I saw a few good articles by Susan Connir at the Westergaard web site relating to personal preparedness. http://www.y2ktimebomb.com/CP/Personal/sconndex.htm

She mentions that a house without heat is really nothing more than a tent. And gives suggestions about how to better keep warm. (I say "how to better keep warm" because lets face it, it's not going to be warm if you don't have heat.)

Having grown up in the upstairs of an old farmhouse with no insulation and one small heat source (same climate), I guess I figured things couldn't be too much different than that. But maybe I'm wrong.

But in thinking about this, and also in reading other's questions about 'how to keep food from freezing, etc.', I guess I've started to wonder if the basement, by virtue of being primarily below ground, would actually become a warmer area of the house in the case of extended periods of no heat. Does this seem logical? or am I way off here? Where is the warmest place in a home with no heat for extended time?

I really have no clue, so if anyone that does have some knowledge base about this would care to reply, I'd appreciate it.

Winter Wondering in a nothern locale

-- winter wondering (don'te-mailme@posthere.com), July 03, 1999

Answers

You are correct in assuming that a shelter with at least part of the structure below ground gives added protection from the cold, but you must remember that the weight of cold air is greater than warm and therefore *drops* to the lowest point. So, if there is no heat anywhere in the house and there is no air circulation to move air warmed by some type of heating element to the basement, you would feel no appreciable difference.

If you are concerned about having no heat what so ever, every time a person opens a door to the (colder still) outside, then the cold air entering the house will invade the basement.

This dynamic can be used to the favor of the dwellers. A small series of slits are at the thresholds and window frames allowing the colder air to drop beneath the floor. Similar to a cold air return in a HVAC system. Couple this with a few simply renovations and the inside *living room* can be made the most comfortable in extended power outage conditions.

The one I have come up with may be useful. If an extended period of cold weather is upon me, and I will still be coming and going from the house, then I will use two wool blankets at the front door to trap warm air in and cold air out. These blankets will be suspended from ceiling to floor at the front door. The first is directly hanging inside the door at the frame, slit in the middle and overlapping several inches at the slits. A second wool blanket is hung in a U shape from the ceiling to trap any cold air that came in with me from entering the room. Once the outside door is shut and wet clothing shed I will enter the room through the U shaped blanket barrier. This will minimize the effects of heat transfer to the house. If I am in a situation that allows, I will have a cold air trap, (above) to allow the colder air to drop beneath the floor.

Likewise, it is important to trap the warm air in the living area as best as possible, while maintaining a source of fresh air to the area.

Respectfully:

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), July 03, 1999.

With outside temps below freezing The Basement may be the warmest place in the house. Ground temp (depending upon location) may be 40-50 degrees below the frost depth. Ask locally how deep water pipes are buried to prevent freezing. Remember cold air settles and warm air rises so even in the basement it will be coldest at floor level. If you can elevate beds you will be at a warmer level. Hope this helps.

-- Terry Furnell (tfurnell@bigfoot.com), July 03, 1999.

Thank you for the tips, I'll wander over to Westergaard. Any suggestions for staying cool if we're without electricity during May and beyond?

quietly...will be sweltering in Texas

-- quietly (quietly@preparing.com), July 03, 1999.

I am an apartment dweller, and I am preparing to stay in my apartment. (I am assuming there will be short term disruptions and it won't become a war-zone where I live.) In the event of no power, I will set up a tent in the smallest room, which has only one window. (There are tents that require no stakes.) I will put heavy gauge plastic on the window.

I have purchased Alco-Brite gelled alchohol. This is gelled alchohol in a can, which burns completely clean (no carbon monoxide). One can produces 10,000 BTU's. I also have some Nu-Wick candles, which are similar, but are more for light than heat. These, along with good winter clothing and sleeping bags, should allow us to survive with some degree of comfort.

I think the main problems with a clean-buring heat source like Alco- Brite is that it will use up oxygen, and the risk of fire. I will only burn these during the day, when I am there and awake. I may have to let fresh air into that room (door partway open, and the windows rest of the apartment are not well insulated). I plan to purchase a battery-powered CO monitor and another smoke detector.

These are my suggestions. I welcome comments and suggestions from others.

You can check out Alco-Brite products at:

http://www.alco-brite.com

I bought the Alco-Brite and Nu-wick candles from Nitro-Pak:

http://www.nitro-pak.com

-- Bruce (bwebber@ameritech.net), July 03, 1999.

Passive solar heating methods are very efficient and practical in many applications. One device that provides heat during the daylight hours is a solar window heater inserted in a south facing window. It is a fairly simple device to construct.
Squish your rodent..HERE
Another good link for solar solutions is.. The_sun@south_facing_windows.com), July 03, 1999.

Let me try that second link again
Mash Here

-- Go Solar (Try again@work_3rd_and_sleepy.com), July 03, 1999.

quietly,

this isn't about comfort, this is about survival. swelter on you big tanned, texan.

a 10 gallon kiss to ya.

.

-- corrine l (corrine@iwaynet.net), July 03, 1999.

