Bugging in? Can you heat your home? Do you have a plan?

Bugging in? Can you heat your home? Do you have a plan?

Yes

 

I put a wood stove in my fire place this year. And it works great.

 

No but I know where to get one evil grin

 

Heat with wood and supplemental oil heat, Tank before last went 7 years, yes pri D, an algeicide and good filters does work, last tank lasted 2 years, oil is really handy when you are going to be gone for a couple days , etc. Worry about getting wood taken, but not enough people with wood stoves in houses or governmental buildings to be a real threat. Now oil is different as town trucks, generator at shelter, some town cars all use diesel and the local heating oil is died diesel, and I know that they would grab that right off. If you have any plans about heating with wood after TSHTF, get your wood at least 1 year seasoned, or let it set for a year, buy the best stove and chimney that you can, get the cleaning equipment, learn how to use the wood harvesting equipment and how to use the stove, make your life so much easier and reduce the chances of either killing yourself with CO, or burning your house down.

 

Yes, I now have a plan. Main heat is two very high efficiency 20 SEER heat pumps with 98% efficiency propane auxiliary heat. If power is out the genie can still run the propane furnaces and blowers. In concert with those I installed this fireplace earlier this year. I like it a lot. Very efficient (upto 77%) with no catalyst and when burning moderately hard heats most of house (roughly 3000 sq feet) when temps are in upper teens outside. Granted place is well insulated. It is hooked into HVAC ducts with a circulation fan and can put out 10- 50,000 btu/hour continuously. If power is totally out and I don’t have genie running, it can still heat most all of main floor just by convection/gravity with no fans. Plus looks a lot nicer than a wood stove. Can’t cook over it but that’s ok, can keep stuff quite warm if parked in front of glass door.

Focus 320 | RSF Fireplaces

Here is mine:



AT

 

Yep!
1. Wood Stove with about 8-9 cords split wood tucked away, and about 20 cords in rounds.
2. Propane Fireplace with a full 250 gallon tank of propane
3. Propane cook stove which the oven with the door open makes a fine heater, runs off of the 250 gallon propane tank also which is full.

 

My place is all electric. If the power goes out I'll freeze. Plan B is to get in my 15 degree F sleeeping bag! Sucks living in an apartment.

 

We get to test our plan every year due to ice storms.
Sometimes for a couple of days .. others a week or more.
fireplace inserts upstairs and down in the basement.
extend out and have a place to put on a pot and a pan and kettle on both stoves .. and you can toss potatoes in the firebox wrapped in foil. Plenty of bacon, eggs, burgers, soups/stews, toast and pan seared steaks have been consumed .. but soups are the easiest.

Also rocks can go in the firebox to make portable heat but make sure you test your rocks in a bonfire in the yard before attempting to heat in your firebox lest you get an exploding rock because it was a bit porous and retained water.

Also, closing off unnecessary portions of the house reduces your heat requirement. Heavy rugs, cardboard, bubble wrap have all been tested and are adequate.

 

Probably burn wood.....just like the last 35 years. Live in the Saudi Arabia of the US hardwood belt and we own 60ac of oak, hickory, locust, etc. Got 16 cords cut/split/stacked in sheds, which is 3 years worth, give or take.

 

we burn firewood.

 

Living in North Florida, really cold weather only lasts a few days at a time. My property is all electric with portable propane gas heaters for emergencies.
My parents' home, where I currently reside, has propane gas heat and stove. But one tank only lasts a vouple months during winter use.
I have some trees, but no provision for burning wood for heat.

 

I live in Hawaii. My house is mostly warm almost year round. Cooling is a different story.

 

Primary heat is an airtight wood stove. Propane, kerosene are here as backups if required, but haven't been needed since the wood burner went in.
Enough seasoned wood for two more years...I guess come spingtime I'll put some more up to season...woodlot needs some turn over

 

I am in a rental also and heating has been an issue. Long term, I do not believe we would do so well but short term we have a heater and a generator. I have supplies for making a barrier to seal off the upstairs and we would be in the dining room.

 

Always have a plan B!

 

Wood heat for house & DHW in winter months ,Summer is solar for cooling & DHW.
Propane ovens and 2 cook stoves , plus portable oven & cook stove in LPG.
Live in a rain forest ,wet coast
Sloth

 

I could use electric heat ,but only randomly .
I could use gas to heat , but that's too expensive .
I use a wood cook stove normally during the winter and if it's running it's great for cooking too.
During the summer however it's too hot to be using the wood cook stove for cooking so then I use gas and the micro wave ,
The temperatures here have not gotten to their normal low for the winter, so I may never use the wood stove unless it all changes. .

 

And what would be your plan B? I have 6 months left of where I am at. I do not wanting to waste money on stuff that is a temp solution to a temp/ may not happen issue, I would like frugal suggestions for a plan B.