Emergency improvised heating and cooking

[Metaphor]

A quick reminder to everyone stocking up now. Consider that you might very well end up cooking without electricity. What you invest your money in must be pretty easy to cook. The ratio between fuel for cooking/ net prepared food must be in balance. Thers no way you will be able to soak and cook kidney beans or chickpeas (wich also requires some extra amount of water after soaking, since soaking water is to be replaced before cooking) without lots of energy consumption. Brown rice with husk still on? Not very likely in a shtf scenario, its 45-60 mins cooking at least.
To conclude:Water and fuel for cooking & heat could be scarce
Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best

[Ron Mauer Sr]

A small pressure cooker, water filter and small wood fired (outside only) camp stove may be very helpful for cooking beans quickly.

[Franny]

How do you cook your rice or oats when the power is off and your camp stove is out of fuel? Consider a rocket stove, there are many kinds and the brick type is one of the most simple to build. You can even make them with large #10 restaurant size cans for home or camping. A big reason for rocket stoves is that the fuel is minimal, usually just twigs you can pick up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r66jjYdBmg8

There are also indoor rocket type stoves for heating and cooking. Do a search on YT for the many kinds you can build.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

When you are out of twigs you are out of fuel for the camp stove.

[palehorse]

for an improvised stove in nature, all you need are some rocks, wood and *fire. you could use any can or pot to cook. There is a lot of videos out there, many different ways to archive the same thing, I would go as simplest option as possible.
if you are in survival mode you will see how many ideas will come into life. watch out for the weather in your area, raining means in general no cook in the open!

* i have a zippo about 12 years old, it is a great fire starter and easy to carry, also i have parts (basically flint stones and wicks) to replace when needed, 1 litre of kerosene (for the zippo only, not for the bonfire, otherwise it will impregnate the smell in your food ;) ) will last long time depends on your usage.

[Karen (Geophyz)]

When you are out of twigs you are out of fuel for the camp stove.

Cow patties burn well as long as you do it outside!

[Franny]

When you are out of twigs you are out of fuel for the camp stove.

Yes, true! That will happen with any stove for sure whether it uses LNG, electricity or other fuels. You can stock up on bottled fuel as well as sticks, lumber bits, twigs, pine cones, leaves and more and continue to forage here and there as you go about your day. It is the same as for a fireplace, one looks ahead and continually adds to the firewood pile.

There are many different kinds, if you're interested do your research and build or buy the best one for your situation and enjoy your hot lentil soup.

https://gearhose.com/best-rocket-stoves/


A rocket stove is an efficient, wood-burning stove that can produce clean, high-temperature combustion while using dry wood twigs, branches, pine cones, leaves and other biomass as fuel. (Some camping and survival rocket stoves are also advertised to work with charcoal, but that is not the primary fuel for such stoves).

Rocket stoves are considerably more efficient than other wood-burning stoves and cheaper to use than large propane or liquid-fuel stoves because of almost negligible fuel costs. Rocket stoves are available in different designs and sizes ranging from small 4-5 person stoves to large 8-10 people stoves.

The simplest rocket stoves used for camping and survival, have a simple J-tube (or right-angle, L-tube) design, as shown below. Once the fuel is lit, the fire burns sideways because of the air draft. This air hits the back of the stove, creating turbulence and providing secondary combustion for the fuel. Because of this bottom chamber, the pre-heated air combines with the secondary combustion to create a clean, super-hot fire.

This would be more efficient than the one I posted above but is a bit more complicated to build:

https://gearhose.com/ezoimgfmt/wp.me/a7lLPD-16T?ezimgfmt=rs:592x637/rscb8/ngcb8/notWebP

[Sue (Ayt)]

This could help to keep warm in these frigid temps when the power is out.
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[Sunny-side-up]

Don't depend on gas bottles, in a rush they will all go.

Rocket stoves can be home made and use the smallest of twigs to run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMhUFthG4bU

Rocket stoves are easy to make and super efficient wood burning stoves that you can use for camping, homesteading,survival and more. Here are 8 ways to make simple rockets stoves at home using wood, bricks, metal or even dirt. Along the way I will also give you tips and tricks to using rockets stoves.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk01DivHTe_QKJ3BXkxNlgA-dGN7z4w:1613643914554&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=rocket+stoves&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbmMiCnPPuAhXFlFwKHfCsCesQjJkEegQIERAB&biw=1473&bih=739
:sun: stay safe all

[Anka]

I am sorry for the whole situation, especially for children who should not suffer.
I come from a country that 30 years ago had no heating in apartments. I grew up in an apartment without heat, until I turned 12; and I slept dressed in wool and covered with a quilt made of goose feathers.
Wool is important in socks, sweaters, hats, cotton as well and linen is essential for clothing in such a cold.

