Question about staying warm

[barbtries]

I'm in NC, where the storm approaches and power outages are expected that may last for days or even longer.

We will lose heat if this happens. So my question is: should we cover up doors and windowsills for this possibility? Will that help keep the heat inside?

I've never lived through an ice storm before.

[Turbineguy]

1. Try to control drafts

Perhaps think about creating a thermal mass, such as stones placed on the stove to warm. Be cautious about open flame heating. Electric is much safer

[Niagara]

2. I was going to post this and I haven't yet because I keep getting side-tracked with other things today

One important issue that this video doesn't mention is putting a tent up in a large enough room and basically hibernate in that. Not everyone has a tent or sometimes they don't have a large enough room to set one up in.



I was also watching this YouTube channel and he basically says Crisco (or generic brands) are great for light but not so much for heat.

I hope this helps. Stay safe, barbtries. Try to keep us updated as well.

[3catwoman3]

3. Maybe close off rooms you don't absolutely need to go in, and roll up some towels...

...to put at the bottom of the doors to those rooms to block any gaps between the door and the floor and keep the warm air from leaking into those rooms thru the gaps under the doors.

[barbtries]

9. This is precisely what I was thinking we should maybe do.

There are drafts.

could be we keep our power throughout the entire event, but it's not looking too optimistic at the moment.
thank you!

[justaprogressive]

4. Yes,

Whether well insulated or not, plastic over your windows will keep the heat 8in better.

Draft blockers for the outside doors, or you could with a little more work put plastrip
strip seals around the whole door!

If you're not going to use a door for hours, masking tape seals up the cracks....

...a member of the frozen chosen

HTH!!

[MiHale]

5. Get everything charged...

If anything happens…sure covering windows with blankets is not a bad idea. The thresholds of doors are a place where air loves to seep in, put blankets down there. Make sure you have water if power goes out you may lose it.

[barbtries]

10. thanks. I'm doing my best to do all that.

we have a weekly zoom with my sister and I told my niece (her caretaker) that if I don't make it that's because we lost electricity. I have 2 portable chargers for my phone and tablet (which I'll probably let the tablet go dark to keep my phone). I'm planning to start shutting down my 3 laptops to preserve the batteries if we lose power.

I'm getting anxious about this but I'm sure we'll get through it. We may even not be affected severely.

[SheltieLover]

18. Turn brightness down on phone screen to conserve power & turn auto brightness, bluetooth off

You can buy a power inverter from Haarbor Freight that you hook to battrry on car (NOT cigarette lighter plug!) & run car occadionally to keep car battery charged.

If you have an extra car battery that holds any charge you can charge it now & hook phone charger cord hooked to negative terminal on battery & you can plug phone in. Should use an inline fuse just incase.

I hope this helps! I'm in the same situation, except I have genius grandson to deal with this crap for me. Pls feel free to pm with questions you might have.

Good luck!!!

[barbtries]

23. thank you Sheltie Lover!

I have an emergency radio that can be charged via solar or human energy - need to dig that out of the closet. I could possibly use that to keep my phone alive if worse comes to worst.

[SheltieLover]

26. Dig it out rfn!

[markodochartaigh]

6. On the High Plains of Texas

where the wind blows 24/7/365 we had heavy curtains on the windows and covered those with blankets. Cutting down on the drafts seemed to help. Wearing multiple layers of clothing helped more than anything though. It might be a good idea to make sure that all of your clothes have been washed before the storm hits so that you have plenty of layers to rotate. Especially if the hot water will be out and showers aren't going to be possible. If you use an electric can opener make sure that you have a good manual can opener, it is very frustrating when you are hungry having to open cans with a hammer and screwdriver because your cheap can opener broke. And charge every phone and power bank.
Good luck and stay toasty!

[2naSalit]

17. THIS!!!

[GreatGazoo]

46. Yes! Trap body heat as best you can

and have additional layers ready.

Have a phone charging cord that will work in your car.

Have cash. Refill the car's gasoline.

Beware of using heat sources that produce carbon monoxide, especially when shutting down every draft.

Make sure external vents on the house do not become blocked by snow or ice.

[fargone]

7. I would focus on places where you detect air leaks

You want to minimize the cold air coming in. A towel at the bottom of doors can help. If the windows are older try taping around the edges. I would suggest painters tape or masking tape so it is easy to remove without damaging the woodwork. Covering windows with a big sheet of clear plastic is also an option. That can be quickly installed with tape. If the temperature stays below freezing for any length of time run a trickle of water from faucets so the pipes don't freeze. I live in North Dakota.

[barbtries]

11. Thank you!

advice from an expert is very much appreciated.

