Heat, Light, and Power

In all probability the electric power grid will fail for a significant length of time within our lives. If we are prepared we will be able to “weather the storm”. There are many aspects to being prepared: food, water, shelter, clothing, heating, lighting, etc. We will focus on two: heating & lighting. How we prepare depends on “what” we are preparing for: pandemic, earthquake, storms, floods, winter, etc.

HEATING - For a Home
Water Pipe Freezing/Preparation to Prevent Pipe Freezing
• Keep Pipes from Freezing or drain them, Frozen pipes won’t be apparent until they thaw.
• Moving water will not freeze as easily, so the easiest short term solution is to open the faucets to allow a slow drip. However, this solution will only protect the lines the water is flowing in (IE opening a bathroom faucet will not protect the water line going to the toilet or shower).
• The most reliable solution is to drain all the pipes. Before proceeding, ensure you have enough water for your future needs. Locate your main water valve into the home, and close. Open the drain valve on the main line, (sometimes no water will drain until a faucet is opened. Locate the highest faucet in the home and open to the cold water side). This will drain the cold water from the lines. Locate your water heater, and open the drain valve. Turn the opened faucet now to the hot side. Don’t forget your toilet bowls and tanks, clothes washers, dish washers, water and sump pumps, etc.

Home Protection
• Don’t turn off natural gas unless you smell it.
• Heat whole house or select small room to heat. Select a space on the “warm” side of the house, avoid rooms with large windows or un-insulated walls. Interior rooms, basements, etc work best.
• Seal cracks around doors and windows with sealing tape, towels and blankets. Limit area to be heated. Be careful to allow enough oxygen into room, CO battery detector.
• Isolate the room from the rest of the house by keeping doors closed. Hang bedding, heavy drapes, blankets over entryways, windows, hallways, etc. or erecting temporary partitions of cardboard or plywood.
• If your windows are broken in an earthquake, put heavy visqueen plastic, cardboard, or plywood sheets over window frame to seal out cold. Use heavy duty duct tape. Put a layer of clear plastic on the inside and one on the outside of the window frame to make a dead air space between the two layers. Plastic will allow light to come in during the day.

Secondary Heat Sources – Your choice may very depending on your circumstances and the type of emergency.
1st Choice - Generators –There are several types, sizes and safety rules to follow. Please refer to the class on generators for more information. Never run generators indoors or even in the garage; they produce large amounts of toxic carbon monoxide (CO).
2nd Choice - Natural Gas/Propane/Kerosene VENTED – Safe to use all winter, Heats around 2000 sqft.. You may want to get a conversion kit to use both natural gas or propane. Give good radiant heat. External fuel tank for propane or kerosene.
3rd Choice – Wood, VENTED – Gives good radiant heat, safe for whole house or just one room. Some can burn coal. Can cook on some wood stoves.
4th Choice – Natural Gas/LP UNVENTED – Various types and Styles. 99% heating efficient, thermostatically controlled, automatically modulates heat output. Heats around 1000 sqft. Some have Oxygen Depletion Sensor Shutoff.
5th Choice – Natural Gas or LP UNVENTED (Portable) – Low to High CO Emission and moisture. All unvented open or closed flame units still burn oxygen. Proper air flow must be allowed for. Output varies. Reddy Heater, MR Heater (tank top and Buddy).
6th Choice – Kerosene UNVENTED (Portable) – High CO Emission, nitrogen dioxide (cause throat and lung irritation), sulfur dioxide (impairs breathing) and moisture. All unvented open or closed flame units still burn oxygen. Proper air flow must be allowed for. Output varies. 21st Century (Lowes, HomeDepot, Cal Ranch, etc). Use for short term emergencies or temporary heating. Not approved by Logan Fire Dept in occupied living spaces.

