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kudichangedlives t1_j1g6rz7 wrote

Reply to comment by SharpieBass in Factbox: About 1.2 million without power in United States from winter storms by Smithy2232

Or us unlucky punks that had the power go out have wood stoves. That's what's keeping me warm right now and if the power is still out for days then it will be keeping me alive.

Seriously if you live in a cold place you should invest in an emergency wood stove

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reddituser403 t1_j1gf4ni wrote

Or a back up generator

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kudichangedlives t1_j1ggy2z wrote

Preferably both, but I would say that a stove fireplace is much more reliable and you don't need gas at hand to use it, though I suppose you need wood at hand

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GroinShotz t1_j1gj7tw wrote

You can also cook on it!

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ButterflyAttack t1_j1i2wow wrote

I do proper quality baked potatoes in my wood burner. Wrap a baking potato in foil, pop it on the embers and turn every twenty minutes or so. Give it a couple of hours and it's perfect. I have mine with loads of butter, and tuna and sweetcorn but I'm willing to accept that there may be other valid accompaniments.

Or, yeah, you can stand a pot on top. Wood burners are great for stuff like stews and curries that want to cook for a while.

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Cutiecrusader2009 t1_j1hynse wrote

Some people have standby generators. They don’t have to do anything when the power cuts out. You can have it run off natural gas or propane.

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grainia99 t1_j1idaxo wrote

We have the generator and the stove is planned but have to redo the chimney first. Grew up with a wood stove and nothing beats one for winter back up. Saved my moms life during the 1998 ice storm (13 days without power and the lane wasn't open for 8 of them).

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in-game_sext t1_j1ir7x1 wrote

Why get a genny when you are reliant on gas when wood is a sustainable and renewable fuel source? My family has harvested and replanted groves of trees for fuel for five generations on their one piece of land.

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Tar_alcaran t1_j1lkhmk wrote

It a hard to have a forest in the suburbs

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in-game_sext t1_j1lkmfs wrote

Well its a good thing you don't need a forest and can buy firewood almost anywhere. Whether you've grown it on your lot or buy it from a store, doesn't change the fact that its renewable....

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Sentinel451 t1_j1guyi2 wrote

We used to have one years ago, but the landlord tore down the chimney because it gave him cheaper insurance or something. All we have now is an old oil furnace and some electric heaters. I'd love to get another wood stove, but without a chimney it's just not happening. If we lose power we're fucked.

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asdaaaaaaaa t1_j1i54y2 wrote

Agreed. Even if it's a shitty, cheap standing one on top of a metal plate. Anything's better than nothing (unless you really cheap out and burn your house down) in my experience. I'm so glad I have a fireplace, it's not perfect and I rarely use it, but I like having the option and spare wood just in case.

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