Heating Safely...

Got a couple of tips for those of you needing heat this year:

 1.  Do not use any fuel-burning space heater indoors, e.g. gas stove, grill, camp stove, etc. This is very dangerous when these items are left unattended.  Find a family member or friend to stay with instead.  However, if there is no other option due to inclement weather, etc. if you decide to use these heating sources do so with extreme caution.  Use plenty of ventilation, common sense, and turn them off if you feel unsafe at any point.

2. Be sure any furnaces or wood stoves have been inspected regularly and had any problems properly fixed.  Also be sure to inspect the stovepipe on wood stoves regularly, and if any needs replacing know what type of pipe you have whether it is single wall stove pipe, or double wall stove pipe.  Also check your wood stove gasket to be sure it doesn't need replacing before using it each winter.


3. If you do use kerosene heaters make sure you have kerosene heater wicks, heater wicks come in cotton and fiberglass wicks.  Also make sure you have your manual to your kerosene heater or know where to find one online.  Red Hill General Store has several kerosene heater manuals for your use on their kerosene heater questions page.

4.  If a power outage is not expected to last very long, the best place could be to share body heat with family members snuggled up in bed and bundled in coats and warm clothing.

5.  Another tip is for those that have wood stoves, if your power is out for very long you may have to resort to using the wood stove to cook on.  In that case, use proper woodstove cookware and be sure food is cooked thoroughly as you do not want to add food poisoning to a power outage situation.

These are just a few safety tips for keeping warm this winter.  There are many more, and each tip might vary on your particular situation.  Please share other tips, or experiences with using emergency heat in our comments.

Calling for Snow.

The weatherman is saying that we might be getting snow this weekend.  I can't believe it is that cold this soon.  Seems like the cold snap came early.  Here at Red Hill General Store we are doing our best to stay bundled up and warm.  We are wearing our Carhartt Coats and hanging out near any heat source.  Some of us are wanting to install the Napoleon Cast Iron Wood Burning Stove in our personal homes.  If this winter is as bad as last year's, it might not be a bad idea to have a heat source that is not dependent upon electricity.

Last year the children in our area missed an entire month of school due to inclement weather.  Many people could not make it to work, and those that did spent a lot of time shoveling out their driveways.  Others stayed indoors and baked, read books, caught up on television shows, or just enjoyed the warm fire.  It might not hurt to also invest in some new Presto cookbooks just in case you need a few recipe ideas on those days you are stuck at home. 

What do you do when you are stuck inside during bad weather?

Cold Weather is Rushing In

Hard to believe it is that time of year again.  Time to break out the coats, make sure we have emergency kits ready for power outages, and time for all those holidays.

About those emergency kits, we have a few items that we recommend that you have:

• Car charger for your cell phone.  This particularly comes in handy if the power is out much longer than expected.
• First Aid Kit.
• Flashlight or Oil Lantern (or both in case your batteries run dead)
• Bottled Drinking Water.
• Non-perishable food.
• Manual Can Opener
• Crackers & Cookies in Sealed Containers
• Treats for your Pets
• Battery Powered Radio
• Extra Blankets
• Back up heat source

There are many more things that you may need depending on preference, region (cooler regions will need an extra heat source), and more.  This list is just an idea to help you get started.  We hope you have a safe winter with no power outages, but it is better to be prepared in case of emergencies.

What are you putting in your Emergency Kit this winter?