Fuels – Types, Storage and Safety
NOTE: Logan City codes prohibit the storage of flammable liquids in homes, basements, or garages. Remember to put a fuel additive to any stored fuel. Pri-G for gasoline, Pri-D for diesel or kerosene, or Sea-Foam.
Propane - storage max 25 gals or 100 lbs, close to home (means 2 week supply, need 1000lbs plus for all winter, larger tanks can be used if 10ft from buildings). Used with heaters, stoves and lanterns. Stores easily, nearly indefinite shelf life.
Kerosene - max 60 gals in combination with diesel and lamp oil. Expensive, strong odor, low flash point means relatively safe to use.
Wood – No City restriction on amount, stack away from buildings. Use only seasoned, dry wood 15-20% moisture, dry for min full summer. Best wood is what is most available. Stack off ground. Cord is 4x4x8 ft. Use Rolled newspapers, fire starters, etc.
Butane – max 100 gals in combination with etc. Use with small heaters, stoves, lanterns. Expensive.
White Gas - max 25 gals in combination with gasoline, white gas, etc. Use with stoves and lanterns. Tends to evaporate easily even when tightly sealed. High BTU but expensive.
Diesel – max 60 gals in combination with kerosene & lamp oil. Low volatility, easy to find, stores up to 10yrs w/ treatment. Gels in cold weather. Use with some stoves.
Coal &Charcoal – No City restrictions, store away from buildings. Store in dark, dry place. Coal is very economical.

LIGHTING
LED lights most efficient; fluorescent and incandescent are worst.
Solar Flashlight –
Bogo Light www.bogolight.com 4-20 hrs per charge $33.
LED Hybrid Solar (1st click solar, 2nd click battery) 16 hrs per charge, Water proof, floats, 100k hrs use, find at Costco or https://www.chooserenewables.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16176&cat=260&page=1 $20 plus S/H
Solar Lantern – http://www.21st-century-goods.com http://store.sundancesolar.com/sorelasl.html http://www.campinglanterns.net/solarlantern.aspx
SL9000 – fluorescent tube, flash mode, 3hrs on high per 30hr charge, can use AC or 12v car adapter for charging. $69 plus SH
SL9000SW - same as SL9000 w/ AM/FM radio, weather channel, Alarm, Strobe $80 plus SH
SL9100 SL9100W - Thin version. 6hrs on high per 32 hrs charge, comes in fluorescent or LED w/ AM/FM $81 plus SH
. Gordon Lantern – 12 LEDs 8hr run on full charge, Low light output. $25 plus SH http://www.harborfreight.com
Propane/White Gas/Kerosene Lantern – Coleman or similar make. Burns hot, Must store fuel and extra mantels. You cannot run in a tent or indoors for long periods.
Oil Lanterns – Low light, hot, smells, oil spills, smoke output must store fuels, wicks,
Bogo Light Solar Hybrid SL9000 SL9000SW SL9100W Gordon Lantern Coleman Propane

POWER – Generators: Gas, Propane, Diesel
• Use to run furnace, refrigerator, freezer, etc. Use smallest size that can get you by to min. fuel storage.
• Never run generators indoors; they produce large amounts of toxic carbon monoxide
• Pros: Small space required, allows running multiple household appliances (depending on unit’s size), inexpensive
• Cons: Requires fuel storage depending on type of generator (gas, propane, diesel), produces
carbon monoxide, noisy although muffler can help.

Gas Portable Generators
• Easy to handle – no setup, just plug in
• Many sizes and types 800 watts – 10,000 watts
• Prices range $400 on up
o Coleman
o Honda
o Yamaha
o Generac (Home Depot Generac 5500 w $797)
Examples of Portable Generators:
3500-10,000 watts $420-$880 Yamaha EF2400iS $1090 (very quiet) Honda EU2000i $1080 (very quiet)
(very noisy)
Just remember that like the saying goes “you get what you pay for”. Buying an inexpensive generator, means you’ll get a generator, that:
a) won’t last long; b) will not produce a good power wave and therefore may not run some sensitive electronic appliances.

