IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HELPFUL TO PUT ONE TOGETHER SO THAT US SINGLE GRANNIES COULD SEE FROM THE GROUND UP..!

Amazing Plenum Heater! Great video. For you non-engineering minds out there here's the material list... New/empty paint can (6" diameter) remember to drill 3/8 to 1/2 wholes every 2" for draft. Terracotta base or stand flipped upside down 8" or possibly a 10". 2 washers approximately 2" or 1-1/2" Eye bolt approximately 6"-8" long. 2 hex nuts to fit eye bolt thread diameter Plenum has 1 each of 4", 3", 2" terracotta planter pot. The lid to this heater is an 8" terracotta planter pot. 3 fire bricks inside paint can for weight and stability. Note: you have a hex nut and washer in the inside of the plenum holding the 4"3"&2" terracotta planters pot with the eye bolt going through. Than a washer and hex nut on the top of eye bolt. So here is the order on the eye bolt hex nut, washer, 4" planter pot, 3" planter pot, 2" planter pot, washer and last hex nut. The washers hold everything in place and the hex nut is the compression and or, torque. Heat source is a chafing fuel burner. I hope this helps.

Spare floor tiles (you can buy them as singles in many DIY stores nowadays or may have some from a previous remodel) are the best for putting under candles, toasters, coffee pots, etc. for added safety and a super inexpensive heat shield.

Everyone who lives in a cold climate should have a metal coffee can and a candle in their vehicle in case it gets stranded. The candle in the coffee can will keep your car warm until help can arrive. Try to find one of those 24-hour candles that burns that long.

Thank you! You are the first person who actually showed an actual temperature measurement.

Don't forget to setup a test environment and keep tabs on oxygen and carbon monixide levels.

Looks good. A lot of people test these by probing the temps of the flame/pot but I'd like a test of if it increases the temperature of a small room or area.

My husband thinks I’m nuts but I am always thinking in survival mode. We live in upper midwest.it gets darned cold. I’m always thinking we gotta be ready and need to keep warm, have light, a way to cook, clean water, and potty. Got it all covered but this system will be a nice addition. Thanks for a nice demo!

Yo Buddy you got the real deal there. You are a true designer.

Hi. I made this as he instructed except I used the 6”, 4” and 3“ terra cotta pots. The paint can came from Lowe’s. I used the Sterno canned heat and the eye bolt with nut and washers as he did. I placed the heater on the overturned terra cotta plate and placed everything in my extra large cast iron skillet and on top of my glass topped stove in case it got hot on the bottom. It did not. Sterno does not produce harmful fumes and is used inside by catering companies to keep food warm while being served. Although I did get a little heat from the upper terra cotta pots after 10 minutes, I let it burn for 4 hours with little change. I would not count on it to keep me warm, except maybe my hands if they were held about 4 inches from the upper pots. But I enjoyed trying it and it looks nice as a conversation piece. 🪴

I think what most of you folks are missing is the flower pot heater is like a battery and you get the heat generated from the fuel source stored in the surface area of the metal and pots. Metal is an excellent conductor but not a great retainer of heat. The terracotta in the flower pots are good retainers and radiators but not great conductors of heat. If you put a four T-light setup next to the chair you're sitting in or on a kitchen table the FELT heat will be more important than the amount of BTU's actually generated by the system.

He is trying to heat a tent... Now I remember sleeping in a tent, not that air tight, as I remember... Good job Sir.

I wouldn't be afraid to use it as long as there are no vapor or fumes to harm u awesome idea bother great job

wow,thats hotter than my wood stove half loaded,as we say in the NAVY, BRAVO ZULU (job well done).

Good job. This one looks like a big winner. Lots of high heat there.

I hope you are safe and do not die using this.

All of these people that are afraid of a candle or can of stereo in a flower pot are amusing,but I feel sorry for them. Great heater, good job. 👍👍👍👍👍👌

I just stumbled across your channel. I enjoy your experiment. Also, I felt that you did a great job with using a different heat source. The canned heat was a great idea. This fall, I can see us using this in a dung out hole in the ground with a tarp tent blocking the wind. Thank you for sharing your experiment with us.

When I was a child we would stay over at my grandparents old house. They had a coal fireplace and big cast iron stove in the kitchen. Everyone would have a brick set right next to the fireplace, at bedtime you would wrap your brick in a blanket and set it beside you under your covers, this seemed to work. Please don't put an open flame beneath your cot, you sound like a good fella, pity if you burned alive. Thanks, good design. Sam.