Where I have lived for over 20 years, I have no gas at all, because no one invests in gas pipelines or district heating networks in the area.
Wood-fired boilers are also dangerous because I frequently run out of power and then the water circulation pump and the air circulation motor stop working forcibly.

So we have a wood-burning stove, built of bricks (passed through the wall to heat three rooms).
I also have an electric boiler and a gas cylinder for the oven.
But on the wood stove with natural air circulation, in case there is no more electricity, it can be used at any time, water can be heated, food can be made and the living space is also heated.

If there is no wood in the area, briquettes can be made from cardboard garbage dumps (we picked up in a year from all the supermarkets that threw tons of cardboard, and now we light the fire with them, I think we have a stock of 10 years) . The press for cardboard briquettes can be made at home if you find a hydraulic car jack, we made it ourselves.
Also, if there are still bricks to buy (and we don't have to make them ourselves) (refractory bricks are even better), a stove can be built by two people in a few hours, even in the apartment. There are many construction models and it can be built as desired, but in proportion to the space to be heated.
I know you need permission, but maybe in extreme cases the authorities could allow ... the construction of the stove.

There is also the option of charcoal for burning (if they are to be bought cheaply) or any straw from the plains and in general anything can burn in extreme cases.

You can buy meat and keep it in salt for two days, after which it can be spread somewhere on a wire (on the balcony) in the wind for maturation, if it cannot be smoked (for a long storage of at least one year). Bread can be made at home in the stove oven, if you still find yeast and flour.

However, a stove made of bricks helps with food, heating and washing (if you gather water resources).Meanwhile Billy mentioned the wood stove above, until I managed to translate into English what I had to say.
It should look like this, but there are many models.

https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.38_IF5HwGZQwwD3AVJ40EwHaL9%26pid%3DApi&f=1

[Bubu]

This could help to keep warm in these frigid temps when the power is out.
nzKbFzUEWkA

I examined this the other night and I do think it works but that a tin aluminum pot insulated with a fireproof insulating material would be better. Since aluminum heats up quickly. This system works by providing a bigger combustion zone for the longer chain hydrocarbon to burn . It traps the paraffin fuel in the hot zone so it can burn more thoroughly. Maybe an alum pot inside a clay pot then another insulating material on top of that would work best. A tin can inside a clay pot can also be used.What we wanted to accomplish is to make the inside lining reach the combustion temp. as soon as possible and retain that heat.

[Brigantia]

This may be helpful to someone, though you would need dry twigs and slivers of wood for it - how to make a soup can stove.

Seeing as the flame is pretty high when it initially gets going, maybe it's best to use under cover outdoors and well away from anything flammable, such as in a garage.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deCzUOZyII8&list=LL&index=459

[Ernie Nemeth]

Hey Bubu.

I have a candle furnace I made years ago. The way I made it is I fitted four clay pots one inside the other, like those Russian dolls. One small candle placed inside this arrangement heats up first the inner pot. Then the heat escapes around the bottom edge, only to be captured by the next pot, and then the next and the next. It is highly efficient. One tea candle will boil a bowl of water on top and heat a small room easily.

I used some steel connections to keep the pots together, with a large bolt that runs through all the pots to allow for heat transmission upward. If I knew how, and it wasn't such a hassle, I would provide a picture...

[Ernie Nemeth]

Here is a pic of my candle heater.

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[Bubu]

Hey Bubu.

I have a candle furnace I made years ago. The way I made it is I fitted four clay pots one inside the other, like those Russian dolls. One small candle placed inside this arrangement heats up first the inner pot. Then the heat escapes around the bottom edge, only to be captured by the next pot, and then the next and the next. It is highly efficient. One tea candle will boil a bowl of water on top and heat a small room easily.

I used some steel connections to keep the pots together, with a large bolt that runs through all the pots to allow for heat transmission upward. If I knew how, and it wasn't such a hassle, I would provide a picture...

