DIY Copper And Sand Heater | No Electricity Needed For Greenhouse Heat
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- Опубликовано: 11 ноя 2023
- Heating a room or a greenhouse can become expensive quickly. This sand and copper powered heater can heat for days using a vegetable shortening double or quadruple wick candle. Temperatures can exceed 500 F or 273 C for extended periods of time. This heater is easy to set up and cost less than $20 for most of the materials needed. I'll show in detail how to assemble and add safety features to keep your sand heater safe and running efficiently.
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For anyone doubting a terracotta pot and a candle.... I live in Maine. I went ALL winter last wonter with ZERO heat or power. February proves to throw us -20F nights some with some without wind chill factored in. I made it through the winter burning candles i found in dumpsters of big box stores under those clay pots. 2 pots each with a 2-3 wick candle would raise the temp by about 15 degrees in each room. YOU might not think thats a big deal but when its 20 below zero outside and dipping into the 20s-30s above zero inside and you can raise that to 35-45 above zero it makes a huge dent in safety and morale. Learned a few tricks over the year and now am getting ready to battle winter #2 without power or heat. Keep on keepin on peeps❤
Works. Have you tried putting it under the table for warmer feet/legs? We did it in harsh winter times, secured and on fireproof grounds, obviously.
Absolutely works we are doing it now! Keep preppin this country may hit some hard times
Good to know? How well insulated is your house? Did you also cover windows, or was that just with clay pot candles?
The biggest secret is to wear plenty of warm clothes. Folks these days don't seem happy unless they can wander round indoors half naked.
You're awesome
Easier way of providing heat for the greenhouse. Build a good sized open topped box and place under the potting bench. Fill with fresh manure, water well and cover with plastic sheeting..check that it doesn't dry out. As the manure decays it will let off enough heat to keep the greenhouse well above freezing. When the manure has fished working, dig it into the greenhouse beds or garden to fertilize the plants.
Interesting…..I was looking into having a massive pile of wood chips delivered and running dryer vent thru it as the chips heat up in the center fr9m decomposition. Thanks for your idea. I’m always looking for that perf3ct idea.
@@ZenGardenOasis. Tried and tested. Greenhouse never dropped below 40 F, even on the coldest days of winter, and this comes to you from England where we don't have wall to wall sunshine. We don't get tanned in summer, we go rusty.
Basically biomass heating, producing what you need for the garden anyway. 👍
I love the idea of using bacterial metabolism to heat the greenhouse! Rather than straight manure, I would recommend a lot more carbon (shredded leaves, straw, etc.) be mixed in. Check into Berkeley 18-day compost for ratios. A large pile produces an incredible amount of heat.
Another option is to keep rabbits in the greenhouse, providing manure, warmth, and a place to put any vegetable scraps.
I have used this before and found that it helps to part insulate the compost to a degree to keep it working and I used to get it started using a heat mat beneath the compost. Getting the right mix for hot composting is also important
The total energy dissipated is the same as the candle alone. The only difference is that the sand is a mass able to accumulate the energy and release it slowly.
Newton's law of energy
right. Make calcium acetate fuel gel with egg shells, vinegar, alcohol, set that up with a bucket of water...
I think the other thing about that might be that when you just burn a candle, the heat rises. So, it ends up near the ceiling where it’s not doing everybody a whole lot of good.
But something like this would hold on to a lot more of the heat down in the sand of the pot, where it can radiate out a little more slowly, and provide a little more warmth down where the people or plants actually are.
Totally correct. My fater used to burn a candle in the greenhouse just on the floor to keep frost at bay. Works without all the fuss. Although I havent tried this I feel that without some wider spread of the copper to increase the surface area th heat transfer will be very slow or small. It certainly will not reach 200 deg C +
It will radiate out the heat faster than the candle can supply. I am sure there ars equations to describe this effect.
@@rickharriss There's simply no way that it can radiate out more heat than the candle can supply, it would be free energy.
Just recently overnighted in our new to us used trailer. We don't have electricity at our property yet but here's what I did to keep us warm overnight.
I set the gas stove front burner on low and placed an old fashioned large clay brick over top of burner. This heated the whole brick up and it produced radiant heat. Mind you I kept the ceiling vent open to let in oxygen and we were fine.
The next morning we had errands to do and we shut the stove down.
About an hour or so later when we came back, that brick was still warm to the touch.
I had remembered the terracotta room heaters that were the rage on RUclips a number of years ago and it worked beautifully. Radiant heat is a beautiful thing.
Exactly, heating something whether a brick or sand will hold heat for a while. Thanks for your input.
Remember boys and girls carbon Monoxide is heavier than oxygen so you need vents down low not up high.Same with propane needs to be let out the bottom.
I've been thinking instead of a brick just fill up the largest pot you have with sand or gravel and heat that up to a good temperarute on the stove, should stay quite warm for hours (btu of the stove is hundreds of times more than a candle so no problem getting it hot enough) The bigger the thermal mass the longer you can leave the stove off. You could also have a second pot or more and move the hot sand pots onto a trivet in the vicinity of where you want some warmth.
