Candle Convection Heater- Winter Camping with my Off-Grid Stove! (Snowmobile Camper Series) 

That water bath idea is a good idea plus if they fall over it extinguishes them as well.

I think the water bath would freeze if the fresh air intake pipe extended through the water. Good idea though. I like it.

@@neb6229 Water will also catch residual heat and serve as a reservoir.

@@Griffix96 add salt

Awesome job:-). Thanks for sharing!

You are a good father

This is the correct answer.

Crisco candles are super efficient. One tub lasts for 2 days straight

You can let the candle float/swim in water. The result is the same.

a burning candle will generate the same heat to your cabin wherever it is...high or low.

@@andyharpist2938 No it won't since it's inside the storage box and the main heat transfer is coming from the pipes the candles are heating. The candle moves further away from the heat pipe as it burns, heating it less.

@@Arcona Or so you might think. But a single constant heat-source within a heat exchanger will exchange the same total heat. The local temperature may be higher but the total 'exchange' is one of 'heat' not temperature. Small area high temperature: Greater area lower temperature.

Downside of kerosine lamps/wick burners is they require constant attention. Not exactly something you want to go to sleep while running. The box makes it substantially safer, bit still not the best idea. Without getting crazy complicated, taking your box and either forced air ventilation or larger/multiple intakes (do a second horizontal in case the cold outside air is resisting rising into the burn chamber) and build on the propane idea to adjust the burning on a thermostat. Unless you could take the control mechanism from a small propane stove and if it would fit, perhaps too complex. But you likely don't need it at 20C all night. 16-17C is great for sleeping. So if you could regulate your heat source as needed, that would be very neat.

A common fan will always need energie, for its production and use, a one inch bigger hole is for free and eco-friendly.

​@@ws4860 A thermoelectric cell could power the fan using the heat in the box. In fact, thermoelectric cells could power everything. You have cold surfaces and hot surfaces in the same box. The input combustion air is very cold and the output cabin air is very warm. It is an ideal situation for generating electricity with something like a 27145 thermoelectric power generator. The generator could power all three fans.

@@benthere8051 Effort and income. Generating electricity from exhaust heat .. well, it's possible, but does it make sense? Enlarging a hole with simple means vs. complex features for the temporary heating of a mobile shack? Does this even need to be discussed? It hasn't to be done everything that can be done. How high do our mountains of rubbish have to get? PS: There is also the non-electric version, where the rotation is only driven by an electrothermal converter (Peltier element), but even that would be too much effort in my opinion.

@@ws4860 I don’t think you fully understand what Ben There is saying. I have considerable experience with thermoelectric generators and I see the merit in what he’s suggesting, definitely worth considering harvesting some of that excess thermal energy as electricity. The way I have several of mine setup in off-grid cabins and even my bus and sprinter van is with thermoelectric plates on top of the wood stoves with stainless water tanks on top of the thermoelectric plates so they’re sandwiched between the stovetop and the water tank. The water tank acts as a heat sink, cooling the upper side of the thermoelectric plates and increasing their output as well as heating the water in the tank for use in beverages, food, bathing, etc. In winter I fill the tank with snow to boost the electrical generation as well as create fresh water from the fresh powder (lots of it up here in Finland). I have a fan, powered by the thermoelectric generation, which stokes the fire, increasing the thermal output and, therefore, electrical generation, to extent of a net-positive over and above the consumption of the fans. The excess electrical energy is stored in batteries, of course, to power other things. This is scalable, of course, with larger, hotter stoves, more thermoelectric plates and larger water tanks generating more electricity.

The first person I saw do this was just a young teenager. I think he might’ve even invented it. The video is also here online someplace.

Mankind’s ability to innovate

came here to say this too

How do you make candles spring loaded?

Would have to be at an angle to let wax drip put into sepera5 pan in order to lose the weight

@@Keeperofrighteousness but then the candles are way less efficient

Thats what I wanted to suggest :D seems I was too slow

Or replace with oil lamps

if you add a fan on the outtake you'd be moving air too fast and maybe drop the temperature

@@shaystern2453 that depends on the fan speed doesn't it?

@@darunealbane whale blubber works great for that.

What did the pirate say on his 80th birthday? Aye Matey.

I’d like to keep it simple, don’t find much use for calling somebody stupid. Maybe I’ve just been bullied wants to often by assholes. No reflection on you sir, I’m just saying what my experience has been. There’s so much hatred in the world, I think anything we can do to simmer down the overall situation is a good thing.

@@GuitarUniverse2013 Mr Guitar, keep it simple stupid is not meant as an insult. KISS is an acronym. The entire phrase is a colloquialism.

