staying warm in unheated apts or homes

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---several methods. Your heat source is your body. You start by dressing for outside temps, but add one more layer, as being inside, you aren't being active and generating an excess of body heat.

--tent-in-a-tent technique. Start with a large family tent. Clear an area in the naturally warmest room in your apt or condo or whatever. Set up the tent. Now, inside this tent, setup a smaller 2-3 person dome type tent, or pup tent. This works. Just the one big tent is a tremendous draft blocker, but most family tents are too large to heat with body temps. the inner tent will hold a lot of heat. You can further increase the effectiveness of this rig by draping blankets over the outside of both tents. Do NOT burn anything inside the tents. Use a battery operated light. the various LED lights will last the longest, and throw adequate light for inside the tent hanging out. there is a device called the "itty bitty booklight" that slips onto a book for reading, very battery friendly and effective. current alkaline batts I'm getting have an expiration date of 2004. --no tent, some options for the inside tent idea. Use a large kitchen table as the roof. drape blankets over the table to the floor, weight down with books, etc. whatever. You can use this same idea with other pieces of furniture, two stuffed armchairs placed close to each other, backs facing. Take two brooms or mops, overlap the handles about a foot, duct tape together. Lay this extended "rod" across thwe top of the two chairs, then the same blanket draping method. You now have an indoor "pup" tent looking thing. Use the cushions from the chair for the "floor", and whatever other soft materials you might have. Long clothes from the closet perhaps. use your imagination, your home is full of materials that can be used for purposes other than what they were originally designed for.

--cardboard, free. Cardboard is amazing stuff. It's free, easy to get, and easy to modify into useful things. Get tape, lots of tape. All your windows that leak cold air, or radiate heatloss, can be vastly improved with a few layers of cardboard cut to fit just slightly oversized and inserted into the frames on the inside. Use masking tape to seal the edges, it won't ruin the paint. Of course, duct tape will work better if you aren't concerned with that. The last layer can be one layer of cheap clear plastic sheeting.

--storing cardboard until needed: try to get cardboard from appliance stores, it's large already, and built strong. Of course, even package store boxes are adequate. Get these boxes home, and if not already flat, look for the glued edge, and separate the cardboard into it's original, unfolded shape. Now pull any staples. Now, remove the mattress from your bed, lay the cardboard flat on top of the box springs, then replace mattress. You can go pretty deep in layers before it gets ridiculous, that's your call to make, but it works where space is at a premium. Also, lay flat under area rugs. line the closet floor and shelves. an inch or so of cardboard in these areas adds up to a lot of "emergency' cardboard without taking up much useable space.

--if you are doing the tent in a tent, use at least an inch deep layer of cardboard on the floor before you set the first tent up. You want insulation all around you for best heat retention. Also, every morning when you wake up and "go outside" carefully wipe down the walls with a dry cloth, and open up the tent doors to air out, you'll need to remove the condensation from the walls. Do NOT use plastic sheeting as an insulation cover, there is a danger of asphxiation. Again, do NOT burn anything inside these tents, not a candle, not anything.

---more money--"ventless" propane heaters are available that will do entire small apt areas or large rooms for about 200$. 20 lb. propane tanks are available from quickstores filled for about 45$, or direct from propane companies for a little less, like 40$ filled. Check codes, in some areas these are illegal to use. They burn remarkably clean, I've used them, see no problem with them if you use a little common sense is all. It just depends, either way, try to use sparingly, and crack 2 windows open while using. They throw a LOT of heat, and also use up the propane, so keep for only the very coldest nights. For me, I think they are better than the room size kero heaters, because they have so little smell and fumes. The kero heaters work fine, but I haven't seen one that didn't stink. People who use then get used to the smell, I personally don't like it. Judgement call there. --small, two burner propane stoves are available for as little as 25$ at wally world. They are designed for the little throw away tanks, but you can get a cheap adapter for using the large propane bottles. The mileage is amazing, and if that's all you can afford for cooking and heating, just put a big spaghetti cooker on a burner, fill with water and COVER it. Use just enough of a flame to keep itself going for best "mileage". Once that water gets hot, it just radiates heat really well, just slow to get going. In one room, with the windows insulated, and the doors insulated, leaving only a small draft for fresh air, you'll stay adequuately warm in most areas. Not for the arctic, but.... --hauling in 20 lb bottles. You don't want the neighbors seeing you hauling these things in. Usually, anyway. Put some clothes in bottom of big laundry basket. Put in propane bottle, pack some more clothes around the bottle. Try to not look like you are struggling with this heavy "laundry" load. There's more, use your imagination. -anyway, there's some tips, will do more.

zoggus helpin outtus

-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 23, 1999

Answers

Thanks zog, liked it. We live in the mts. in west texas gets cold but not real...at least not yet, but save all the cardboard, liked the idea of putting it under mattresses, only thing u left out was the dog, they can keep you warm too on those cold cold nights

-- sandy (rstyree@overland.net), November 23, 1999.

ventless room heaters: www.thepropaneconnection.com

Got one, works great.

Mama

-- mama (mama@mindyrbiz.com), November 23, 1999.


Zoggus helpin outtus dun verigoodus!

Thanks for the help!

I live in an apartment, but have a country acreage set aside as my primary retreat.

I do not want to be in any congested area if trouble brews.

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), November 23, 1999.


BTW didn't believe it until I tried it::

.5oz methyl alcohol per 5 gal kero

completely clears up the smell until the last few minutes of burn (It's how I know to go turn it off)

Chuck

It has to be METHYL alcohol, and you can either pay 3-4 bucks for "Kleen burn" or some similar product (8 oz) or go to a home depot type store and pay 3-4 bucks for a quart.)

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 23, 1999.


Good going Chuck. A nice clean burn that doesn't have even the residual soot of a liquid paraffin, right?

Here's another tip, which I'll post as a thread if I get verifaction tomorrow: December 9, 1999 is really D-day.

RochSteinbach, alias KEROMAN

-- Roch Steinbach (rochsteinbach@excite.com), November 23, 1999.



It's not cheap but Alco-Brite canned heat is non-polluting and portable

-- Lars (lars@indy.net), November 23, 1999.

Coleman catalytiuc Heater ~$50. 3000BTU for eight hours on one small bottle. Safe indoors. Better buy the propane in a hurry, the coleman propane plant blew up on saturday.

-- ng (cantprovideemail@none.com), November 24, 1999.

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