Back-Up Heat for Freezing Weather

[@mrhalfstep]

This was a very well done video and you clearly have a better understanding of how heat works than the average person, a quarter of your age. I'll credit that to your probably getting a much better education than children get these days. I know I did. All I have to do to confirm that is ask my to 50+ yo daughters to explain things to me that I learned in Jr HS. Now I have to point out some flaws in your plan for power outages. While your current heat source is up and running from day to day, it is keeping all of the materials in your home at the day time temperature that you prefer. If you completely turned off your heat source at night and it was 30 degrees outside, when you woke up in the morning, your house still wouldn't be anywhere near 30 degrees inside, and that is because of the radiant infrared energy, that you so expertly described, being radiated out of your furniture and walls and cabinets,etc, and warming the air in your home. Now, imagine leaving the heat off for a second, entire 24 hour day/night period. Those materials in your home that were once room temperature, 32 hours ago, are not nearly that warm any longer and have even less IR radiation to dump into your home during the overnight. Add another 24 hr period of 30 degrees outside and you just have a cold house that won't have any room in it that can be heated to the 70 degrees that you prefer for sleeping, or even the 65 degree temp that you'll settle for in a grid down scenario, without running a much higher BTU heater than that one, for much longer than that power station can provide the power for. Your plan works for an overnight power outage, but starts to fall apart as the crisis extends. My advice to you would be to, first, not fear the fossil fueled heat sources, to your detriment, and secondly, limit your use of the solar generator to powering a heated blanket at night, once the quilts on your bed alone can't keep you from freezing to death because the emergency has lasted too long and your whole building and its content are cold. Heated blankets use from 150 to 200 watts of electricity while they are actually turned on, and if you keep one on, that power station will still only last 8 -10 hours. The plan should be to pile on the quilts, on top of you and the heated blanket, warm up, then turn the blanket off and let the quilts act as a huge layer of insulation to hold the heat near you for an extended period until you have to cycle it on again. Some blankets have enough settings that you can just set it low enough that it will cycle efficiently by itself and you can sleep through the night. If you watch the videos produced by the folks that live in their vans in cold regions, you'll get a better understanding of what it will take to stay alive in your home during an extended power outage. Those people don't even have a structure that is insulated worth a darn. Since you're in a home that has forced air, central, propane generated heat, the best thing that you can do is use your power station to run the 120 VAC blower motor and control module on your furnace, after shutting off the vents in the rooms you won't be using during the emergency and plan on manually starting and stopping the furnace to warm the spaces that you ARE using. Your thermostat is likely in an area where it will be monitoring the temperature AWAY from where you're trying to survive and will never shut off the furnace and blower. There are YT videos that show how to do this on a budget, as well as how to wire in a device sold expressly for this purpose. I'm afraid your's is just a bad plan for anything but the shortest of power outages, in the winter, in a region like yours. Of course that's just one opinion, but I've put quite a bit of time into researching the problem of heat in a power outage, just because I'm that guy that has always had the Boy Scout "Be Prepared" motto floating in the back of his head, despite never actually being a Boy Scout. LOL I love your channel and I mean no offence with my comments.✌

[@NorthcoastPatty]

My favorite item to help me stay warm is my hot water bottle by my feet. Back in the 60's my grandma used to put one in my bed about a half hour before bedtime. Her sheets were so clean, crisp, and cool, and that warmth by my feet was a comfort in her very chilly house.

[@LauraOravez]

Just don’t want to find it with your feet in the morning!! Brrrrr!! I remember 😊

[@ladyketurahinwaiting]

YES!!!! I learned about hot water bottles when I lived in Republic of Ireland a few years. Fantabulous for warming beds ❣️ The elderly Irish ladies call them “rubber husbands”!!!! 🤭😄

[@NorthcoastPatty]

@@ladyketurahinwaiting "rubber husbands" too funny

[@anniegetyrgun8741]

Im in Scotland and last winter i bought some gloves, hat, wrist and ankle warmers made from recycled cashmere. The company (Turtle Doves) make small items from old larger cashmere clothing such as sweaters. I never realised how warm cashmere is! Putting them all on during a power outtage meant my extremities stayed toastie!

[@patriciatinkey2677]

Fabulous idea! You're brilliant, & so are they!

[@mayiakashmurr3000]

Thank you

[@meranae]

I recycled cashmere sweaters from second hand shops to make a blanket which is warm and toasty. I also have cashmere socks, hats and sweaters. I love to be warm and cashmere is the way to go.

[@theDurgaLove]

Not a great idea at all. People wear toxic perfumes, live in moldy houses (these things can't be totally cleaned)

[@theDurgaLove]

​@@meranaemold

[@Julie_Krantz]

I homeschool my grandson and he’s been reading a unit in an admittedly boring science book about heat and energy. I’m actually going to let him just watch this video instead. You’ve covered types of heat in an applied and practical example. Thanks!

[@danajessop2835]

I used some computer games when some homeschooling lessons got boring.

[@tooshieg2059]

Thanks for sharing, Pam and Jim. Always love to see how you do things. We have a natural gas furnace and had an electrician install a plug so we can plug the furnace directly into the solar generator. The plug and installation was about $125. It pulls about 400watts. Highly recommend. I bring the house up to temp before bed, then turn it off. For overnight, I have a USB stadium blanket. The blanket came with a 20,000mAh battery. It's plenty to keep the bed warm buy having it cycle on every other hour for about 15 minutes. $80. Don't dismiss stadium blankets. Very efficient and multi-use.

[@Amber-mv8wz]

The oil furnace in our old farmhouse died about 8 years ago. Rather than replacing it we opted to try heating our whole house with a wood pellet stove & we've never looked back. It's cheaper & it heats the house better than the furnace did. Sure, there's some work involved in hauling the pellets & cleaning the stove but to us it's worth the effort. The big plus is that we can easily power the stove from either a solar or fossil fuel generator when the power goes out. We still have a wood burning insert in our fireplace to serve as backup as well.

