Alternative Heat Sources: Candle Booster Heater

Recommendation points

• Is it possible to distribute the heat from the fire
• How does the “eternal” heater work?
• What can you make a heating device
• We assemble a heat lamp with our own hands
• Operating procedure
• What will be the use of a “pot” air heater
• Application area

Is there a perpetual heater that will never break? How can the warmth of an open flame be disposed of in a living room? How to assemble a free room heating lamp with your own hands? Read about all this in this article..

Simple natural materials in one form or another continue their “life and work” as components of modern formulations. So, ordinary clay has gone from free and generally available raw materials for the construction of the first houses to the nano-component of the composition of insulating paint (liquid ceramic insulation). In its raw form, the walls were coated with it for insulation, then they began to mold and burn them – they turned out dishes and bricks. With the development of steelmaking, they learned to swell clay – this is how expanded clay appeared and a whole section of science – “The use of expanded ceramic materials”. Finally, it was formed into balls with a diameter of 0.02 mm with a technical vacuum inside. And everywhere clay was in demand due to its main property: in the fired form (ceramics), it effectively accumulates heat. This proves once again that everything that a person needs for life has already been invented by nature..

Is it possible to distribute the heat from the fire

Another property of ceramics, derived from heat capacity, is the ability to distribute heat evenly throughout the entire volume (except for the heating point). In other words, if we take something ceramic (like a brick) and put it on something hot (like a gas burner), then the following happens:

• the brick will begin to accumulate (utilize) the heat of the burner flame;
• the temperature will be evenly distributed throughout the entire volume of the brick and will reach its edges;
• heat exchange with the surrounding air will occur on the planes of the brick;
• as a result, the heat exchange area will increase from the area of ​​the flame tongue to the area of ​​all brick planes;
• the temperature will decrease in inverse proportion to the surface area (the larger the area, the lower the temperature).

The shrewd reader, of course, understood that the principle of the Russian stove was described above. Our task is to create the same effective device, but based on a candle.

How does the “eternal” heater work?

When an ordinary candle burns, the following happens:

• air heated by combustion rises to the ceiling;
• under the ceiling, it mixes with the topmost layer.

Due to the large temperature difference (76 degrees), the ambient air does not have time to mix with the combustion exhaust gases, and they intensively rise to the ceiling. A column of hot air is formed, which dissipates at the top. We will utilize this heat using a “trap” made of ceramic domes.

What can you make a heating device

So, to build a “miracle micro-oven” we need:

• flame
• fired clay (ceramics)
• metal

The scope of ceramics is limited only by the imagination of the engineer. In this case, we are only interested in publicly available cheap materials, in particular, dishes. It is not for nothing that in the old days they used clay pots in the oven – they keep warm for a long time. The range of pottery for household use is huge these days, but we will focus on ordinary flower pots. Nondescript in appearance, they will help us solve the problem of auxiliary heating.

The second component of a heater is a heat source. The first thing that comes to mind for indoor use is a regular candle. Of course, there are a wide variety of types of gas and kerosene burners, but cheapness and availability are in the first place for us. In addition, the candle has no expiration date and can be stored in the cold..

The third component is a record holder in thermal conductivity and an outsider in heat capacity – metal. Its property to quickly heat up and give off heat (low heat capacity) will play into our hands when creating a thermal lamp.

We assemble a heat lamp with our own hands

What you need:

1. Ceramic (flower) pots, trapezoidal, with an outer bottom diameter of 50, 100 and 150 mm, 1 pc. In this case, the smaller pot should be lower than the large one by about 25 mm.
2. Threaded hairpin 6–12 mm in diameter. It should go through the holes in each pot. If necessary, drill holes to the required diameter with a drill on the tiles.
3. Washers for a hairpin with an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the bottom of the smallest pot – 20 pcs. Nuts 7-8 pcs.
4. Freeform frame, hanger or stand meeting the specifications (conditions) described below.
5. Optional – fireplace sealant or non-combustible (paronite) gaskets.

Operating procedure

1. Install the pin into the hole of the largest pot and screw the nut on the outside.

2. We put several washers on the hairpin inside the pot, if necessary, fix with nuts.

3. Install the middle pot on a hairpin.

Attention! The outer edges of the smaller pots should be inside the dome of the larger ones at a depth of 20-25 mm.

4. Fix the middle pot with washers and nuts.

5. Set up and fix the small pot.

6. The edges of all three domes should go inward in steps of 20–25 mm. Adjusting the planting depth by adding washers and nuts.

7. If the distance from one bottom to the other is noticeably large, fill it with washers at random – this will give a greater thermal conductivity of the rod.

8. We install the structure above the candle so that the rod of the pin is located strictly above the flame at a height of 30-50 mm.

9. Further adjustment is made empirically based on observations.

Use of gaskets and sealant. Praising ceramics, we tactfully bypassed its most inconvenient drawback – fragility (prickly). Even solid brick crumbles, falling on concrete, what to say and flower pots. When assembling the lamp, tighten the nuts very carefully – it is worth overtightening a little and the wall will burst. There is also a risk of accidental splitting during use or during transport. The hard metal of the stud will crush the ceramics and may crack. Use sealant or non-flammable gaskets to soften their contact..

What will be the use of a “pot” air heater

At first glance, the design is very clear, but it does not inspire confidence. You should make a reservation right away – do not rush to cut out steam heating radiators – our lamp will be an “apprentice”, but not a “master”. The use of such devices in each room will reduce the overall boiler supply temperature by several degrees completely free of charge – and this is already the result!

Let’s carry out a primitive heat engineering calculation based on publicly available data and logic:

1. Wax candle weighing 120 grams (diameter 30 mm) contains about 3 MJ of energy.
2. The approximate burning time of such a candle is 20 hours..
3. During this time, it releases about 140 kJ of energy, which is about 42.5 W.
4. Paraffin candles give a greater heat release effect.

Having picked up the most efficient candle, we can achieve 50–55 W of thermal energy at the output, and this is already 10% of the power of an electric heater of 500 W.

Attention! Fire hazard. The heating element is an open flame. The lamp must not be left unattended.

Application area

An elementary construction based on “cheap” materials will serve for a long time with careful handling. The heater does not require any conditions for storage, service life, maintenance or replacement of spare parts. Simple, like everything ingenious, it will become a support in forest nights or in case of power outages, as well as in extreme conditions.

1. In places where there is no electricity: tents, dugouts, shelters, a car caught in a blizzard.
2. Where electricity is available: small but pleasant savings on heating costs.
3. If you assemble a well-thought-out frame, then above the candle you can hang a small container (pot, mug) and heat water.

Here is such a simple and reliable assistant. It will become not only a warm place in your interior, but also an interesting decorative decoration..