Hey Ernie, I still dont see the benefit of stacking too many pots. I have not use one you said it works, so probably I am missing something about pots. One thing I am sure is that it burns bigger portion of the hydrocarbon chunks which translate to more heat. Hydrocarbons are much like charcoal chunks there are small medium large. You can guess correctly that small ones burns up sooner. Thats more like the propane. When it comes to bigger chunks such as wood gas " the bigger the burner the more efficient it is" every wood burning expert in the world knows this. They just missed the WHY? its because HC molecules ones liberated it flies away quickly if you have a 6 inch hot zone that molecule can be a fourth consumed if you have a 6 feet hot zone that HC could be 90% consumed before it exist the hot zone. This is the same concept I had when I designed the steam injected burner I believe I shared here before. You may find them if interested I have explained there how it works and yes it works like a charm. Most probably more than 50% wood savings. Its actually the same concept big comp. employ to produce propane and a variety petrol products. Its called steam cracking. Its also the same reason why they dont want you to pour water on oil fires. Water turns instantly to steam and reacts with oil particles to make smaller and more volatile particles. which would result to... you know what. The same concept when I created the oil and water stove 14 years ago. Of course science and wiki had a different explanation.

[Ernie Nemeth]

No argument there, my friend. You're the expert.

The point of this arrangement is that the heat load is trapped in the dense material of the pots. And because there are several chambers, most of the heat cannot escape before it adds its heat to the mass. One candle like illustrated will burn for six - eight hours, maybe more. It can also be used indoors.

I would have to look it up but this is paraffin wax, so maybe the molecular chain is shorter? In either case, it is extremely efficient, both as a heater and as a means to cook when the power goes out. It can be assembled in a few hours, costs next to nothing, is clean (no smoke), and the fuel is compact and easy to store. It also has the added benefit of throwing off enough light to read by in the dark.

[Constance]

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[Constance]

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[Bubu]

No argument there, my friend. You're the expert.

The point of this arrangement is that the heat load is trapped in the dense material of the pots. And because there are several chambers, most of the heat cannot escape before it adds its heat to the mass. One candle like illustrated will burn for six - eight hours, maybe more. It can also be used indoors.

I would have to look it up but this is paraffin wax, so maybe the molecular chain is shorter? In either case, it is extremely efficient, both as a heater and as a means to cook when the power goes out. It can be assembled in a few hours, costs next to nothing, is clean (no smoke), and the fuel is compact and easy to store. It also has the added benefit of throwing off enough light to read by in the dark.

There is one thermal property of materials which is "emissivity" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity. There is a good chance that clay pots has a high value. though I can't find any confirmation of it. If it does then it explains why your stack up pots works best.

[Bubu]

Found it the value is 0.9. So while the pot has a low thermal conductivity whatever heats it absorbs most of it is given of as radiation ,It goes in all direction. Instead of being carried away by air up to the ceiling. So yes you right your stack up pots is best. Brilliant invention again with the humble clay. There is also a pot in pot cooler.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Don't want to derail this thread but the arrangement in the pic is for bigger candles. If tea candles are used the pots can be taken off the stand so that it sits almost flush with the surface (notice little steel feet on the lowest pot). The problem then becomes the candle tends to melt because it is too close to the heat thrown off by the clay pots. It will still work if the tea candle is placed in a container/holder to contain the melted wax.

:focus:
I hear Texas has got their power back on. Thank God!

[Ratszinger]

In Colorado we had a place that had one little wood stove on the south side and it was on brick that was sitting on a bed of red sand stone and just opening the windows in the morning to let the sun in would heat the bricks and only a small log was all that was needed to make the entire place comfy. Put two on it would blow you out of there. Just the sun through glass in the morning on darker tiles makes for a lot of heat!! Our cats used to love it laying all over the bricks and tiles. We'd have just a tiny fire going but it heated the entire place. You just had to use humidifiers to keep it from being highly static in the air.

[Constance]

Solar ovens: They can cook anything. They are very durable, however the only caveat is that a solar oven does require little to no cloud cover. You can make simple solar ovens from items you have in the house. Here are some links.

https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-build-a-solar-oven-project/

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How to make a simple solar cooker to understand the use of solar energy

Here's something ingenious!

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How to Make a Solar Oven with a Windshield Sun Shade

For recipes

https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/

This is the portable (https://gosun.co/products/sport?sscid=21k5_l5xtz) kind that you can sling over your shoulder in an emergency situation or take camping with you.

The pros of the portable solar oven: it cooks small portions of food quickly, which is ideal in an emergency situation. The cons, it burns the food if you don't keep an eye on it and it isn't ideal for a family because it only cooks small portions of food.