I'm a new subscriber so I haven't followed any of your other videos. When I built my Earth Oven, I used any old glass bottles I could find, filled them with sand, capped/corked & layered them in the base of the earth oven (thick layer of sand 1st, then bottles of sand, more sand, bottles of sand and top off last layer of bottles with thick layer of sand). I found using heavier/thicker glass bottles worked better. (I got free empty liquor bottles from a local bar or from friends that drink). Arrange them like a wagon wheel spoke and put your candle in the center as the hub. I'm going to try your experiment but use a bit larger bucket. If you have room you could use a galvanized garbage can (maybe in a pinch) or a 55-gallon metal drum with a locking lid (for storage purposes) or even a 5-gallon galvanized bucket.using this method. If you wanted gentle circulation you could get a small heat radiated/activated fan (can get on Amazon & uses no electricity) and build a bracket with some sort of metal for it to sit on above the candle. Adust the fan to point UP since heat rises and it would keep all the heat from staying in the ceiling. I have these on my wood-burning heater/stove and they work great to keep the heated air circulating but don't run fast enough that would cause it to "cool" the air movement. The fan slows down as the heat diminishes and shuts off when no heat so it doesn't run to move COLD air). Think how we use ceiling fans on reverse for the winter to pull cool air up to circulate the heated air down to the living space/greenhouse. If you want to know the temp of the sand as it heats get a thermometer with a probe to put in the sand. I honestly don't see the strip of copper or aluminum strips heating the sand as much as you may think. I feel it is the heat from the candle in the sand and would hold more heat if you add Glass bottles filled with sand. I am by no means an expert on this kind of heating but learned from experience.
Another CHEAP alternative for plants under a tarp or heavy plastic I have tried is to use strands of old Christmas Tree lights (not LED's). Each 100 bulb strand puts out 40 watts of heat. Need more heat, add more lights (if you have electricity). You can even do this outside with a domed tent made of plastic or a tarp. I did this my 1st year experimenting to keep veggies plants producing all winter in my greenhouse. It worked. I grow veggies year-round in my greenhouse. I'm growing sweet potatoes & sugar cane in mine now and they need HEAT to grow. But I do live in grow zone 8b so we don't have extremely cold winters. I'm also growing Chayote Squash (Mirlitons) outside under a heavily tarped tent with an electric oil radiator heater sdded when it is going to freeze.
I'm in the process of building a 2nd larger greenhouse/high tunnel combo that will be heated with a wood burning stove & smoke will be vented outside. You can also use bales of hay around the outside of your greenhouse to help insulate it from the cold air.
I'm a 66 yr old senior on a fixed income so I have to use what I have or find cheap alternatives that will work so I'm constantly experimenting.
Well done. Time to start your channel. I will watch it. Interesting ideas.
Straw is an incredibly efficient insulator
I did the same thing with the Christmas lights, and wrapped them around my plants sitting at the window…… I bought a heat mat for my sweet potatoes;
Great idea but would have loved to have seen some recorded data on this. Outside temps, inside temps, and hourly readings of the bucket at about 1/2 inch from the bottom, midway, etc.. so that you could see the progression from evening to overnight. Done in 2 places: the floor in the middle, and on a table to understand if placement matters or inhibits. I'm a data guy.
Again, great idea.
Also, you may want to cover in a "rocket-stove" like manner. Cover it with a clay pot lined with aluminum/copper to allow for increased storage but also reflective back into the sand to assist in increasing storage. Just some thoughts. Thanks for sharing!!!!
THANK YOU ... I've been wanting to find a way to heat my 5x5 little green house that I built myself two summers ago and I wanted to find a way to do a self watering system... I'm getting older and climbing the 13 steps going to my small yard can hurt some days... You have been giving me such great ideas... I wish I could send you a picture of my green house to show you what I built and see if you have any more ideas that could help me ..
Wow.... This is a really cool idea!!!!
Keeping it in mind as I am homeless and don't have electric
🥰 Thank you❣️
Must suck to carry that bucket of sand around 😂
Homeless, But u have a smartphone 🤔 prioritize much?
@@MissAngela007 wow!!!!
Wuts your point?
I have a government phone!!!
Have you ever behaved educated?
FYI. Placing the bucket up a small; amount as you have, also facilitates air circulation and helps heat the GH air more quickly. I also employ a stack of 20ltr/10gal trade buckets full of water as a heat sink wall. Although I live in a temperate zone (37d South) we do have low temperatures in the winter at night. The bucket wall sits on a thick paving stone floor and absorbs what heat I get during the day from the weak sun. This is then released at night via the buckets (similar to Lowes buckets).
I live at 39°52'N x 87° 24'W...but in a ravine area. I use old tires with the cavity filled with dirt. I plant in them and grow cool weather crops all winter. I cover at night when it's 22°F, then uncover when I finally get sun.
@@marlaallen7234Oh wow that's amazing! Are you doing that in a greenhouse??
This is absolute bullcrap. He's trying to break the rules of thermodynamics because he didn't pay attention in science class. Sad honestly.
@@WrappyPappy
I
Love when people make accusations and don’t explain or back them up.
I understand exactly what he means. There is no passive amplifier for heat. There is a fixed amount of energy available in a given mass of candle wax. @@Thinkerton997
Adding water in the sand will bring the heat into the center of the sand faster. I believe it is changing the flame energy into Radiant heat that make the difference. Heating objects in the room (Radiant heat energy) and not the air makes things feel warmer and way cheaper).
Maybe combine the 72 hour candle and this style heater.
Tip: use several candles to get it super hot then put them out except 1 or 2 of them. To keep the heat coming.
Relight as needed!😮
Excellent suggestion
This is excellent. Some of the other forms of candle heaters are also excellent but could be easily knocked over, The weight of the sand should alleviate that concern with this one.
A possibility to increase efficiency may be to run, say 4, smaller copper strips, from the main copper strip, down into the candle the candle itself. As the wick burns down the smaller strips will help capture and transfer heat. The shortening will probably become liquid but that shouldn't change the burn characteristics. You'd probably want to use a metal can for the candle though.....and this would in turn dissipate even more energy into the sand.
The genesis of this idea came from a video called sand battery Finland. Take a peek, it’s a great concept.
excellent reply @ Ulbre
Interesting info. One thing to keep in mind regarding Crisco candles is the material of the can itself. Most now are made of cardboard coated with foil on the inside. Definitely not fireproof. Please be careful 🙂 ~ Lisa
Thanks for the info. Very interesting concept.
