Please remember that if you're sleeping in a tent, the average adult breathes out about a half a pint of water in one night during sleep. Thats a lot of condensation. A bit of ventilation is not a bad thing 👌
@@truegamer2819 ...and all sorts of nocturnal critters.... out in the woods we have visitors all night, and if you turn your porch into a free snack bar ~ you will have unwelcome furry visitors without end.
Hello, I wonder if you have a guide when the power goes out in summer 😅 Almost all year we have 120°F and our house gets really hot without electricity. In our home lives my mother, our 2 dogs and me.
We’re all electric. When the power went out for 30 hours last winter when it was 9 degrees outside, we discovered the tent hack on our own. We discovered that our expensive solar system didn’t work when covered in snow. We’re getting a diesel generator. I found covering our huge windows with 4x8 insulation panels you get at home improvement stores for about $10 a sheet and taping them down tightly with masking tape works wonders. Then take them down for sunlight. I still use them. This winter we kept our bill down by snuggling into our master bedroom, right off the kitchen. We only heat the bedroom and it dramatically reduced our bill! I got a heated throw blanket too. That really keeps us warm on especially cold moments!
Coming from a ski instructor: if your feet are cold, change into DRY socks instead of putting on MORE socks. You don't realize that even the little amount of sweat from just a few hours prior will cause your toes to ache with cold. Clammy skin freezes in cold temps.
@@traiecto Yes, I use Smartwool, they wick away moisture. I don't put them in until I'm about ready to go outside. If I was winter camping, just make sure to have extra socks. You can't do anything if your toes are frozen!
It's crazy how much clean socks matter. One could have the best gear money can buy, but if one is wearing dirty socks, it doesn't matter as one will always be cold. And flip that, one could have crumby outerwear, but clean dry feet will help tremendously in keeping one warm.
You can also cook on it if it has a flat top. We also use ours to dry the wet clothes from being outside in the rain or snow or even the laundry if the electricity is out. The heat is miserable when the power goes out in the summer. When the power goes out in the winter it can kill you in the right conditions. A wood stove is a life saver for sure.
We have tried to sort out how to add a wood stove to our home and it’s not feasible. Makes me crazy!! Every winter I kick myself a bit that we didn’t have the foresight when building. Lesson learned!!
Back in late 80s, my elderly grandfather in Germany had an 8 bedroom home, but stayed mainly in one of 3 rooms in winter. The kitchen, living room and the bathroom which he turned into his sauna. He had velvet curtains on the doorways, for wallpaper it was velvet and only heated up the 3 rooms with either a stove, small space heater or hot water for the sauna. Then he just bundled up. He lived to 89 that way. So it can be done.
I use distilled vinegar in the garden to kill weeds. The empty jugs are perfect for water storage. I'm a bit bemused by the mad rush I see to *buy* bottled water before storms etc. Use your tap and fill the containers you have - teakettle, pots and pans, coffee mugs, tupperware, ice tea pitchers, you can even use plastic storage boxes.
An old trick I learned living up here in Maine. An easy way to insulate your windows, cut some bubble wrap to the size of your window. Spray a mist of water on the window and place the wrap on the glass. It should stick and provide good insulation.
I have used both, the bubble wrap and the shrink wrap that you shrink with a hair dryer. Both work. I do like the shrink wrap better just because you can see out of it clearly, like it is glass. But I will use what ever I can get my hands on.
Bubble wrap is expensive, and it’s still going to be cold Go to the insulation section and get the 4x8 sheets of foam boards for price, instead. Masking tape tightly on top of the window frame, covering the entire window completely. I learned this because we have 2 sets of huge sliding patio doors in our living room. But we ended up covering most of the windows with them. Bonus: In the summer, flip them reflective side out, and insulate from the heat of the sun, and drastically reduce cooling bills.
One time we were without power for about six days in New England. It wasn't from Hurricane Sandy, but the one that came right after that. We have a family of six. Unfortunately, I was not caught up on laundry, after six days, clothes were in short supply. Just some of my best advice would be to make sure that dishes are done and laundry is done before you think the storm might even be coming your way.😊
Or, maybe don't expect to carry on changing clothes every five minutes during an emergency. Trousers, t-shirts, jumpers, etc can all be worn for multiple days with no real problem. Wash yourself with soapy water and a flannel and you know, put the same clothes back on. First world problems.
We had a waterline burst in our house 2wks before Christmas. Our contractor friend searched FOR DAYS trying to find the water shut off valve in our house & leak. They took down our Christmas tree to cut into one of floors, & cut bathroom tile & removed my parents bathtub. Eventually, they came down to my bathroom which was a floor down. They eventually cut a hole in the wall that I had my Dad listen to a weird sound coming from a week earlier. They found the leak…..and the SHUT OFF VALVE!! The idiots who built my house put the water shut off valve in my bathroom wall!! Super convenient!! We’ve now left a hole in that part of the wall & put a cover over it so we can use it if need be.
We store bricks and dry them well. If you wrap them in foil and put them on a grill they heat up really well and retain heat for a long time. Same thing with cast iron pans.
I can't remember which group of people did this but they would heat rocks around a camp fire then place them under a few inches of soil under a sleeping bag.
@@gailoreilly1516I remember them doing something similar on the movie Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford. He set his blanket roll on fire because he didn't bury the coals deep enough under the ground.
Again the best channel on preparedness in my opinion. Too many others have bug eyed hosts rambling about a possible apocalypse from zombie invaders , while this gentleman is always well organised and on point ,easy to follow with new preppers. I myself have lived through weeks with no power throughout the years in Canada and am a longtime prepper. Note: being a prepper is no longer a quirk but now a necessity in today's world
Time stamps: 1) Pre-plan your home 1:06 2) Pre-plan a cold weather kit 3:06 3) Air and warm area staging 6:36 4) Water 8:45 5) Layer up 10:06 6) Security and safety 11:16 7) Food 11:58 8) Communication 13:25 9) Energy 14:17
I’m hesitant to bring up prepping to my wife but I have slowly and indirectly gotten her to at least accept that we need to have food; dry, canned, and frozen. Every time there is a disaster or crisis that we are effected by, she gets a step closer to becoming prepped.
It took a while for my wife to come around to prepping. After Covid she is very oriented towards preparedness, particularly food and overall household supplies. That has allowed me to concentrate more on vehicles, power equipment, self protection, and security.
Being ANTI-prepared is something we’ve been conditioned for. For example go buy a car and talk about the “Gap insurance “ for just in case. Everyone will say of course you get the Gap. Well prepping is insurance but with your lives to stay alive.
I personally have survived camping in minus 30 celsius for days, and have worked outside, all day, here in Canada, in January,in minus 55 Celsius. No b.s! But, as a Canuck, who formerly worked in the Resource industry, I was prepared for it with proper clothing, training, and attitude. Not everyone can or will be if a deep freeze happens where folks are not ready for it. City Prepper has some really good suggestions. Learn from this video!
Also if it’s really cold don’t waste generator hours on running refrigerators all day … use coolers outside as a fridge … and you only need to run a fully stocked deep freeze every two to three days
100%... It's cold outside, use it. Move your perishables into your car. If it's cold enough to be a concern, it's colder than your freezer Perishables are the last thing you should be worried about in this scenario
Not sure if you guys live in a place near a ton of people. But I had an almost week long power outage in freezing temperatures recently. What I didn’t plan for, was how over loaded the cell towers would be. I couldn’t even download my photos or album I had created for situations such as this with info I needed on my supplies. Be sure you print everything off. Also know, your cell coverage may only be spotty at best.
Tent in the room. Place the mattress from the bed and pillows from the sofa on the floor of the tent. No tent. Make an awning out of blankets, bedspreads or similar. Pull an awning over a bed or sofa.
We can examine the events of the last few years and quickly conclude that the chance things will get worse is far greater than the hope that they will get better. We are perched on a tightrope walk with no end, as one recent article I read termed it. Every day seems to get more precarious and nerve-racking.
During the the Texas freeze I put my frozen food on the patio and refrigerated food in coolers with ice packs that I rotated every few hours between outside the cooler. Did not lose anything.
Yes, A couple of winters ago, my furnace failed. It was out of service for nearly a week simply because a small part was out of stock locally. It can happen to anyone anytime, and all these recommendations are handy to have in one’s back pocket.
My chimney sweep is booked, my wood is dry, the furnace maintenance guy will be here next week and once we get a few hard freezes, I can put extra insulation on the conservatory windows. We’ve been through several winter storms and have never had much of a problem. One thing that you didn’t mention: if you have a generator, an old inefficient light bulb will throw off enough heat to keep the pipes under the sink from freezing.
