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Recession Proof GLP...heating/air conditioning
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[quote:Anonymous Coward 429245:MV81NTExNzdfODc3MDI0Nl80NDRFRTA2RA==] [quote:Redheaded Stepchild] Two years ago Hubby constructed an emergency heater. I posted it in a couple of GLP threads last year. It's VERY helpful when the power goes out and the room gets chilly. This past winter, my natural gas bill kicked my ass, so I used the "emergency heater" exclusively for keeping my family room comfy. Clay pots are available right now, so this would be a great time to stock up. They aren't so easy to find come winter. *********************************************************** EMERGENCY HEATER IDEA with photos: Hubby constructed an emergency heater out of clay pots and some hardware he had laying around. We got the idea from some guy on the Internet who was selling something similar for about $29. We didn't spend a dime, but that's because we had the materials on hand. We modified the other guy's idea to suit what we already had. After Hubby built it, we dried out the cleaned clay pot by burning a candle in it for about 8 hours. You could probably use the oven. It did stink! We've since used the heater quite a bit. The room where we use it is large (19x22), and it didn't heat the space well enough to make it cozy, but it broke the chill. I'd like to have two of these for the large room. Anyway, we did use this one in a smaller room (11x12) and it kept the interior temp around 65F when the outdoor temps were below freezing. The completed unit is resting on a single saltillo tile (12in x 12in). This prevents catching the furniture on fire. LOL! The unit uses a single candle. The candle MUST be in either a glass container or something like a large old tuna can because the reflected heat will melt the candle and make a huge mess. You can use this as a general idea and modify it to suit yourself...but do NOT use any heat source except encased candles. http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/REDHEADED_STEPCHILD_01/IMG_0225.jpg 1. We used a clay pot dish for the interior base. This prevents melted wax from pouring off the candle and onto the furniture. The $29 heater had more interior clay pots than we used, but this is what we had. You can get NEW pots at a home decor center, or Hobby Lobby, or Garden Ridge, or those kinds of places...or you can scrub up some old ones as we did. The smaller interior pot is held in place using standard nuts and bolts, with washers as spacers. There are extra nuts and washers that increase the radiant heat factor...just space a washer and a nut and another washer...etc. It's also a good idea to stagger the washer sizes from small to large. http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/REDHEADED_STEPCHILD_01/IMG_0226.jpg 2. We used 3 old metal shelf L-brackets for the supports and leg assembly. These old brackets came pre-drilled. Hubby threaded the 3 brackets together (as shown in photo), and stabilized this joint with a nut on top and one on the bottom. The large top clay pot assembly rests on the threaded bolts at the top of each bracket. Do NOT use plastic or wood brackets. http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/REDHEADED_STEPCHILD_01/?action=view¤t=IMG_0227.jpg 3. Here, you can see the center assembly. Each nut set can be adjusted to make the unit level. http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/REDHEADED_STEPCHILD_01/?action=view¤t=IMG_0230.jpg 4. Here, you can see the interior of the clay pot heater top. You can almost see the staggered nut/washer "radiator." So far, the metal hasn't gotten hot enough to cause burns, but I guess that would depend on your own assembly. http://s116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/REDHEADED_STEPCHILD_01/?action=view¤t=IMG_0231.jpg 5. The "radiator" core is threaded into the top of the exterior clay pot assembly and a washer stabilizes it. http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o14/REDHEADED_STEPCHILD_01/IMG_0224.jpg 6. The finished clay pot emergency heater. In this photo, we are using an old glass candle holder with a votive. Use a glass container that will easily slide under the lip of the clay pot top, if possible. Or be prepared to lift off the top each time you need to light the thing. Ugh. You can modify this in several different ways, but the main ideas are to use the bolt-washer-nut-washer-nut internal "radiator," the stacked clean clay pots and clay dish, brackets of some type that are fire-proof, a fire-proof tile or such under the base, and a pillar candle that is either in a glass container or that will fit in a BIG tuna (or chicken) can -- big enough to contain melted wax. I recommend the former. We did NOT use any other heat source except a candle. Hubby (the old Army Safety Geek) does NOT recommend using oil lamps or sterno cans or any such because the reflected heat could cause spontaneous combustion....KA-BOOM! ************************************************************ Added note as of 2008: We started using tea-lights in a big tuna can, and it worked GREAT!!! The large tuna can will hold 4 tea-lights, and they generally burn for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. BIG LOTS had large bags of tealights the other day for $4.00. I picked up a couple of bags. [/quote] Redheaded stepchild....I made 7 of these by looking at your photos. Thanks! Another thing...I came across a site with insulating additive for paint. I'm going to purchase some of them. Also, I'm looking for the link that had the solar curtain panels...anyone know which thread it was on? Alzaya [/quote]
Original Message
In the winter time, I have my thermostat on about 45 degrees.
I live in my bedroom and heat that with an electric heater. My desk and computer, and TV is in the bedroom, and I'm snug as a bug in a rug.
This year, I'm thinking of installing a gas heater in the living room. I think that will be cheaper than using the gas forced air furnace because the ducts are under my house in the crawl space.
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