Aren't candles still best for power outage?

[LEDrock]

I've been using simple candles for power outages, and I actually like them better than flashlights for general lighting. A flashlight (my preference is LED) is still needed when I want to move around alot from room to room, but a candle seems unbeatable for lighting up a room for long periods of time. A 12" taper candle can last for 9 hours! It doesn't degrade with age like batteries, and nothing can corrode. I just appreciate that simplicity!

Does anyone else here still hold candles in high regard even with the big advancements in flashlights that we now have?

[Isak Hawk]

Candles are ok, but can be a big fire hazard if you're not careful. Never leave a candle alone, especially if there are children or pets in the house!

[Coaster]

During power outages I use a hurricane lamp to light the main room of the house we're usually in. We use flashlights from there to venture to the kitchen or to the bathroom.

[glockboy]

+1
In Houston, H. Ike there a few house that burn down because of candles.

Originally Posted by Isak Hawk

Candles are ok, but can be a big fire hazard if you're not careful. Never leave a candle alone, especially if there are children or pets in the house!

[NeonLights]

For stationary use, like to light a room, during a power outage, I prefer candles. We always use them in an appropriate holder though. For moving around, a flashlight is always better IMO

[Illum]

I'll stfu until I can find some convincing evidence of this

[Oddjob]

While I appreciate the simplicity and even the ambience candles provide, I would be affraid to leave one burning unattended for fear of one of my animals knocking it over or whatever you can imagine may happen. Candles should be included in everyone's emergency supplies but care should obviously be taken due to their nature.

[NeonLights]

Originally Posted by Illum_the_nation

don't expect candles to work like furnaces with a low oxygen sensor, you will pass out from high carbon dioxide levels in an enclosed room way before you notice a flicker

if your going to work with fire, open slits in windows across rooms, I did just that last time we sat out an evacuation from a hurricane/flood warning...power was out for a week...

Are you serious? Do you have any clue how many candles you'd have to have burning for how long in a very small (sealed) room to have any noticeable effect on oxygen levels? Personal experience with this?

Growing up we frequently had candles or kerosene lanterns burning, and my wife of 14 years used to sell candles and often has candles burning for decoration around the house. Neither of us has ever experienced or heard of any problems like you suggested. Heck, the gas vent-free fireplace in our living room has a much bigger flame than if we had two dozen candles burning at one time, and it has never been an issue.

For centuries before electricity people used cnadles and lanterns for light inside their houses, and I can't seem to recall any widespread reports of people passing out or dying from high carbon dioxide levels (and no, they didn't leave their windows cracked in the middle of winter either).

[LukeA]

A 9 in. candle weighing 58.3g will consume between 72L and 144L of oxygen in its (complete) combustion. That means it will render between 361L and 722L of air unbreatheable. In English measurements, that's between 12.7ft^3 and 25.5ft^3. In a 10*10ft room, that's a layer of air over the floor between 1.5in. and 3in. high.

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[csshih]

The warmth of the candle light tint makes me want to use them. I get those tea-light candles that they seem to sell for 3$ for 100.

[Lynx_Arc]

I used to like candles but a single 5mm LED IMO is a lot brighter to me and no annoying flickering plus no worries about where to put it so you don't knock it over and burn the place down. No fumbling with lighting on.... with a flashlight!.... lol yes when power goes out you have to find candles and light them with flashlights to use them if you don't carry a lighter.

[glockboy]

Originally Posted by Lynx_Arc

lol yes when power goes out you have to find candles and light them with flashlights to use them if you don't carry a lighter.

[Sgt. LED]

Personally, for me, the point of hanging out on CPF and having lots of flashlights is that I do not have to resort to fire.



Sure if I am freezing I'd light up the fireplace but just for the sake of light I will stick to my Milky Boxter on mizer mode with an 18650. I forget how many hundred hours it will run on low, it's in the 400's. So that beats the runtime of a candle and is safer.

[Illum]

Originally Posted by NeonLights

Are you serious? Do you have any clue how many candles you'd have to have burning for how long in a very small (sealed) room to have any noticeable effect on oxygen levels? Personal experience with this?

When I was young my hobby was collecting candles before I made my way into flashlights. Using whatever allowance I have, I can fill a 14' by 18' room with candles until I'm left with a 2' wide walkway in the middle...this was when I was 8, I'm 22 now

Come to think of it I can't really prove that it could be hazardous, but I do remember I had the worst headaches whenever I might multiple candles in an enclosed room, but I never got tired of seeing fire dancing beside me so I never quit from it. I've always thought it was the CO/CO2 levels increasing, guess not

Either way, leaving a candle burning unattended in an enclosed room is generally a bad idea, I've always been warned that under low levels of oxygen any flame source will begin to emit carbon monoxide, or CO...colorless, tasteless, but deadly. But since LukeA so generously calculated the resultants, I'll edit it out

Originally Posted by NeonLights

For centuries before electricity people used cnadles and lanterns for light inside their houses, and I can't seem to recall any widespread reports of people passing out or dying from high carbon dioxide levels (and no, they didn't leave their windows cracked in the middle of winter either).