I have often wondered if one could devise a way of harvesting the heat generated from a compost bin. Decades ago, I was composting grass clippings in the backyard of my rental.
To my shock, I found that the center of the pile in the bin had turned to ash, due to the composting process and inadequate watering. I had no doubt that one could have cooked a meal in it, but didn't think of that at the time.
Today, I don't have room for a compost bin nor the capacity to develop some sort of heat exchanger for one, but I really like sand pail idea and will try one in the garage. Thanks.
the compost ideal is widely used in hotbeds for green houses
Amazing! I can see myself using this set up in my home. You can out a regular 12” taper candle down in the shortening instead of 4 wicks, might work better than fooling with those wicks,
Thank u for showing us new ways to keep our homes/greenhouses warm.
One of the most effective strategies is to reduce the heated volume of the greenhouse by partitioning it off into the minimum space required. I can see a version this being useful if, say a tray of sand is heated, allowing plants placed above it [not necessarily on it] to be kept warm through convection from the body of sand
Thermal mass applies to air as well as solids. As for Heating a small area, it will heat faster for a given BTU but because the air volume i e. Thermal massnis smaller it will lose its heat faster than a larger volume of space.
Check out video about sand battery in Finland. Very interesting. Thanks for the input.
Suggestion. Fill the bucket 3/4 with sand and put a 2" layer of cement mortar on top, let it set fully. Turn your bucket upside down and place it on bricks just high enough to fit the candle underneath.
Fascinating idea.
My biggest greenhouse problem has been humidity. I have only some weeks per year where the temps are low enough to get my temp inside to go below what i need, but every day the dropping temp condenses out a lot of water so it caused some mold at some unwisely timed prunings. The presence of combustion is hugely helpful to this so im looking forward to these kinds of candle solutions. I got some crisco and paraffin, will travel!
Have you considered using h202 mist (hydrogen peroxide)
The burning of candles or other fuel without a vent will increase the absolute humidity in a space. When the candle burns out you will have more humidity than before you started
My greenhouse is currently 33f and 96% humidity. It rains inside everyday. I have 2 auto vents but no blower. I think my only solution is moving air through it whenever the vents open. I also have a 50gallon pool inside as a heat sink..so theres that :)
@@ZenGardenOasis. Me: why would using h2o2 mist lower the humidity in a greenhouse?
ChatGPT
Using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) mist in a greenhouse could potentially lower the humidity for a few reasons:
Absorption of Moisture: When hydrogen peroxide comes into contact with surfaces in the greenhouse, it may absorb some moisture from the air. This process can slightly reduce the overall humidity level.
Chemical Reaction and Heat Production: Hydrogen peroxide can undergo a decomposition reaction, breaking down into water (H2O) and oxygen (O2). This reaction is exothermic, meaning it releases heat. The increase in temperature can cause the air to hold more moisture, effectively reducing relative humidity. However, this effect would likely be minimal unless the greenhouse is very tightly sealed and the amount of H2O2 is significant.
Ventilation for Safety: The use of hydrogen peroxide mist might require increased ventilation to avoid accumulation of oxygen and to ensure the safety of plants and workers. Increased ventilation can lead to a reduction in humidity as more humid greenhouse air is exchanged with the drier outside air.
It's important to note that while these are potential mechanisms, the actual impact of H2O2 mist on humidity in a real-world greenhouse setting would depend on many factors including the concentration of hydrogen peroxide, the size and ventilation of the greenhouse, and the external environment. Moreover, hydrogen peroxide is typically used in greenhouses as a disinfectant or for controlling pathogens, not for humidity control.
We replaced our battery/solar electric oil heater in our RV with two similar to this a couple years ago. Saved $ and more even heat 👍.
As others have mentioned, a candle produces from 50-80 BTUs so I wonder about how much this can move the needle in terms of heating. Also, as the candle burns down, you get further from your copper strip so that would further reduce the efficiency of this. Perhaps if you're greenhouse is hyper insulated this might make a difference I guess.
Check out sand battery Finland on RUclips. It’s the genesis of the idea but this is a prototype so I’m hoping there will be continued ideas to improve on it.
I believe the advantage of the Metal Pail, Copper Ring, and Sand is partially to store and radiate the heat produced at the same time. A single candle will only radiate light and heat, however, it will not store any of that heat. 🤠
it depends what your plants are - I cannot overwinter a pot of basil in my living room which gets good maximum sun but has temps that drop as low as 17 deg C in the daytime. It is shrivelled up. But in my bedroom which has the same sun but maintains a few degrees higher temp the other pot of basil is maintaining its foliage quite well. @@TimeSurfer206
Wow. Up here in zone 3b that means I would only need 170 of these @ 100 btu/hr each to offset the 17000 btu/hr heat loss in my 100 sq ft lean-to greenhouse. The actual solution is more like the capital outlay for an insulated GAHT battery. 100 btu of energy does not become more than a 100 btu just because you found a great way to store it.
@@ZenGardenOasis.
the only thing i can think of is how to use some kind of biofuel hookup, something that could easily be created by the very mulch your plants produce like grass clippings and converting it into a fuel to use for later, no need for a wick then.
i guess the difficult thing then is how to burn it safely, i know there are ways in doing it so you don't have to babysit it that much.
A few years ago I did the 4 wick Crisco oil candle (About 300 BTU) test in a well sealed and insulated 12 foot by 10 foot shed. It was 12F out side and about 20F inside before I lit the candle. In 2 hours it was 25F inside and the best was 34F in 6 hours.
The walls were R25, the floor was R30 and ceiling was R40. It was insulated more for sound than climate control.... But best of both.
Best heater was a 50 CFM exhaust fan to bring in fresh air through a system of four each 4 inch PVC pipe buried 4 feet deep and 40 foot long so the ground heat the incoming air. Same basic 12F outside air. In 2 hours it went from about 20F inside to 32F. Then, in 6 hours, it steadied out at 48F. I then shut off the fan and lit the Crisco candle and in 4 hours it was 54F inside the shed.
