Nifty! Some thoughts: 1. As you are using sand as your mass, you don't need to go to the expense of a cast iron pot. You could use a stainless steel stock pot for the bottom. 2. For the top, you could pick up a second, smaller stainless steel stock pot that fits inside the sleeve and also fill that with sand. (You want a stock pot for top, as they are fairly tall, and it can reach down to the top of the mesh. 3. You don't need to cut the mesh to size. You can just fold and crimp the two ends together over and over until it fits. That will make for a *very* strong seam and the whole thing will still be very cylindrical. 4. The fill hole needs to be (mostly) sealed while in use. A ball bearing or marble just slightly larger than the hole would be perfect, though a can lid would also work. 5. The extra carbon felt can be packed inside the inner can so that, if the whole thing tips over, fuel won't spill out so easily. 6. The edges of the shell should be folded back on themselves repeatedly to make it stiffer--and thus safer--and to open it up so more heat can be radiated. 7. The top and bottom pots need to be rigidly connected together so the whole thing can't fall apart and create a fire hazard, as bumping the shell hard enough could easily make it buckle. A couple of pieces of steel pipe that are notched on the ends would work as spacers, and you could drill a hole at each end perpendicular to the notch for a u-bolts to go through to hold the handle to the pipe. That would make it pretty solid, I would think. Cheers!
@@catlyn7829 "Cast iron holds heat longer " Very true, but that is because of its mass. In this case, the sand--in a *much* larger stock pot--is carrying the bulk of the mass, so cast iron, while preferable if you want to keep it smaller and lighter, isn't as necessary.
@@catlyn7829That's been explained, it's because of it's mass. 5 lbs of cast iron will hold heat just as well as 5lbs of sand. There's nothing special about cast iron and its heat transfer and thermal properties.
Safety Note:Rubbing alcohol gives of noxious fumes. You'll want to use Denatured alcohol or camp fuel for interior applications! In case of emergency; R.A.can be used... ensure adequate ventilation! Also, from experience: place a coin/ stone etc over the fill hole to reduce flare up and fuel consumption. Thanks to the community and more knowledgeable minds, I have been further educated. My suggestion should also be used with caution.
This set up is designed for heavy oils like used cooking oil ,not super light oil fuel .The inner can transfer s the heat from the flame to the oil too make it thin enough to suck up . When you steal ideas from others please try and get it right.
Are you sure about that?, pure ethanol will burn much cleaner than denatured alcohol, denaturant is often naphtha or a similar to petrol solvent, this will add far more complex hydrocarbons to the vapor including benzene.
Omg. I do wild camping and cook with mini alcohol burners on a regular basis. It is common knowledge that rubbing alcohol gives off a ton of soot.. we know in our community because it blackens up our cooking pans. And if it’s giving off soot, guess what? That’s a bad sign. Denatured alcohol is always the highly recommended fuel to cook with in the small alcohol burners, as it burns hotter and cleaner. I can vouch from my own experience, rubbing alcohol stinks like hell. Denatured alcohol on the other hand does not give off the same nasty order. Now. Nobody should be hovering over or breathing in either of those fumes. Any form of combustion chamber needs a certain amount of fresh air ventilation. Common sense is a commodity.
I want to make this on a smaller scale. The green house I built myself in the 3rd season now. Needs a small heat source for cold nights... This has given me so many ideas thank you..
Great video: added thoughts i Know cans are cheap and inexpensive but one way i have done this is: 1. use a stainless steel pot like many have said for the base filled with sand. 2. Use aluminum duct pipe from home depot. Got mine for $15. (doing this ensures that there's one central piece. 3. Cut Two comparments into the aluminum sheeting with wire snips, one for a small coffee can with toilet paper acting as the wick filled with denatured alcohol 4. Second cut is actually two on the back slightly above where the can is so that a small 9v fan can be mounted. 5. lastly the top of the pipe acts as an exhaust, and it burns for hours. I WILL be modifying mine to use your carbon felt. I appreciate when a community comes together, I like when we can help each other and share our expirences and ideas. Your inspiring video could save lives and help keep people alive under extreme cold conditions. best to be prepared because we never know. Gratitude.
@@SilverPennyTNplants benefit from the co2 from the flame burning inside the green house. If you are going to use it for a living space heating, then chimney would be better, for air quality. In that case would make a little rocket mass heater & thermal mass bench of clay/brick. To capture the heat from the smoke into the clay mass, before releasing exhaust out of the chimney. Gives stable heat long after the fire goes out. And if your oven-bench can receive sunlight, it will store & release sun’s heat over night too.
Ok, if this is about heat, the BTU content of alcohol is ~ 76,000 BTU/GAL and 1 gal of 99% alcohol is going for around $30 per gallon. ~2533 BTU/dollar. Propane is 91,500 BTU per gallon and ~$3.85 per gallon where I live, or ~23766BTU/dollar, or approaching 10X more heat per dollar… Propane is also a lot more readily available… there are many off the shelf propane heaters out there in all shapes and sizes, but something similar to this could also be done using a propane tabletop fire feature or even recycling the burner and control out of some other propane appliance like an old RV water heater. The advantage of the latter is that it could be controlled by a timer circuit, or even a thermostat… Just divide the btu from the burner specifications into the per gallon BTU figure. IE: A 12,000 BTU burner will run for 7.6 hours on a gallon of propane.
Check at a restaurant supply store for a larger pot. It might be less expensive than you think. That was good. You put several heater concepts together into a nice build.
Great project. I would recommend adding a fuel fill pipe that extends to the outside. So it could be filled without any disassembly, maybe 1/2 copper pipe which can easily be bent to the desired shape, and a fuel line cap would also be able to be purchased at any hardware store for cheap. Watched from a TH-cam recommendation, and have to say nice work, and I like the bonsai in the background. Cheers from Newfoundland
In place of the cast iron pot, could you look at semi-truck or trailer brake drums from a salvage yard? It would be a super heavy-duty alternative. I have used them for wood stoves and fire pits. Salute !!! I love your incredible heater.
@ZenGardenOasis. I'm not sure what you guys are visualizing. I pulled up images of trailer brake drums. How were you thinking of using them for this, exactly? With a hole in the center, they won't hold sand, and the sides are low... on top of the unit, maybe? Still doesn't seem right.
@@debra-qq1np You could patch weld them or get a slightly bigger container, fill an inch or 2 with sand, put the drum in and fill the drum that is sitting in the container with sand. It might be worth the trouble doing it as the drum will be heavy duty and also can hold/ radiate a lot of heat.
Great video. May I suggest you use fondue fuel. Its refined for indoor use. I use fondue fuel in my Trangia Spirit Burner that I use when I go camping. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. Cheers
The first thing I tried when I heard about sand batteries was heating a pot full of it from underneath with, I think 8 candles. The temperature in my shed was about 6 centigrade, a couple of hours later I blew the candles out. After 15 minutes the sand was almost cold. Sand batteries can work really well but they need to be heated to a very high temperature in a well insulated container and the release of the heat needs to be regulated.
The specific heat of sand is quite low. It takes very little energy to heat up, and therefore it heats up quickly and then it cools off quickly also. Water has the best specific heat and steam is even better. Water is therefore a much better thermal battery.
@@Marley-ii6ls I agree to a certain extent. A hot water bottle is basically a water battery and the litre and a half of water in there, in your bed can stay warm for hours but for heating a room, as a battery I can't see it. It can only get to 100 Celsius before it turns to steam whereas sand turns to glass at 1700 degrees. So if you had the means, it could be "charged" to a much higher temperature and if the heat loss was controlled, I think it would be more effective than water as a battery, for heating a room.
@stevecole9674 Imagine protecting the carpet/floor, and building a wide sand battery under your bed. Have it heated (being charged) certain hrs and cooling off slowly. [One poster suggested using an old heating element from a water heater.] Easy way is to see how long it takes to heat the sand to a set temp, and how long to release the heat. Fancy way, have it start recharging when it drops Below a certain temp. With one system you may get hours of heat during a power outage by accident if the timing is right. With the fancy setup it is constantly charged and always ready if power stops. You have at least one small room heated a bit. You are nice & snug. Battery is well insulated to release heat slowly. Sand battery is wide and flat, more surface area to radiate heat. That could work against you. But the bed can be raised a bit also. You may have more room to work with than you assume.
