Asked to do this properly, so here goes. Apologies for diving into the weekly thread before introducing myself.
James, based in Leeds. I coordinate a small delivery fleet, three vans, which is most of what I think about during the week and the reason half my prepping is fuel shaped. Jerry can rotation, keeping the tanks above half in winter, knowing which way I would go if the main roads were shut.
Beyond that I am fairly ordinary about it. Water stored and rotated, a few weeks of food that we actually eat, a decent torch in every room after one bad power cut a couple of winters ago taught me that phone torches are useless when you need both hands.
Where I am weakest is heat. The house is on gas and I have no real answer if that stops, which is the thing I keep meaning to sort and never do.
Been reading here a while before joining. The weekly thread is the best thing on the forum as far as I can tell, because it is people doing small things steadily rather than talking about kit.
Hello from Leeds
-
Yorkshire Andy
- Posts: 10007
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm
Re: Hello from Leeds
Ey up welcome from just along the M62 
Following bon from fuel winter tyres running up to winter is never a bad shout,
For heat a calor gas darlec heater or a Chinese diesel heater are both viable options depending on your home van battery and a stash of diesel id be looking at the heater in a box outside and the 3" hot air hose ducted inside
Following bon from fuel winter tyres running up to winter is never a bad shout,
For heat a calor gas darlec heater or a Chinese diesel heater are both viable options depending on your home van battery and a stash of diesel id be looking at the heater in a box outside and the 3" hot air hose ducted inside
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong 
Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Re: Hello from Leeds
Welcome to the forum, James. Sounds like you've been working on some really important areas. And yes, at this time of year, heating is becoming more and more important. My heating has broken down, for instance 
I need to work on that. I do have two or three backups: the oven, a convector heater, and a gas fire that uses gas cartridges. Plus I could get in my car and drive around and warm up. There's often more than you think!
I need to work on that. I do have two or three backups: the oven, a convector heater, and a gas fire that uses gas cartridges. Plus I could get in my car and drive around and warm up. There's often more than you think!-
Yorkshire Andy
- Posts: 10007
- Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm
Re: Hello from Leeds
Arzosah wrote: ↑Sat Sep 19, 2026 6:21 pm Welcome to the forum, James. Sounds like you've been working on some really important areas. And yes, at this time of year, heating is becoming more and more important. My heating has broken down, for instance
I got new heaters this late spring
2x fan heaters for £4 each in Asda on clearance and think the 600w oil filled radiator was £6 and the 1.5kw one was £10 in b+m ... Just ordered some thermal quilted trousers (army pcs trousers think modern sleeping bag material quilted trousers my last pair looks a tad bit tatty after 2 winters of constant use under my work clothes any time now the price will go upIf your roughing it, Your doing it wrong
Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Re: Hello from Leeds
Hello and welcome to the Forum. 
Two is one and one is none, but three is even better.
-
jameswhitfield
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2026 1:22 pm
Re: Hello from Leeds
Thanks all, and hello back.
Andy, the diesel heater is the one I keep circling. Half the vans could spare a battery and I already keep fuel turned over, so the running side is the easy bit. What stops me is putting one in the house rather than a van. Everything I read says it lives outside or in an outbuilding with the exhaust properly out, and the moment I imagine improvising that in a power cut, at night, in a hurry, I can see exactly how people end up poisoning themselves. So if I do it, it gets installed properly on a calm afternoon, not rigged up on the night I need it.
Winter tyres I will take as a straight yes. That one is overdue and it is not even a prepping decision, it is just January.
Arzosah, sorry to hear about the heating. Having the oven and a couple of fallbacks already lined up is more than most people manage before the engineer turns up.
I will get a carbon monoxide alarm on the list either way. Cheap, and the one bit of kit that is useless right up until it is the only thing that matters.
Andy, the diesel heater is the one I keep circling. Half the vans could spare a battery and I already keep fuel turned over, so the running side is the easy bit. What stops me is putting one in the house rather than a van. Everything I read says it lives outside or in an outbuilding with the exhaust properly out, and the moment I imagine improvising that in a power cut, at night, in a hurry, I can see exactly how people end up poisoning themselves. So if I do it, it gets installed properly on a calm afternoon, not rigged up on the night I need it.
Winter tyres I will take as a straight yes. That one is overdue and it is not even a prepping decision, it is just January.
Arzosah, sorry to hear about the heating. Having the oven and a couple of fallbacks already lined up is more than most people manage before the engineer turns up.
I will get a carbon monoxide alarm on the list either way. Cheap, and the one bit of kit that is useless right up until it is the only thing that matters.
Re: Hello from Leeds
Hello from a neighbour and welcome
You'll enjoy the forum its full of great ideas and before you know it you'll have multiple torches in every room ( read Yorks Andys old posts its all his fault ) and set up for warmth without gas before you blink ...enjoy.
You'll enjoy the forum its full of great ideas and before you know it you'll have multiple torches in every room ( read Yorks Andys old posts its all his fault ) and set up for warmth without gas before you blink ...enjoy.
Re: Hello from Leeds
We are in a 1st floor council maisonette so have access to a garden but are only able to use gas & electric for heating with no real options to add much else. We have plenty of hot water bottles and a couple of the Ocoopa USB hand warmers and plan to heat the person not the room. I have also been looking into the traditional Japanese Kotatsu warming system where a quilt is placed over a table with a heat source underneath and everyone tucks their legs under to stay warm. The traditional brazier is just dangerous and the electric version is slightly too high power to run for any time on a power bank but I could consider the old fashioned option of heating up some (tested) stones or sand in the garden pot belly and putting that in a bucket under the table.