[Botany]

8. You will be fine. You are not in a cabin in the wilderness. You have central heat.

Dress in layers. T shirt, jersey, another t shirt, and then a sweater and a coat when you go outside.
Throw your gloves and or mittens in your dryer @ low heat for a few minutes before putting them
on …. Thick socks over thin soaks.

The odds of you losing heat are slim but if you do and still have electricity then a space heater
will keep you warm. If both your gas and electricity go out there will be places you can go to stay
warm. Turn your water on @ a drip.

Go outside and enjoy the beauty of the snow. You have a built in heaters called your legs ..
walk. Check on any neighbors.

Btw don’t go and buy bottled water.. nyc has good water @ your tap.

Btw sometimes the snow can sparkle like diamonds and the crunch crunch sound it makes
is really neat.

&t=6s

[barbtries]

12. not in NYC,

with their famously good water.
I have stocked up on water. Here in NC, the tap water is not good but it's potable.

Electricity is how my house runs and it is what we may likely lose.

[Botany]

13. Try to run as little electric as you can so as not to strain the grid.

Deli or two might be open by you.

[barbtries]

15. I'll do that.

But the issue is more often that the ice brings down the trees and that's when the electricity goes away. For this storm, according to Ryan Hall Y'all (or the governor? one or the other), the exterior facets of the entire system are not designed to withstand the weight of the ice.

thank you!

[SheltieLover]

22. Nor are structures built for this in the South. Water lines are not buried below frost line.

Water mains will most assuredly break from seveval days below freezing.

Fill your bathtub with water for flushing now. Also fill every empty jug & pot with water for drinking ( only from sealed containers), handwashing, & for washing dishes.

Get paper plates & microwaveable bowls to heat food, in case elect is on but water not usable.

Get scent free baby wipes for "bathing" in case of water main breaks.

Native Chicagoan here currently relegated to redneck hell in Memphis region... 😓

[markodochartaigh]

14. Oh, remember to leave every faucet open to a small stream of water around the clock and

and leave the doors open below the faucet.
I can't believe I forgot that in my previous post. We were without water for two weeks one time.
If you hear about water mains bursting they will turn them off, so fill up your bathtub.

[barbtries]

21. thank you.

i'll do that. like right now actually, it's been below freezing all day long.

[SheltieLover]

24. If you live in a home built on a crawl as so many are, cover vents with plastic bags

Gs used silicone caulk to keep the bags in place. Last time he used Gorilla tape & had to redo it. Tape loses stickiness in cold damp conditions.

[barbtries]

28. i don't know what a crawl is,

but i know my townhome is built on a concrete slab. no access except through the house.

thinking you mean crawl space. only critters have a chance down there. small ones.

[SheltieLover]

31. Yes crawl space

If you have vents, cover them as stated.

[Bayard]

16. Just got a load of firewood this morning for the wood stove

We fully expect to lose electricity here. Supposed to get about a foot of snow, and then ice on top of that. A balmy 14 degrees now, with windchill at 2 degrees in southern Kentucky.

Multiple layers of clothes, inside and outside. Special attention to appendages--frostbite is not fun. Do you have single pane windows? We do too, but we don't cover them. Do you have an alternate non-electric heat source? Propane heater? Generator? Big dogs to snuggle with?

Hope you can stay warm.

[barbtries]

20. Thank you.

almost none of the above. I do have a tiny chihuahua or 2.

I have to go out today and it will not budge over 25 with a wind chill of 13. I thought I'd wait for it to warm up a bit but clearly that isn't happening. After I force myself to get that over with, I am going nowhere! I'm going to line the doors and windows with towels or blankets, I have lots of clothes to layer myself in, heavy socks, gloves, scarves, jackets and coats.

You guys have it worse than we do, though the temps here are going to be lower than any I've ever experienced in my long life so far, and ice is threatening us as well. I envy your wood stove. Do you have any idea how long you'll be out of electricity? I don't mind it going out, but what is really making me anxious is how long it may stay that way.

[SheltieLover]

25. News is saying this is biggest storm here since 1994 ice storm

People in Memphis region were without electric & potable water for over 3 weeks!

Good luck!

[barbtries]

27. wow.

i suppose we'd have to go to a shelter ... ? scary.

yeah. i was still safely living in the land of the earthquake back then.

[SheltieLover]

30. I was very happily living in the Chgo burbs back then.

Up to you if you go to shelter. I won't.

[Laffy Kat]

38. I remember that. I wasn't living there at that time, but I had relatives in Memphis.

Dad was still living then, in the house where I grew up. It had 3/4 acre with loads of trees. He could hear the limbs and trees breaking for two days. I've lived in Colorado for almost forty years now, and I also lived in Illinois for a short while. Memphis has, by far, the worst weather I've ever driven in. It gets a few inches of ice with a dusting of snow on top and it's beyond treacherous.