@@MichelleWAperthwet sand would become dry sand pretty quickly. Water would help with conductivity, and would also have higher specific heat, but that would only be the case up to 100C. Then you lose all the water.
Large chimney brick and a larger kerosene lantern from Lehman supply company in kindred Ohio. My grandmother would fill the lantern and put it on the lowest level and place it inside the chimney brick. And that was enough to heat the entire greenhouse during the winter. The place was toasty the lantern would need to be filled like ever 20 hrs but worth every penny. She also did it in the chicken coop as well. With a block on top and holes drilled into the sides of the block. And bird spikes on the block to keep them from roosting on the very warm top.
Kerosene lanterns give off a lot of heat that can be regulated to some extent by adjusting the wick. The chimney pipe gives heat mass all with a much longer burn time for the lantern (for very cold nights you don't need to refill even with a higher flame/light). Yes, you can boil water above the lamp chimney.
I like your idea: Dumb questions: What's a chimney brick? do you mean a chimney FLUE? and did she use the kerosene lanterns that have the glass chimneys? Thanks!!!
@@skyeridley7764 I suspect it is what many refer to as fire bricks as they would retain and radiate the heat even after the fuel had been burned out. The chimney flue while easier to handle would cool fairly quickly. The lamps referred to have glass chimneys 1) to spread the light (and heat) and 2) to aid in limiting the air flow, without the glass chimney the flame burns very dirty.
I love your channel! I subscribed about a week ago, nice to see another decent human being with an interest and passion for innovation, learning and teaching. Bravo sir
I would use one of those heavy gauge round galvanized steel water troughs used for livestock as a base for the sand battery. They come in many sizes from 23 gal and up. Might be a bit cheaper than cast iron. Thanks for this vid, it gave me some ideas for heating. 👍
@@thegoodtom1718 Good point. It is true that it can be toxic from the zinc fumes when heated above 200c (392f). However I would highly doubt it would get anywhere near those temps using this heating method in the video.
you have to understand this is just a video to make money on youtube. sorry but that's the way it is The cost of burning of fuel in this contraption is not worth making it. Eagle
Very nice, unique setup. I like it! I would steer away from rubbing alcohol, especially at the ratio you are burning (looks like 70%??). It contains glycerin and water. What happens is the alcohol burns off and leaves you with a glycerin/water mixture in the can. Eventually, your wick will be saturated with water and burn very inefficiently. Best to use straight alcohols (methanol, ethanol, higher grade isopropyl). Methanol only has one carbon atom per molecule and will be much safer to burn, too. Less chance to create carbon monoxide and soot. Ethanol has two and isopropyl has three.
@@MN-sc2uz to me,it's possible,but they're eater designed for that kind of fluid...and you'll need an exhaust system due to the carbone oxyde you'll produce with petroleum based fluid 😊
They don't teach it because anyone with basic physics will know that the output from say a candle is the same whatever you add around it Light a candle and it will output a fixed amount of heat you can add as much as you want around it it will not increase the heat output.
@@markylonit’s absolutely much more energy output using alcohol, gasoline, diesel or wood than using a candle comparing a candle is in my opinion ridiculous because of the low output the candle gives in comparison. The school system doesn’t teach independence to the people independent self-sufficient characteristics. The school system is created to teach people to be workers in the society and learn everything about the society and follow its rules. When the school is finished students are meant to be fully trained workers depending on what they have chosen to do. The society are built on dependency and centralization ex EU, NATO, centralized organizations Banks, Big Cities, big corporations then also created regional services such as water, sewage, electricity, food and so on to make people dependent on services to survive. In big cities for example you need to buy everything to survive rent, bills, food and so on. The older generation was much more independent than people are today because they lived in smaller communities growing there own food hunting, fishing, pick berries, mushrooms and more. They heated there homes with free wood free water from own well and own free sewage well that only needed to be emptied once a year for a small charge. The older generation was unfortunately misled to believing in all the promises about the services that started to be offered the key features was convenience and it was also very very cheap to get it att the beginning ex Electricity push a button and there was light 💡 heat your home without effort and it cost almost nothing then it continued why not the water to 💧 clean water forever and we fix all problems if something goes wrong it’s so cheap almost nothing and by the way when we're at it, we'll take care of the sewerage too, see it as a bonus, no extra and no more emptying once a year. The sad part is that the water in the well was very clean the water offered was not. The examples is my take on this but the principle is the point. This is a big subject but I believe people need to see that convenient doesn’t necessarily mean more freedom when people actually exchange freedom for convenience. One important key difference between the older generation and the new is the relationship to work the older generations put there daily effort and time on themselves and their family’s working together towards common goals for a better future. The new generation’s today offer there time and effort to others instead forgetting about themselves and family giving the creativity away to the big companies who is gaining all the fruits of peoples work becoming richer and richer. For this the new generation’s get little money every month that is calculated last one month after one month the money is back to the company’s ex taxes, bills, this and that people need to by because they haven’t got much time left to offer on themselves anymore. The key to control a population the people is money and money needs lots of different dependencies to work more dependencies the more money people need to survive. The school system working strictly against the company market and the goals of the companies and their needs therefore are schools not going to teach people about money or independence it goes against their goals to do that as it is now. The school system need big changes to make it possible maybe if enough people started to question things the system change would be a possibility.
On my second build, I used a steel dog bowl as the lid and filled it with sand. The sand was almost molten in no time compared to the first build where I had the sand in the bottom. It becomes warm at the bottom but nothing compared to sand at the top for obvious reasons. Also bigger mantle, more infrared heat. A few drops of Olbas Oil or Menthol in the bottom with water for your bad chest and sinuses 👍
Your comments are so full of intelligence and knowledge that I feel stupid asking; but, I’m just an older senior woman with a small hoop house. I wish you would have explained how you attached the two cans so you could take them apart and put them together securely, and perhaps showed the last part of the process a little more.
I feel the same way. That cylindrical mesh screen does what besides separating the bottom cans from the top? I'm sure it's something I missed...without showing it's placement to the bottom cans, I think...is it just balanced on top of the cans? Possibly it would extend down to the inside bottom of the larger can, but seeing how the felt got bunched up and then him showing it after he put the cans together...it looked good, but there certainly isn't any space inside the space between the 2 cans, to accommodate the mesh and the felt. I'd try 2 other sizes of cans to where the mesh and felt can be wrapped around the inner can together. My comment seems like rambling but confused is all. I love the idea. I have a 15" round copper bucket that's a foot deep and looking for the ideal sand battery. So glad I saw an earlier comment mentioning that the sand heated above the heat source, brings a lot more heat than the sand at the bottom with the heat source by it.
@@lesliecogan641 While the mesh does separate the can on top from the bottom, the main purpose is to make the heater an infra-red radiant heater. Radiant heat heats objects like the sun does, thus not only heating just the air. The larger metal wrap is what reflects the radiant heat toward wherever you point it.
@MichaelMiller-op8fe thanks a bunch...I see video 1752 is a sand battery video of his that I watched. I'll go see 1702 now. I'm wanting either ceramic heating elements or a water heater element... don't know how high of wattage for either would be too much...I want to get the maximum heat possible..like 500°. I guess I just need to trust taking a 3 prong 110 plug and wire off an old milkhouse heater I'm no longer using and connect to some kind of heating element. I want a 12v plug in too for my solar battery; that can run the element. I'm a 64 year old woman...Jack of all trades, just wondering what you think or what you would do. I have a huge copper bucket and a bag of sand lol.
@@vernemil sorry I'm an airhead haha... I'm real literal, so that gets in the way. I think I follow you. I need to watch again, not remembering why I said what I did lmbo...please forgive and for the reply delay too
It’s not very clear does the stainless steel screen fit into the inside of the top can and the can sits on it also does a stainless steel screen go inside the bottom large can or it just sit on it or does it wrap around it could you maybe film a sequel, showing how you assemble it that whole part is very muddy
Agreed. I can see the upper can fitting over the tube of screen, but it appears one must disassemble the lower can/wick assembly and wrap the screen around the wick before reinserting into the lower can, but then... how does one easily refuel using a short funnel?
This guy may be a genius when it comes to engineering but he's a moron when it comes to making instructional videos. He skipped the most important part: the final assembly.
