Testing the Clay Pot Heater | Truth or BS | Prepping and Testing
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Testing the Clay Pot Heater to see if it actually works or is it a hoax. When the power goes out - it's no time to experiment. Please note - this unit uses candles which are a major cause of house fires. Candles can also produce toxic gasses and should only be used in a ventilated space.
#claypotheater #survivalhacks #diyheaters #candlepower #terracottaheaters #outdoors #heatingyourhomewithcandles #howto #survival #offgrid #preppers
T lights give out around 40 watts of heat so 3 is 120 watts. The flowerpot does not amplify the heat merely acts as storage & radiator.
Absolutely - I heat rocks in a campfire and place them around my sleeping bag when using a tarp. The radiated heat lasts for hours. Well said Roland. Thanks
Exactly. Thick sheet of metal can do the same.
Yes, that is what I have wondered about regarding these heaters. In other words, would not the three candles produce the same amount of heat, or even on the margin a bit more without first heating the flower pot?
Yes but it would go straight up and mostly warm up a spot on the ceiling, where the heat will leave the room. The pot captures that heat and slowly radiates it around, warming the air and objects in a small radius. That's why the thermometer registers a temperature increase. It's quite close to the pot. The room itself isn't significantly warmer, the thermometer is.
In a very small well insulated place, it will make a difference. But it's actually not much more than a hand warmer and a serious fire hazard.
The thermometer measuring the room temp was within the radiant zone of the pot. Another yard/meter away, no significant change would be measured. The only room this could heat is an insulated dog house. They work great as hand warning stations, though.
Good observation about the placement of the thermometer. This was done full well knowing that the system could not be measured in any other way. The final segment of the video was done in a room which is approx. 6ftX10ft. Internal to the structure (no external walls) and the door was closed. The temperature of the room after one hour of the pots radiating heat increase by a mere 2 degrees. (I highly doubt it would be able to increase it any further) This system could not be considered useful to heat a room; however, the test was conducted to see if indeed the radiant heat of this system is enough to generate a difference in temperature. I considered it no BS due to the simple fact that it did indeed radiate heat and it increase room temperature. Thanks for the response, Jeremy. Well stated and well written. The hand warmer idea is brilliant.
@@RGWrighthawks Good video, man.
Yeah, as an engineer, just look at the energy from one candle and how much it could raise the temperature of a room. It comes down to if you have a small room, and little air exchange, a candle will raise the temperature a certain amount, but that amount is likely to be almost unnoticeable. Three of those will be 3 times the energy provided. When I ran my own experiment in my upstairs office, I got no increase in room temperature, even with 3 candles. Did make a decent hand warmer.
I guess you could have 4 of them near you as you sat at a desk, but there are far more efficient ways to heat yourself.
Why are there so many t candle heater videos, people must be stupid, a candle (or 3 or 5 or 10) produce a set but, it takes a set amount of but to raise room temp 1btu no amount of candles will work unless you use like 100 candles, do the test correctly and measure the temp 10 feet away.
BTU's are BTU's, adding a few clay pots does not change that. At most you created a thermal storage device/radiant area heater, not a room heater. Your thermometer was too close to the pots to accurately measure overall room temp, and you being in the room will add heat as well.
you Sir are correct!!! I keep trying to tell people this but ya know how that goes.
Yep, a human is around 100 watts, tea candle maybe 30 watts. So his presence is doubling the heat input to the room.
Hotter due to infrared heat transfer. Idk much about it, but it only took a little graphite to make it hotter.
So I saw a video where a science guy told his buddy to coat the outside in graphite to see if the infrared would create more heat so he did experiments where he got 10 degrees more heat from the graphite burner
You can’t get more heat because of anything. A BTU is a BTU. The only way to heat a space is to produce more BTU’s per hour than the amount of BTU’s being released by that spaces insulating layers per hour. It also takes more BTU’s depending of the spaces volume. A larger volume the more energy it takes to raise the temperature of that volume. Kind of like a small pot gets to a boil faster than a large pot.
I think measuring the room temperature change just using the candles, without the pots, would really answer the question as to whether the pots made any difference or not.
I think the pots are only of use in keeping the heat collected locally - so as to heat up just the person near the pots, not the whole room. Pots or no pots, the candles can contribute X amount of BTU's to the room as a whole, and you are 100% correct that the test results with/without the pots would bear this out.
Take care and God Bless.
You are correct - the candles will indeed heat the room by approximately the same degrees as the combination of Pots and candles. The difference is the heat stored within pots due to the clay. This heat becomes radiant heat and projects into the area in a very controlled manner. This heat will continue to project into the area a minimum of 30 minutes after the candles are extinguished. Due to the numerous comments I have received on this video, I recently approached this contentious issue by redoing the test - I did indeed test the candles alone and then the combination of Pots and Candles ensuring controls were in place to remove any potential questions. Thanks for the comment.
You are correct - the candles alone will raise the temperature of the room by approximately the exact same amount - the difference lies in the ability of the clay to absorb the heat and radiate it. This captured heat will radiate out from the pots for at least 30 minutes after the candles have been extinguished.
Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks science!
The pot speeds up the convection process...given enough time there is no difference except for the soot in the lungs of the person in the room . Strange that the more humanity lives through another decade the more retarded it gets.
Great video; I really enjoyed it. I would like to point out to some of the other folks in chat who want to discuss the laws of thermodynamics that if I were to ever NEED to do this in order to keep myself warm (power outage, whatever), that all these arguments about radiant zone and thermometer placement do not mean much to me because if my fingers are freezing and the room is freezing and so on... guess where my hands are? Yeah, my hands are about as close to that terracotta pot as the thermometer was in this video. You know why? So I can keep my hands warm.
Thank you so much for pointing out what should be obvious. You are so right - I have taught survival for over 30 years and I can promise you that when the stuff hits the fan, you will do anything to stay alive. The pots heat up to at least 80 degrees Celsius - That heat - even if it is not efficient - will certainly keep anything warm that is placed near it. Thanks again for the comment - much appreciated.
A candle is only going to produce so many BTUs. No amount of pots will increase that. You would have the same result by burning the candles by themselves..
Exactly. High school physics
No it is a mass battery essentially. It spreads out the heat and it is a dense mass that holds heat. So you increase the surface area and holds heat longer. It isn't producing more heat just increasing efficiency
@curve5746 a candle only produces so many BTUs.....does not matter if one heats air, water, or pottery, a BTU will always raises air temp the same
It's all to do with precipitation in that the heat exchanger accumulated the heat from the combustion and stored it so that it can be released gradually.
Just like the old electric storage radiators.
@dasdasdatics420 whether a BTU is released quickly or slowly, a BTU will always raise the ambient temperature the same and a tea candle doesn't produce many BTUs
Compare it to just 3 candles burning. Back in the day when cars got stranded in blizzards more often, people kept candles in the trunk and they heated the car up enough to avoid dying of exposure.
I actually remember those days - candles are an amazing heat source as long as ventilation is available. The pots simply contain the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. The pots get so hot they will cause burns if handled improperly. I would not recommend the use of candles, or any open flame for use as emergency heat - people are too careless and too many house fires have been attributed to open flame burning.
@@RGWrighthawks An extra hazard with the clay pots is that if they get really hot, they will radiate heat back down to the candles, possibly melting the wax, then boiling it. If that happens, the wax vapor will flash ignite in a ball of flame.
When I was doing the test - I did indeed worry about that exact issue occurring. I have stated that there are too many possible problems with this "heater" to consider it useful for any situation. I find alcohol burners are way more efficient and safe for use; however, any open flame in a home is a potential for fire. I have a woodstove in my home and have no need for such devices. Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks Thanks for the video!
@@RGWrighthawks You can mitigate this if you add a cooling buffer to the base where the candles are sat. Like a big chunk of stone or something insulating, or sit them on something with water in it, it won't exceed 100C as long as there is water. I'm sure somebody can suggest a better material to act as a buffer to cool the candles but you get the idea.
1 pot on its own works just aswell, and you can also use bigger candles and raise the pot higher and it gets really warm.
Hi Gary, I have not tried the one pot method. It does make sense that it would work. I did not use larger candles as I was unsure about the outcome. I was concerned about the pots cracking due to high temperatures. I will give the one pot method a try. Thanks for the comment.
Me and some friends tried this just got fun. It does not even come close to heating a real small room. You can warm your hands over it after is going for about an hour .
