Living in colder climates often means having to choose between being eco-friendly or being warm. Most people are not aware that there are ways of saving money by having a simple clay pot heater which is both eco-friendly and warm.
Heating costs in the winter months can easily become unmanageable without even getting your home to a comfortable temperature.
That’s what inspired European company “Egloo” to examine ancient heating techniques and create a candle powered heater. So far, the heater has sold 4x times more than the initial funding campaign had hoped, although it’s possible to make your own candle heater (see bellow).
How It Works
The Egloo uses four candles to heat a 20-square-meter (215-square-foot) space for up to five hours. They only take about 5 minutes to get to the right temperature.
It is effective because it uses two clay domes: the first dome absorbs heat directly from the candles at about 140-180 degrees Celsius (284-356°F). Once it’s saturated, the heat then seeps into the second dome at a much more comfortable 30-50 degrees (86-122°F).
If the heat was directly dispersed into the room, it would quickly move toward the ceiling and get lost within the home. Instead, the domes warm up the surrounding space by about 2-3 degrees within 30 minutes after being lit. It’s the perfect small space heater for chilly days.
How To Make Your Own Clay Pot Heater
It only cost about 15 dollars to make and a few dollars worth of candles to maintain.
You’ll need:
- 2 large terra cotta pots (one should able to fit inside the other comfortably)
- 2-3 candles (use 100 percent beeswax candles with cotton wicks, which are free of toxins)
- 3 bricks
- 1 5 1/2 inch hex bolt
- 2 hex nuts
- 4 washers
- 1 plate
Instructions:
- Place a washer on the bolt.
- Place the bolt inside the draininage hole of the larger pot, with the long end of the bolt resting inside the pot.
- Drop a washer on the bolt and secure into place using a hex nut, but not too tightly.
- Drop another washer and place the drainage hole of the smaller pot on the bolt, letting the pot gently slide until it hits the hex nut.
- Sure into place with another washer and hex bolt, tightening it with breaking the pot.
- Place the plate on the ground with the bricks in a “u-shape” around it.
- Place the bricks over the bricks.
- Light the candles and place them in the plate under the pots.
- Stay warm!
Just make sure to use the heater in a well-ventilated room away from children and pets. There shouldn’t be anything flammable lying around and it should not be a high-traffic area to avoid being tripped on.