[@mariehud7382]

With this pellet heat you have to depend on deliveries of pellets. With the solar generator you depend on the sun. Hopefully we never get into a situation so bad we can only depend on the sun.

[@ladyketurahinwaiting]

Nope to pellets when I can cut & haul wood for free. Plus I do not need any power source to feed the wood into the burn compartment of the stove. We see pellet stoves as contraptions for disabled, or lazy, people.

[@critter9857]

pellet stoves require electricity to operate..do u have a back up?

[@ByDesign333]

Wood stove backup made from a 55gallon drum with a conversion kit...in a protracted grid down you'd need a lot of sheltered firewood; but theses drums can burn busted pallet wood etc in a pinch. Goal = survival at home; avoiding public shelters too. That said; mummy bags inside bigger bags on hand is a must...plus dome tents to set up on your floor to keep warmer still. 😊 I also like our infrared heaters.

[@r.perkins2103]

I spent time this year making heavy curtains. It was worth it. Also used cardboard wrapped in bubble wrap and a Mylar blanket to cover low windows and ones we don’t use.

[@maryjaneshippen3815]

Thank you for the recipe. Do you hold the layers together with duck tape?

[@stonecreekmasonry9282]

We have a KONWIN 1500 watt infrared heater (Home Depot). We love it because the heat comes out the whole front of the unit(not just at the top). That way, our feet stay nice and warm.

[@judygrant8573]

Thanks for the info. We are not all able to have or even consider a wood burning stove or a fireplace. These are some options that might save our lives, even in a long term power outage..for those moms and grandmas that must prepare on little money and with no support from husbands. Thanks again.

[@sylviah1234]

I was so pleased and happy to see your review on this heater. I have the same little heater I bought it a couple years ago. Our heating and cooling systems 2 air conditioners with 2 matched heating units. We have a two story. they had become very outdated and used so much energy. This summer one of our air units bit the bullet and we finally just bought all new units...oh my so expensive but so efficient no more cold or hot spots and they almost never run. Our electric and gas bill has dropped unbelievable cheap...and we live in San Diego where power is among highest in the nation..yeah we have nice weather but the last two summers and winters were very different. Now my house stays at 70 and outside in 50s and 40s at night...it hardly ever comes on and when it heats now it works so fast same with the air conditioners. It was a great investment and we are all set for a very very long time without any maintenance on our part. I still have that little unit and so nice to know what it really does because we had 3 others and one blew out our plug in and I never trusted that kind again. BTW it also makes a great little side table too :)) and rolls around.

[@JeanneKinland]

Very timely video. I just received my Bluetti AC180 a few days ago. Bought it at your recommendation. It took forever for the delivery but, yes I got the cheaper price of $500. Grateful it came before winter. I'm getting my car ready for the winter commute that I do since I'm still working as a RN in the city.

[@carismorel]

I love your channel. You think of all the angles to a problem!

[@mzritamarie4357]

I purchased an Anker C1000 because I had to have something light weight and it had good reviews. I also purchased a flat dolly to put it on so I can easily move it. I am an older widow, so being able to move it is very important to me. Your Bluetti is very heavy and a larger unit, so it will fill some people's needs, just not mine.

[@maryjaneshippen3815]

I'm elderly as well. Alone and with little strength. I will look at the Anker C1000. Thanks.

[@mzritamarie4357]

Mary Jane, This unit is under 30 lbs. The bigger units are around 60. I purchased mine from Anker. Wait for a sale if you can. I didn't want to say anything, but Bluetti had some complaints on customer service. If you sign up with Anker on their website, they will email you their sales.

[@Tootsie806]

My home was built in the late 1800s. It’s almost impossible to have a consistent temperature throughout the house. We don’t worry much about heat in the winter thanks to fireplaces (all converted to natural gas), but if the grid goes in the summer, it’s miserable.

[@lindahansen9395]

Thank you for talking about the Dr Heater. I was just looking at these on Amazon yesterday. They are on sale for $95 right now during Black Friday sale. I ordered one.

[@RoseRedHomestead]

That is a great price!

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

You really need a small gasoline inverter which uses around 1 gallon every couple days being able to charge your solar device quickly. Can even get one for car. But I highly recommend the gas inverter can purchase cheaply and does great job at quick charge. I learned this from a family that has survived hurricane helen that has been out of power for long time. Yes have a CO2 detector very important. You can buy fan to set on top of Mr. Buddy to distribute heat. I have one idk around 20.00. I have so many wool blankets don’t forget place plastic (can buy at walmart) over your windows. This gives extra insulation. Also blankets over windows. She makes important point make sure of your pull on solar units. That is why quick charge is so important. The inverters i am speaking of are small cost around 200.00 store in garage 8-5 gal gas with gas stabilizer and cycle out gas every so often. Buy lots of heavy blankets Buy heavy robes Buy warm leather boots. Make a room in your house that is going to be a keep warm for winter for summer keep cool. Also a tent inside your living room will help.

[@natviolen4021]

Can you give me some additional info about gasoline inverters? I hold back on purchasing a solar powered generator as it is useless in an off grid situation and in dark and cloudy winter.