@@Eddie-vf4vx they worked well for me last winter 👍
@@garymorrid2031 how many tea light candles do you go through in one day?
@Eddie-vf4vx never counted tbh, not many, they are £1.99 for 50 in the local hardware shop. Also can get bigger ones that will burn for about 10 hours each, they are £1.99 for 8 I think. So it's very cheap to use them.
The only thing the pot does is prevent most of the heat from rising to the ceiling. All of the heat results entirely from burning the candles. (Conservation of energy) Can you heat a room with candles? Yes, of course you can, depending on the size of the room and rate of heat loss. This also comes with risks of fire and carbon monoxide. It should be noted that clay pots are not the best choice for this as they sometimes shatter when heated. Pyrex or metal would be a better choice.
What if you put the candles under a pyrex bowl [raised off the surface, of course]. Would it radiate heat well? And, would you not need the hole, like the pot has? Thanks.
@@cohen860 Your best bet would be to create a makeshift chimney out of metal vent pipe or something. That would create an updraft that would circulate and heat more air. Still dangerous though.
Thanks. Of course, the glass dish comes without a hole, so that's a problem. :-) But, an interesting thought experiment on how to use tempered glass vs clay pot...@@tomshepherd4901
its crap.. we have done this and it does not heat a room..I dont now where you are getting this from. if you just want warm plant pots knock yourself out but it does NOT heat a room at all!!!
Science is Science - Did you notice the IR Gun - If the pots heat up - they will radiate heat out. I never said anything about efficiency. If you don't like it - Who cares. Again - Science is Science. Radiant Heat - you might want to look it up.
Love the comments from the 'science community'. These are the guys who believe that reducing the carbon on this planet to zero is a good idea. I appreciate your video. Yes, your being in the room added to the heat, but weren't you in the room when you measured the room's temp before lighting the candles? Regardless, good to know that even tea lights can add a little heat to a small room if needed and having the clay pot to retain that heat for a little while after the candles go out is a smart thing. I love science, but I appreciate practical advice from helpful people even more.
You are so right in what you are stating. This was not a science experiment - I simply wanted to determine if this unit was capable of keeping people on the warm side of the thermometer. I heat my tents with rocks which have been super heated in a fire pit. The radiant heat is amazing. The pots do indeed retain heat for at least thirty minutes after the candles are extinguished. The bottom line it simple - if the power fails and your heating system is rendered inoperable, people will resort to all manner of ideas to stave off hypothermia. Just a note - I was not in the room when I tested this unit as I used a remote thermometer to measure the temperature. Thanks very much for the comment. Please be careful if you use a unit such as this - use only bees wax or soya based candles to preclude noxious gasses from enveloping your home.
The candle produces 'X' B.T.U.'s. which would normally rise in the air (convection) and be wasted at the ceiling. The clay pot captures and stores the B.T.U. energy, to be released as infrared energy (radiant). The infrared light spectrum has some very unique qualities. For one, it transmits through the atmosphere with little loss of energy (so it doesn't heat the air). Second, infrared tends to penetrate most materials (rather than being reflected back). To sum up what this means, the infrared transmits through the air in the room and warms up the surfaces of the room directly.
radiant heat from the clay pot ??? Physics tells us the efficiency of a radiant heat source is proportional to the 4th power of the temperature in Kelvin so: pot at 70C --> 343^4 = 1.38x10^10 versus flame at 1000C --> 1273^4 = 2.63*10^12 The flame is 189 times more efficient than the clay pot for radiant heat.
almost all home heating is through convection - the movement of a fluid (like air) over a heated object. Yes, even with radiant floor heating. My bathrooms and laundry rooms have radiant floor heating, I assure you the air is those rooms is effectively heated. Do you REALLY think the heat of convection somehow "sticks" to the ceiling ? There is constant air movement in any room, which spreads the heat around. measure the temperature near the floor and ceiling of various rooms in your home. the ceiling might be a little warmer than the floor. But in the heating season, both are significantly warmer than outside. Of course, a fan would make the temperatures more equal.
The best way to transfer low grade heat, is forced convection over a hot finned heat sink -- just like a cpu cooler in a modern computer. The rate of heat transfer is proportional to the difference in temperatures of the object and fluid (air); and proportional to the surface of the heated object exposed to the fluid. With enough airflow and proper heat sink design, forced convection can be 10x more effective than natural convection. A clay pot is just about the opposite of this. it essentially prevents effective radiational and convective heat transfer. But if you are interested in slowing down heat transfer, a clay pot is hard to beat.
That's the design principle behind masonry heaters and soapstone stoves.
Here's an experiment you can do at home, in a small room, like a bathroom. Get a heat sink from a discarded piece of electronics, and a fan from a junk computer; a 12v power source, a clay pot. and a candle.
#1 put a lit candle directly under the heat sink and have the fan blow air across the fins of the heat sink
after a few hours, measure the temperature in a few places around the room
next day...
#2 put a lit candle under a clay pot.
after a few hours, measure the temperature in the same places in the room
You will be surprised by the ineffectiveness of the clay pot as a space heater.
@@Steven-v6l If you say so, but I dispute your claim of a candle being 189 times more efficient at producing infrared energy. A clay pot has much greater surface area than the combustion area of the candle flame. Once the clay pot reaches full temp it will "outshine" the candle flame in that spectrum. The clay pot also has the advantage of absorbing the entire light spectrum of light the candle produces, as well as the energy from the hot gasses produced from the combustion. Convection heating is great, if there is no loss of the warm air from leaks or drafts
The question i have is, how does this compare to simply burning the candles?
Great Question - The pots capture the heat and radiate it out. Candles will certainly heat a small area; however, it would take substantially longer to move the needle on the thermometer. That said, both methods have their inherent dangers. The pots are fragile and could crack or worse catch fire due to a build-up of wax, as Ian commented. The candles could get knocked over and your house would get warm real fast. I would not use the clay pots in my home unless there was no other choice. This was an experiment to determine - if indeed -the pots could move the needle on a thermometer. Thanks for the comment Chloanne.
The way I heat my greenhouse on the worst days of winter is to make waste cooking oil lanterns with clay pots above them. Dump waste cooking oil into a glass jar, break a hole in the top to pass a wick through (can use strips of old jeans). This waste food oil will burn for hours and won't clog your drain.
@@-whackd That is awesome. I would assume it would make the greenhouse smell funky but if it works - Why not. Innovation is the name of the game.
Does bacon grease impart a delicious flavor to the vegetables in the greenhouse? I'm thinking a delicious BLT without the cost of bacon!!! @@-whackd
Surface area
In simple physics terms it is not possible to get more energy out of a system than you put into it.
The heating effect you will get is exactly the same as whatever number of candles you burn with the only changes being that you will get 'lag' at the start as the candles heat the pots and then you get a tail of some 'extra' heat release after the candles have gone out as the pots radiate the residual heat.
Although, it has to be said, it will make it easier to warm your hands without burning yourself, so they are not a total waste of time :)
Well Said, The pots do indeed retain the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. I did a second test - video online - outdoors and the pots and candles did not function as a heater due to the enclosure they were in. In that test, I used a granite rock and heated it in a fire. The results were outstanding.
the closer you keep the thermometer to the pots the more significant the "heating" effect will be. 3 candles don't have the therm/btu capability to heat a large area home and keep the pipes from freezing. but if you huddle around them, it'll be a bit more comfortable to sit in a heater-less area.
I watched a survivalist use 6 rocks about a foot in diameter in a circle then make a fire in the center. While the fire is going, use branches complete with leaves and made a ground covering. When the fire died out, he put 3 of the rocks on each side and covered them with more branches to make a bed so the rocks radiated heat for the night while in his sleeping bag. Anything to gain a couple of degrees of heat I guess
You are right - A rock the size or your fist will retain heat for many hours. I always leave a couple "cooking" in the fire so I can gather them when needed at night. I posted a vid on this very subject not too long ago. I compared the pot heater to a simple granite rock.
Thanks for the comment. And yes - anything for a bit of heat is better than nothing.
The Laws of Thermodynamics make it impossible for these pots to increase the heat of these candles... because 100% of the candle's heat output is already being released into the room.
Covering the candle with a pot will not increase that efficiency.
The whole concept of using thermal mass to trap heat from a fire, is to reduce waste heat.
For example... only 5% of the heat output from a Fireplace actually heats the room. The rest is vented out the chimney.
