Building a tealight oven yourself - questioned: test of heating capacity

• building instructions
  • Instructional Video
  • Costs and the time required
  • You must pay attention to this during construction
• Variants of heating
• Performance of the heater in the test

A tealight oven is not only a decorative element but also a first class source of heat. It differs in its function clearly from individually placed candles and ensures in its environment for a pleasant and soothing warmth. Read in our guide, how to assemble the furnace yourself in a few simple steps and how the heating performance in the test cuts off.

The principle of the tealight oven has been known to man for many centuries. In days gone by, stones heated by the campfire were taken into the house. The material stores the heat well and gives it over a longer period of time to the room. This is similar with the tealight oven: The clay is heated by the candles and stores the heat. It is evenly distributed to the ambient air, so you can enjoy the soothing heat. The flowerpot heater is thus more effective than a single tealight.

The heat output of the tealight oven in the test

Although the heat from the tealight oven comes from candles, there are many differences in the heating effect. If only the candles were used in their classic form instead of the furnace, then the heat would quickly rise to the ceiling. In contrast, the tealight oven has a memory function. The clay pot absorbs the heat and releases it slowly and evenly to the room. Add to that the pleasant heat distribution, so that the stove can also be used to warm up cold hands.

The advantages of heating heat from the tealight oven

• There is a sustained warming.
• The tealight oven has a large surface, which ensures an even heat distribution.
• The heat is also distributed laterally in the room and is not concentrated like a candle point and directed exclusively upwards.
• You can warm your hands at the tealight oven without burning yourself.
• Clay is an excellent heat storage.

building instructions

Material:

• 10 threaded rod (M10 x 1000 mm)
• hacksaw
• 5 nuts (M10)
• 2 washers (size 10 A2)
• 4 larger washers (body washers)
• Tonuntersetzer (Ø = 20cm)
• Drilling machine with appropriate attachments
• 2 flower pots with holes in the bottom (Ø = 20 cm and Ø = 16 cm)
• Connecting nut as spacer (M10)

Step 1: First, drill a hole in the middle of the sound coaster.

Tip: Stick the hole to be punched on both sides of the coaster with adhesive tape. Thus, the material can not split and tear so quickly during drilling.

Step 2: Slide the threaded rod through the hole in the saucer. These are often available only with 1 m or 15 cm in length to buy. But with a hacksaw, you can cut through the pole quite easily. We sawn the pole to 30 cm. So you have at the end still some room for height. On each side, a washer with a nut is attached and tightened.

Step 3: Turn the third nut onto the upper part of the threaded rod. It later serves as a holder for the flower pot, so that their position determines the height of the tealight heating.

Step 4: Place a larger washer on the upper nut. Now put the flower pot upside down on the threaded rod so that it gets stuck to the disc.

Step 5: The second large washer is now placed over the threaded rod on the flowerpot. Then screw the spacer onto the threaded rod. Then turn on a nut and thus ensure a tight fit of the flower pot.

Step 6: Place a large washer on the nut. The second, larger flower pot is now placed on the washer and then fixed with another washer and a nut.

Step 7: Place the tealights on the bottom plate of the flower pot heater.

So that the tealights do not slip, you can also glue them on or tinker small holders. Here, however, you must make sure that the candles can be replaced after burning. Most candles can be removed from the shell, however, after sticking, you can not replace the holder if it has suffered damage. Therefore, brackets are the better alternative. They can best be attached in advance and should fix the tealights in their position. Also possible is an edge that surrounds the lower level and thus prevents the tealight from accidentally slipping off the plate. If the flower pot is placed a little higher, then you can also use small glasses in which you put the candles.

Instructional Video

Costs and the time required

The material is available for about 10 euros in the specialized trade. Therefore, it is an inexpensive tea light heater, which is assembled in a few simple steps. If the flowerpots already have a hole in the bottom and you have already drilled a hole in the saucer, then you will need about 5 minutes to assemble it.

You must pay attention to this during construction

1. The size of the washers
In order for the flowerpots to have a stable fit, the washers must be the correct size. Therefore, buy different sizes from specialist retailers so that you have the flexibility to choose from.

2. The flowerpots
It is especially useful if the flowerpots already have holes in the bottom. This saves you from boring the holes when building.

3. The spacer
The size of the spacer determines the distance between the two flowerpots. This creates an air-filled space, which is later heated by the tea lights over the smaller flower pot. It should not be too big or too small and serves as a storage for the heat.

4. Drill the holes in the clay pots and the coaster
If you drill the hole in the coaster or a clay pot, then you have to proceed carefully and deliberately. Otherwise, the sound can shatter and is no longer usable.

• In general, it makes sense to use a masonry drill.
• Work without impact and at a low speed.
• Cool the clay with water. He must not heat up.
• Drill evenly and without pressure.

Variants of heating

1st variant: In addition to the use of classic round clay pots, you can also use longer versions. Pay attention to the stability. If the flower pots are too long, the construction may tilt to the side. For example, it is possible to use small flower boxes with a width of 30 centimeters. For this purpose, the saucer must also have a corresponding shape. In addition, you should equip the oven not only with one but with two threaded rods, thus providing a more stable shape.

2nd variant: The use of two clay pots has the advantage that the heat can be stored better. If you only have one pot on hand, you can do without the second flower pot and build the stove with only one pot. In this case, however, the perceived heat development decreases.

3rd variant: Work with colored flowerpots: Particularly striking are colorful flowerpots. By combining different designs, you can create exciting effects.

Performance of the heater in the test

The question then arises as to which heat output the tealight oven can provide and how many candles make sense. In a practical test different models were compared. The following situation was created:

• a 15 m² room
• Old Building
• autumn
• Position the thermometer on the table, on which the flower pot heater is standing, but keep a sufficient distance.

After setting up the tealight ovens, they were put into operation for 45 minutes and allowed the room to heat up. A thermometer was used to check how far a thermal effect could be observed.

1st attempt: A smaller tealight oven with 3 tealights
After 45 minutes, the temperature increased by 0.5 degrees.

2nd attempt: A larger oven with 8 tealights
In this experiment, a temperature increase of 1 degree was noted.

3rd attempt: The thermometer is pushed closer to the heater as if you were sitting at the table near the tealights.

The temperature is now rising rapidly, reaching 2.5 degrees more in just a few minutes than before the experiment began.

In summary, it can be said that the pure heat of the stove is kept within limits. Tealight ovens are therefore not primarily for heating the room. They do not replace conventional heating. However, they cause a rise in temperature, especially in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, it is useful on cold days to provide by the tealights for an additional heat source. Imagine, you sit comfortably in the winter at the table and feel through the flower pot heating a pleasant warmth. This increases your own well-being and the perceived temperature has increased. The benefits of heating are not the heating of the room but the even heat distribution around the stove. A tealight alone has a limited heating power, but in combination with the clay pot this energy can be optimally used.

Tips for quick readers:

• Drill hole in a coaster
• Insert threaded rod
• Place nuts with washers on both sides
• Install third nut with washer higher up
• Place the clay pot and secure with nuts and washers
• Place spacer
• put on a larger flowerpot
• Fix clay pot with nuts and washers
• Use tealights -> Flower pot heating is ready
• Drill holes slowly
• Use a masonry drill
• work without pressure and without a punch
• If necessary, fix the tea lights