# what do you folks use for cooking, lighting, etc?



## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

Hello again. As I mentioned is my first post I am new to this. What do you folks use as a backup when electric or natural gas service is interrupted or gone?

What methods or devices to cook food, lighting/power, etc. What devices and power sources? I know people use generators. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in my area many became useless when they could not get gasoline. And the savages were fighting and shooting each other at some gas stations. 

Thanks


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## invision (Aug 14, 2012)

hangman said:


> Hello again. As I mentioned is my first post I am new to this. What do you folks use as a backup when electric or natural gas service is interrupted or gone?
> 
> What methods or devices to cook food, lighting/power, etc. What devices and power sources? I know people use generators. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in my area many became useless when they could not get gasoline. And the savages were fighting and shooting each other at some gas stations.
> 
> Thanks


I have the ability to cook with gas and propane... Plus solar oven and a rocket stove are easy to make...

I have solar generator with enough battery to power 2 cpap machines each night and a separate unit to power a ham radio, laptop, and cell/iPad...

No gas generator here.... Yet.


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## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

We are very rural, so we have a propane tank for heat and cooking right now. We also have a gas powered welder that we can hook up and use to power some of our electric in case of an outage. We have outdoor grills/smoker to use for cooking if we run out of propane. I would really like to start setting up some solar and/or wind power as finances allow.


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## swjohnsey (Jan 21, 2013)

I just built a box solar cooker. It works! I also have enough gasoline to power my Coleman lanterns and camp stoves for for six months or so.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I use wood for cooking and heat, unbeatable imo, propane and kerosene and generator powered electricity is a backup.
For lighting I use electricity, primarily solar powered 12V but with many redundant ways to generate it. Also many aa batteries and some really efficient led lamps/flashlights.
I also have propane and coleman lanterns, and kerosene lamps, And tons of candles, mostly beeswax


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## cedarguy (Nov 19, 2012)

Wood stove for heat and cooking.
Hurricane lamps with alot of fuel stored and/or lots of candles for light.
Also several cooking options outside including a 4 foot diameter 3 foot tall hollow maple tree stump in the yard (big storm couple years back took the tree out) I burnt the inside of the stump, put a big over rack on top. We call it "stump cookin" Some mighty fine steaks have come off that ol stump!


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## Genevieve (Sep 21, 2009)

Right now we use propane for cooking and electricity for everything else. We have a generator as a backup and if something as bad as a sandy or the like happened we have both a solar and wind generators and the batteries to charge to use to run a fridge, pellet stove( have wood stove as backup) and to charge led lanterns and one generator will be for the well for water( more than likely the wind).
We have for use a solar cooker and a kelly kettle also since we're rural we can use our fire pit and a box oven.
We have a berkey royal water filter ( 6 gallon) to use with rainwater for drinking until well is up and running.
We also have as a backup for the backups oil lanterns and 5 gallons of oil (so far)
We have a 13,500 gallon pool for water to use to flush the toilet with and to use to clean with ( clothes and house)

IMO you should always try to have at least 2-3 different ways to have heat light food and water

We have canned foods, dehydrated and freeze dried foods and we also have millennium bars, mre's and datrex and food rationing bars which don't take up that much space and taste pretty good ( the cherry flavored millennium bars are yummy lol)


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## valannb22 (Jan 6, 2012)

Oh yeah, forgot about all the oil lamps. Probably have 20-25 of those around the house


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Besides the stump already mentioned, an open fire can do wonders for cooking. Get some cast iron pots & pans as well as some Rome pie irons and you can cook most anything.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

hangman said:


> Hello again. As I mentioned is my first post I am new to this. What do you folks use as a backup when electric or natural gas service is interrupted or gone?
> 
> What methods or devices to cook food, lighting/power, etc. What devices and power sources? I know people use generators. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in my area many became useless when they could not get gasoline. And the savages were fighting and shooting each other at some gas stations.
> 
> Thanks


For cooking and lighting, propane, propane, propane, and more propane.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

PackerBacker said:


> For cooking and lighting, propane, propane, propane, and more propane.


Do you know Hank Hill?? He sells propane and propane accessories! On a serious note, I also have lots of propane and charcoal for outdoor cooking. Kerosene heaters and a wood stove for inside heat.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

mojo4 said:


> Do you know Hank Hill?? He sells propane and propane accessories!


Yes but it's been a while.

:laugh::laugh:


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

We use wood for cooking, hot water and room heating but also have propane for cooking and heating. We are also good campfire cooks. Wind and solar for water pumping. Solar for all electric tools and appliances (as well as a gas generator) but have hand/wind alternatives. Lighting is solar or oil lamp or candles or propane or the sun (good natural light in work areas and we tend to get up with the sun and go to bed with the sun most of the year). Refrigeration can be done without if your careful and change the way you handle food (lived without it before) but we do have a propane fridge and can run one fridge and chest freezer on solar. We're still working on a total off the grid system (closer now as we were given 20 solar panels that are no longer running at peak efficiency but still have plenty of life in them, whoot!!!!), the main reason we haven't is the freezers full of meat I still need to can..... Maybe in a week or three!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Wood for heat and some cooking. Propane for oven needs. LOTS of oil lamps, candles and solar landscape lights for alternative lighting.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Generator an I keep fuel on hand.