But I had to run the fan to purge the room of fumes if I wanted to work inside the shop.
That’s impressive, the candles do work on a small scale. Thanks for the input.
How deep did you bury the pvc and what latitude? And was that 4 10 foot tubes for total 40 feet or was each tube 40 feet long...for total 160 feet?
@@keralee 4X40=160 foot long and between 4 and 6 foot deep. Simple 4 inch 90 degree bends on each end with screens, into 5 each 6 inch t's with 4 inch adapters.
@@davej3487 Thank you!!
@davej3487 Thanks for the info Dave, I was thinking along similiar lines. Did you try convection with the PVC piping and then installed the fan? You use exterior fresh are intake and then exhaust at floor level? What temperature is the air coming through the 50CFM fan? About 50 degrees?
I’m sharing this with my family, especially for plants.
That’s basically what I’m using it for to increase temp in my greenhouse by a few degrees.
I've watched a few other videos about candle heaters but they didn't look like they'd put much heat out. Haven't tried any so can't say they wouldn't. This one looks like it would actually work pretty well. Interesting video. I live next to a feed and garden center that has what I'd need to make this heater except for the copper ring. I don't have a green house but have a small side room I spend a good deal of time in and it doesn't get much heat from the rest of the house.
I need a clue as to how thick the copper bar is!!
Ultimately, this is a heat storage device that will radiate energy for some period after the candle burns out. BUT, does this device create infrared? The candle will produce heat that warms the air above it, while infrared can warm objects in all directions within its line of sight. If so, THAT could be a big advantage over a lone candle.
Like you say, it would work better with a crisco candle. It would put out more heat for a longer time.
That would make it more useful in a small space like a Harbor Freight greenhouse or a pumphouse.
What if you put a second strip of copper and crossed the two strips and had a crisco candle with four wicks set directly under the two strips?
Also wet the sand to make it conduct heat better.
I enjoyed your video, and marveled at the experts below. I am going to follow your example of maximizing the 80-100 BTU's. Thank you for your time.
Glad it was helpful!
You are so kind and helpful; thank you for sharing your research and experience!
Thank you Sarah your very kind. I Was just listening to one of my favorite songs as your name is the title. Cheers. 😁
This is an interesting video and I'm glad I found it. I will be watching more of your channel. But at the moment I have one question: how would you change the candle without taking the entire system apart? There is rarely only 24-48 hours of cold in this area, zone 5. So changing it out frequently would be necessary.
The copper can easily be slid over in the sand.
Put a piece of stove pipe just big enough to contain the candle before adding the sand. Then you can just slide the candle in and out without the sand caving in.
That sounds like an awesome tip. I can see it working well. Thanks!@@jeepliving1
I found that using a propane stove instead of a candle significantly increased the overall effectiveness and produce tons more heat.
Thanks for the info.
Yeah, heat comes from burning fuel, not from sand. LOL You shouldn't need to go to engineering school to know that, but apparently you do.
This is more of an emergency heater. As well propane cists. We have deep poverty ridden folks here
propane creates a lot of excess humidity.
yes but are you also heating a bucket of sand? i didnt think so
This is very interesting and sensible making a heat sink within the large bucket which will radiate slowly. ...so, let me suggest what this would work perfectly for. .... pump house....when my jet pump was replaced with a submersible about 15 yrs ago, the guy never replaced the light bulb which i had been using in winters. We don't have many freezings so i had not rushed to get it fixed. And then came a cold spell and i set up a kerosene lantern and it worked well. But the oil chamber is only enough for about a day and kerosene is expensive and nasty. This will be perfect because the heat sink will radiate slowly and make a more even and sustained temp and i like the idea of vegetable oil and a longer burning candle which your other video can show me to do. I think this is one of the best diy ideas for me that I've seen. Very unique. I'll look up the Finland thing too because those folk are smart, handy and creative people. Thank you.
I may have to try that sometime. What about somehow having the copper panel travel all the way down to the bottom next to the wick, and at the top it would connect to the rest of the panel? That way it'll be next to the fire the whole time (just not sure if it can be done, though).
Be strong enough to be honest and kind
I like this idea for the greenhouse in the spring on those nights that are cooler than I care for. Also going to use a barrel full of water when the sun is gaining power again.
Yes so true.
Used a 50-foot black hose filled with water around the shelves in a 6×8 greenhouse near the glass. Temperature in the early teens in the morning and hose would still be warm. Also had a small heater on a timer at night though.
Earned yourself a new subscriber with this. It’s a pleasure to have you show up in my feed
Thanks so much. Gardening, bonsai and greenhouses are my obsession. Have a great day.
Congratulations for such a so good explanation! Many thanks from Portugal.😀
I wouldn't worry about the moisture. Water itself is an excellent thermal mass. In order to get an accurate temperature reading with that spot radiometer on a shiny metal surface, first cover an area on the shiny surface of the metal with masking tape to target. The masking tape will change the surface emissivity value up to the calibration range of the spot radiometer. You will get a much much more accurate measurement. As is, that shiny surface will only radiate about 1/3 the actual energy value.
Masking tape's heat tolerance is not known to be that super.
Try using hardy backer backer beard as a heat base. You can set the pail directly on it and it will prevent heat transfer. I use it and it works great. It's cheap. And home depot carries it.
Sounds great.
you could probably use a black sharpie marker or some black paint to put a spot on the copper and the bucket to get a better temp reading. great video
Thanks so much, I was looking for a way to store and slow-release some of the heat from my tea light candles, which burn for 3.5 hours. I place them inside of a ceramic holder that's meant to make the candle lights all pretty and stuff but I found that a bit of the heat was stored within the ceramic and more importantly keeps the air in my room circulating. I'm def going to try this!! I'm sure it's gonna work, but I'd need to find the materials that would work on a smaller scale.
