Emergency Heater for Home Use

[JasonBaker]

I'd like to purchase an emergency heater to keep around the house in case the power goes off in the middle of winter.
Below are a few of heaters that I was looking at.
What do you guys have?

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Corporation-Flame-...ane+heater

http://www.amazon.com/Dura-Heat-TT-360-360-Degree-...ane+heater

http://www.amazon.com/Convection-Reliable-Portable...ion+heater

[windfish]

Got a Kerosene heater like this one -

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ITQ5DY/

Infact I think the one I have now is a DuraHeat.. I don't remember paying that much for it, but I guess it's possible.
Works great, heats a large amount of air quickly with just a touch of odor.

Got a 5 gallon fuel container I top off at the start of winter, Kerosene seems to store quite well.

[cbeck]

I've used a single head that goes on top of a bbq propane tank. What I use now is a genny plugged into dryer outlet after main breaker is thrown off. I turn off all breakers except propane furnace and a circuit upstairs for tv , light, coffee maker, and fridge. Can't turn all on at the same time, think its only a 5k watt generator. Can't stress throwing the main enough, Don't want to electrocute a lineman or feed neighbors house. My propane furnace only needs enough juice to power board and spin both blowers.

[crukab]

I just keep enough wood on hand to stay warm......
_________________
Tom

My Pops:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=604100&highlight=
I know you will always be with me, rest in peace with no more pain. 8/13/14.....

In the yard right now:
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'65 Bug
'66 Singlecab
'82 Rabbit Truck Diesel from CALI
'86 Doublecab W/T
'91 Vanagon carat/wolfsbrg.Tiico
'88 Dodge Ram pickup
'11 Jetta Wagon

[andk5591]

Have an LP Mr Heater Torpedo for the shop....Only use it in my one extra bay that is well vented....The ones that say outdoor use really give off the fumes.

That being said - we live out in the woods and have had power outages for days. I have a couple kerosun type heaters and coleman lanterns. Thats fine for a few hours or overnight, BUT any longer and you need to worry about your refrigerator etc (BTW - when we have a power outage, the fridge and freezers stay closed unless you absolutely positively NEED something out of them.)

What I did a couple years ago was get a portable 1800 watt generator. I installed a reverse receptacle on the hot side of the furnace switch box. When I loose power, I flip the switch off to the furnace so I am disconnected from the house wiring, run 2 extensions cords into the house - one to the furnace and one to the kitchen for a couple clamp lights and the fridge.

Having lights and real heat is MUCH nicer than dicking around with kerosuns and lanterns. And with 4 or more VWs sitting in my storage garage with full gas tanks means I can run for a couple weeks.

I also recently had an automatic backup generator installed at my one business to power lights, servers and computers.. Was less than I expected - about $6K all in, including the propane tank.

Seriously consider going this route - till you are done buying and messing with heaters and lanterns, you can have a generator.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

Living in in the sticks, I feel your pain.. Sporadic power outages can be be rampant.

If you have Natural Gas at your home disposal that's the simplest albeit expensive fuel option. Buy a wall mount, install properly, have connected, burn and pay the bill.

If you already have a Propane tank for other appliances thats another easy option. Wall mount, tank mounted, or slip on a hose.. and you're hot.... but, BE SURE its rated for INDOOR use (ONLY).
Some of those propane units put off some awful bad fumes. Even the so called vent less. Avoid the ones that say indoor and outdoor..
Most of us have a gas grill right?? Its pretty simple and practical to have a tank mounted unit at your disposal..but most are outdoor only so take caution.

Thanks to our rural area... we have neither of those fuels (in large capacity) at our home... so we have had to always think about other sources.

IMO, its hard to beat a good Kerosene indoor rated heater for emergency quick home heat.
The fuel is easy to find, relatively inexpensive, you can pump and supply it yourself and it stores well for about six months, sometimes longer.
They can give off bad fumes though ..

I have a small one... just in case as well as a small propane tank mounted unit.

Just be sure any portable appliance is safely used and always think about asphyxiation. A GOOD Carbon Monoxide detector is vital when using any fuel source for home heating.
I always flush the house after a while of any fuel heating use.

Wood heat is simple and inexpensive AFTER the main investment of wood burning capability added.
It is hard work to source, supply and takes effort to keep it burning. Not for the lazy.

When we were designing and building our home 15 years ago, I was adamant regarding incorporating a REAL masonry fireplace in the main living room as well as a masonry flue for a standing wood stove in the cellar.
The long haired chief wanted gas logs... sooooo $500 + later investing in a 100llb cylinder, regulator, tubing, logs... we started with "vent less" propane gas logs in the main. Great instant heat but it left a bad taste in the air I didn't trust or like. Plus it was costing about $100 (then) a month to refill a portable cylinder that I had to tote to have filled.
My wife loved them though .. flick, spooof.. instant warmth..

I was given a nice standing Buck (with blower) for the cellar from my father in law, but frankly its a pain to keep it hot and fed enough to warm our whole open floor plan loft home from the bowels bellow which were my intentions.. .. When he had it in his home, it was placed so the main HVAC fan pulled heat right off the stove. Great idea, and it worked well in that application, but it has a small ash box so he ..well ..really my mother in law had to deal with it daily. So thats how I got it.. .. He.... she was right.. shallow ash box and have to clean it out daily..

