Okay, folks, gather around, I’ve got a little experiment to share with you all today. It’s about using tea lights for heating, and let me tell you, it’s been quite a journey from start to finish.
It all started when I stumbled upon some YouTube videos talking about heating up spaces with clay pots and tea lights. Sounded a bit out there, but hey, I’m always up for a bit of DIY, especially if it means potentially saving on heating bills. Plus, with winter coming up, the idea of a backup heat source was pretty appealing.
First things first, I gathered my supplies. I picked up a bunch of tea lights from the local store—nothing fancy, just the standard ones. Then, I grabbed a couple of clay pots from my garden shed. I also made sure I had a metal muffin tin, which I read somewhere could be useful. And, of course, a barbecue lighter to get things fired up.
Now, the setup. I’ve seen a few ways to do this, but I decided to keep it simple. I placed four tea lights in the muffin tin, lit them up, and then balanced a small clay pot upside down over them. The idea is that the pot captures the heat from the candles and then radiates it out into the room. There were also people who suggested using an empty coffee can, but I found that my clay pot does the trick.
- Step 1: Gather tea lights, clay pots, a metal muffin tin, and a barbecue lighter.
- Step 2: Place tea lights in the muffin tin and light them.
- Step 3: Balance a clay pot upside down over the lit tea lights.
I let it sit for a while, checking in every now and then. Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first. But after about an hour, I started to notice a difference. The area around the pot was definitely warmer. It wasn’t like a furnace or anything, but it was noticeable. I even tried heating up a small pan of water on top of the pot, and it actually worked! Took a while, but it did get warm.
Here’s the kicker, though. While it does provide some heat, it’s not going to heat up a whole room to, say, 20 degrees Celsius. I did some quick math, and it seems like you’d need a whole lot of tea lights to do that—way more than what’s practical. I read that one tea light is about 40 watts, and you need about 75 watts per square meter for a decent temperature increase. Yeah, not happening with my little setup.
My Key Takeaways
- It works, but don’t expect miracles: Tea lights and clay pots can provide a bit of heat, enough to warm up a small area or maybe heat up some water.
- It’s slow: This isn’t a quick fix. It takes time for the heat to build up and radiate out.
- Not a room heater: It’s not going to replace your central heating or even a space heater. The amount of heat generated is just too small.
- Emergency use: This could be handy in a pinch if the power goes out, but I wouldn’t rely on it as a primary heat source.
So, there you have it. My little adventure with tea lights and clay pots. It was a fun experiment, and I learned a thing or two along the way. Would I recommend it? Sure, why not. Just manage your expectations and be realistic about what it can do. Stay warm, everyone!
