When you think about it, there are plenty of different ways that you can keep a room warm. From using thermal curtains to a traditional space heater, no matter what the circumstances are, there will certainly be a way for you to keep yourself warm. With this being said, when the power is out and it is too cold outside to rely on thermal curtains, you might find yourself at a loss as to what you can do.
This might leave you looking around for a way to keep your room warm, such as by lighting a candle. This then begs the question of whether or not you can heat a room with a candle. The truth is that it depends on a number of different factors.
The short answer is that no, you typically cannot keep a room warm with only a candle, no matter how small the room is. Think about it this way. A typical candle produces heat equal to about 80 watts, or a relatively dim light bulb. As most people know, a single light bulb (a dim one at that) is not going to do much in terms of keeping a room warm.
With all of this being said, there are also a fair few dangers that come with trying to keep your room warm with a candle or two. There are a lot of more efficient ways to heat up a room, even without using electricity that you will want to try first, before you attempt to use candles.
What Should You Be Wary of?
If you do try to warm a room using many, many candles, then you are going to run into quite a few risks and problems. For one, you are going to have a considerable amount of open flame out, and that is a hazard to just about everyone in the house. This goes especially for people who have young children or pets in the house. Nobody really wants to risk knocking a burning candle onto the ground.
With all of the open flame, there is also going to be an issue with staining the drapes and walls with smoke and soot. Depending on how long you leave this in the drapes or on the wall, it can be a stain that is almost impossible to remove. What makes matters worse is that the smell of soot can be problematic, especially for people who have more sensitive respiratory systems.
Finally, there is going to be the cost of constantly buying candles. To get enough candles to sufficiently increase the temperature of a room by a few degrees, you are going to need to purchase a lot of candles. Even with unscented candles, this will end up adding up to a considerable price. If you want the room to smell nice in the process, you are going to have to spend even more money on candles.
In the end, attempting to heat up an entire room with candles is going to be an incredibly inefficient process. However, if this is the only resource you have to heat up a room with, there is one thing that you can do. It is possible to create a makeshift space heater using terracotta pots and small candles, although a bit of assembly is going to be required.
Making Your Own Source of Heat
With the use of a ceramic, preferably unglazed, or terracotta flowerpot, and a few tiny tea candles, you can create your own little space heater. Keep in mind that while this is going to be far more effective than simply just having a candle in the room, it will only work for very small rooms. A room that is significantly bigger than a large closet is going to be hard to heat using this method.
Keep in mind that this method doesn’t necessarily amplify the amount of heat that the candle produces, but rather helps to move the heated air around more. This helps to create the feeling that the room, or the area around this makeshift space heater, is going to be warmer than the rest of the room. This is done through a process known as convection and radiation.
The candle already transfers heat through convection, or the general air flow. With the addition of a flowerpot made of a material that can properly hold heat, you add radiation into the mix. What this means is that you will be able to feel the heat radiating from the heated flowerpot, essentially creating a small space heater.
Always remember to take the proper precautions if you try to make your own space heater with this method. Keep children and pets away from the open flame, as well as anything that is potentially flammable. Make sure that you use a relatively high-quality terracotta flowerpot, and that it is not glazed with something else.
Creating Your Own Space Heater
First things first, you are going to want to gather the candles that you want to use. Small, shallow candles are going to be the best bet, depending on the size of the flowerpot you are working with. Generally, tea candles are the best ones to use in this situation as they are the perfect size. It doesn’t really matter whether the candles are scented or not for the purpose of this.
Next, you will want to take the flowerpot and turn it so that the widest end is facing toward the ground. Remember that you should never, ever use a plastic pot for this, as it will simply end up burning. Nobody needs that to happen. Some people like to use a terracotta dish below the candles to act as a base, although this is completely optional.
You will want to use some type of nonflammable object to create a gap between the floor or base of the candles and the opening of the flowerpot. This gap provides oxygen for the candles to use as fuel for burning. It also sucks the colder air into the space heater, further making it feel as if the temperature has increased around the space heater.
Finally, you will want to leave the hole at the bottom of the flowerpot uncovered. This allows the hot air to rise back up and escape through the hole, allowing you to feel the warmer air. It also works to create a suction effect, pulling more cold air from the bottom and heating it.
What Alternative Heating Methods Can You Try?
Throughout all of this, you will want to remember that this should be an absolute last resort. It is one of the most inefficient ways of heating up your room, and there are plenty of people out there who argue that this makeshift heater is more myth than effective. This means that before you try this, you will want to set your sights on an alternative heating method that doesn’t necessarily require electricity.
For one, you might want to consider investing in some thermal curtains. These help to keep your room cool during the summer and keep the heat in during the winter. During the winter, they will increase the temperature of your room noticeably, especially if you look for the most effective thermal curtains out there.
Likewise, you can also work on insulating your room in other ways. This includes covering windows and doors. You can also work on insulating yourself, even if you don’t necessarily want to wear a winter jacket inside the house. When it comes to keeping yourself comfortably warm, it might be the best thing that you can do. These are just some methods to try before you turn to making a makeshift candle space heater.