The pros of a large solar oven: You can cook anything that you like in it. The cons: it is too large to take camping or if you need to travel on foot.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Low tech fridges


The Coolgardie (https://lifeonspringcreek.com/2017/02/10/coolgardie-safe/) fridge is a great way to keep some of the contents from your fridge from spoiling in the event that there is a power outage. In Australia, they are sold as antique pieces but I think we need to bring these back.

In the milder winter months, these work really well, as long as you remember to fill the reservoir with water.




a rectangular metal frame, which supports hessian sides, wired on. It has a simple hinged door on the front, and one internal shelf. The top of the frame has a galvanised sheet-metal tray (ie: a reservoir), which is filled with water. Strips of flannel are hung from the tray to contact with the hessian sides, which keeps them damp through a process of capillary siphoning (wicking). When a breeze comes, it passes through the wet hessian and evaporates the water. This cools the air inside the safe, and in turn, cools the food stored inside. The drier the air is, the greater the rate of evaporation, and the cooler the safe. The feet of the safe sit in a tray of water (also on legs), which acts as a moat to keep ants at bay, and collect water dripping from the hessian. Sometimes these trays had a tap to drain the water, but this model has only a simple spout. There is also a central vent in the bottom of the safe which vents through a little chimney passing through the middle of the reservoir at the top

46182

Zeer pots (https://www.instructables.com/A-Practical-Zeer-Pot-evaporative-cooler-non-electr/):
These work really well if you have access to an outdoor undercover area.

https://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/cooling-food-without-electricity.html

enOjVc-kN7Q Build your own Zero Energy Cooling Chamber (ZECC)


The inspiration for this clay fridge came after an earthquake in Gujarat India, in 2001. Mansukhlal Raghavjibhai Prajapati, a clay craftsman, spent time as a relief worker. He noticed that many people were without fresh food or water.

https://www.ecoideaz.com/innovative-green-ideas/mitticool-refrigerator

[onawah]

A good source of ideas for heat when the power goes out
Best Heat Sources to Use During a Power Outage
107,319 views•Jan 15, 2019
The Provident Prepper
74.4K subscribers

"A winter storm rages outside and the power suddenly flickers off. The temperature in your home is beginning to slowly decline and a chill is settling in the air. Are you prepared with backup heat sources until the power is restored?

What are the best options for alternative heat sources during a power outage? Our top choices for safe emergency heating include:

-Dometic ORIGO Heat Pal 5100—alcohol heater/cook stove that uses denatured alcohol as a fuel source. (You can find it at https://amzn.to/2SXnTIS​)

-Mr. Heater Propane Buddy Heaters—several different sizes available to fit unique needs. (Purchase it at https://amzn.to/2VUChne​)

-Terracotta Pot Heater—homemade heater which uses canned heat for fuel.

-Wood-Burning Stove or Fireplace—classic go-to option whenever circumstances permit.

We have spent hundreds of hours researching and experimenting with alternative heat sources to keep us from freezing in our home during a power outage. In this video, you get to see our favorite alternative heating devices.

You might also be interested in these posts at TheProvidentPrepper.org :

Surviving a Winter Power Outage: How to Stay Warm
https://theprovidentprepper.org/survi...​

Best Alternative Heat Sources to Use During a Power Outage
https://theprovidentprepper.org/best-...​

Terracotta Pot Heater/Cooker – How to Heat and Cook without Electricity
https://theprovidentprepper.org/terra...​

Thanks for being part of the solution!"
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(Their website: https://theprovidentprepper.org/surviving-a-winter-power-outage-how-to-stay-warm/

[Brigantia]

I've just come across this very simple plant pot heater that people used to use in decades long gone - less than 2 minutes and a lovely broad Cornish accent as well! From reading the comments, it does work very well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-NTZOE0A90&list=LL&index=1

[Pam]

A quick reminder to everyone stocking up now. Consider that you might very well end up cooking without electricity. What you invest your money in must be pretty easy to cook. The ratio between fuel for cooking/ net prepared food must be in balance. Thers no way you will be able to soak and cook kidney beans or chickpeas (wich also requires some extra amount of water after soaking, since soaking water is to be replaced before cooking) without lots of energy consumption. Brown rice with husk still on? Not very likely in a shtf scenario, its 45-60 mins cooking at least.
To conclude:Water and fuel for cooking & heat could be scarce
Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best

I am so glad you started this thread. As someone who has been prepping for over a year, I have to admit, I bought lots of pinto beans and brown rice. I really wasn't thinking in terms of how long I will need to cook. I did figure I could do a very long soak. I bought a camping stove and lots of propane containers. Do have lots of other dehydrated veggies and stuff. Today is the big day, I am buying a solar generator. I not very good at researching things to buy, but this thing can also be charged with electricity and from a car or battery. Will buy a cheap single burner that I can use with this.

