Boots and Roots

So far, we have covered how to gather your thoughts and make a plan when panic sets in.  We have also learned how to layer our clothing and trap warmth in our homes.  Today, we learn about heat sources.

It goes without saying, I hope, that if you don’t have a fireplace that can burn wood, don’t build a fire in your house.

Also, while adding heat to your space (as opposed to preventing heat loss) is nice, it’s just that—nice.  I included it in this section of “shelter” because people are people, and when we’re cold, the first thing we want to do is warm up.  Fire is the natural response. For some basic instructions on fire building, I’ve attached a handy Fire Building template below. To learn about fire starters in and around your home, or to learn what shape your fire should be, follow the links included in the PDF.

In reality, if you can afford it, get a small generator to at least run your appliances if your power goes out.

If a generator is not an option, then when your power has gone out, and the power company says the power won’t be back on for several days, your priority, as stated in week 1, is shelter.  That means making sure you have sufficient clothing/layers, and trapping as much heat in as small a space as possible.  Your #2 priority from here is WATER, followed by FOOD.  IF those things are already handled, THEN you can move on to heating your space. 

Also, PLEASE don’t burn your furniture, no matter how desperate you are.

Now that we’ve covered these bases, there are a few different ways to heat up your space.

1. Handwarmers
2. Fire in your fireplace
3. Catalytic or kerosene heaters
4. Flower pot/tea candle heater

Those cheap handwarmers that go in your pockets are an absolute godsend when it’s cold outside!!  When I’m working outside, I’ll put one in my chest pocket of my coveralls.  When backpacking, I’ll toss one or two at the bottom of my sleeping bag at night.  You’d be amazed at what a difference that small amount of heat makes!  Alternatively, if you have enough firewood, or a camping stove, enough fuel, and a way to vent to the outdoors, you can heat up water (NOT to boiling), fill up a Nalgene or similar water bottle, and put that at the foot of your sleeping bag instead.

If you don’t know how to build a fire, now would be the ideal time to learn—BEFORE you need to know how.  Trying to figure out a new skill at the moment you need it makes for a very stressful situation.  Practice these skills now, while it’s not critical.  Getting comfortable with building a fire, when to “feed” it, when to poke it and stir it, can take a little bit of time to get the hang of.  Cook some s’mores with your family while practicing your new skill!  Fire-building instructions are at the end of this lesson.

If you don’t have firewood, buy some (a little at a time—don’t go broke) or find some.  Find a friend that has extra firewood, or trees on their property.  They might have downed branches you can gather up, or you could offer to help them cut down some trees.  Late fall/early winter is a good time for tree-trimming or thinning, anyway.  Keep wood as dry as possible.  Wet wood is harder to get going. And by all means, DON’T BURN YOUR FURNITURE. Or pallet wood. Pallets are treated with substances to prevent rot. Furniture is usually sealed with sealant or stain or other chemicals that are toxic to humans when burned.

Catalytic heaters and kerosene heaters are great for heating small rooms.  But kerosene heaters have to be refilled, and can be expensive.  If you’re inclined, you can make your own bio-diesel, but I can’t help you out at ALL with that process.  That is way out of my depth of knowledge! 

Flower pot heaters are super cheap, super easy to put together, and efficient enough to keep your fingers defrosted for a few days.  If you try to keep the space heated for, say, 8 solid days, you’ll go through a LOT of candles.  But if you keep the heater going only at specific times, like for a few hours in the morning, and a few hours in the evening, it’ll go a long way towards making you comfortable until the power comes back on.  Find instructions and video tutorial HERE.

You have a bonus lesson this week! If you don’t already know how to build a fire, here is your Fire Building 101 crash course!

There are 3 main types of fires: warmth, cooking, and signaling.  In this series, we will learn warmth and cooking, because we are assuming you are hunkered down in your home, and aren’t in need of rescuing.

Because we’re talking about shelter, and I know fire-building is going to be your instinctual response to being cold, we’ll talk about fires for warmth.

The traditional “warmth” fire is in a teepee shape.  This is the shape and structure of the logs that most people think of when they imagine a fire.  This is the one that is easiest to build inside a fireplace, but can also be built in a fire ring/fire pit outside, in your driveway, or on your concrete patio.

For ALL fire building, you need 3 kinds of materials—tinder, kindling, and fuel.  Think of fire in terms of your marriage, or relationship.  There’s the initial spark—that’s tinder.  Pine needles, leaves, newspaper, dryer lint, homemade fire starters, and anything smaller around than your pinky finger that catches fire easily and burns super quickly is tinder.  For some fire starter ideas, including using potato chips as tinder, read HERE.  To get the flame stable, you need kindling.  These are twigs and materials that are no bigger around than your arm—but you don’t want to take something as big around as your arm and place it on the tinder.  It’s too much too soon, and you’ll smother it.  Add kindling to the tinder from smallest to biggest, building the flame slowly and steadily.  Once the flame is steadily burning, it’s time to add fuel logs.  Again, start with building up in size, so you don’t put the fire out.  You can add really big logs or wood chunks, once your fire has built up to it.  From there, maintain the fire.  Add fuel logs as needed. If you don’t see flames, and you have a fire poker, use it to “stir” the fire from time to time, to reignite flames, then add more fuel logs. Keep all of this in your fireplace, and you won’t have to do anything else, other than let it burn all the way out.

Here in north Texas, our ice storms are typically in February.  Occasionally, something will hit in January.  Right now, it is the day after Thanksgiving.  So you have about 2-2 ½ months to practice skills or purchase items.  Those of you in other parts of the state or country, adjust your timeline accordingly, as to when your winter storms typically hit.

This week, if you don’t know how to build a fire, and want to, start getting your hands on materials, and start practicing. If you do know how to build a fire, inventory what you have. Start with the basics–fire starters/tinder, something to light a fire with, something to stir the fire with, and of course, kindling and fuel.

If you want to try your hand a flower pot heater, now would be a good time to see what you already have, make a list of what you need, make a plan for obtaining items, and make a plan for when you will practice this skill.

Next week, we’ll talk about water gathering and purification.  See you then!!