How to Boil Water When the Power is Out or There’s No Electricity

It goes without saying that the ability to boil water ranks right up there among both at-home and backcountry necessities, whether you’re looking to cook a meal, prep the (all-important) morning coffee or tea, or purify water for drinking.

An electric stove or coffeemaker sure makes the process easy, but what do you do when the power’s out or when you’re deep in the wilderness with no access to electricity? To many folks, the answer may seem obvious. But we actually get asked this fairly often, "What about if the power is out at home?" Well, whether it’s a weekend backpacking trip or a genuine survival situation, you’ve got plenty of options for heating up your water.

With help from some of our past Mountain House Ambassadors and the #mhjusaddh2o hashtag, we’ve compiled a list of ways to heat water without electricity: using primal, millennia-old technology as well as fancy, new gadgetry.

Methods for Heating and Boiling Water Without Electricity

Knowing how to heat or boil water without electricity is actually a survival skill that’s important for everyone to learn, not just preppers or backcountry enthusiasts. In the event of a natural disaster, having the ability to safely produce hot water will help with vital tasks including cooking food, purifying drinking water, and even maintaining hygiene. Here are six methods for heating water without electricity: 

Camp Stoves

A camp stove works by using portable fuel sources to produce a controlled flame. When ignited, the flame heats up the pot or kettle placed on the stove, transferring heat to the water and causing it to boil. A backpacking stove is a reliable backup for heating water when a power outage renders your kitchen stove and microwave useless. They tend to be easy to use, lightweight, and easy to pack which is why a camp stove is a great tool to stash in that bug-out bag of yours.

From a canister stove using pressurized propane and butane to a slim white-gas stove, there’s an extensive selection of portable stove options to choose from. Canister or liquid fuel? Twig- or tablet-burning? Popular options include: 

• Homemade alcohol stoves

• JetBoil stoves

• Esbit stoves

The sorts of outdoor recreation you plan to pursue and your budget will help you whittle down the options to the perfect model for your purposes. 

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Boil Water Over a Fire

You can, of course, go old school and boil water right over a campfire. To do this, place water in a pot and suspend the pot by a tripod or center pole, place it on a grate above the flames, or set it directly on hot coals to heat it up. If the power goes out and you’re in a situation where a contained fire can be built, this method provides an effective way to heat up water.

This tried-and-true approach is the one that many of our Mountain House ambassadors favor when out camping, and we'd wager most people would agree it's the most intrinsically satisfying and romantic.

Use a Grill

It’s obviously not the most efficient use of resources, but in a pinch, you can boil water over a propane or charcoal grill—a good choice in the event of an extended power outage. (Don't forget: This should only be done outdoors.) Place a heat-safe pot or kettle with water on the grill grate over the flame or hot coals. Close the grill lid to trap heat, and allow the water to come to a boil, checking periodically. 

Woodstove/Fireplace

A woodstove or fireplace can be a lifesaver during a power outage, and not only as a general source of heat. You can also boil water as you would over a campfire, with the pot placed atop a woodstove, or via the built-in water reservoirs some models include.

Gas Stove

When a storm, blackout, or some other event robs your home of power, you can still boil water without electricity over a gas stove that uses standing pilots by lighting the stove top burners with a match. Once the burners are lit, place the heat-safe pot or kettle with water on top of the burner and proceed with the water-boiling process as usual. 

Other Methods 

From specially engineered solar-cooker thermoses to (patiently and safely) using tealight candles for the purpose, there are many other ways to heat water without electricity. Just be super careful about minimizing the risk of flare-ups, asphyxiation, and other everyday perils of fuel and open flames.

What to Eat When There’s No Electricity

When there’s no electricity in sight, food is often a top concern. It’s good to have items like freeze-dried meals, pasta or rice, dehydrated fruits and meats, nut butters, and canned goods on hand to help get the nutrients you need.

Our Mountain House freeze-dried meals are extremely easy to prepare (just add water) and even more easy to enjoy (totally mouth-watering). Though preparing with boiling water is the recommended method, if for whatever reason you can’t obtain hot water via any of the above methods, you can certainly still prepare our Mountain House morsels. Both room temperature and cold water will work to rehydrate the food, but keep in mind it’ll take upwards of twice as long as the cooking time that's printed on the package.

Additional Camping/Prepping Tips

While we’re on the subject of ways to heat water without electricity, we might as well offer some of the other related resources we’ve assembled here at the Mountain House blog, right?

• Check out this step-by-step lesson on starting an emergency fire.

• Learn about the effects of altitude on boiling water and how much lower the temperature needs to be when you’re higher up. 

• Has all this talk about power outages got you a little edgy? Have no fear: Check out Mountain House’s guide to planning for these inevitabilities.

• Our Mountain House Ambassadors, both past and present, are fonts of great information given all their experience in the great outdoors and their resourceful—and often insanely creative—prepping strategies. For example, they’ve got some awesome insights into properly assembling a bug-out bag.

• Learn a little bit more about the freeze-drying process we use here at Mountain House and how we make the longest-lasting, best-tasting just-add-water camping and survival foods in the industry.

Whether you're at home during a power outage or out in the wilderness with no access to electricity, having a reliable method to boil water can make all the difference. 

Mountain House meals are perfect for these situations—not only are they easy to prepare with just a small amount of boiling water, but they can also be made with room-temperature water in a pinch.