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ESCAPE POD · 12-13-2007, 09:39 AM

Has anyone tried one of these "Kandle Heeter" contraptions? I'm thinking of trying it out, because I'm a sucker for low-tech solutions. It might be good while boondocking in cold temps, and you want to conserve onboard propane.

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Alumatube · 12-13-2007, 09:49 AM

That is pretty darn clever!

Susan

Wayne&Sam · 12-13-2007, 09:52 AM

A candle (plus your body heat) will significantly warm snow cave, but that's a very small space. I can't see it heating an Airstream. That contraption can't make it any warmer than a candle alone will and I suspect a lot of folks have lit candles in their AS and didn't find themselves shutting off the furnace.

jdalrymple · 12-13-2007, 10:16 AM

Very neat. While I do agree the device can't make heat, it could certainly concentrate the heat made by the candle, thereby making a nice warm spot.

flyfshr · 12-13-2007, 12:00 PM

I camped with a 70 year old gentleman once and he had a terra cotta pot turned upside down on his stove. I asked what he was doing with it and he said he heats it up from the burner slowly and just before going to bed, he would turn off his burner. The pot would give off the radiant heat it had absorbed and keep his camper warm for hours. I plan on trying this when camping over new year's. If a candle will take the edge off, then this would really give off some heat.

Brad
FF

Foiled Again · 12-13-2007, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyfshr

I camped with a 70 year old gentleman once and he had a terra cotta pot turned upside down on his stove. I asked what he was doing with it and he said he heats it up from the burner slowly and just before going to bed, he would turn off his burner. The pot would give off the radiant heat it had absorbed and keep his camper warm for hours. I plan on trying this when camping over new year's. If a candle will take the edge off, then this would really give off some heat.

Brad
FF

Let us know how it works out.

Paula

Alumatube · 12-13-2007, 01:18 PM

Well, you know SoldierMedic smokes meat in a terra cotta flowerpot and it does AWESOMELY!!!

I think that info is in the portable grill thread...

Susan

Jim Foster · 12-13-2007, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

A candle (plus your body heat) will significantly warm snow cave, but that's a very small space. I can't see it heating an Airstream. That contraption can't make it any warmer than a candle alone will and I suspect a lot of folks have lit candles in their AS and didn't find themselves shutting off the furnace.

You would be surprised. Get yourself a NEW clay pot from Home Depot. I say new, as it will contain almost no moisture. A single 6" pot will do. Turn a burner on as low as you can get it to stay on. Place the pot, open end down, over the flame. The pot will get very warm and radiate a substantial amount of heat. Much more than the flame alone. Just like a catalitic heater does much better than the flame heating it would do by itself.

Silver Threads · 12-13-2007, 03:13 PM

That is the coolest thing! Well, I am going to Lowes tomorrow to see if I can find me a pot and I will let you know how it works!
Tammy

rseagle · 12-13-2007, 04:09 PM

Has anyone looked into soapstone? It is better than terra cotta for storing and radiating heat. I know that they make pots and cooking boards that can be heated the same way on the stove or campfire and gives off heat for hours.

Soapstone

Jim Foster · 12-13-2007, 05:18 PM

A 6" terra cotta pot at Home Depot is $1.28.

Lumatic · 12-13-2007, 05:54 PM

Just don't forget the CO hazard. It wouldn't be too much fun to leave the pots on the stove with the burner on, fall asleep and wake up dead.

flyfishfred · 12-13-2007, 06:07 PM

The Canadian Mounties devised a candle heater for use in their tents when they were out in the Boondocks during the winter. It's the same concept .
Take a one gallon empty metal container (paint thinner,coleman fuel,etc) cut a 4" x 4" square out in roughly the center(front side), to place candle inside. drill 4 holes spaced equally apart in front ,near bottom of can. Leave lid off place candle inside and light. Works perfect in tent but not enough heat for camper or trailer. candle heater above also would not be enough heat.
fred

dwightdi · 12-13-2007, 06:51 PM

BTU's are the usual measure of total heat quanity. BTU's per hour is the usaual way you rate a furnace or any other heat source. It is also the way you measure the rate of heat lost from the trailer at a specific outside temperature. Our furnaces are usually rated to generate about 20,000 to 40,000 BTU's per hour. An individual propane stove burner is about 8,000 BTU's per hour. The catalytic heater or the stove burner is more efficient at raising the internal temperature of the trailer than the furnace because the furnace sucks in al ot of cold air to flow thru the burner to be heated by the fire and then exhausts that hot air outside after giving up some of its heat thru the heat exhanger. I dare you to hold your hand in the exhaust from our furnaces for very long. All this heat in the exhaust is wasted and does not heat the trailer. The BTU's from a candle are tiny by comparison to amount of heat per generated by our furnaces or heaters. An electric heater that uses 1,500 watts (which can be run off a 15 amp 110 volt circuit) will keep a trailer warm down to an outdoor temperature of 30 F, if the wind is not blowing too hard. Putting a can around a candle does not generate anymore heat than the original candle. Putting a clay pot on the stove does not generate any more heat than the burner id putting out. The pot simply stores some of the energy to be disapated later. If it were not for the steam causing problems of condensation, water is one of the best medias for storing energy. If you heated the water to less than its boiling temperature and kept a fairly tight lid on it, that would work better than any clay or soapstone pot. They sell oil containing electrical heaters that might work pretty well at slowly releasing heat to the trailer after being plugged in during the evening and then unplugged while you sleep. Those 12 volt mattress heaters or electric blankets are also are very effective at keeping just you warm when you go to bed and you are not concerned about heating the whole trailer. In real cold weather, not using the furnace means the tanks are not heated and you could cause major damage.

Fyrzowt · 03-13-2008, 11:00 PM

My wife likes to get a hot water bottle or two and place them at her feet. It seems to work very well at keeping her comfortable and reducing the shock of climbing in a cold bed.
It also keeps her cold feet off of me....
Dave