Room Heater

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Re: Room Heater

Postby smallhagrid » Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:13 pm

This is a cute idea as long as one has a very cheap source of candles or other non-obnoxious things to burn indoors.

Here's another idea for keeping comfortable if anyone is interested...

For over 7 years I lived in a tiny camper in mid-northern Vermont all year 'round.

My ancient camper was under a portable garage which did help keep things a bit better insulated - but as many will know, camper walls are only about 1" thick and this one was 50+ years old and built of all wood/metal - for summer usage only.
It had no furnace or any heat source.

The main heat for me was a 1500 watt electric heater since it really was quite tiny in there and I don't need much heat.

However that left me olde legs & feet quite chilly when I was sitting at the table (for one) in the cooler times of year.

My 'secret' was 2 things that used together fixed the problem very well.

The 1st was some black leg warmers from the $1 store - added over socks and bootie slippers.

The 2nd was just a $10 electric heater pad (the kind used for a sore back, etc...).
I would rest my feet on that.
It used very little electricity.
Even when it was below zero these things kept me comfortable inside that old camper.

Back to the idea in this thread=>
Another, perhaps safer variation of the clay pot idea might be just to put a 100 - 300 watt incandescent light under pots.

I bet that would cost less than buying candles and would have no open flames or fumes to worry about.

Edit:
I now see this page=>http://heatstick.com/_KanHeet01.htm
Has electric variations, but it is still rather spendy.
I try to make stuff like that for cheap, to avoid spending so much $$$.
smallhagrid
 
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Re: Room Heater

Postby mannytheseacow » Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:10 pm

I've been meaning to return to this thread for a while now... I built one of these gadgets and have been playing with it. Through RMH and other experimentations like this I've come to the conclusion that BTUs is BTUs. Capturing and storing heat that would otherwise be lost makes a lot of sense, but the idea that there is a way to get more heat out of static energy doesn't work.

That's my take, anyway. I've tried a number of configurations with this candle-flower pot heater and not found any noticeable heat production, even a very small bathroom, from a candle.

It looks cool, though! And it's fun to play with! :D
"Knowledge is power. Arm yourself."
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Re: Room Heater

Postby smallhagrid » Sun Dec 15, 2013 2:17 am

Just a quick note on my personal variation of this subject...

Living in Vermont I've been shocked to know too many folks who keep their (usually BIG) houses 75F-80F even in the coldest times and who also whine ceaselessly about the cost of heating...
(All the while sitting around in -20F weather wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and having bare feet.)

I'm not one of those folks a'tall.
Presently (outside) it is 8F here.
Most of the time it's around 62F inside here and I'm good with that.
Of course this requires appropriate clothing - so in addition to the long sleeved shirt, long trousers, good socks and bootie slippers I wear a lightweight fleece vest and stay quite warm.
But with the outside wall only a foot away under my desk me olde feet still get chilly sometimes.

With the dog here my problem is that my usual (300 watt) heating pad trick is not useable.

BUT:
I found a very cool solution to me cold feet - a tiny 200 watt, fan forced ceramic heater made by Lasko called 'My Heat'.
This has only an on/off switch and makes the perfect amount of warmth to keep the feet and lower legs comfortable.

It also cost alot less to buy than the pre-made clay pot thingies and at 200W will cost far less than a typical 1500W heater to run.

Maybe something like this will also be a good way for others besides myself to stay comfortable while spending less for heat.

Happy Winter !!!
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