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@ ok solar generators are very good. The brand tgis woman is taking about Oopus i think i am probably spelling wrong. Make sure you get one with solar panel. At least a 100W solar panel. The 500W are better but coats more. They are priced great right now and perform very well. I am talking about a gasoline power inverter. Just google those words. I found cheapest on Temu. Same brand same everything. The inverter will take gasoline. Grid down you will not have gasoline. I have talked to people up on mountain that had to charge fast to save freezers of not only theirs but others and keep wells going. He recommended 8-5gal tanks of gasoline. Can go to Oreilys or somewhere similar and purchase fuel stabilizer that will keep your fuel good about 1 yr. The inverter is bought (has nitrogen arrived yet) so can’t remember brand. But found on Temu. Can get same one on amazon. It cost more. Now buying temu i am going to have to try out harshly bc i only have 90 days to return after receiving. But is exact same brand and i saved a lot. The solar generators are great to have. Sun power is free and will still charge on cloudy days. The very best is to have a inverter to charge your solar generator by for fastness. That 8 -5gal gas cans you store will run that inverter a long time if you are just charging solar generator. The inverter is just like a big generator but not for entire house it only has about 2 2 prong maybe 4 - 3 prong plugs to plug into. On cloudy days it may take your solar generator 2 days to fully charge. I have been prepping 5 years after receiving visions while in prayer. I can & garden grown own food raise own food. Whatever is coming i pray people behave like Christians and help each other out. We need each other. Even if you live in town make friends and yall can have talks about who is going to purchase certain items. This is going to take people working together. Like me i am nurse so on top of gardening canning etc i bought a lot of medical supplies. My daughter a surgeon my niece has masters in physics so she is great at wiring. If you do not have people like that buy physical books. Like depression books gardening books plant herbal books for medicinal purposes. The Amish have lived this way a long time except they do not use solar and gasoline generators. Just think of last year what have you done? Well you need a way to cook and need food water. That is big thing. Power of some type is great bc it gets really not and really cold where i am in Oklahoma. I will look through my videos yesterday and give you this guy page name he is very thorough in explaining everything. Peace and blessings to you. Do not be afraid be prepared also Christ Jesus will help you that is the number 1 thing spend time with Him and He will tell you what to get just as he did me.

[@stan4d1969]

@@natviolen4021 I recommend the Champion 2500 Dual Fuel Inverter - runs on gasoline or propane

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@ ok his channel is simply his name “Jeff Gray”

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@@stan4d1969 i will check that out. I have propane. 1000 gal tank on farm plus 6 20# tanks. Idk if that will be enough but our farm house built during depression. Grandpa a master carpenter house still nicer than a lot of homes today. Basement has woodburing cook stove. Hand pump wells and regular electric well pump for house. outhouse still available.

[@mrhalfstep]

BTW, thanks for alerting me to this low price on the Bluetti Solar generator. I bought three of them as gifts for my daughters and grandson. I used your link, so I hope that means you made a few bucks.

[@IYQ2-22]

My bedroom was the coldest in the house, We finally put a switch on our furnace so that we can blow the fan on med from the furnace all day. It costs about an extra dollar a day, but we have even temps all over the house now. Before, it could be 70* in the rest of the house and would drop down to 48-50" . It is something I would recommend.

[@gowest5145]

We just had a very early blizzard in New Mexico and a lot of people lost power across the state. We had 8 hours of power outage at the peak of the blizzard. It was a good pratice run for us.

[@trajan6927]

Get a wood burning stove or a wood burning insert for your fireplace.

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@@gowest5145 my son truck broke down and he was stuck there. I am so glad i gave him i survival blanket stove Wool big blanket and solar phone charger. Now he sees the reason i prep.

[@robinholbrook8296]

Buddy heater is what I have here in KY

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@ buddy heater is good get a 1 pound refillable propane canister. The ones you buy at Walmart or wherever you but them are not meant for long term refill. Get several 20# propane tanks. Then a device to refill. Buying by the 1 pound is so expensive when only lasts max 8 hrs. 20 # way to go then you can also use that for cooking. They make cheap attachments that will fit on 1# propane canisters to cook with. That is what i did. I turned off electricity for 30 days to see what i would need and did not go to store. They make a fan does not require electricity that sets on top of buddy heater works by the heat. Make sure you get one that works with buddy heater. I got mine at Temu tried it made of metal works perfectly. The refillable 1# propane canister is very important. I am on budget have had to get slowly over 5 years. Heavy wool blankets. I bought real nice 4 of them at thrift store and 1 my grandmother made me from Grandpa old suits during depression oh that is so heavy. Can but dry cleaning thing at walmart maybe called dryall. Anyway it is for dry cleaning items in dryer. Works great and assures that you do not bring home any critters if getting at thrift store. Wool blankets work best for keeping in body heat. Really need wool blankets. Keep 1 room in house as your warm room and cool room. I did this and worked great. I used bedroom that way my sleeping was good and i could do work throughout day having had good rest. I put a pet door up still have it up outside my bedroom door. Taped down sides so the were not just Velcro together. Used towels under door to be able to be able to seal off and heat dried plastic to windows and put blanket over windows to be able to seal them off no energy wasted. Did not let heat in or cold out. I do have fans to run on my generators. That helped a lot. I have a cheap 110 a/c. Most important we can do is develop and stay under Christ Jesus covering and intimate relationship with Him. Without Christ Jesus everything else is useless. We are all 1 heart beat away from meeting Him face to face. Have a blessed day in The Lord 🙏♥️🙏.

[@bumblebee7922]

Yes! I DO love your videos and all the wonderful information you share with us. You and Jim are awesome and so fun! Thank you and Bless you!!

[@WonderlyRitchea]

Last year, my son put some very heavy plastic over all of the windows in my house. My windows are over 40 years old and I cannot afford to replace them and it worked wonderfully it brought my Summer bill down from over $200-$100 or less in the winter, it’s not as efficient but it has brought it down. I can’t remember but it did bring it down this year. We are expecting to be colder so I am thinking about putting a second layer of the plastic over it to help with winter.I do have a propane fireplace and that is all that I have to heat the front of my house if I should lose power. I pray that everyone will be safe and will all get through this winter safely and quickly. God bless guys.