Great and simple. I really liked the one commenter's idea of running a copper water pipe through the mantle/screen and heating a barrel of water as a side benefit. What you're truly aiming at is keeping frost at bay. Water cools much, much more slowly than sand. I would go a step further and crimp pex to either side of the copper far enough to not be melted, and insulate the pex to ensure the barrel of water warms as much as possible... As heat storage is the aim of the idea. If the water system is air-sealed the convection ought to be excellent. Wouldn't look near as elegant as your set-up, but the idea is to ensure as many calories as possible are available until tomorrow in a cold-zone.
You could add a copper strip above the flame that would conduct the heat to the sand directly through convection. Would make the sand battery a lot more efficient.
Since you’re using the carbon felt you could use olive oil for an endless candle. You’ll still need a starter fluid like your alcohol or a paraffin lamp oil just to start the wick.
You can get used cooking grease from restaurants for free, and use it instead. Like anything, make sure you have good ventilation. The other option is to buy a bunch of candles, and an electric heater. Hide the heater in a stainless steel box so nobody can see it, bury the electrical cord, and tell your friends the candles are heating up the box.
@@RipperTH-camOfficialfree cooking oil isn't as easy to come by as it used to be. I wonder how many people that give this advice have actually tried it.
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. You can improve that crimp on the mesh by sliding the can back in and rolling it on a hard surface to pinch those hooks together and it may make it more uniform. Carbon felt is a great idea. That way it won't smoke when it runs out of fuel.
Robert Murray Smith on his T-N-T (thinking and tinkering) channel has done amazing work with these heaters and sand batteries. I think a large stainless steel Dutch oven like a Revereware style from the thrift store would be a good base and lid. A section of single wall interior stove pipe for the reflector. Drill and bolt the reflector to the base pot. If you can't get carbon felt, you can use an old sock, but it would be a consumable wick. I would also take the stainless steel screen and place the seam over a pipe and hammer it flat so it won't come apart. Overall, it's a good basic design.
He was one of my inspirations, also 2 other YT videos and about 6 blogs I’ve read showing how these work. Wanted to confirm for myself and build one. Yes it does put out a log of heat for sure….cheers.
Cotton sock, or you may regret it....cotton t-shirt or cotton clothes lines works too. Make sure clothes line doesn't have an inner core, 100% cotton ones are all woven, with no core. Cheers
Like the build you did thanx. It's a good, working example. I've read a bunch of the comments and there are some good suggestions for refinements to safety and efficiency. I have one question and one suggestion/question. My question is, what is approximate volume of your greenhouse that you're heating? My suggestion/question is. Would embedding the burner in the sand battery be an efficient way to aid in heating the sand? Or will that help too much with vaporizing the alcohol fuel? Lately I've been doing some experimentation with alcohol rocket stove/heater builds and fuel mixes. I've tried from straight gelled alcohol (hand sanitizer) to straight alcohol (Methyl Hydrate). I find that a mixture of the two 2/3 hand sani to 1/3 methyl hydrate burns best and longest in a similar burner configuration to your build. A tin can double wall rocket stove/heater. The size of a can of Chef Boyardee 1/3-1/2 filled burns for almost four hours if you can manually adjust the air mixture ratio as nessasary. I've been able to heat a tent in around 0C or 32F temperatures to be able to sit with just jeans, T-shirt and a sweatshirt comfortably inside. Incidentally I'm a Horticulturist and Arborist by trade and a friend just recently asked me to build a small off grid type heated greenhouse for him. I will be basing the heater design from the one you have demonstrated here. Thank you very much for your time spent building the heater and making the video. Most importantly! For sharing the knowledge.🤘
really cool. i dont know how much room you have in your hot house but you could get some of those blue plastic storage 55 gal drums paint them black and fill them 3/4 the way with water the thermal mass of the heat collected in the day would radiate though the night. i still really like your design.
Suggestion: cooking oil or any oil works great and burns forever, also no fumes! You might need more space between the bottom inner & outer cans, oil does not throw off fumes nearly at the extreme rate of alcohol, the forever wick will need more room to draw.. ✌🏻🌎✌🏻
@@btsweeney3640yeah paraffin fumes are certainly unpleasant. But a few drops of Paraffin can be used to prime the wick to warm up the surrounding metal which will help vaporize vegetable oil fuel to get it started
Thank you it's a very good idea ! But I can't find this hexaust pipe reflector online, yours is cut along its entire length, did you cut it by yourself ?
Thanks so much for your support. The metal reflector came from lowes hardware. I bought two types, one was stainless and the other was aluminum. The aluminum one I cut to size and the stainless was as needed. I didn’t put a link as the shipping cost on it would most likely be expensive. Hardware stores in your area will most likely carry the one you need. Be careful on cutting either as the edges can be super sharp. Cheers.
Thanks for the video love the info, instead of using (an awesome cooking pot) Dutch oven you could get a small propane tank (scrap yard is a good place) cut out most of the center and there you go👍
@@taoisisis6697 Not to mention the possibility of explosion. When hotter than acetone's flash point of −20 °C (−4 °F), air mixtures of 2.5‑12.8% acetone (by volume) may explode or cause a flash fire.
Great video Love your bonsai trees - I have been cultivating bonsai for 25 years plus You have a good Specimen tree - one in particular was wow stands out Thank you for sharing Please display your bonsai trees Hare Krishna blessings
Agreed with the last comment, please explain how you attached the upper screen mesh\can to the assembly. I assume it is not just resting on top of the carbon felt dual can portion as that would be quite unstable?
The whole thing is unstable. The “lid” is just resting on top of the sheet metal. One accidental bump on that table & his whole greenhouse will be on fire.
You can do the same thing but with olive oil. It’ll last longer and the oil itself isn’t flammable. Just use some rubbing alcohol to start the flame on the carbon felt
@@claudiahall5237 it will be in the air but its not as heavy as alcohol burning just have a window in the room just barely cracked open to keep fresh air moving
Nice heater. The larger pan/pot for bottom is a good idea. Less chance of being upset and turned over in case a critter found a way into the green house. I wonder is an alternative to alcohol for fuel that would not burn up as quick. Any fuel would probably put off some toxic fumes.
radiant heaters like this have used kerosene or diesel and burn indoors with no issues, with only minimal ventilation. Not a sealed room but basements and garages and a greenhouse or boat, sure. They were called paraffin heaters and were very popular and found in antique stores from the postwar era. Same idea as a candle and ceramic pot. This is a higher output. But you can buy these with a fiberglass wick and enclosures and reflector all made to use as a spare room heater.
Thank you very much. I bought a greenhouse and now having 2nd thoughts my concern is heating the greenhouse after watching your video I’m leaning on keeping it the greenhouse….
I'd like to see how hot the sand got. As far as I know, heat goes up, so not much heat will go down to the sand even with the heat conductive steel sheet in it, because most heat in the steel sheet travel upward and dissipates to the colder air. Also, steel is much less heat conductive than aluminum or copper. Copper is the most conductive of the three. I'd also like to see the temperature in the room before and a few hours after the heater lights up, then a few hours after it goes out. I wonder if vegetable shortening can be used instead of alcohol. I know a three-pound one with one flame can burn for months. Can alcohol last as long? Overall, a very informative video. Thank you.
This seemed to burn with a very high flame! I don’t see the Crisco candle burning that high. I have tried several homemade heaters on my porch. I really want an old wood stove I can vent and cook on. One can filled with cotton balls and Rubbing Alcohol would burn maybe 5 hours. Not long enough to make it through the night. I have a huge stock pot I would set any heater in to keep it safe. It’s nice to prop my feet on!
great video, lots of great concepts to build on here. For a green house I would add more mass to hold heat and slowly leech the heat over time even long after the fuel is burned up
Love it. I might try using a small galvanized trash can that comes with a lid, the same stove pipe, fill the trash can with sand, and then use a Crisco/ vegetable shortening candle in place of the alcohol burner. I've seen online that I can purchase a kerosene/ diesel fuel stove (or even easily make one), so I might build a set-up like this to place in my fireplace - the fumes will go up the chimney, but we'll get some of the heat radiating into the room. We've got a fireplace with a woodstove insert, so I can put the heater inside and a bucket of sand on top of the fireplace insert as well. Love your build. I can copy it exactly or modify it in an easy bunch of ways to adapt it to my house. Thanks!
