OK, HERE IS A QUESTION: If I am heating two smallish rooms with a kero heater, and it burns 1.9 gal per fillup, (the rest of the house being closed off with plastic and blankets)will I have to run the heater CONSTANTLY to maintain decent temps inside, or can the thing be turned off for an hour or 2 at a time to prolong my supplies??? How much fuel does everyone think I need for a month? I am in WI and the post from Lt Dan about the DCFS he works at having coal for a month is disconcerting, as I have only (roughly) stocked enough kero for about 2 weeks. I don't want to have my garage catch fire or explode from all the stocks of gas, kero, and propane!!!

-- Jess (alisaunde@aol.com), December 22, 1999

Answers

I think this question falls under the rubric "test your preps". There's simply no way to know what will be adequate in the particular situation. Turn off your electric and try out the heater tonight.

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-- SH (squirrel@huntr.com), December 22, 1999.

Totally depends on your situation. I have a friend who lives in an old stone building, and she's gone round with a clipboard and a thermometer to work out her best strategy. She now keeps the (propane tank) heating on 24/7 at a low setting because if the thick walls get chilled, they just soak up more heat (and fuel) to heat them back up than she saved in the off period.

So yup, you'll have to try it and see. I don't think there's a hard and fast rule.

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.

Any combustion is risky, and in a cold climate (where in WI?) you'll be tempted to seal the area very tightly and use the heater a lot. You are running a real high risk of CO poisoning, so be careful.

First thing I'd do is start scrounging big cardboard boxes at your local furniture stores. You want to lay at least an inch of it all over your floor, and two inches on the floors of the rooms above your warm room. Cardboard is good insulation, and free. Heat rises, so the top is where you need it most (like the thick stuff that goes in the attic). Alternatively, buy a couple rolls of standard insulation (r40 or so) and you can lay it out in those upper rooms on 5 minutes' notice.

Get busy, Jess, it gets cold there.

-- bw (home@puget.sound), December 22, 1999.

Also depends on your tolerance level for temperature swings. Wear layers of clothing that can be removed/replaced as the temperature changes. I did read, however, that night setback thermostats (where the temp. setting is automatically lowered at night) should not be set to swing the temperature more than 8 deg F. Any wider than that and more fuel is used to heat the place back up than is saved by the shut down.

-- Gary S. (garys_2k@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.

That kero heater should be vented. Not only does it burn oxygen, but it also emits carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.

-- Earl (eshuholm@tstar.net), December 22, 1999.

Heat does not rise. Hot gasses rise, because they are lighter. The heat itself has nothing to do with it. Heat will travel in any direction.

-- Earl (eshuholm@tstar.net), December 22, 1999.

Jess,

Just a little more clarification if you will. The institution I work at is self contained with the exception of food. The state does have farms that the basics can be provided from. Although I am not privy to any plan regarding that, I'm am sure some plans have been made. The reason for the state preps here are incase it is required to move clients to this instutition because of problems elswere. At least the state has a place to go with wards of the state. By definition we are responsible for their well being. That being said I do believe that we are a fall back for other institutions. Regarding the kero question, I have been experimenting with various forms of kero heating myself even though I have a wood furness in the house. I have found that oil lamps maintain the heat well during the day with the help of sunshine through the windows on the south side of the house. Another good piece af advice I got here was to light the heater outside and extinguish it outside as well. Keeps the air fresh inside so you don't need to completely air it out. I guess a lot depends on the ambient temp as well. Lets hope it warms up.

-- Lt. Dans (winkldb@dhfs.state.wi.us), December 22, 1999.

Don't forget windows.

I went and got some of that foam board that is covered with foil. Celotex? I think. Mine's 1/2 inch thick. Cut to fit inside the windows. Put it up at night, take down during day, will cut heat loss dramaticly from any home. Even if you cover windows away from the area being heated.

Doesn't significantly affect or cut off the air infiltration into the room like other solutions.

-- LM (latemarch@usa.net), December 22, 1999.

The headaches you will get, will be from lack of oxygen. Carbon dioxide is suffocating, and carbon monoxide is really bad. The heat feels good, but staying alive feels even better.

-- Earl (eshuholm@tstar.net), December 22, 1999.

Try this site.

http://hearth.com/calc/btucalc.html

-- ht (trythis@calculate.com), December 22, 1999.

If you are going to use that kero heater, open a window. All fire codes prohibit the use of unvented combustion heaters inside buildings.

-- Earl (eshuhyolm@tstar.net), December 22, 1999.

I have a window in the living room, which is about 12 feet away from where we want to place this heater. This window opens up to an enclosed sleeping porch. I was going to open up the window on the storm door, then this window, so I wouldn't get direct drafts or precipitation into the house itelf (poosibly get some snow in the porch--but better than the living room). Do you think this would be adequate ventilation or should the heater be DIRECTLY in front of the window? If so, I am gonna have to be doing some handy dandy furniture arranging...

