Hmmm…cold and snow. Pretty much typical for this time of year. I was thinking last night that I need to get another kerosene heater specifically for keeping in the basement so that if the power goes out the pipes will not freeze. Fortunately, keeping a room comfortable and keeping a room above freezing are two completely different things…fuel requirements should be easier for one than the other. I’m going to go with kerosene since its already what I power my lamps with and I like the stability and long-term shelf life. I’ll hedge my bets though and get a propane heater as well. (And maybe even a Coleman catalytic that runs on Coleman fuel.) I like the multi-fuel option…this way if things get ugly, I can use whatever fuels I can scrounge.
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Found a very cool storage container at Lowes the other day. (info) I like this. Fifteen bucks, heavy-duty, modular, stackable and not made in China. (Althoguh its made in the *other* Socialist country that starts with C and ends with A – Canada) I’m thinking this would be a good box for storing my clothes, spare blankets or similar gear. At fifteen bucks a throw I can get a dozen for not a lot of money.
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One nice thing about this bone-numbing cold….its a good opportunity to find out what gear does and does not work in sub-zero temps. Amazing what bitter cold does to batteries.
Notes From The Bunker
With the kerosene heater do you have to worry about carbon monoxide build up? I know I’ve seen kero heaters for indoor use and I’ve always wondered about that.
For storage containers I use a similarly built though less heavy-duty 12-gallon container from Home Depot. They run about $6 each.
You do have to be aware of carbon monoxide issues, but in older homes (such as mine) this is almost a non-issue since you can’t really seal the place airtight. However, a CO detector might be a good idea to have around when using these things.