Indoor-safe emergency stoves?

[SADShooter]

The little chill we're experiencing has reinforced an awareness of a hole in my emergency preparedness. I have no way to heat water or non-MRE food without electricity. I need a small stove which will allow me to boil a pint of water for hot beverages or heat canned goods, and for which fuel is safe to use indoors largely unvented. I'm thinking about an Esbit stove. Any other/better ideas or recommendations?

Thanks,

SADShooter

ETA: Would a moderator please move this to RT? Not sure how I screwed up. Thanks.

[charby]

Just get a little propane camping stove?

http://www.amazon.com/Stansport-Single-Burner-Propane-Stove/dp/B000XADLN0

[French G.]

I personally have no problems using a Peak 1 white gas indoors as long as you can arrange a non-flammable area to set it. Quite a heater. I love Esbit, I guess it would work, I've used it in the cab of my pick-up when it was really damn cold. Not a ton of heat there. Propane camp stove should be just fine. Do you own your place? Maybe consider an upgrade to a gas stove, throw in a set of gas logs if there is a fireplace, nice back-up heat and ambiance. The new gas stoves are a little too high tech, no oven for me when the power goes TU. Apparently pilot lights are forbidden in the new age of stupidity.

Past non-power emergencies for me happened in warm weather, that for me was just an excuse to grill everything in the freezer that looked grillable before it went bad. Buy extra ice early to keep the beer cold. Winter emergencies are easy, just leave the beer outside.

Got a Coleman lantern? Good for indoor light and heat. I now have two, white gas and propane. Need more.

[SADShooter]

To clarify, I live in a 700sf rented apartment, and don't have a real yard or outdoor facilities. I thought using propane/gas unventilated would be a serious hazard. Thus my seeking a non-toxic solution.

[Tuco]

I've used my Svea 123 on top of the range when the power's been out.  
The time it's cooking a meal or boiling tea isn't going to eat enough oxygen to kill you.   It's probable that the 1 hour or less burn time on most camp stoves (MSR, Optimus et al) is too short to asphyxiate in a normal living space. 
I'm not going to do the math.

If you're concerned, cook outside or vent the window or turn on the bathroom exhaust fan.

[280plus]

Sterno baby! Just don't be drinking the stuff!   

[bedlamite]

I've used my Svea 123 on top of the range when the power's been out.  
The time it's cooking a meal or boiling tea isn't going to eat enough oxygen to kill you.   It's probable that the 1 hour or less burn time on most camp stoves (MSR, Optimus et al) is too short to asphyxiate in a normal living space. 
I'm not going to do the math.

If you're concerned, cook outside or vent the window or turn on the bathroom exhaust fan.

Could you please clarify how you would turn on the bathroom exhaust fan when the power is out?

[stevelyn]

Here are several choices.


http://www.coleman.com/coleman/ColemanCom/subcategory.asp?CategoryID=2010


I have a couple of gas camp stoves I can use in emergencies. One is my go-to stove I take on my hunting trips. It's a Coleman Apex II. The other is an old self-contained Primus self-pressurizing single-burner known to the old time locals as a Swede stove.

Using a propane or isobutane stove inside is no different than cooking on a gas/propane range inside. Regardless, I'd still crack open a couple windows where you can get a cross-breeze for ventilation if you were using them inside. Doesn't have to be much.

If you're concerned, cook outside or vent the window or turn on the bathroom exhaust fan.

Exactly how does that work when the power's out??  Just asking.  

[Tuco]

smartasses.

Get a generator, mr. preparedy-pants.
A diesel one, with wheels, like a real man.

That is if you can handle it after being all swimmy-headed from boiling your cup of tea with an open flame similar to the one that would be emitted from a gas or propane stove.

 

[Jim147]

Your regular gas range is allowed to put out up to 800ppm cooking an everyday meal.

I have a little Bass Pro with one burner and a grill. You can put a large pot of water on the grill side to get it boiling faster. I haven't checked it with a meter but I crack my window when I'm going to be using it very long.

My wood stove also has cooking eyes. I don't think that would help you much in an apartment.

jim

[280plus]

Could you please clarify how you would turn on the bathroom exhaust fan when the power is out?

There you go gettin' all technical again. 

 

[280plus]

I'd be more concerned with their using oxygen up than the CO levels. So cracking a window is never a bad idea.

[charby]

To clarify, I live in a 700sf rented apartment, and don't have a real yard or outdoor facilities. I thought using propane/gas unventilated would be a serious hazard. Thus my seeking a non-toxic solution.

A propane camping stove will be a gazillon times safer than an esbit tablet, campgas or sterno. For cooking a few meals or making coffee I wouldn't worry. If you bring in a 80k btu propane space heater that is a different story.

I can sit in a 4x6x6 ice fishing tent all day and burn 3-4 lbs of propane and haven't had any CO issues. Even checked it with a CO meter.

[RevDisk]

http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/

or a camping stove.

[GigaBuist]

I'd recommend getting a CO detector if you're going to use an outdoor stove indoors.

Here's one:  http://www.amazon.com/Kidde-KN-COPP-B-Battery-Operated-Monoxide-Digital/dp/B0007ZYU7C/ref=pd_cp_hi_1 

$25 and it has a readout of the actual detected CO levels so you know how to react.  Low levels?  Open a window.  High levels?  GTFO!

[AZRedhawk44]

Any little backpacker's stove will be fine.

They won't do anything bad to your apartment's ambient air quality in the amount of time it takes to boil a pint of water.  Your apartment isn't air tight and the little bit of CO produced will be dilute to begin with and diluted more as air circulates with outside air.

If you use one for an hour to bake a casserole in an aluminum box on top of it at 350 degrees, it might do something.

[280plus]

Probably burn the bottom of the casserole. 

[SADShooter]

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. I've read them after swooning over my last cuppa.