Hmm I wonder if it's gonna work in a terra-cotta pot!? 🤔🤔
Make sure you have carbon monoxide detect. Cheers
I use a triple alcohol burner using a combination of E-85 and alcohol fuel (to lessen the amount of soot produced) to heat a copper pipe. The pipe is connected to a 55 drum near the lower rib, and at the top. The drum I'm using is plastic, so the pipe transitions to CPVC at the top and bottom bulkheads. The burners heat the pipe, which in turn heats the water (with a bit of RV antifreeze in it). As the water heats, it rises, causing flow to the top an into the drum, while the colder water comes in from the water and is heated. I took the burners out of 3 14 oz. burners and had a larger tank made, so it should burn for about 14-16 hours. If ran constantly, I can get the water up to 80-90 degrees, where it radiates heat back out. I also pained it black, so during the day, it absorbs solar energy as well. I just use 1/2" water pipe. There's a video of how I heat my greenhouse on my channel.
link, pls
@@MrKevinStraub ruclips.net/video/VTE39uFhD8s/видео.html
@@MrKevinStraub Click on his user name. You'll find it there.
Place a postage stamp sized piece of masking tape on the outside of the bucket. The thermal emissivity of masking tape matches the sensor in your non-contact pyrometer and you will get a reading of the bucket temperature that way.
Thanks for the tip….will do.
and hold the pyrometer steady at a 90deg angle to get a consistent reading
You can use spray on deodorant to get a correct reading as well. It will be less affected by the heat than burning masking tape.
I like the use of copper and flame to heat the sand!
I love experimenting with alternate ideas. Not all them are great. But still fun to try.
Well done. Thank you for a fresh perspective. Greatly appreciated.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Won't the sand get so warm that it melts the oil/ wax making the wick sink?? Interesting idea..! Wonder if using a copper tubing would work with some mods. Thank You for taking the time to make this video!👍👍
Thank you….this is a prototype idea as I’m always tinkering. Unfortunately most people don’t want to experiment but rather go with the crowd. It’s not a breakthrough but rather an experiment. The other video was put up about 2 weeks ago and used terra cotta pots.
Hi! Thx for your reply!! I'm just trying to find some safe, cheap emergency way to supply heat inside a small room during a black out! I think your experiment is Awesome, just questioning the wick/ melt..for it to stay upright... So maybe a way to secure it if need be.. I was certainly not intending to diminish your effort in any way! I am anxious to try this idea when I can afford the supplies! Take Care👍
Might as well put the terracotta pots on top too so you catch and slow release the candles heat for even longer
Excellent. What a nice Guy. Appreciate the inventive wisdom
Thanks for your kinds words. Cheers
Just a thought but if you put another copper ring in at 90˚ to the first wouldn't that spread the heat more evenly through the sand and allow it to reach a greater temperature?
100 percent of your heat is coming from that flame. Passing it thru sand before it heats the air of the greenhouse is not adding a single btu of heat to your greenhouse, but it is delaying its heating effect. You may have made an effective hand warmer though if you're sitting around in a duck blind or something and need something to put your hands on.
Check out the sand battery from Finland.
The sand holds the BTUs whereas air does not conduct heat The sand is a heat sink . Allows the heat to stay longer
Sure, if your goal is to heat a bucket of sand, great. In a greenhouse you want the air warm. The candles total btu is released either way, there's no benefit to slowing the release of heat unless it burns hotter than you want.
Wrong - air does of course conduct heat. If it didn't most of the heating systems in the world couldn't operate.@@Brian-jz1pi
Nice idea. However there is a huge difference between temperature and heat. A match or a candle can have high temperature but not much heat.
Water is a great heat sink, able to store far more energy than sand and has the added benefit of releasing heat slowly. Which is why sandy deserts quickly become freezing cold on clear nights and yet the adjacent sea in coastal areas hardly cools by even one degree overnight.
Moist Sand adds Mass to the Equation. Correct.
The sea is WAY WAY larger
How big the party gets pretty damn cold on the beach at night
Geography teacher from the 1970s said that land heats and cools 2 1/2 times faster than water.
Thank you for sharing this great idea. would you also please share about how to use this method to warm up a pool
I will certainly try this.
Thank you❤
Thanks for your input
Another great video... You have given me many options for supplemental heat in my greenhouse 😊 I'm definitely going to do the cat litter buckets from your last video. I'm very intrigued with the sand. My greenhouse is 16'x12', do you think one of these is good for supplemental heat or would it be feasible to do two? What size is your greenhouse?
It’s 420 sq ft. The amount of heat you’ll need depends on your winter low temps. I’m in zone 7a and will still need electric in Jan thru march. Cutting the electrical usage is my primary goal since my electric heater has a thermostat. I will use a flame based heater as well as 10x thermal (cat litter containers) Thanks for the question.
A single Flame from a Candle can heat about 15 cubic feet of space. = 80 BTUs
Heat rises, so you also need to know how high is the top of the area you want to heat.
Lets say it is 8 foot high.
16 x 12 x 8 = 1536 cubic feet
divide that by 15
1536 / 15 = 102.4
So you would need approx 100 of these to provide heat for your greenhouse.
That explains why cowboys carried a candle and wool blanket.
A candle produces no more heat than a candle can produce. Nomatter what you surround it with. All this is doing is storing the energy like a battery. It's just BTUs instead of watts. Then it releases the energy over time. It's one candle. No matter how you cut it.
Now I am not the brightest star in the sky, but the candle produces the same heat like this as it would do without the sand and copper. Now u heat the bucket and the bucket heats the room. But if u just burn the candle than the same heat will heat up the room. Faster. It would probably cool down faster but in the end there is no difference
You're bright enough to understand basic physics. LOL You're absolutely correct.
if you heat the ceiling, only half will be reradiated into the building.