Bought a cord of wood and just finished transferring it and stacking it. Never done that before.

I know I sound like a broken record but don't forget sprouts. You can take them with you, they provide you with fresh veggies any time of year and mung beans will give you protein. All you need are a jar and water. I have a lifetime supply of alfalfa and mung beans. You can sprout any beans or seeds though. The seeds last years as long as you keep them dry.

I have been buying up dog kibble as well.... If the shiiiiiitt doesn't hit the fan I can donate it in the future.

¤=[Post Update]=¤


A small pressure cooker, water filter and small wood fired (outside only) camp stove may be very helpful for cooking beans quickly.

This is just the advice I need. Of course, a small pressure cooker!!!! Still need a water filter, you reminded me of that.

[ByTheNorthernSea]

I've just come across this very simple plant pot heater that people used to use in decades long gone - less than 2 minutes and a lovely broad Cornish accent as well! From reading the comments, it does work very well.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-NTZOE0A90&list=LL&index=1

Fantastic! Love his accent too...

[Brigantia]

Here's an interesting project - making a solid fuel stove by using a small plastic stool as a mould.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4klnOl7Hxps

[Gwin Ru]

...

... for a bit of global warming...

ENDLESS Heat for Your Home WITHOUT Electricity (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0guulsNSQXU) 04:57

https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AMLnZu-qcVBlg2s6d7jWpjw2nbyijs-LAzxjMvlBdheOAQ=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielsInventions) Daniel's Inventions (https://www.youtube.com/c/DanielsInventions)
Oct 21, 2022
2,175,616 views

Endless Heat for Your Home Without Electricity.
We watched a YouTube video and got inspired to build our own convection heater that can heat up our 220 square foot cabin while only burning oil candles.

The original video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Znay... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZnayOUQN28&t=0s)) is heating up a very small space with only four candles that eventually burn down too low and have to be adjusted or replaced. We are using oil with ten candle wicks which will remain burning at the same height even if the oil container runs low.

We used JB weld to join all of the pieces together. This is what your heater should look like. We had someone make us a piece of high heat resistant oven glass which we installed over a high heat resistant gasket. We installed a second gasket on the inside to seal the door.

We are using a concrete board as a fire resistant material which we painted black and installed onto the wall. We 3d printed this support for a standard computer fan which will be used as blower for our heater.

We used a metal container as an oil storage container. We installed a small window so that we can monitor the level of the oil. We are using ten braided oil lamp wicks.

We will install our heater in our 220 sq. foot cabin which is approximately the same size as two standard bedrooms at 10 ft. X 11 ft.

A cold front came through and the temperature dropped.

We are using steel gutters for our heater. First, we are tracing out four different holes that need to be cut out. We are removing the rubber seal which will be replaced with a heat resistant gasket. We built an oil lamp convection heater that can heat up a two bedroom cabin for less than $5 a week.

The heater can reach up to a temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

The heater can work on different kinds of oils which can be purchased very inexpensively at a wholesale price of $2.50 a gallon.

Winter is approaching and running a space heater is an expensive option so we want to replace it with our convection heater. We are using a 50 caliber metal ammo box for this project. The computer fan runs at only twelve volts DC and 1.6 amps. It can also run on a twelve volt DC battery. The fan is very efficient in circulating the air through the heater to quickly heat up the space. It also keeps the heater cooler while operating.

The heater also works as a lamp, giving off light in the night. The cool feature this heater has is that it gives the appearance of a natural gas fire place.

The thickness and length of the wick and the level of oil in the storage container can affect the intensity of each flame. If the wick is too long, it will produce a lot of smoke and soot and a lot of unburned fuel. That being said, things need to be properly adjusted. Also, different oils will produce different results. If you’ve made it to this point, please subscribe to the channel. I would really appreciate it as it helps support me make new videos just like this one.

All the parts for this project were about $100 combined. Most of these parts were purchased from a regular hardware store. The ammo box was purchased on Amazon. We are very impressed with the final outcome of the heater. It performs a lot better than what we imagined.

We ran the heater every day, for seven days, twelve hours a day. Each time, the oil level on the storage container drops about 1/2-3/4”. The storage container can hold half a gallon of oil, and it takes approximately a week to go through a whole gallon of oil. The heater is giving off a tremendous amount of heat.

Website: mindoftesla.com

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