Stay safe!

[SheltieLover]

39. Hi Laffy!

Yup, I agree.

I don't even leave the house anymore because of horrible roads & very high crime. Just isn't anywhere in this region I want to go that badly.

[Laffy Kat]

40. I know, and I worry about you there, Sheltie.

I know, and I worry about you living there, Sheltie. I won't even visit anymore. Of course, everyone I knew there has either passed or moved on.

Keep us posted on the storm. I'll be thinking about you.

[SheltieLover]

41. Thx Laffy

It's fairly safe where I live, but the regjon is awful.

[Bayard]

29. For some reason, power outages always hit our road, and nobody else's

Although this time, the ice on trees may bring down a lot of branches on electrical lines. They'll probably clear any houses in town first, so who knows how long for us. We do have a generator to run the fridge.

[SheltieLover]

33. Glad you have a generator for your fridge!

[2naSalit]

19. With windows...

You can simply close the curtains or shades or cover them with plastic or, in a pinch - like colder than -10F, you can use bed sheets to buffer the chill off the glass from the interior part of the room and help with draft as well.

Trickle water when it's +20F or colder since nothing is insulated there. Keep a couple candles going, they put off heat. The idea of heated stones is good if you keep them in the oven until needed.

Wear layers of clothes and around the house wearing a blanket over you when staying still helps. Keep people and pets in one or two rooms an focus on keeping those warm.

And most of the other suggestions above.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

32. My last days in Iowa...

… were positively Baltic. We were out of firewood, propane. The house had zero insulation and there was frost on the northern bedroom walls an inch thick. The water froze, the toilet shattered, and we had a half-mile lane with a sharp turn halfway so that no matter which way you went, it was snowed over and impassable.

Just saw this post on facebonk and I think it could’ve saved our lives if we hadn’t finally been able to cross the cornfield (with a baby inside my jacket!) to reach the road:

Living off the Land
13h
·
This saved our family during the ice storm of 2023. I have a large master bedroom and this kept our bedroom at 65 degrees the entire time the power was off. It’s a crock pot liner. Two three wick candles and two large cans. I hope this helps people who can’t find a heat source in case the power goes out.
—Jesse Mann
Do not solely rely on this, but it can certainly be helpful if you have no other option. A cast iron dutch oven / large pot would work even better!

[barbtries]

34. ooh that's cool!

and I can even do that, I have everything I need for it.

Wow! With a baby in your jacket! So glad y'all made it out alive. I assume at that time that some others did not.

[nonaa]

35. You can use anything to catch the heat, for example your largest soup pot or

a big clay plant pot, or whatever, not only does it concentrate some of the heat for hand warming and sitting next to (or setting some snow melting on, it is also a nice visual and sensory focus for kids or someone who may be stressed about the situation.

[CTyankee]

36. Oh, Lordy! I'm old so I would just go to the closest warming center...if you have them.

[barbtries]

42. So it's Sunday morning now.

Still have power. It's very cold outside, so much so we're not taking the dogs out. The house is carpeted with pee pads. It's lovely outside, but we only got light snow and I believe sleet for most of the night. But all is shut down, and we know that under that pretty snow is ice. Nobody around here is going anywhere. Just hanging tight.

I'll look at the news by and by. Yesterday was so bad - not the weather, but emotionally, that I haven't done it since then.

There are warming centers in NC, but whether there's one convenient to us is another story.

[CTyankee]

43. We sold our house and moved into a retirement community 3 months ago. We're pretty snug here and I'm glad.

Our Masonicare community has arranged for lodging for staff so we still have our meals served and thank goddess for that.

[LogDog75]

37. If you have a tent

Set it up indoors and crawl into it to sleep or just stay warm. The tent will help keep your body heat inside the tent and the colder air inside your house out. Think of it this way. In movies about how the rich lived two hundred year or more ago lived you'd see in their bedroom a four-posted bed with heavy drapes. The drapes weren't there for privacy but to keep the cold out. The same principle with the tent indoors applies. It keeps the cold out and retains your body heat.

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Some Great Advice So Far

What I'll add is the most common source of drafts is doors.
Simply using painters tape along to cover the gap helps a lot. Hanging a blanket over the door using that tape helps even more.
The adhesive on that tape comes off easily and doesn't leave a residue, especially if it's short term use.
I do it on a couple doors when we're going to be low single digits or colder for a few days or more.
We're in NE Illinois so it happens pretty much every winter.

[barbtries]

45. thanks.

my son and I now have a plan for if the power goes out.

I love DU.