For those of you who are (or have) managed to keep going.....keeping house warm and pipes not freezing......during winter storm power outage.........what is your heat source? Some form of room to room space heat or whole house central heat that does not require power to work? Or other?

Kerosene heaters are handy there’s several LP options out there also Nipco heaters if it get serious just be careful with any of it. Buddy down there has a Generator set up for the whole place he never regrets that investment.

Just had one installed this last summer, sure is a comfort knowing the house has power when the lines go down.

regular propane furnace with generator.
fireplace.
kerosene torpedo heater.

I would love to have a standby generator, but it cost as much to have it installed as the cost of the generator.
If you have city just let the water run. Close off all the rooms that you are not using and heat just one room. JMO

This time of year just move the freezer stuff outside.

Gas or propane oven. I usually light all the top burners and not the oven.

Kerosene heater.

Coleman lanterns, i have 5. They throw more heat than you imagine. I also have a Coleman stove i can light

You can by an 11,000 watt inverter generator for $2,000. Sometimes cheaper if on sale. An electrician should be able to pigtail if off your A/C compressor, or install a separate electric hook-up for less than $500.

see here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7RaJSAMZQ

you don't have to have a Generac, etc. that kicks on automatically. Those can pricey for sure.

ol' dad

We have Wood stove & fireplace , generator for fridge and freezer

Wood, but it's been such a mild winter I haven't burnt hardly any.

When I was kid, our house had a wood / coal burning forced air furnace with blower in the basement. It was only heat source it had.. But even with blower, warm air would still circulate by gravity if the power was off. Enough nothing would freeze.

last two houses.....one had a fireplace insert (dangerous fire trap) in basement......the other a gas fireplace with gas log. Both put out enough heat to filter up the stairs to upper floors.......enough house would not freeze. Neither required electricity to run. Where I am now......screwed if power goes out .Only solution to save me is a generator I do not have.

This kid has the right idea..............



But if you can work it out, a generator does make life easier. Mom and dad rode out a 7 day ice storm power outage once with very small gasoline generator.......maybe 1 or 2 outlets on 15 or 20 amps. Kept gas furnace going the whole time. They cooked on Coleman gas stoves. None of it convenient but better that freezing. Only issue with generators is to have enough fuel on hand to keep it running. At mom's place now, she now has a 15kw generator, connected to a 250 gallon dedicated propane tank. Has never been tested, but was told that much fuel would keep generator running 24/7 for somewhere around 10 to 15 days, depending on load. Back when, dad has a 250 gallon farm gasoline tank to keep the little generator running. They use more fuel than you might think.

BAck when, a lot of one story farm houses were heated by a wood stove or warm morning gas stove. It would sit in a central room.......and you left doors open to allow heat to filter in. Those warm morning gas stoves would run you out of a small room.