@@Navyuncle Its a UK approach of not over complicating things 😀🙃

@@tommybrown9034 I like your name. My boy is Tommy. And my sister's last name is Brown.

That's a great suggestion!

i was thinking the same thing a 20lb cylinder would last forever.... 6 small pilots.... 4in dryer vent tobe...

@@williamhelvitson1302 A bunsen burner might work nicely too

4 candles a night is pretty expensive to a 20lb propane tank burning 4 pilots like you suggested

that's excellent thinking

Yeah, I sorta want to build one w/ kerosene/diesel in mind.

wax seems to last longer

Yes. It is great to take a step back and be thankful!

You could probably heat a much bigger space with some of those mods or use less candles.

That's what Crisco was designed for in the 40s during WWII in England people used it to cook over using they're paraffin stoves. Many sailboat still use it to cook over

+1 on the Peltier cell to pull voltage from the heat at the top of stove to run a combustion intake fan

That's a very in-depth addition iam wanting to apply both of your ideas to my work on my RV home

Crisco comments from everyone who's never tried it. Try it. Then you can deal with the film of Crisco on every single surface in that small space. Have fun

Kerosene heaters use a circular 2-1/2 to 3 inch diameter round wick that would be way too big for that small space. There are kerosene circular wick lamps that work exactly the same way as kerosene heaters, which would be much more appropriately sized. Most of the companies that made them have gone out of business except for Aladdin, who still makes them to do this day. They use a one inch diameter wick and also a mantle for very bright light for a kerosene lamp. They are still made probably because they are the best and brightest that have ever been made. Unfortunately they are also very expensive if new. You can find decent ones though, at the Antique stores. I've heard of them being found at thrift stores, but I have never seen one there.

put a fan on the intake pipe

The taller the pipe the better. Always moving air the higher you go.

I just don't take my doghouse, out for trips often enough.

Well @Francisco it is his job, you wouldn't watch low quality TV show.

Don't be angry

I was just thinking that after that sky shot. Like damn, he put some thought into this thing hes got going on.

@@k0oLwHiP - yeah, me too. I loved the camera in the back of the sled. I thought that was a nice touch.

Could't agree more. Well said.

To watch, yes, listen - not so much. Sounded like microphone directly connected to the surfaces being worked on, lol. Way too much emphasized rumble, drilling noises, and all.

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰👍

A “lab Jack” could also be used.

a platform on springs maybe. as the candles get lighter the springs will decompress and lift them up.

@@dosmundos3830 I hadn't really considered springs at the time, I don't really know if they would work very well (they are non-linear with the compression to length), given you would have to calibrate for the smallest size the candle will get to. Maybe a coil spring may work.

@Michael Ward - I have the same idea before reading the comments!

That was my thought as well.

@@michaelward402 the NCO candle lanterns use a cylinder that holds the candles in place so the spring can feed the candles upwards.

candles are made from petroleum products. Sure there are beeswax candles but that would have been a VERY expensive night of heat. Alternatives are far too expensive to use to heat. So no, no more renewable than burning gas or kerosene. BUT WOOD IS RENEWABLE...Which reminds me I need to check my fire, you know in my WOOD STOVE. People just do not realize how much we depend on FOSSIL FUELS EVEN FOR THE FOOD WE EAT, BUT YOU WILL SOON FIND OUT AT THE GROCERY STORE. "Paraffin wax is a byproduct of petroleum, created by removing the waxy substance from crude oil. Paraffin wax is cheap and holds both dyes and scents well. However, it’s not biodegradable or natural, and it’s made from a non-renewable resource, so many people avoid it for environmental reasons. Heating paraffin wax releases soot and 11 known toxins - two of which are carcinogens - into the air. For these reasons, paraffin wax candles have been falling out of favor in recent years."

@@limpingoatfarm cool story brah... I think you left out soy, coconut, vegetable, and other plant based renewable waxes. Renewable like your WOOD, and easy to make at home, with home grown resources. Even beeswax can be highly affordable if one keeps bees. All things a bit more accessible and alot quicker to renew once one cuts down all their local trees, that is if we were in an apocalyptic scenario. Your WOOD would not be efficient or safe in his tiny camper, otherwise I'm sure he wouldn't be going through all the trouble of inventing alternate heating. Great chat!