Does the sand hold heat for a long time? The way rocks do? As a kid, when we'd go camping, my mom would wrap a couple hot rocks with wet towels and put them at the base of the sleeping bags to heat up the tent.
@@machinethesun9243 it disperse less heat but longer. So if u only want a little warm for long time it makes sence. But if u want lot of heat it doesn't work
sure GLAD this video came up in my feed! i get USED shortening for FREE and make cold process SOAP for my own use and to send to relatives in the PHILIPPINES. i make the soap in 60 pound batches!!
i HAVE NOT collected any shortening since 2010!!! and I STILL HAVE OVER 200 POUNDS OF USED SHORTENING LEFT!!!
Great tip!
NICE VIDEO THANKS FOR SHARING it gives me a great idea on how to heat my green house not with this but with something that heats fast and then holds the heat all night and your video gave me a great idea to try Thanks.
Welcome.
Great upload! When you isolated the candle and put the candle in the freezer before using, it will last many hours more...
Thanks for the tip!
Just as an FYI, thermal conductivity of copper is about 1.8x that of aluminum. As such, using copper is preferential, yet, more expensive. Of course, during daylight hours, a cheap, plastic Fresnel lens focused on the copper strip would be very effective.
flatten and shape one inch copper pipe and rivet ends together to make a ring
Interesting idea. I’ll make a note. Thanks for the idea. This is a prototype and I’m always trying new ideas.
Excellent idea…
What method did you use to tack the edges of the copper sheeting together to make/keep it in a loop? Did you just superglue it?
Love this. Going to try it. THANKS!
What was the temperature of the sides of the bucket 😊?
112
My first thought is why not use 2 copper strips North south east and west. Double heat. And another thing if your not needing heat, but want to humidity, it seems to me really wet sand could humidify a good size room or greenhouse.
This one’s a prototype and making notes of all the collective info in the comments. Thanks for he input. Will add to my notes. 👍
My thoughts also. I would use a large can of Crisco, have 4 wicks under each side of the copper.
@@chuckredd9131 I don't think that would leave enough sand the holder of the heat. Unless of coarse if your just humidifying. For humidity just use water only.
I built three of them and used aluminum and made the same candles and had them going all night and the sand was cold and only was heat if you touched the aluminum but even then checked all night and at noon the next day the temps rose 2 degrees at the bucket. Used dry sand and followed you directions exactly.the outside of the metal can was cold - have no idea why it didn't work at all but we were freezing since we had no heat in our house and really wanted it to work.
I,ll try it, hope be better than others, Congratulations, 👏
the only difference the bucket and sand will make is keep the greenhouse warm for slightly longer ( perhaps an hour )
you might as well just use a candle on its own
the amount of heating you will get will be identical
that $15 on wasted copper, cost of bucket and sand could better be used to buy more candles.
Thanks for the comment….it really helps boost the channel on youtube via the algorithm.
I can confirm this works, I have 2 of these in my 5000 sqf home and I grow bananas and grapefruit in a spare room !
Much appreciated, thank you, sir!
Very welcome!
I noticed, that when I polish metal, the more polished it becomes, the quicker the metal becomes heated, and the faster it spreads among itself, to the whole piece, so you may want to get a buffing wheel, and a polishing stick (I find the polishing compound stick for stainless steel, the white stick, polishes aluminum and copper much quicker, to a mirror finish), to try this sand battery on, to see if it help with that heat transfer, you may also want to double ring this process, so you have a copper ring on each side of the bucket.
Great idea my friend 😁👍
I love the emoji…it’s cool.
I just learned about sand batteries recently, and pretty excited to make one. I was thinking what kind of pail I would buy and then realized I have a copper bucket with a cast iron handle. Anything about the whole container being copper, that I should be concerned with. I wonder if it'll get super hot because the sand is contained in it, rather than a strip of copper put in it. Any input would be appreciated 😊
I think copper is a better option. I wish I had one, but very expensive. I’m thinking about purchasing a cast iron pot and do some experiments.
This isn't much different than burning the candle by itself. 🤔The heat ultimately is transferred into the air.
Adding the middleman (the sand bucket) transfers some of the heat into the bucket. The only thing that the mass of the bucket accomplishes is to delay a small amount of the overall air heating. After the candle burns out the bucket will radiate its stored heat for a few more hours. The candle might be helpful in that the plants will use its carbon dioxide output.
@@Mavrik9000 thanks for responding. I get what you're saying, but I forgot to say I'd have several of those ceramic heat elements I've seen used, stuck into the sand. Yeah, a candle wouldn't do a thing.
@@ZenGardenOasis. And using those ceramic heat elements I see people using, stuck into the sand.
@@ZenGardenOasis. maybe you could locate a cast iron kettle at an estate sale.
My brother got a greenhouse of single wall glass together when he became interested in growing orchids while in high school. maybe 8'x12' near Seattle. It was heated using a gas fired domestic water heater(40 gal.?), and a loop of pipe, and maybe a pump and thermostat. It sat in and vented directly into the heated space.
The CO2 was a large benefit to growing and there were plenty of therms. He used propane.
Presently power supplied by Puget Sound Energy costs $0.15/kwhr. I wonder what veg oils would give on that score. Usually natural gas furnaces and heat pumps give the most cheapest heat. and truely, a good efficient solar designed greenhouse can require very little extra heat. they say add more insulation and lights cost less than heat when either are wanted. yeah, got to do the math.
The heat sunk candle looks very safe and elegant and plants do love the CO2. I guess enough wicks on fire may replace other heating but one may find that cost of food oil may buy many of the parts for a system, and plenty of propane. Still the candle could work very nice set nearer to cold sensitive plants.
