CANDLES: 3/4″ diameter x 4″ burns about 2 hours 20 min.; 7/8″ diameter x 4″ burns about 5 hours; 2″ diameter x 9″ burns about 7 hours per inch or 63 hours. Votive candles will burn up to 15 hours. Beeswax candles will burn longer than paraffin wax candles. Tallow candles burn brighter and longer than wax candles and produce less smoke but have a less pleasing odor.
CANNED HEAT: Stores easily and can be used indoors. A 7-ounce can burns about 1-1/2 hours. It will evaporate over time, especially if stored in a warm environment. A homemade fuel can made with cardboard or newspaper covered with paraffin in a tuna can will burn hot and clean for 1 to 2 hours.
FLASHLIGHT: A 2-battery flashlight with new batteries will run continuously for 6 hours. Store in a cool area. Many brands of batteries now have expiration dates on the package. Do not turn on a flashlight if a ruptured gas line is a possibility.
BATTERIES: Store in a cool, dry place and use by the expiration date on the package. Alkaline batteries store for 5 to 10 years when stored in good conditions. Lithium batteries will store for 10 to 20 years depending on the battery.
VEGETABLE OIL: Emergency candles can be made from vegetable oil. Lay one end of a piece of string in a dish of vegetable oil and allow the other end to hang over the edge of the dish. Light the dry end. Use 7 to 8 strings for more light. These are very smoky and should be used only when nothing else is available.
OLIVE OIL: Olive oil burns bright, long, and smoke-free. It has a high flash point, so it is not very flammable if a lamp is knocked over. A lamp can be made from a canning jar and a wire to hold a cotton string wick.
LAMP OIL (liquid paraffin): Ultra Pure lamp oil burns longer and cleaner than regular lamp oil. It is sootless, smokeless, odorless, and the cleanest burning fuel, but one of the most expensive. Liquid paraffin burns 1/2 ounce per hour, on average, and can be used indoors. Store at or near room temperature for an indefinite shelf life. Protect from freezing. Frozen oil that defrosts too quickly is explosive.
NEWSPAPER LOGS: Four tightly rolled logs (about 4-inch diameter) burn approximately 1 hour and produce heat comparable to the same amount of wood on a pound-for-pound basis.
CHARCOAL: Use for outdoor cooking only. Store in moisture resistant containers to keep dry. For Dutch oven cooking, use the oven size in inches plus 3 briquettes on top and the oven size in inches minus 3 briquettes on the bottom for 350 – 375oF heat. Shelf life is indefinite when stored cool and dry.
KEROSENE: With a 1″ wick, a kerosene lantern will burn for 45 hours on 1 quart of kerosene. Burning 5 hours each day, the following amounts of kerosene would be used: Per day, 1/9 quart; per month, 3-1/3 quarts; per year, 10 gallons. Kerosene is one of the least expensive liquid fuels. It stores for long periods and can be used indoors with good ventilation. To avoid the kerosene smell, start and extinguish lanterns outside.
WHITE GAS (Coleman fuel): To burn a two-mantel lantern 5 hours a day, the following amounts of white gas would be used: Per day 5/12 quart; per month, 3-1/8 gallons; per year, 38 gallons. For a two-burner stove burning 4 hours per day, the following amounts would be used: Per day, 1 quart; per month, 7-1/2 gallons; per year, 91 gallons. White gas is the most costly and should always be used outdoors. It should not be stored in the home. An unopened container of Coleman Fuel stored in a dry area without rapid extreme temperature changes will store 5 to 7 years. An opened container should be used within a year.
PROPANE: Propane is very portable. It may be used indoors with good ventilation IF the equipment is made for indoor use. Propane grills and camp stoves should be used only outdoors. A double mantel propane lantern gives off the same amount of light as two 100-watt incandescent bulbs. Propane should be stored outdoors and is better than butane for use in low temperatures. Check local laws for where and how much propane can be stored on your property. Propane will store indefinitely.
BUTANE: Butane is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) like propane but is a more efficient fuel than propane. It can be used indoors with good ventilation and is safe to store indoors. Butane lighters are good for lighting flames in equipment and fireplaces. One butane canister will last 80 minutes to 3 hours depending on how high the stove setting is.
GASOLINE: Fire codes and homeowner’s association restrictions limit how much gasoline you can store on your property. Gasoline should be stored in the garage or a shed, out of direct sunlight, out of the reach of children, and at least 50 feet away from pilot lights and ignition sources. Store in 5-gallon containers, or smaller, that are approved for gasoline storage. Fill containers no more than 95% full to allow for expansion. Keep the cap tight. Add a fuel stabilizer to store gasoline for a year.
WOOD: Hardwoods (such as oak, hickory, ash, maple, and walnut) and fruitwoods (such as apple, pear, plum, cherry, and citrus) burn better and longer than softwoods and will decrease the amount of wood needed. Resinous woods, such as pine, cedar, and spruce, burn hot and fast creating creosote. Use those woods only as fire starters. The best firewood has been dried or seasoned for at least one year and will burn hot and clean. A cord of hardwood is 128 cubic feet or 4x4x8 (or 8x8x2) and weighs about two tons when dry. Wood should be stored off the ground to permit air circulation (stack it on some 2×4’s), covered, and somewhere other than directly against the house. It should be restacked every 5 years, if it is not used, to prevent debris buildup and spontaneous combustion.
COAL: Pound for pound, coal produces more heat energy than wood. Coal is best stored in the dark away from circulating air. Store outside preferably underground. Dig a hole, line it with plastic sheeting, put in the coal, cover with more plastic sheeting and cover with dirt. One ton of coal requires about 40 cubic feet of storage space. Six tons will provide heat for an average (1500 square feet) home through a normal winter (minimum outside temperature 0o F)1. Two tons, if used sparingly, can be sufficient if there is limited storage space.
EMERGENCY FUELS: Grains, peat, bagasse (the dry fibrous remains after crushing sugarcane or sorghum stalks for juice), dry cardoon stalks (artichoke thistle), manure, rubber tires.
CAUTION*****Do not store liquid fuels within the reach of children. Do not go to sleep with unvented burning devices in your home.
1Gary Hansen, William C. Stacey, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, July 1980, p. 31