Well done & some impressive #s regarding temps. I've used my flower pot design with beeswax candle in my tent & it has worked well. I've got 4 wicks that I can light in the candle, one flower pot is the candle and the heat it puts out is solid.

That is the best clay pot build i have seen so far. Great build!

People need to also realize your test is outside. I guarantee in a small enclosed area the heat will be retained. Great job😃 God Bless Everyone!💝

When you buy stereo cans, the directions say to not blow out the flame, but to simply place the lid on top of the stereo can, but do NOT tighten the lid until it cools down, or you’ll never be able to get the lid off again.

I think your on to something here, please keep us posted on upgrades....also just a thought, try a small can of crisco. place a wic in the center. this may need a bigger unit to accomodate it but a small can will burn for a LONG time and the wic can be blown out.....a thought...

Love the experimental spirit. Keep up the good work. Interesting concept.

As long as the area isn’t to large,these things work. And if you have a fairly large area (25ft x25ft) - this particular set up would work great… The temp you got is impressive!! 380+🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

You should make an update on this. I’d like to see what your doing now.

you can find a stainless pot at the thrift store/ yard sale and drill vent holes in them the same way as the paint can, less money, and get more heat with a larger pot set-up. It works great in my greenhouse. Someone made their sterno using tuna can, cardboard, wax and wick .

Cut a hole in the bottom of the can, to facilitate access to the Sterno! Nice design, BTW!

I like the idea of using a stern burner, which can also be used as a heat source for warming food in emergencies. I keep them on hand in case of a power failure. good idea!

It’s very ancient technology that works great. Awesome video for people to learn how not to rely on the grid. Clay is everywhere and they used it efficiently and even to cook, the best nan breads baked on the inside of clay ovens and if you want to make a big one for pizza make one with thick clay walls and enjoy. Awesome video.

Looks good! I think I'd stay with the sterno or a small Crisco can. Nice job!!

@SelfRelianceLab This is SWEET!! you're badass sir. Thank you for taking this to the next level

This is the best posted i loved thanks myfriend

Chubby color crayon! Love it!

Great video you've got my creative juices going. As a painter I have a ready supply of paint cans for experimentation 😁❤️

It would be easier to just get a dog to get under the covers with you !

Best design so far! Well done You!!

Very useful. Hope to see the redisign. Thank you.

I think the biggest problem with some of the youtubers is they over think a problem. This is a simple problem. 1 set up your tent, 2 cover tent with old blankets, 3 cover blankets with tarp, 4 set sterno on old dinner plate and light it. I've done this in 10-20 degree weather and was nice and toasty.

I love experimentation ! As you keep building and experimenting, while using your laser thermometer, please try a simple kerosene hurricane lantern, and check the fuel usage also. You can adjust the lantern to burn very clean and some have very wide wicks, as well as being listed by UL.

good way to capture X amount of BTUs in a mass containment ...cool design

Wow !!!! Very nice job. !!!! Pretty cool. !!!! 😉👍 😉👍

I have used a PILOT LIGHT to heat my 40 gallon water heater for the last 10 years. I only sacrifice the FAST RECOVERY time. It takes about 15 hours for the water to heat up again for the next days showers. Water comes out TOO HOT TO TOUCH and must turn on the cold a little also. There is a LOT OF HEAT coming out of a candle flame. I also believe you could (crock-pot) cook a meal using a candle flame . . . if you simply put the cooking pot in a WELL INSULATED container during heating. Once the pan & food get hot, it would STAY hot several hours if it is INSULATED. Problem with ALL COOKING POTS is they allow heat to escape!!! Always be safe knowing candles put out oily smoke and deadly Co2. Be safe out there everyone.

love your ideas

I'm liking the can. On the top I intend to use a cast iron pan filled with crushed fire brick, or a pan of water to heat. I also intend to use tomato paste cans to make vrgetable oil candles to put inside the can. I saw this video on the tiny house segment but I haven't been able to find it again but I remember it. The paste cans are more candle shaped and you can fit i think five or maybe more in the can, so you can actually boil water and cook as well as a radiant heater.

Great design and looks safer than other designs! I am thinking this could be a fruit tree solution in the spring. Maybe surrounded by rocks for additional mass and stability under the tree. Might save some cost using plate metal scraps, bricks, or flat stones (metamorphic) inside instead of stacked pots as well. Another flat dish on top to avoid wind toppling issues. Thank you so much for sharing your experimental work!