For a larger model, could you use a 55 gallon drum (cut in half, top for lid) and a metal oil bucket in the middle for the wick? This is amazing!!! Thank you for sharing your information with us.
I am bookmarking this video to rewatch it. I didn't understand a few things. I wish you would have showed the parts that you didn't show about the third can and how you attached the mesh between the top and bottom. Thanks so much for this video. Do people use this in the house or just greenhouse. I am thinking about the pump house.
You don't have to buy an expensive Dutch oven. You can use an angle grinder to cut an empty 20-lb. propane tank in half. There is a SAFE way to do this! I've done it. You can even make two of them that way. If you want a heavy steel basin with a larger diameter you can cut the bottom off of an old hot water heater. People throw them out at town dumps and at metal scrapyards.
And you could likewise, use the top of a propane tank or water heater instead of the lid to a Dutch oven which you've placed atop your fine intention. In both cases the tops will have holes which would hinder their use on the bottom. If used on top, you may wish to cover the holes to trap more heat above the burner as you do with the lid. Question: what is the cylindrical thing at the very top of your burner stack?
If you're going to cut a propane tank in half first take the valve off fill it with water and then empty it then there is zero chance of there being propane in it or what's easier is you get one of those disposable helium tanks everyone throws out it's helium not flammable
@@scrapahaulik5893 A lot of people would find removing the valve from a propane tank difficult. They're VERY tight. Helium tanks are not nearly as heavy grade steel, less mass to retain heat.
Very very nice. Just a small adjustment I would use a lab burner inside the bottem can for better control of the fire as the on/off valve is as far away from the fire as possible and no wick needed. Oh you have set me creative juices on. Thankyou
You did a wonderful video ! Certainly inspired a lot of people to think outside the box & incorporate there own ideas. Sharing is caring and it’s wonderful to see you providing valuable content. It’s amazing!!! Love you bonsai plants, fabulous hobby!!!!
I feel like I missed the 3rd can? You did the one you have on the top, the 30oz, then did the smaller one and I thought you were putting the carbon around that and into the first can, but then it was a different 30oz can once you built it? Do any holes go into the 30oz on the bottom?
u could even get one of those big cast kettles people have in the yard that places cook kettle corn or soup in. i have see a few of them cheap and junked before. my parents and grandparents even had in our yard. that would hold lots of sand and heat. thanks for the idea of a bigger bottom.
So you are using three cans for this build? I thought there was only two (large and small for the heat source). What purpose does the third can serve and what size compared to the other two? Thanks!
Water holds 300% of the heat that sand does, making it a superior thermal mass. Surrounding the heater with pots or jars of water will add to the longevity of the heat once the fuel has been consumed.
Use a Crisco gallant can heater with shoot 5, 6, 10 candles in it. Simple cheap you don't have to refill it every couple hours it'll last about 40 hours on a long time maybe 7 days I don't remember. But that will depend on how many candles do you have in it but hey very simple and very fast and burn a long time
Great video and would look for a replacement for the duct because: Zinc fumes are set free when galvanized steel is heated. These fumes are very toxic to breathe.
@@pauliedi6573 did not hear him say that and the thumbnail opening image in the video looks like an ordinary galvanized steel duct. But if he did say that then I apologize.
The design is pretty good. I'm just wondering if you ever measured how hot the sand gets? The sand is well below the flames, and I'm just not sure that the heat transfer from the stainless outer reflector would be enough to warm the sand to a high temperature.
I’d like to know how long it burns for and did you measure the high/low temperatures inside? Also how big is your greenhouse and what’s the temperature outside? I built a solid brick raised stand to support a black rain barrel that stores heat. I also left a small opening at the bottom to be able to slide a fondue burner. Only problem is it only burns for maybe an hour or two at most, so your design interests me. My greenhouse is detached with a peaked roof and single pane glass in most places. No insulation. I have many changes to make for extending the season even more.
Nifty! Some thoughts:
1. As you are using sand as your mass, you don't need to go to the expense of a cast iron pot. You could use a stainless steel stock pot for the bottom.
2. For the top, you could pick up a second, smaller stainless steel stock pot that fits inside the sleeve and also fill that with sand. (You want a stock pot for top, as they are fairly tall, and it can reach down to the top of the mesh.
3. You don't need to cut the mesh to size. You can just fold and crimp the two ends together over and over until it fits. That will make for a *very* strong seam and the whole thing will still be very cylindrical.
4. The fill hole needs to be (mostly) sealed while in use. A ball bearing or marble just slightly larger than the hole would be perfect, though a can lid would also work.
5. The extra carbon felt can be packed inside the inner can so that, if the whole thing tips over, fuel won't spill out so easily.
6. The edges of the shell should be folded back on themselves repeatedly to make it stiffer--and thus safer--and to open it up so more heat can be radiated.
7. The top and bottom pots need to be rigidly connected together so the whole thing can't fall apart and create a fire hazard, as bumping the shell hard enough could easily make it buckle. A couple of pieces of steel pipe that are notched on the ends would work as spacers, and you could drill a hole at each end perpendicular to the notch for a u-bolts to go through to hold the handle to the pipe. That would make it pretty solid, I would think.
Cheers!
Cast iron holds heat longer
@@catlyn7829 "Cast iron holds heat longer
"
Very true, but that is because of its mass. In this case, the sand--in a *much* larger stock pot--is carrying the bulk of the mass, so cast iron, while preferable if you want to keep it smaller and lighter, isn't as necessary.
Still. Cast iron holds heat longer than lighter metals. @@KeithOlson
@@catlyn7829That's been explained, it's because of it's mass. 5 lbs of cast iron will hold heat just as well as 5lbs of sand. There's nothing special about cast iron and its heat transfer and thermal properties.
Where do you buy the carbon felt please
Safety Note:Rubbing alcohol gives of noxious fumes. You'll want to use Denatured alcohol or camp fuel for interior applications! In case of emergency; R.A.can be used... ensure adequate ventilation! Also, from experience: place a coin/ stone etc over the fill hole to reduce flare up and fuel consumption.
Thanks to the community and more knowledgeable minds, I have been further educated. My suggestion should also be used with caution.
This set up is designed for heavy oils like used cooking oil ,not super light oil fuel .The inner can transfer s the heat from the flame to the oil too make it thin enough to suck up . When you steal ideas from others please try and get it right.
Are you sure about that?, pure ethanol will burn much cleaner than denatured alcohol, denaturant is often naphtha or a similar to petrol solvent, this will add far more complex hydrocarbons to the vapor including benzene.
Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. I can't imagine how it gives noxious fumes. Like ethyl alcohol, it will burn cleanly.
Omg. I do wild camping and cook with mini alcohol burners on a regular basis. It is common knowledge that rubbing alcohol gives off a ton of soot.. we know in our community because it blackens up our cooking pans. And if it’s giving off soot, guess what? That’s a bad sign. Denatured alcohol is always the highly recommended fuel to cook with in the small alcohol burners, as it burns hotter and cleaner. I can vouch from my own experience, rubbing alcohol stinks like hell. Denatured alcohol on the other hand does not give off the same nasty order. Now. Nobody should be hovering over or breathing in either of those fumes. Any form of combustion chamber needs a certain amount of fresh air ventilation.
Common sense is a commodity.
Just look for pure ethanol or better yet, methanol. Methanol burns cleaner with blue flame. No hydrocarbons.
I want to make this on a smaller scale. The green house I built myself in the 3rd season now. Needs a small heat source for cold nights... This has given me so many ideas thank you..
Great video: added thoughts
i Know cans are cheap and inexpensive but one way i have done this is:
1. use a stainless steel pot like many have said for the base filled with sand.
2. Use aluminum duct pipe from home depot. Got mine for $15. (doing this ensures that there's one central piece.
3. Cut Two comparments into the aluminum sheeting with wire snips, one for a small coffee can with toilet paper acting as the wick filled with denatured alcohol
4. Second cut is actually two on the back slightly above where the can is so that a small 9v fan can be mounted.
5. lastly the top of the pipe acts as an exhaust, and it burns for hours. I WILL be modifying mine to use your carbon felt.
I appreciate when a community comes together, I like when we can help each other and share our expirences and ideas. Your inspiring video could save lives and help keep people alive under extreme cold conditions. best to be prepared because we never know. Gratitude.
I wonder if I could use a chiminea to implement this idea? Any suggestions?
