birdhouse Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 (edited) Hours after its scheduled arrival, Nemo finally showed up & got down to business. When the power went out about 9:00 PM Friday, there was no place to run & no leaving even if there was. Total isolation in the raging dark. They said the winds were higher than w/the hurricane & the actual temp dove to something like 12°F. The house started to cool right away. I live in an old house & have no alternate heat source. Pretty soon I knew it was going to get bad & that the fids were going to be in serious trouble in a matter of hours. Didn't help anything at all when I thought about the very real possibility of being trapped like this for a day, maybe even 2. After a moment of blind panic something that seemed kind of crazy occurred to me, "How many candles would it take to keep from freezing in a blizzard?" I had bags of cheap tea lights from The Christmas Tree Shop. They didn't have lead wicks & they weren't scented. Beyond that, I couldn't say. I've read the warnings about burning candles around fids & they ran over & over in my mind while I helplessly felt the cold taking over. Especially since the idea was to create an "air tight" cocoon for an extended period of time. But it came to choosing between what might happen & what was happening. Finally, I covered every opening in the best situated room & I started to light candles on any safe surface I could find. I cannot tell you how surprised & relieved I was when the room actually started to get warmer! It eventually took about 50 tea lights burning constantly in a 9x20x7 room. But it kept us almost comfortable until the power came back Saturday night, 21 hrs later. If only things had gone so well outside as they did inside. But anyway, I thought this might be worth sharing. I can't go so far as to say candles won't cause any problems for fids. All I can say is what actually happened here this weekend. As unlikely as it sounds, (quite) a few tea lights got us thru some of the worst possible winter weather. And, from now on, I'm going to make sure there are several bags in the kit for light AND heat in case of any future emergency. Edited February 11, 2013 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Sure glad to hear you are all OK. I'm not sure I would have thought of using the candles for heat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 (edited) At first I thought it was crazy. But it eventually came down to the simplest logic, really. Fire was the only way I had to make heat. Aside from the potential bird issues, candles were the only safe fire I had available. So I created dead air insulation by putting quilts & blankets over anything that wasn't an interior wall & took my best (read one) shot. I wish I hadn't decided against looking at the temperature at any time for any reason. But I kinda had enough to make me crazy already. Now, I can only say that it made a huge, huge difference. Once everything was set up, there were times I'd kind of "forget" what was going on & would get a very rude reminder whenever I stepped out into the rest of the house. Edited February 11, 2013 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 We have a kerosene heater as a backup. Same there, probably some risk from fumes, but in a "no choice" situation I'd fire it up. You just don't think about a situation where you have no heat AND no ability to leave and go somewhere warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 11, 2013 Author Share Posted February 11, 2013 I've had to think about it because I've lived here thru blizzards, floods & hurricanes a number of times now. So, that might give you some idea of just how extreme things got. I'd have just left if the forecast hadn't been so wrong about the beginning of the storm. I would never have pushed my luck like this. It would have been so much more fun to sit in front of a fireplace w/friends. The meteorologists weren't the only ones who were wrong this time. Survival skills aside, I count myself very lucky things worked out the way it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 A few ideas for the future. Save a few empty 2 liter soda bottles, put hot water in them, cover cages and slide them under the cage. A UPS (uninterrupted power supply) can be used to power a halogen light. Halogen lights put out a lot of heat. Power inverters that plug into your cigarette lighter/power port in your car can also be used to run that light. Only do this if you have a strong battery and be sure to run the car for 10 minutes every hour. If you have a gas oven and it can be manually lit place your largest cast iron pans in there and get them good and hot. Remove the pans, wrap in a towel and place under cages and in your bed as a bed warmer. Do not try using bricks or large stones. I think you did great in a bad situation. You kept your wits about you and came up with a solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Good ideas there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Its always scary when the power goes out and its cold and windy but I am lucky to have 2 wood burning fireplaces and a wood burning stove that can heat the entire house, I have used the fireplace in the family room where the birds are and been able to keep the temperature above 70, I love sitting by a fire when it is cold outside especially when its bad weather, nothing like the crackling of the wood burning and the warmth of the light it gives off. Everyone should have an emergency kit with necessary things for times when the power is out in cold weather for you just never know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 The last weather I saw was 15 min before the black out. They were reporting thunder snow of 5"/hr. in some areas & the storm hadn't even fully amped up, yet. The meteorologist was in awe while he was doing his report. Without exageration, people have died w/in feet of their doorstep when it wasn't nearly so bad. This storm recorded sustaining winds & gusts that were actually stronger than the last hurricane. The house was constantly being pelted by flying debris that could very easily cause serious injury, especially in the dark. And there was no safety in the car, either. So Wingy... no joke. Please, please promise you won't ever even think about going out the door on a night like that. OK? I've had a few scary moments since I've lived here. This was just different. Considering how much practice I've had, that's saying something. Yes, Judy, I certainly was wishing for that nice toasty fire & the smell of wood smoke for a little while there. I really wish I could put a fire place or wood stove in. I just isn't practical given the layout of the house. But you know what? After I got it all worked out it was really quite