With the sustained drop in temps we've had lately, and the fact that my generator 1. Isn't hardwired into the house (I rent), and 2. The carb needs to be serviced on it anyway, has me thinking:

If we lost power due to a snowpocolypse, we have NO source of heat. And due to road conditions, it could take several days to restore services.

Conclusion:
1. I need a heating alternative, such a a Buddy heater, or something that I can atleast maintain temperature in 1 room.

2. I need some spare blankets to keep in a closet.

I figure blankets would be used mostly for covering our bodies, as well as blocking off rooms.

Wool blankets seem like the obvious choice. But they're expensive! I found some cheap, $12 blankets on Amazon, but reviews where of cheaply made, and stinky.

A Harbor Freight ad got me thinking: moving blankets?!?!
https://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-x-80-inch-wool-blanket-92625.html

$10, (and this Pres Dat weekend there's a 30% off 5 items under $20 deal), so essentially $7 a piece for 5 blankets.

I understand they're not going to be the warmest or the most comfortable, but for the price of 1 decent blanket, I'm getting 5 blankets that might not even be used

Thoughts, concerns, opinions, experiences?

blocking off rooms is more effective with garbage bags.

make a blanket  Wifey made 2 of these in queen bed size.  These are more  comfortable than wool and almost as warm.  We also have 1 large wool blanket with a fleece lining and its awesome and comfy.  I bought it and it was around $100 ten years ago, but its also on display in our livingroom as a couch accent. we do use it on the couch nightly.  you can buy one of those here.


Do you have  a gas stove?


we lived for 5 days in our house without electric in the winter.  This was in my pre-prepper days about 15 years ago.
Now I have a gen, a wood stove and all the fixin's.

wife and I blocked off the kitchen with garbage bags and ran the gas stove here and there.  sat around and played games and read books.  Our gas stove doesn't have the safety features and we can light with a match.  all the food in our fridge/freezer went into boxes and I put it all on my porch roof through an upstairs window.  It was sub 30 outside.  refrigerator items went into coolers on the roof and we ate that first.  We slept in our bedroom under a bunch of blankets that we swiped from the other bedrooms.  Keeping the bedroom door closed kept any body heat in.


dont forget to turn off your main water supply and open the faucets to prevent waterline freezing... we only did this at night, because during the day we were using water and it didnt have time to freeze.

Foil Mylar survival blankets for body wrap.  Thick moving blankets for doors and windows.

I have used moving blankets at various times to keep warm. As tools for blocking drafts or covering windows they work well. (Also to dampen sound.)

Don't dual use them though, because after they've been dragged around like an actual moving blanket they pick up enough gunk, grit, and smells as to be less desirable as a warming blanket.

Using one as an extra ground cover and over a sleeping bag works.  They are stiff and not "cozy" type comfortable but for getting warm they do help.

A 9k Kerosene heater will run right around 60 hours (a bit more actually) on 5 gallons of fuel.  The space required to store the heater and two 5 gallon containers is minimal.  I don't understand why anyone even mildly into prepping in the cold zone does not have this setup at a minimum.  I heat my home primarily using this type of setup.

With that said, blankets are a good plan too, as the truth is, as long as you have good shelter you do not NEED heat in most circumstances.  It sure makes life a lot better though.

How many people do you have in the home? First thing I would do is get each person a sleeping bag rated as cold as you would ever think it would get in the dead of winter. You can supplement them with a liner and wearing long underwear.

Wool blankets are the best. I stocked up on them while on active duty. Almost embarrassed to say how many I have.

The Mr Buddies do work good. I purchased two of the 30,000 btu Mr Buddy’s at Tractor Supply. They come with both wall mount and free standing legs. Got them for $199 and that seems to be the same price now. You have to buy a separate regulator and hose. It was $39 with a 25 foot line. You can permanently run a line or just stick it through a window. I keep my propane outside unless the heater uses the 1 lb tanks.

Mr Buddy 30,000 BTU Heater

You can run it with or without the fan. I have a Jackery 1000 Power Station I use to power small devices and to run the fan if needed.


Jackery 1000 Portable Power Station


Back to blankets. You can also catch comforters on sale for 10-20 at any of the big box stores. I’d use them for the family and the moving blankets/pads for isolating/insulating a warm room.