Put a can of Crisco in a paint can and shove three tapered candles, from the Dollar Tree, down inside, all the way to the bottom. That'd be safe and would burn for a very, very long time, cheap too. Also keep one in your car with a lighter taped to the side so you can find it when you need it. Hope you don't freeze to death. I'll be waiting to see what you come up with next. You keep on trudging and I'll keep on watching. God bless you real good 💕 🌿 Oh, you could put the clay pot on top with the holes around the bottom side of the can like you did.

Please be careful....a friend used a very similar heat source and the fuel insiee the can got so hot that it flash fired and burned his hunting cabin to the ground.

Very good presentation and information and craftmanship

Thank you for sharing. I will watch it a couple of times before I try to build one. I will waiting for the update(s).

I must say, I've watched a lot of these kinds of videos and I like where your going with this. Which is perfect timing for to find your video, cause I live in OH and my furnace is Not working. Where going to be in teens for hight. I know it's ment for outside (depending on fuel) so I'll be careful. Thanks!. Hope you get my message of thanks.

Great video, thank you. I can't wait to see the update.

This is actually a "heat buffer", as the purpose is to capture heat for slower delivery to the air. However, it is just "stuff" in the way of the heat-source. It will not generate any more, and will generate less in addition to toxic fumes and CO2 and CO from the dirty-burn being enclosed. (Toxins from the LEAD in the clay pots, which are not intended to be heated, or inside, or as heating storage devices.) Put a copper tube over the flame and force air into the tube. That will capture and transfer the heat more efficiently. (Even without a fan, run the pipes to the floor to make a stand and they will chimney air up through them from the cold floor.) However, a candle is a candle, and food-warmers (alcohol), produce x-amount of heat and x-amount of toxins that kill you. Venting the toxins by introducing cold air, nearly negates the gains to zero. You need something that burns nearly 100% and can have the heat captured and removed from the exhaust, with the exhaust vented safely. This is not that device. This is a personal killer, as are most portable heaters abused by being burned in enclosed areas. You are contributing to the potential death of others, for a few youtube hits. There are plenty of cheap and safe heating alternatives, without rebirthing past failed 1400's ideas, to save a few bucks. I guarantee that you won't make enough ad-hits to regain the money wasted reinventing the square wheel... again... for the millionth time. I know... dead people can't complain about how these things failed by killing them, but that is why we have public safety-laws, to speak for the dead.

Candle BTU output is X. adding flower pots will not change the amount of heat output. The Laws of Physics don't bend for candle heaters. just get you a nice stable candle holder and a good battery operated CO detector so you don't die..... if you want a grid free heat source look at wood stoves.

good vid! thanks for sharing your ideas. 😉

When I was a kid in WI, my grandpa used to put a roll of toilet paper in a can and pour alcohol on it to heat his ice shack when we were fishing. It helped quite a bit, but it was a small shack

awesome work

Hope you're well. This was a great design and much safer. Would like to see what improvements you made.

Finally some how know how to make them Right this the way I do mine great video

I like it! This one's actually practical.

Excellent work man. peace

this is a great idea the way you and closed it also putting the eyelid on the top for the people who suspend there's and put change they could do that eyelet like you did

You my friend are a life saver 👍

I found this to be quite helpful. I am trying to find cheap heat for my small tin garage that is my shop to work in. I am allergic to kerosene and i can't afford a wood stove but! I have cans of sterno fuel in a closet i can use. Thanks!

so funny these videos. we are all determined to make it work!

great job waiting to see other unit

Yours is the best by far. I figured a person could get more heat by using with a flame larger than a Tea Lite.

That is better than using tea lights! I want to spray my can with BBQ high heat black paint. I think yours really works great!

yours is the best so far.

would make a great way to cook while camping

How about a wood stove fan - the type that runs off the heat rising? Like the sterno fuel idea! Was without power last winter for 5 days and tried the typical clay pot, eye bolt with nuts and washers, used both tea lights and crisco candles. Had a 2 x 2' ceramic tile on the floor (heat rises) to make the area safe. Largest clay pot was 12" Used fire bricks to allow air flow on the edge of the base pot. Yes, the clay pot got really hot, much to hot to handle. Concept is great and all videos I've watched were done during decent weather. No, the typical clay pot concept doesn't heat even a small closed room when the temperature is 40 degrees inside! Must watch tea lights closely because they will and did catch fire!!! Fortunately they were sitting on a thick pad of aluminum foil and I caught the fire before too much smoke filled the room!

