# Candle Clay Pot Radiator



## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Better than shivering?












> If you live in an apartment, or a house that doesn't have a fireplace or wood burning stove, winter power outages can quickly turn into life-threatening emergencies. When the temperatures start to plummet, you need to take action.
> The first step you should take is to build an emergency shelter, or warm room, within your home.
> Emergency Candle Heater: Building a Single Candle Clay Pot Radiator


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## Dinah (Sep 22, 2014)

I tried something similar to this ... it did not even get warm. Apparently I did not do it right.. imagine that.
I will try it again .. something I can teach my daughter who lives in an all electric apartment in the city. 
I would worry about her with the tp in a can heater.


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## hansonb4 (Aug 17, 2014)

Dinah said:


> I tried something similar to this ... it did not even get warm. Apparently I did not do it right.. imagine that.
> I will try it again .. something I can teach my daughter who lives in an all electric apartment in the city.
> I would worry about her with the tp in a can heater.


Dinah,

I was going to mention something similar. There are a couple of youtube videos that show the same thing.


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## WillAway (Nov 28, 2014)

Any heat is better than no heat.

Even better… put on as many layers as you can including hands feet and head (even if the clothing is not designed for that body part)… then exercise enough to get your body heat up. If you are wearing enough clothes you should be able to keep yourself warm this way. )

But any heat is better than no heat. Even if you don't feel it. The key is to keep the temp above the freezing point. Forget 60-70 degrees. Go for not freezing. People can survive not freezing temperature by good clothing choices. The real risk starts coming in at sub zero temps.. that is where the challenge exists.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

We experimented with this last winter and it does work. It does not work very well with the tea candles as advertised in the YouTubes. But with 4 normal sized candles with a medium to large wick, it does generate enough heat to feel it. I DEFINITELY would NOT want to rely on this as my only source of heat on a January night in Minnesota. But to warm a small room 2-5 degrees, it is a workable solution.


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I agree, not worth the effort. Use the candles for light and get a propane heater.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

To me, this just doesn't make any sense indoors, why not just burn the candle? The heat will circulate around the room, either way.

If you ask me, the clay pot might make a safer or more spread out hand warmer, but the heat that the candles produce is the same with or without the clay pot if you goal is to provide heat to the entire room.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

think about it this way.....would a light bulb become a better heater if you put a clay pot over it? No. 
will a warm clay pot be a better or safer hand warmer than a lightbulb? Yes.


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## Moonshinedave (Mar 28, 2013)

View attachment 8353

Little confused here, perhaps it gives a place to warm hands and feet, but I can't see it supplying any more heat than burning the candle alone. Please explain the thought process here, the heat energy going into the room would be the same with or without the clay pot I would think, what am I missing?


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## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

My guess is that the convective heat that rises from the candle (and normally ends up at ceiling level) is caught and re-radiated by the pot as infrared, creating a (really mini) heater at people height.


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## Denver (Nov 16, 2012)

We built the one that used 4 or five different sizes of clay pots with a long bolt with a lot of washers in between. Never could get it to work like it should. but it was a fun little project.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Here is the theory. I haven't tried it yet but there is a modified version of this that supposedly works much better. Put one of those soda can stoves that burn alcohol or Trioxane fuel bars under the pot in place of the candle.


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## Dubyagee (Nov 9, 2012)

Without some thermal paste to assist heat transfer from the bolt to the clay pot it is still mostly a wasted energy conversion. 

I would used the candles to heat water in an old coffee can.


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## BagLady (Feb 3, 2014)

That's right. The clay pot absorbs the heat. Works the same with rocks around an outdoor ground fire. 
I have a friend who heated his 3bdrm house last year just using kerosene lamps. It was actually comfortable.
This year he has a wood buring heater like ours.
But then, it doesnt normally get below 30 degrees here.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Well, I'm convinced that this is a waste of time if you are trying to heat the room.

But it could be a cool little space heater for slowing down the rising off the heat so you have something to warm your hands and feet on.

Several of you guys have mentioned that the pot might convert the heat into radiant heat. If this is true, it could be an effective way to warm up body parts even if the room stays cold.

In my garage, I have a (radiant heat) 250W heat bulb, it is not enough to raise the air temp but it does provide me with some warmth when I work in front of it.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

Dinah said:


> I tried something similar to this ... it did not even get warm. Apparently I did not do it right.. imagine that.
> I will try it again .. something I can teach my daughter who lives in an all electric apartment in the city.
> I would worry about her with the tp in a can heater.


Something to think about is that it will take a long time for the clay pot to heat up, but then it takes a while for it to cool off. Let it burn for an hour or so, then check it out.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

tinkerhell said:


> Well, I'm convinced that this is a waste of time if you are trying to heat the room.
> 
> But it could be a cool little space heater for slowing down the rising off the heat so you have something to warm your hands and feet on.
> 
> ...


It is a waste of time to try to heat a room. The idea is to take the chill out of a very small space such as a closet not a 8×10 room. This is a last ditch effort for those who didn't prepare to have a better plan for heat when the power goes out. So is it better than freezing? Id say climbing into a small closet with even a candle and a pie tin or the clay pot would be better than nothing.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

Moonshinedave said:


> View attachment 8353
> 
> Little confused here, perhaps it gives a place to warm hands and feet, but I can't see it supplying any more heat than burning the candle alone. Please explain the thought process here, the heat energy going into the room would be the same with or without the clay pot I would think, what am I missing?


Heat rise's right. So with the pot or say some pie tins or a turkey tin the heat from the candles is only redirected. There is no way anything you put on it or around the candles could increase the btu's of a candle.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

What you are trying to accomplish as stated by BagLady and Notsoyoung is to heat up the pot. It will retain the heat and warm up a small space. It's last ditch but still good knowledge to have. I imagine most households in America have the materials to make some variant of this.


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## Dubyagee (Nov 9, 2012)

A lot of ideas here.

Small Wood Stoves for Small Homes


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

One more thought about the "pot heater". While it will not heat an entire room, just the idea of something warm may help calm people. You could always lay a pair of socks or mittens on it to warm them up. Just having a small bit of heat makes a shtf situation a little more bearable.

Think how good you feel when your wet campfire wood finally gets lit even before it emits any real heat.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

It could be magic! I'll bank on the propane heater, but if anyone sees a clay pot air conditioner, let me know.


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

paraquack said:


> It could be magic! I'll bank on the propane heater, but if anyone sees a clay pot air conditioner, let me know.


It is magic click your heels 3 times and repeat.....
please don't let me run out of propane.
please don't let me run out of propane.
please don't let me run out of propane.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Still on first 20 pound tank since Oct. 16, 2013, AZ is pretty good that way.


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Does there exist a propane heater and stove in one?


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

paraquack said:


> Still on first 20 pound tank since Oct. 16, 2013, AZ is pretty good that way.


Michigan is not good that way. I go thru 20lbs in my hunting blind from October 1rst to January 1rst


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Mine is just the opposite, thank God.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

James m said:


> Does there exist a propane heater and stove in one?


I've see the round radiant propane heaters that can be used as a stove top.


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

The flower pot idea is an old trick in motorhome/RV circles although people put it on a gas stove so there is a lot more heat involved. As mentioned it converts convective heat to radiant heat which is arguably better, however with a large flame (stove) and a small box (RV) it can be dangerous. A couple of candles in a room would not be dangerous, it would I think also not be that useful in a practical sense but psychologically it might, and just having a warm pair of gloves would help a lot.

Truth is if you're well fed and properly dressed you don't need a heater to survive.


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