters - if you have one with the glowing ceramic panels, you want to be VERY careful cleaning, so as not to crack the panels or in between them. Once this type of heater starts creating "stars" of flame, STOP USING IT. I used an air compressor to clean a lot of crud and a mouse nest out of ours, but I was lucky in not damaging the panels. The blue flame propane heaters are a little less clean burning, according to the folks at the propane company here.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Thanks for all the responses!

This will be in our first winter in this house. It's a mid-90s, 3/2 manufactured home and so far appears to do well. It was down to 2 degrees this morning and the house was 52 inside WITHOUT the heat on.

While the sleeping bag idea is a good one (I think we have pretty good bags), I'm more concerned about pipes freezing during an extended outage. As far as us, we can also all sleep in our queen size bed or set up a tent in the living room.

I found some inside portable propane heaters, but they all recommend running them on a one pound tank (the one I'm looking at runs for 5 hours on one). What is the problem with bringing a 20 pound tank inside? Can I set a 20 pound tank just outside and run the hose into the house through a window?

When it mentions ventilation, can that be accomplished by setting the unit near a window or do you need cross ventilation?

The propane heater in the house does have an outside vent. DW is convinced for some reason that it cannot (or should not) have the fan disconnected. She typically knows more about this stuff than I.

I think two of these portable heaters might do the trick in an emergency. They are not too expensive.


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

I just called our local propane provider and got some info. 

It's $49 to set the tank. It will be on concrete blocks since the area where the line runs is dirt.

The tank rental is $5 a year, for a 250 gallon tank.

Current price of propane is $1.79 a gallon with 100 gallon minimum.

For $125 I can get a "wet hose" to transfer propane from the big tank to a smaller tank for use in my weed-burner, portable propane tanks, BBQ, etc.

How's all that sound?

I haven't bought propane in awhile in bulk. How's that price sound? How do you think it'll compare to heating with electricity?


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

You can run a cost comparison here: http://hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Stephen in SOKY said:


> You can run a cost comparison here: http://hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/fuel_cost_comparison_calculator/


Thanks!


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Get the wet hose, they are very useful.


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## oberhaslikid (May 13, 2002)

This is what Iam looking into buying as a back up source.I have kerosene stove.
http://cgi.ebay.com/DAYTON-VENT-FRE...QQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item439ac6b709ut second I will have this.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

> In a recent post, someone had mentioned converting a gas stove to a wood stove...Since ours has a chimney, would that be possible to do?


 No the chimney will be for gas (low temp flue gasses) the "stove"is just a fancy metal boxed gas fireplace, neither would handle the heat of a wood fire. 
Here propane is cheaper than electricity and only cheaper than oil with the latest 2 stage 95% efficiency furnace. Ventless heaters........... no thanks.


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