Where as a Tunnel Furnace, (depending on dedign), can recover as much as 60% of the heat it produces to heat a room/building, by channeling the hot gases through a ductwork before it gets vented out of a chimney.
Electric heaters & Infrared propane heaters don't have to vent hot gases outside of a building, allowing 100% of their heat to warm the air inside the room... which is why they are the most efficient means of heating a room.
I could not agree more - The pots do not increase the heat output of the candles - they simply capture the heat - store it and release it. A candle burning on its own will indeed help to increase the heat of the space in which it is burning. Couple the candle with the pots and the difference is dramatic - the pots will retain heat long after the candles have been extinguished. This system could never heat more than a closet and it could never bring a room up to comfort level from the freezing mark. I simply wanted to know if the unit did indeed increase the efficiency of the candle. Thanks for your well stated comment.
@@RGWrighthawks
Yeah... the pot & candle function just like an oven.
Where as heaters are designed to release large amounts of heat around them, to warm a room or building... Ovens are designed to trap heat internally to concentrate that heat in a small area for use in cooking.
Great analogy - Thanks @@OOTurok
Last few times I've seen this done, they referred to using the pot as a "huggable" heat source similar to a hot water bottle, so you could warm yourself with very small flames. Not so much as a room heater. But a few degrees can keep you from Hypo, so it's a plus!
Used to use on by my feet while on the computer. Used three tea candles. Just a even 3 degree difference makes all the difference sometimes.
Ive seen multiple pots used also
@@jonmurraymurray5512 I picked up an electric foot warmer on Amazon that says it uses a 100 watts on high. I experimented with tea candles. They don't last near as long as I thought they would. The foot warmer is way better. If you take your shoes off, it's great. If you leave your shoes on, I can hardly tell it is on. It would be kind of awkward using it in an office setting if you are taking your shoes off, though...
My son used them during the freeze blackout in south Texas but used jelled alcohol Sterno that comes in cans for camping . One room only and coverd all windows with blankets . Not perfect but made it bearable .
That is a brilliant idea - no fumes and more heat output than candles. I carry a couple cans of "canned heat" with me when I am hiking during cold temperatures. The stuff is amazing. Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks It was good enough for 3 days of freezing temps . They all bundled up in one room all 4 of them . My house had all the small children and I have a gas furnace water heater and stove and propane generator . We had no power for 3 days when the grid failed . I wish I had a bigger house so all could fit .
It is truly amazing how much we rely on the power grid. I love how people figure out solutions when life gets disrupted. We have power disruptions regularly here; however, my home is heated with a wood stove so the problem of staying warm is handled. I have several Coleman Stoves and Lamps which cover the bases as far as food prep and light are concerned. A good gas BBQ is also a major bonus. It is fantastic that you thought ahead and have a propane generator - Your whole house can be a safe haven for you and yours. Thanks for the conversation - it's great talking to folks from different parts of the world. Stay Warm txrick4879. Merry Christmas!
@@RGWrighthawks Thank you Merry Christmas and a happy new Year . Be well from the border in South Texas .
During snowmagedon in Houston I placed 4 clay pots on the gas stove and used a generator to power a box fan. It kept the kitchen and living room toasty for my family. No way I believe that candles could have produced the heat we needed, but a gas stove throws quite a lot more BTUs.
The radiant heat from the pots is quite substantial. Using a fan to push it is a great idea.
BTW - Brilliant using the gas from your stove. It is truly amazing what we come up with when the power goes out and our everyday lives become a question of "how do we get through this?" Thanks for the comment.
They sell fans for wood stoves. No energy required. They heat up then start blowing. You should look into them for the future.
I heat my house with wood and therefore have no need for this clay pot heater. I do have one of the fans of which you are speaking about and it does wonders to move the warm air through out the house. Cool bit of ingenuity.
Thanks for the comment.
Basic physics says that you get the same amount of BTUs (heat) out of those candles with or without the clay pots. It is just plain BS.
The only advantage this could offer, over burning the candles by them selves, is the pots keep the heat near them a little longer than the candle by it's self, whose heart would rise directly to the ceiling before filling the room.
That is correct - I measured the pots temperature after the candles were extinguished, and they remained hot to the touch for 40 minutes. The pots simply capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner.
the amount of time the pot keeps the heat is directly offset by how long it takes to heat in the first place.
The average tea candle is 352 btu if you burn all of the wax at one time or 80 btu Continuously the average human is 356 btu Continuously so if you think you can heat your house with this you should see how well the pot works on your head you already produce 4 times more btu than the candle the only thing this is going to heat Is a tiny space and keep in mind that you are going to heat the tiny space more then the 3 candles are
This unit is barley capable of raising a very small rooms temperature a couple of degrees - never claimed it could heat a house. Simply pointing out the ability of the pots to retain heat and radiate it out.
I'm telling as many people as I can that this won't truly heat a room but it can keep you from hypothermia for frostbite. I microenvironment built with a tent and insulated with blankets or cushions or even stuffed animals Leaf litter if you're in the woods or snow snow cave can keep you warm. Make sure that you have insulation between you and the floor such as a mattress or a good sleeping bag or in the woods of pile of leaves or cardboard even dry cardboard is a great insulator. If you have a good hot water bottle or Nalgene that doesn't leak you know something warm and that will help get your temperature up. These heaters are great for warming a can of soup making some ramen noodles helping keep you warm while you move around please don't sleep with one on or put it in your tent. They may help keep your Greenhouse warm if that's your aim.
This should never be used in any tent. Open flame and nylon are not good buddies. This unit will only heat a very small room. 50 Square Feet or less. There seems to be an expectation that this unit will heat a house - No Chance. This will only keep a small room relatively warm should your power fail.
everyone should read this
I live Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where winter can easily hang around for 5 months. I have chickens that get confined to their barn until the snows melt. In winter, chickens drink a lot of water. I place an incandescent light bulb in a cinderblock or a clay pot and put a concrete paver over the block and their waterers on top. The concrete heats up and the waterer remains ice free. In extreme cold, the top of the waterer freezes. I later bought a heated platform for water and that works too!
Brilliant idea - The weather where I live is the same, winter hangs on for a heck of a long time. I had huskies who stayed outside all year and I too used a lamp to heat a flat stone which kept their shelter warm. It is amazing how much heat rocks, pavers or pots can retain. I had no idea that chickens required so much water. Thanks for reaching out and the info you passed along.
A tea candle is about 30 watts, unless you make it burn faster, that's all you got, if it's a 5 hour candle, it's 150 watthour, that doesn't change, no matter how fast or slow it burns, but in a small room, that's still something, and 100 candles can save the night, if you don't have anything else, just remember carbon monoxide, it can heat a small room, but you don't want to be in a small room with 100 burning candles.
You are correct - this test was simply to determine if the unit could raise the temperature of a room. It did by a few degrees; however, the room started at approximately 10 degrees Celsius. I have a woodstove to heat my home - power loss is not an issue in my circumstance. I would not trust any open flame unattended. The gases produce by the candles can be quite detrimental to peoples health. I would not use this system to heat a non ventilated space. Loosing power and trying to stay warm is a big problem. I am working on a project which may help.
Best thing to do with a few candles is to heat up a quart of water in a pot, pour it into a nalgene type bottle, place to the bottle in a large sock to protect you from the heat, then place the bottle in your sleeping bag, or inside your coat. I did this routinely when I lived in a cold college apartment. The water will still be lukewarm after 8 hours. Note that buying tea candles for the purpose of heating is quite expensive. I used wax salvaged from previously burnt candles. Least expensive ways (in our area) to heat the water are probably wood, electric, followed by propane. Not sure if a solar oven will heat water to near boiling on a cold winter day, but that would be an interesting use of one.
The use of a nalgene bottle filled with hot water is a great camping hack. I actually carry a rubber hot water bottle purchased from a drug store for that very purpose. It's great knowing you have it with you. Tea candles are indeed expensive and not cost effective at all. I like the fact that you collected used wax and repurposed it. Cool. The best way to heat water is on a small alcohol stove - it is relatively quick and the canisters of fuel weigh very little. It would be interesting to try your idea of using a solar oven - I have no idea if it would work but it would be neat to give it a try.
Thanks for the comment.
Ok. So I’ve been messing with this for a while now..
1. There is a guy on You tube with several videos warning about how his exploded. Problem was.. He too used (only 2 pots) and connected them with a bolt set up through the drain holes as you did. Big mistake. He gets into this whole scientific thing about how paraffin gases build up underneath, which I believe is true. But I believe he is not taking into consideration is that Those holes want to be OPEN. You need a chimney, so I would be very very careful about bolting multiple pots together. As the most recent comment was brought forward, this can be accomplished with one pot, which is the way I’ve been doing it.