@@SuperTROOPER469 lady, a $60 burn of those alternative candles makes no sense. They are NOT ALTERNATIVES, wood lots are MANAGED by people intelligent enough to acquire the acreage they require. Please, don't suppose I could ever run out of wood, you have no idea of what my circumstances ARE. ALSO there are tiny woodstoves that people use in tiny houses that burn little more than big twig sized wood. The price is quite prohibitive for casual use, which is probably why he did not consider one. .I have been heating with wood just about my entire adult life and have always maintained a woodlot either on the property I live on now or property purchased for that purpose. You don't know very much about the subject, maybe some research would make you aware of reality.

@@SuperTROOPER469 maybe he should take his woodstove out of his cabin then, raise bees and heat it with candles, eh?

@@limpingoatfarm Why argue with a female... it is always wasted energy...they just don't get it

This thing screams for some electronic control.

@@metatechnologist Out in the middle of nowhere, the last thing in the world you need is something that needs electricity. What would be better is a wind-up mechanism that gradually raises the candles on a little platform.

@@awo1fman no electricity? What makes those computer fan turn?

@@awo1fman Anything mechanical is going to be noisy if you're trying to sleep. A wind up mechanical gear likely would produce "clicks". Not to mention exponentially more difficult to manufacture.

@@metatechnologist Not really !!!

Bad idea unless you like carbon monoxide in your lungs you might stay warm but fall asleep forever…

Just be sure to crack a window, to allow the carbon monoxide to escape. Candles in small tight spaces are lethal.

I did the same thing with a can of Sterno......any yes to all you worry warts.....the window was cracked open slightly.....

Just what the us government hates cause then your not reliant on their tyrannical asses

@@2A_supporter - And that makes me 3 times more motivated to get out of their matrix.

Lol, he has a Snowmobile, so he is certainly not self-sufficient.

@@marl9543 well, at least he knows how to drive that thing! That is something. We all are dependent on something. We are not made to be alone.

@@marl9543 - That is why men created snowmobiles - to conquer the wilderness.

I have seen some BBQ grills with something like what you said. Has a knob or handle on one side to raise or lower the heat source closer to the grate. That could be handy if you could make one and it not take up a lot of space in the heater.

that’s a nice idea, but you can actually get spring-operated set ups to do that automatically. That way you’re not waking up periodically throughout the night, to have to make the adjustment manually.

irradiation is not a thing in heating and not at all the same as radiant heat

Hint? This isn't a puzzle game, the word you meant was "tip"

@@MrDmadness Likely auto correct mate.

@@KathrynsWorldWildfireTracking that's fair point.

@@zertilus No, that's actually the correct usage of the term hint it's just less commonly used. Don't be that guy. There are already too many of them on the internet.

The only bad part is using JB weld to seal the pipes. Never use 2 part epoxy for high heat things you will be damn near next to for extended periods of time. The fumes are very toxic. Even if it's made for high heat applications. It's still no go for clean air in a closed environment

@@graydi66y what would be a better alternative?

@@RISCGames welding

@@larrymartineau7507 Well, he did say it kept the inside around 15 to 20 C overnight. Have to take his word on that statement. He also mentioned he had an air vent at the opposite end of the shed, which would raise questions, as heat does escape through vents lowering heating efficiency of his furnace. It does send questionable thoughts towards the watchers of this video.

@@waynedavies3185 A single Good candle produces 80 W, most Tea lights are around 40 Watts unless they are cheap rubbish ones like I've purchased on one or two occasions. So 80 watts x4= 320 watts at approximately 75 to 85% efficiency, lets say 20% heat is going out the chimney so efficiency is 80%, now we have 256 Watts = 874 BTU. Anyway, So the question is, would 256 Watts heat that space, and it could be as low as 200 Watts depending on the candles and the length of the wicks, "or" arguably a little more? My 400 watt halogen heater would cook you out in a space that size even in low temps so I can see 256 Watts = 256 BTU working pretty Good. I think the candles getting to low was definitely an issue. I would suggest that some of the original heat came from the fire that was lit outside, heated the whole cabin up somewhat and the cabin stored it for a while and this should also be taken into consideration. 8 thicker wicks in kerosene like this but in two lines of four and under the two pipes (NIDONE Kerosene Stove) would probably do the job well for a quicker heat up, then you could extinguish what you don't need plus they won't burn down like candles and cheaper also.

Thanks! We‘ll see how we survive cold nights and stupid, corrupt politicians.

Well I'm hoping I will be able get one made and shipped to England

Danke dass du an uns in Europa denkst, mal sehen was der Verrat von Klaus Schwab, Habeck, Baerbock und Scholz so anrichtet diesen Winter ...

folks from europe???

That's why I'm here! Technically Switzerland isn't part of Europe, but we're sinking in the same ship.