You can go bigger or smaller on what I mentioned depending on budget. I’m going by past and present experience with what I use. You could use a kerosene heater as they do throw off the heat. I have a few for emergencies but my better half complains of the smell.

Steve

I have each of these I bought off Amazon:  I know, I know

Woolly Mammoth Woolen Co. | Extra Large Merino Wool Camp Blanket



It's BIG and WARM.  Even though it is Merino it's a bit stinky and scratchy.  I call it better than being cold.  I keep it in my truck.

I also have one of these Snugpak Oversize Jungle Blanket




Not as warm as the wool but it's very warm for its weight and BIG.  They make a smaller version ( a little less money) if you don't need the size.  More versatile than the wool because it packs smaller and is lighter.

I realize neither are inexpensive but I have and have used both of these so I figure'd I'd share my experience with them.  I'd recommend either one.

Why not take the 20 minutes and clean the carb on the generator?

I'm probably going to get a Mr Buddy portable heater. It runs off the little camping propane bottles which we have stored up, and can always get more, so dual purpose.

We have 3 people who reside here. Myself and fiance in downstairs apt, and my brother has upstairs, but we take care of each other.

We'd probably all come downstairs and wall off living room and bedroom (it's a strange lay out but it works for now I guess). Run the buddy heater to keep it warm and just hunker down with blankets, candles/flashlights, etc.

I'm in Northern NY on the Canadian border.  Around here all the welfare bums have one thing in common:  They insist on lounging around the house in shorts and tee shirts, and have the heat cranked up to 78F.  And they are always whining about the cost of heating.  These are some stupid idiots...  

The solution is not to warm the house.  The solution is to preserve the body heat you naturally produce!!!  This approach works wonderfully.  It's largely the process we , humans, managed to get through the ice age with, and its still the process used by traditional Inuit...    Ever see a furnace in an igloo?  Nope.  But you see a LOT of specifically tailored clothing and bedding.  I've done a lot of sleeping in off-grid cabins and cottages and tent and such.  I've hunted moose for 10 days in Northern Ontario in some cold weather and slept under a fiberglass cap over a pickup bed...   I've got some suggestions....  All use the 'preserve your own heat" method....

1). Make sure everyone has a comfortable winter knit cap.  The number one way to stay warm at night, or even just moving around in the home during the day, is to wear some insulation on your head.  This is the #1 thing you can do to sleep well in cold temps.  you are 80% of the way there...  If its a tight fit, it will eventually drive you nuts.  Nice soft comfortable but insulating is what you want.

2) Big bulky sweater.   Are you cold?  Don't try to heat 40,000 cubic feet of space.  Put on a sweater.   Put a sweater over your sweater!  This approach applies to bed time too.   Wear something like a tee, sweater and sweat pants to bed.  Instead of trying to create an entire warm bed, insulation next to you means you need to heat less space.  you are warmer.

3) Sleeping bags.  Even if not used in the zipped up sleeping bag mode, sleeping bags offer very good loft and insulation for the dollar and space.  unzip and through over the bed as a second comforter.

4) If you are bunking in one room, and happen to be sleeping on things like cots, leather sofas etc, the surface you are sleeping on can chill you.  consider insulation UNDER you.   Place a small foam pad, folded heavy blanket, etc on potentially cold surfaces and sleep on that.

If you do the above, you can sleep really well down to interior temps of about 35F.  Once you get into the low 20's you want a little supplemental heat.  However, trying to heat a room to 40F or 45F at night is MUCH easier than trying to crank it up to 65F

The HF moving blankets have virtually no heat retain value. Dont bother.  You'd be farther ahead trolling dollar stores and Walmart looking for those stupid printed seasonal "throw" blankets they sell for $9.99.  You know the type:  Synthetic fleece, often printed with some obnoxious pattern or wolves or some bullshit.  These actually help keep you warm.  Recently they have come out with throw blankets that look like inch-thick fleece.  These are great!!!

I find wool is expensive, a pain to clean, stinks, and is expensive.  I don't own any.  I MUCH prefer some sort of synthetic.  Currently, I use polar fleece sheets, and the comforter is a synthetic thing with what looks like a 'sheep-fleece' interior.  These are lighter (more comfortable), less expensive, and far easier to clean. When wet (from washing), they dry super fast compared to wool.    These are far superior to wool. Woold does work when wet.  Does your roof leak?  If its dry, dont mess with wool.

