# How do you survive a night without heating. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834 "2012-01-08T17:18:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/21 "2012-01-08T18:18:21Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > But beware of the risk of freezing pipes. I would advise opening cabinet doors in the bathroom and kitchen if the pipes are behind that wall so they will get a little heat from the room. This this this! But if the house (or parts of) is going to below freezing or near borderline freezing, all the faucets need to be run full blast until the water gets as warm as its going to get (thats how you tell you have thoroughly flushed out the colder water) every few hours and or set to a steady strong drip between blastings. Yeah, you might waste a few dollars of water but that ain’t nothing compared to busted waterpipe bill. Remember any pipes that under the floor in a crawl space, or in the attic or in an outside wall can get considerably colder than the inside temp of the house. Also remember you need to blast the hot water lines too. And if any stray Norwegian dogs want in, don’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/22 "2012-01-08T18:21:34Z")
Thanks for the ideas. My problem was that I came back at 10:00 pm after being out from about 12:30 onwards. The system gave up the ghost while I was out and well it being Sunday night I really could not find anything by the time I realised what had happened. I did buy a small blower heater which seems to be ok, If I lie next to it. Its now 11:21. See ya in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/23 "2012-01-08T18:24:21Z")
A few years we had a power outage during a blizzard – 24 hours without power. The house (a big old farmhouse, not a modern super-insulated thing) went down to 58 degrees. I suspect you are overreacting. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/24 "2012-01-08T18:28:13Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Oh, come on! > I’ve slept in nothing more than a sleeping bag, outside, in temperatures in the 0° range. Yes, it’s cold. No, I didn’t freeze to death. Wear long underwear and a T-shirt, and put some extra blankets on the bed. You’ll be fine. Yep. Pull the sheets over your head so you’re breathing warm air. That helps a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/25 "2012-01-08T18:31:47Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Pipes can freeze, but the problem is not the freezing, but the bursting if they are full of water and the water expands if it freezes. You dont’ have to keep the pipes warm, you have to let our enough water so they won’t burst if they freeze. Right, but it’s hard to completely drain all pipes, and doing so will prevent you from using the plumbing. It might not be necessary if the temp isn’t expected to get low enough, and you try to keep some heat in the room. If you do drain the pipes, you can put antifreeze in drains where the traps are, also the washing machine or dishwasher. Alternatively, you could let the water run just a little, continuously, if the outage isn’t expected to be long and you aren’t paying a lot for water. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/26 "2012-01-08T18:33:29Z")
You can always stay warm one way or another. Drain the pipes first thing. (1) Turn off the water at the main shutoff, which is usually where the water enters the house. (2) Open all the faucets in the house, kitchen, bathroom, bathtub, etc. (3) Open the drain valve, which is usually just this side of the main shutoff. It may look like a standard hose fitting, or it may be a small valve on the side of the main valve. Have a bucket handy to catch the water as it flows downhill from the open faucets. Leave the faucets and the drain valve open (but remember to shut them all before you turn the water back on!) If you have hot water heat, either baseboard or radiant floor, drain that system. Again, there will be a main drain valve in the basement, and very small bleeder valves at the high points of the system. Once all that is done, then find a way to keep warm. The best way is to go somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/27 "2012-01-08T18:37:47Z")
You are your own heater. You are a huge bag of meat and your body is burning food and reserves (fat) to keep you in equilibrium. Minimize heat loss with proper attire and you will have no issues. If you want to run around the house in your underwear you’re going to need to make different plans. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/28 "2012-01-08T18:49:40Z")
My husband likes the house quite a bit cooler than I do, so I frequently wear leggings under my nightgowns, and on particularly cold nights I also wear one or two pairs of socks to bed. Many times I wear two nightgowns at once. I have a hot water bottle and a heating pad. You’re not SUPPOSED to use the heating pad while asleep, but I must confess that I sometimes do. I’ve found that if my feet are warm, that my whole body feels warmer. This might be because I have poor circulation in my feet. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/29 "2012-01-08T19:20:46Z")
I had furnace problems on a day last winter when it was about -20 F outside. I just put an extra blanket on the bed and was fine. The problem was fixed the next morning and I went into work late a couple hours late. It was (very!) annoying, but at no point were me or my pipes in danger. It only got down to to the low-to-mid 40’s indoors. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/30 "2012-01-08T19:20:47Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > You can always stay warm one way or another. Drain the pipes first thing. > > (1) Turn off the water at the main shutoff, which is usually where the water enters the house. > > (2) Open all the faucets in the house, kitchen, bathroom, bathtub, etc. > > (3) Open the drain valve, which is usually just this side of the main shutoff. It may look like a standard hose fitting, or it may be a small valve on the side of the main valve. Have a bucket handy to catch the water as it flows downhill from the open faucets. Leave the faucets and the drain valve open (but remember to shut them all before you turn the water back on!) And unless you blow out the pipes with compressed air, or take a wrench to the traps, they will all freeze and burst. Put some antifreeze in them; dishwasher and clothes washer, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/31 "2012-01-08T20:08:08Z")