-- Jess (alisaunde@aol.com), December 22, 1999.

Jess: Might I suggest visiting your local Walmart and picking up an inexpensive battery-operated carbon monoxide detector?

-- DaveW (dwood@southwind.net), December 22, 1999.

Jess,

Kero heaters are not a good choice in your situation (close quarters even with window open) IMHO because of the gasses (CO, CO2). You do need a vented heater. I would suggest finding a used 'Monitor' heater that runs on kerosene (if you are all prepped up with alot of Kerosene supplies), but is vented also. These also need electricity for the fan.

Analogy to running a kero heater indoors is like running a wood stove with the stove pipe not going outside. Kero IS cleaner, but you will die quick from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

There are two things you need to know about carbon monoxide: 1) it does not leave your system very readily..accumulates easily, 2) it makes you sleepy and you will never wake up, just die.

Carbon Dioxide will make you gag and reflexively gasp for air, MONOXIDE puts you to sleep via oxygen deprevation. Your system reflexiviely reacts to carbon dioxide by trying to make you breath faster..but MONOXIDE is not recognized by your system and therefore your system thinks everything is fine. A lack of oxygen does not trigger breathing reflex, it is an over-abundance of CO2 that does, so if you are eliminating CO2 out of your blood fast enough and breathing in CO eventually you will succume.

Unfortunately when you lack oxygen you just get stupid, like a mountaineer at 20,000 ft w/o O2. Eventually you just want to 'rest', then you decide to 'take a nap', then you die in your sleep.

Make a quick change of plans, dear.

-- ..- (dit@dot.dash), December 22, 1999.

yikes, now I am nervous. I HAVE a CO detector, but it is the alarm kind, last one left in the area. About the garage, it has more cracks in it than anyone can count, so I suppose ventilation won't be a problem---it isn't attached to the house. ALl we have is a few bottles of the small propane for the grill, 30 gal of gas, and a few 5 lb cans of kero from the farm store--- About alternate heating-- aT THIS JUNCTURE, THERE ARE NO other ALTERNATIVES. Currently, we have 5 degree and lower temps in SE WI. I can open more windows if neccessary. Cold can be deadly too. We won't NEED to run the thing 24/7, but it is a great alternative, as the alcohol/can burners also produce noxious fumes. Can't install a woodburner, or at least, I don't know. I have natural gas and wanted to put a wood burner in the basement, venting the thing out some stovepipe that is used to vent the dryer (we live in a Victorian--but was told by my father in law the house would explode if I had a wood burner near the furnace or anywhere in the house...is this true???

-- Jess (alisaunde@aol.com), December 22, 1999.

Jess,

Don't freak. Use the kero heater. Been using a 22,500 BTU Dyna-Glow for our third winter here. We use it to supplement our elec. heat during WAKING hours. Use about 15 gals in a little over a week. Low temps here have only been in the mid-30's to 40's. Frigid for this southern/yankee!

We keep a window cracked about an inch. (no the heater does NOT need to be near the window. Kinda defeats the purpose) Till we recently moved, (vaulted ceiling now) the heater would keep about 1,800 sq ft toasty. That's ideal with a ceiling fan going to circulate the air.

Keep a pot of water on top of the heater. Works dual purpose = hot water. This will add oxegen back into the air.

The new heaters have a safety so they can only be turned down to a safe level and no lower. Low flame with kill yah.

As I said, we have had no problems. A little more housekeeping because of the residue buildup from a seasons use. My better half even FILLS it while it's going! Not that I recommend that method, but Kero is not explosive.

Relax. It's not a bomb. Use precautions. As you said, it's your only option for heat. Same here, other than an inefficient fireplace and a cord of wood. We have stocked 2/55 gal drums of kero and we refill 3/5 gal cans as needed now.

Don't forget extra wicks.

Everyone has an opinion -- this is just mine from experience.

-- farf (madeupguy@hotmail.com), December 22, 1999.

I forgot to tell you, yes you can turn it off to conserve fuel. Depends on how well your house is insulated. Using blankets, etc to seal off rooms should maintain the heat in your central area. The heat is very efficient and radiates pretty well. When you get toasty - shut it down for awhile. When you start getting cold again, fire it up.

You should know pretty quick after the roll over how LONG you might need it, so conserve accordingly. You definitely need MORE kero though.

-- farf (madeupguy@hotmail.com), December 22, 1999.

Jess, I was not trying to scare you. CO is noxious stuff and it just has to be respected as much as possible. Actually a basement would be warmer over all since it is in ground and probably would not get 'cold' just stay cool. You could hook up a wood stove pretty easily through the window as you had thought, just make sure that the gas is turned off to your furnace outside the house. Gas does settle and a basement can be a problem is gas leaks and the vapor 'pools' in low spots...flash fire or explosion.

-- ..- (dit@dot.dash), December 22, 1999.