LIGHT – Most folks keep flashlights for various needs but it’s important to make sure that the batteries are fresh. Most smart phones have a flashlight app that works quite well. I buy prayer candles at a dollar store that provide long term light and a feeling of hope in darkness. You can make slush lamps using small cans with vegetable oil and a wick.

HEAT – The first line of keeping warm is layered clothing and blankets. Conserving body heat is primary. You can make a room heater by placing a roll of toilet paper in a tin can and pouring isopropl alcohol (denatured is better) into the roll and place it on an open oven door to isolate it and light it. A personal heater is quite effective when using a lit tea candle at the bottom of a tin can that is placed between your feet where you are seated and wear a poncho or wrap a blanket around your neck and cover your knees like a tent to capture the heat.

WATER – In an urban setting city water will most likely be available vs. well pumps in rural areas that need electrical power to operate. It’s a good idea to keep bottled water on hand. A house’s plumbing system is actually a reservoir of water and can be accessed at the lowest valve and used sparingly. A water heater is also a reservoir that has a drain valve at it’s base. If you use this source, be sure to turn off your circuit breaker first to avoid burning out your heating elements for when the power is restored. If you have a creek or other natural water source it can be filtered or boiled. Snow can be melted.

FOOD – Food that is stored in a refrigerator or freezer in the short term should have limited access to keep the cold in and heat out. If you have snow you can simply fill a plastic bin or cooler with snow and pack the food items in it. Cold water can also serve the same function. It’s best to keep food stuffs on hand in a pantry that are either canned or dry like beans or noodles.

COOKING – A gas grill is an easy way to cook or boil water. Charcoal grills can be used in the same way. On a smaller scale a chimney charcoal starter can be used with a baking rack to cook on. There are various types of camp stoves from gas canisters to wood gasifiers. A rocket stove can be made from concrete blocks. Then there’s always a classic campfire using grills or pots. It is also possible to make and use an alcohol burner.

COMMUNICATION POWER – Some land-line phone services carry their own independent power but cable service phones do not work when the power goes out. It seems that the majority of phones in use today are cell phones that can access transmission towers that are independently powered or outside of an outage area. However, cell phones run on a battery that eventually will need recharging. They are usually charged using a USB cable that can use various power sources. I recently used my laptop computer to charge our cell phones. A vehicle usually has either built-in USB ports or 12V adapters. A 12V to AC converter can charge laptops or other electronic devices. I have a hand crank charger that works on my phone. A 9V battery can be used in conjunction with a 12V USB adapter by placing the adapter’s tip on the positive terminal and using a paper clip to touch the battery’s negative terminal to the side terminal on the adapter.

These are just some of the things that I have experienced during an occasional Winter power outage but for some folks this is an annual event. I would welcome comments on other tips that can be helpful during their Winter power outage.

In the past I have tested different brands of sanitizer to learn about their properties and effectiveness in their ability to ignite and sustain a flame. Recently I tested a dab of sanitizer that didn’t want to stay lit. When it extinguished I would spread it out with my finger and re-light only to see it extinguish shortly thereafter. This may have to do with it’s composition or shelf-life.

Awhile back I read an article about mis-use of hand sanitizer by some youth who added salt to it in order to extract the alcohol which they ingested and ended up in the hospital. That technique came to mind and I wondered if salt would release enough alcohol from my sample in order to sustain a flame. I happened to have some salt nearby and sprinkled some on the remains and voilà, it started to melt and when lit stayed lit longer with a larger flame.

I decided to do a side-by-side comparison so I took two small jar lids to safely contain the fuel and put a penny sized dollop of sanitizer in each. I added salt to one and then lit them both. You can see the contrast of the two in the photo. Needless to say that the bigger flame burned out sooner and lasted only a fraction of the time that the unsalted sanitizer did.

After further tests and thoughts I have come up with some “pros” and “cons” of the two burning methods.

– SALTED –

Pros – 1) The salted sanitizer’s flame burned bright yellow, thus giving off useful light. 2) It’s vigorous flame would aid in lighting tinder more quickly. 3) It can help the performance of a weak sanitizer.

Cons – 1) Because the flame is so vigorous it burns out much sooner then the untreated sanitizer.

– STANDARD –

Pros – 1) The flame is low but steady and lasts much longer – good for cooking/heating. 2) The blue flame is almost invisible so that it has low profile visibility if needed.

Cons – Because the flame is nearly invisible, especially in daylight, it can be dangerous if you don’t realize that it is lit.

In the end, each sanitizer method has it’s pros and cons but by experimenting with each method you will broaden your understanding and experience on how to maximize it’s effectiveness for your improvised fuel application.

I happened to be visiting an industrial facility at the time and it was early evening with the sun lowering on the horizon. I grabbed a small amount of dry shredded bark mulch off of the landscaping and located two pairs of reading glasses. I spotted a friend who I asked to take pictures with my phone’s camera while I began to focus on the tinder. Although the wind was rather brisk, in short order smoke began to appear and with continued focus a large sized ember took shape. I set down the glasses and clutched the tinder and began to blow the ember into a flame. My friends cheered and we were delighted with the results.