Some answers for keeping cool in hot temperatures ???

1.Don't rush around & walk on the shady side of the street always.

2.If humidity is not too much of a problem,hang wet sheets over open windows or doors.As they dry out the air passing through or by them will cool down.

3.Keep curtains or blinds etc closed during day time.

4.If you have the time & energy now use the old Roman air conditioning trick.Bury a long length of pipe about 8ft in the ground.The end away from the house(air intake) pokes up a couple of inches above ground & is covered with an anti creepy- crawly mesh.The other end of the pipe enters the house at ground level.Arrange for hot air to rise through house & exit from highest point in roof.

5.Just get used to the heat & rearrange your life to keep cool! As the hot air in the house rises & vents from the roof air is drawn in via the pipe at the lower level.This air is cooled because the temperature of the soil some feet down is always much lower than ambient air temps.

That's the theory anyway.There is more info on the web but have lost the link.Try a search under Romans ???

-- Chris (griffen@globalnet.co.uk), July 03, 1999.

Warmest place in house is indeed the basement if fortunate enough to have one. In Alaska, it can be 40 below outside with the wind howling and it gets no colder than 30 degrees! If outside, a well constructed snow cave will stay a constant 30 degrees inside. Body temperatures will affect both examples some.

Clear pipes of water or use antifreeze so pipes will not burst and turn basement (now warmest room) into cascading waterfall.

Other tips to stay warm:

Knit cap, polyproplyne (sp?) underwear, down booties for inside sleeping bag.

Do not breath into sleeping bag, causes moisture to form making you colder.

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), July 03, 1999.

Keeping cool--Real Goods has a personal fan, runs on D batteries, does 300 hours. It works well, especially for hot flashes! I bought one immediately after we had endured life without AC or fans after Fran and I'm impressed enough to have another one on the next order I place with RG (realgoods.com).

Wal-mart has "Cobra" water misters, around $9-10. If there's water, you can use this to cool the air around you (outside) by 10-15 degrees.

Chuck (Night Driver) told us about those water-holding crystals you see advertised in garden catalogues. Apparently, this is the same stuff they put in those cooling collars (tubes of fabric stuffed with the crystals). Soak in water, wrap around neck, wrists, whatever--voila! Some cooling. I have the crystals and plan to make my own collars, wrist-bands, whatever else I can think of to keep me cool!

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 03, 1999.

Thanks Chris and Old Git.

Winter Wondering...good luck. I wish the best for you. Thanks for starting the thread, I'm going to keep the warming notes too...just in case. Happy Independence Day to all

Oh, and Corrine...did you know that people can die in excessive heat? It's not about comfort it IS about survival ;-)

-- quietly (quietly@preparing.com), July 03, 1999.

Basement is the way to go. As another poster mentioned, sleep off floor to take advantage of heat higher up. Insulating a small room in the basement as a place to live and sleep will enable you to keep it relatively warm on little fuel.

For example, an Aladdin lamp produces about 3,000 btu's, and will heat a well-insulated, below-ground, 8'x10' room very easily in sub-zero weather (been there, done that). Just don't go to sleep with it burning, and always leave a small opening somewhere for fresh air. Remember that when ground temps are 40-50 degrees, you can't expect to heat the room much more than 50-60 degrees - those walls are huge heat sinks. You won't freeze, but neither will you bask.

-- capper (--@-.-), July 03, 1999.

close off un-needed rooms. Second the motion for using blankets to create an air-lock effect. Prior to building our mudroom- and with a very leaky old front door, we hung a blanket on the inside of the door- helped alot. Also- suggest window quilts for night-time. Or hang heavy blankets/quilts at the windows- much heat escapes thru glass.

Also- more than one person in a bed helps conserve warmth- bring the kids in and do the 'family bed" style of sleeping. Also- dogs and cats add warmth too.

Layers of clothing are best- and layers of quilts. We have wood heat- no central heat- ny bedroom is way away from a heat source- and it gets to the 30's below or worse up here- lots of blankets and it's downright cozy after awhile- also- keep your head covered if it's cold- and socks on at all times- mine don't come off til June!!.

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), July 03, 1999.

Thanks everyone for all of the information. Will definitely look into the passive solar thing. If I had unlimited financial resources, I'd set things up to at least have power to the well and after that for heat... The bright side is lot's of blankets, afghans, warm clothes, a couple of dogs, and a good southern exposure. Of course the dogs mean more going in and out, but ... Trade offs, always trade offs. :-)

As far as Quietly's question for cooling/staying cooler in the Tx heat. The mention of the neck wraps and cooling crystals reminded me that you can also make cooling mats / cooling beds. We had some for our dogs, but they don't care for them. Last year we were traveling in the summer. It was hot and a storm came through and we lost power where we were staying. I used the cool mat, and I think that they really do help. I am including info (at the end) that was posted elsewhere that gives some tips about how to make them. Main cautions upfront-- don't overfill with crystals-- seams split. Dry it out periodically or face mildew problems... Some fabrics are better than others for this. Read on for more details.

