The last couple of winters have been very hard for those of us living in the USA, the so called “polar vortexes” have come down from above, of course when I was growing up, these were referred to as a cold front, I suppose now they have to make it sound more newsworthy… at any rate, the winters are cold cold cold, many rely on grid power to keep their homes warm, even those who have natural gas, their heating units still rely on electricity to run and circulate the heat. It’s always a good idea to have at least one alternative means of heating your home should the power go out, ideally you should have multiple backup means of heating your home, or at least one room to get you through in the worst case scenario.
One thing that I see going around the internet at this time of year uses candles and terracotta pots, some are simple units, others have complex sets of screws, washers and bolts in addition to the pots and candles. It’s supposed to be able to warm a small space, it’s said they work quite well.
I am curious if anyone reading this has actually tried it, and if so, how did it work for you? What did you use and would you recommend it to anyone else? Personally, I’m skeptical, especially when they claim that a few tea lights and a couple of terracotta pots can warm a room. I have not tried this, but am curious enough to wonder about it.
Here are a couple of videos about other people trying this, they SAY it works, but I wonder, I’m not seeing any hard evidence, I only hear them saying it feels warmer, though they don’t sound very convincing.
This last one is the prettiest most “finished” looking setup I have seen.
This one has a computer fan to force the air out.
What do you think? Have you tried this? If so, how did it work for you?
4 Responses
It was 2 degrees F last night here in Ohio, and next thing you know the power goes out! We have no backup heater, generator or fireplace, So if the power hadn’t come back on, we would’ve been in for a cold night. Power was off for about 3.5 to 4 hours total, Right when the power went out I made on of these with 2 six inch pots and 2 small candles. That thing got very hot to the touch, but I’m not sure how warm it kept the room. I could feel the heat radiating from it from about 3-5 ft away and felt a little flushed.
Ultimately, I’d say in a pinch it would work so you don’t freeze. With that, you also need to take size of the room into account. If you have nothing else to keep you warm, light a few candles and throw a pot over it. Great as a backup, not so great as a primary heating source.
Hey Alrod, how’s it working for you?
Wretha
I don’t know either Wretha, but it has piqued my interest enough to make one as our bathroom is farthest from the woodstove and is always chilly in there. I think I already have the parts to assemble one. Thanks for the heads up, and I’ll let you know how it works. Ps. I’m going to make the forced air design. Alrod
Thanks Alrod, I look forward to finding out how it works for you, I thought about enclosing the space under my “desk” or table where I sit at my computer, I could put one of those heaters under there to help keep my legs and feet warm… I am very interested in how this works for you.
Wretha