Good luck with carbon fiber lungs!
What about putting this inside my full size coal furnace for a 4 bedroom 2 floor house.
@@SilverPennyTNplants benefit from the co2 from the flame burning inside the green house. If you are going to use it for a living space heating, then chimney would be better, for air quality.
In that case would make a little rocket mass
heater
& thermal mass bench of clay/brick.
To capture the heat from the smoke into the clay mass,
before releasing exhaust out of the chimney. Gives stable heat long after the fire goes out. And if your oven-bench can receive sunlight, it will store & release sun’s heat over night too.
Ok, if this is about heat, the BTU content of alcohol is ~ 76,000 BTU/GAL and 1 gal of 99% alcohol is going for around $30 per gallon. ~2533 BTU/dollar. Propane is 91,500 BTU per gallon and ~$3.85 per gallon where I live, or ~23766BTU/dollar, or approaching 10X more heat per dollar… Propane is also a lot more readily available… there are many off the shelf propane heaters out there in all shapes and sizes, but something similar to this could also be done using a propane tabletop fire feature or even recycling the burner and control out of some other propane appliance like an old RV water heater. The advantage of the latter is that it could be controlled by a timer circuit, or even a thermostat… Just divide the btu from the burner specifications into the per gallon BTU figure. IE: A 12,000 BTU burner will run for 7.6 hours on a gallon of propane.
Check at a restaurant supply store for a larger pot. It might be less expensive than you think.
That was good. You put several heater concepts together into a nice build.
Yes but it wasn't his idea but he did make out like it was, just give others the credit! th-cam.com/video/JGVZVCU8FGE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=j-W7PHd9LHvQ8PYE
Great project. I would recommend adding a fuel fill pipe that extends to the outside. So it could be filled without any disassembly, maybe 1/2 copper pipe which can easily be bent to the desired shape, and a fuel line cap would also be able to be purchased at any hardware store for cheap.
Watched from a TH-cam recommendation, and have to say nice work, and I like the bonsai in the background.
Cheers from Newfoundland
Thanks so much…have a great day
In place of the cast iron pot, could you look at semi-truck or trailer brake drums from a salvage yard? It would be a super heavy-duty alternative.
I have used them for wood stoves and fire pits. Salute !!! I love your incredible heater.
Cool idea
@ZenGardenOasis.
I'm not sure what you guys are visualizing. I pulled up images of trailer brake drums. How were you thinking of using them for this, exactly?
With a hole in the center, they won't hold sand, and the sides are low... on top of the unit, maybe? Still doesn't seem right.
@@debra-qq1np You could patch weld them or get a slightly bigger container, fill an inch or 2 with sand, put the drum in and fill the drum that is sitting in the container with sand. It might be worth the trouble doing it as the drum will be heavy duty and also can hold/ radiate a lot of heat.
My father in law actually managed to crack one while camping years ago. However he had it really going with lots of hard wood too.
Great video.
May I suggest you use fondue fuel.
Its refined for indoor use.
I use fondue fuel in my Trangia Spirit Burner that I use when I go camping.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
Cheers
Thanks for the tip!
@@ZenGardenOasis. Thanks you.
Camping and fondue? I wanna camp with you! LOL!!
The first thing I tried when I heard about sand batteries was heating a pot full of it from underneath with, I think 8 candles. The temperature in my shed was about 6 centigrade, a couple of hours later I blew the candles out. After 15 minutes the sand was almost cold.
Sand batteries can work really well but they need to be heated to a very high temperature in a well insulated container and the release of the heat needs to be regulated.
The specific heat of sand is quite low. It takes very little energy to heat up, and therefore it heats up quickly and then it cools off quickly also. Water has the best specific heat and steam is even better. Water is therefore a much better thermal battery.
@@Marley-ii6ls I agree to a certain extent. A hot water bottle is basically a water battery and the litre and a half of water in there, in your bed can stay warm for hours but for heating a room, as a battery I can't see it.
It can only get to 100 Celsius before it turns to steam whereas sand turns to glass at 1700 degrees. So if you had the means, it could be "charged" to a much higher temperature and if the heat loss was controlled, I think it would be more effective than water as a battery, for heating a room.
@stevecole9674
Imagine protecting the carpet/floor, and building a wide sand battery under your bed. Have it heated (being charged) certain hrs and cooling off slowly. [One poster suggested using an old heating element from a water heater.]
Easy way is to see how long it takes to heat the sand to a set temp, and how long to release the heat. Fancy way, have it start recharging when it drops Below a certain temp.
With one system you may get hours of heat during a power outage by accident if the timing is right. With the fancy setup it is constantly charged and always ready if power stops.
You have at least one small room heated a bit. You are nice & snug. Battery is well insulated to release heat slowly.
Sand battery is wide and flat, more surface area to radiate heat. That could work against you. But the bed can be raised a bit also. You may have more room to work with than you assume.
Would wet sand be better?
@@MichelleWAperthwet sand would become dry sand pretty quickly. Water would help with conductivity, and would also have higher specific heat, but that would only be the case up to 100C. Then you lose all the water.
Large chimney brick and a larger kerosene lantern from Lehman supply company in kindred Ohio.
My grandmother would fill the lantern and put it on the lowest level and place it inside the chimney brick. And that was enough to heat the entire greenhouse during the winter. The place was toasty the lantern would need to be filled like ever 20 hrs but worth every penny. She also did it in the chicken coop as well.
With a block on top and holes drilled into the sides of the block. And bird spikes on the block to keep them from roosting on the very warm top.
Your grandmother's version sounds much easier and cost-effective. I think I may give it a try! ❤
Why not just get a kerosene heater and use it
Kerosene lanterns give off a lot of heat that can be regulated to some extent by adjusting the wick. The chimney pipe gives heat mass all with a much longer burn time for the lantern (for very cold nights you don't need to refill even with a higher flame/light). Yes, you can boil water above the lamp chimney.
I like your idea: Dumb questions: What's a chimney brick? do you mean a chimney FLUE? and did she use the kerosene lanterns that have the glass chimneys? Thanks!!!
@@skyeridley7764 I suspect it is what many refer to as fire bricks as they would retain and radiate the heat even after the fuel had been burned out. The chimney flue while easier to handle would cool fairly quickly. The lamps referred to have glass chimneys 1) to spread the light (and heat) and 2) to aid in limiting the air flow, without the glass chimney the flame burns very dirty.
I love your channel! I subscribed about a week ago, nice to see another decent human being with an interest and passion for innovation, learning and teaching. Bravo sir
Awesome! Thank you!
I would use one of those heavy gauge round galvanized steel water troughs used for livestock as a base for the sand battery. They come in many sizes from 23 gal and up. Might be a bit cheaper than cast iron. Thanks for this vid, it gave me some ideas for heating. 👍
@@thegoodtom1718 Good point. It is true that it can be toxic from the zinc fumes when heated above 200c (392f). However I would highly doubt it would get anywhere near those temps using this heating method in the video.
you have to understand this is just a video to make money on youtube. sorry but that's the way it is The cost of burning of fuel in this contraption is not worth making it. Eagle
@@roberthoug7864 eagle. U busted my dream. At least if I set the living room on fire it's warm after my shower. Efficiency is a bish😂
@@roberthoug7864 Unless...you have a still.....alcohol is easy to produce from scrap fruit etc...
No..poor heat ..use metal ash bucket.sand & sheet metal or stove pipe..trough or cast iron poor heat transfer😂
This is one of the coolest heating options ive ever seen!! And the Bonzai trees are beautiful.
Very nice, unique setup. I like it! I would steer away from rubbing alcohol, especially at the ratio you are burning (looks like 70%??). It contains glycerin and water. What happens is the alcohol burns off and leaves you with a glycerin/water mixture in the can. Eventually, your wick will be saturated with water and burn very inefficiently. Best to use straight alcohols (methanol, ethanol, higher grade isopropyl). Methanol only has one carbon atom per molecule and will be much safer to burn, too. Less chance to create carbon monoxide and soot. Ethanol has two and isopropyl has three.
I grabbed the wrong one for the video….yes higher grade is better. Thanks for your input
❤😊so simple to make, thank you very well done video
Could you use waste motor oil? How well would this work for hearing up the garage?