[@jewelofwisdom8279]

Where did he get the heavy plastic, hoe was thick was it, and make KT adhere, thanks!

[@WonderlyRitchea]

@ 😂😂😂😂

[@Dara-kg2zb]

Thank you for reviewing this heater. I've been thinking about getting an infrared heater. Not long ago those bluetties hit $459 and because I was thinking along the lines you described for another source for heat and other things, I got a couple. Looking at all the different types of solar generators there are some important considerations. First is cost per kilowatt. The 180's are great little generators and on sale their cost per kw is rock bottom. And I think they're guaranteed for 5000 charges , which means at least 10 years of expected use if recharged every day. Next, they have pass through charging so I plan to try plugging one I'm using with another to keep it on, hopefully, for the additional 1800 watts for a total of 3600 watts. That should last the night with my heater on low, and low, which is what I do using it as you do at night. Another thing I like is they totally recharge from the wall in under an hour. I tried using the cigarette lighter for charging and that was very slow. Still haven't used the solar panel. Lastly, it only weighs about 35 pounds. With my back problems that's about the limit I can comfortably lift. There was another generator I almost bought but it was very heavy, took 5 hours to charge, and for 2400 watts,more expensive than 2 of the 180s which together give me 3600 watts. Great post.

[@cleo_travels]

Thank you so much! I've been worried about this. I've been very good at prepping. Pressure canning, dehydrating and our freeze dryer just arrived today. I have a washing board (that I actually use on occasion) and a manual washing machine, plenty of flashlights, gas lamps. But, I haven't tackled heat and this is helpful. Awesome!

[@lsquared6975]

We have an infrared heater similar to that at our camp. We've had it for a long time and I love it! I believe I paid well over $200 for it about ten years ago!

[@dianatrott5359]

Thank you for such a thorough explanation of how the Dr. Heater works. My daughter gifted me with one. As a result of your video, i now understand how to better utilize it.

[@regionalskygirl]

Good Morning Mrs. Red ♥️ I purchased my 180 for the amazing price of $479. I love it. I have given all of my Bluetti's a name 😊 and this one is called Mommy Blue. Yes, I have a Baby Blue as well. And they are all family members, including Cousin(s) Blue when using attachment cords. 🤭 Thank you for your videos. They are all quite informative. Currently, I use a 400 watt mini heater to take off the chill of any room, however, I will look at the Dr. Heater Heater today. 💙

[@sincin9935]

I also have 2 of the heaters you mentioned at the end of your video, have been using them for years. I will never buy anything but those. The infrared is like no other. Great video

[@r.perkins2103]

Not put heating on since last spring, 42F indoors Scotland Uk. Flattened large cardboard boxes to stand on in kitchen, pyjamas under trousers. 2” snow outside. All prepped and seeing what our limits are.

[@rocketsurgery8337]

Just remember that the laws of thermal dynamics can't be changed. The amount of electricity needed to heat a house with a space heater and an infrared heater are exactly the same. An infrared heater heats you if you are sitting in front of it, and if you move to another area of the room, it will feel much cooler. A $15 electric space heater will produce the same amount of heat as a $150 infrared heater. There are cheaper ways to heat your home than using electricity.

[@jasonbroom7147]

Heat pump all the things. Seriously. Inductive heating sources, including infrared heaters, deliver a COP of no more than 1.0. A heat pump is a modern technological marvel, delivering 3 to 4 units of heat for every unit it consumes. This makes them 3 to 4 times as efficient as any inductive electric heating source.

[@donnacochran3335]

Be aware though that if a board goes out on the heat pump it will freeze over. With that situation the heat pump will defrost the outside unit by turning on the AC in the house... sounds crazy but the heat pump will defrost itself. SO VERY COLD IN THE HOUSE DURING THE WINTER WITH THE AC ON. Definitely energy efficient but once you get into the low to mid 20's°F it's pretty chilly in the house.

[@jasonbroom7147]

@@donnacochran3335 - Yeah, life is full of "ifs", and it's good to have contingency plans. Nonetheless, there's never a bad time to make a good decision. We have three different heat pumps and the only thing they've done so far is heat our home and water while saving us money.

[@cas5324]

I have allergies and can't tolerate the fan on those heaters you're showing. I live in New England and in the winter use an oil filled radiator heater in my bedroom. Takes a little longer to heat up the room, but the heat lasts longer, and it uses less electricity because the heat is radiant and not using a fan.

[@patriciatinkey2677]

I also love those radiant oil filled heaters.😊

[@jessemills3845]

You can get just a regular fan. Either blow the heat through the columns or over the top of your heater. Will Increase its efficiency Considerably! Just keep the fan about a foot to 2 foot away from the heater. Fire safety you know! Also ceiling fans work great too! Aid going down in winter. Up air flow. In summer. Stay Safe !

[@maryjaneshippen3815]

Have you considered what to do if there is a nuclear winter, or darkness day and night for many days, even years, as happens when volcanos erupt and send ash into the atmosphere to black out the light of the sun? We would need off-grid ways to heat ourselves in the year round winter. With the way things are going in our world, I see this as a possibility. I love watching your videos and the very practical ways to cook and stay warm in the bitter cold. The sun streams into your kitchen and makes for a cheerful day. If there is anyone who can figure out how to survive, it is you. Thank you.

[@steffiejoe]

I have a 2200i Honda as a backup to charge up my solar Ecoflow generators. I learned the hard way after Hurricane Berly, 8 days without power in the Texas extreme heat. No sun , cloudy rainy days. Charging in my vehicle was painfully slow. Have a back up for your back.

[@revelation12_1]

Would you really want to live in such a world?

