# Alternative heating



## pengyou (Jun 22, 2009)

I am not sure where this post goes but I put the word "alternative" in it, and it does use energy so I will start with it here. I am looking for creative ways to stay warm at night without heating the whole room or house. One idea I had...to buy a 6' piece of 5" pvc, cap both ends, connect an 18" piece of 1" pvc to it to serve as a breather and then put a thermos heater inside it and fill it with water. If you are not familiar with a thermos heater, it looks a lot like an aquarium heater - long and thin - and is nothing but a heating element. The ones available to me here heat water to about 80 degree C and then shut off when that temperature is reached. In essence, I am making a small water radiator system. I have used hot water bottles in the past but after about 3 hours they are colder than the surrounding environment. Any thoughts about this?


----------



## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Why limit it too the small capacity of the tube you mentioned . .???

What kind of electrical requirements for those heating elements . .??


----------



## K.B. (Sep 7, 2012)

a couple pounds of dry whole kernal corn in a fabric bag makes a nice "cozy" when heated up before bedtime. Pretty much any grain can be used, but corn has been our favorite.

A couple minutes in the microwave (if you are on grid) or a spot that gets toasty near the wood stove (not TOO toasty!) will get them plenty warm to prep the bed and help keep you comfortable through the night.


----------



## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

Cost wise you should invest in an electric blanket or throw. Cheapest most reliable way to heat just you.


----------



## farmerj (Aug 20, 2011)

heat mass is your friend.

Bricks, sand, clay etc.


----------



## MichaelZ (May 21, 2013)

I seem to strive for the opposite. I shut our bedroom door and shut off the heat to the room (shhhh don't tell my wife) so our room is really cold. Then the rest of the house is heated with a free standing fireplace along with oil heat, but the fireplace handles it all down to about 20F. I have even opened our bedroom window at times in the winter! Even though I get cold quicker, I still love the cooler temps in the house, especially for sleeping. 

Other than the free standing wood stove, making sure your home is well insulated and sealed off is the best first step you can take regardless of what you do.


----------



## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi,
We have used an electric mattress pad heater for years and like it a lot.

They are very efficient because they heat you from underneath and the blankets provide insulation to reduce the heat loss. With electric blankets, most of the heat goes into heating the room rather than you.

This is our measured power used:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/electricmattra.htm

There are a couple idea on limiting the size of the space that you heat here: 
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Conservation/conservation.htm#ElectricPad
This makes a lot of sense to me -- not much point in heating a large bedroom when you are only occupying a few percent of it.

Gary


----------



## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Ditto on using a electric mattress pad heater for years.
I turn it on an hour before bedtime......
And I turn it off when I go to bed . . . .good blankets do the trick....

I also have a back-up 12vdc pad for the time when the other one quits.
I bought the 12v pad from Backwoods Solar for a whole lot less that those prices in Gary's link.......

The pads are way better than a electric blanket.........


----------



## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

SolarGary said:


> Hi,
> We have used an electric mattress pad heater for years and like it a lot.
> 
> They are very efficient because they heat you from underneath and the blankets provide insulation to reduce the heat loss. With electric blankets, most of the heat goes into heating the room rather than you.
> ...


We use our electric blanket as a mattress pad and yes it does work better.


----------



## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

painterswife said:


> We use our electric blanket as a mattress pad and yes it does work better.


That is dangerous! Absolutely there should NEVER be any weight on top of an electric blanket. I found this out the hard way one night when I woke up to the sight of flames at the the bottom of the bed.

There no better alarm clock for waking you up then your own bed being on fire!


----------



## painterswife (Jun 7, 2004)

MichaelK! said:


> That is dangerous! Absolutely there should NEVER be any weight on top of an electric blanket. I found this out the hard way one night when I woke up to the sight of flames at the the bottom of the bed.
> 
> There no better alarm clock for waking you up then your own bed being on fire!


That is what they say. We have been using it this way for 6 years and have had no problems so it works for us.


----------



## Esprit (Dec 17, 2011)

I remember hearing that the emf's that radiate from electric blankets aren't all that good for you.


----------



## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

That is the argument for using a 12dc powered mattress pad.........


----------



## DaveNay (Nov 25, 2012)

A companion and a genuine down duvet.


----------



## CurtisWilliams (Mar 14, 2005)

I have used an electric blanket and a heated mattress pad. I hated the mattress pad because of the hot spots created under the pressure points.

I rarely run the heat in my bedroom. An hour before I go to bed, I turn on the electric blanket to 'pre-heat' my bed. When I go to bed, it is nice and cozy, and I shut off the blanket. I am very comfy thru the entire night.

I do use a quilt on top of the electric blanket to hold in the heat. Sunbeam gives this practice a two thumbs down, but I have been doing it for thirty five years now and have never had any reasons to doubt its safety. Other than the Big Goober watchdog agency warning mandated by the UL.


----------



## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

There are blankets called Vellux you can buy that are very light weight and feel a bit like a foam material. If you just put them on top like a bedspread (as most people do) I have not been very impressed. But if have that next to you (or just a sheet and then it) and then put even a light blanket on top, you will be amazed at how well it seals in body heat and keeps you warm. I keep a few put away. We don't use them on a daily basis but I keep them for emergencies.


----------



## paradox (Nov 19, 2012)

Now if you just want to go old school, they used to heat rocks or coals and put them in a pan that looked a bit like a frying pan with holes in it and put that beneath the covers to warm the bed. Coals would scare me. Rocks would be safer.


----------



## homstdr74 (Jul 4, 2011)

paradox said:


> Now if you just want to go old school, they used to heat rocks or coals and put them in a pan that looked a bit like a frying pan with holes in it and put that beneath the covers to warm the bed. Coals would scare me. Rocks would be safer.


Well, the coals actually work. A couple of houses I visited in Japan had a small container in which a piece or a couple of pieces of live coals were put and enclosed. You put those at your feet and they're still warmish in the a.m. The containers were sealed well enough that I had no worries that the coal would fall out of them.

Here's a link to a slew of pictures of antique bedwarmers:

http://www.pinterest.com/twinavon/antique-bed-feet-hand-warmers/


----------



## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Carbs clothes and throws.


----------



## woodhogg999 (Oct 18, 2010)

What use to do was put some big rocks in the oven when cook stove was being used to heat the house then when got ready for bed we would put the rocks under the covers in old socks to keep from getting burnt and they would keep you warm most the night.


----------



## homstdr74 (Jul 4, 2011)

woodhogg999 said:


> What use to do was put some big rocks in the oven when cook stove was being used to heat the house then when got ready for bed we would put the rocks under the covers in old socks to keep from getting burnt and they would keep you warm most the night.


Rocks work well, but since the tendency is to use nice, smooth rocks, a person might try to use river or streambed rocks. Don't do it unless they haven't been around water for quite some time, because due to the water content they might explode if superheated.


----------