Prepare ahead for covering windows with plastic. Cut the plastic to fit, label what window it is for and store it in the room where it is to be installed so that you can just go from room to room taping them up.
Went two weeks 2/21 without power with back to back ice storms (got zero attention because it happened at the same time as the Texas deep freeze) 1) have several alternate sources of heat 2) have water to access to water if you have a well - no power = no well pump … we got an emergency hand pump after the ice storms 3) have alternate ways to cook .. including just plain old open fire 4) have large pots to heat up water for cooking and bathing 5) if you don’t want to haul water to flush toilets invest in a luggable loo or set up an emergency outhouse 6) have lots of extra blankets and cold weather clothing 7) working chainsaw and fuel 8) good emergency first aid kit 9) low tech entertainment 10) and some easy to cook meals till you get your bearings
I built our own home. I have a sub panel that has lights, fridge, freezer internet, tv and our small oil heaters on it. This panel has its own transfer switch and I can run a small Honda generator on a few gallons of gas a day. We have a bigger generator hooked to a whole house transfer switch. This has a remote wireless start for when we need the pump, washer and other high load items . We have a propane range. Our walls are 7” of foam and R-60 in the ceiling. We always have 20-30 gallons of gas before I have to start siphoning from our 3 pickups. We also have a wood stove, our own well and septic. Except during extreme cold days the sun heats our house during the day as we are on a south facing hill with about 200 square feet of windows.
CT had an ice storm in December 1973 that caused 10 day long power outages. Many people didn't drain their plumbing. It froze. When the power came back, the houses were flooded from plumbing leaks. We were in a recession then. Many people lost their homes because they couldn't afford the repairs. My solution is a wood stove in the basement and several cords of firewood. I catch rain water from the downspouts to flush the toilets. Good Luck, Rick
That happened the year before I was born, but I grew up in the country so am use to preparing for just about everything. Things changed after I moved to the city and I unfortunately got away from that mindset, the pandemic kicked my behind into gear again so I am now slowly stocking up on things. I think my roommate may think I am crazy but hasn’t stopped me as he is familiar with having to get ready for anything.
We went through a devastating ice storm in 2009 it was bad enough to close Walmart. I thought I had an emergency plan and kit 😂 boy that event taught me ALOT I have been prepping ever since.
I live in North East Ohio an have 4 cords of wood on the ready .Last blizzard -15 was standing at picture window looking out drinking coffee and eating home peach cobber house was 78 deg.The cat was walking around going" George for the of God open the door ". When we bought this house some one took all the copper plumbing so I re-done all in PEX . If the pipes freeze there is 80% chance they ill not burst if opened
As a kid, I lived on a farm in Kentucky, and the winters would get rough. If you have kids or if you don't, keep in mind that cabin fever is a real thing. Take care of your mental health and have a deck of cards, board games, reading material, mad libs, crossword puzzles, etc. Try to practice patience too and not to get on each other's nerves so much. It's a good practice, too, if you make it a point to always have the laundry caught up in the winter and never let it fall behind. Keep a drawer full of clean underwear 😊. That kitty 😺 checking out your tent is a cutie.
I've had to go without a working furnace for 6 years now. I'm a 100% disabled veteran so I can't afford the thousands of dollars required to get the furnace fixed. I had to have my entire roof replaced in 2017 so the entire roof is not insulated. I also can't qualify for assistance with the repairs because my disability pay puts me just over the poverty level. I have been able to survive the last 6 years because of my prepping and survival skills but living a Great Depression Era lifestyle is really depressing.
After going thru an 8 day power outage caused by a blizzard, my top tip for food is: Learn to cook outside with sticks as fuel. 4 cinder blocks, a scrap piece of wire shelving, and some dry sticks and you got yourself an ez outdoor kitchen. Now I wasn't prepared, so my wet sticks had to be placed on the dash of my vehicle facing the sun for a day to be able to be used properly. Ingenuity is helpful, but prepparing beforehand is paramount.
I have a lot of confidence, based on the preps you help us with. Thank you. As for tips, I like the hot water, Nalgene bottle prep. Boil water on your grill, rocket stove, Kelley Kettle, etc., pour the hot water into the Nalgene, and stick it into a wool stocking cap or something. Then, put it in your sleeping bag to stay warm at night.
I used my water heater and garden hoses to heat my home for 2 weeks ran the hose into a tent with my bed then to the bathroom wrapped around the toilet then into the bathtub just run the hot water as a slow trickle I also stacked my canned food around the water heater exhaust pipe so I could have a hot meal
Loved those Texas and military examples. There used to be a time when you could use a lightbulb to heat but even with backup, best to shut off water and drain versus frozen pipes. Folks who follow your plan will be heroes. I have a room with a gas fireplace. I have tested my solar backup for the ignitor and blower fan. Cannot do the whole home/furnace. But other heat sources including the dogs. Dogs are part of my kit 🙂
My dog already sits in front of the heater until it turns off or she is painfully hot to the touch, and will then come lay with us, she is our hot water bottle.
So I live in the North where it really gets. Step number one is to have a heat source that does not require electricity IE vent-free propane heater wood stove or my favorite the coal stove. Step number two make sure you have a fuel source to put in your stove. Step 3 make sure you have enough food to last three months before winter starts. Step number for make sure you have a cuddle buddy. Step number five get some water stop number 6 have fun with your cuddle buddy. And if you get bored during The Long Winter months refer back to step number six.
When it get in the teens, it’s really hard to keep my house warm. I went and got two Mr Buddy Heaters and 4 carbon monoxide alarm. I also got the 20lb hose adapter, two propane oil filters and two stove fans. I can run up to four days with a 20lb tank and running on medium heat. They keep my home toasty. I have over 20 tanks and 2-40lb tanks. I also have a dual fuel generator that runs off of propane if needed. You need to be ready as much as you can.
Add on outside of container some high visibility reflektiv tape. When the power is out and you goto your attic or room or garage and casually cast your flash light across the room and its containers, youll EASILY spot the emergency containers because they will reflect back very brightly. Each emergency situation has this reflect tape and a label telling me which emergency its for. Inside the container on the inside lid i always attach with double side tape, one of those simple "tap here for light" led lights, that run on AA batterys. Each lid oprns the same way and has the light stuck in the same spot so if the lights are out and i have no light with me, i can open the container and find the stuck on tao light easily. With the lid open and the light on , the tap light easily provides light to show the items inside the container :)
Cheap heating source : large terracotta pots with quarter sized hole in bottom, cupcake trays,tea light candles. Light candles and put in cupcake trays. Turn over terracotta pot onto cupcake tray. Heat rises out of the hole. It’s really a great quick and cheap source. Stockup your tealights!
Us Canadian just went thru -54 c without windchill and most of what you are saying is very good. It really is important to have a kit and know where water shutoff is. Hoping many listened to this
🇨🇦 If you have a Natural Gas Forced Air Furnace power, disconect the furnace wires and connect them to a male 120v plug. Then take power feed to the furnace connect it to a metal box with an outlet. When the power goes out, unplug the furnace and plug it into a extension cord that can get power from (check your furnace wattage) say a portable 1300 watt battery bank (just need power for electronics and fan motor) unit or to an inverter connected to your car battery (start and run your can engine then clip on invertor). Run the furnace say for 10-13 minutes and heat to 75 degrees ( disconnect invertor when car engine is stopped) every hour to keep house warm. Always keep a 5 gallon can of spare gasoline as well, and use 2 sets of keys for car so you can lock the car doors while engine is running. We've had power out for 36 hours in winter time. As far as cooking use the BBQ or camping grear stove, remember to refill BBQ propane bottle before winter. ADDITIONAL power energy savings, close doors and floor heat dampers of unneeded rooms, stay in one are as much as possible, camp out in living room.
Even though I'm in a very lucky position (wood heating in living room/kitchen and bedroom, outdoor toilet (and indoor) and my own well), I still watch these videos and share them to my family that rely on electricity to keep them cool/warm throughout the year. Well done! Edit: My source of heat is a wood stove, a wood oven (that you can make pizza and other foods in) and then a normal fireplace in my bedroom, meaning that I can also make food with my heat I also have like 20 pairs of long wool socks, as my family makes them. I have a LOT of warm clothes
Awesome. I had a wood stove installed into my home last year, so I can keep the place warm and cook on it as well. Got a bunch of wood in the garage. Also got some longjohns if I need them.
I prepped a few ways to cook without my stove in a power outage. During the Texas Snowmageddon I told my husband we could use the pellet BBQ to cook. Got the death stare 😂. Plan B was a butane stove I had gotten from a restaurant supply store. We ate well and now that is plan A. Inexpensive, indoor, one burner, perfect for one pot cooking. Amazon has them also. Don’t want to cook outside in -6 degree weather.