@@MN-sc2uz to me,it's possible,but they're eater designed for that kind of fluid...and you'll need an exhaust system due to the carbone oxyde you'll produce with petroleum based fluid 😊
@@taoisisis6697could you use an oil like olive oil?
How neat. This is what they should teach in schools. Teach something practical and THEN analyze the science behind it.
They don't teach it because anyone with basic physics will know that the output from say a candle is the same whatever you add around it Light a candle and it will output a fixed amount of heat you can add as much as you want around it it will not increase the heat output.
@@markylonit’s absolutely much more energy output using alcohol, gasoline, diesel or wood than using a candle comparing a candle is in my opinion ridiculous because of the low output the candle gives in comparison. The school system doesn’t teach independence to the people independent self-sufficient characteristics. The school system is created to teach people to be workers in the society and learn everything about the society and follow its rules. When the school is finished students are meant to be fully trained workers depending on what they have chosen to do. The society are built on dependency and centralization ex EU, NATO, centralized organizations Banks, Big Cities, big corporations then also created regional services such as water, sewage, electricity, food and so on to make people dependent on services to survive. In big cities for example you need to buy everything to survive rent, bills, food and so on. The older generation was much more independent than people are today because they lived in smaller communities growing there own food hunting, fishing, pick berries, mushrooms and more. They heated there homes with free wood free water from own well and own free sewage well that only needed to be emptied once a year for a small charge. The older generation was unfortunately misled to believing in all the promises about the services that started to be offered the key features was convenience and it was also very very cheap to get it att the beginning ex Electricity push a button and there was light 💡 heat your home without effort and it cost almost nothing then it continued why not the water to 💧 clean water forever and we fix all problems if something goes wrong it’s so cheap almost nothing and by the way when we're at it, we'll take care of the sewerage too, see it as a bonus, no extra and no more emptying once a year. The sad part is that the water in the well was very clean the water offered was not. The examples is my take on this but the principle is the point. This is a big subject but I believe people need to see that convenient doesn’t necessarily mean more freedom when people actually exchange freedom for convenience. One important key difference between the older generation and the new is the relationship to work the older generations put there daily effort and time on themselves and their family’s working together towards common goals for a better future. The new generation’s today offer there time and effort to others instead forgetting about themselves and family giving the creativity away to the big companies who is gaining all the fruits of peoples work becoming richer and richer. For this the new generation’s get little money every month that is calculated last one month after one month the money is back to the company’s ex taxes, bills, this and that people need to by because they haven’t got much time left to offer on themselves anymore. The key to control a population the people is money and money needs lots of different dependencies to work more dependencies the more money people need to survive. The school system working strictly against the company market and the goals of the companies and their needs therefore are schools not going to teach people about money or independence it goes against their goals to do that as it is now. The school system need big changes to make it possible maybe if enough people started to question things the system change would be a possibility.
On my second build, I used a steel dog bowl as the lid and filled it with sand. The sand was almost molten in no time compared to the first build where I had the sand in the bottom. It becomes warm at the bottom but nothing compared to sand at the top for obvious reasons. Also bigger mantle, more infrared heat.
A few drops of Olbas Oil or Menthol in the bottom with water for your bad chest and sinuses 👍
cloves dropped in the oil kill all pathogens
Thank you for your project and taking the time to explain everything
Your comments are so full of intelligence and knowledge that I feel stupid asking; but, I’m just an older senior woman with a small hoop house. I wish you would have explained how you attached the two cans so you could take them apart and put them together securely, and perhaps showed the last part of the process a little more.
I feel the same way. That cylindrical mesh screen does what besides separating the bottom cans from the top? I'm sure it's something I missed...without showing it's placement to the bottom cans, I think...is it just balanced on top of the cans? Possibly it would extend down to the inside bottom of the larger can, but seeing how the felt got bunched up and then him showing it after he put the cans together...it looked good, but there certainly isn't any space inside the space between the 2 cans, to accommodate the mesh and the felt. I'd try 2 other sizes of cans to where the mesh and felt can be wrapped around the inner can together. My comment seems like rambling but confused is all. I love the idea. I have a 15" round copper bucket that's a foot deep and looking for the ideal sand battery. So glad I saw an earlier comment mentioning that the sand heated above the heat source, brings a lot more heat than the sand at the bottom with the heat source by it.
@@lesliecogan641 While the mesh does separate the can on top from the bottom, the main purpose is to make the heater an infra-red radiant heater. Radiant heat heats objects like the sun does, thus not only heating just the air. The larger metal wrap is what reflects the radiant heat toward wherever you point it.
Look up Robert Murray Smith episode 1702 homemade heater. He's a professor and it is detailed.
@MichaelMiller-op8fe thanks a bunch...I see video 1752 is a sand battery video of his that I watched. I'll go see 1702 now. I'm wanting either ceramic heating elements or a water heater element... don't know how high of wattage for either would be too much...I want to get the maximum heat possible..like 500°. I guess I just need to trust taking a 3 prong 110 plug and wire off an old milkhouse heater I'm no longer using and connect to some kind of heating element. I want a 12v plug in too for my solar battery; that can run the element. I'm a 64 year old woman...Jack of all trades, just wondering what you think or what you would do. I have a huge copper bucket and a bag of sand lol.
@@vernemil sorry I'm an airhead haha... I'm real literal, so that gets in the way. I think I follow you. I need to watch again, not remembering why I said what I did lmbo...please forgive and for the reply delay too
It’s not very clear does the stainless steel screen fit into the inside of the top can and the can sits on it also does a stainless steel screen go inside the bottom large can or it just sit on it or does it wrap around it could you maybe film a sequel, showing how you assemble it that whole part is very muddy
Agreed. I can see the upper can fitting over the tube of screen, but it appears one must disassemble the lower can/wick assembly and wrap the screen around the wick before reinserting into the lower can, but then... how does one easily refuel using a short funnel?
Search: 1702 heater homemade heater on TH-cam. He breaks it down. th-cam.com/video/JGVZVCU8FGE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=qje7fcMNGdlefFUW
This guy may be a genius when it comes to engineering but he's a moron when it comes to making instructional videos. He skipped the most important part: the final assembly.
@@coinsmithThis guy's an idiot. Like most people on yt.
Great and simple. I really liked the one commenter's idea of running a copper water pipe through the mantle/screen and heating a barrel of water as a side benefit. What you're truly aiming at is keeping frost at bay. Water cools much, much more slowly than sand. I would go a step further and crimp pex to either side of the copper far enough to not be melted, and insulate the pex to ensure the barrel of water warms as much as possible... As heat storage is the aim of the idea. If the water system is air-sealed the convection ought to be excellent. Wouldn't look near as elegant as your set-up, but the idea is to ensure as many calories as possible are available until tomorrow in a cold-zone.
From wanting to heat my garden, I've suddenly been overwhelmed with the desire to eat a peach cobbler!
You could add a copper strip above the flame that would conduct the heat to the sand directly through convection. Would make the sand battery a lot more efficient.
Since you’re using the carbon felt you could use olive oil for an endless candle. You’ll still need a starter fluid like your alcohol or a paraffin lamp oil just to start the wick.
Olive oil is getting rather expensive now. The olive groves have been suffering.
could you use other cooking oils.
@@daniel-vn4ql seems like you could use that smokeless kerosene and it should last much longer than alcohol, I would bet.
You can get used cooking grease from restaurants for free, and use it instead. Like anything, make sure you have good ventilation. The other option is to buy a bunch of candles, and an electric heater. Hide the heater in a stainless steel box so nobody can see it, bury the electrical cord, and tell your friends the candles are heating up the box.
@@RipperTH-camOfficialfree cooking oil isn't as easy to come by as it used to be. I wonder how many people that give this advice have actually tried it.
Hi this is the first time I've watched the video loved your idea. Planning on trying it
Hope you enjoy!
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. You can improve that crimp on the mesh by sliding the can back in and rolling it on a hard surface to pinch those hooks together and it may make it more uniform. Carbon felt is a great idea. That way it won't smoke when it runs out of fuel.
Of course, there are many ways to improve this as it's highly inefficient. However, a great seed concept and will inspire many iterations! Good job!
Robert Murray Smith on his T-N-T (thinking and tinkering) channel has done amazing work with these heaters and sand batteries.
I think a large stainless steel Dutch oven like a Revereware style from the thrift store would be a good base and lid. A section of single wall interior stove pipe for the reflector. Drill and bolt the reflector to the base pot.
