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NEW for 2007! the GlowWarmtm Electric Candle! Our goal with the Kandle Heetertm Candle Holder was to create a small scale heating appliance using an overlooked source. Normally the heat from a candle creates an invisible "chimney" and rises very quickly straight to the ceiling, gone and unusable. The steel and ceramic radiator "short stops" this heat rise and collects and concentrates the thermal energy in its inner parts turning the assembly into an effective "ground level" radiator. But can we do more with this radiator concept? What other common heat sources are there that we may be able to take advantage of? Lo and Behold . . . there is the much maligned Incandescent Light Bulb! 90% of the energy going into a light bulb is "lost" as heat -- only 10% of the electricity is actually "converted" to light. (WOW! -- another "overlooked" heat source!) Of course we all know this by now, what with the big push to small fluorescents. But how many Btu's in a light bulb? I was surprised, and maybe you will be too, but there are 341 Btu's in a 100 watt light bulb, at 90% efficiency, that would be 307 Btu's an hour! This is way more than in any typical single wick candle. So a 60 watt light bulb puts out 184 Btu's an hour! still much more than a candle -- and as we all know, Halogen lamps burn even "hotter" than standard bulbs . . . so this is what we have done . . . we have created a new "fuel source" for the candle heater -- a 60 watt Narrow Flood Halogen Lamp mounted on a ceramic lamp-holder base that is cemented to a small saucer with its own in-line switch and cord. Voila, and "Ta Ta Ta Ta a a a " (a little drum roll, if you please) . . . DOSS Products is very happy to introduce the GlowWarmtm Electric Candle!
I have been using this electric candle for over six months and am very impressed. The temperatures are dependably in the 170-190 deg range, and once last week I measured 202 deg F. on the top plate. Very, very hot -- but still not a burn issue. I could touch it without burning and I have set a small piece of paper on the plate for over an hour without any smoldering (This is NOT a Recommended Practice -- it is noted as a Controlled Safety Experiment). But even better than that is the low expense! 60 watts for 10 hours is 600 watt/hours, or .6Kwh -- and at 12 cents a Kwh, that is 7.2 cents for 10 hours of odorless, smokeless light and heat (and MOSTLY Heat!) -- that translates to 50 cents a week! I am seriously impressed! I now have an effective multi-purpose multi-fuel device that will deliver a sustaining amount of heat into a small bedroom and provide a soft-glow night light. Yes! -- we know this is "using" electricity -- but what an appropriate use! Heat and Light -- one being a "wasted" byproduct of the other. (I don't know whether to laugh or cry -- how I would have loved one of these in my bedroom as a kid -- why does it take a Global Crisis to re-think what we are already doing?) And in keeping with our new policy of Global Open Architecture for Environmental Responsibility (GOAER -- see "note" below) we will now tell you how to make one of your very own. First the picture:
This is a very straight forward assembly, allow one to two hours (depending on your skills and abilities) for the actual assembly, and maybe another hour or so to locate all the parts (this is an excellent Saturday afternoon project for two -- all that "shopping" at different stores . . . actually a good hardware store should have it all -- (if they have a Garden Department for the saucer). First the parts, one Leviton Lamp Holder (UPC 78477-81902) $2-4, one Lamp Cord $3-4 (or get a cord at a second hand store and strip the ends yourself), one In-Line Switch $1-2, one 4" EV-11 Unglazed Ceramic Saucer $2-3, some kind of cement which will bond unglazed terra cotta to unglazed porcelain, and a Westinghouse Narrow Flood 60 watt Halogen bulb (UPC 30721-05402) $9-12. Twenty bucks will pretty much take care of all the components. Tools, you will need a flat blade screwdriver, a small sharp knife, and wire strippers (or the skill to know how to strip wire with a pair of standard pliers). Cut the "female" end of the cord, separate, and strip the ends (if you did not purchase an already stripped Lamp Cord) . There are two mounting holes in the Porcelain Base, push the end of the cord (the stripped end!) through one of the larger holes (from the "top" into the inside -- see photo for details) and connect the ends of the stripped wires to the two terminals on the bottom of the Porcelain Base using the screwdriver (one wire to each terminal). Go out about 9-12 inches from the Base on the cord, use the knife to carefully separate the two wires about 2-4 inches (depends on the type of In-Line Switch), cut one of the wires, adjust the lengths of the cut wire ends for the switch and install the switch (ask the guy at the hardware store for advice if you haven't done this before). Use the cement to "seal" (from the underside) the other mounting hole in the Base (and any other small holes in the Base). This is to prevent debris from falling into your assembly. Carefully cement the Base to the Saucer and allow to dry according to the time given on the package of whatever appropriate cement you are using (you may have to wait overnight). Install the Lamp. Remove the other small saucer from your Kandle Heetertm Candle Holder, and replace with your new GlowWarmtm Electric Candle! It may take just a bit of "maneuvering" to slide the electric candle onto the larger saucer -- if it just won't go, remove the larger saucer, but I didn't have a problem when I tilted the larger saucer a wee bit to let the assembly slide into place. Center the Lamp