Just went car camping with an infant over the weekend. It was down to about 28 degrees overnight. Note the extra challenges you'll have if you have little ones in the house. Warming milk / formula and keeping the little ones warm will be 2 extra challenges over an all adult situation. In the morning, the propane "campfire" wasn't very warm as the propane tank had cold soaked, then the cylinder ran out (that's what I get for letting the other guy bring it). So, one of the adults took the child to the "lifeboat" - the car and idled the engine to run the heater for warmth. Don't forget this option if you're in a cold situation to both warm up and by way of the built in USB and 12 volt power sources, charge up your electronics, solar generator battery, and rechargeable lights. 5 gallons of gas will last a good many hours of idling a smaller car - also keep the fuel tank topped up more frequently in winter to ensure the "lifeboat" will have adequate power reserves. If you have adequate solar or generator capacity, an electric blanket or heating pad can help keep the little ones adequately warm. Another "trick" that's used by long distance backpackers in cold weather. Typical backpacking cartridge stoves (pocket rocket and similar) use a mix of butane and propane. Know that butane boils at ~30 degrees F (and isobutane at ~11F), so the butane or isobutane part of the fuel mix will not vaporize if the cartridge gets too cold (all such cartridges and even large propane tanks will self chill as the liquid fuel boils off as its used). I noted CP showed a butane stove in this vid, so very relevant. Keep a cartridge warm enough to get at that butane by storing it when not in use in the foot of your sleeping bag, or under the blanket with you. Warm a little bit of water first with this not cold fuel cartridge, then set the cartridge (for a backpacking style stove) in a flat bottomed bowl of the warmed water to ensure that the butane part of the mix will be warm enough to boil / vaporize. Then proceed with the water heating / cooking you were going to do. You may need to warm a typical butane lighter to get it to work in cold weather for the same reason - keep it in an inside pocket of the clothing and body heat will do the trick.
Fill every pan in the house with water. That includes when there are forest fires. I left pans with water for an indoor cat that had hid when I had to evacuate a fire. Also, put pans outside for cats we could not find to take us when we evacuated. It made a huge difference. Six days later, we returned, and the water was drunk up.
Sister of that picture< not sure where you live, but I'm sure the possums, bird, raccoons, squirrels even maybe bears! Appreciated the water ....u r very caring!!😊
Don't leave your tap/fawset dripping, to stop it from freezing. If your drain freezes up, you'll flood your home. Run it for a couple of minutes every hour, and turn it off between.
We had a bad snow storm a few years ago and because we live in a rural area I was prepared for it. We have burned wood for years to save thousands of dollars on our electric bill. I always start each season with a minimum of 150% of firewood just incase we get a hard or long winter. We have holding tanks to store water through the dry months and we keep our generator ready with extra fuel due to the unreliable electric grid. All of my children and their family spent a lot of time at the house. They grew up here and knew that they would have a warm house with plenty of food and water. It was 18 days before the power was restored.
I have been trying to get two years ahead on the wood pile just in case of an injury or something happening that makes it where I can't put up firewood. I've also been trying to keep my wood seperate so if a section somehow caught fire I wouldn't lose all of it.
We have slowly renovated our old two story house with high insulation including all the ceilings between the floors. We now have a small wood stove in the basement with plenty of pallets in one corner. We have 200 lbs of potatoes, 200 jars of jam along with oatmeal and rice. We also have empty buckets with 2 buckets full of garden soil. Do your business and place fresh soil on top. Good for weeks in the basement in extreme cold thanks to highly insulated walls, floors and ceilings.
Remember pets. They need warmth and they can give warmth, well, mammals can. During a severe snowstorm several years ago, we were without electricity and trapped in the house with a Chihuahua and a small Schnauzer. Man, do they put out heat. Grab a blanket or two and let’s all hug a dog or cat.
Well, I’m from West Texas and I’ll admit, the FreezeDemic a few years ago taught me a lot. I’m much more prepared than I was back then. However, I am going to take full week off at Thanksgiving and make sure my house is ready and I’m also going to make sure my little farm is prepared as well.
I lived in San Antonio during the middle 70’s, it broke my heart what happened to you all in February 2021. I hope everyone is paying attention, many blessings from Colorado.
Inter3sting how Katrina, The Texas freeze, and the Puerto Rico hurricanes have taught us. 1) katrina, no ones coming to help you and the red cross recommended we increase our emergency supplies from 3 days to 3 weeks. 2)Texas freeze, if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere, have a back up tovthe back up plan. 3) Puerto Rico, have fash 9n hand, have designated people out of the area you can reach out to. We have rechargeable flashlights we use almost daily, so they have a designated place. But we also have magnetic, battery flashlights on the electrical panel outside, and on the fridge by the door. We also have solar lights meant to mount on a post, that can be brought indoors for evening light.
Large sheets of plastic along the basement perimiter can help alot, especially if ur using a heat source in the basement to rise and keep floors and pipes warm...the plastic can throw back the cooler air to keep it in the foundation.
Having survived Northern California Snowmageddon 1.0, 2021 and Snowmageddon 2.0, 2022, with frozen pipes now and then, make sure you have extra water. It took me almost a gallon, just for my morning routine, of washing my face and brushing my teeth, etc.
Having water stored is good. Knowing how to ration water is excellent. You can dramatically reduce your water usage for your morning routine by simply brushing your teeth with a small water bottle and using a warm, wet washcloth. Doing these two things alone could drop your water usage down from a gallon of water to 8 oz of water.
Last post … don’t forget to plan for your animals .. we have a lot of animals (we raise meat birds, egg birds and meat rabbits as well as cats and dogs) they will also need water so plan accordingly to get them their water … if you know a storm is coming just fill everything you can .. in the cold it will be clean enough for animals for a very long time but it may need to be protected from freezing
cardboard taped over the glass and then plastic film over the window box works wonders. keeps the condensation down and adds an extra layer of insulation from both sound and cold and prying eyes.
Have a family camp out/ cuddle party all in one room. Collect spare blankets and sleeping bags,as part of your prepper lifestyle, I like to put blankets under and over me in extremely cold weather, some mattresses can be a bit of a heat sink, flannel sheets help too. Have spare blankets in the car in case you get stuck somewhere in cold weather. I travel for a living and keep a veritable mountain of blankets in my work truck too. Have sleept comfortably in temps as low as 10 degrees with a sleeping bag layers of blankets and a pug. When my trucks bunk heater is acting up. (No heat) I used to have a reusable tarp like emergency blanket, that thing sure keeps the warm in, but it makes a lot of noise when you roll over, but worth it. With a good quality sleeping bag I no longer use the emergency blanket. Just ALL the layers.
buy used military arctic sleeping bag. put heavy duty garbage bags in toilet, after using, add some cat litter for any smell. saves water, and you can lift out and replace bag as needed
Get a Metal Fondue set with fondue fuel (a couple of bottles). The use of can fuel with Methanol is also an indoor source of fuel. With these, you can cook yourself a descent meal.
Buy 5 good flashlights , one for car, one to carry, one for attic, basement. One in the bedroom, one hidden on the front porch. Get not one but two large packs of AA batteries that the flashlights use. Also solar charging lights maybe a good backup. Good advice for the food...
These are great tips, Thank you so much for sharing!!!!! I also have one if its ok, If you have a skill such a weaving, Knitting or sewing, make sure to make your blankets, hats, gloves, etc. during the spring and summer months, that way you will have plenty of things to keep warm during the cold winter months. You may be able to not only help your household, But someone else also. Just thought I wild add this for all of the weavers and sewers out there.
Wow! So much that we are already doing. This is the first house where we don't have a woodstove. We are looking to install a small in our "warm room". We are on propane, so our regular stove is propane. Cooking is not an issue. Thanks for the confirmation and additional ideas!
Get 2 kiddie pools. Set up one in the garage one one on your deck or outside near the back door. When you use the bathroom. Get bucket of water first and pour into the toilet for a good flush. When it rains, Fill it back up from your downspouts. Garage pool water can be filtered for drinking and cooking.
Kris, I saw on a freeze dried food channel where they started using a thermal image camera that links to your phone. Might be a great tool to also use for finding those cold spots. If anyone is interested, I can look for a link (and post here) to it.
Don't forget items to keep your domestic animals warm. I wouldn't worry so much about a husky but I have little short haired dogs that don't handle the cold well. Little sweaters or jackets, and that includes little booties to protect their paws from freezing and cracking when they go outside.
I live in Minnesota and with my ice fishing gear and more I could live comfortably in my house quite comfortably in sub zero weather. I still would prefer to never be put in that situation.