2. I am discovering that the best candles are the lowest candles you can get. Tea candles work excellent but you need about five or six of them to create some serious heat (Tall candles lose the ability to heat all of the clay pot). The problem with tea candles is they burn out in two hours.
Solution: Make your own Crisco candles. Crisco was originally invented for the purposes of making candles and soap products. After the invention of electricity, they realized their product could be used in the food industry. I have experimented with cat food cans, and small tunafish cans. Pack them down with Crisco. Use a two wick method per can. This way you can squeeze three cans under there with six wicks.
Why use Crisco? Because it will burn for days and days and days! A typical sauce jar Crisco candle with one wick will burn for a week or more. Also, there are no fumes, no odors, and they are non-toxic, unlike beeswax or paraffin. Crisco is also nonflammable. Paraffin wax is highly flammable. If the candles get knocked over, they’re going to start a fire. All positive points for Crisco!
3. I tested a large clay pot with 7 candles. I use the matching clay base and set the candles in the base. Then I use three clothes pins with the mouth pointed inwards, and then set them on angles with the little notches resting into the outside edge, in the pattern of a peace sign, dividing the base up into thirds. Set the candles in between, put the pot upside down on top of the clothes pins and try and catch the notches. This creates a nice stable base, and it provides airflow underneath, so the candles can breathe.
Results: Since we in the states use Fahrenheit, all my temperatures will be in Fahrenheit. After about an hour, my chimney temperature was 340°F. Actually, I apologize, that was with five candles. I think the seven candles gave me 440° Fahrenheit at the chimney hole. My research says that these clay pots are safe for anywhere from 500 to 800°F I believe the clay pot temperature reached just under 200°F. The air temperature above the clay pot, about a foot to a foot and a half above was about 150 or 160°F.
I have yet to test inside of a tarp tent situation. But I will be on vacation after Christmas for two weeks, so I will be revisiting this!
😎 Merry Christmas!
You are indeed persistent at improving this method. Crisco is brilliant but in a camping situation it will invite all kinds of furry creatures to share your quarters with you. They love the taste. Well done though. I will never use this to heat anything. I simply wanted to see if it was BS or not. Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks I did not give that one a thought! 😡. I have been backyard practicing bushcraft, tarp tenting and general wild camping skills since last Jan/Feb. I plan to get out early next year. Been sleeping out in all temps… down into teens F. I am planning to build my own unique knock down wood stove.. but.. I wanted to try this with a double tarp experiment. But I strongly believe in the triangle method for a wild camp.. 100-200 feet between fire/cook area, bear box/cooking clothes, tent. Beer noses are huge and good for up to 50 miles (reported in California! 😮) I am so heavily cognizant of wild life.. but NEVER gave a thought to the Crisco thing!!
See. Open your mouth and learn something every day. THAT was a good call. Thanks for deflating my plans.. 😂, and quite possibly saving my hide! Lol
@@dobrofool I’ve taught survival for thirty years. What you are doing is perfect. Acclimatizing yourself in a familiar setting is perfect. Next, loose your fear. Hollywood lied. Animals do not want you. They want your food. Never cook near your sleeping area and wash your hands before touching your tent. You’re doing great. Keep it up. Good talking to you. Let me know how you do I’m the bush. I’ll help where I can.
You said Crisco is non-flammable. So how does a non-flammable substance stay burning?
But this would be safe indoors in the event of a power outage with no heat during winter?
The pots MAY actually make a small difference by stopping the hot gas from the candles from just going up to the cieling and escaping the room through gaps in the cieling and instead actually more slowly directs it evenly to the room
That is their only function - they control the heat output which allows you to enjoy most of the candles heat. Thanks for the comment.
A few years ago it got cold..snow cold. Wasnt use to that. Tried the clay pot...and it sucked. To better prepare for next year...i got solar power with back up battery, a heater and thick ass blankets. Winter was a joke. But the tent in the room does keep in heat for those with no power.
That is awesome - it's great to be ready and prepared.
I agree with you totally - the clay pots are not worth the time or effort.
As others have said, the amount of heat being generated by the candles cannot change by adding pots or anything else. Laws of thermodynamics are pretty explicit. What they *do* do, is change where the heat is - if you light a candle, all the heat goes straight up to the roof. The pots hold the heat lower down, where you are, and make it *feel* warmer from the same amount of thermal input, because the heat is radiating from the pots next to where you are.
What that also does, is alter the thermal currents in the room, candles will throw all the heat to the roof, and push the colder air downwards as a draught, which will make it feel colder than it actually is.
The pot heater is a way of using the same heat differently, nothing more.
100 percent accurate. That is why the pots actually add to the equation - they capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner - The added bonus is when the candles are extinguished, the pots continue to radiate the captured heat for at least 30 minutes.
"... all the heat goes straight up to the roof " ... "... because the heat is radiating from the pot..."
1) you need to spend a few minutes with thermometer and a naked candle; and a few more minutes with a candle under a pot. You will quickly and easily prove to yourself that both of these assertions are false.
2) The only thing a clay pot does here is SLOW DOWN the heat transfer from the flame to the room. Read up on "thermal mass" and how it is used in masonry heaters and soapstone stoves. The design principle is: take the heat generated by a short high temperature fire, and release it slowly at a lower temperature.
2 degrees in 4 hours with a Heater going and day time the temps change . to do the test right need a building that has no heat and your using the candle as the fuel . 1 BTU is what they put out 4 candles is 4 BTU even with 100 the room will never get warm . I love wood heat and a good stove you stay warm all winter . Since I live in town I use gas and Electric . But I know Math and science if it was only that easy .
A candle puts out 80 btu learn electric.
@@reneek7721 1 candle is about a 80Watt Bulb your not going to heat a room with a Bulb or 4 bulbs. Unless its a 5000 watt heat lamp that defeat the purpose with no power .
@@JCcanU:
I didn't say it would heat a room but it will keep you warm if you're in a very small space.
Its crazy how these work for some things. Didnt believe it until i made my own. Not going to heat a room, but definitely can feel it when you're sitting at the table with it. Worked well for hand warmer
100 percent - that is the point of this unit - it is simply to keep you warm in dire situations. I totally agree about the hand warmer - it certainly works for that. I placed it on the floor, in between my feet and my whole body warmed up. I used a sleeping bag to cover my back and shoulders. The only thing I must caution everyone about is the fact that the candle wax can melt due to the heat of the pots. I would suggest that the pots be elevated at least 5 inches above the candles to allow for some air flow. Another important point is to use beeswax or soya based candles as they are clean burning with no nasty fumes. Thanks very much for the comment. Much Appreciated.
Pretty sure this has already been mentioned but YOU also warm up the room slighty, even if you're in there for only short periods of time
Clay pots (or tin pots, or titanium pots, or pots made of pure gold) do absolutely nothing to GENERATE heat. Your heat source is your candles. You cannot generate heat from clay pots, only redistribute it. I have read elsewhere that a candle provides about 80 to 100 watts. That's roughly the same energy as my bedside reading lamp.
The pots only function is to capture the heat of the candles and radiate it out in a controlled manner. Without the pots - the heat will be lost to the ceiling.
I use a 1/2 cinder block over each of my outdoor taps, a 6" clay plate and 4" clay pot with 16 gal. galvanized buckets over the whole shebang to keep them from freezing in our occasional freezes. They worked pretty well during the 2021, week long, whole state of Texas freeze up
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Wow - that was some setup - It would be cool to see it in use. It is truly amazing what we can come up with if our backs are to the wall. Well done. Thanks for the comment.
There are laws about these things and if folks had paid attention in middle school they’d know this.
How many ‘BTU’s” are those candles capable of generating?
you are correct, but they change from state to state. Most restrictions are in city environments, which makes sense. Living in the county gives you a lot of freedoms though.
Well @@Dirshaun it matters not if you live in an Urban or rural environment, everyone without exception has no choice but to abide by the laws of Thermodynamics, in this case especially the first three:
Zeroth
First
Second
Once you understand this you'll realize the folly of these candle & clay pot heaters!
What are you the candle cop
It's not about how much heat the candles can put out, but about keeping the heat down where it's needed, not floating up to the ceiling.
C'mon @@AbuMaia01 you can't possibly be serious!