True….thanks for your input.
Oy David PSE is highway robbery. At Peninsula Light, a rural electric membership cooperative in the Gig Harbor area, we pay approximately $0.08 /kWhr. ☹
So, how much more efficient would heating a ton of sand with a single candle be compared to heating a 3 gallon bucket of sand with a single candle? What is the upper limit (if there is one) of this heat multiplying property of common sand?
This is so neat and important . Yhankyou for the demo .
Put the terracotta pot on top of the sand battery, boom.
Mind blown 🤯
10:04 just put black tape on the reflective material to mesure it. Thermodynamics tells me not to test this thing
Interesting idea. So far I’ve been happy with output but larger candle with 4 wicks would be better.
@@ZenGardenOasis. it's not an idea of mine, it's how it's done if you want to use IR thermometer on a reflective surface
Thank you for the great video... You have given me many options for supplemental heat in my greenhouse, in the video the copper looks a lot wider. The Amazon link for the copper, I was surprised by how narrow the copper width is, only ½ inches. Is this right? Should I be looking for a wider piece?
I might have misquoted. It’s about 2” wide. There was a link in the description for Amazon but they keep running out of stock. Cheers. 👍
If you placed an up turned terracotta pot ovet bucket once candle is lit would this not also radiate heat more?
A candle only has about 80 BTUs. Pretty negligible. You would put about 4x as much heat into the room just by sleeping in there.
.... and unless the Greenhouse is very well insulated, all the heat is quickly lost
[try sleeping in an empty cast iron bath after a few beers - did that in my mis-spent youth .... but only once ! ]
I sized it up to a metal trash can 25 gallons of veg shortening and 20 wicks…..it’s sweltering. The veg short was free.
@ZenGardenOasis. I'd like to see that. You have any videos of it?
I suggest that you get some exercise equipment installed in your greenhouse and do an energetic workout. That will turn fat in your body into warmth for your plants. Alternatively, offer the space in your greenhouse to homeless people - each one of them will donate about 70 watts of heat. Fifteen of them should get the space nice and toasty.
BTUs = BTUs no different than just burning the candle on it's own.
You made two different statements. One is correct one is not.
The difference is wasting time money and space on a bucket of sand. 🙃
@@TofuIncof course a person will feel warmer after carrying and shoveling sand. This bucket thing is a joke.
Capturing those BTU's and maximizing the heat output matters. Heating a substrate gives more thermal mass to release the heat in a controlled manner even after the candle is burned out. That is better than just heating with an open flame. This same principle goes for using drums of water to passively heat your greenhouse. The sun warms up the water during the day and the heat is released during the night. You will get more heat from 55 gallons than 25 gallons because more thermal mass is heated up.
@@MA-mh1vs Sorry, no heat is magically made, you can't get more out of any system than you put into it.
Anyway I’m buying a 12x 8 GH, for back yard. I’m going to experiment with this , I don’t expect a warm place,just above freezing will suffice Zone 7. Vancouver
Exactly….I lot of people think this is for home heater. Just need a couple degrees above freezing.
Great idea, thanks for sharing, one thing I guess you will realize after heating up the sands is, definitely the paraphine will be melt, and that not gonna be efficient anymore! but how about this modification with two copper coils rapped like plate, one in the sand bucket (position about 30 degrees) with a hole from the side of the bucket that goes to the burning section, and place the burner under the other coil-plate so able to collect more heat to transfer it, (Tips: fill up the pipe with sand as well and free to experience with the angle to find better heat contact), and end of the project, of course now, you can add ventilation system to prevent carbon monoxide on top of the burner!? I'm looking forward to seeing what you think. Fan of your channel Ali from Rhode Island, Providence.
In the end, the only heat that you'll get out of this contraption, is the heat the candle produces.
No more.
No less.
You are wrong because once the bucket is heated it then effectively becomes a radiator along with the heat of the candle so logic and physics disagree with you.
Once the bucket is heated, using your own words...by what single source of heat?
That's ok...there are people on every rung of a ladder.
You've completely rewritten the laws of thermodynamics. Are there any special magic words you have to say to get more heat from a burning candle? 🤣🤣🤣
Unless you're in an airtight, perfectly insulated space, a radiating heat source will always provide more heat than the same temperature being generated in a pinpoint area and immediately rising to and escaping from any porous areas or openings in the structure. Don't need to know the laws of thermodynamics to deduce radiators are more efficient than if you removed the metal enclosure and had a spigot shooting steaming water into the open air.
@@jasonburris334 Do you happen to have the recipe to turn lead into gold?
Could this heat your house in a power outage?Also could you put a heat fan on top of the cooper?
I just experimented w. 2 small clay pots, heating them in the oven and 6.00 worth of small copper piping. I put the pots w. sand in the oven for about an hour. When I took them out and inserted my copper, the copper was immediately warmed so that I could not touch it. I push the coiled copper down as far as I coud. SO COOL, nah, so hot.
This isn't much different than burning the candle by itself. 🤔The heat ultimately is transferred into the air.
Adding the middleman (the sand bucket) transfers some of the heat into the bucket. The only thing that the mass of the bucket accomplishes is to delay a small amount of the overall air heating. After the candle burns out the bucket will radiate its stored heat for a few more hours. The candle might be helpful in that the plants will use its carbon dioxide output.
It does seem pointless at first, but if you consider the whole system it makes more sense; flatten the curve. After dark the temp slowly drops while excess heat is pumped into the sand. The maximum output is when it's all heated, during the coldest part of the night. As the sun comes up less heat is needed about the time the candle dies, and the still-warm sand supplements the increasing solar input. The net effect is steadier temps using less fuel, so long as the timings line-up.
