How to heat a house with one candle. Candle heater. How does the "eternal" heater work

The flame of a candle shines quite pleasantly, but trying to keep warm with it seems like madness. Meanwhile, just as a light source, a candle is an extremely wasteful device. But as a room heater, it can be useful. Under a number of conditions.

California inventor Doyle Doss and his company DOSS Products offer the original Kandle Heeter system, that is, the Candle Heater.

This strange-looking candlestick, claims its creator, can be indispensable in the event of a power outage. Its height is about 23, and its width is about 18 centimeters.

And out of it appearance the inverted pot above the candle attracts attention. In this pot (and it was a flower pot in the “past life”) the main highlight of the system is hidden.

This pot is not simple, but composite. It is made from three pots different diameter nested one inside the other and connected by a long metal bolt, on which a whole bunch of washers and nuts are strung (fortunately, there are usually already holes in the bottom in pots).

Doss sells Kandle Heeter for $25 each (photo courtesy of heatstick.com).

This intricate combination of ceramic and steel is called Quad-Core and is designed to trap the heat from the candle. But why?

An ordinary candle, burning in a room, gives out very little heat, as it seems. And the point here is that its hot “exhaust” simply goes up and quickly disappears with ventilation.

Meanwhile, the energy reserve in the candle is not so small. Moreover, with the hot flow of combustion products, a large part of its energy content is lost, and only a smaller part passes into light.

The labyrinth cap above the flame collects energy and carefully accumulates it, heating up quite strongly (the central rod is especially hot). And then this heat is slowly transferred to the air by the entire surface of the ceramic radiator.

The pots also help to trap soot from the flames, which is good for keeping the ceiling clean.


The main "secret" of the invention is the Quad-Core radiator, a heat trap (photo from heatstick.com).

The inventor emphasizes that one such device will in no way save you in winter when heating and electricity are turned off, but, on the other hand, it is better than nothing at all.

In addition, although this simple design is designed primarily for emergencies(and not only at home, but also outside of it), a mini-candle radiator can slightly reduce the cost of heating a room, adding a little warmth to an occupied room, while the whole house is "regulated" by thermostats for more low temperature. Here, however, you still need to calculate the cost of one joule in a candle.

The heater is also equipped with a top mounted stand that can hold the pot of soup.

Before a fresh Kandle Heeter can properly heat a room, you need to wait for the residual moisture to evaporate from the ceramic. This can take 3-4 hours, notes Mr. Doss.

But then the owner of this thing can fully enjoy soft warmth emitted by the heater for a long time. It is necessary to store the unused device in a plastic bag so that it does not absorb moisture from the air.


Scheme of the heater. The flame heats the rod (1), hot gases pass from cavity to cavity (2), each ceramic layer radiates infrared rays heating the next layer (3), the outer pot (4) ultimately heats up the air in the room (5) (illustration and photo from heatstick.com).

Doss writes that a 4.25 ounce wax candle contains approximately 1,000 British thermal units of energy. In terms of the usual values, this is about 120 grams and 1.1 megajoules.

If we take into account that such a candle burns for 20 hours or a little more, then it turns out that its energy production is 55 kilojoules per hour, which corresponds to a power of 15.3 watts.

An ordinary candle, without a glass or metal cup, melts too quickly in Kandle Heeter (photo from heatstick.com).

True, according to some data, the total useful output» wax candle this size will still be higher. Closer to 3 megajoules. That will give an average power of about 42 watts. And if we carefully “look” at a paraffin candle, then, perhaps, we will find even more potential heat in it.

However, the exact numbers of heat of combustion are not so important. It is clear that such a candlestick cannot compete in power with household electric convectors and oil coolers 0.5-2 kilowatts. As long as there is current in the outlet.

On the other hand, even if there is current, you will hardly burn a kilowatt heater all day long if you do not want to go broke on electricity bills. And Kandle Heeter, as already mentioned, works more than 20 hours on one candle. The only thing important condition: It must not be left unattended. It's still an open flame.