I regularly sleep in a bunk at hunt camp, and many nights we don't bother to light the wood stove.  Temps in Oct Nov drop down to about 28F, and we are sleeping comfortably in an uninsulated cabin. It's a 12x24 glorified shed, with 2x4 walls and T1-11 siding.  Fleece sheets, heavy sleeping bag over it like a comforter, track suit, knit cap and its snooze all night comfortably, even though interior temps get down into the low 40's high 30's.  Got a girlfriend or wife?  Zip two sleeping bags together and get cozy.  This is the one situation when a little extra booty is a good thing...  Keeps you warm!

If you are in a confined space, propane or kero heaters have potential carbon monoxide issues.   A friend and I trailer ATV's to Northern Ontario, unload them, then sleep in the trailer for the week.  We use a little Champion 2000W inverter generator, a 30 foot extension cord, and a small toaster sized electric cube heater in the trailer.  No exhaust.  No carbon monoxide.  Interior is comfortable.....  zero issues.  its enough to cut the chill.  Warning:  You many need to try a few cube heaters.  Some 1500W cube heaters draw 2100, 2200W and pop the generator over load.  a true 1500w, often with a low and high setting that seem to run 750 and 1500, is perfect

I've been using these wool blankets, decent quality for the price.  https://swisslink.com/collections/wool-blankets-military-surplus/products/new-plaid-wool-blanket-blue-grey-html

For in the truck, I use these: https://swisslink.com/collections/wool-blankets-military-surplus/products/wool-utility-blanket

Wash once with woolite, and they are soft and not scratchy.

The Harbor freight moving blankets are not warm, and some of them have a chemical odor. For warmth I would look at sleeping bags. Being able to zip up in them helps conserve body heat. If you buy tow of the same ones you can zip them together as a double bag for two people.

What type of blanket for a blanket party?

I think you took a detour from GD, this is a Tech forums.


Anyways. We use heavy weight winter sheets and goose down blankets with heavy weight cover. For times when its not too cold, I use a wool blend blanket with comforter.

Wait till the spring and pick up military surplus blankets.
Like these:

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/us-military-surplus-disaster-wool-blankets-8-pack-new?a=1838489

those are absolutely horrible.

its not woven fabric.

its like a bunch of wool lint glued together.

You can use painters drop cloths to partition walls. Just staple around the door frame and cut a slit in it to walk through. It’s how big freezers in restaurants do it (with thicker plastic).

Also you can make a little reflex heater with a baking pan and some tea lights. Pop the pan on its side and put the candles in the pan and the heat will reflect off and back out.

I figured that one out in an ice storm I lost power and had electric heat and no back ups. I have remedied that situation

Personally I prefer synthetic/fleece blankets over wool.  They keep me just as warm, are much easier to clean, are practically dry after the washing machine spin cycle, and they don't retain odors.

Every winter we cover the crappy older leaky windows with clear plastic like this - https://www.lowes.com/pd/3-ft-x-50-ft-Clear-4-mil-Plastic-Sheeting/50414218

Just cut out pieces slightly bigger than your window and stick it to the wall using clear packing tape.  Saves a ton on the heating bill every winter, and if your power goes out it will help keep heat in the living space.

Snugpak Oversize Jungle Blanket...as pointed out in a reply above....

This

Honestly we ripped it apart, and it is way above my limited mechanical ability. My brother is slightly more inclined then myself and he was afraid to touch it.
A friend's father plays with stuff like this for fun, so when he migrates back I'll have him take a look at it.

what is it from?  do you know the model of carb or part number?

new carbs are pretty cheap... some are like 30 bux.

having blankets is great and all, but getting a new carb is way cheaper and can keep your other electric items running.

I used to have a ton of GI wool blankets that I acquired while in the Army.  Then when I PCS'ed to Benning I put most of my stuff into storage at my mom's house and she ended up using them for dog blankets!

