When All Hell Breaks Loose (25 page)

Fun with Fake Found Firewood

For families without access to natural firewood, check the front and backyard for loose limbs on trees, lumber scraps, old pallets, or a number of odds and ends that are combustible when enough heat is used. Almost any wood product can be burned in a pinch. Avoid burning pressure-treated lumber (it usually has a faint greenish color), as it's filled with toxic chemicals such as arsenic that will off-gas when burned. Avoid burning railroad ties. Particleboard and plywood will smell funky due to the glues that hold them together, and I would refrain from cooking my hot dog over the coals if given a choice, but it will work for general heating needs within the home if that's all you can scrounge. The older the plywood or particleboard the better, as time will have had a chance to mellow out the bonding glues.

If things get super tough, how many chairs do you really need? A few cheap, white-man houses built on some Indian reservations in Arizona were used as fuel, little by little, by inventive occupants who, piece by piece, slowly burned every chair, cabinet, door, wall stud, and porch railing for heat until the home was so uninhabitable that they moved on. Old hunter-gatherer instincts die hard, I guess.

Even fuels that at first glance would seem a waste of time for your fireplace can be modified for longer burn times. In the American West, experiments have been done to create "logs" by tightly binding tumbleweeds (Russian thistle) together. Fuels that would normally combust in seconds last for several minutes after modification. You don't have to ride the range to create your own faux fuel. You can make your own improvised firewood logs by tightly rolling up old newspapers and tying them securely. The tighter you roll the logs, the less oxygen they will receive and thus the slower they will burn when added to an established heat base. Potential family fun for all: the winner with the slowest-burning log gets an extra serving of canned beans.

"Fuel-Burning" Space Heaters [Propane, Kerosene, Coal,
Natural Gas, etc.]

Many people in rural or smaller communities have no access to natural gas main lines and use propane gas instead to provide a variety of household needs. It can be delivered by truck to fill large personal storage tanks, or smaller tanks can be brought to the dealer itself to be filled. Although most recognizable on the backyard grill, bottled propane can heat water for hot showers, heat homes, cook food in ovens, and even keep the ice cream cold inside a propane refrigerator. Many recreational vehicles are packed with appliances that run solely on propane.

All
fuel-burning space heaters will produce toxic carbon monoxide gas. (We are assuming that electric space heaters are a no-go as the power grid is down.) Many local fire codes do not allow any kind of fuel-burning space heater to be used in an occupied structure unless it has first been "vented" to the outside.
Caution!
Do NOT use your propane or natural gas kitchen stove or oven in an attempt to heat your house for the same reason.

Many people own fuel-burning space heaters that are used in the garage, around outdoor work sites, and such. If you lack any other heat source, the temptation will be very strong to bring it into the house when you start seeing your breath. If appropriate for your family, prepare now for pending chilly home temperatures by having a qualified professional install a modern fuel-burning space heater that's vented to the outside. Read the carbon monoxide poisoning section below about using unvented space heaters. Below are some basic safety precautions to take with any space heater, including electric models.

Space Heater Safety Tips

When using a fuel-burning space heater, open a window to provide adequate ventilation. Never use fuel-burning appliances (kerosene, coal, or propane) without proper ventilation due to deadly carbon monoxide fumes! Although oxygen-depletion alarms are standard on most modern space heaters, these are not the same as carbon monoxide alarms. Wall-mounted, room-vented space heaters that are connected to gas lines are also considered unvented space heaters.
Using unvented space heaters in your home puts you and your family at risk of dying of carbon monoxide poisoning
.

Make sure that your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working.

Make sure your space heater has an automatic tipswitch, a cutoff device required on newer models that turns off electric or kerosene heaters if they tip over. Try to purchase a heater that has an automatically controlled thermostat that shuts off by itself when a pre-set temperature is achieved. Make sure it has a guard around the flame area or heating element and only use safety-listed equipment that is labeled with UL or AGA certification.

Keep space heaters at least
three feet
away from everything on all sides of the heater, including walls, furniture, curtains, clothing, and other obvious combustibles.

Do not place anything on top of a space heater.

Place the heater on a hard, level, nonflammable surface; do not place it on rugs or carpets, on tables or countertops, or where the heater will be susceptible to being knocked over or block an emergency exit in your home.

Make sure your space heater is in good working condition. All space heaters need frequent checkups and cleaning, as a dirty heater is a potential fire hazard.

Use only the proper fuel for each space heater. Never use a fuel in a heater that is not designed to burn that fuel.

Don't store kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquids in your home. Use an approved safety container for storing flammable liquids and store them in a safe location. When refueling a kerosene heater, don't overfill it. If cold kerosene is used, it will expand as it warms up inside your home and may cause the burner to flood, causing potential flare ups. Never fill your kerosene heater while it's burning.

Never leave children or pets unsupervised in a room with a running space heater. Keep young children away from space heaters, as loose clothing may be drawn by a draft into the heater and catch fire.

If you use an electric heater, make sure your home's wiring is adequate for the load and in good condition. Never cover a heater's cord with carpeting or furniture, as this could cause the cord to overheat and start a fire. Avoid overloading the circuit and avoid using extension cords. Use an approved power strip with a built-in circuit breaker. Space heaters should have a polarized AC (alternating current) plug, in which one blade is longer than the other. If the plug should fail to fit into an outlet, contact an electrician to replace the dated outlet. Do not use older space heaters or heaters with cords that are cracked or frayed. Avoid using electric space heaters in the bathroom and never touch an electric heater when you're wet.

Turn off your heater (and unplug, if electric) if you leave the area and before going to bed.