The American innovator believes that such heaters should appeal not only to people sitting at home, but also to those who rarely show up there, preferring to travel away from the bustle of civilization. Kandle Heeter should be a simple and cheap alternative to stoves and other kerosene stoves. And someday it can save the life of a person who, say, by car, gets into a snow trap, into a snowstorm.

Finally, this tiny firefly is simply adorable. “Kandle Heeter should remind us all that once upon a time we (people) sat in caves at night around the fire and told stories to each other,” says the inventor.

For many families heating fee in winter time year becomes simply astronomical. It can be so expensive that the only way out is to keep the temperature in the house to a minimum, even during the winter months.

But there is another very simple way out: you can make it from improvised materials heater, which will heat your entire apartment for mere pennies.

flower pot heater

To create it you will need: 4 ceramic flower pots with stands different sizes- 2 small and 2 large (smaller ones should fit freely in large ones), 2 sufficiently long bolts (they should be slightly larger than the height of the big pot), 2 chains, nuts and washers. You also need to make a special holder on which mini-heaters will hang.


In this video, the entire manufacturing process of the device is shown quite clearly.

This can be used not only at home in winter, but also in the evenings in nature. It will save you a lot of money in the winter, so you should definitely use this advice.

Is there an eternal heating device that will never break? How can the heat of an open flame be utilized in a living room? How to assemble a free room heater lamp with your own hands? Read about all this in this article.

Simple natural materials in one form or another continue their "life and work" as components modern formulations. So, ordinary clay has gone from free and publicly available raw materials for the construction of the first houses to a nano-component of the insulating paint composition (liquid ceramic insulation). In its raw form, it was coated with walls for insulation, then they began to mold and burn it - dishes and bricks turned out. With the development of steelmaking, they learned to swell clay - this is how expanded clay and a whole section of science appeared - “The use of swelled ceramic materials". In the end, it was formed into balls with a diameter of 0.02 mm with a technical vacuum inside. And everywhere clay was in demand due to its main property: when fired (ceramics), it effectively accumulates heat. This once again proves that everything that a person needs for life has already been invented by nature.

Is it possible to distribute heat from a fire

Another property of ceramics, derived from heat capacity, is the ability to distribute heat evenly throughout the volume (except for the heating point). In other words, if we take something ceramic (for example, a brick) and put it on something hot (for example, gas burner), then the following will happen:

  • the brick will begin to accumulate (utilize) the heat of the burner flame;
  • the temperature will be evenly distributed throughout the volume of the brick and will reach its edges;
  • on the planes of the brick, heat exchange with the surrounding air will occur;
  • as a result, the heat exchange area will increase from the area of ​​the flame tongue to the area of ​​all brick planes;
  • in this case, the temperature will decrease inversely proportional to the surface area (than more area, the lower the temperature).

The quick-witted reader, of course, understood that the principle of operation of the Russian stove is described above. Our task is to create the same effective device, but based on a candle.

How does the "eternal" heater work

When an ordinary candle burns, the following happens:

  • air heated by combustion rises to the ceiling;
  • under the ceiling, it mixes with the topmost layer.

Due to the large temperature difference (76 degrees) ambient air does not have time to mix with the exhaust gases of combustion, and they intensively rise to the ceiling. A column of hot air is formed, as it were, which dissipates at the top. We will utilize this heat with the help of a “trap” made of ceramic domes.

What can a heater be made of?

So, to build a "miracle micro-stove" we need:

  • flame
  • fired clay (ceramic)
  • metal

The scope of ceramics is limited only by the imagination of the engineer. In this case, we are only interested in public cheap materials in particular crockery. It is not for nothing that in the old days they used clay pots in the oven - they keep heat for a long time. Range ceramic products household purpose is huge these days, but we'll stick with regular flower pots. Inconspicuous in appearance, they will help us solve the problem of auxiliary heating.