Pretty awesome, thanks for the video.

wonderful idea. and to the skeptics - it's better than freezing to death! one just has to be smart when using it.

Does the heat radiate and if so how far? In other words what size space does it heat up?

If you don’t mind could you take it clear apart. I’d also suggest covering it with an inverted wire waste basket that you could anchor to the ground in your tent. Also I was thinking about attaching your new base to mouth of the waste basket and perhaps a wire handle to the bottom of the basket to move it around if needed. Good luck, I think it’s looking pretty impressive.

Copperpots instead of Terracottapots and it heats up to 20 sqm easy going!

Well done!

The tealights, if you are using them can cause a fire once all the fuel is melted....we had a tent fire from those once...woke up to a good size fire..( we had a bunch lit for supplemental heat)...I would strongly recommend a steel or aluminum basin to set that heater in, somewhere it won't get knocked over....I think it would make it pretty safe and you can heat your tent without worry of falling asleep...

cat proof ..yea candle flame emits 1000 degrees ..that's hot ..very nice little operation ..a cake pan as a seat ,would insure less or no tipping .I'm inspired ..

Good work, man. I like it! One thing that occurred to me however, is that if you use a can of fuel (like sterno) you might want to see how hot the can is getting being enclosed in that hi-temp environment. I don't know if the cans' seams could begin to leak at high temps or even boil or explode. Just a thought. Those products are meant to burn at the top, but I don't know if it's safe or not to virtually put the can in an oven. I realize it's still in the prototype stage, so I thought I'd throw this out there as fuel for thought.

In the early 1960’s my parents had a VW bug. We live in Michigan. The heaters didnt work on the VW Bug back then. It was so dang cold in the winter. My parents took a coffee can added a roll of toilet paper and a bottle of alcohol. After the toilet paper was soaked with alcohol they lit it. It would warm the car. Roll the window down about an inch of course. I was trying to remember how they put it out when we got where we were going. I know they would have covered it to snuff it out

Infrared thermometers, like the one you are using in the vid, cannot measure air or flame temperature, they measure the radiant heat from a solid object. They can't accurately measure the temperature of a shiny or polished metal surface like the "paint can", either, because of reflected as well as radiated infrared heat. The red laser light you see is just a pointer to show where the infrared sensor is pointed.

That's amazing!

Another thing that you can use for burning: start with a tuna can, cut a long piece of cardboard (the height of the can so that you can roll it up (round & round) and stuff into the can. (approx 1" x 1.25 feet) (should fill can to top) Then melt paraphen wax and pour it over the rolled up card board and fill up the cardboard in the can with wax. Make a bunch and set aside for use.. This can be lit and it will burn for a very long time. Make sure you don't leave unattended (like any open flame) We made Bunsen burners like this when I was a kid. They work great and they are cheap.

pretty cool for a heater...

W o w that looks great🔥

How long does that fuel burner last? The one you bought at Dollar Tree for a dollar. Awesome video. Thanks a lot.

Awesome video

I built one with 4" 6" 8" pots, a 5/8th ss threaded rod and ss washers and nuts. 2 - 5 hour candle burn tests produced no large scale stored heat in the ceramic. I think the design doesn't work in all cases because the air flow is incorrect. It either needs to be flashover condition, where gasses are stored and reburned like a secondary combustion or as a type of heat exchanger system where airflow is slowed. You also have the possibility where some or many people are falsifying results, a sort of flash mob practical joke. I can currently get more heat by placing an aluminum grease can filled with water above the candles.

Awesome video. Thanks

Have you done any updates to this redesign? Wondering if you used it this past winter and how safe it was.

Do not *ever,* in *any* circumstances, try to blow out burning Sterno!! I once saw a guy light up his face when the burning fuel splashed back on to his chin and mustache! Only the quick reaction of a bystander, who buried the man's flaming face in his chest, saved the fool from serious burns!! He was more than happy to buy his good Samaritan a new shirt!!

Nice rig.

Genius might not believe it but it is just one of those things that really does work. See for yourself....

Good design👍👍

I like the paint can with having a handle & eye ring, Nice, good heat, Im trying different things like yours, i burned a sterno, only used 1 pot, yet to try the Alcohol, outside 1st

Test your rig inside a known volume of space…your tent…in cold weather. Also test it, heating during rain, inside same tent. See how long it takes for it to bring the inside of tent to a survivable temp. Good rig!

What is sterno made of and if in your house what are YOU BREATHING as it burns?

pretty cool