Facebook does it again...
Several friends have posted the link to this video recently.
Is there something magic going on here? In one word....NO. I was almost tempted to experiment with the idea until I really started to think about it. Candles can only produce X amount of heat. All this really does is give a little more surface area to radiate off the heat instead of it shooting straight up to the ceiling (it's still gonna end up there, anyway). It might work OK under your desk to concentrate the heat to keep your legs warm (don't kick it over) but it won't do any more to heat your home office than just burning 4 candles on your countertop. One guy even has a website that sells fancy ones. http://heatstick.com/_KanHeet01.htm I really like the electric light bulb versions! All in all, it is a very cute idea but pretty worthless as a viable heater when it comes right down to it. I might have to buy a 100 pack of tea candles to see how many I need to burn in order to match my Mr.Heater Big Buddy on the low (4000 btu) setting.
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11 comments:
Glenn, of the To Simplify blog posted about this last year. I think it is a stupid and dangerous idea.
You get wood chips and shavings for free in town, get a small cast iron stove w/flue and you will be toasty warm in your little cabin for what amounts to pennies a day.
The last I remember you can expect 50 BTU per hour from a normal candle.
How DO you keep warm at the Field Lab when it gets cold?
"Just A Smidgeon" just did a DIY video this week on this subject... Perhaps you will find it, interesting...
http://youtu.be/fNUdQAFo3VA
Hey John, try holding your hand in the flame of the candle and you'll see how much heat energy one little candle can produce.
This little set up would be a nice way to take that extremely "concentrated" energy and radiate it out at a temperature that wouldn't crisp your skin.
Not sure that a couple of these things really would heat a room, but the physics works.
P.S. Did you realize that Thanksgiving Day (Nov 28) will be the 4th anniversary of the first wedding you performed?!
And this will be the first Thanksgiving in 7 years that we can't be down there. Take care.
Caren
Those tea candles are very hot. I guess it's the type of wax involved. Any worries about CO?
As this is out of the UK (presumably) it's noted that the energy companies (particularly natural gas) have raised prices considerably in the past month, while the UK government is slashing public assistance (pensions), leaving many to freeze as happened last winter.
As one politician there is known to say "the government can go around setting fire to other people's countries, but it can't keep its own pensioners warm in winter".
"I was almost tempted to experiment"? It's too difficult & time consuming experiment to prove or disprove this claim? Your assumption is better than a test?
This is the second time I have seen someone on the internet say 'this obviously can't work so I didn't even bother testing'.
You are probably correct but you'll never know because ... No science was needed, a gut feeling was enough.
The field lab should get back to its science roots and leave the assumptions and hocus pocus to someone else. I really enjoyed those days.
Chris Miller - This blog post is all about science. The point is...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out you can't get much heat out of 4 candles.
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