Keeping warm without power

[Exonian]

Hi from sunny Devon!

I have decided to hunker down and bug in but my house is totally reliant on gas and electricity with no open fires. Have been thinking of getting a portable calor gas heater. for me this is quite a big expense so wondered what does anyone think?

[Devonian]

Get yourself a couple of sets of decent thermals, merino wool ones are best but pricey.

Then also make sure you can add warm layers on top and you'll be amazed and how easily you can survive and how warm you can keep yourself.

You also need something like a gas camping stove, plus plenty of spare gas which can be used to make hot drinks and soup etc.

Also have a search for the simple terracotta plant pot room heater which is a very cheap and cost effective means of raising the room temperature.

Other things you can do are make sure your roof space is well insulated (there are still grants available for this) and that you have thick heavy thermal backed curtains, also make sure that doors and windows etc are properly draught proofed.

But then being a fellow Devonian you also have the benefit that it rarely freezes or snows in Devon, so it never actually get that cold compared with many other parts of the UK anyway

[Yorkshire Andy]

Remember in low temperatures to go for either a stove that takes either butane propane mix or propane as butane freezes at about 0 deg C but below about 10 deg C it becomes under pressured due to the ambient heat.... (Its illegal to store propane in a dwelling a outhouse is fine)

Same for a gas heater remember to get a battery carbon monoxide detector too for any combustion appliances risk CO poisoning obviously working smoke alarms areca must too

Extra WOOL blankets and thick curtains with linings and net curtains help trap air near the windows keeping the cold out and if feeling flush a decent 4/5 season sleeping bag for each member of the household

Don't under estimate the importance of a wooly hat or scarf between 1/3 and 1/4 of your body heat escapes through your head.... If your feet get cold put the hat and scarf on...... .

Don't forget to top up any loft insulation and ensure any water pipes are well lagged

[cpslashm]

This guy http://www.richsoil.com/electric-heat.jsp demonstrated that you can keep warm with very little heating if you heat yourself, not the whole house.

I suggest wrapping up well with a hot water bottle for the feet and a large vacuum flask of hot drink/soup for the rest.

If you have plenty of loft insulation, an upstairs room with the door shut will probably stay slightly warmer than elsewhere (but beware of condensation). This also means taking regular exercise going up and down stairs to heat water and do the refills - going up stairs gets the circulation going, which helps.

Brain gone into silly mode.

An alternative is to live in your bathroom . Make an un-insulated, moisture-proof cover for your bath. Add hot water to your bath and cover. As it cools, the room warms. Be careful when carrying the mess tin from your propane stove in the garden up the stairs 200 times.

If you decide to live in your bathroom , lag the toilet cistern. They sit there, filled with cold water, absorbing heat which is periodically flushed away. Mind you, you will probably want plenty of padding if you are going to sit on the toilet lid all day.

[Yorkshire Andy]

This might be cheaper option and easier to store
http://www.camping-online.co.uk/camping ... Askp8P8HAQ

[rik_uk3]

When you burn portable gas stoves/heaters water is produced and can easily lead to damp rooms. You don't need home heating if you have good clothing.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Must admit I edited one of my posts to mention that propane is a dryer gas over butane due to much less water content. But the mobile signal dropped out

[Exonian]

Thanks for all your really good advice. I had better add knitting to my list of to do's!!

[redskies]

What everyone else said about layers, but bamboo needs to be in there. Bloody marvellous stuff, particularly when blended with wool. It's warm, soft and wicking, as well as slightly antibacterial. I have quite a bit of bamboo clothing now, and am adding more as I go. It's not cheap, but it lasts for years, and is very high quality. The socks are excellent too.

Blankets - you can use odds and ends of wool and easily make your own - are good if you're sitting. We have various throws and things for our regular winter power cuts.

Another thing that helps is keeping doors shut and having good curtains.

[shocker]

Old thread, possibly new (ish) info - PLANT POT HEATER BUILD

http://www.heatstick.com/_Process.htm

make of what you will