Today I Learned (TIL)

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:

RX Reven' said:

TIL that one fairly modest candle can really warm up a room.

I performed a pretty extensive cleaning of our master bedroom (~234 sq. ft.) last Friday and as part of Continuous Improvement, I added a BB&B mason jar style candle that's "burnt wood" scented (not that it matters).

Back Story:  We replaced every window in the house with dual pain, nitrogen filled, double positive latching windows as soon  as we bought it as our kid's bedrooms are at the front of the house (super low crime area) but who cares, kids so fanatical over-protection is in order; right? We also did a complete attic insulation / vent duct removal and replacement with R values that would make a Minnesotan proud (we're in California) a few years later.

Bottom line, our house is effectively a thermos but still, I'm amazed that one candle can dramatically warm up a ~234 sq. ft. room.

This is highly useful information as my wife likes the temperature to be much lower than I (and the kids) like it to be so a few bucks on candles is wildly superior to a fancy / $$$ multi-zone climate control system.

TIL

  

    

 

 

 

If you like the effect, read up on clay pot candle heaters.  It's a simple way to maximize the effectiveness of the heat produced byt he candle.

Well, not so fast Mr. lawyer of the Laws of Thermal Dynamics.  A tea candle puts out about 30 watts of heat or about 100 BTUs.  The human body puts out about 350 BTUs at rest, even more if you are cleaning.  If you were in the room working you were generating 3-4x or more of the heat of the the candle.

TIL that UPS can find and deliver to the workshop!

Scott_H said:

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:

RX Reven' said:

TIL that one fairly modest candle can really warm up a room.

I performed a pretty extensive cleaning of our master bedroom (~234 sq. ft.) last Friday and as part of Continuous Improvement, I added a BB&B mason jar style candle that's "burnt wood" scented (not that it matters).

Back Story:  We replaced every window in the house with dual pain, nitrogen filled, double positive latching windows as soon  as we bought it as our kid's bedrooms are at the front of the house (super low crime area) but who cares, kids so fanatical over-protection is in order; right? We also did a complete attic insulation / vent duct removal and replacement with R values that would make a Minnesotan proud (we're in California) a few years later.

Bottom line, our house is effectively a thermos but still, I'm amazed that one candle can dramatically warm up a ~234 sq. ft. room.

This is highly useful information as my wife likes the temperature to be much lower than I (and the kids) like it to be so a few bucks on candles is wildly superior to a fancy / $$$ multi-zone climate control system.

TIL

  

If you like the effect, read up on clay pot candle heaters.  It's a simple way to maximize the effectiveness of the heat produced byt he candle.

Well, not so fast Mr. lawyer of the Laws of Thermal Dynamics.  A tea candle puts out about 30 watts of heat or about 100 BTUs.  The human body puts out about 350 BTUs at rest, even more if you are cleaning.  If you were in the room working you were generating 3-4x or more of the heat of the the candle.

Mason jar candle != tea candle! For two reasons. First, it is a bigger flame in my experience. So more heat. I'm not sure if that is 150BTU or 250BTU or what, but more than a tea candle. But more importantly, if it is in a mason jar, some of the heat will be stored in the glass and the jar, and will actually hold the heat closer to where humans reside instead of just going to the ceiling and hanging out where it doesn't really do us any good. You're not creating more heat, but you're using it more efficiently. 

At least that is how I would figure it, but I'm not an engineer. 

mtn (Forum Supporter) said:

Scott_H said:

ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:

RX Reven' said:

TIL that one fairly modest candle can really warm up a room.

I performed a pretty extensive cleaning of our master bedroom (~234 sq. ft.) last Friday and as part of Continuous Improvement, I added a BB&B mason jar style candle that's "burnt wood" scented (not that it matters).

Back Story:  We replaced every window in the house with dual pain, nitrogen filled, double positive latching windows as soon  as we bought it as our kid's bedrooms are at the front of the house (super low crime area) but who cares, kids so fanatical over-protection is in order; right? We also did a complete attic insulation / vent duct removal and replacement with R values that would make a Minnesotan proud (we're in California) a few years later.

Bottom line, our house is effectively a thermos but still, I'm amazed that one candle can dramatically warm up a ~234 sq. ft. room.

This is highly useful information as my wife likes the temperature to be much lower than I (and the kids) like it to be so a few bucks on candles is wildly superior to a fancy / $$$ multi-zone climate control system.

TIL

  

If you like the effect, read up on clay pot candle heaters.  It's a simple way to maximize the effectiveness of the heat produced byt he candle.

Well, not so fast Mr. lawyer of the Laws of Thermal Dynamics.  A tea candle puts out about 30 watts of heat or about 100 BTUs.  The human body puts out about 350 BTUs at rest, even more if you are cleaning.  If you were in the room working you were generating 3-4x or more of the heat of the the candle.

Mason jar candle != tea candle! For two reasons. First, it is a bigger flame in my experience. So more heat. I'm not sure if that is 150BTU or 250BTU or what, but more than a tea candle. But more importantly, if it is in a mason jar, some of the heat will be stored in the glass and the jar, and will actually hold the heat closer to where humans reside instead of just going to the ceiling and hanging out where it doesn't really do us any good. You're not creating more heat, but you're using it more efficiently. 

