Resisting the chill, flower pots feel the heat

Published 3 January 2017 by Carine Claude

2017 is off to a chilly start. If your fingers are also feeling the frost, here is some DIY extra heating that you can put together in a couple shots.

A number of more or less sophisticated tutorials to make an extra heater out of flower pots and tea candles are available online. The concept is simple: the heat emits gradually from the earthenware, which radiates the hot air circulating between the two nested pots.

In late 2013, a version of the video posted on YouTube by British journalist Dylan Winter launched a storm of reactions. Winter, who originally designed the DIY heater for use on a boat, claimed that it could heat an entire room for less than 10 cents a day using this system. His statement was applauded by some and shot down by others, backed up by calculations invoking the physical laws of energy conservation. Literally harassed and overwhelmed by the unexpected viral nature of his video, Winter finally removed it, as he explains on his blog.

Let’s be clear—the project’s ambition is not to save on heating a 3-bedroom apartment in Montreal in January, but to add an extra piece of complementary heating, which is ideally suited to a desk, as AnthVale points out on Instructables. And, of course, one would be expected to respect basic safety precautions when it comes to tinkering with candles: choose a well-ventilated and stable location, don’t let the clay overheat, keep it away from any inflammable objects, etc.

Materials

– Two clay flower pots, small and medium;
– Clay saucer of the same diameter as the medium pot;
– Two long screws;
– Metal connector for the long screws;
– Set of at least 5 nuts, bolts and washers;
– Drill;
– Tea candles.

Assembly

Drill four holes into the saucer, one in the center and three in an equilateral triangle to make the tripod stand.

Secure one of the long screws in place in the center, then make the tripod with 3 bolts.

Insert the other long screw through the drain hole on the bottom of the bigger pot. Choose washers that cover the diameter of the hole. On the inside, put a washer and two nuts on the long screw (the nuts will create the space necessary for the hot air to circulate between the two pots).

Insert the smaller pot, secure the long screw with a washer and nut, then screw on the connector.

Attach the saucer base to the two pots by via the connector. Done! Now just light a few candles and place them in the saucer.

Complete tutorial on Instructables

Other tutorials on DudeDiY