Thanks again everyone-- have more ideas to look into from all of your help. Take care,

Winter Wondering

Disclaimer: this is not my info-- it was posted on a different list and contains responses from a few different people:

****Cool Mats

Hi, We used the Soil Moist Product to make Cool mats and also bandanas. they are into their 3rd season of use with no problems. they seem to be pretty much equal to the Store-bought ones that we also have. We used about 1 1/2-2 tsp of crystals for each 18" of 1 1/2 " "channel" on the cool mats and this has proved to work well once the mats are soaked for 30 min and the crystals expand. A friend has taken to making hers with pillowcases. Just sew in channels lengthwise, fill and sew across the top. If, after soaking, you find it's not full enough to your liking, just open up the channels and add a bit more of the crystals. make sure to dry your mats thoroughly in a well- ventilated area and flip them daily....they take up to 2 weeks to totally dry. I did have a ready made one go "bad" like mildew!! - It is also marketed as California Crystals. - I have also kept mine wet for several weeks time by rinsing out daily and hanging or spreading out over a mesh crate at night. After a few weeks use I wash mine in the sink (or tub) with a regular liquid laundry detergent. I have also heard a rinse in a mild Bleach solution every once in awhile helps keep them odorfree and lessens the chance of mildew. Someone I know made hers with a grommet on one end so she can hang it outside in her carport between uses...... - And Crosslinked Polyacrylamide is the right product, you should be able to buy it in smaller quantities... all it takes is less than a T per 1 to 1.5 inch square. put a T in a galss, add 2 inches of water and wait to see what happens.. -- I have made quite a few of the beds. Yes, Soil Moist is the correct product, and the granules last for quite a while. Be carefull of the fabric you use, my first one was made out of an upolstery quality cotton fabric, and it dry rotted. I have also made bandanas for both people and dogs and that fabric seems to hold up the best, so I have gotten a cotton/poly blend sheet to cut up to use for beds this year. A little of the Soil moist goes a long way (learned that the hard way- put way too much in a bandana and when moistened the seams split!) Anyway, try a small sample bed first so that you get an idea of how much stuff to use. BTW, it does come in a one pound container, if you are only making one or two beds - get the smaller size. If you can, keep the mats in the fridge or a cooler when not in use, and they can be hand washed with detergent when needed. How long do the crystals last? I've had beds with that type of crystals in for 4 years. They've held up well so far, but after this year, I'll probably break down and make new ones. You might want to check on that price again... and maybe the quantity. I've been getting either Soil Moist or Agrosoke (same stuff, different supplier) at Lowe's in one pound containers - and I don't think I've paid more than about $4 per pound for it. (Can't find the receipt and the container's not marked.

How many beds (or how large a bed) are you making? It doesn't take much at all to get the cooling effect - and if the pockets are have too much in them, the stitching bursts when the crystals expand. One tip someone gave me about these beds - put grommets in at least 2 corners - that way you'll be able to hang the bed up to dry out if you're not using it. They can mildew if left to dry on a flat surface. - Last year I made a cool mat for my dogs crate, out of polyacrilamide from the gardening store. Right off the top of my head, I don't remember how many ounces I used, but I remember it seemed fairly expensive per pound.

Until you have worked with these granules, soaked them, and then dried them, it's hard to explain how they behave. The first thing I did was make myself a neckband - it was small, easy, and I learned a little about the granules. Then I made a pillow shaped envelope of denim to fit my dogs crate. Then sewed lengthwise channels, with each channel about 1" wide. I poured granules into each channel and sewed the end closed. The first time I soaked it, I had to work hard to distribute the gel evenly along each channel. So then, after it dried, I decided to sew crosswise baffles, to keep the granules distributed evenly along the length of the mat.

My mat is only 1 year old, so I don't know how long it will last. I expect that if you were to bury these granules in the garden, enzymes in the soil would break down the polyacrilamide structure. But, so far, my biggest problem has been how to dry the mat quickly enough to prevent mildew from forming. And, remember, the gel equilibrates to the temperature of its environment. When I left my *cool* mat in the hot car for several hours, it quickly became a *warm* mat. - I have used it in bands and beds for about a year now and no problem. Three pounds will make hundreds of beds. You only use 1 tsp full for a channel 11/2 " by 12". Any more and the seams will burst. One tsp full will fill a glass of of the gel. These are the same granuales uses in the beds. I make 18x18" pads. Sew channels about 11/2 " wide and put just over 1 tsp full in each channel. I also put a large grommet in one cornerso I can hang them up to dry. Use a tough cotton cloth. I make these smaller pads so I can use one or two or whatever is needed and my dog has a choice of cooling or not. While you're at it, make yourself a cool neck band. I use a bandana, folded in half, sew in the channel, fill it etc. I then have a cooling band with a protective flap down the back. If you have some leftover, put it in your flower bed or planters so they don't need watering while away. Good Luck I ove the stuff and have not even used up a pound in two years.

--end of cool mat info from other sources. Hope it is of help to some.

-- winter wondering (don'te-mailme@posthere.com), July 04, 1999.