Over the years I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that cold weather planning will be slightly different for homes built on concrete slabs compared to those on a crawl space. Our slab extends to a small concrete porch which is then connected to a concrete patio. The heat is sucked from the house through the concrete and released outside in the winter, just as the heat from the summer is wicked into the house in the summer. Our entire house has hardwood floors, so we have learned that in the winter we need to keep an additional barrier on the floor, and have "winter rugs" which are wool that we put down about the time of the first freeze. We are also on a septic tank. Last winter we had an unusually extended time of extreme cold - though no power outages. Keeping the faucets dripping (as we should to prevent water pipes bringing water in from freezing) resulted in the pipes carrying the water out to the septic tank to freeze. Who knew? The plumber suggested that in the future we should collect the water dripping in the sink and keep a 5 gallon bucket next to the sink to dump it in and use for the toilet flush. Or, turn the water off and drain the lines. Something to think about if you live in an area that doesn't normally have those kind of extended hard freezes and the pipes are not buried as deeply as they would be if you live in more northern climates.
@@ATruckCampbell Unfortunately the house is on a concrete slab, and while they did put an insulating layer down between the slab and the hardwood flooring, it is clearly not enough. Unless I decide to cover the hardwood (not in the plans) using rugs in cold weather is the best I have been able to come up with. Wish there was something else possible.
A couple of years ago we experienced a power outage during a severe winter storm. We were able to run the duel fuel generator we had purchased for emergencies and hooked up an infrared heater that kept us warm for 2 days. We were also able to use our gas stove even though the electronic igniter was disabled by utilizing Bic lighters. For lighting we used lanterns and led puck lights that you could turn on and off with remotes. It felt very good to have everything we needed in a real emergency. Kris, thank you for the time you put in in making these videos. They are priceless! Have a great week everyone. ❤
We have a woodburning stove in our basement that is capable of hearing the whole house. I've got enough wood to last several weeks if using it 24/7. We are on a well so if the power goes out no valves to turn off. I made a bailer bucket to bring water up from the well. I'm not too concerned about keeping warm during winter outages. We've already had a few occasions where we had to use this system. My neighbor who has no fireplace had to go stay with relatives.
I keep several gallons of RV (nontoxic) antifreeze on hand to pour down sewer lines to prevent pipes from freezing. I also installed a drain at the lowest point of the plumbing system in the basement to drain pipes if necessary.
We live in the PNW where temps in the winter typically drop to around 10F. Shortyly after we moved in there was a significant wind storm that knocked power out over the entire area for about 10 days in November. That's when we discovered that our large livingroom windows face south and allow the sun to shine in warming up the living room to a comfotable 68-74 degrees each day. That coupled with a coleman camp stove and an inveter kept our refifrigerator going along with minimal lighting and entertainment. We were more comfortable than most in our county.
We have done this for 3 years now- buy ahead of time! If it’s summer, buy winter things! If it’s winter buy summer things! Always have charcoal! Always have propane! Always have some kind of canned food! Dried goods and water! Try to keep weeks worth. Then once that comes like breathing move in to prepping for a month etc etc. don’t stress. If “IT” happens and your aren’t “ready”….. nature lets you survive or not.
AND don't forget it being cold outside can be used... As every good Canadian at a house party knows, there isn't a better fridge than the back patio... move your perishables into your vehicle. Use the already cold temperatures as your fridge/freezer Perishables should be the last thing you're concerned about in this scenario
I live in northern bc... I had my furnace changed from being hardwired to having a plug instead... So if the power goes out I can unplug and plug into an alternate source in about 30 seconds (need to run the extension cord) I have a solar "generator" which will run my furnace for 6 hours AND I've checked my heating stats and even at -40 it runs a max of 10 hrs a day. It recharges in 1.5 hrs My propane generator will run for 16 hrs without any issue on a single tank (24 hours with almost no load)... So at 3 hrs a day (1.5 in the morning and 1.5 in the evening), I'll get 5 days on a tank... I have 9 tanks PLUS my bbq and my two on my camping trailer. In addition I keep about 1/2+ cord of wood handy of which, I have 3 days worth of wood already split to be the perfect size for the fireplace.. The rest needs to be halved or quartered
In Feb. 2022 we had a massive winter power outage. It took out about 3/4 of the city and county. I lost power for 5 days. I have exotic birds and aquariums. The birds and I lived in the kitchen but I lost both aquariums . It got down to 40 degrees in the house. Worse part....I have two generators and neither would start. That won't happen again. Thankfully I have natural gas and was able to at least warm the kitchen before I went to sleep but it wasn't enough to maintain. Slept in a sleeping bag and layered up. Prepare now and be ready for anything.
Last year the town i live in and the next one over keep saying it wasn't going to snow and if it did it wouldn't be that bad i listen but i didn't agree with them even if it wasn't going to get bad i always say i rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it i got prepared for a month snowed in and when it snowed the town ended up in a 3 day snowed in lights went out off and on water was frozen, i dug a tunnel to my moms who lives next door and to the chicken cage we did good, chickens was warm as well
I face what to deal with much hard winter for almost 3 years, electricity 1 hour on every 7 hours off, diesel fuel is hard to get, no wood for a fireplace. Thats not me only but that what syrian are facing since 2020. Im not a syrian but I was there for 9 years to provide help for families they suffer without any income.
Sometimes Chris says he was in afghanistan with the US military "helping the people"..Im not sure what planet he is living on, but I am very sure that anyone with a gun and kit representing israel and the US military in the middle east is doing very little "helping".
@@CityPrepping I would still consider 'central asia' as middle east. But the point remains that the US AF was in Afghaistan under the promotion of Israel and its 'Greater Israel' project in order to clear territory and potential resistance of its rightful inhabitants for the agenda of stealing land and natural assets. Unless you were over their assisting the resistance in securing their rightful ownership and autonomy, then you weren't actually 'helping' anybody excepting the greedy intl banker cabal (who I'm sure were able to pay you handsomely for your efforts which afforded you many nice amenities to a well stocked prosperity which you kindly display for your viewers).
Download the Extreme Weather Survival Guide here: cityprepping.tv/3P3skQH - start your preparedness journey: cityprepping.tv/3lbc0P9
Please remember that if you're sleeping in a tent, the average adult breathes out about a half a pint of water in one night during sleep. Thats a lot of condensation. A bit of ventilation is not a bad thing 👌
great video but i highly recommend not to put food outside in the cold Doe to looters who can easily come and take em
@@truegamer2819 ...and all sorts of nocturnal critters.... out in the woods we have visitors all night, and if you turn your porch into a free snack bar ~ you will have unwelcome furry visitors without end.
Hello, I wonder if you have a guide when the power goes out in summer 😅
Almost all year we have 120°F and our house gets really hot without electricity. In our home lives my mother, our 2 dogs and me.
We’re all electric. When the power went out for 30 hours last winter when it was 9 degrees outside, we discovered the tent hack on our own. We discovered that our expensive solar system didn’t work when covered in snow. We’re getting a diesel generator. I found covering our huge windows with 4x8 insulation panels you get at home improvement stores for about $10 a sheet and taping them down tightly with masking tape works wonders. Then take them down for sunlight. I still use them.
This winter we kept our bill down by snuggling into our master bedroom, right off the kitchen. We only heat the bedroom and it dramatically reduced our bill! I got a heated throw blanket too. That really keeps us warm on especially cold moments!
Coming from a ski instructor: if your feet are cold, change into DRY socks instead of putting on MORE socks. You don't realize that even the little amount of sweat from just a few hours prior will cause your toes to ache with cold. Clammy skin freezes in cold temps.
I have eliminated this problem with merino wool socks 😏
@@traiecto Yes, I use Smartwool, they wick away moisture. I don't put them in until I'm about ready to go outside. If I was winter camping, just make sure to have extra socks. You can't do anything if your toes are frozen!
It's crazy how much clean socks matter. One could have the best gear money can buy, but if one is wearing dirty socks, it doesn't matter as one will always be cold. And flip that, one could have crumby outerwear, but clean dry feet will help tremendously in keeping one warm.
Empty cereal bag and use in care package for homeless people.
Same thing if you wear gloves or mittens to bed.
Having a wood stove is the best prep that I have done. Nothing heats like a fire.
I agree. Best winter prep ever if you can do it. Worth every penny I spent on it.
You can also cook on it if it has a flat top. We also use ours to dry the wet clothes from being outside in the rain or snow or even the laundry if the electricity is out. The heat is miserable when the power goes out in the summer. When the power goes out in the winter it can kill you in the right conditions. A wood stove is a life saver for sure.
We have tried to sort out how to add a wood stove to our home and it’s not feasible. Makes me crazy!! Every winter I kick myself a bit that we didn’t have the foresight when building. Lesson learned!!
@@mamabear0056 can you do an outside boiler/wood stove?