If you can't get carbon felt, you can use an old sock, but it would be a consumable wick.
I would also take the stainless steel screen and place the seam over a pipe and hammer it flat so it won't come apart.
Overall, it's a good basic design.
He was one of my inspirations, also 2 other YT videos and about 6 blogs I’ve read showing how these work. Wanted to confirm for myself and build one. Yes it does put out a log of heat for sure….cheers.
Cotton sock, or you may regret it....cotton t-shirt or cotton clothes lines works too. Make sure clothes line doesn't have an inner core, 100% cotton ones are all woven, with no core. Cheers
Like the build you did thanx. It's a good, working example. I've read a bunch of the comments and there are some good suggestions for refinements to safety and efficiency. I have one question and one suggestion/question. My question is, what is approximate volume of your greenhouse that you're heating? My suggestion/question is. Would embedding the burner in the sand battery be an efficient way to aid in heating the sand? Or will that help too much with vaporizing the alcohol fuel? Lately I've been doing some experimentation with alcohol rocket stove/heater builds and fuel mixes. I've tried from straight gelled alcohol (hand sanitizer) to straight alcohol (Methyl Hydrate). I find that a mixture of the two 2/3 hand sani to 1/3 methyl hydrate burns best and longest in a similar burner configuration to your build. A tin can double wall rocket stove/heater. The size of a can of Chef Boyardee 1/3-1/2 filled burns for almost four hours if you can manually adjust the air mixture ratio as nessasary. I've been able to heat a tent in around 0C or 32F temperatures to be able to sit with just jeans, T-shirt and a sweatshirt comfortably inside. Incidentally I'm a Horticulturist and Arborist by trade and a friend just recently asked me to build a small off grid type heated greenhouse for him. I will be basing the heater design from the one you have demonstrated here. Thank you very much for your time spent building the heater and making the video. Most importantly! For sharing the knowledge.🤘
really cool. i dont know how much room you have in your hot house but you could get some of those blue plastic storage 55 gal drums paint them black and fill them 3/4 the way with water the thermal mass of the heat collected in the day would radiate though the night. i still really like your design.
Suggestion: cooking oil or any oil works great and burns forever, also no fumes! You might need more space between the bottom inner & outer cans, oil does not throw off fumes nearly at the extreme rate of alcohol, the forever wick will need more room to draw.. ✌🏻🌎✌🏻
Does kerosene emit noxious fumes?
@@btsweeney3640yeah paraffin fumes are certainly unpleasant. But a few drops of Paraffin can be used to prime the wick to warm up the surrounding metal which will help vaporize vegetable oil fuel to get it started
Crisco works..
Thank you it's a very good idea !
But I can't find this hexaust pipe reflector online,
yours is cut along its entire length, did you cut it by yourself ?
Thanks so much for your support. The metal reflector came from lowes hardware. I bought two types, one was stainless and the other was aluminum. The aluminum one I cut to size and the stainless was as needed. I didn’t put a link as the shipping cost on it would most likely be expensive. Hardware stores in your area will most likely carry the one you need. Be careful on cutting either as the edges can be super sharp. Cheers.
Thanks for the video love the info, instead of using (an awesome cooking pot) Dutch oven you could get a small propane tank (scrap yard is a good place) cut out most of the center and there you go👍
Good idea. I would never sacrifice a cast iron pot. I was thinking a discarded water heater would work for the size he wanted.
Great tip!
can you orovide links to were i can find the items. i am struggling with the stainless steel exhaust panel
@deborahchiocca6528 the one he used was standard galvanized ductwork it was easy to see if you know what your looking at.
Nice combination of ideas, great build
Thanks
Thanks so much for helping the channel grow…cheers
You didn't explain central section of flame tube. Is there a can in the middle open at both end or no can with top can suspended?
Thanks!
Thanks so much for helping the channel grow. Cheers
Acetone is a good alternative to rubbing alcohol. What was the temp variance in the greenhouse while it was in use?
I'm curious to know how much carbon will spread in the air while burning acetone (C3 H6 O ) ! Alcool (C2 H5 0H )...😊
And consider that acetone is very toxic for your lungs and skin,and eyes and finally, much more expensive than denatured alcohol...
@@taoisisis6697 Not to mention the possibility of explosion. When hotter than acetone's flash point of −20 °C (−4 °F), air mixtures of 2.5‑12.8% acetone (by volume) may explode or cause a flash fire.
Great video
Love your bonsai trees - I have been cultivating bonsai for 25 years plus
You have a good Specimen tree - one in particular was wow stands out
Thank you for sharing
Please display your bonsai trees
Hare Krishna blessings
I made a garden walk through video at the end of last summer. Cheers.
Agreed with the last comment, please explain how you attached the upper screen mesh\can to the assembly. I assume it is not just resting on top of the carbon felt dual can portion as that would be quite unstable?
The whole thing is unstable. The “lid” is just resting on top of the sheet metal. One accidental bump on that table & his whole greenhouse will be on fire.
At 11:45 you kinda passed the build. Did the mesh go into the carbon felt? Did msg go into the top can, or around? You missed that part.
You can do the same thing but with olive oil. It’ll last longer and the oil itself isn’t flammable. Just use some rubbing alcohol to start the flame on the carbon felt
If I use olive oil. Do I have to worry about carbon monoxide?
@@claudiahall5237 it will be in the air but its not as heavy as alcohol burning just have a window in the room just barely cracked open to keep fresh air moving
If you can afford to use olive oil, just use an electric heater. It'll be cheaper.
What about canola oil?
Olive is expensive, cooking oil and alcohol is too! Just use a propane heater
Enjoying the video. I might build one for my covered outdoor patio for my tropical plants. Live in Florida and we have a few months of cooler weather
Nice heater. The larger pan/pot for bottom is a good idea. Less chance of being upset and turned over in case a critter found a way into the green house. I wonder is an alternative to alcohol for fuel that would not burn up as quick. Any fuel would probably put off some toxic fumes.
Gran video, no me quedo claro como haces funcionar el ventilador y de que material es para que no se queme, Muchas gracias y Felicitaciones
El ventilador es activado con puro calor. Este video fue la primera vez que supe de este tipo de ventilador.
radiant heaters like this have used kerosene or diesel and burn indoors with no issues, with only minimal ventilation. Not a sealed room but basements and garages and a greenhouse or boat, sure. They were called paraffin heaters and were very popular and found in antique stores from the postwar era. Same idea as a candle and ceramic pot. This is a higher output. But you can buy these with a fiberglass wick and enclosures and reflector all made to use as a spare room heater.
Would fire bricks work instead of sand? Or a combination of? Also does it matter as to percentage of rubbing alcohol?
The bonsais are spectacular!
Glad you like them!
Thank you very much. I bought a greenhouse and now having 2nd thoughts my concern is heating the greenhouse after watching your video I’m leaning on keeping it the greenhouse….
Great to hear!
I'd like to see how hot the sand got. As far as I know, heat goes up, so not much heat will go down to the sand even with the heat conductive steel sheet in it, because most heat in the steel sheet travel upward and dissipates to the colder air. Also, steel is much less heat conductive than aluminum or copper. Copper is the most conductive of the three. I'd also like to see the temperature in the room before and a few hours after the heater lights up, then a few hours after it goes out. I wonder if vegetable shortening can be used instead of alcohol. I know a three-pound one with one flame can burn for months. Can alcohol last as long? Overall, a very informative video. Thank you.
I’m pretty sure this is just working stabilising the entire thing .
This seemed to burn with a very high flame! I don’t see the Crisco candle burning that high. I have tried several homemade heaters on my porch. I really want an old wood stove I can vent and cook on. One can filled with cotton balls and Rubbing Alcohol would burn maybe 5 hours. Not long enough to make it through the night. I have a huge stock pot I would set any heater in to keep it safe. It’s nice to prop my feet on!
great video, lots of great concepts to build on here. For a green house I would add more mass to hold heat and slowly leech the heat over time even long after the fuel is burned up
How did you connect the tree pieces inside together? And how did you light it? Thanks.
Exactly. I hate when they heart the comment but doesn't answer.