2 scenarios. 1:I pour a litre of gas (oline) on the ground and light it on fire. #2:I burn a litre of gas in my vehicle. Was the same amount of heat produced? Were the results different?
Not sure where you are going with this - The experiment was simply to answer the question of whether or not the unit could raise the temperature in a small room - it did, but not by enough to raise a room to comfort level from zero. The pots simply hold and disperse the heat emitted by the candles. I would never waste fuel by pouring it on the ground.
@Hawksshadow the pots are transducers that is they convert energy from one form into another. In this case, from physical heat into IR radiation.
Very well said - I am in agreement with you. Thanks for the reply and clarification.
Thank you for doing this. I always wondered really work? This winter I worry about war against humanity.
Your welcome - Please be careful when using this unit as it can produce fumes which can cause issues - use unscented candles and ensure you use it in a room which has ventilation.
You will never get more heat than is produced by the candle.
No Guff - It's about heat retention. The clay holds the heat produced by the candles. The pots stay warm a long time after the candles are snuffed out.
No a candle makes only so many btu's
Yes, but the pots reduce the heat loss to the ceiling through convection and promote heat transfer through radiation (notice the thermometer is very close to the pots)...The effect will decrease significantly as the thermometer is moved away from the pots. In other words, it moves the meager heat somewhat lower in the room and through radiation allows you to feel more of it if you are very close.
Yes, this does work. The operative principle is the increasing of the surface area of a very hot surface. The greater the surface area in contact with the air in the room, the more air can be heated. Also, do not disregard the radiating quality of the pots as far as being able to warm skin when close to it. I have a few of these set aside for use in a small room in case of a total power failure in winter. It will keep the room warm enough in an emergency situation, but I would not be using these as a way to save money on my heating bill every month.
It doesn't increase the BTU output of the candles in anyway. However, it slows the transfer to the air around the candles as well as some of the energy is put out as Infared heat instead. Basically, it distributes the energy in a different manner, it does not increase the energy in some kind of amazing wizardry. It's the same with forced air furnaces and boilers, same energy input, but boilers are more efficient at distribution. there are no free lunches with physics.
I don't believe I said anything about magic, or a violation of thermodynamics. Why do you insist on insinuating such?@@efferit11
Hard to believe that this is even slightly controversial. Your original statement is 100 percent accurate. The pots only function is to capture and radiate the heat. I thought this was a simple concept - who knew? Thanks
@@RGWrighthawks There are self-appointed guard dogs of the physics paradigm who have taken it upon themselves to educate all of us poor peasants on the impossibility of over-unity, or as they call it for us idiots "free lunch". It is their sacred calling to ensure the purity of the physics dogma, and to quash any heretical ideas, wherever they may be found. We should be thankful to them for their unwavering committment to their faith, and their kind and loving protection of us, the great unwashed. Can anyone say, Galileo and the Catholic hierarchy? Anyone? Bueller? Ok. Sarcasm mode: Disengaged. 😂
@@NegdoshaManido Very Well written indeed - I am very much appreciative of your input into this overanalyzed quandary. Stay strong Sir of the Unwashed clan. I too, will do my best to stay away from the soap being peddled.
Best demo I've seen.Now will try.Thanks
B.T.U. ONE BRITISH THERMAL UNIT. is equal to approximately one kitchen match. The clay pot just holds some of the heat off the ceiling. This would be better than nothing at all. Don't expect to much out three candles. Average furnace heat for a home would be approximately 11,000 B.T.U. and up.or. 11,000 kitchen matches. Also. Those candles don't burn very clean. Black soot is coming off of them in to the air.
I am glad you commented with a rational statement. The candles do indeed pose a problem due to the fumes and soot produced. The only candles which should be used are bees wax or soya based. This test was simply done to determine how much the candles could heat a small room. The pots only function is to capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner - as you stated. There are too many safety risks associated with this unit to consider is viable.
@@RGWrighthawksI appreciate your reply.
Maybe we need to look more closely at what we are doing.
Assume the candles put out 100 calories of heat. That's it -- no magic trick will turn that into more than 100 calories.
What we CAN do is change the distribution and form of that heat. Rather than having a tiny very hot spot at the ceiling -- where it does no good -- the pots hold the heat down near you, where you can benefit.
Also, much of the heat is converted to radiant heat, heat that passes through air and is felt by those nearby. Left alone, much of the candle heat would be used to move hot air to the ceiling by convection, where it would do little good.
You're not making more heat; you're just using it better.
Well said and 100 percent true. The pots capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. This unit; however, is only effective for warming up a very small area a few degrees. I would never use this as emergency heat due to many safety reasons.
It's a localized heat source, i.e, a space heater. Critics will seek to invalidate it on the BTU capacity of the candles, etc., but fail to take into account _where_ the heat is being radiated. A candle normally radiates some heat off of the flame, but in terms of convection heats a narrow column of air that rises to the ceiling, useless as a space heater since humans normally don't hang out on the ceiling. All of that wasted heat of an open candle, in this heater is here being stored in and radiated from the ceramic in the pot, in a specific zone of heat, which the user would presumably place near himself to help keep warm. Or he could climb up on the ceiling in search of that wasted heat from the open candle flame, but he probably won't bother....
My point? Any criticism of these heaters based on their not being able to heat an entire room, floor to ceiling and corner to corner, as thoroughly as does a thousands of BTU furnace, are invalid criticisms. You would not evaluate an old-style gas flame space heater with the ceramic backing and metallic reflector against a full-on furnace. Likewise this home-made space heater should not be so evaluated. It makes a heated zone, which you sit inside of, and that's it. When you start talking about BTUs or heating the entire room as a criticism of this type of heater, you've already revealed yourself to be talking apples and oranges, and invalidated your own point.
Hello Bill, Very well written and exactly to the point. This unit is not meant to heat a room. It is only capable of heating a small circular zone into which you can place yourself to stave off potential hypothermia.
I am somewhat at a loss as to why this little 10 dollar contraption has caused such a debate. Heat is heat - if this is all you have when the pilot light goes out - I am pretty confident that everyone in this thread would give it a try. Very much appreciated and thank you for commenting.
A candle will only put out so many BTU, and nothing is going to make it more.
Absolutely correct. The pots only function is to capture the heat produced by the candles, store that heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. I use granite rocks to heat my tent during fall and winter camping - it is truly amazing how much heat a rock can hold. The clay works the same way; however, in a very diminished capacity. Note - I would never use this unit to heat anything. There are too many safety concerns. There are many products on the market which are designed to keep you from freezing to death should the power grid fail. Thanks for the comment.
You can't create energy. The candles will only produce a certain number of BTUs.... the pots, or any objects heated will only store the heat and perhaps extend the output after the candles burn out. The pots are only containing and concentrating the heat near your device... rather than allowing the heat to rise and dissipate throughout the room. The pot heater would be useful on a table to warm people sitting around it.
100 percent accurate. When you need to keep warm, this unit is one you would have to hug. The issue is the safety concerns - toxic gas from the candles, open flame in a house and flash ignition of candle wax. There are plenty of products manufactured for emergency use which are certified for safe operation in a home. I heat my home with wood; however, I do own several Naphtha gas space heaters which are put to good use when the power grid decides to take a break. Thanks for the comment.
Is no one going to point out that the only way to accurately conduct this experiment is to do a similar test without the pot using only candles? Also, you probably need to block outside sunlight from entering the room, preferentially doing the test at night.
I guarantee the average temperature rise inside the closed space will be the same. It’s thermodynamics.
Many have indeed suggested doing the test with only candles. The room in which I tested this unit is an internal room in the house - The window to the porch is covered. No sunlight can enter the room. This was not an experiment to determine the difference between candles on their own and candles with pots. It was simply at test to determine the validity of others claims. I have used candles in my home for years and can tell you that the heat is the same, however, it is uncontrolled. I was amazed at how much heat the pots absorbed and how long they were able to hold the heat long after the candles had been extinguished. The heat radiating from the pots was very controlled - therefore providing more efficiency to the equation. I have stated that this unit would be incapable of heating anything but a very small enclosed room. The candles can produce toxic gasses and the risk of fire is huge, therefore I would not recommend this unit to be used as an emergency heat source. Try heating one pot with candles - you will be amazed at how hot that pot becomes.