100% with ya on that, and it's in the works. Once the guy gets back from his migration I'll have it to him.
I have no idea what's wrong with it, just that it's seized.
It's not "mine", it's an old generator my dad bought back in '95, that he sold to my buddy who I now rent from, and it stays at the house. Essentially the thing had been sitting outside the last several years unprotected. We cleaned out the fuel lines, and so far the only issue we know of is the carb.

Well if it seized up and it will not allow you to pull the cord .... it's definitely not just a carburetor

Minus 33 has a wool blanket at a decent price,https://www.minus33.com/collections/wool-blankets/products/white-mountain-woolen-camp-blanket



20

No the carbonator is seized up, the pull works fine.

Pull carb and soak in brake cleaner , carb cleaner or kerosene. Your slide (or butterfly plate) or float are gummed up, guessing bad gas left in there.

Sorry but I have to say it.  To not have backup power supply, back up heat and insufficient blankets in cold country is irresponsible.  Particularly when the generator only needs service.  Get off your butt.   Fix the generator and get a secondary source of heat.  As to blankets, like the other two items good ones are expensive.  Suck it up, quit spending money on luxuries and buy your necessities first.

Push comes to shove, sell some stuff and buy what you need.

Lot's of good info already.

Fleece goes on sale regularly at big fabric chains - especially as Spring approaches.  Typically 48" to 60" wide in a variety of weights ~just about any color or pattern you can imagine. Two yards is an instant full-bed blanket.  One yard is good for one person or half a bed ~across the lower half of the bed for legs and feet.

Seemingly useless afghans / very loose knit throws can be effective middle layers on a bed.

My wife will hardly let me go to church sales for fear I'll come home with more wool blankets or sweaters...

Don’t overlook a nice down quilt.

I also prefer wool. My now wife bought me a Folsom wool blanket and love it, but like right now the power is out, it’s single digits, the down is on my bed.

That said, I have a buddy heater going, many big propane tanks for it, a couple of Honda EU companion generators running in parallel running my TV, DVD player, and space heater, and an oil lamp all going.

I've got a moderately priced down blanket, was in then 200-300 dollar range. I have to be careful. As its super efficient, it only comes out when we have sustained Temps below zero for week or more.

Haven't even thought of entertainment with the generator (once it's running) with everything being streaming now we MIGHT have 3 or 4 DVDs total, don't even have a DVD player but XBoxWTF will play them.

Good thinking.

I have a bunch of merino wool blankets from ohioprep (I guess they closed), wish I could find a source for the blankets, they're great and cheap.


I keep two kerosene wick heaters on standby just in case, but for regular use I have a propane forced air, propane radiant and a kerosene forced air in the garage for the daily cigar. The forced air setups obviously use power but a tiny 1000 watt will run them.

Major surplus had polish wool blend bankers
I bought this summer for my grown kids
They were good

Keep an eye on the department store spring/clearance sales for last year's winter-weight fleece blankets to have price cuts.  My local Target was blowing out twin mattress sized blankets for $6 each today.  Fortunately I have plenty already.

Tea candles with clay flower pots can also be used as a radiant heater.  Duck duck go for the plans.

Sleeping bags with wool blankets over them work best in cold weather.  Many years of cold weather camping helps.  

Wiggys bags will keep you warm even if they get wet.  You can also stuff clothing in the bag to increase warmth.  Works really well for thinner types.    

My 0 degree rated Cabelas Outfitter XXL sleeping bag has kept me toasty down to 17 degrees on hunting trips.  That's while sleeping in thermal undies.  I think they make a negative 20 degree rated bag too.

I've also slept in a standard GI sleep system in the snow in below zero temps when stationed in Alaska.  

An important note:  sleeping bag ratings are designed to keep you alive at the rated temp but you won't be comfortable.

So the OP has an X box but no heat or power. All of the other unprepared folks have bought the generators and heaters by now. And most of those will simply rot from neglect until the next cold spell.

After it warm s up sell the x box and use the money to buy what you need for that next time. Oh and buy some tools and learn how to maintain your equipment.

If folks think I’m being harsh, people are dying from the cold. In a way I have no sympathy for the  adults. It’s just Darwin at work. But the kids shouldn’t suffer for the parents stupidity and laziness.

I said it in a thread in GD  if ppl forego a room remodel in their house and spend that money on whole house generator,  they'd avoid a lot of issues,  most places even do financing.