I had the same idea. A dial which would raise and lower the candles.

I have a device called a Northern Lights, which is a small candle lantern. The candle is in a tube, with a spring pushing it up so the flame is always at the same height.

Like a raise/lower BBQ grill !

@@andrewallason4530 I have one of those. They work pretty well most of the time, but I have had wax drip down somehow onto the spring and mess it up.

Was thinking the same thing, only with the addition of a small geared stepper motor with an Arduino with a temp sensor on the outlets to auto control the height of the adjustable candle shelf.

I agree! It is nice to get dressed if it's warm though, but this is a near perfect set up!

You're absolutely right, Tim. It's very simple and easy to throw together, which is part of the beauty of it. That being said, all of us construction nerds live to solve problems. We take anything that someone has made and immediately look for ways to improve it - not because we're mean or trying to be rude, it's just how our brains work. It's the driving force of innovation that infinitely propels us forward! 😁

Yea, some times less is better. There isnt much i would change, Maybe insulate the exhaust out side with rock wool and tape. For camping in a tent, Its not just the heat, its the drying out of the tent that's a plus, Often i would sleep without the heater then use it in the morning for an hour to dry things out. I used propane catalytic heater with small ventilation on each end of the tent, a must for safety.

At these temperatures, yes, but if it got really cold or really windy - and where I live in Manitoba, -11ºC with no major wind is pretty mild for the winter - four candles wouldn’t be enough.

This loser Canadian could have bought a little buddy heater and a 20# propane tank and had something real.

Google candle heater. I have one made of flowerpots. Looks nice but all the emmisions stay in the room. I love the solution with the external airflow. Good idea.

@@ws4860 It's nice to use internal air with a chimney. Gets you clean air (granted there is an efficiency question at play)

@@priestesslucy3299 Internal air means, your oxygen is taken away and this can be a problem, especially in small rooms.

@@ws4860 only if you build it too tight. Even then all you have to do is crack a window

@@priestesslucy3299 Break a window to get oxygen? :D It shouldn't have to come to that. All I meant was that constantly using oxygen-rich internal air for combustion is not advisable. What speaks against the supply of fresh air from outside?

What temperature does wax melt at?

@@richardthompson6079 Depends on the wax....but....yeah, good point

@@ssnerd583 Yeah - good point, and maybe another reason to try the crisco can candle instead of wax.

​@@eaglechawks3933 Yes, a 3 or 4 wick oil lamp system with the wicks at a fixed distance from the heated pipes would offer a constant heat output compared to the reducing candle height reducing the heat output & with multiple wicks drawing from a common oil reservoir, the heat output could be adjusted by the number of wicks lit. The fuel level could be visible from the outside and topped up.

I believe you are absolutely right about this one :. the exhaust pipe needs to be slightly wider than the intake tube for better air circulation.

Maybe even a throat plate coupled with a wider exhaust. Something like an open fire has. That might increase the airflow but also make the candles burn too fast

I think having the air intake higher would help. The gravity feed principle applies with air as well as in liquids. Cold air falls hot air rises. The candles aren't creating enough heat to warm the chimney and sufficiently draw the cold air up from under the floor. My suggestion would be to have the cold air intake higher then the stove. Route the pipe down the side of the stove and port it into the stove at about the mid candle height level. Also insulate the pipe so it stays cold and the intake air doesn't have a chance to warm as it travels down. This will ensure. You have proper gravity feed of cold air into the combustion chamber with out unnecessarily cooling the heat exchange pipes. I would also insulate the chimney so it retains as much heat as possible. Very cool build.

The exhaust should be at least 1 pipe size bigger than the intake. You pretty much said that. I have a BlazeKing wood stove that does great with 4'" combustion air and I think 8" exhaust. My combustion inlet is not hard piped to the stove just in case the stove wants to suck a little more in. It makes huge difference to not pull a draft across the house. ~40,000 btu/hr if you want to scale to the candles.

@@artsmith103 I have the princess version of the same stove and similar experiences. Also familiar with heat exchange systems and AC&R from my navy days. When I've built stoves I always put in double the exhaust from the intake. Have a great day.

👌

Thanks! Best of luck to you. 🙂👍Let me know how it goes.

gday fellow offgrider, can u make us a vid to see how it all works out??

Good thought🍻

Agreed, use an oil lamp and add a double walled chimney to increase the draw

That wasn't the assignment.

No, insulation does not create heat.. heating doesn't work like this.. heating major in commercial design here.