The second component of the heater is the heat source. The first thing that comes to mind for indoor use is an ordinary candle. Of course, there are the most various types gas and kerosene burners, but cheapness and availability come first for us. In addition, the candle does not have an expiration date and can be stored in the cold.

The third component is a record holder in thermal conductivity and an outsider in terms of heat capacity - metal. Its ability to quickly heat up and give off heat (low heat capacity) will play into our hands when creating a thermal lamp.

We assemble a heat lamp with our own hands

What you need:

  1. Pots ceramic (flower) trapezoidal with an outer diameter of the bottom 50, 100 and 150 mm, 1 pc. In this case, the smaller pot should be about 25 mm lower than the large one.
  2. Threaded stud with a diameter of 6-12 mm. It must pass through the holes of each pot. Drill holes if necessary desired diameter tile drill.
  3. Washers for studs with an outer diameter equal to the inner diameter of the bottom smallest pot— 20 pcs. Nuts 7-8 pcs.
  4. Frame, hanger, or free-form stand as described below technical requirements(conditions).
  5. Optionally - fireplace sealant or non-combustible (paronite) gaskets.

Operating procedure

1. We install the stud in the hole of the largest pot and screw the nut on the outside.

2. We put several washers on the stud inside the pot, fix it with nuts if necessary.

3. Install the middle pot on the hairpin.

Attention! The outer edges of the smaller pots should be inside the dome of the larger ones at a depth of 20-25 mm.

4. We fix the middle pot with washers and nuts.

5. We expose and fix a small pot.

6. The edges of all three domes should go inward in steps of 20-25 mm. We adjust the landing depth by adding washers and nuts.

7. If the distance from one bottom to the other is noticeably large, fill it with washers apart - this will give a greater thermal conductivity of the rod.

8. We install the structure above the candle so that the pin shaft is located strictly above the flame at a height of 30-50 mm.

9. Further adjustment is made empirically based on observations.

Use of gaskets and sealants. Praising ceramics, we tactfully bypassed its most inconvenient drawback - fragility (causticity). Even solid brick crumbles, falling on concrete, what to say and flower pots. When assembling the lamp, you should very carefully tighten the nuts - it is worth pulling a little and the wall will burst. There is also a risk of accidental splitting during operation or at the time of carrying. hard metal hairpins crumble ceramics and can split. To soften their contact, use sealant or non-flammable gaskets.

What will be the use of the "pot" heater

At first glance, the design is extremely clear, but does not inspire confidence. You should immediately make a reservation - do not rush to cut out steam heating radiators - our lamp will be an "apprentice", but not a "master". The use of such devices in each room will reduce general temperature boiler flow by a few degrees completely free of charge - and this is the result!

Let's carry out a primitive heat engineering calculation based on publicly available data and logic:

  1. A wax candle weighing 120 grams (diameter 30 mm) contains about 3 MJ of energy.
  2. The approximate burning time of such a candle is 20 hours.
  3. During this time, it releases approximately 140 kJ of energy, which is about 42.5 watts.
  4. Paraffin candles give a greater effect of the release of thermal energy.

By choosing the most efficient candle, we can achieve 50-55 W of thermal energy at the output, and this is already 10% of the power of an electric heater of 500 W.

Attention! Fire hazard. The heating element is an open flame. The lamp must not be left unattended.

Application area

An elementary design based on "penny" materials will serve for a long time with careful handling. The heater does not require any conditions for storage, service life, maintenance or replacement of spare parts. Simple, like everything ingenious, it will become a support in the forest overnight stays or during a power outage, as well as in extreme conditions.

  1. In places where there is no electricity: tents, dugouts, shelters, a car caught in a snowstorm.
  2. In places where electricity is available: small but pleasant savings on heating costs.
  3. If you assemble a well-thought-out frame, then you can hang a small container (pot, mug) above the candle and heat water.

So simple and reliable assistant turned out. It will become not only a warm place in your interior, but also an interesting decorative decoration.

