Weathers Cold

[ChanellG]

Have you tried pot-in-a-pot?

...Doesn't give a huge amount of heat, but hopefully keeps the frost down.

This is also an interesting idea. I wonder how it would work with coals instead of tea lights. I may have to do some experimenting with this in the coming weeks. Tea lights burn down a little too quickly for my needs, but because terra cotta holds heat, using a pot over the coals could give me what I need.

 

[Chuck]

That's really interesting. I wonder how it would burn if you introduced candle wax instead of alcohol. (I'd be concerned about the fumes with the alcohol.) I've been looking into ways to heat a greenhouse at night, but I don't think I'd want anything with a flame. Too many things could go wrong with that.

Rubbing alcohol or fuel alcohol has no fumes to speak of...Beeswax would be safe but paraffin could be toxic in a closed environment. I don't think any of the fuel type heaters would work in a greenhouse environment. If it were me I would acquire a metal table and put an electric heater underneath it. The metal table will heat up providing a lot more heat than just the heater by itself. Fuel type heaters like we have been discussing have a limited burn time and you don't want to get out of bed at 2 in the morning to add more fuel

 

[zigs]

Does the van have a cooker?

Couldn't you burn it down and then bring the coals inside? I've quite a few ideas, but some might involve making adjustments to the caravan.

Just a little gas ring, too expensive to use for space heating. Looking out for a propane burner that I can connect a bigger bottle to, but it's mid winter and all the camping shops are shut.

Bringing the coals in would kill me, family died last year just bringing their barbeque into their tent

When I have a fire outside I put a brick in it and then bring that in, no carbon monoxide risk with that

 

[zigs]

This is also an interesting idea. I wonder how it would work with coals instead of tea lights. I may have to do some experimenting with this in the coming weeks. Tea lights burn down a little too quickly for my needs, but because terra cotta holds heat, using a pot over the coals could give me what I need.

You can get 8 hour burn time tea lights

 

[ChanellG]

Just a little gas ring, too expensive to use for space heating. Looking out for a propane burner that I can connect a bigger bottle to, but it's mid winter and all the camping shops are shut.

Bringing the coals in would kill me, family died last year just bringing their barbeque into their tent

When I have a fire outside I put a brick in it and then bring that in, no carbon monoxide risk with that

Yikes! We wouldn't want that! How long does the brick stay hot?

I asked about the cooker because I assumed that if you had one it also had some kind of exhaust or a way to vent the inside when you're cooking.

 

[ChanellG]

Rubbing alcohol or fuel alcohol has no fumes to speak of...Beeswax would be safe but paraffin could be toxic in a closed environment. I don't think any of the fuel type heaters would work in a greenhouse environment. If it were me I would acquire a metal table and put an electric heater underneath it. The metal table will heat up providing a lot more heat than just the heater by itself. Fuel type heaters like we have been discussing have a limited burn time and you don't want to get out of bed at 2 in the morning to add more fuel

Ha! I don't want to get out of bed at 2 in the morning for any reason!

I've been reading up on mass thermal heat, where you let water do the job. I'd like a combination of water and rocks, and while I get that they heat up during the day from the sun, I don't get how they keep things cool at other times. An electric heater isn't really feasible. I'd thought a battery operated lantern would do it, but it seems everything is LED now.

 

[zigs]

No, don't want to be dying of death

Had carbon monoxide poisoning when I was a kid. No central heating so Mum used to put a parafin heater in the bathroom.

Remember falling asleep and slipping under the bathwater, got out just in time but spent the rest of the evening throwing up

 

[ChanellG]

Yikes! That was a close call, @zigs!

I sure wish there was something to make working outdoors easier when the weather's cold. It's been mild for a while and got really warm on Saturday, but this week the temperature is dropping once again. Add the wind chill and dampness from the humidity (though it doesn't feel humid) and it seems even colder at times.

 

[zigs]

It's made me very wary of things that don't burn right

 

[Pat]

It has been cold in my area in the mornings. I am not cleat Zigs on how your heating system works to keep you warm. I don't do much outdoors when it gets cold and don't do any camping.

I think my main concern would be to stay safe from toxic fumes and fire.

 

[tasha]

Thats fantastic! What a good idea and will take this on board for our next camping trip. Luckily for us the weather is not bad enough yo have to warm up with anything other than a barbeque fire!

 

[zigs]

Make sure you put it on a fire proof surface if you do, the spirit tends to get everywhere while its warming up

 

[ChanellG]

Wasn't there an image in one of these threads for that candle-brick heater?

 

[zigs]

Might be

Flowerpot version

 

[ChanellG]

I ended up using a flower pot on top two bricks like this one, only I am using a large jar candle. (The whole yard smells like maple!)

The bricks and candle are sitting on a square of marble on one of the green house shelves.