Would it be better if he just adds a fan to the intake like the hot air ones. It will increase the imput air.

chimneys work because the air inside is hot, in your case the air in the chimney is cold and your pipe is quite long. I reckon if you get rid of the upward pipe with the shorter exhaustion possible you would get much better results.

@@MrDmadness I was thinking this. The obvious engineering issue is the distance from the source of heat (the candle flame) getting larger over time from the desired warm output (the air in the pipes). A simple counter balance could be employed to maintain the flame height (Read: move the candle up) as they get lighter.

@@tommorgan6665 engineering ? I saw no I value or r value calculations ?? Did I miss something? As a heating system designer I can tell you that the human sleeping in that small quarters releases a LOT more heat than the candles ( humans are about 400 btuh at rest ) and that this will not overcome a large de.taT

And put your cup of tea on top to keep it warm.

But then you would need to use shorter candles and that means less burn time. But consider this, at roughly $2.50 per candle is it even worth it?

@@petehenry7878 True perhaps. But even if shorter, in the horizontal configuration, the standard candles can still *on average* be closer to the heating tubes, even when worn out (and it must be remembered that they are more numerous). Also change the candles every 8 hours, just to say, instead of 10 hours, I think little on a practical level. Practical tests should be carried out, because with hypotheses alone one goes not far.

@@yopenzo I get what you're saying, but I don't think there would be that much improvement in the long run. More testing is definitely needed.

Finally!… This idea struck me as soon as I saw what he was constructing. This will also force the candles to burn more efficiently, thus longer burn times in the chamber. In my humble opinion, this setup could be modified to include a small water heater (billy can size). By wrapping a copper coil loosely around the exhaust pipe leading to a billy can coil below that point. This could slide up & twist to the side when not in use or to be drained. Another option is to use the heat exchanger to use a gravity flow floor heater using copper tubing in the exchanger tubes, connecting to plastic tubing snaked to whatever specific areas needed concentrated heat. The thermal units would be consumed 100% within the structure & not be vented out from the opposite end air vent. I would also screen the lower intake vent for the burner as well as the exhaust to keep debris/critters from entering. It seems to me that if I were dragging this through trees & branches, I would keep the exhaust pipe lower than the roof edge, then place the extension on while setting up camp. The top of the ammo can is an obvious warmer/drier too! Intake & exhaust dampers might be good ideas as well as increased intake/exhaust capacities. Minimal efforts on these mods for maximal returns. Good job, man!

Or have it set up like set of scales, as the candles get lighter the rise up, gravity is free!

Flue

@@johnransom1146 flu

Eye aye I cap'n

My wood stove has 25' flu. It heats 1300 sq.ft. running 24/7 against typical outside 20F. 7 ft up the flu, still inside I can easily hold the single wall pipe. It doesn't need to stay very hot to flow. Insulate flu outside to help prevent ice in exhaust.

Do you know about hydronic furnaces & cloths dryers?

@@doubletappinhillbilly not a bit

All excellent ideas! 🙂👍 Thank you.

With the price of candles being what it is, I'd stick with gas if I were you.

How about an oil lamp? I have seen a video of how to make an oil lamp out of a can of tuna so nearly any oil should work. It would keep the flame at standard height and because of the heater ventilation design there is no worry about inside air quality(there is a good reason why oil lamps have "only for outside use" stamped on them).

@@AnalystPrime Let me tell you a story. One spring a few friends and I decided to go back to the hunting camp and see how it had wintered. We gathered up food and blankets and everything we needed to spend a couple nights. So, we get to camp, sun's going down and we can't find the lantern. Came to realize we left it sitting at home. So, we start looking around for candles or anything that might have been left at the camp, but nothing. Nothing that is but a jar of mayonnaise. It must have frozen because the oil and egg whites had separated. Well, I knew that vegetable oil was flammable, so I poked a hole in the lid and ran a piece of wash rag through it for a wick. Low and behold, we had light. So yeah, I figure just about any oil would work. And I think you just came up with a better idea. Good job.

IMO the fan isn't even needed. The heat differential between the inlet and outlet is more than enough to ensure good airflow through the heat exchanger.

The rising heat would be fine without the fan, it draws the cold air up and flows hot out

@@bryanbaker1479 That's exactly what I was thinking.

The temp going through where the fans are wouldn’t be enough to start a heat initiated element. So they would never turn on.

There is no need to put them there, if they need heat put them at the other end of the pipe..

I wonder if creating a slightly Flatened section in the middle of those heat transfer pipes surface would also slow the heats travel around the pipes and allow them to absorb more heat ? 🤔 press flatten the pipes about an inch at the contact points just above flame. Amyone?