Generator Safety: Every generator emits carbon monoxide (CO). Only operate a generator outdoors (even operating a generator in the garage can allow CO into the home) in a well-ventilated, dry area, away from air intakes to the home, and protected from direct exposure
to rain and snow, preferably under a canopy, open shed or carport. A generator does produce enough electricity to KILL you, so follow all safety rules and procedures.

How to Connect a Portable Generator
Plug-in Method: The easiest connect is to plug in what you need. Unsure the generator is located in a safe place outdoors (see Generator Safety above). Run extension cords inside to each device. Make sure the cords are sized large enough to handle the device and only as long as needed (long extension cords will cause a “voltage drop” and may not provide adequate voltage to the device). A #16 cord is good for 1100 watts, #14 cord is good for 1650 watts, a #12 is good for 2200 watts (see “Wire Gauge” chart located in the appendix for help in sizing cords with
lengths). Most appliances have a cord that can be plugged in (even most microwaves have them. Look in the cupboard above the hanging unit). The exception is the furnace. However, a backup plug can be added to a furnace for emergency use for about $100 (contact your local furnace technician, or electrician). For lighting, use portable lamps.

Panel Connection
Due to the safety and liability of this method I must recommend that only a qualified electrician should perform this connection. However, if you are going to do this, for safety, you MUST disconnect or turn off your main breaker. If you do not, it could result in a “backfeed”
onto the utility system. During an outage the utility workers will naturally assume that the power lines are off. The results could be electrical shock even death to a utility worker.

Standby Generator
This type of generator has a “fixed” location (IE is not portable) and is installed right to the house system. When a power outage occurs the generator starts (manually or automatically) and feeds into the house electrical wiring (also manually or automatically). These standby
systems cost more but offer the peace of mind that little is required to be “up and running” other than “throwing a couple switches”. These systems are installed by qualified electricians and need to be approved by your utility to ensure safety. The other advantage of these
systems is various fuel options are available: Gasoline, diesel, propane, natural gas, etc. Disadvantage is they are expensive. A 8000 watt system with installation can cost $5000 and up.

Standby Generator Portable Power Battery Pack
Portable Power Inverters & Battery Packs:
• Power inverter: This is a small electrical device that converts DC current, from a car cigarette lighter or a car battery, into 110 AC current. It enables you to use a common electrical device or appliance in your car or any place that has access to a 12 volt battery. They can cost from $15 - S400 depending on the size and quality. A car battery is inexpensive and fully charged will work for 6 to 12 hours, depending on what you plug into the inverter and how much electricity that device uses.
• Suggestions: Powerpack by Xantrex – 600 watt AC inverter (internal) surge/ 400 Watt sustained, or “dolly cart” 1500 with 28 amp/hr battery, 3 AC sockets 1 DC socket, recharged by AC or DC so can recharge from a solar panel, jumper cables, AM/FM clock radio, alarm clock, built-in light; MSRP $229, Xantrex 1500watt $385, 400watt $150 Amazon.

Wind Generators:
Use the wind to generate power and run appliances/electronics. Easy installation, but must be installed in windy areas, and on a “tower” (generally purchased separately). Also should be used with a battery bank/inverter for optimum use. Carbon fiber composite blades to ensure low wind noise. 400 watt max power. $600 tower sold separately. 12v battery charging.

Solar Panels:
Use sun light to produce electricity. Panels are typically installed “On” or “Off” the grid, meaning they are/are not tide into the typical utility system. Keep in mind that “on” the grid does not mean you’ll have power when the utility grid goes down, that requires a separate battery bank system. Solar system cost around $10-$20 per watt installed. Panel system can be manual adjusted or “track” the sun automatically (this feature adds $3000-$5000). There are rebates currently available to offset the costs (City, Federal, State, RMPs, etc). Check with your local utility. As with anything you get what you pay for, so be careful, do your research on panels