Solar, runs some a our lights an fer chargin phones an what not.

Lights, flashlights, kerosene lanterns, coleman lanterns an some homemade oil lamps.

Cookin, coleman stove, rocket stove, charcoal grill an a fire pit. We got lots a cast iron pans, pots an dutch ovens.

Wood stove an a good supply a wood fer heat.

Durin the flood a 08 we simply moved inta the motorhome. Had air conditionin, stove, oven, microwave, lights, shower, bathroom all the comforts a home. A good resource fer short term problems.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

UncleJoe said:


> Wood for heat and some cooking. Propane for oven needs. LOTS of oil lamps, candles and solar landscape lights for alternative lighting.


propane ovens sounds fine. But currently I have natural gas (street gas) for a very old oven. So what type of propane oven are we talking about?

Where can you buy oil lamps or kerosene heaters?

Thanks


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## defaultCharacter (Apr 25, 2012)

We have propane, but if the electricity goes, we are SOL because it is needed for the boiler; not sure if the propane stove burners would ignite without electricity -- I'll try that next time it goes out. However, we have a wood stove, a bbq, a bbq pit, camping stove, candles and oil lamps.

We also have a well, but need to invest in a 300' hand pump system in case of power failures. If the power goes out between now and when we get that pump, we have a lot of water already stored.


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## defaultCharacter (Apr 25, 2012)

hangman said:


> Where can you buy oil lamps or kerosene heaters?


I've seen oil lamps in antique stores, and that's where I got mine. I've also seen them in a couple of hardware stores for less $$$. I just checked and there are a ton on Amazon, along with lamp oil.

In case of complete desperation, I read one of Cody Lundin's books a ways back and for do-it-yourself, he suggested getting an old can (small, like a tuna can), filling with vegetable oil, and making a wick out of a small twisted-up piece of paper towel... I tried it and it seemed to work ok, but need to experiment more. But you really need to keep a close eye on these (along with regular oil lamps and candles) so you don't burn down your house!

--> something else I would point out about oil lamps (and I would think this applies to kerosene as well), is that there should be some ventilation. Not sure if you were in a tiny room that you'd want to breathe that stuff in.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Stove burners should be fine if you light them, oven may not be. 
Nat gas stoves and appliances can be converted to propane and vice versa depending on the models etc, basically just larger orifices for nat gas but may be more complicated.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

hangman said:


> propane ovens sounds fine. But currently I have natural gas (street gas) for a very old oven. So what type of propane oven are we talking about?
> 
> Where can you buy oil lamps or kerosene heaters?
> 
> Thanks


I picked up a 5 year old propane stove/oven off craigslist last summer for $100. 
Oil lamps came from the countless auctions I've attended over the last 5 years. Sometimes I would get them for a buck or two. I think the most I ever paid was $10 for one. I got 8 gallons of smokeless oil from Wally World at about $6.00 a gallon



defaultCharacter said:


> We have propane, but if the electricity goes, we are SOL because it is needed for the boiler; not sure if the propane stove burners would ignite without electricity -- I'll try that next time it goes out. However, we have a wood stove, a bbq, a bbq pit, camping stove, candles and oil lamps.


The stove top is easy to light with a match or lighter. Since I only use that stove for canning and power failures I don't keep it plugged in so I do it all the time. The oven or broiler is a little tricky. There is a sensor that needs to heat up before the gas will begin to flow. You have to hold your lighter near the sensor. When you get it hot enough a valve opens and lets the gas through. You could also use a battery and an inverter to plug the stove in just long enough to fire it up. Then disconnect it.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Here be a site with new lamps an lanterns:
http://www.lanternnet.com/

Otherwise, like uncle joe, I pick mine up at yard sales an auctions an the occasional 2nd hand store.


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## seanallen (Nov 13, 2012)

Gasoline generator, lots n lots of candles, not too worried bout heating down here on gulf coast more worried bout air conditioning, have wood stove if neccessary, water and food stocks


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## cantinawest (Nov 9, 2011)

We use 12 Solar Cookers... (and rocket stoves, dutch oven etc.)

But then again we use them all the time and also teach classes and do demos for lots of people.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Think "Little House" and you have it. (with propane back up)


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We have gas heat/cooking and electric for light. If power is out, we have about 20 oil lamps plus candles. Our gas never goes out; the well is in the middle of our garden an hubs worked in that field for years so he can fix it if something goes wrong. We do have a bunch of old blankets to throw over the meter so it doesn't freeze off.


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## flintcreek (Feb 12, 2013)

In our cabin we have a propane stove/oven removed from an RV, a woodstove on which we do alot of the cooking, and a weber grill outside. We have solar 12 volt electricity for lights, well pump, pressure tank, water heater, and to keep the gas valve open on our propane refrigerator (also from an RV). We pump water from a shallow well and filter all drinking/cooking water through a Berkey water filter. We heat mostly with wood but do have a blue-flame propane heater for times when we're not going to be there to keep the woodstove going. We also have several cordless lamps which use LED light strips and AA batteries (easy to make). We have a generator but only run it twice a week to do laundry and run the vacuum.


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