under the steel inner core, just like it was a candle flame. Now you can plug your GlowWarmtm Electric Candle! into a nearby outlet and turn it on (and off) with the spiffy in-line switch. Takes 20-30 minutes to heat up. Remember to turn it off when you go to work! ADDITIONAL NOTES. Most any 4" ceramic saucer will "work" -- if you are not sure, first buy the Porcelain Base, then you can use the Base to "size" it to the saucer. What you are looking for is an unglazed terra cotta saucer that has the same circumference as the Base so that when you bond them together they "fit". (The underside of the Porcelain Base is also unglazed, so you are bonding two similar porous materials -- there are many kinds of "adhesives" that will do this -- pick one that is environmentally sound and that you will have other uses for around the house.) We do not recommend buying the Porcelain Base with either the socket attachment of the pull switch. We do not recommend using the GlowWarmtm Electric Candle! as an extension cord, and if you get the base with the pull switch you will lose your center adjustment every time you turn it on and off by pulling on the switch which will pull on the base which will misalign the lamp. The "big" initial expense is the Lamp -- at this time, we have only been able to find the Westinghouse Lamp in a Narrow Flood and a small size. I am sure that there are other 60 watt Halogen lamps that will work, but try to get a "spot" or narrow flood. The idea is to direct as much of the heat energy upward into the steel inner core. And yes, a standard incandescent bulb will work, the first bulb we tried was a 40 watt standard base candelabra type bulb, it worked, but the temps weren't anything to write home about, so we upgraded to the Halogen and to 60 watts and are very pleased. DO NOT EXCEED 60 WATTS! You will create a definite burn issue and possible fire hazard if you exceed 60 watts. You should certainly download the photo above, print it (black and white should work just fine), and take it to the hardware store with you as a buying aide. It will be most helpful to the friendly hardware guy from whom you will be seeking assistance and advice . . . and save a lot of hand waving and explaining. NEWEST NOTES! The current version of the GlowWarmtm Electric Candle! uses a 5" ceramic saucer (see photo above), this gives the assembled unit a bit lower profile and allows for a 4" saucer to be inverted and placed under the lamp assembly thereby raising the lamp further into the radiator assembly. There are minor variations in the ceramics, so make sure that the lamp does not actually touch any part of the radiator assembly when you raise it up. Be sure to have the lamp switched off when you do this. Additional note of interest, I measured the surface temperature of the quartz halogen lamp last week, it was an amazing and temperature probe scorching 729 degrees Fahrenheit! That is about 100 degrees warmer than a typical candle flame. Now I understand why the quartz halogen works so well! If the bright light or the quartz halogen is really bothersome you can try this, a 50 watt Infrared Basking Lamp used to keep chameleons and iguanas warm at night. You can find them at a good pet store. A dollar or so less than the quartz halogen, but still pricey. What is nice is the quality of the light, it is a soft red glow, very easy on the eyes, makes an excellent bedroom night light. We will post additional information as we discover and try out other types and kinds of lamps -- your input and suggestions are appreciated. OK, OK, OK . . . you really would like to have a GlowWarmtm Electric Candle! but you are unable to make one yourself, and none of your friends feel comfortable making one for you, and shopping in a Hardware Store is just not your thing . . . that's OK, we understand, the GlowWarmtm Electric Candle is now available for $24.95, except it is On Sale Now (until the end of the year) for $22.95! (Buy One Now!) includes the 60 watt quartz halogen lamp, ceramic lamp holder mounted on a 5" ceramic, 8 ft cord with an in-line switch. ^-^ Don't forget to check out our Spring and Summer Products, the Veg-A-Lottm Growhouse, a 40 square foot insulated greenhouse designed for raised bed Bio-Intensive backyard (or front yard) gardening. This is a fully enclosed year-round growing environment excellent for salad greens, root crops, herbs, hot peppers, and yes, even a tomato or two. More about that here. And we are also proto-typing the Honey Beetm Passive Solar Hot Water Heater. It is a unique serpentine array holding over 20 gallons of H20. More about that here. PLEASE NOTE: We believe that our Earth is in serious Environmental/Energy travail and have decided to make the designs, details, and methodology of our energy and environment solutions available to all people on the Earth. We hope our "Global Open Architecture for Environmental Sustainability" (GOAES) will become a model for other globally minded innovators and businesses. The Honey Beetm Solar Hot Water Heater will be designed and presented in an open architecture manner similar to our introduction of the GlowWarmtm Electric Candle. It will take a while for us to get all the details of our other products posted, most of the design of the Kandle Heetertm Candle Holder can be found here, and we will expand this section later. We will retain all rights to our trade marks. We believe that our low-tech common materials approach to environmental and energy problems presents opportunities for cottage based manufacturers all around the globe and we want to help anyone who wants to share these design solutions as manufactured product in their region of influence.
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