[@trajan6927]

You must plan for a long term power grid down. For long term heat in the winters you need a wood burning stove or a wood burning insert, nothing else will do. Long term is months or years. Think heat before electricity. Medium lenght outages are months and require a whole house standby generator to power back up heat devices. Short term outages are many days or weeks and require portable gasoline or propane generators, solar battery packs, Vestas, infrared, propane heaters, Big Buddy heaters, kerosene heaters. So what you want to prepare for, short term, medium term or long term? Plan for long term and you will be fine and not freeze to death.

[@ChristianLove7]

Great News🚨!!! This heater is now on cheaper!!! The Black Friday sale price is now $94.95😃!!! To God be the Glory!!! Thank you Jim and Pam for promoting one of your favorite items for when the grid goes down!

[@marthasundquist5761]

Ugh...we took our bedroom on wheels to my cousins this weekend due to lack of sleeping quarters. (Did massive jelly/jam session Fri afternoon through Sunday AM) and the heater would blow in the camper, but the flame wasn't engaging...cold wet, and we didn,'t know it had conked out until we came back at midnight and turned the generator on so we could heat the camper fr a little while before going to bed. Thank God I had all the blankets and comforters and sleeping bags...from covering my tomatoes from frost a month ago and stored them there just In case I needed to do that again. I learned I need to keep dedicated beanies or stretchy knit hats in the camper...just in case.

[@annwithaplan9766]

That's a good idea. I switched to using a propane Mr Heater in the living room, with a big tank outside, because the little 1930's house (15 amp) I live in couldn't take the electric heaters I needed to use. Also because I needed to be able to heat the house when we lost power during storms. I was esp thankful for it when we lost power for 3 days after Helene hit here in NC. I do have a handful of solar generators (Bluetti and EcoFlows). Another thing you can use with these generators are electric blankets and mattress pads. I was able to even use them with the smaller generators and could get several nights use out of them.

[@wildrosetreasuresva1837]

Thank you for sharing Jim & Pam. 😊

[@goldiefinger1842]

Thank you RRH, just ordered a Bluetti AC70 $599.00 - 37% off coupon (-$221.63) for $377.37+ tax no shipping with Prime. I’m very pleased. I have been searching for an alternative power source for some time. ❤❤❤to you!

[@cliffchism9187]

I think you have quite a following. The Bluetti AC180 is out of stock until the end of November. But, we were still able to order one at that excellent price. Thank you for sharing it. We have been wanting to get something bigger than our little Baby Blue. That fits the bill…for now…😂

[@jcarter6932]

I have ecoflow and bluetti. Ecoflo is so much better. Do your research.

[@kimmckillips7522]

Yep, got mine for 450, was on sale after you did your video of your backup power!

[@susanwoodcarver]

Excellent video! Very informative. Very well explained. Thank you so much. Have loved your channel for a long time.❤

[@BiteMe-lz8th]

Thank you for the recommendation on the Dr. Red Heater! That is so cool. I greatly appreciate your video today, lots of great info! Thank you Pam & Jim❤

[@still-jlynn]

Thanks for that information on the infrared heater. I've never heard it fully explained before so I never bought one. Would it keep my little dog comfortable who is about 15" high and sleeps on the floor? He is 17 and has arthritis and needs to be warm?

[@carolyn6290]

Thanks Rose, I just ordered one of those Dr Heaters...thanks for the recommendation!

[@Joan-ph2es]

Does your Bluetti recharge even on a cloudy day? Wondering how that works. Did you see the attachment you can add to your car battery that allows a super fast charge for your Bluetti? (It's something new, or at least I just saw it for the first time last month.) Means you can charge your solar generator while you're driving for an hour. Doesn't take 12 hours as it did previously. It's too cold here for solar panels, generators to work well. And I think this new device is a great idea.

[@UpthePottingShed]

We live in the far north of England and it's not famous for sunny weather here, especially in winter. We have been very impressed with how well our Bluetti charges over winter. We find we do often get clear skies early morning for an hour before the cloudy weather sets in. We get reduced charging in winter but much more than we anticipated. We're just putting in another set of panels and have purchased another Bluetti because we're so impressed. We've set up a completely off grid kitchen and are now creating a secondary access points throughout the main house so we can plug into solar in every room. We're hoping to be completely off grid in time.

[@patriciatinkey2677]

​@@UpthePottingShedSincere Good Luck Wishes.

[@spitfire-1]

Thanks for the tip on the IR heater. Even more efficient and Portable Power Station friendly is an electric heated mattress pad. Our Sunbeam brand, queen sized, dual control uses 50W with both sides on high. We usually have it hot enough on setting 2 and it also cycles on and off with its thermostat so average power use is much lower. Just for giggles I hooked ours up to our Oupes Mega 1 power station last night (2000W max output, 1024Wh) and this morning it still had 48% power left after 10 hours of use (yes, I slept in!), so two nights of warmth from our mid-sized Oupes before it needs to be recharged.

[@SL-fu7sh]

Hi Rose, have you ever considered the Big Buddy Portable Propane Heater? It uses the little propane canisters.

[@pattiannepascual]

I have one but can't afford to run it. the little bottles only last a couple hours. The 20 gallon tanks are better but have to be kept outside. They get expensive as well when it's cold and you have to keep the heater running all day. I wish there was a better solution. I use table top kerosene lamps to not freeze, along with reflectix insulation,duct trapped at the seams. Believe it or not, if you properly insulate the space with reflectix, the oil lamp will keep the room very warm.1 gallon of K-1 kerosene,safe to use indoors, costs around $10 and lasts 2 weeks filling up one oil lamp. I do not recommend oil lamps if you have kids or pets unless you securely screw a cage into the floor or wall, so the cage won't move if knocked into,and lock the lamp inside.