When I finally had my shot I traded my Pop our gas logs for his Dove stove 4 blower insert as he had stopped using it in his senior years. That damn thing heats hotter than the gates of hell. When we were kids we would wear shorts just to stay cool at home when Pop had it cookin'..
I installed it in out main fireplace. Use it when needed or wanted and it heats great and has a removable ash drawer that I simply dump and and done..

Ugh..grunt... man says.. fire good.. women says.. keep it hot and keep it clean.

I agree.. with some of the above statements regarding generator back up power. If the power is out for more than about 8 hours then we start to get nervous about loosing food that is stored cold or night time cold temps in the winter.
(Damn overhead power lines)

I back feed our home with an 8500 Watt generator via an Arc Welder outlet tied into the main service panel outside. It is CRITICAL to open the main service breaker for safety before attaching and applying your generator power. Plus knowing what can and can not be used at a given available wattage. We use it mainly for refrigerators, freezers, a couple of lights, well pump or water heater (one at a time), and of course.. the wood stove blowers when it's cold..

In reality.. . a full generating back up unit installed price has dropped over the years..
If you have a tractor with a PTO.. a PTO generator is a great and inexpensive alternative if it has enough HP to turn it.

It amazes me daily.. how our forefathers survived with nothing we have today and how anything was accomplished without machinery.
It took guts, brawn, know how and drive.. something few of us can compare with today.

It just goes to show how spoiled we all are ...


.
_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
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Usually and often edited

[johnnypan]

[gt1953]

Johnny what is the BTU output of that device?
_________________
Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[johnnypan]

[lovethatconvertible]

Johnnypan, "keepin' it Green"
_________________
1960 Convertible

[mark tucker]

I just installed a duel fuel fireplace in my home last winter,works awesome, I run it off a bbq propane tank, I got it on clearance at homers depoet on clearance after winter. it was $699.00 I think I paid about $100.it was the display,pretty oak cabnet hearth what ever you call it. I might use a tank this winter last was cold and I used 3 tanks, but....it realy wasent that cold I just like a fire place.(yes I got very cold below 20 drgees) I added a fan assy from ebay for about $65 that makes a big differance.
as far as the ones you listed....possiably the top one if it will do what you want.I dont like the tank mounted ones if you have kids or animals or old or decrepid .....(that would be me)

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

Bringing this back up for the season.. to make and inquiry..

We had a nice snow storm for NC. and last night it was 6 degrees F.... (brrrr) and my home was nice toasty 68 with our good ole tried and true Dove stove cooking.. overnight. ... but as usual.. its starting to dry the air out...

I use a humidifier over night, as well as pot of water on the stove, ...plus .. the Dove has a built in tank humidifier that I will occasionally add water to (yet to this round).

For those who use gas or wood or.. any other air drying fuel to heat your home.
What methods do you use to keep the air moisture levels up ..in your home .....the best?

.
_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
Usually and often edited

[andk5591]

bathtub full of water.....(we do this in motels and hotels). depending on how your heating system is set up, there are various humidifiers that can be attached and plumbed.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them...

[cdennisg]

We mainly heat with a centrally located wood stove, but also have a gas forced air furnace in the attic. Our house gets pretty dry in the winter, especially with the furnace. There is always a pot of water on the wood stove, and there is almost always a window cracked in the kitchen. My wife will often have a big pot of water on the cook stove to add moisture if it gets really bad.

Interestingly, in reading the previous posts in this thread, I noticed mention of the expense/lack of availability of natural gas and the relative opposite for kerosene. That is the exact opposite of my experience around here. Natural gas is pretty cheap, and almost universally available except for the most rural areas. Kerosene is pretty expensive, with only one local bulk distributor. For about six months in 2015 they did not have any at all. I only know this because an acquaintance of mine heats his greenhouse in the fall with kerosene. He spent a huge pile of money that year having it shipped in. His greenhouse is too far for electrical service to make sense, and propane emits way too much moisture.
_________________
nothing

[my59]

Some PO installed wood/coal burning hot air furnace and ducted the first floor of the house.
It will draw without the forced draft fan on once hot enough, and without the circulating fan on the heat will rise through the ducts. It does the job for power outages, and I keep a half ton of anthracite on hand for emergencies. Not real comfortable but will prevent the pipes from freezing
The main system is steam radiators and a boiler fired with oil. Ugh.

Best system we ever had was in NYC- natural gas fired hot water boiler supplied the hot water and hot water heat system. The piping for the system was 3" pipe connected to cast iron radiators, and the pump never ran, as the system would circulate via convection. The boiler was old enough to run on pilot light, so when power went out no problems. This was a 4 story 20 by 35 town house, so the here were only 2 walls exposed and 2 heat loops.
_________________
my59: Well son, my grandfather died before I got to drive it, so does that answer your question?
our79: sunroof bus w/camper interior and 2.0 FI
Other:'12 Jetta, '77 Benz 300D, and a 74 MG Midget.

[VOLKSWAGNUT]

[[email protected]]

We are blessed to have all natural gas,heat, stove, dryer, you get the picture. last year the price of gas actually went down, and if we have a power outage, we can light our fireplace insert with a match. Keeps the whole place warm enough, since we over insulated it.

[mark tucker]

if it gets too dry I run the shower on full hot for 5 minuts & let the h2o stand in there. when I was in switzerland 2 weeks ago they had solor heaters and oil fired for the heat.if the sun is out the solar was all that was needed is what he told me...otherwize the oil fired one does just fine. houmoungus water tanks, one for the oil&one for the solar under the house in the parking garage.pretty sweet setup, the house was always warm.