@@RGWrighthawks I don’t doubt that it will heat the room. My point is that it can’t heat the room any better than the candles alone. Heat is energy, as I’m sure you know, and the candles only have so much energy in them to be converted to heat. Assuming the room isn’t open to drafts and is reasonably well insulated, you are releasing the same amount of energy into the room, thus the average temperature in the room should be the same after the candles are consumed. The room cannot get hotter just because you’re putting flower pots over the candles.
However, I would agree that if you are only concerned with the air temperature in the immediate vicinity of the candle and pot, it will stay warm longer, but at the expense of a lower temperature further away from the pot. This is why I think the idea is bogus for “heating a room”.
Why get the pots dirty? If you light candles without any thermal storage, the same amount of BTUs are being released.
Yes - the difference is the ability of the pots to retain the heat and radiate it more efficiently than a candle.
So, 3 candles for 2 hours increases 5deg.
So call it 40 candles a day for 5 deg.
So, let’s say it’s -5 and we want 15c
So double double double.
40x2x2x2 or about 300 candles a day.
It would not have a chance to heat a non insulated room. The actual test was done at 4:06 in the video. The room is well insulated - R40 and very small - 5ft by 8ft. This was able to maintain the temp in the room. It is not intended for home heating - it is an emergency unit only. No need to calculate the amount of candles one would have to use. I heat my home with a wood stove so therefore have no need for this type of unit.
Guess what? If the candle is heating the pot, it's not heating your room so much.
There is no increase in efficiency.
It's not the same as electrical storage heaters that use cheap energy overnight to heat up and release the energy during the day.
If you compare the cost of the energy produced by burning a tea light (about 600,000 joules for about 20c).
The cost of producing that same energy with daytime electricity is about 2c
So it's 10 times more expensive to heat a room with a tea light (pot or no pot) than to heat it with daytime electricity.
Absolutely - this is a unit which people use as emergency heat should the power grid fail. This unit is too inefficient to use in any but a dire situation. Note - I would not use this unit as there are many products on the market specifically designed to keep you warm should the power fail. Those products are tested and stamped as safe. Try getting insurance money from a provider should your house burn down due to using this clay pot heater. I was simply testing it to determine if the unit could heat a very small, internal and well insulated room. It did indeed raise the temperature by a few degrees. The pots actually capture the heat and radiate it out in a more controlled manner than candles alone. The pots also continue to radiate the stored heat for at least 30 minutes after the candles are extinguished. Thanks for the very well written comment.
The law of conservation of energy, you won't raise the temperature any more than without the pots. It just heats the pots which store some energy for a controlled release.
100 percent true - the pots simply capture the heat and radiate it out. They do keep the heat long after the candles have been extinguished. I personally would not use this as an emergency heater - to many potential problems coupled with the fact that it is simply too small to heat anything but a very tiny space.
Now test it with just the three tea candles in the room on their own without the pots. Ya can't increase the amount of energy from something after all. So all the pots are doing is holding onto the heat that would have been added to the room anyways. Also your temperature gauge was way too close to the heat source.
The Pots do nothing to increase the temperature of the room - they capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. If you are in dire need of heat, you will want that heat right where you are sitting and not at the ceiling. Note - this unit has too many safety risks associated with it - I would not use this in my home. At 4:06 in the video, I move the unit into an insulated room and the thermometer is approx. three feet away. The room is 5ft by 8ft by 8ft high. The placement of the thermometer which you are referring too - was place there because the room is wide open to outside temperatures and I wanted to see the effects of the candles on the pots. Thanks for the comment.
The pot is conducive to heat due to its density so you are utilizing btu w a heat surface. Air does not hold the heat there for it cannot radiate the stored generated btu that will have capability to radiate btu's to other objects due to the pots storage and surface area factor..
Well said. Thanks for joining into the conversation.
It works. I didn’t turn on my heater this year. Only spent 50$ on tea lights for two months of burning every night from 5pm to 11pm. I have two pots. year 2022 my gas bill was 400$ for the month of November. No thank you. Save yourself money and spend 40$ on Amazon and 50$ on tea light candles of 6 hour burn time.
Wow - Sounds great. Open flame inside a home worries me somewhat but if it works for you - why not use it. Thanks for the comment.
sooo, if i need to heat a small room by 3-5 degrees in around 2 hours or so this will work 60% of the time every time.
or, i could just let the candles do it on their own. about the only benefit i can see to this is the clay holds the heat a little longer after the candles go out.
You are totally correct - the pots simply capture the heat and radiate it out to the room. The pots will continue to stay hot to the touch for 30 minutes beyond the extinguishment of the candles. I would stay well away from this as a heater as it is unsafe for many different reasons. Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks i wasn't there for it, but a friend of mine used this type heater in a old mining shack while camping. it didn't cause a fire, he bumped and broke it then burned his fingers trying to move the shards out of his way.
I believe it - I touched the pots about 10 minutes after putting the candles out and could not believe how hot they were. You stated that the the unit broke when bumped, that is precisely why this unit is dangerous to use - a lot of things can go wrong in a quick second. Thanks for the comment PaulC001
4:59 How long will it take to get to whatever temperature that you think is “heating a room”? I guess you can survive in a 40°F room if you dress in layers while covered under a bunch of blankets, and occasionally doing some jumping jacks.
Time to raise the temperature from 60 degrees to 65 Degrees - outside temperature - 40 degrees - was forty five minutes. The temperature in the room was maintained and moderately increased by this combined unit. The pots simply kept the heat from the candles from escaping to the ceiling.
3 candles equals to 300 watts of energy before burn.. this means its the same cost of using 300 watts in one hour on a small heater..
What was the temperature outside ?. Did that rise during the experiment because it could be a factor in the room temperature. Also to be considered is how much of the temperature rise is due to sunlight coming through all that plastic window material. Three candle power of heat would be the same without the plant pots. They only serve as a soot collector.
The first portion of the video did indeed show a screen porch - this is not what I based my conclusion on. I moved the unit into a small laundry room which is located within the house - outside temperature was not a factor as the room is insulated to a value of R30 and there is no outside wall adjacent to the room.
This is shown in the second portion of the same video. The Pots do not increase the temperature of the unit - they simply capture the heat and radiate it out in a uniform fashion. The continued to radiate the heat for 30 minutes after the candles were extinguished.
@@RGWrighthawks They also probably took 30 minutes to get up to temperature. It's all swings and roundabouts. Same goes for storage heaters, which are basically a block of concrete with an heating element inside. Until that mass of concrete gets up to temperature, the heat output rises slowly. The only benefit accrues by running it upto full heat on cheaper off peak electricity, but then If you are working during the day, it is radiating and wasting all that heat while there is no one home to enjoy it, and it will have cooled down somewhat by the time you get home. That is the principle on which these flowerpot heater are working, they are just small storge heaters, and I can't see three tea light candles making a damn's worth of difference in a room bigger than a small toilet.
If you want dramatic results try lowering the pot to be at least even with the top of the candle container, leaving room for air flow
Good Idea - I will give it a try - Thanks
How is that going to produce more heat than the candle can actually emit?
It can't - the pots simply capture the heat and radiate it out in a uniform fashion. The pots will retain heat long after the candles have been extinguished.
Seems to really just contain the heat rather than let it go straight to the ceiling. A way to delay the inevitable and specify its location.
Correct - The Pots allow the person to actually feel the minimal heat produced by the candles rather than it being wasted to the expanse of air in the room.
I had a small office 5x8 and it would warm up about 10degrees
I totally believe it - the room I tested it in is exactly the same size and it raised the temperature by 3 degrees in one hour. Thanks for adding to the conversation. Much Appreciated.
To see if it's bs you have to compare it to just burning three candles without the pots and you'll find they raise the temperature exactly the same amount as when the pots where there.
I have done this and discovered that there was one degree of difference - therefore the same; however, the pots collect the heat and radiate it out in a uniform manner - They will continue to do so at least 30 minutes after the candles are extinguished. The test was to determine if the combination of pots and candles would heat a very small room. One hour into the test the room temp raised by a few degrees. I must say that I would not use this device as there are too many things which potentially could go wrong - the fact that the candles are melting due to the heat captured in the pots - this poses a serious potential of flash ignition of the melted wax. Thanks for the comment.
So theoretically in a insulated room it will work albeit mediorically. But in a emergency situation something is better than nothing.
