Alternative to candles in a disaster

[T-Bolt]

An easy and cheap alternative to candles in a disaster are solar landscape lights. Some cost as little as $1. Stick them in the sun during the day and use them all night.

 

[Double T]

Those might work if you can get them bright enough.

I like using candles, you can get a ton of tealights cheap, and reflecting/magnifying the light source is easy enough...but then again 90% of the time we have a candle burning

 

[10-32]

An easy and cheap alternative to candles in a disaster are solar landscape lights. Some cost as little as $1. Stick them in the sun during the day and use them all night.

I've actually bought several of these to recharge AA and AAA batteries.

 

[sloughfoot]

An easy and cheap alternative to candles in a disaster are solar landscape lights. Some cost as little as $1. Stick them in the sun during the day and use them all night.

This is a great deal. Far cheaper than buying candles or batteries.

 

[repeter1977]

I found that these work pretty well. Just like Glowsticks, but the run off a battery, and the are LED so they dont use a great charge. Used them the last two times that the storms blew out the power.
Light Sticks-LED @ Ranger Joes
They are less then 3 a piece, and you can always pick up more batteries to charge them. Although mine still have not ran out of power. I have spares, cause never know when any battery will die.

 

[dudley0]

An easy and cheap alternative to candles in a disaster are solar landscape lights. Some cost as little as $1. Stick them in the sun during the day and use them all night.

I actually did this the last power outage. They worked great for giving enough light to see going to the bathroom or just walking around the house. Lasted through the night as well, which was cool.

Can't read by them too easily, unless just looking at a label for say food content. Got them from a rental house so they were free for testing. Actually planned to pull the panels to toy with an impromptu cell trickle charger or some such.

They are obviously safer than leaving a candle burn all night. Especially with kids, pets and clumsy spouses.

 

[nsolimini]

That is a genius idea, also, I like the idea of a battery trickle charger

 

[Somemedic]

https://www.lazerbrite.com/

These are very simple battery operated led that will last for hours, usually 1 stick has 2 colors and there is also an infrared stick if you're using NVGs. Waterproof, they're like glow sticks but better.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I prefer candles... I've never had any of the cheaper solar landscape lights work well or last a while...

I have boxes upon boxes of candles I've gotten for free... watch church rummage sales, auctions etc... normally there are candles that just plane don't sell and get thrown in the dumpster. The wax from scrap candles has many uses... I use it for fire starters a lot... but I keep the nicer candles for power outages and such...

 

[CathyInBlue]

I think I'll stick to smokeless oil lamps.

 

[Mackey]

An easy and cheap alternative to candles in a disaster are solar landscape lights. Some cost as little as $1. Stick them in the sun during the day and use them all night.

This actually works well and we did this one weekend this July just before our vacation. We were packing and the power went off. We had those things everywhere. Worked great. Ours were LED types from Lowes. They give off fine light.

 

[poptab]

I think I'll stick to smokeless oil lamps.

Funny thats what I thought this thread would be about.

 

[churchmouse]

Those might work if you can get them bright enough.

I like using candles, you can get a ton of tealights cheap, and reflecting/magnifying the light source is easy enough...but then again 90% of the time we have a candle burning

If you remove the globe the little bulbs put out a good bit of light and are not affected by wind/rain etc. This is a good idea as my wife has a butt load of those things.

 

[P-Shooter]

I've actually bought several of these to recharge AA and AAA batteries.

While this is a good idea, be sure to confirm the lights you buy actually use AA or AAA sized batteries. The lights I purchased on sale from Menards a few years ago used a 3.2v, 400mAh battery, which was the same diameter, but about a quarter inch shorter than a standard AA. On a side note, after a year of outdoor use, only about 1/3 of them still worked, and then only for a few hours a night. Different manufacturers, and only using them for emergencies, would obviously have an impact on their lifespan.

 

[LtScott14]

Just bought a few from Wally Mart that were discounted to $.50 each! They are 4th of July sellouts. I agree most don't last more than a year or so. My kitty cat likes to paw at candles till she feels the heat, then jumps down. My wife has to supervise if we have candles lit. Don't want the house lookin like a BBQ, so we are very carefull.

 

[10-32]

While this is a good idea, be sure to confirm the lights you buy actually use AA or AAA sized batteries. The lights I purchased on sale from Menards a few years ago used a 3.2v, 400mAh battery, which was the same diameter, but about a quarter inch shorter than a standard AA. On a side note, after a year of outdoor use, only about 1/3 of them still worked, and then only for a few hours a night. Different manufacturers, and only using them for emergencies, would obviously have an impact on their lifespan.

Most of the new ones I ran across were AAA. Had a hell of a time finding a few of AA ones. I got lucky and found 4 lights that used the 1.2V 2000 mAh. I changed out the batteries with 1.2 2500 mAh rechargeable AA's and they seemed to work fine for the 2 weeks I tested them.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Lightning bugs?

 

[actaeon277]

Little driveway lights and hurricane lantern put out squat for light.
I kept my hurrican lanterns for emergencies.
But, I've switched to several of these.
Amazon.com: Coleman Twin LED Lantern: Sports & Outdoors


Later, I'm getting rechargeable D cells NiMH. To recharge on a genny, or solar panel.

 

[LtScott14]

I also have the Colemans. They work when you rotate the batteries per season, or leave out till you need them. The LED models seem costly, but will try one out and advise.

 

[TB1999]

depending on the task at hand, crank flash lights will work with no electricity, battery power or fire.