Love it. I might try using a small galvanized trash can that comes with a lid, the same stove pipe, fill the trash can with sand, and then use a Crisco/ vegetable shortening candle in place of the alcohol burner. I've seen online that I can purchase a kerosene/ diesel fuel stove (or even easily make one), so I might build a set-up like this to place in my fireplace - the fumes will go up the chimney, but we'll get some of the heat radiating into the room. We've got a fireplace with a woodstove insert, so I can put the heater inside and a bucket of sand on top of the fireplace insert as well. Love your build. I can copy it exactly or modify it in an easy bunch of ways to adapt it to my house. Thanks!
I might also start with a galvanized bucket or wash tub.
Awesome and epic video thank you so much for making it ❤️👍
For a larger model, could you use a 55 gallon drum (cut in half, top for lid) and a metal oil bucket in the middle for the wick? This is amazing!!! Thank you for sharing your information with us.
I am bookmarking this video to rewatch it. I didn't understand a few things. I wish you would have showed the parts that you didn't show about the third can and how you attached the mesh between the top and bottom. Thanks so much for this video. Do people use this in the house or just greenhouse. I am thinking about the pump house.
Hace mas de 50 años habia unas estufas que en uruguay era marca POD usaban ese sistema. muy bueno y economicas.
I used a couple of stainless steel hose clamps around my screen so it would hold its round shape.
have you considered adding basalt grit to the sand?
Beautiful bonsai collection!
Thanks for your kind words.
That’s super friggin great with some super awesome creative stuff and did I mention it was super fantastic. It’s just super.
If you can retrofit that to use propane, you'll also boost the Co2 content in the greenhouse. Your plants will love you for it!
Beautiful bonsai collection
You don't have to buy an expensive Dutch oven. You can use an angle grinder to cut an empty 20-lb. propane tank in half. There is a SAFE way to do this! I've done it. You can even make two of them that way.
If you want a heavy steel basin with a larger diameter you can cut the bottom off of an old hot water heater. People throw them out at town dumps and at metal scrapyards.
And you could likewise, use the top of a propane tank or water heater instead of the lid to a Dutch oven which you've placed atop your fine intention. In both cases the tops will have holes which would hinder their use on the bottom. If used on top, you may wish to cover the holes to trap more heat above the burner as you do with the lid.
Question: what is the cylindrical thing at the very top of your burner stack?
If you're going to cut a propane tank in half first take the valve off fill it with water and then empty it then there is zero chance of there being propane in it or what's easier is you get one of those disposable helium tanks everyone throws out it's helium not flammable
@@scrapahaulik5893 A lot of people would find removing the valve from a propane tank difficult. They're VERY tight. Helium tanks are not nearly as heavy grade steel, less mass to retain heat.
@@johnenoch2874 that's the only way you can ensure its empty otherwise it's a potential explosion helium doesn't explode
@@johnenoch2874 cutting causes Sparks dude propane go boom 💥
Love the idea! Looks great. Did you wrap the stainless mesh around the carbon felt or just sit it on top? I couldn’t tell during the video. Thx
Lots of fire-pit basins and old cast iron bathtubs available for sand battery; great idea! Thanks!
You bet!
Great instructional video and the comments are full of great ideas 🤙🏼☮️
Thanks 👍
How long will it burn on the amount of fuel that you initially put into it before having to refuel?
6 hours. Use ethanol or high percentage alcohol isopropyl
It's just a video to make money
I know this was 9 mo ago but I’m curious if I could implement this with a Chiminea? And does it produce off gassing? Thank you!
How do you assemble? How do you refuel? How do you ignite? How do you get rid of smoke?
There is no smoke, it's alcohol fuel. All it releases is CO2 and water.
Very very nice.
Just a small adjustment
I would use a lab burner inside the bottem can for better control of the fire as the on/off valve is as far away from the fire as possible and no wick needed.
Oh you have set me creative juices on.
Thankyou
OMG love the Binsai plants behind. Would love to have a few in my home. They are just lovely. I did like and watch the video.
Thank you so much!
You did a wonderful video ! Certainly inspired a lot of people to think outside the box & incorporate there own ideas. Sharing is caring and it’s wonderful to see you providing valuable content. It’s amazing!!! Love you bonsai plants, fabulous hobby!!!!
Thank you so much!
How did you put together the inside part?
He showed how to open cans in great detail….but then showed nothing about putting the thing together, not cool
I feel like I missed the 3rd can? You did the one you have on the top, the 30oz, then did the smaller one and I thought you were putting the carbon around that and into the first can, but then it was a different 30oz can once you built it? Do any holes go into the 30oz on the bottom?
Yes correct….cheers.
Where did the third can come from? Why is there video parts missing?
Right? Initially thought the can with the holes at the bottom was the outer can lol
Thanks for your video, it gave me a great idea to use part of the internals of a large valve.
Thanks this was very helpful.
Hi...wonderful heater...would like to know if vegetable oil can be used instead of alcohol?
This sounds a lot like the one that Robert Murray-Smith made a few months back. But explained a little different.
Nice job we are going to need all this knowledge for the economic downturn. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Great setup-but wouldn’t it be much easier to add all the sand BEFORE inserting the pipe. btw Beautiful Bonsai trees👍
have you tried using water as a medium to control heat vs moisture? or ceramic and brick for disperal of heat?
u could even get one of those big cast kettles people have in the yard that places cook kettle corn or soup in. i have see a few of them cheap and junked before. my parents and grandparents even had in our yard. that would hold lots of sand and heat. thanks for the idea of a bigger bottom.
So you are using three cans for this build? I thought there was only two (large and small for the heat source). What purpose does the third can serve and what size compared to the other two? Thanks!
Holds the carbon felt in place
Water holds 300% of the heat that sand does, making it a superior thermal mass. Surrounding the heater with pots or jars of water will add to the longevity of the heat once the fuel has been consumed.
Put some potatoes in it and see how much it holds lol
oil is better
That sure looks and sounds like galvanized
Stove pipe!!!
Use a Crisco gallant can heater with shoot 5, 6, 10 candles in it.
Simple cheap you don't have to refill it every couple hours it'll last about 40 hours on a long time maybe 7 days I don't remember.
But that will depend on how many candles do you have in it but hey very simple and very fast and burn a long time
Thanks for the idea, what was the temp of the sand after the flame burned out?
Great video and would look for a replacement for the duct because: Zinc fumes are set free when galvanized steel is heated. These fumes are very toxic to breathe.
@lonniedomnitz1720 listen again it's not galvanized. He plainly stated it's STAINLESS
He clearly stated the stainless steel screen. But I’m talking about the HVAC Duct that he used.
@@pauliedi6573 did not hear him say that and the thumbnail opening image in the video looks like an ordinary galvanized steel duct. But if he did say that then I apologize.
The design is pretty good. I'm just wondering if you ever measured how hot the sand gets? The sand is well below the flames, and I'm just not sure that the heat transfer from the stainless outer reflector would be enough to warm the sand to a high temperature.
Need to have a. Blue flame more safe just need more air
Thanks.Still learning something every day.
❤❤❤ how about using the black exhaust pipes for fireplace ?
I love the concept 💡 thank you
I'm pretty confident that that duct is galvanized doesn't look like stainless
💯
@@jxpat its not stainless
25 yrs a tinsmith here...definitely not stainless, galvanised steel.
Are you all Blind ! That is Stainless, Galve does not shine or show reflections like that.
The cans are galvanized. Super toxic to use like this.
Great video 💯 totally random video in my feed loved it 😁
Infrared does not heat the air. It's meant to heat the objects it strikes. Heat up water if you want a longer lasting thermo battery.
How warm does it get inside the greenhouse, and would this work for really cold nights (0 to 32 degrees)?
That pipe doesn't look like stainless steel at all!
I’d like to know how long it burns for and did you measure the high/low temperatures inside? Also how big is your greenhouse and what’s the temperature outside? I built a solid brick raised stand to support a black rain barrel that stores heat. I also left a small opening at the bottom to be able to slide a fondue burner. Only problem is it only burns for maybe an hour or two at most, so your design interests me. My greenhouse is detached with a peaked roof and single pane glass in most places. No insulation. I have many changes to make for extending the season even more.
Depending on can size. Mine is about 5-6 house. Purity of fuel also affects burn time. Cheers.
Would a small SS thrash can work?
Could have done without seeing how to open a can of peaches and actually seen how you screwed the inner can down inside the larger can.