[@chrisp308]

They didn't sponsor the video... But yeah that makes more sense 👍🏻

[@ikeameltdown8012]

@@pattiannepascualthank you. I am going to look into your kerosene lamp suggestion. I have had the same experience with the buddy heater I have.

[@Hklbrries]

We live in a large, old, cold, poorly-insulated house 100 miles from Canada. We formerly used a pellet stove but the 40 pound bags of pellets grew too heavy - er, I grew too old - to transport then lift into the stove. I was exhausted by it. We’ve since had to heat with very expensive electricity which doesn’t do a great job anyway. We’ve used the SunHeat (I think that’s the name) heaters in the past (not great) to take the edge off but they are energy Bears and the electrician said not to use them because they caused our (also old) outlets to fail. I am seriously thinking about getting a couple of these. Thanks for the recommendations, Pam.

[@suzannebinsley5940]

I like the idea that you get two kinds of heat from the heater.

[@suzyvance7328]

I purchased the Bluetti with little time left on the sale of 50 off. I think only 4 hours left. Thank you. And the heater as well.

[@theam13ify]

I really love my Dr Heater! From my experience, a wool blanket is a game changer purchased on Amazons Arcturus Wool blanket. I got the 40.00(it is kinda scratchy put a softer blanket/sheet between you and the blanket).

[@Maria-ql3fc]

I live in the deep south and we seldom have really cold temps. January and February can bring us a few nights of below freezing temperatures and we use our backup heater that runs on natural gas. I don't like heat in my bedroom , I sleep much better in 60% than anything above that, but my bedroom is the only room in the house that doesn't have insulated windows. The house is an old block house that was rehabbed in 2010 and they replaced every window but the two in my bedroom , so my bedroom can get pretty chilly on cold nights but I don't mind at all, I just add more covers. There's a fireplace in this house but they walled it in with Sheetrock but if my options were that or nothing we would be cutting out that fireplace and using it for heat.

[@delgada747]

Don't use the fireplace. Have it inspected first. The last thing you need in a grid down situation is to set your house on fire. Speaking from experience.

[@Maria-ql3fc]

@ I was raised using a fireplace so I know how to inspect it myself and even clean the chimney , but thanks for the advice.

[@walleyvideo8297]

I am so glad your video came up in my KZbin feed. I loved your very informative video and have subscribed to your channel. Great job!

[@shellygannon01]

Thank you for the heater info! I have the regular space heaters & they are just not doing the job of heating a small room.... Hoping this Infrared will change that. We are in the process of getting solar on the house & want to be able to turn down the furnace during the day to save $$ on gas heating.

[@RoseRedHomestead]

You are so welcome! Jim

[@rebeccalankford9810]

Do you like the blueetti over the jackery? If so, why?

[@eicrusade6161]

Agree with the cashmere/alpaca etc but also zero degree sleeping bags.

[@RoseRedHomestead]

Yes, easily. Jim

[@chh6195]

Thank you for teaching about infrared. I have a ceramic heater for bedroom and now will be looking for an infrared. P.s. I canned your sausage and hamburger patties!!! 😊

[@naomimartinez7395]

I used to use shower curtains to keep heat in the bedrooms when we had a wall heater. I also saw a suggestion for using a hot pad to heat a sleeping bag when you have a small power source.

[@susiea1419]

We have infra red panels and solar panels which are cheap to run if on grid or nothing if off grid but we can’t afford batteries yet so can warm the house during the day

[@pamt8430]

Royoliving Premium Feathers Down Comforter Queen Size White Heavyweight Thickened Full Szie 100% Cotton Cover Winter Duvet Insert with Corner Tabs (90x90, 60 oz) This blanket is meant for COLD times. We bought it (2 yrs ago) to replace an old an down comforter that a dog tore up, we only slept under it for part of the night (we like to sleep cool, 65 degrees) and now are saving it for a no power night. Got the "light weight" one ...........can't sleep under that one all night either. In NO WAY being negative. We would recommend these blankets for anyone wanting to stay warm to save $$ on bills, is cold all the time or a power outage!!

[@RoseRedHomestead]

We did not hear you as being critical. It sounds like you have a method that works for you. Jim

[@theoldguy9329]

I have recommended infrared to my friends too, usually. The IR is absorbed mostly by carbon-carbon, carbon-hydrogen or carbon-oxygen bonds. Carbon. Does not heat air because really so little CO2. It will not heat metals, for example, so a steel desk or metal tools stay cold (I.e. not the best choice in the workshop). Works well on humans. Those heaters do have a higher up front cost, but will pay for themselves within part of the first season.

[@suzyvance7328]

I replayed several times. I'm still not sure so I thought I had better ask. Are you saying that at 65 degrees the Bluetti would power the heater all night because it cycles off and on and we only count the "ON" hours? That would be amazing. It gets pretty cold here in Prescott Valley, AZ. 5,000 elevation (aprox)

[@revelation12_1]

4-5 hours with the Bluetti but it all depends on how cold it is outside and how well your house is insulated. Plus she is only talking about heating a bedroom.

[@peggygoad517]

I’ve used the DrHeater for years as backup, we have propane so try to conserve that!

[@ynotjf]

Thank You Rose for your commitment to preparedness but recommending an electric heater (even infrared) powered by a storage battery for emergency heat is just bad advice, that’s why electric heaters are not used off-grid as they simply consume too much power for the heat they provide. If you had an abundance of solar electricity with excess battery storage then using that excess electricity with an electric heater might make sense but powering via a small Bluetti is hard to justify. Natural gas / propane or wood fuel will far exceed the heat generated by that infrared heater in a more sustainable fashion especially during a prolonged power outage. Mr. Heater Buddy will run on a 20lb or larger propane tank and makes an excellent emergency source of heat saving your Bluetti for essential electrical equipment like running your refrigerators and charging your cell phones..