Had one installed in the house last year. Now I just need to keep stocking up on wood.
Back in late 80s, my elderly grandfather in Germany had an 8 bedroom home, but stayed mainly in one of 3 rooms in winter. The kitchen, living room and the bathroom which he turned into his sauna. He had velvet curtains on the doorways, for wallpaper it was velvet and only heated up the 3 rooms with either a stove, small space heater or hot water for the sauna. Then he just bundled up. He lived to 89 that way. So it can be done.
I abhor velvet. It gives me the heeby jeebies. 😂
Here's hoping for an uneventful winter and preparing for the worst :)
It is going to be harder for Europe currently, but it will trickle down twice. Who knows the timing?
I hear Wisconsin’s winter will come later, but it’ll be colder. Quality over quantity, but not in a good way lol.
I use distilled vinegar in the garden to kill weeds. The empty jugs are perfect for water storage. I'm a bit bemused by the mad rush I see to *buy* bottled water before storms etc. Use your tap and fill the containers you have - teakettle, pots and pans, coffee mugs, tupperware, ice tea pitchers, you can even use plastic storage boxes.
An old trick I learned living up here in Maine. An easy way to insulate your windows, cut some bubble wrap to the size of your window. Spray a mist of water on the window and place the wrap on the glass. It should stick and provide good insulation.
Thanks for the tip.
I have used both, the bubble wrap and the shrink wrap that you shrink with a hair dryer. Both work. I do like the shrink wrap better just because you can see out of it clearly, like it is glass. But I will use what ever I can get my hands on.
Been doing this for 4 years now !, works really well !!.
Bubble wrap is expensive, and it’s still going to be cold Go to the insulation section and get the 4x8 sheets of foam boards for price, instead. Masking tape tightly on top of the window frame, covering the entire window completely. I learned this because we have 2 sets of huge sliding patio doors in our living room. But we ended up covering most of the windows with them.
Bonus: In the summer, flip them reflective side out, and insulate from the heat of the sun, and drastically reduce cooling bills.
Ok, but bubble wrap allows light to pass through, which is the point of having a window. @@firestick4991
One time we were without power for about six days in New England. It wasn't from Hurricane Sandy, but the one that came right after that. We have a family of six. Unfortunately, I was not caught up on laundry, after six days, clothes were in short supply. Just some of my best advice would be to make sure that dishes are done and laundry is done before you think the storm might even be coming your way.😊
Or get more cold gear
Or, maybe don't expect to carry on changing clothes every five minutes during an emergency.
Trousers, t-shirts, jumpers, etc can all be worn for multiple days with no real problem.
Wash yourself with soapy water and a flannel and you know, put the same clothes back on.
First world problems.
We had a waterline burst in our house 2wks before Christmas. Our contractor friend searched FOR DAYS trying to find the water shut off valve in our house & leak. They took down our Christmas tree to cut into one of floors, & cut bathroom tile & removed my parents bathtub. Eventually, they came down to my bathroom which was a floor down. They eventually cut a hole in the wall that I had my Dad listen to a weird sound coming from a week earlier. They found the leak…..and the SHUT OFF VALVE!! The idiots who built my house put the water shut off valve in my bathroom wall!! Super convenient!! We’ve now left a hole in that part of the wall & put a cover over it so we can use it if need be.
Oh that's awful. How could someone be so careless to install it in the wall like that? I'm sorry you had to experience that.
We store bricks and dry them well. If you wrap them in foil and put them on a grill they heat up really well and retain heat for a long time. Same thing with cast iron pans.
Interesting?! Thanks!!! 😄
I can't remember which group of people did this but they would heat rocks around a camp fire then place them under a few inches of soil under a sleeping bag.
@@gailoreilly1516I remember them doing something similar on the movie Jeremiah Johnson with Robert Redford. He set his blanket roll on fire because he didn't bury the coals deep enough under the ground.
Good idea
Brilliant!
Again the best channel on preparedness in my opinion. Too many others have bug eyed hosts rambling about a possible apocalypse from zombie invaders , while this gentleman is always well organised and on point ,easy to follow with new preppers. I myself have lived through weeks with no power throughout the years in Canada and am a longtime prepper. Note: being a prepper is no longer a quirk but now a necessity in today's world
Time stamps:
1) Pre-plan your home 1:06
2) Pre-plan a cold weather kit 3:06
3) Air and warm area staging 6:36
4) Water 8:45
5) Layer up 10:06
6) Security and safety 11:16
7) Food 11:58
8) Communication 13:25
9) Energy 14:17
wow so impressive you wrote down the chapters that are in the video (you know he lays these out right? just look at the time bar)
I’m hesitant to bring up prepping to my wife but I have slowly and indirectly gotten her to at least accept that we need to have food; dry, canned, and frozen. Every time there is a disaster or crisis that we are effected by, she gets a step closer to becoming prepped.
Be a man, take care of her.
It took a while for my wife to come around to prepping. After Covid she is very oriented towards preparedness, particularly food and overall household supplies. That has allowed me to concentrate more on vehicles, power equipment, self protection, and security.
@@outdoorsgreg1324 lol are you even in a domestic relationship?
Being ANTI-prepared is something we’ve been conditioned for. For example go buy a car and talk about the “Gap insurance “ for just in case.
Everyone will say of course you get the Gap.
Well prepping is insurance but with your lives to stay alive.
I personally have survived camping in minus 30 celsius for days, and have worked outside, all day, here in Canada, in January,in minus 55 Celsius. No b.s! But, as a Canuck, who formerly worked in the Resource industry, I was prepared for it with proper clothing, training, and attitude. Not everyone can or will be if a deep freeze happens where folks are not ready for it. City Prepper has some really good suggestions. Learn from this video!
My ace in the hole is my wood stove, can heat 🔥 my home 🏡 plus cook on it like my grandparents did during the great depression..
A wood stove is the best survival tool ever.
Also if it’s really cold don’t waste generator hours on running refrigerators all day … use coolers outside as a fridge … and you only need to run a fully stocked deep freeze every two to three days
Good advice!!!! 😁
100%... It's cold outside, use it.
Move your perishables into your car.
If it's cold enough to be a concern, it's colder than your freezer
Perishables are the last thing you should be worried about in this scenario
Not sure if you guys live in a place near a ton of people. But I had an almost week long power outage in freezing temperatures recently. What I didn’t plan for, was how over loaded the cell towers would be. I couldn’t even download my photos or album I had created for situations such as this with info I needed on my supplies. Be sure you print everything off. Also know, your cell coverage may only be spotty at best.
Oooh good point! I keep forgetting to print! I'll put it on my list right away!!
Thanks❤
ALWAYS have hard copy.
Tent in the room.
Place the mattress from the bed and pillows from the sofa on the floor of the tent.
No tent. Make an awning out of blankets, bedspreads or similar. Pull an awning over a bed or sofa.
Or kitchen/dining table
We can examine the events of the last few years and quickly conclude that the chance things will get worse is far greater than the hope that they will get better. We are perched on a tightrope walk with no end, as one recent article I read termed it. Every day seems to get more precarious and nerve-racking.
During the the Texas freeze I put my frozen food on the patio and refrigerated food in coolers with ice packs that I rotated every few hours between outside the cooler. Did not lose anything.
Check, check, check and check. Feels good to see your list and check all of the boxes. 👍
Yes, A couple of winters ago, my furnace failed. It was out of service for nearly a week simply because a small part was out of stock locally. It can happen to anyone anytime, and all these recommendations are handy to have in one’s back pocket.
as far as heating is concerned don't forget fireplaces if any and also wooden stoves
My chimney sweep is booked, my wood is dry, the furnace maintenance guy will be here next week and once we get a few hard freezes, I can put extra insulation on the conservatory windows. We’ve been through several winter storms and have never had much of a problem. One thing that you didn’t mention: if you have a generator, an old inefficient light bulb will throw off enough heat to keep the pipes under the sink from freezing.
Keeping the sink doors open helps as well.
Prepare ahead for covering windows with plastic. Cut the plastic to fit, label what window it is for and store it in the room where it is to be installed so that you can just go from room to room taping them up.
Went two weeks 2/21 without power with back to back ice storms (got zero attention because it happened at the same time as the Texas deep freeze)
1) have several alternate sources of heat
2) have water to access to water if you have a well - no power = no well pump … we got an emergency hand pump after the ice storms
3) have alternate ways to cook .. including just plain old open fire
4) have large pots to heat up water for cooking and bathing
5) if you don’t want to haul water to flush toilets invest in a luggable loo or set up an emergency outhouse
6) have lots of extra blankets and cold weather clothing
7) working chainsaw and fuel
8) good emergency first aid kit
9) low tech entertainment
10) and some easy to cook meals till you get your bearings
This is good advice
My snot froze on my mustache once, it was crazy!
