When my heater went out the SECOND time, the other week (I did not write about it but was without heat for the entire weekend as temperatures continued to drop in northern Wisconsin -- brrr), I pulled out my DIY hat and built three different space heaters in my bathroom.
The first is a simple one that residents of cold climates hear about for their cars.
This is today's experiment. It is just a candle in a can. The rumor is that this simple device will keep a motorist from freezing to death if s/he gets stuck in a car in the freezing (or subfreezing) cold.
DISCLAIMER I checked this out in my bathroom and not in a vehicle. My bathroom is significantly larger than the interior of a small car but it has fewer windows. That said...
The concept is simple. Light / heat from the candle is magnified by reflection off the interior sides of the can. In truth, the light was brighter than would have been produced by the candle alone. There was also a nice warmth near the top of the can. However, that is where the warmth stopped -- the top of the can.
Could this little device save the life of a single person trapped in a cold vehicle? Maybe just barely if the person held the warm can next to their chest. But I think keeping an emergency blanket or two in the vehicle would likely yield better life-saving results. As for myself, I have both a blanket and a can/candle/lighter combination in my vehicle for a possible emergency situation. I figure it is better to be safe than sorry.
Is this a good DIY space heater solution for a bathroom? No. It did produce a nice glow, however, and might be a good emergency lighting solution.
The second is one I heard about a few years back that involves two clay pots and a tea light candle.
The third is a miniaturized modification of a rocket mass heater.
I am still working on making this function better and hope to post updates later this season. For now, I will post my current findings.
The first is a simple one that residents of cold climates hear about for their cars.This is today's experiment. It is just a candle in a can. The rumor is that this simple device will keep a motorist from freezing to death if s/he gets stuck in a car in the freezing (or subfreezing) cold.
DISCLAIMER I checked this out in my bathroom and not in a vehicle. My bathroom is significantly larger than the interior of a small car but it has fewer windows. That said...
The concept is simple. Light / heat from the candle is magnified by reflection off the interior sides of the can. In truth, the light was brighter than would have been produced by the candle alone. There was also a nice warmth near the top of the can. However, that is where the warmth stopped -- the top of the can.
Could this little device save the life of a single person trapped in a cold vehicle? Maybe just barely if the person held the warm can next to their chest. But I think keeping an emergency blanket or two in the vehicle would likely yield better life-saving results. As for myself, I have both a blanket and a can/candle/lighter combination in my vehicle for a possible emergency situation. I figure it is better to be safe than sorry.
Is this a good DIY space heater solution for a bathroom? No. It did produce a nice glow, however, and might be a good emergency lighting solution.
The second is one I heard about a few years back that involves two clay pots and a tea light candle.
The third is a miniaturized modification of a rocket mass heater.
I am still working on making this function better and hope to post updates later this season. For now, I will post my current findings.
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