Heater from a Candle...I'm not impressed

Like the title says, I'm just not impressed.  They look nice and do put off a little heat but not enough to warrant spending $30 on one.  I think we are just going to use ours as a candle holder...they are kind of fun and do give off a nice glow.

We are going to keep burning them for a bit longer and see if anything changes.  The website did say that they needed to be lit for at least 6 hours to dry out the pots before heat will come off.  We ran them for about 5-6 hours last night so maybe this evening they will work better.  I know its not going to heat the house but I was hoping it would at least raise the tempature in the bathroom a few degrees.

The final test will be in a few weeks.  The main reason for wanting to build this little heater is to see if it can keep the vw warm over night while we are camping.  I'll be sure to post an update with those results.

The building was pretty easy.
 I used the following:

1. a 6", 4", and 2" flower pot
2. a 7" bolt (I ended up cutting off 2" so I would use a 5" bolt next time) You want this to be the fattest bolt that will fit through the hole in the bottom of the 2" pot
3. a handful of nuts that fit the bolt
4. a handful of different sized washers

I ran the bolt through the 6" pot and secured it with washers and nuts on each side. Then I added the washers and nuts in somewhat random order...I only went one or two washers before adding a nut.  Slide on the 4" pot making sure it is pretty even with the 6" pot -I made sure the 4" pot was not sticking out from under the 6" pot.  Add more washers and nuts and then the 2" pot.  Finish off with more washers and nuts until the final nut is even or just shy of the 6" pot.  The bolt should not stick out from under the 6" pot.


I pretty much tried to copy the cut-away picture from the last post...You can try different sized pots or even shallow or deeper pots.  Please let me know if you have better results with yours if you decide to make one.


The first stand we used is just a 6" candle holder we found on sale after Christmas.
We made the second stand from several "L" brackets (4" and 1" "L" brackets and a 4" straight piece)
The third stand is made from left over chicken wire.


We like the industrious look of the second stand best...how about you? Which stand do you prefer?


If you decide to make one of these candle holders, let me know and I'll be sure to link to your post.

To make: Kandle Heeter

I was checking out heaters yesterday over at the tinyhouseblog.com and I stumbled across the above heater.  The company's official name for it is Kandle Heeter.  You can check them out at Heatstick.com for even more information and to see a plug in light version.  The claim is that with this heater, you can heat a small area with just a candle.

When the candle (in a jar...free standing candle will melt and make a large mess) is lit, it heats up the steel bolt/nut/washer in the middle which in turns heats up the ceramic planters.  Here is Heatstick.com
explanation of the heater:

The intense heat of the Steel Inner Core is transferred into the Three Ceramic Modulators, one into the other. The High Inner Temperatures are gradually reduced by the Increasingly Thicker Walls and Larger Surface Area of the modulators. The outer surface of the radiator becomes a Dry Heat Radiating Body with surface temperatures of 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit and a surface area of Over 88 Square Inches. The Heat from a Candle is effectively Transferred into your Home or Office!  Amazing! . .  And it WORKS! If you burn candles, now you can effectively Add Their Thermal Energy To Your Home or Office as Dry Radiant Space Heat!

You can buy a Kandle Heeter for $30 off the Heatstick.com website if you would like but I think I have most of what I need to build one in the garage.  I'll be sure to let you know how it works.  I think I might have some time this weekend.

If everything goes well, I think I will make a few for around the house and might even build one with the light bulb.  I'm thinking a few of these would keep the VW warm through the night.

What do you think?  Do you think you will try and make one?  If you do, let me know how you like it.

To make list: Item # 38