Woodstoves are nice as an option but I’ll just take backup power any day. Gas pressure is normally still fine for a long time durring most outages and it takes very little power to just run the blower fan on a gas furnace. I’ve run mine off my vans inverter using an extension cord and some farmer grade wiring practices at one point with no issue. Plus I can also power other things with backup power. If it’s an extended outage then most gas furnaces can easily be converted to run on propane and swapping out tanks is much easier than dealing with fueling a woodstove.
As you reach city limits in a lot of cities, it is increasingly likely that you will no longer find gas lines, city water, or sewers. Having a backup heat source is pretty comforting. Much like you, I used to rely on just gas with a generator for backup, but I’ve experienced frozen gas mains, so I like having a woodstove and a couple cords of wood to burn as a backup source of heat. Plus it’s very cozy on damp, cold days, and nicer than the fireplace channel on Christmas.
At least in my area, propane is the goto if you have no city gas hookup. If you want to go oldschool then you have a fuel oil furnace. Keeping enough wood on hand to heat a house over the winter just isn’t practical for most. Even just heating his wood shop just while he is using it my dad can burn through 3 full cords of wood every winter. My grandpa used to heat his trailer house with wood and he often went through 4-5 full cords in the winter.
I 100% agree that wood is cozy but it’s way easier to just keep a tank of propane or fuel oil on hand.
For sure, most use oil or propane as a primary heat source when gas isn’t available. But those rely on both expensive fossil fuel and electricity to run, so a backup that doesn’t depend on either is handy, especially with all these once in a century storms we get every year now. Wood makes for a cheap, effective backup. Used to be so common in housing too. Now we just get gas furnaces and gas fireplaces for show. Still, I wouldn’t go out of my way to get a woodstove. I agree that a backup generator is plenty for most situations. But if you have an older home with a fireplace, keep a half cord around and make sure the chimney is clean.
Unless you have an old system with a pilot light, you are probably dependent on an electric ignition system. Those have been the norm for a couple decades now for propane and natural gas furnaces.
How about not living somewhere where this is even a possibility in the first place. 🥲 2 Weeks, wtf…
I’d also argue for solar panels / a small consumer wind turbine and a battery backup (which can power the heatpump) instead of architecture from the last millenia.
Makes sense if you happen to find a building with pre-existing fireplace of course (even though upkeep is still pricey depending on its construction). Face-to-face less though, adding a proper chimney during construction is also pricey and the additional income / cost-savings of PV over its lifetime will very quickly make it way superior in a direct comparison.
I’ll never live somewhere without a woodstove again. Two weeks without power, and 20F/-6.5C inside the house will change a person lol
Woodstoves are nice as an option but I’ll just take backup power any day. Gas pressure is normally still fine for a long time durring most outages and it takes very little power to just run the blower fan on a gas furnace. I’ve run mine off my vans inverter using an extension cord and some farmer grade wiring practices at one point with no issue. Plus I can also power other things with backup power. If it’s an extended outage then most gas furnaces can easily be converted to run on propane and swapping out tanks is much easier than dealing with fueling a woodstove.
As you reach city limits in a lot of cities, it is increasingly likely that you will no longer find gas lines, city water, or sewers. Having a backup heat source is pretty comforting. Much like you, I used to rely on just gas with a generator for backup, but I’ve experienced frozen gas mains, so I like having a woodstove and a couple cords of wood to burn as a backup source of heat. Plus it’s very cozy on damp, cold days, and nicer than the fireplace channel on Christmas.
At least in my area, propane is the goto if you have no city gas hookup. If you want to go oldschool then you have a fuel oil furnace. Keeping enough wood on hand to heat a house over the winter just isn’t practical for most. Even just heating his wood shop just while he is using it my dad can burn through 3 full cords of wood every winter. My grandpa used to heat his trailer house with wood and he often went through 4-5 full cords in the winter.
I 100% agree that wood is cozy but it’s way easier to just keep a tank of propane or fuel oil on hand.
For sure, most use oil or propane as a primary heat source when gas isn’t available. But those rely on both expensive fossil fuel and electricity to run, so a backup that doesn’t depend on either is handy, especially with all these once in a century storms we get every year now. Wood makes for a cheap, effective backup. Used to be so common in housing too. Now we just get gas furnaces and gas fireplaces for show. Still, I wouldn’t go out of my way to get a woodstove. I agree that a backup generator is plenty for most situations. But if you have an older home with a fireplace, keep a half cord around and make sure the chimney is clean.
Propane doesn’t need electricity to work… The tank is pressurized, and opening a valve allows it to flow.
Unless you have an old system with a pilot light, you are probably dependent on an electric ignition system. Those have been the norm for a couple decades now for propane and natural gas furnaces.
Gas isn’t an option here unfortunately
How about not living somewhere where this is even a possibility in the first place. 🥲 2 Weeks, wtf…
I’d also argue for solar panels / a small consumer wind turbine and a battery backup (which can power the heatpump) instead of architecture from the last millenia.
I’d love to have solar, but solar isn’t great here due to lack of sunlight but it still works. Also I don’t have $30k.
Makes sense if you happen to find a building with pre-existing fireplace of course (even though upkeep is still pricey depending on its construction). Face-to-face less though, adding a proper chimney during construction is also pricey and the additional income / cost-savings of PV over its lifetime will very quickly make it way superior in a direct comparison.
Where’s that? 2 weeks in certain places and millions are dead, essentially precautions are taken at the supplier level.
Yeah it’s good emergency prep