Emergency improvised heating and cooking

[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.


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/art...-oven-project/

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=v5CdNH3sQT0

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

Here's something ingenious!

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=cLCBQscnSdU

How to Make a Solar Oven with a Windshield Sun Shade

For recipes

https://www.sunshineonmyshoulder.com/

This is the portable 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.


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Low tech fridges


The Coolgardie 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

Zeer pots:
These work really well if you have access to an outdoor undercover area.

https://www.greenlivingtips.com/arti...ectricity.html

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=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-...l-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!"

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=qhynAAUR8Q8

(Their website: https://theprovidentprepper.org/surv...-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.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=M-NTZOE0A90

[Pam]

Posted by Metaphor (here)
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]=¤

Posted by Ron Mauer Sr (here)
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]

Posted by Brigantia (here)
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.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=M-NTZOE0A90

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.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=4klnOl7Hxps

[Gwin Ru]

...

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

ENDLESS Heat for Your Home WITHOUT Electricity 04:57

Daniel's Inventions
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...) 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

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=0guulsNSQXU