Blah Blah Blah. A candle’s BTU output depends on factors such as its size, composition, and burn time. On average, a candle will emit around 80-100 BTUs per hour. The average Human emits about 400 BTUs. No matter what you put that candle in you will only get the 80 to 100 BTUs that the candle can produce.
That's exactly how it is
I sized up to a full size metal trash can 25 gallons of shortening and 10 wicks.
How warm after the upsizing??
@@ZenGardenOasis.So you know this doesn't work, but put out the video anyway? Pretty shitty.
awesome concept i would like to see if it is more efficient with two copper rings opposite to increase area
I’m still working on it….I’m experimenting this seeking with changes. Thanks for the input.
So many comments one could get confused
However I’ll try it thanks
Because the best test is DIY before I actually need it
Precisely
Perfect example demonstration of propagating so call magical principles
While 80 BTU NO MATTER WHAT EQUAL 80 BTU .Don't be fooled Thinking this can genera any more .If anything good for attacking You Tubers viewers.
This candle heater isn’t designed to heat a greenhouse to a warm 72f but rather keep a greenhouse 1-2 degrees above freezing. Tested 4 candles over 1 week and temps on nights without candles were 1-5 degrees colder.
@@ZenGardenOasis. So you have 2 identical green houses with the same plants and pots, building mass and insulation? and you have exactly the same measuring devices in both green houses? and you measured at exactly on the same time in each greenhouse (few seconds apart is not too bad)?
If you did not then you cannot state your claim.
This theory of a candle heating a room has been proven to be nothing more than a myth!
Exactly. Just another version.
Yup, the heat being produced cannot be amplified
“myth” is a nice way to say it…
Dispersing heat horizontally is better than immediately rising to the ceiling.
Only stored and give away slowly.
How is the efficiency of the heater impacted when the candle burns down to the bottom?
Two little votive candles burning in small glass candle holders did an astonishing job of cutting the cold in my bedroom when a "storm of the century" caused a major power outage in the region of my small coastal community followed immediately by two days of record 0° cold. Since then I make sure to always keep small candles on hand.
Boy Scout motto. Be prepared. Have a great day.
What is the point of this? The amount of heat released from the candle does not increase by storing it somewhere. Simply burn a candle that makes the amount of heat you want and have it burn to release that heat. The only reason to make this would be to heat it up with a candle, snuff the candle and then take it inside for the heat without getting the bad air. Otherwise there is absolutely no point whatsoever from a physics standpoint.
I haven't tried it, but the idea seems to be to use the sand as a heat sink, so it will continue to radiate warmth even after the candle is extinguished. And plants consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. If they don't have 'bad air' they will suffocate.
What's the point of the stone sides on a soapstone wood burning stove?
The large stones in an older chimney?
A hot water bottle?
That is total BS. The heat output of a candle is only 80 btu. Which means that it does absolutely nothing. It wouldn’t matter how much copper or sand you put in the bucket.
I think the idea is to catch the candles heat and transfer it into a medium of thermal mass where it will gently distribute . It’s an interesting idea which would be almost free to experiment with and may prove to at least prevent freezing in a small space .
You are sooooo dumb! How is that "total BS or "it does absolutely nothing"? You watched the video and you saw the water flash-boil off the copper strip (so it's well over 100°C / 212°F). Do you think boiling water isn't hot? Do you think the earth is flat?
Btw, It's not 80 BTU's per CANDLE, it's 80 BTU's per HOUR!... If the candle burns for 48 hours that's 3840 BTU's. (BTU_the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1°F).
That’s actually 80 to 150 btu PER HOUR, and the point is to capture the heat and release it from a greater surface area.
A btu is equivalent to burning a wooden kitchen match. 80 matches in an hour is plenty of heat, but it depends upon how large an area, how high the ceiling, how big the temperature differential, and the surface area of the heat source. Most single source heat is wasted because it heats a tiny area of air that quickly rises away from where the cold humans or plants or animals are.
The copper is catching a portion of the heat and transferring it. The sand holds it and slowly allows it to transfer out into the space from a bucket that has greater surface area than does the flame of a candle.
Think of it this way…a door with a pressure differential on the two sides can kill someone. 3 psi is 3 lbs per square inch. Every sq inch of the door is being pushed with three lbs of pressure. On 80 x 36 in door, that’s 8640 lbf.
It’s the surface area.
A radiator…surface area
A cooling unit…surface area
Why a needle can prick your finger…surface area
Heating efficiency…you got it…surface area
Eat a lot of beans the go do yoga all the heat you need.
It's not a candle ..it might be worth the time to listen...
Thank you for sharing this.
I think a larger candle with more wicks would work best….still testing for right balance.
@@ZenGardenOasis. I was thinking a wick of torn off old t-shirt in spent cooking oil for serious upcycling.
What if you were to add a wood stovetop fan on the sand?
I’m currently testing a few options to heating my greenhouse. I have a crockpot heating water and have a couple of wood stovetop fans on the crockpot top.
I was planning to test sand batteries again this weekend.
The crock pot idea is excellent. I need to experiment with that…..thanks for the idea.
Make soup
Total nonsense, just the burning candle will generate same heat
Very creative, I just Love SMART people. 👍👍👍❤
Thank you…you give me too much credit. 😀
cool idea thanks. might be interesting to look into getting a couple of buckets of sand in front of the fireplace and do the same thing.. trapping heat for later.. bit like a back burner without the plumbing..
Cool idea
A woodstove is actually about the only situation where having significant thermal mass near it has any point at all; since it potentially runs hotter than you want, so slowing down the release could be beneficial.
Chunks of soapstone are commonly used for this purpose although big brick structures work too.
If your heat source doesn't go hotter than necessary, there's no point in slowing the release of heat.
Great Show , I did something like this with used V oil. But I found it smoked and left a dirty film of soot all over the green house . So anything I burn I will have to vent the burner outside .
Great tip!