 

At least that is how I would figure it, but I'm not an engineer. 

To All,

First, I was struggling with how tarra cotta pots could significantly improve the heating efficiency of candles (sure, there could be something to transferring light spectrum radiation to infrared spectrum radiation and better mixing so less heat just rises up to the ceiling) but I think the effect would be negligible in this case (i.e, below human detection threshold) but I'm always so happy when somebody responds to me (even my wife's dog routinely ignores me) that I wasn't going to say squat.

Anyway, I had all of the the windows wide open (two bedroom and one bathroom) and I had the ceiling fan running at top speed while cleaning to help blow any air-born dust out and the candle effect was obvious many hours after I had finished.

I'm an engineer and we're going into winter so there'll be ample opportunities for me to break my theory but right now, my thinking is "dang, one candle can measurably warm up a room".

BTW, the candle's wick is made of wood and is about 0.50" by 0.10" so perhaps that matters. 

TIL that a bird carcass jammed between the chain and sprocket of the primary drive on an overhead door operator will render it non-functional.

That was gross.

Bleeding motorcycle master cylinders that sat for 30+ years is a PITA.

Yesterday I learned; The first house we were going to buy, that had the 50x40 garage is back on the market. The people who bought it with a rebuild loan defaulted between April and July, and it's been back for sale for MORE money since September.

I'm kinda glad we didn't buy it, I suspect it would have wound up costing us more to make it livable than the house we bought will cost to make modern even with the increase purchase price. But I still wish I had that shop. 

914Driver said:

Bleeding motorcycle master cylinders that sat for 30+ years is a PITA.

Gravity drain won't do it?

matthewmcl (Forum Supporter) said:

914Driver said:

Bleeding motorcycle master cylinders that sat for 30+ years is a PITA.

Gravity drain won't do it?

Often not. Helped a buddy resurrect an old goldwing and the fluid wouldn't move until we put a vacuum pump on it. Quite frustrating. 

"Ronin" is free to watch on YouTube.

The arms dealers used a silver V70R like Woody's dog has.  Also, I spied a 205 GTi.  In addition to all of the starring automotive roles (S8, M5, 450SEL 6.9, the A3 Golf they stole).  Ronin is Euro-car porn the way Mad Max is Aussie-car porn.

Yellow matter custard
Dripping from a dead dog's eye

Ewww.   And to think I have been listing to this song for years and never really knew what this part of the lyrics was.

TIL about the Eruv. It's a long wire that encircles much of Manhattan to mark a boundary for the Jewish people. 

The Daihatsu Midget II is eligible under the 25 year rule next year. 

TIL that I like to watch a musician/machinist make a marble based machine to make music. He is also showing how he is designing it and making it better. Its pretty interesting.

TIL that the reason it was so hard to see through my welding helmet is that I never took the protective film off.  Derp-a-doo!

TIL that the prototype Bricklin "Grey Ghost" had a Slant Six.

wae said:

TIL that the reason it was so hard to see through my welding helmet is that I never took the protective film off.  Derp-a-doo!

And, today I learned that if I would have spent the $8 on what is the equivalent of drug store "readers" ( a corrective lens for your helmet) years ago my welds would have one less excuse for looking bad.  Seriously, Miller sells the corrective lens for $8 that just slides into the helmet, awesome!!

Scott_H said:

wae said:

TIL that the reason it was so hard to see through my welding helmet is that I never took the protective film off.  Derp-a-doo!

And, today I learned that if I would have spent the $8 on what is the equivalent of drug store "readers" ( a corrective lens for your helmet) years ago my welds would have one less excuse for looking bad.  Seriously, Miller sells the corrective lens for $8 that just slides into the helmet, awesome!!

wait, WHAT??

TIL that Grape-Nuts and sneezing are incompatible.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Scott_H said:

wae said:

TIL that the reason it was so hard to see through my welding helmet is that I never took the protective film off.  Derp-a-doo!

And, today I learned that if I would have spent the $8 on what is the equivalent of drug store "readers" ( a corrective lens for your helmet) years ago my welds would have one less excuse for looking bad.  Seriously, Miller sells the corrective lens for $8 that just slides into the helmet, awesome!!

wait, WHAT??

 

You have my attention

One of my coworkers had one in his helmet.

It was odd the first time I used it, but it really made a big difference.

I wear bifocals and it was like being on the strong lens all the time. Perfect for welding

Do you guys not wear your glasses in your welding helmet?  

That would be a major mistake.

In reply to Streetwiseguy :

I'm badly nearsighted.  But as I have been getting older, I can't see close up so well either.

With my glasses on, I can't see anything well closer than about my elbow.  With my glasses off, I can barely focus on something at the tip of my nose.  Bifocals would give me migraines, too, because of the varying focus of things in my field of vision.  Fun fun.

Today I learned about the Mazda Porter Cab. It is the larval stage of all of the angry brodozers. It's the Baby Yoda the truck world needs.

And that little mouth panel? It opens, because of course it does.

TIL that Fiat Coupes are now legal to import into the US.