I built our own home. I have a sub panel that has lights, fridge, freezer internet, tv and our small oil heaters on it. This panel has its own transfer switch and I can run a small Honda generator on a few gallons of gas a day. We have a bigger generator hooked to a whole house transfer switch. This has a remote wireless start for when we need the pump, washer and other high load items . We have a propane range. Our walls are 7” of foam and R-60 in the ceiling. We always have 20-30 gallons of gas before I have to start siphoning from our 3 pickups.
We also have a wood stove, our own well and septic. Except during extreme cold days the sun heats our house during the day as we are on a south facing hill with about 200 square feet of windows.
@@mikeslebodnik8512I worked in the Arctic for about 30 years and I can relate.
@@Chris_at_Home 💥 AWESOME!!
CT had an ice storm in December 1973 that caused 10 day long power outages. Many people didn't drain their plumbing. It froze. When the power came back, the houses were flooded from plumbing leaks. We were in a recession then. Many people lost their homes because they couldn't afford the repairs. My solution is a wood stove in the basement and several cords of firewood. I catch rain water from the downspouts to flush the toilets. Good Luck, Rick
That happened the year before I was born, but I grew up in the country so am use to preparing for just about everything. Things changed after I moved to the city and I unfortunately got away from that mindset, the pandemic kicked my behind into gear again so I am now slowly stocking up on things.
I think my roommate may think I am crazy but hasn’t stopped me as he is familiar with having to get ready for anything.
@@NadesikoRoseFor me, it was finals weeks at UCONN. Good Luck, Rick
wow, i'm really surprised that CT people didn't know about draining the plumbing.
@@vickiamundsen2933 I wouldn't have known many things if my Dad(a carpenter) hadn't taught me when I was a kid. Good Luck, Rick
We went through a devastating ice storm in 2009 it was bad enough to close Walmart. I thought I had an emergency plan and kit 😂 boy that event taught me ALOT I have been prepping ever since.
Bags of dried fruit or trail mix are good no cooking food items.
Good thing this is city prepping because us on the farm are always prepared for this.
I live in North East Ohio an have 4 cords of wood on the ready .Last blizzard -15 was standing at picture window looking out drinking coffee and eating home peach cobber house was 78 deg.The cat was walking around going" George for the of God open the door ". When we bought this house some one took all the copper plumbing so I re-done all in PEX . If the pipes freeze there is 80% chance they ill not burst if opened
We replaced everything with PEX - love that stuff!
@@gsdalpha1358But so do rodents.
@@shesh4896 We've been using PEX since 2006 with no issues. Rodents can chew on copper, too.
The stomach processes liquid food more slowly. Soup will make you feel fuller for longer.
As a kid, I lived on a farm in Kentucky, and the winters would get rough. If you have kids or if you don't, keep in mind that cabin fever is a real thing. Take care of your mental health and have a deck of cards, board games, reading material, mad libs, crossword puzzles, etc. Try to practice patience too and not to get on each other's nerves so much. It's a good practice, too, if you make it a point to always have the laundry caught up in the winter and never let it fall behind. Keep a drawer full of clean underwear 😊. That kitty 😺 checking out your tent is a cutie.
I've had to go without a working furnace for 6 years now. I'm a 100% disabled veteran so I can't afford the thousands of dollars required to get the furnace fixed. I had to have my entire roof replaced in 2017 so the entire roof is not insulated. I also can't qualify for assistance with the repairs because my disability pay puts me just over the poverty level. I have been able to survive the last 6 years because of my prepping and survival skills but living a Great Depression Era lifestyle is really depressing.
Pro tip from a mainer, if there's snow shovel it up against the house.
I put bags of potting soil, fertilizer over water meter. It’s easy to find and insulated.
bags of fall leaves also work
After going thru an 8 day power outage caused by a blizzard, my top tip for food is:
Learn to cook outside with sticks as fuel. 4 cinder blocks, a scrap piece of wire shelving, and some dry sticks and you got yourself an ez outdoor kitchen.
Now I wasn't prepared, so my wet sticks had to be placed on the dash of my vehicle facing the sun for a day to be able to be used properly. Ingenuity is helpful, but prepparing beforehand is paramount.
Look into a Kelly Kettle. Boils water using twigs...
@mikekolczynski5665 And the Kelly Kettle is great, however you still need dry sticks hehe
I have a lot of confidence, based on the preps you help us with. Thank you. As for tips, I like the hot water, Nalgene bottle prep. Boil water on your grill, rocket stove, Kelley Kettle, etc., pour the hot water into the Nalgene, and stick it into a wool stocking cap or something. Then, put it in your sleeping bag to stay warm at night.
Those "Hot Hands" air activated warmers are great too! They last 10 hours! But, put them in a sock too because they get hot enough to burn skin!
Heating a brick, then wrapping for a warmer also
I used my water heater and garden hoses to heat my home for 2 weeks ran the hose into a tent with my bed then to the bathroom wrapped around the toilet then into the bathtub just run the hot water as a slow trickle I also stacked my canned food around the water heater exhaust pipe so I could have a hot meal
Loved those Texas and military examples. There used to be a time when you could use a lightbulb to heat but even with backup, best to shut off water and drain versus frozen pipes. Folks who follow your plan will be heroes. I have a room with a gas fireplace. I have tested my solar backup for the ignitor and blower fan. Cannot do the whole home/furnace. But other heat sources including the dogs. Dogs are part of my kit 🙂
Reminds me of the band Three dog night.
My dog already sits in front of the heater until it turns off or she is painfully hot to the touch, and will then come lay with us, she is our hot water bottle.
Thanks Kris- this is a important reminder to have these things sorted before you need them ☮️
So I live in the North where it really gets. Step number one is to have a heat source that does not require electricity IE vent-free propane heater wood stove or my favorite the coal stove. Step number two make sure you have a fuel source to put in your stove. Step 3 make sure you have enough food to last three months before winter starts. Step number for make sure you have a cuddle buddy. Step number five get some water stop number 6 have fun with your cuddle buddy. And if you get bored during The Long Winter months refer back to step number six.
That was funny and insightful!!! 😂😂😂😂
When it get in the teens, it’s really hard to keep my house warm. I went and got two Mr Buddy Heaters and 4 carbon monoxide alarm. I also got the 20lb hose adapter, two propane oil filters and two stove fans. I can run up to four days with a 20lb tank and running on medium heat. They keep my home toasty. I have over 20 tanks and 2-40lb tanks. I also have a dual fuel generator that runs off of propane if needed. You need to be ready as much as you can.
Add on outside of container some high visibility reflektiv tape. When the power is out and you goto your attic or room or garage and casually cast your flash light across the room and its containers, youll EASILY spot the emergency containers because they will reflect back very brightly. Each emergency situation has this reflect tape and a label telling me which emergency its for. Inside the container on the inside lid i always attach with double side tape, one of those simple "tap here for light" led lights, that run on AA batterys. Each lid oprns the same way and has the light stuck in the same spot so if the lights are out and i have no light with me, i can open the container and find the stuck on tao light easily. With the lid open and the light on , the tap light easily provides light to show the items inside the container :)
Very good advice.
The centerpiece of my winter emergency kit is a book I found at a garage sale...'The Donner Party Cookbook'...
Cheap heating source : large terracotta pots with quarter sized hole in bottom, cupcake trays,tea light candles. Light candles and put in cupcake trays. Turn over terracotta pot onto cupcake tray. Heat rises out of the hole. It’s really a great quick and cheap source. Stockup your tealights!
Thanks CP
Us Canadian just went thru -54 c without windchill and most of what you are saying is very good. It really is important to have a kit and know where water shutoff is. Hoping many listened to this
🇨🇦 If you have a Natural Gas Forced Air Furnace power, disconect the furnace wires and connect them to a male 120v plug. Then take power feed to the furnace connect it to a metal box with an outlet. When the power goes out, unplug the furnace and plug it into a extension cord that can get power from (check your furnace wattage) say a portable 1300 watt battery bank (just need power for electronics and fan motor) unit or to an inverter connected to your car battery (start and run your can engine then clip on invertor). Run the furnace say for 10-13 minutes and heat to 75 degrees ( disconnect invertor when car engine is stopped) every hour to keep house warm. Always keep a 5 gallon can of spare gasoline as well, and use 2 sets of keys for car so you can lock the car doors while engine is running. We've had power out for 36 hours in winter time. As far as cooking use the BBQ or camping grear stove, remember to refill BBQ propane bottle before winter. ADDITIONAL power energy savings, close doors and floor heat dampers of unneeded rooms, stay in one are as much as possible, camp out in living room.