Texas gets hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes etc , i get they aren't prepared for the cold, sorta kinda  but it seems ppl aren't prepared for anything. There was plenty of warning on this weather coming.

I call it the Katrina syndrome. Provide days if advanced warning and some folks ignore it. Of course, they are the first ones to cry and complain when things go sideways.

Most natural disasters give days if advanced warning. Earthquakes are the exception along with fires to some extent.

If the authorities would just start telling folks leave or you are on your own and then actually do it a few times the message might start getting through.

Instead those in charge throw the emergency folks into the lions den. I figure it’s so the politicians have a way to garner votes at a later date.

Bingo

Our house in GA is insulated like shit.  We did upgrade the roof/insulation, siding and windows; actually good in the summer as it just stays cool (especially with windows opened at night and closed up during the day), but if it gets cold, it's too big and roomy to warm up.

We use about 8-10 cheap wool blankets to seal off the living room.  We did this six years ago during a severe ice storm and loss of power (right before I got my generator, go figure).  We pulled a mattress into the living room, used the fire place for romantic musings, but our kerosene heater was far more efficient (just use CO2 monitors).  We turned the kero heater off at night and I just stoked the wood stove and shut the damper down low.  Snuggled under blankets we would have been good to 0 degrees.  

This spring is the time to stock up on kerosene, after winter sales.  As said a few 5 gallon cans of kerosene doesn't take up too much room and if stored properly, it will last up to five years and to goal is to just rotate 5 gallons every year and use the convection heater for a week instead of our regular HVAC.  We have the larger 20K BTU convection heater and it will really put out some heat, even in our larger living room area.  We only really use it for about six hours, early morning until late morning.

Make sure you have an extra wick or two.  They'll last if you don't screw up and let the heater run dry, but when you need a spare, it's the worst time when roads are closed, no deliveries, and stores are shut down.  

ROCK6

Big Buddy heater is really nice.  Uses two tanks and has a battery fan.  You can also set it up for larger propane tanks.   It also has a kill switch if it tips over.  I would try and find Army Surplus wool blankets.

OP, I'm curious as to your location and how cold it is.
I'm in South Texas and we are experiencing the longest cold spell (sub-freezing) in maybe 100yrs.

Back-up heat sources are a good idea. (Propane and/or kerosene)
We have a couple of buddy heaters and an kerosene heater.
-carbon monoxide detectors are pretty cheap.

Coleman stoves for backup cooking. - propane and Coleman fuel.

I would go with some sleeping bags. You can wrap them around yourself like a blanket and you can sleep in them.
Most can be stored in a fairly small amount of space.

FYI: Walmart sells polyester blankets fairly cheap and they will hold in body heat.

Thermal drapes with spring loaded curtain rods in the doorways help keep the heat in.
I have this in my back door so I don't have to get up all night to let the dogs out.
You probably will have to hem or use safety pins to get the height just right so the curtain just barely touches the floor.
I have this setup in my man cave and it keeps it quite a bit warmer than the rest of the house, although it also keeps in the Boston Terrier farts.

I'm in the North East, so no stranger to cold/snow.

When I was a kid (4 or 5), my family experienced a week long power outage, lost everything in our freezers, and subsequently we had a generator for the rest of my childhood.
Snow was never a problem as my father had a massive tractor with a plow and a PTO snow plow. And just before Hurricane Sandy my dad switched from a small 5kW gas generator, to a 15kW PTO generator run off the tractor. With the heating oil we could power the generator for weeks or months.

Since getting out into the real world on my own, winters have been pretty mild, and working in public services if bad weather or tragedy was at hand I was generally out working in it with no family at home to worry about.

Thats changed a bit, so I find myself needing to address a scenario that could now cause some problems for me.

I just got a Mr. Buddy Heater, and we have probably a dozen camping gas bottles for our camping stove. Also I ordered the adapter to use full size tanks.
Probably have enough blankets all ready, but I like having extras, of everything, just cause.

I was curious.....
you are dealing with much colder temperatures that we are here.

100% wool for blankets:

Wool is naturally fire retardant.  Your blanket could do double duty if needed.

Like people have said, surplus wool blankets.