Candle Powered (Stoneware) Air Heater! -w/fan! - DIY Ceramic Space Heater! - 293F+

in this instructable i'll show you to put together a simple stoneware air heater

Step 1: Watch the Instructional Video...

Step 2: Read the Description...

Candle Powered "Stoneware" Air Heater. DIY Homemade "Stoneware" Air Heater is made with bricks, an old crock-pot and a fan. Heats up very quickly and produces warm air for hours. Temperatures approached 300F (with 3 candles). highest officially recorded temp. 293F. constant temps with fan running were near 200F. Stoneware is from a 4.5 quart crock pot. candles are from the dollar store, bricks are from home depot and fan is from walmart. good in an emergency/SHTF situation or for everyday use. (alcohol lamps or other heat sources may be used instead of candles)

Step 3: The Materials...

1.) i used 4 bricks (that can vary)... see pic above

2.) 3 candles

3.) plate or tray to put the candles (or heat source) on.

3.) stoneware - from an old crock pot. (those are thick and hold a lot of heat)

4.) a small fan

Step 4: Here's the Basic Set Up...

notice the layout in the picture above. there's a brick on either side of the plate that is holding the candles and a couple of bricks behind the plate - that will hold the fan. then i just placed the stoneware above the candles. note that i put it all on a metal table. second note: don't put it in front of a door. i only put it there temporarily (for photos and video) because the lighting was good in that area. and remember to take care when using candles and never leave them unattended when lit

Step 5: Put It Together, Light the Candles, and Turn on the Fan...

all the heat from the candles is captured under the stoneware and warms it quickly. that in turn radiates the heat outward warming the space in the vicinity of the unit. *and the fan helps to push that warm air out into the living space. i've gotten reading as high as 293F and i'm sure i could get it much higher. great unit to throw together for some extra heat. note using just the candles is much less effective as the heat from those essentially just raises straight to the ceiling without the stoneware.

Step 6: Have Fun Making and Using It...

*this type of design can also be made using 2 or 3 clay flower pots (by embedding one inside the other *inside the other) and connecting them together with large bolt. and no fan needed. here's a video link to an example of one i made...

Comments

[MelissaH224]

Im trying to find an alternative to the bricks. Can't seem to find any around the property.

[MelissaH224]

Also I would love to use this in a situation where the power is out. Maybe a battery operated fan?

[AdamW267]

I used a 12 volt computer fan running off a battery and did the trick in a park model trailer bedroom it kept the room warm for a good 4 hours at 3 degrees celcius temperature outside using a 3 hour vanilla scented candle

[russ_hensel]

Based on conservation of energy, where is the gain over just the candles?

[WyckedStudios]

Based on the text above, where is the claim of a "gain"?

[russ_hensel]

My impression was that you thought that your device delivered more heat than just the candles? Not so?

[WyckedStudios]

I'll admit, I've seen plenty of people make thermodynamically impossible claims about these kind of radiant heat collectors, but this author hasn't fallen into that trap...he's pretty clear that this device is just capturing and radiating heat that would otherwise just convect directly to the ceiling.

[rannulf]

There is a fan that runs strictly off of heat,used on wood stoves. Wonder if it work off of the heat provided here. Better in a no power situation?