5 Alternative Lighting Sources For Your Story

Do you need alternative lighting in your story? So you know what lighting is pipped into homes? Do you know what could go wrong? Find out on this episode! 

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to Writing Rural with Alley. I'm Alley and this is episode number 18. Five non-electric lights. Part one. Do you need alternative lighting in your story? Do you know the lighting system that is piped into homes? Do you know what could go wrong? Find out on this episode. You can find this show's notes and helpful links to learn more, my website alleyhart.com that's alleyhart.com. Now onto the show. There are many ways for your characters to light their home, businesses, tents, or wherever they are staying without electricity. Today we will cover five of them.

Number one: 0:35

candles. Candles are a great source of light. They can burn between a few minutes to several hours. They can be made of many types of wax or fats. They all have a wick. The wick is the part of the candle that burns. It should be made of undyed cotton. Synthetic materials can not only burn quickly, but they put off toxic fumes. Candles have been around since roughly 3000 BC. They have been used throughout all of history and are still used today. I imagine they would also be used in a postapocalyptic situation. They do not produce large amounts of light. However, there are ways to help enhance the light. This can be done by placing a mirror under the candles or placing a reflective metal backing behind the candles. Be careful not to use anything that is flammable or to place the candles close to any curtains or other flammable materials.

Number two: 1:29

solar. Solar lights can be everything from house powered by solar, to solar lanterns or even solar powered flashlight. Solar is a great way to light a home. That said, if you are using lanterns or other things of that nature, if you drop them, they could break. I have had lanterns, flashlights, radios and more break like this. On the other hand, I have also had lanterns that the kids have dropped and stepped on and they still worked. It is far more common for a drop or a knock to break the solar panel than it is for it not to. Another thing to consider is that if there is no sun because of storms or any other reason, there is no recharge. There is also a time limit on how long the batteries will last. Some solar lights also have different light intensity. This means that the brighter the light, the shorter the battery life. It also means, the dimmer the light lasts longer. These would be great for a modern off the grid story. A postapocalyptic story would depend on what the world had for replacement parts. If it is right after the apocalypse happens, this could work. But what happens if it breaks? How will they fix it?

Number three: 2:37

oil lamps. Oil lamps today are mostly kerosene and parfarin oil. Olive oil and fish oil have become popular among some of the Amish today. Throughout history, many things have been used. Some of them include olive oil, sesame oil, castor oil, coconut oil, whale blubber and more. Oil lamps require a wick, and the wicks will need to be trimmed from time to time. Lamps can come with a glass globe, but in history, this was not always the case. Most often, they were used inside of the home, although it could be used in other places too. People did not like to take them to other places like the barn, because they feared catching the hay on fire or the lamp being knocked over.

Number four: 3:19

gas lights. Gas lights are lights that use propane or natural gas. These are built into the home and piped in from outside tanks. These types of lights give off carbon monoxide. The carbon monoxide levels will need to be monitored. Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odorless, colorless gas that is deadly. However, if the levels are monitored, the lights are relatively safe.

Number five: 3:43

glow sticks. Glow sticks are a fun way to light things up. Glow sticks do what the name says and glow. It is caused by a chemical reaction within the stick. Glow sticks that are for kids do not give off large amounts of light. However, they can help find things like stairs or could be placed along a wall to show the outline of a hallway or other room. Many kids like to wear them, and it gives parents a great way to keep track of them in the dark. Some of the things I find, that kids who are scared of the dark do well, even with small amount of light. Another thing is that these are not hot and do not risk a fire. There are brighter glow sticks used by the military and in emergency packs. These work more like a lantern that you can hold. Remember, some glow sticks can be toxic. Read the instructions for any first aid in case a child ingests one. Now for everyone's favorite part. What could possibly go wrong? Well, let me tell you.

Likely to go wrong: 4:44

Your character does not know how to trim the wick of an oil lamp, causing the flame to go out or grow out of control. The wick is what draws the oil up to be burned, and the wick needs to be cared for.

Also likely to go wrong: 4:56

your character drops a solar light and the solar panel breaks.

Possible to go wrong: 5:01

your character doesn't know about a leak in the gas pipes somewhere between the tank and the lights. This can cause the tank to go empty before the character was expecting.

Also possible to go wrong: 5:12

your character accidentally knocks over an oil lamp and it falls and break. This will spill the oil everywhere, causing a bigger fire. If it is spilled on someone, they will most likely end with the character having third degree burns.

Unlikely to go wrong: 5:29

your character is using tea lights and the wax gets so hot it explodes. This happens. Normally the person is trying to make a heater out of them, but it has happened other times. This could cause a fire and hot melted wax can easily burn a person. It is also hard, if not impossible, to quickly get hot melted wax off of someone.

Also unlikely to go wrong: 5:55

There is a gas leak with the gas lights and a spark of static electricity sets it on fire, blowing up the character's home. Improbable, but technically so within the realm of possibilities. Your character is using a lithium battery and it blows up or lights on fire. The batteries can burn for days and some batteries need to be submerged in water for weeks to fully be put out.

This could cause a house fire. Improbable, but technically still within their own possibilities: 6:24

A child character chews into a glow stick and gets the goo all over them, making them look like a little glow monster. Thanks for listening to get this episode's show notes or for helpful links to learn more, visit my website alleyhart.com. That's alleyhart.com. Subscribe and follow for more. A new episode comes out every Monday. Until then, happy wordsmithing.