lovely. Surrounded by all that candle light & safely hidden away in our little hobbit hole. I'm not saying I really want to do it again any time soon. But I could, if I had to. I would just load up on the candles & like any good hobbit, bring more food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I know how you felt. I have 6 birds, 3 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 3 kids, and i am a single mom living alone with all,those mouths., and we lost the power in the snow storm last oct. we were without heat, elec, no water as we have a well, and no flushing of toilets, telephone and cell phone. I lost all the stocked up food in the freezer and fridge. I have a very small fireplace in the living room,and it was extremely difficult to keep it all together. It would go down below 50 at night, and barely 60 during the day. It was hard and worrisome. I do t think I would have thought about candlestick I have a huge fear of fire burning my house down....but good for you for being so daring in my mind. You did good! After my nightmare, I bought a generator....never again will i go thru that. I have too many living things I am responsible for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I am so glad to hear you are all okay! Great thinking on your part! Even though we don't ever use our fireplace, really makes me want to get it cleaned and buy some wood to keep on hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 The last weather I saw was 15 min before the black out. They were reporting thunder snow of 5"/hr. in some areas & the storm hadn't even fully amped up, yet. The meteorologist was in awe while he was doing his report. Without exageration, people have died w/in feet of their doorstep when it wasn't nearly so bad. This storm recorded sustaining winds & gusts that were actually stronger than the last hurricane. The house was constantly being pelted by flying debris that could very easily cause serious injury, especially in the dark. And there was no safety in the car, either. [ATTACH=CONFIG]23626[/ATTACH] So Wingy... no joke. Please, please promise you won't ever even think about going out the door on a night like that. OK? I've had a few scary moments since I've lived here. This was just different. Considering how much practice I've had, that's saying something. Yes, Judy, I certainly was wishing for that nice toasty fire & the smell of wood smoke for a little while there. I really wish I could put a fire place or wood stove in. I just isn't practical given the layout of the house. But you know what? After I got it all worked out it was really quite lovely. Surrounded by all that candle light & safely hidden away in our little hobbit hole. I'm not saying I really want to do it again any time soon. But I could, if I had to. I would just load up on the candles & like any good hobbit, bring more food. I'm protected from debris here but it is a very good point. Not everyone is. I hope you were able to enjoy some of the thunder snow. I usually get that a few times a winter and it is awesome. My DS and I used to go out in the yard during some of the wild storms to watch the show from the thunder snow and the transformers blowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) I know how you felt... You know, you & that episode crossed my mind that night, Penny. I knew you'd been thru it for a week & the fids had survived those temps. So, about the time I was wondering if the candles might work, that was like the benchmark for the temp I was crazy enough to be hoping for. I think I beat it, because I don't think I would have been as comfortable, otherwise. And yeah, I would have done it, but tapers would have made me crazier. Tea lights in votive cups, were less nerve wracking. So how did you guys do?? Even though we don't ever use our fireplace, really makes me want to get it cleaned and buy some wood to keep on hand. W/all the crazy weather everywhere, what have you got to lose, right? I hope you were able to enjoy some of the thunder snow. I usually get that a few times a winter and it is awesome. It missed us this time. Could not see a thing in any direction, anyway. All the windows were covered w/ice from the beginning of the storm. Edited February 12, 2013 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfgeist Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 So reminds me of the blizzard of 77? 78? We lived in a double wide in the country back a gravel lane. Power went, no heat, electicity or water. We did have a fireplace and Mom hung blankets up in the doorways, leaving us living in the living room. It was sort of like camping but in the winter, you wore thermals and knit hat to bed. I think we melted snow to use in toilet flushing. People were going around on snowmobiles to check on everyone and try to get basic supplies out to those who needed them. Across the hiway from us lived a dairy farmer who said "if you want milk, bring jugs and fill 'em". He had to keep milking but the milk truck couldn't get back his lane. Ah good times. I don't think I had gotten my budgies yet, I know we didn't have birds to worry about, only cats and a great dane. Those were good times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 '78. The first blizzard I can remember. Before that storm, I don't think any New Englander would ever have believed a "little" snow could stop the world for a week. That's the thing I remember most about that week. How nice everyone was to each other. Strangers & neighbors who never bothered w/anybody were right there helping each other. The other thing I remember is how fast it all went back to normal when it was over. But, definitely good times, while it lasted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acappella Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 I bought a portable ethanol fireplace, and a couple of table top ones. The plan is if I ever lose power here for any length of time I close myself off in Dorian's room and light them all. They burn clean with no smoke and no off gassing. I'm also thinking about having a solar panel installed and hooked up to a generator, if there's $ enough when my Dad's estate is resolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted February 12, 2013 Author Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) Never heard of them before. Just did a 2 min search & one of the reviews I read did say they had to open a window to vent the fumes. Although they still gave it 5 stars so I'm confused. Also, saw an estimate fuel consumption of 2.5-4 hrs/qt? They do look like they could have great potential for emergencies though. Have you used yours at all yet? Edited February 12, 2013 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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