Now that we have passed the Spring Solstice, experiments like this are performed much easier. Reading glasses are straight forward magnifiers whereas prescription glasses my not have the same capability due to various optical corrections. In any case, it would be wise to familiarize yourself with this solar fire method because you never know when it might be needed in an emergency.

It goes without saying that you should always be careful around an open flame, observing precautions to keep flammable objects at a safe distance and the flame source in a stable position. In tight quarters be sure to have adequate ventilation. The following is a set-up that I have used successfully that you may find helpful. The objects needed are a metal coffee can, a tea-candle, matches or a lighter, and a blanket, sheet, poncho or other body cover.

In a sitting position I place a coffee can on the floor between the heels of my feet with the open end up. Then I place a tea-candle inside the can along the bottom edge. This position allows room for my hand to reach in with a match or lighter to light the candle. Once lit, I reposition the candle to the center of the can to provide even heat and a safety zone. Next, I place the blanket around my shoulders and over my lap which forms a tent-like covering. This captures the heat that rises from the candle and holds it around my body. The can enclosure shields both the flame from the wind, and adjacent clothing from the flame.

This heating set-up would be good to store in your vehicle on the occasion that you might get stranded during a Winter storm.

At that time I didn’t carry a lighter with me as I do now, but the thought occurred to me that if I held a flame under the key and heated it up that when I inserted it into the lock the heat would transfer and loosen the parts inside the cylinder. So, I went to the office of the motel where I was staying and asked for some matches. Sure enough, the heated key did the trick. Of course, these days cars can be unlocked via remote, but for older models, that may not be an option.

For cold climate veterans, this may seem trivial, but I would love to hear your comments on other cold weather solutions that you have used.

One of the wonderful properties of water is that it holds a steady temperature at 212 degrees Fahrenheit which is lower than the combustion point of it’s container. This amazing property has the effect of protecting the vessel that contains it so fire will not burn through the barrier that holds it. In modern terms, it acts like a heat-sink that draws heat away.

While being heated, containers like a cabbage leaf or a paper cup may burn down to the level of the water so it becomes a one-use container. A tougher container like a bamboo node or coconut shell can be used to boil water as well and may be used more than once.

There are some guidelines that should be observed: the vessel should not leak fluids that would extinguish the flame or coal: if the vessel is flexible or fragile, it will need to be supported in the process. The best way to support the cabbage leaf is to place it on live coals that you have prepared in a cup-shaped mound. Immediately fill it with water to protect the leaf and and hold it in place. Once the water comes to a boil, the challenge will be to extract it from the vessel. In this case a smaller vessel like a spoon or small cup can be used to draw out the hot water for use.

An alternate method of boiling water would be to put dry rocks into a fire and heat them until very hot, then using a pair of tongs, transfer them into the water to heat it. It may take several rocks, but eventually it can be made to boil.

So, whether to heat from the outside, or from the inside, you now know how to boil water in a cabbage leaf. Have fun!

The advantage of a blowpipe is that it delivers air strategically to the coals or early small flames of your fire. It enables you to distance yourself from the smoke and heat while building the flames beneath the kindling which lay above it. It provides both comfort and safety. Blowpipes can range from fancy brass tubes fitted with a broad mouth piece on one end and a poker on the other end, or, you can improvise one from conduit pipe. You can even use PVC pipe briefly, but it tends to melt. In the field you can use reeds or river cane whose nodes have been pierced to allow air flow. You can even use rolled up paper or cardboard, but use caution as they are flammable and can combust if exposed too long. You’ll be amazed at the ease of use and wonder why you hadn’t thought of it before. With colder weather coming on, this could be your ticket to a warmer Winter in your house.

Here’s the procedure I used: Begin by using a clamp-style shop light, and remove the aluminum reflector. Next, clean off a cool incandescent light-bulb and screw it into the socket. Clamp the light onto a base… I used a pan laying on it’s side. Place the bulb inside a clean, grease-free can (15oz. size works well), keeping the light-bulb base above the rim. Then, pour room temperature water into the can, filling it to about 1/4 inch from the top. Make sure there is no water on metal parts, then turn on the light switch. If possible, plug the light into a GFI protected receptacle for safety.

After a half hour, the water temperature reached nearly 170 degrees F. but hit a ceiling of about 180 degrees thereafter. Two things to avoid when using glass bulbs – contrasting temperatures and grease. I’m sure there is some flexibility with this setup when using different sized bulbs, cans, and time. Anyway, in an emergency situation, this is another way to create hot water which could be used in a variety of ways such as pasteurization, food and beverage preparation, and for warmth.

 
You’ll probably notice a lot of dandelions that have sprung up around your yard or neighborhood recently. Outside of being edible, they can be great for tinder too. Check out my video for more details.