Even though I'm in a very lucky position (wood heating in living room/kitchen and bedroom, outdoor toilet (and indoor) and my own well), I still watch these videos and share them to my family that rely on electricity to keep them cool/warm throughout the year. Well done!
Edit: My source of heat is a wood stove, a wood oven (that you can make pizza and other foods in) and then a normal fireplace in my bedroom, meaning that I can also make food with my heat
I also have like 20 pairs of long wool socks, as my family makes them. I have a LOT of warm clothes
Awesome. I had a wood stove installed into my home last year, so I can keep the place warm and cook on it as well. Got a bunch of wood in the garage. Also got some longjohns if I need them.
Prepare for the worst expect the best
I prepped a few ways to cook without my stove in a power outage. During the Texas Snowmageddon I told my husband we could use the pellet BBQ to cook. Got the death stare 😂. Plan B was a butane stove I had gotten from a restaurant supply store. We ate well and now that is plan A. Inexpensive, indoor, one burner, perfect for one pot cooking. Amazon has them also. Don’t want to cook outside in -6 degree weather.
Just went car camping with an infant over the weekend. It was down to about 28 degrees overnight. Note the extra challenges you'll have if you have little ones in the house. Warming milk / formula and keeping the little ones warm will be 2 extra challenges over an all adult situation. In the morning, the propane "campfire" wasn't very warm as the propane tank had cold soaked, then the cylinder ran out (that's what I get for letting the other guy bring it). So, one of the adults took the child to the "lifeboat" - the car and idled the engine to run the heater for warmth. Don't forget this option if you're in a cold situation to both warm up and by way of the built in USB and 12 volt power sources, charge up your electronics, solar generator battery, and rechargeable lights. 5 gallons of gas will last a good many hours of idling a smaller car - also keep the fuel tank topped up more frequently in winter to ensure the "lifeboat" will have adequate power reserves. If you have adequate solar or generator capacity, an electric blanket or heating pad can help keep the little ones adequately warm.
Another "trick" that's used by long distance backpackers in cold weather. Typical backpacking cartridge stoves (pocket rocket and similar) use a mix of butane and propane. Know that butane boils at ~30 degrees F (and isobutane at ~11F), so the butane or isobutane part of the fuel mix will not vaporize if the cartridge gets too cold (all such cartridges and even large propane tanks will self chill as the liquid fuel boils off as its used). I noted CP showed a butane stove in this vid, so very relevant. Keep a cartridge warm enough to get at that butane by storing it when not in use in the foot of your sleeping bag, or under the blanket with you. Warm a little bit of water first with this not cold fuel cartridge, then set the cartridge (for a backpacking style stove) in a flat bottomed bowl of the warmed water to ensure that the butane part of the mix will be warm enough to boil / vaporize. Then proceed with the water heating / cooking you were going to do. You may need to warm a typical butane lighter to get it to work in cold weather for the same reason - keep it in an inside pocket of the clothing and body heat will do the trick.
@tokencivilian8507 - Wow. Great info. Thanks!
Fill every pan in the house with water. That includes when there are forest fires. I left pans with water for an indoor cat that had hid when I had to evacuate a fire. Also, put pans outside for cats we could not find to take us when we evacuated. It made a huge difference. Six days later, we returned, and the water was drunk up.
Sister of that picture< not sure where you live, but I'm sure the possums, bird, raccoons, squirrels even maybe bears! Appreciated the water ....u r very caring!!😊
Way to take care of your kitties!
Don't leave your tap/fawset dripping, to stop it from freezing. If your drain freezes up, you'll flood your home. Run it for a couple of minutes every hour, and turn it off between.
Thanks for the review! They are saying we could have a crazy winter this year into next! Also love all the helpful comments people post!!
We had a bad snow storm a few years ago and because we live in a rural area I was prepared for it. We have burned wood for years to save thousands of dollars on our electric bill. I always start each season with a minimum of 150% of firewood just incase we get a hard or long winter. We have holding tanks to store water through the dry months and we keep our generator ready with extra fuel due to the unreliable electric grid. All of my children and their family spent a lot of time at the house. They grew up here and knew that they would have a warm house with plenty of food and water. It was 18 days before the power was restored.
I have been trying to get two years ahead on the wood pile just in case of an injury or something happening that makes it where I can't put up firewood. I've also been trying to keep my wood seperate so if a section somehow caught fire I wouldn't lose all of it.
We have slowly renovated our old two story house with high insulation including all the ceilings between the floors. We now have a small wood stove in the basement with plenty of pallets in one corner. We have 200 lbs of potatoes, 200 jars of jam along with oatmeal and rice. We also have empty buckets with 2 buckets full of garden soil. Do your business and place fresh soil on top. Good for weeks in the basement in extreme cold thanks to highly insulated walls, floors and ceilings.
Keeping us alive 👍
Remember pets. They need warmth and they can give warmth, well, mammals can. During a severe snowstorm several years ago, we were without electricity and trapped in the house with a Chihuahua and a small Schnauzer. Man, do they put out heat. Grab a blanket or two and let’s all hug a dog or cat.
You are very correct about small pets being little heaters.
Seconded my Pug loves to snuggle when it's cold, she's a small heater.
Well, I’m from West Texas and I’ll admit, the FreezeDemic a few years ago taught me a lot.
I’m much more prepared than I was back then.
However, I am going to take full week off at Thanksgiving and make sure my house is ready and I’m also going to make sure my little farm is prepared as well.
I lived in San Antonio during the middle 70’s, it broke my heart what happened to you all in February 2021. I hope everyone is paying attention, many blessings from Colorado.
Inter3sting how Katrina, The Texas freeze, and the Puerto Rico hurricanes have taught us. 1) katrina, no ones coming to help you and the red cross recommended we increase our emergency supplies from 3 days to 3 weeks. 2)Texas freeze, if it can happen there, it can happen anywhere, have a back up tovthe back up plan. 3) Puerto Rico, have fash 9n hand, have designated people out of the area you can reach out to. We have rechargeable flashlights we use almost daily, so they have a designated place. But we also have magnetic, battery flashlights on the electrical panel outside, and on the fridge by the door. We also have solar lights meant to mount on a post, that can be brought indoors for evening light.
My 20-lb cat is the best heating device. 🐱
Great idea's Kris.
I'm in Florida and supposedly we're going to have a cold winter.
Getting ready.
Large sheets of plastic along the basement perimiter can help alot, especially if ur using a heat source in the basement to rise and keep floors and pipes warm...the plastic can throw back the cooler air to keep it in the foundation.
Having survived Northern California Snowmageddon 1.0, 2021 and Snowmageddon 2.0, 2022, with frozen pipes now and then, make sure you have extra water. It took me almost a gallon, just for my morning routine, of washing my face and brushing my teeth, etc.
Having water stored is good. Knowing how to ration water is excellent. You can dramatically reduce your water usage for your morning routine by simply brushing your teeth with a small water bottle and using a warm, wet washcloth. Doing these two things alone could drop your water usage down from a gallon of water to 8 oz of water.
Last post … don’t forget to plan for your animals .. we have a lot of animals (we raise meat birds, egg birds and meat rabbits as well as cats and dogs) they will also need water so plan accordingly to get them their water … if you know a storm is coming just fill everything you can .. in the cold it will be clean enough for animals for a very long time but it may need to be protected from freezing
cardboard taped over the glass and then plastic film over the window box works wonders. keeps the condensation down and adds an extra layer of insulation from both sound and cold and prying eyes.
since we are on a pump, we keep extra gallons of water on hand at all times.
Have a family camp out/ cuddle party all in one room. Collect spare blankets and sleeping bags,as part of your prepper lifestyle, I like to put blankets under and over me in extremely cold weather, some mattresses can be a bit of a heat sink, flannel sheets help too. Have spare blankets in the car in case you get stuck somewhere in cold weather. I travel for a living and keep a veritable mountain of blankets in my work truck too. Have sleept comfortably in temps as low as 10 degrees with a sleeping bag layers of blankets and a pug. When my trucks bunk heater is acting up. (No heat) I used to have a reusable tarp like emergency blanket, that thing sure keeps the warm in, but it makes a lot of noise when you roll over, but worth it. With a good quality sleeping bag I no longer use the emergency blanket. Just ALL the layers.
I really like this new format. I think you're on to something here 👍
buy used military arctic sleeping bag. put heavy duty garbage bags in toilet, after using, add some cat litter for any smell. saves water, and you can lift out and replace bag as needed
Get a Metal Fondue set with fondue fuel (a couple of bottles). The use of can fuel with Methanol is also an indoor source of fuel. With these, you can cook yourself a descent meal.