I don't think centuries ago people used caulk under doors and windows, uses multi-layer insulation in walls...what I'm getting to is that modern houses are pretty well sealed compared to ones built 10 years ago...let alone 100

[83Venture]

When using candles be careful. One of the CPF senior members died not to long ago in a fire caused be candles. When I use one it is in a candle lantern.

[Lynx_Arc]

I wonder how many deaths have been caused by candles?

[Woods Walker]

Candles are still good. Even better for late fall/ winter camping. I can run a candle lantern inside my floorless shelter and add about 10 extra degrees to my shelter. Oh they don’t need lithium batteries to run all night at sub freezing temps. Plus the tint seem warm.

[LukeA]

Originally Posted by Woods Walker

Candles are still good. Even better for late fall/ winter camping. I can run a candle lantern inside my floorless shelter and add about 10 extra degrees to my shelter. Oh they don’t need lithium batteries to run all night at sub freezing temps. Plus the tint seem warm.

I've got one of those too. I thought about mentioning it, but I had forgotten what it was called.

[carling]

They're not necessarily the "best" but there's something about candles that draws me into using them even with "better" lights around.

[Lynx_Arc]

I remember growing up when you had the choice of candles or 2D flashlights or 6v lanterns or a coleman gas lantern for light when power went out. With LEDs.... the 2D lights run for days instead of hours, lanterns run for weeks instead of half a day off of fuel. There are AA based lights that run for 24 hours or more at more than candle level lighting so candles are no longer an *only* choice vs expensive alternative ones.

[broadgage]

Originally Posted by LukeA

A 9 in. candle weighing 58.3g will consume between 72L and 144L of oxygen in its (complete) combustion. That means it will render between 361L and 722L of air unbreatheable. In English measurements, that's between 12.7ft^3 and 25.5ft^3. In a 10*10ft room, that's a layer of air over the floor between 1.5in. and 3in. high.

I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Indeed, and that is in a completely sealed room which is never achieved in all but special purpose construction, not in a home.

All common building materials such as wood, brick, sheetrock etc are slightly porous.
No normal dwelling has perfectly fitting doors and windows either, and of course the door(s) and possibly the windows are opened from time to time.
Natural ventilation in an aparprently well sealed room will be at least several air changes a day, and often much more.

For long term power failures, candles in secure wall mounted holders are very suitable.
In cold climates the warmth is welcome also, since most heating is reliant on electricity (not all I know)

[Sgt. LED]

CDC
OSHA
Red Cross
NOAA
FEMA

All the above websites caution against the use of candles during blackout's and other emergency situations except the Red Cross, they say right out to NOT use them. I find that interesting.

I guess the government figures we're to stupid to use them safely.
Pardon me, I must now go out and buy some candles.

[Lynx_Arc]

This is an old but interesting aticle on candles causing fires
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/...ore-home-fires

[NeonLights]

Originally Posted by broadgage

Indeed, and that is in a completely sealed room which is never achieved in all but special purpose construction, not in a home.

This reminds me of something my brother-in-law passed on to me. He is a contractor for high-end homes, and had a special request from the homeowner he was building a house for, for some specialized insulation in the house that is sprayed in between the studs, kinda like the expanding foam stuff, only on a much larger scale. Cost $100k to insulate the house this way, and he also had hardwood floors. My bro-in-law warned him this could be a problem, but the homeowner didn't listen, and the hardwood floors started to warp and bow because the rooms were sealed so well and there was no good control of humidity or ventilation (when the HVAC system wasn't on).

[labrat]

Just got the power back after a 2 hour long blackout here in central Oslo, in Norway.
I guess the power was out in about 5-6 blocks around here, but then outside this area all the power was still working.
Seeing lot's of people navigating along the pavements with their cell-phones, and also down in our garage system in the basement a guy trying to find his way out using the cell-phone.
Actually the Surefire E1e with a Strion-bulb and a RCR123 cell was more than sufficient to see from one end of the garage to the farthest corner!
But then it was completely black down there!
No working emergency lights, completely dark.
And looking at the windows in the houses from the outside, most had candles burning inside in their apartments.
And of course, an hour after the power went off, the first fire-truck was blazing it's way up the street, did not see where it went!

[gallagho]

No mention of milkycandles yet? I have two just waiting for an outage!

[jrmcferren]

Candles are fine in my book as long as you can be safe with them. They provide a decent spectrum output. For really long durations either a kerosene lantern or a kerosene lamp would be better due to the runtime. I do have a candle story (close call) that I would like to share.

I was a freshman an High School in a word processing class. Well I went to hand my work to the teacher and I just laid it on her desk. I wasn't paying attention and I didn't realize until maybe a fraction of second later that I laid it right on top of a candle . I picked the paper back up and it was not even charred. That was a close call. This was when the power was on.

[SafetyBob]

4 D M@g bucking 4 alkalines with one SHO MicroPuck with a nice Seoul 3300K P4 led and it runs in excess of 4 days.......nonstop. No more candles for me.

Bob E.

[elmejor]

Originally Posted by Isak Hawk

Candles are ok, but can be a big fire hazard if you're not careful. Never leave a candle alone, especially if there are children or pets in the house!

well safety and careful usage is required in everything, how ever big or small, technologically advanced or not. but at least the usage doesnt give us huge bills, i am 'for' the use of candle

[Cobweb Hunter]

Candles are best if Ma and I are home alone.