4 ms·

Or you know, instead of having a whole fireplace, just get a kerosene heater? Enough to heat a whole room in case of power&gas outages, last long enough through

Or you know, instead of having a whole fireplace, just get a kerosene heater? Enough to heat a whole room in case of power&gas outages, last long enough through the night on one fill, and kerosene can be had at a gas station.

theshrike79 6y ago
Pretty much anything actually built to heat stuff is better than the all-looks-no-function "fireplaces" the Americans seem to be in love with. The ones they like to mount their TVs over, despite the neck pain.
- Cederfjard 6y ago
  You have a slightly condescending tone here that I'm not sure is necessary. Perhaps they're "all-looks-no-function" because they're mostly meant to be decorative rather than functional?
  - todd8 6y ago
    Here, in Central Texas, my home has three fireplaces. Each designed to accommodate wood, but all have gas feeds that make it possible to run them without the smoke of wood fires. We don't run them for heat nor decorative effect. The are just architectural features of the house that some people might choose to utilize for the mood that a fire can convey. They are a bit like windows: not energy efficient but nice to look at/through. During the historic cold weather going on this week, I have no confidence that they would help if the power went off.
- fractionalhare 6y ago
  I don't think you can generalize American fireplaces. Every fireplace I've personally encountered has been traditional wood burning and absolutely heats up the room well past the time the fire is actually lit (American Northeast). I haven't actually been in a home with a gas-burning fireplace. But more importantly - the gas fireplaces are intended to look nice with minimal effort. They are explicitly not intended to change the indoor climate much if at all. They're usually built in very new homes that have dedicated, reliable climate control systems or in cities that don't require much heating.
  - dhagz 6y ago
    I can agree with that last statement. Every house I've seen has had a gas fireplace, but I live in the metro area of a city that (in)famously only owned a single snowplow.
- dghlsakjg 6y ago
  You are stereotyping a country of hundreds of millions that spans climate zones ranging from Hawaiian tropics to the arctic circle. Yeah. There are decorative fireplaces. The Norwegian company Rais sells some great decorative ones. There are also incredibly efficient cast iron stoves that some people use for heat. You made fun of them in another comment, but they are much more efficient than a fireplace, and can use a variety of fuels like pellets or gas in addition to wood. Of course, there are also people that have a standard wood fireplace that you imply is in every Norwegian home. Most people don’t use them here since they are so inefficient, dangerous and illegal in cities due to the pollution.
DoingIsLearning 6y ago
I am not sure why you got downvoted, this is a good backup strategy. I have natural gas heating and a combi smart boiler which runs on electricity. Even if I still have the gas link operational, if my power goes down then my heating is dead. This news of Texas actually reminded, that I should have some sort of emergency winter heating backup, and a boat or camping kerosene heater is a actually a pretty solid idea for emergencies.
- theshrike79 6y ago
  The whole prepper community isn't completely crazy. Everyone really should have a Bug Out Bag or a Bug In Bag ready or at least under construction. You don't need to go overboard with tons of dried food and a nuclear fallout shelter. Just a cheap multi-fuel camping stove and some canned food will last you a few days easily.
  - katbyte 6y ago
    Bug out/in bag seems like a weird term, kinda adds to the “crazy” of preppies. here it’s just called your emergency/ earthquake kit - 1-2 weeks of food and some amount of water.
ScottBurson 6y ago
But used indoors, it consumes oxygen, and can produce carbon monoxide. Leaving it on while you sleep is dangerous.
- hcurtiss 6y ago
  There are many kerosene heaters safe for indoor use.
batty_alex 6y ago
Please don’t run a kerosene heater indoors without an amazing ventilation system.
fckthisguy 6y ago
These are great for emergencies and the odd occasion where the regular building heating isn't enough. I think Cast Iron or stone fireplaces serve a different purpose, in most cases. They're for show, and novelty.

theshrike79 6y ago

Pretty much anything actually built to heat stuff is better than the all-looks-no-function "fireplaces" the Americans seem to be in love with. The ones they like to mount their TVs over, despite the neck pain.

Cederfjard 6y ago
You have a slightly condescending tone here that I'm not sure is necessary. Perhaps they're "all-looks-no-function" because they're mostly meant to be decorative rather than functional?
- todd8 6y ago
  Here, in Central Texas, my home has three fireplaces. Each designed to accommodate wood, but all have gas feeds that make it possible to run them without the smoke of wood fires. We don't run them for heat nor decorative effect. The are just architectural features of the house that some people might choose to utilize for the mood that a fire can convey. They are a bit like windows: not energy efficient but nice to look at/through. During the historic cold weather going on this week, I have no confidence that they would help if the power went off.
fractionalhare 6y ago
I don't think you can generalize American fireplaces. Every fireplace I've personally encountered has been traditional wood burning and absolutely heats up the room well past the time the fire is actually lit (American Northeast). I haven't actually been in a home with a gas-burning fireplace. But more importantly - the gas fireplaces are intended to look nice with minimal effort. They are explicitly not intended to change the indoor climate much if at all. They're usually built in very new homes that have dedicated, reliable climate control systems or in cities that don't require much heating.
- dhagz 6y ago
  I can agree with that last statement. Every house I've seen has had a gas fireplace, but I live in the metro area of a city that (in)famously only owned a single snowplow.
dghlsakjg 6y ago
You are stereotyping a country of hundreds of millions that spans climate zones ranging from Hawaiian tropics to the arctic circle. Yeah. There are decorative fireplaces. The Norwegian company Rais sells some great decorative ones. There are also incredibly efficient cast iron stoves that some people use for heat. You made fun of them in another comment, but they are much more efficient than a fireplace, and can use a variety of fuels like pellets or gas in addition to wood. Of course, there are also people that have a standard wood fireplace that you imply is in every Norwegian home. Most people don’t use them here since they are so inefficient, dangerous and illegal in cities due to the pollution.

DoingIsLearning 6y ago

I am not sure why you got downvoted, this is a good backup strategy. I have natural gas heating and a combi smart boiler which runs on electricity. Even if I still have the gas link operational, if my power goes down then my heating is dead. This news of Texas actually reminded, that I should have some sort of emergency winter heating backup, and a boat or camping kerosene heater is a actually a pretty solid idea for emergencies.

theshrike79 6y ago
The whole prepper community isn't completely crazy. Everyone really should have a Bug Out Bag or a Bug In Bag ready or at least under construction. You don't need to go overboard with tons of dried food and a nuclear fallout shelter. Just a cheap multi-fuel camping stove and some canned food will last you a few days easily.
- katbyte 6y ago
  Bug out/in bag seems like a weird term, kinda adds to the “crazy” of preppies. here it’s just called your emergency/ earthquake kit - 1-2 weeks of food and some amount of water.

ScottBurson 6y ago

But used indoors, it consumes oxygen, and can produce carbon monoxide. Leaving it on while you sleep is dangerous.

hcurtiss 6y ago
There are many kerosene heaters safe for indoor use.

batty_alex 6y ago

Please don’t run a kerosene heater indoors without an amazing ventilation system.

fckthisguy 6y ago

These are great for emergencies and the odd occasion where the regular building heating isn't enough. I think Cast Iron or stone fireplaces serve a different purpose, in most cases. They're for show, and novelty.