You are totally correct. That is the whole premise of this unit. When you are cornered and have no alternative, I am sure people will resort to anything to stay on the warm side of the thermometer. There are many different manufactured emergency heaters on the market which I feel everyone should investigate and purchase. This clay pot heater works - as you say, marginally; however, it is, in my opinion, far too unsafe to use. Open candles, toxic fumes, potential of flash ignition and a host of other issues is why I would never advise anyone to use this unless under complete control. My home is heated with a wood stove and yet I still own several emergency heating devices as a back up. Thanks very much for the comment.
This test needs a control where you light 3 candles in the same conditions but without the pots.
The room in which this test was conducted is 5ft by 8ft by 8ft in height. The pots do not increase the BTU's of the candle - they can't - their only purpose is to increase the efficiency of the heat delivery. The pots capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. This unit will only heat a very small area and even then by only a few degrees. This was a test and not an experiment where a control was required. One thing I did notice is that the pots were still radiating heat 30 minutes beyond the extinguishment of the candles. I have recently completed the exact same test and approached it as an experiment - I used the candles as a control and the results were as expected and as you suspect they would be. Thanks for the comment.
If you have no electricity and are burning a candle for light and can confine yourself to a small space, bathroom, it may keep you from freezing
100 percent - that is all this little contraption could manage. The room I performed the test in is 6ft by 8ft by 8ft high. Contrary to what others have stated, this unit did raise the temperature of the room several degrees and could potentially keep it above zero dependent on the outside temperature. We have temperatures of -35 degrees Celsius - this little unit would have no chance unless confined to a very small well insulated room. Thanks for the comment.
We burn candles, one in a room, and surprisingly it will take a chill off the room. But it most certainly will not replace our boiler.
So true - I have actually set a pop up tent in the living room and put a candle in it - amazing how much it will heat the small shelter. The candles also keep your spirits up if the power goes out. I have a wood stove in my home which I use as a primary heat source.. You are so right - nothing replaces engineered heat sources like a boiler or HVAC system.
Question... Is there a difference in temperature by using less pots....I saw a video of people using,1 or 2 pots but never 4...
Hello Sheila, I believe the secret to this is simply heat capture and retention - 4 pots = more retention. I have tried two pots - the temperature retention is substantially less. Thanks for the comment, I hope this helps. BTW - the unit works but I can't vouch for its safety. I have heard of some pots cracking due to high heat. Tea candles are the way to go with this.
@@RGWrighthawks I just constructed one with 3 pots. Kinda big ones....
I SWEAR... It does work. Make sure there are NO holes in the top. Just use a large bolt with spacers and nuts.... Easy.
@@shoedil812 Cool. I’m glad it worked. You’re right, no hole at the top as it lets heat escape. Experimenting like this is awesome as it leads to some neat insights. Thanks for letting me know it worked.
Radiant heat vs convective heat. The overall temperature in the room will not increase. The temperature of the items in the room will increase.
Well Said - the idea of the pots has nothing to do with increasing the overall temperature - it has everything to do with efficiency. The Pots capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner. Note - I would not use this system as emergency heat as there are products available which are manufactured for this very purpose and pose little risk to home or life. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you! Great info!
This is as effective a heater as the "emergency candle" in a car in a blizzard is. It will keep a small space warm enough you won't freeze to death, literally, nothing more. The clay pots act as a heat well after the candle burns out.
100 percent - that is exactly what the pots are in the equation for. I discovered that the pots will be hot to the touch at least 30 minutes past the extinguishment of the candles. If I were to use a device like this, I would have to be in severe trouble with no other options. If it keeps you from hypothermia -even if you have to hug the damn thing - than it was worth the effort. Thanks for the comment
I’ve experimented with this It’s dangerous and should never be used indoors, soot from the candles can build up on the pot and then drop back into the molten wax where it acts like a giant wick, in my case the soot landed half in half out so spreading the fire
I agree with you. The heat retained by the pots melts the wax prematurely - once the wax is liquified - flash fire can occur. I was simply testing it to determine its validity as a heat source. Thanks for adding to the conversation.
That was a fun and interesting experiment 😊
Been done so many times. Still doesn't work!
The temp went up a few degrees in the house. What was the temp outside the house? You forgot to check that.
The real test - part of the same video - took place in an insulated room - R30 in the walls and R 40 in the ceiling. The room is internal to the house and therefore outside temperature is irrelevant. The temperature which is relevant is the initial temperature of the room and any other potential heat source within that same room during the test. The size of the room is 5ft by 8ft by 8ft high - basically the size of a closet. This unit is incapable of heating anything larger and it is incapable of heating a room who's initial starting temperature is south of 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Better off scavenging partially full propane tanks from discarded roadside gas grills and getting a propane heater been heating for free for month or more a year for many years
That is a brilliant idea - coast effective and much more efficient than candles.
I used to heat my crawl space with a candle. No pot.
The Pots only function is to capture the heat and radiate out in a controlled manner. I would not use this or candles to heat my home - too many safety concerns. Thanks for the comment.
Candle = 80-100BTU per hour...so 240-300 BTU...not bad, but not great either...
Enough for a survival situation...who knows...but it will give you that little bit of extra motivation to stay alive...and that is the biggest thing needed for survival...the will to live
That is indeed what it is all about. I personally would not use this unit; however, I do know that when you need warmth, you will do just about anything to get it.
Thanks for the comment.
They can't get any hotter than just the candles without the pot
That is absolutely correct - The pots do not increase the heat output; however, they do capture the heat - all of it - and radiate the heat out in a very controlled manner. The heat from candles alone would be of little use as it would escape to the ceiling and be affected by air currents. This unit is for emergency heating - you would light this thing up and sit right next to it with a blanket over your back to capture the radiated heat. Note - I would not use this unit as there are too many safety risks associated with its operation. There are many devices designed for emergency heat. These manufactured units are tested and proven to deliver safe and reliable heat should the power fail. Thanks for the comment.
That thermometer is too close to the heat source to accurately assess any room temperature. Of course it'll be warmer within a few feet.
The thermometer is indeed close to the heater. The thermometer is actually triggered by a remote unit which was located approx. 5ft from the unit. The room is internal to the house and is 5ft wide by 8ft in width with 8ft ceiling. Insulated with R30 in the walls and R40 in the ceiling. With all of that, the unit only raised the temperature by a few degrees.
Now make an alcohol heater with a mason jar,and copper tubing…. Works 10X better!!!! Especially if you use like 3 in one large terra cotta pot
A candle puts off 80 watts, more or less. Thermodynamics doesn't care if you put a pot on top of the candle or not.
Correct - the pots capture the heat and radiate it out in a controlled manner - it's that simple. The heat would be lost to the ceiling if there was no control.
This method was introduced and encouraged by the British government during WWII when Brit’s were given plans to build their own bunkers. It works amazingly well.
Wow - I had no idea. That is interesting. I would love to see the units they used and how they employed them. Thanks for the information - cool stuff - sorry for the pun.
Yeeeah if you want an honest test of room temp move that thermometer about 3 to 6 feet away from the heater. All you are doing is measuring radiant heat @ 8 inches away from the pots. Real deceptive, slight of hand kind of thing. So as you said kind of BS for heating a room.
Hello - The thermometer is indeed close to the unit in the screen porch due to the fact I had no illusions it would heat any further than that distance. At 4:06 into the video, you will see that I tested the unit in a small insulated Laundry room. The unit did raise the temperature in the room albeit marginally. The mistake I made was not proving the temperature change by showing the thermometer which I took the reading from in the laundry room. I can assure you that there was no slight of hand as I have no skin in the game to prove the validity of this unit. I would not use this as an emergency heater as there are simply too many safety risks involved and there are plenty of manufactured heaters which are designed to deliver safe and efficient emergency heat. I do realize you are trying to call out the B.S. also, so I thank you for that. There is too much of it on UA-cam and I certainly refuse to add to the pile.
Thanks for the comment.
not to mention that we have gas furnaces and electric heat because excessive oil and candle burning inside an enclosed area is hazardous. Look at all the third world engineers without borders style "efficiency" and "cooking" structures. Most of the effort is to get enough material to capture heat from a fire...but the exhaust is always ported outside for health/safety. This type of thing might be a temp warming...but is certainly nothing to attempt as a regular method.
I am in total agreement with you - this unit raised several red flags for use as a viable solution to an emergency situation. There are many other safe options for space heating should the power go out.
Thanks for the comment.
for the cost of all those pots and hardware you could have bought a propane or electric heater lol.
