Keeping Warm Without Power

My area was recently hit with two ice storms back-to-back. Many of my friends lost power. They mentioned how cold they were (Michigan winters be cold ya’ll). There are some ways to provide some heat to your home without power and provide some light. In a situation where freezing inside your home doesn’t sound like a great option there are some things you can do.

 

Terracotta Pot Heater

(alternately you could use the stoneware part of a crock pot in a pinch)

What you need:

Terracotta pot (or pan/pot)

2 Bricks

Candles (tealights, jar candles, whatever you have)

 

Instructions:

Light your candle

Place your two bricks on either side of it (or them if you have tea lights)

Set your terracotta pot upside down on your bricks.

You could use a metal pot, a cast iron pan/pot or a crock pot if you don't have terracotta pots. Cast iron would be ideal as they hold heat very well and could be a cooking surface if really needed.

 

How it works:

The bricks allow air to flow to the flame and the terracotta pot will trap heat and help to warm a small space. The heat will be proportionate to the size of the pot and number of candles. If you have a two-wick candle even better.

 

Crisco Candle

This will burn for at least a whole day or possibly longer

 

What you need:

can of Crisco

Candle 

Fire safe surface

(Canning Jar if you have it)

 

Instructions:

Open can of Crisco

Measure your candle to be pretty much level with the Crisco.

Cut your candle shorter if you need (or don’t)

Push it right down the center of the Crisco

Light

 

Things to consider:

Obviously the first is fire safe surfaces – place your candles on a surface that does not burn. Examples: plate, terracotta saucer, thin brick, tile, etc…

 

This is an emergency method. Ideally you would want to spoon the Crisco as tightly as possible into a canning jar (for safety reasons) and then push the candle in. That said when you have limited options and it is the difference between freezing/hypothermia it is a better alternative.

 

You could then use this under a terracotta pot should you wish to.

 

If you google “Terracotta Pot Heater” you will see several different ways to do this.

 

Stay safe and stay warm folks.