[@roxieearly9484]

The heater of choice is the one I have used living in a travel trailer and during winter time and my electric bill was between 30 and $40 depending on the temperature. I have had one for the last six years and it is wonderful. Thanks for sharing your comparisons.

[@LesleyDouglas-g3g]

Thanks for the information and I am looking into the Dr. Heater. I do have a question about lowering the temperature in the house and preventing the pipes from having an issue? Does the heat come on automatically in the morning to wake up the rest of the house? I want to make sure I don't do anything to solve one problem and gain another,

[@jessemills3845]

I recommend if you have a Wood stove. Get FANS blow across the top of the stove into the room, plus, Cieling fans! Down in winter , up air flow in summer

[@RoseRedHomestead]

Yes, fans are great for circulating the heat!

[@trajan6927]

Finance a Generac whole house standby generator. Get a wood burning stove, or a wood burning insert for your fireplace. Get a Vesta, Big Buddy and Eden Pure Infrared heater, propane heater. Tent for inside, sleeping bags, hand warmers, mits, hats to retain heat.

[@dianabythebeach]

Thank you....exact info I needed. 😊

[@lionheart830]

If the sun is not shining, do the solar panels still work as intended? Will they still charge something? Will it be a weaker charge and take longer?

[@revelation12_1]

Depends on how much cloud cover there is and what you want to power and how many solar panels you have and what their power output is in watts. If 6 - 200 watt solar panels will recharge a 3000wh battery generator in 3-4 hours with full sun then if you are only able to get 200 Watts of solar power it will take you about 15 hours.

[@lionheart830]

@@revelation12_1 Great info! Thank you very much!

[@kristinparker5745]

65 is way too hot for me at night. Living in Alaska it gets pretty cold during the winter. Last year we had 3 weeks of minus 30's during the day and minus 40's at night. I'm hoping that doesn't happen for so long this winter. My house is very well insulated and I keep the thermostat at 62 during the day and 55 at night. My heating system is water heated by an oil boiler. I would much rather put on a jacket than turn up the heat. You can probably guess I'm a cold weather person. What I wanted to ask is how long the Bluetti's hold a charge without being used. Thinking about getting one of them as a backup. Thanks.

[@chuck_howard]

If you own your home and find one room is noticeably colder than others call in a good HVAC contractor to see if running a bigger duct to that room or another duct to the room will help. If the air flow is not good in that room you can also run a return duct in the same room to increase the air flow to that room compared to other rooms. There is a thing called a booster fan you can add to a duct as well that will increase the heated air to one individual space. If you have one room of a house that is always warmer than the others you can install a damper to that room duct which works much better than closing off the vent. Using a space heater would be my next option if I could not do any of the above for some reason, like maybe I rent the house or live in an apartment.

[@IseetheGloryofKingdom]

@@chuck_howard well if you have no electricity which may happen dye to storms weather events or God forbid a emp. I do have solar generator plus a inverter plus i garden and can food in jars. So great to just boil water and heat up my canned food jar and a meal is ready for 3-4 people. Plus a little bread you are set. I have water and gasoline and propane stored. Thank You Jesus Christ You are The Way The Truth and The Life. 🙏♥️🙏.

[@chuck_howard]

@@IseetheGloryofKingdom If you have a forced air furnace and lose electric you can have an electrician hook up a transfer switch to your furnace and a 1200 watt power supply should be able to run it for around 8 hours. You are only running the fan motor. The heat is all supplied by the gas lines.

[@gardeninggirlct]

Hi 🌹 Rose... I picked up a Oupes 2400. Not sure how long my little heater would run for.. going to find out..

[@karencovington9960]

Wonderful information! Thanks so much.

[@natviolen4021]

Hot water bottles are an inexpensive and effective solution to keep warm in bed.

[@trajan6927]

How are you going to heat the water for the water bottles?

[@natviolen4021]

@@trajan6927 Depends. If it's just very cold and I want to reduce energy cost for room warming, then I use the electric kettle or the stovetop. Off grid the portable gas stove or wood stove.

[@trajan6927]

@@natviolen4021 if you need to fire up the wood stove, why the need for heating water bottles? The wood stove provides the heat, why the bottles?

[@Bgraytful]

@@trajan6927 Hot water bottles are heating up only your location (in bed/blankets) instead of entire room. The blankets retain the energy. Much less energy used if you are off grid.

[@trajan6927]

@@Bgraytful how will you heat the water for the water bottles?

[@emhumm]

In the winter, can the Bluetti be outside in freezing temperatures to recharge it?

[@hazel555]

No. It's the solar panel you put outside, connected to your unit inside.

[@emhumm]

@@hazel555 thank you.

[@steffiejoe]

I don’t have this model but I picked up an infrared heater from Walmart.

[@critter9857]

that is all nice but do you have solar panels to charge those battery packs??

[@RoseRedHomestead]

Of course! We could not keep them powered off grid without solar panels. You can see the panels we purchased in our Amazon store if you would like.

[@vw8664]

Please share the specs on your solar panels. Is it possible to fully recharge your Bluetti in one day so you can use it to heat your bedroom during the night with the infrared heater?

[@IceCreamCarla]

Hi guys!!!!