I would not use this system, I was simply curious to see if the combination would heat a small room - they did by a few degrees. I am in total agreement with you, I own several self contained heating sources which function perfectly when the power grid decides to take a break - which it does in my neck of the woods on a very regular basis.
Since this room is fairly exposed to outside temps, what was the change in outside temps during this time? Any chance you are just observing the effect of the natural change in outside temps? Do you have a separate but similar room on the same side of the house that you could monitor as a control?
Great comment - the second part of the same video is the real test - the room in an internal room to the house - not affected by outside temps. The walls are R30 and ceiling R40. The size is 5ft by 8ft with 8ft ceilings. The temp change in the room was nominal at best. The first part of the test was simply to determine the radiant effect of the pots - hence why the thermometer was so close - this was done in a screen porch with no insulation. I did not explain myself properly in this video. Good observation and I thank you for the comment.
Uhhhh... No. Repeat everything the way you did it, only don't use the pots. The candles are raising the temp in the immediate area of your thermometer... the temperature of the candle wick was only room temp when you started too! The heat increase in the room has nothing to do with the pots but with the candle heat source.
You are correct - the pots however capture the heat and radiate it. When the candles are extinguished - the pots continue to radiate the heat. They will do so for at least 30 minutes dependent on the temperature of the room they are situated in.
Due to the comments on this test - I recently did the test with just candles and than compared it to the combination of pots and candles.
Its keeping the heat down by you. Not up on the ceiling. Its not the same as burning a candle.
That is correct - the candles heat simply moves where the air currents dictate - heat rises, cool air drops. The pots do indeed change the equation by keeping the heat right where it is needed - Thanks for the comment.
3 tea candles will produce the amount of heat made by 3 tea candles. The pot makes no difference to the amount of heat produced. In your experiment, the thermometer is next to the pot so the room temperature reading will not be correct
The pots do not increase the heat produced by the candles - they simply absorb the heat and attenuate it.
The pots then radiate the heat out in a uniform fashion. The thermometer was indeed clos to the
pots; however, the unit works off a transmitter. The transmitter was 4 ft. from the heater on the same level as the heater. I can state without hesitation that the room's temperature did rise by a few degrees. I had nothing to prove by doing this test as I couldn't give a shit if the unit worked or not - why - because it is too dangerous to use in an enclosed space. I simply wanted to determine the validity of others claims. I truly hope that you do the same test using the same method - it would be interesting to see what conclusion you come too. Please note - the unit is not efficient enough to warrant use in an emergency situation - it is too fragile and can emit toxic fumes - not to mention open flame in houses is a recipe for trouble.
I'm English and for my British brethren, I have one thing to say.......
You would be better off burning forkhandles......................😂😂 👍
Where are these folks living? Where I'm at, it's 7 below zero, and I estimate it's taking 40,000 btuh to keep things liveable. In my smallest closet, I doubt that would keep you alive.
Hi Curt - At the time of this test the outside temp was above zero. We hit temps of -30 C where I live. This unit would never suffice at temps like that. If the outside temp is above zero or at zero, this unit could heat a very small space to the point of keeping it above the freezing point. It would not have a chance if temps fell to below zero. The best thing I found to heat a small area well enough to be livable (definition required as I am very comfortable in a tent in below zero temps) are oil lamps. several of these placed in a room will indeed keep the room above zero - you will still need blankets and a good wool sweater or two. Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks Survival did come to mind as here in Minnesota we currently have storm warnings, wind chill warnings and blizzard warnings through Friday and it's -6 F.
My emergency heat is 3 22k btu kerosene heaters and 20 gallons of kerosene. The candles wouldn't cut it. I wonder though, yt is full of candle heaters, Crisco heaters and the like. It would be dangerous to count on those here. They'd find you in the spring.
@@curtwuollet2912
100 percent. Kerosene heaters are awesome. That is my backup as well. I make sure a couple of windows are cracked open. I have a wood stove which never lets me down. This candle business is goofy in a house. I suppose it’s better than nothing though. Hello from Algonquin Ontario.
@@RGWrighthawks It might not be better than nothing if you tried to wait out an outage and froze. I heated with wood before I moved to the city a few cords of red oak is good security in a storm. Now I'm on the prairie so wood is hard to come by.
you think that three candles in a house will keep it warm. Where do you live? the equator?
Never did I state such a Ludacris notion. The pots and candles were barely able to heat the test room which is a mere 5ft by 8ft in size. I actually live in a place where the temperatures dive down to -40 F which is -40C several times in the winter. I heat my home with wood and have no need to use candles for additional heat - I was simply trying to determine if the unit could heat a small area - they did by a very marginal margin.
The point of the pots is to condense the heat, so you can fire a pot right next you and be irradiated, rather than have the candles' heat dispersed through the room.
You are absolutely correct - that is the reason for the pots - Capturing the heat and dispersing it in a controlled manner. Thanks for the comment - very well said.
You don't you also include Fahrenheit
Michael - Celsius is used in Canada - For Reference, 10 degrees Celsius is 50 degrees Fahrenheit. 0 degrees Celsius is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. To convert - take the Celsius temperature - multiply it be 2, subtract 10% and then add 32 - You will then have the temperature in Fahrenheit (Give or take a few points).
I'm guessing that three candles by themselves would accomplish the same thing. The pots only work to concentrate the heat to a smaller area rather than dispersing it.
The Pots actually capture the heat and radiate it in a circular pattern. The pots are used to gain efficiency. When the candles burn out, the pots will continue to radiate heat for at least an hour. The problem with this system is the fact that certain candles will emit dangerous fumes - I would not recommend this heater for use in an enclosed space.
The more candles, the more heat. Thanks for the comment.
@@RGWrighthawks The problem is that if you don't use it in a very small and well insulated enclosed space, you basically just have a complicated and dangerous proximity hand warmer you can't sleep around.
It kind of has an utility in very specific and extreme situations. The problem is that this kind of video will inspire idiots to do this on their dining table and leave it unattended, hoping to actually and significantly heat the room. Putting the thermometer so close to a radiating heat source is borderline dishonest (or dumb, your choice).
Of course there are a lot of interesting comments but most idiots will not take them in consideration (and that's if they read them).
To me, as it is, this video is a danger because it's not informative enough and it will likely indirectly cause fires. You won't hear from it. But you may have blood (or soot) on your hands this winter. If you don't care about burning idiots, think of the families living in apartments above them. Please consider editing your video :(
I am in agreement with your comments pertaining to uniformed people - the video clearly stated that it was a test to see if this unit could increase temperature in a controlled environment. The room I chose was a laundry room and it is very well insulated and ventilated. The unit is not capable of heating anything more than a closet space. Regarding the placement of the thermometer - the whole purpose of this channel is to ensure there is no BS associated with it. The placement was within three feet of the unit as that was the most space available. I did a follow up study with this unit in an outdoor setting and in that particular video - I highlight the misgivings I have about using this unit. I am very grateful that you have brought my attention to the fact that there are "idiots' out there who take everything at face value. I will put a disclaimer in the description which should help to point those individuals in the direction of a more suitable and safe heater.
Thank you for the comment.
I didn't believe it either until I tried it out myself
One needs to monitor fluctuations in outdoor temperature for this experiment to be conclusive. Outdoor temps were not even used here. Bzzzt. Do over!
This test was done inside a small room which started at 8 degrees Celsius. Baseboard heat was off. The screen porch where the unit was constructed and first tested was 5 degrees and too large for this unit to have any effect. Hence why I moved it into the laundry room - Outdoor temperatures do not have a bearing on this test as the parameters of this test was to simply determine if this unit could raise the temperature of a small room - it did - however not efficiently enough to be used as an emergency room heater - I will draw your attention to a video I posted - recently - in which I use this unit in a tent outdoors - the outdoor temperature was indeed brought into the equation.
I couldn't find Bzzt in the dictionary - you know that little book which helps informed people the proper dictation, meaning and spelling of any word within the persons chosen language. Question - have you done this test? And if so, please let us know your conclusions. Thanks for the comment.
How did you fasten all the pots to stay put while upside down?
Hello, I used one bolt coupled with several nuts and washers, one for each pot. Sorry, I should have explained that in the vid.
The observer (you) also heats up the room with 100 Watt.
That is correct - I removed myself from the equation and used a remote thermometer to monitor the situation. The thermometer in the video received the readings from the remote sensor which was located 4 ft from the pots.
I tried this but kept adding more pots. Eventually I was able to melt steel and split atoms but I stopped because my cat got incinerated.
Sorry to hear about your cat.