Related videos


Suggested below candle and pot heater for flowers - a thing that is extremely elementary in terms of the principle of operation, easy to manufacture and cheap.If you need to spot-heat an exhausted room in a private house or warm a person working at a table, the craft of the American Doyle Doss, who offered the worldheater made of ceramic pots and candles titled "The Heat Trap".


Outwardly such heater from pots and candles looks, do not believe it - like upside down flower pot over the candle. However, this pot is not simple, but composite, made of three pots of different diameters, nested in each other and put on a long metal bolt through water holes.

There are several washers and nuts strung on the bolt itself. The height of such a “candlestick” is from 23 centimeters, and the width is from 18 cm.The principle of operation is to “trap” heat from a candle.


The fact is that a burning candle gives a little light, and with a hot stream of combustion products, most of its energy is lost.The candle heater created by Doss is a kind of labyrinth-cap, which, being above the flame, accumulates heat.The central rod heats up, heats the ceramics, and then the heat is slowly transferred to the air by the entire surface of this kind of ceramic radiator.

By the way, instead of a candle, an ordinary incandescent lamp can also be used as a heater - in this case, instead of a candle, a cartridge with a lamp is installed and connected to the network.


The trick of the American is that his heater made of ceramic pots and candles is quite simple. Journalists "Today" tried to recreate the invention. Required accessories Bought at a hardware store for $3. It took about an hour to make.The tests were carried out at a temperature of +5 degrees in a small room. Real heat from the ceramic radiator began to come out only after 3-4 hours, and the room warmed up only after 10-12 hours (the door was closed).


It’s clear that it takes a long time, it’s clear that I had to tinker, it’s clear that it’s easier to turn on the electric heater, and it will warm up the room much faster ... But if both gas and electricity are turned off, it is this “device” that can both light up, and slowly but surely warm up the room. Moreover, making a heater from a candle is as easy as shelling pears, and the manufacturing process does not take much time and money.

Some out there even manage to cook ...))


Many have probably heard about the heater from flower pots. On the Internet, you can find many articles on the assembly and use of such a device. These articles promise that such a simple device can replace electric heaters, as it heats up to 200 ° C. Its assembly is simple and does not take much time. For large space such a heater is not suitable, but for small rooms, for example, a tent, a greenhouse or a greenhouse, it can be used. The heater will help out on a fishing or camping trip, where it is not possible to use electrical appliances.

Since an open flame of a candle is used for heating, safety precautions must be observed. Do not place the device near flammable objects to prevent fire.

Heater Assembly

For assembly we need:

  • three clay pots of different diameters;
  • 8 washers for M10 thread;
  • bolt M10 100 mm;
  • 8 nuts with M10 thread;
  • clay pallet;
  • metal stand (grid) to ensure air circulation;
  • heating element - candles.

The assembly of the device is carried out according to the principle of nesting dolls, that is, you need to select them so that they fit into each other, and there is a gap between them. Insert a bolt into the drainage hole of the pot, after putting a washer on it.


Then you need to put a washer on the bolt with inside pot and secure it with a nut. Next, tighten another nut with a washer to ensure clearance, and fix the second pot on the bolt in the same way as the first, so that the distance between its wall and the wall of the first pot is the same throughout the diameter.

We fix the third pot in the same way as the second. As programmers say: “Run the procedure in a loop” until the pots run out. It turns out a matryoshka from pots. Next, you need to make an impromptu radiator for better heat concentration. To do this, sequentially fasten two nuts, put two washers on them and secure them with the last nut.


Principle of operation

The heater works quite simply. You need to turn the structure upside down and put it on the grate. Next, we put metal stand on the ceramic tray with candles to serve heating elements. Light them up and wait until the heat is distributed over the surface of the heater. The structure will heat up the most in the area of ​​the metal rod.

You must use the usual ceramic pots without glaze or paint, as when heated it will burn and release harmful substances. In order to fire safety remove all labels from pots.