He doesn’t need to drain his pipes, for crying out loud. Yes, if he was going to let the house stay cold the whole winter then he should drain the pipes and so on. But he isn’t. The house is going to be cold for one night. All he has to do is turn on all faucets to drip a little bit. Moving water won’t freeze. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/32 "2012-01-08T20:15:56Z")
I live in CA, so maybe it’s no big deal, but my heat is shut off every night. I like it cool when sleeping, and I don’t like the noise of the heater. At worst, the house will be in the upper 50s before the heat comes on-- I set it to come back on about 15 minutes before I usually get it. Come to think of it, though, it did that, too, when I lived back East. I remember being woken up each morning in winter when the baseboards started making the cracking sound they do when the heat first comes on. Just pile on the covers, and snuggle up with that special someone. _Body Heat_, baby! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/33 "2012-01-08T20:37:12Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > A few years we had a power outage during a blizzard – 24 hours without power. The house (a big old farmhouse, not a modern super-insulated thing) went down to 58 degrees. I suspect you are overreacting. Me too. Our furnace went down in the wee hours of December 26th, and wasn’t repaired until the following afternoon. No one got hypothermia. Even several days into a winter power failure it never got below the low 50s, and just one day without heat won’t plunge the temperature that much. Space heater, extra blankets, wear layers, and you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/34 "2012-01-08T20:43:29Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > So, my homes rickety old heating system gave out mid afternoon. It is going to snow tonight and is going to be well below freezing. > [@Lemur866](#): > > He doesn’t need to drain his pipes, for crying out loud. Yes, if he was going to let the house stay cold the whole winter then he should drain the pipes and so on. But he isn’t. The house is going to be cold for one night. All he has to do is turn on all faucets to drip a little bit. Moving water won’t freeze. Depends on HOW cold, how well insulated his house is, and how much of a gamble he wants to take. Well below freezing could be iffy. I had a power outage for 2 days in Wisconsin in November once. Slept in front of the fireplace, didn’t freeze my ass or the pipes, but that was Wisconsin. In November. Not well below freezing. Not January in ?. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/35 "2012-01-08T21:21:33Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > But beware of the risk of freezing pipes. I would advise opening cabinet doors in the bathroom and kitchen if the pipes are behind that wall so they will get a little heat from the room. > > Get as many electric space heaters as you can. Came here to say that. I keep a kerosene heater for back-up. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/36 "2012-01-08T21:28:06Z")
We had a December night without power about three years ago, so no cheating by using an electric heater. We put styrofoam over the windows and put on a bunch of blankets. Not fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/37 "2012-01-08T21:43:10Z")
Is one of your multiple layers your winter coat? This helped me when the heat went out in my apartment building years ago. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/38 "2012-01-08T23:38:29Z")
A Mr. Buddy Heater became my best friend here in the great north when we lost power a while back.For daily use I also have a rest warmer and old school (the ones that actually get hot) electric blanket,plus an oil filled radiator that I have on low all nite, as the built on bedrooms get ice cold at nite! ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/39 "2012-01-08T23:40:48Z")
What I learned during a winter in a third-floor walkup in an old row home with poorly insulated walls and balky radiators: If you’ve got a sleeping bag, put it on your bed and sleep inside it. No blanket or comforter ever made is as warm as a sleeping bag. The multiple layers you wear should include as little cotton and as much fleece and wool as possible. A fleece hoodie with the hood pulled up over your hat is golden. (The hood alone isn’t worth much; fleece hoods never seem to have drawstrings, so it can’t be snugged to your head.) Socks are a must, but make sure they aren’t tight or full of elastic; pressure points and restriction of circulation will not help your feet. Fleece socks are great, but be careful walking in them–they give no traction on smooth floors. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834/40 "2012-01-08T23:59:34Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > A few years we had a power outage during a blizzard – 24 hours without power. The house (a big old farmhouse, not a modern super-insulated thing) went down to 58 degrees. I suspect you are overreacting. I turn my thermostat down to 58 every night… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-survive-a-night-without-heating/608834.md?page=3)