Buy 5 good flashlights , one for car, one to carry, one for attic, basement. One in the bedroom, one hidden on the front porch. Get not one but two large packs of AA batteries that the flashlights use. Also solar charging lights maybe a good backup. Good advice for the food...
These are great tips, Thank you so much for sharing!!!!! I also have one if its ok, If you have a skill such a weaving, Knitting or sewing, make sure to make your blankets, hats, gloves, etc. during the spring and summer months, that way you will have plenty of things to keep warm during the cold winter months. You may be able to not only help your household, But someone else also. Just thought I wild add this for all of the weavers and sewers out there.
Wow! So much that we are already doing. This is the first house where we don't have a woodstove. We are looking to install a small in our "warm room". We are on propane, so our regular stove is propane. Cooking is not an issue. Thanks for the confirmation and additional ideas!
Unless you run out of propane?
Very relevant video today, for what is about to one to USA next week
Get 2 kiddie pools. Set up one in the garage one one on your deck or outside near the back door. When you use the bathroom. Get bucket of water first and pour into the toilet for a good flush. When it rains, Fill it back up from your downspouts. Garage pool water can be filtered for drinking and cooking.
Thank you 🙏
Kris,
I saw on a freeze dried food channel where they started using a thermal image camera that links to your phone. Might be a great tool to also use for finding those cold spots.
If anyone is interested, I can look for a link (and post here) to it.
Yes, please!
Don't forget items to keep your domestic animals warm. I wouldn't worry so much about a husky but I have little short haired dogs that don't handle the cold well. Little sweaters or jackets, and that includes little booties to protect their paws from freezing and cracking when they go outside.
THundershirts are wonderful for warming and calming a dog!
I live in Minnesota and with my ice fishing gear and more I could live comfortably in my house quite comfortably in sub zero weather. I still would prefer to never be put in that situation.
Over the years I have learned (sometimes the hard way) that cold weather planning will be slightly different for homes built on concrete slabs compared to those on a crawl space. Our slab extends to a small concrete porch which is then connected to a concrete patio. The heat is sucked from the house through the concrete and released outside in the winter, just as the heat from the summer is wicked into the house in the summer. Our entire house has hardwood floors, so we have learned that in the winter we need to keep an additional barrier on the floor, and have "winter rugs" which are wool that we put down about the time of the first freeze.
We are also on a septic tank. Last winter we had an unusually extended time of extreme cold - though no power outages. Keeping the faucets dripping (as we should to prevent water pipes bringing water in from freezing) resulted in the pipes carrying the water out to the septic tank to freeze. Who knew? The plumber suggested that in the future we should collect the water dripping in the sink and keep a 5 gallon bucket next to the sink to dump it in and use for the toilet flush. Or, turn the water off and drain the lines. Something to think about if you live in an area that doesn't normally have those kind of extended hard freezes and the pipes are not buried as deeply as they would be if you live in more northern climates.
That sounds like a major problem. Is there any way to get your floor insulated better?
@@ATruckCampbell Unfortunately the house is on a concrete slab, and while they did put an insulating layer down between the slab and the hardwood flooring, it is clearly not enough. Unless I decide to cover the hardwood (not in the plans) using rugs in cold weather is the best I have been able to come up with. Wish there was something else possible.
A portable heat exchanger can bring in fresh air heated by the exhausted air from the inside the dwelling.
A couple of years ago we experienced a power outage during a severe winter storm. We were able to run the duel fuel generator we had purchased for emergencies and hooked up an infrared heater that kept us warm for 2 days. We were also able to use our gas stove even though the electronic igniter was disabled by utilizing Bic lighters. For lighting we used lanterns and led puck lights that you could turn on and off with remotes. It felt very good to have everything we needed in a real emergency. Kris, thank you for the time you put in in making these videos. They are priceless! Have a great week everyone. ❤
Search, resell shops for wool blankets they can be a real lifesaver
We have a woodburning stove in our basement that is capable of hearing the whole house. I've got enough wood to last several weeks if using it 24/7. We are on a well so if the power goes out no valves to turn off. I made a bailer bucket to bring water up from the well. I'm not too concerned about keeping warm during winter outages. We've already had a few occasions where we had to use this system. My neighbor who has no fireplace had to go stay with relatives.
We plan on putting up plastic on our catio which faces West.
I keep several gallons of RV (nontoxic) antifreeze on hand to pour down sewer lines to prevent pipes from freezing. I also installed a drain at the lowest point of the plumbing system in the basement to drain pipes if necessary.
Brilliant!
We live in the PNW where temps in the winter typically drop to around 10F. Shortyly after we moved in there was a significant wind storm that knocked power out over the entire area for about 10 days in November. That's when we discovered that our large livingroom windows face south and allow the sun to shine in warming up the living room to a comfotable 68-74 degrees each day. That coupled with a coleman camp stove and an inveter kept our refifrigerator going along with minimal lighting and entertainment. We were more comfortable than most in our county.
Designated room is the best bet.. you don't even need a disaster to do this you'll save a stack of cash.
Timely reminder! Now is the time to Be Prepared!
I'm ready my friend... I've seen -50c here
We have done this for 3 years now- buy ahead of time! If it’s summer, buy winter things! If it’s winter buy summer things! Always have charcoal! Always have propane! Always have some kind of canned food! Dried goods and water! Try to keep weeks worth. Then once that comes like breathing move in to prepping for a month etc etc. don’t stress. If “IT” happens and your aren’t “ready”….. nature lets you survive or not.
Truly helpful! The time is now to prepare. Take care family. 🌎Thanks Kris.
AND don't forget it being cold outside can be used... As every good Canadian at a house party knows, there isn't a better fridge than the back patio... move your perishables into your vehicle. Use the already cold temperatures as your fridge/freezer
Perishables should be the last thing you're concerned about in this scenario
I live in northern bc...
I had my furnace changed from being hardwired to having a plug instead... So if the power goes out I can unplug and plug into an alternate source in about 30 seconds (need to run the extension cord)
I have a solar "generator" which will run my furnace for 6 hours AND I've checked my heating stats and even at -40 it runs a max of 10 hrs a day.
It recharges in 1.5 hrs
My propane generator will run for 16 hrs without any issue on a single tank (24 hours with almost no load)...
So at 3 hrs a day (1.5 in the morning and 1.5 in the evening), I'll get 5 days on a tank... I have 9 tanks PLUS my bbq and my two on my camping trailer.
In addition I keep about 1/2+ cord of wood handy of which, I have 3 days worth of wood already split to be the perfect size for the fireplace.. The rest needs to be halved or quartered
I am glad you encourage to help others, especially the disabled and elderly.
In Feb. 2022 we had a massive winter power outage. It took out about 3/4 of the city and county. I lost power for 5 days. I have exotic birds and aquariums. The birds and I lived in the kitchen but I lost both aquariums . It got down to 40 degrees in the house. Worse part....I have two generators and neither would start. That won't happen again. Thankfully I have natural gas and was able to at least warm the kitchen before I went to sleep but it wasn't enough to maintain. Slept in a sleeping bag and layered up. Prepare now and be ready for anything.
Keep up the good work.
Last year the town i live in and the next one over keep saying it wasn't going to snow and if it did it wouldn't be that bad i listen but i didn't agree with them even if it wasn't going to get bad i always say i rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it i got prepared for a month snowed in and when it snowed the town ended up in a 3 day snowed in lights went out off and on water was frozen, i dug a tunnel to my moms who lives next door and to the chicken cage we did good, chickens was warm as well
I face what to deal with much hard winter for almost 3 years, electricity 1 hour on every 7 hours off, diesel fuel is hard to get, no wood for a fireplace. Thats not me only but that what syrian are facing since 2020. Im not a syrian but I was there for 9 years to provide help for families they suffer without any income.
Sometimes Chris says he was in afghanistan with the US military "helping the people"..Im not sure what planet he is living on, but I am very sure that anyone with a gun and kit representing israel and the US military in the middle east is doing very little "helping".
@libbyhicks7549 I’ve never once said I was in the military. I was in AF with an NGO. Afghanistan is not in the Middle East either. It’s Central Asia.
@@CityPrepping I would still consider 'central asia' as middle east. But the point remains that the US AF was in Afghaistan under the promotion of Israel and its 'Greater Israel' project in order to clear territory and potential resistance of its rightful inhabitants for the agenda of stealing land and natural assets. Unless you were over their assisting the resistance in securing their rightful ownership and autonomy, then you weren't actually 'helping' anybody excepting the greedy intl banker cabal (who I'm sure were able to pay you handsomely for your efforts which afforded you many nice amenities to a well stocked prosperity which you kindly display for your viewers).
My mother had a "Main" water shutoff installed in the Utility Room years ago. Be safe my friends.