[@MelanieBerhtold]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@leokolev]

Really interesting video 🎉 Thanks 👍🪀

[@RoseRedHomestead]

We're glad you found it interesting. Jim

[@leokolev]

@RoseRedHomestead sure!!! 😔🦊👍

[@spockmcoyissmart961]

Electric heat in any form is a battery killer. The heaters are very efficient at converting electricity into heat, it just unfortunately uses a lot of battery juice. This is why solar homes often have propane for heating/cooking/hot water. The cost in batteries/solar panels to cover heating consumption is very expensive. IF you can add humidity to the air of your home, this helps warm you by the heat source you use. I have had infrared gas heaters (the gas flows through a ceramic element, and glows red). I have had blue flame gas heaters in my home. Heating the air is much more efficient than heating a wall, furniture and allowing the objects to slowly release heat into the air in my home. The air always seemed cold with the infrared, where the blue flame heaters heating the air was much warmer. An important consideration for using electric heaters is solar battery recovery time vs run time. In one's area, how much sun and for how long do you need to recharge your battery vs run time of the heater? Things to consider. In my area, in winter, electric heat on a solar generator is out of the question.

[@vegas11t]

Used electric oil radiators to heat my entire home for years. All electric home built to electric company standards in early 70's, original heat source electric hot water baseboard heat/electric boiler.

[@jennifercaskie3895]

Is the Infrared better than the oil radiator?

[@d2w173]

Love this video...I will get my Engineering husband to explain it to me again, lol :)

[@teri-ln7jl]

Does the Bluetti come with a solar panel or does it have to bought separately?

[@Utah_Mike]

I purchased heated throw ($23) auto shut off at 4 hours. Use’s 60 or less watts per hour. Use heat where it is needed rather than heating the entire area. Electric heaters might be an answer for cold spots, but not for grid down.

[@mannyfragoza9652]

I have an Infrared heater ($35.99) I bought last year from Northern Tool. On low, it draws a little over 200 watts, and on high, about 800. On low, it is plenty to keep you warm if you place the heater close by. I just checked the quartz /Infrared Heater is no longer available. Amazon has plenty of this type of heater

[@darcypapenfuss667]

A wool blanket over the bed foot keeps our feet toasty. Down comforter and wool 🔥 An electric blanket is 200 watts, can run all night on a battery. Top with wool blanket to trap heat. A battery can run a whole home gas furnace much longer than using an electric heater in a small room. Heat consumes electricity like a piranha on steroids. Check out Chinese diesel heaters, very efficient but needs an exhaust. Also checkout solar window heaters using black soda cans. Heats air from the sun. Nice tip on infrared, can it melt a snowy driveway?🤔

[@mscatnipper2359]

You can attach a wood stove heat-powered fan to the handle of a Buddy heater to move warmed air away from the heater.

[@billharris6886]

Just a note about electric space heaters, they all have the same efficiency. Heating elements generate 3.4 BTUs per watt of electricity. There are numerous types of space heaters and exaggerated claims of heating power are made with the more expensive ones as to efficiency. Most electric space heaters in the US put out a maximum of about 5,000 BTUs of heat on high (1,500 watts). This heat output limitation is due to the amount of current the wall outlet can deliver. Heat is spread by 3 methods: Radiation, Convection, and Conduction. Radiant heat is the heat you feel when sitting around a campfire. Convected heat is the heat you feel when you are directly above a boiling pot of water. Conductive heat is when you touch a hot object. With space heaters, there are 3 basic types: Radiant, Convected, and Fan-forced. The radiant heater will have a visible heating element. The better ones will have a reflector behind the heating element to focus the heat in a desired direction.

[@nitababcock3977]

We have 3 infrared heaters. One in the lr which keeps us toasty, then the rest of the house is cooler.

[@iiinsaiii]

You need to understand that any heater sucks power out of everything. Added it will take longer to warm up when it’s really cold out. But the problem you’re going to run into is, how are you going to recharge them if the grid goes down? You need to run a test like if the power went down for a few days and see how would you run and charge everything. Don’t find out in an emergency that things are not working out as you thought. Run your test now. I use 20lb propane tank with a Mr Buddy Flex heater on low and it keeps my home nice and toasty. When the temperature goes below freezing. I turn on my ceiling fans on low to help push the warm air. I turn it on at about 7am and turn it off at about 10pm and the 20lb tank will last me 4 days. I also have 3 carbon dioxide detectors on every floor and they never went off once. The flex heater is safe for indoors. I can’t stress this any more. Please run your test as if you lost power to find out that everything will work and keep you warm.

[@maryholton162]

This heater on sale for Cyber Monday on Amazon.

[@oopsieeee]

my matress heater takes 110 watts and keeps me warm all night.

[@stacyhackney6100]

Thx u

[@gratefulprepsnj]

Thanks!

[@melvinajessop696]

Pam, & to all your followers, Silverbrook Farms in Cedar city Utah is going to close their doors. They will stay open till the end of December. The prices will remain the same. No new stuff will be coming in.

[@donna5387]

Awesome !

[@alicecoppers8980]

Just bought a charger for my Bluetti 2000 which charges off your vehicle..instead of solar

[@angelabarnes1547]

I have !n oil-filled radiator elec heater for backup. Never tested it.

[@janiefox3458]

I'll only speak of what I do now -- ancient history of childhood is out. I have a 1500 sq ft house with 3 heat sources - I'm also tight with a buck (very tight my son says) - My house is set at 63 degrees -- winter - At 77 that is a little cool, however, I'm also not real active (Due to my addiction to You Tube). Main heat source is propane through a furnace heat pump (brand new) - but I also have a fireplace with insert. Also electric baseboard that I've never used in 8 years. I have one quartz heater - an electric afghan for the sofa. In very cold weather here in WV (we won't count this year) I hang a thick quilt at the doorway to the rest of the house. Wear appropriate clothing - sweats and thick socks -- and my 2 dogs and 2 cats join me on the sofa. I haven't burned weood in a long time due to just plain being old - - I do plan on having propane logs put in the insert this year -- - -I do notice that each year of age my body r requires a few more degrees.

[@rachelparmater892]

Love your sense of humor. Great ideas for staying warm.