How many candles to keep you fish from freezing this winter during power outage??

[papadidypop]

I have an idea of using a coil filled with water just like the candle powered boat, and making one for a fish tank.


Imagine your power goes out and your fish are going to freeze:

Concept is to take the heat from a candle, and transfer that energy into a tube filled with flowing water as to heat the whole tank slowly.

How many candles will create enough heat to keep a fish tank from freezing in a power outage? I know that a candle has more energy than most people think.. if you take lets say three candles and put them directly underneath a circular coil it would be able to heat a body of water.

Just as in the candle powered boat, when you fill the tubing with water then put heat under it... the water will flow out of one end and in the other automatically. Hence you can use candles to circulate AND heat the water.

I made a drawing of a heat dissipator version, also a coil tube version. I will post when I get it done.

Does any of this look possible? If it does dont steal my invention. lol. Yea it sounds kinda dumb to light up a box of candles to heat your tank but in an emergency anybody would do it to save their fish.

I imagine a "hanging" box on the side of the tank. Open the front put candles in, light them and the flame will heat the coils and heat the aquarium. This isn't going to keep your tank a perfect temperature or anything, the point is to keep the tank above critical point of no return (that being dead fish), any heat in that situation would have helped.

[EMUReef]

I think first you have to figure out what kinda pipe your going to use first.
Copper is out of the question.
What other choices do you have that can withstand a direct flame and not melt and also be reef safe? Your options are limited or close to none.

[cee]

How ya gonna move the water w/o electricity?

[luckydud13]

If the water was still on, I would probably just get some hot tap water and put it in a plastic container and float it. Seems cheaper, and less likely to fail. It might take a bit of patience, and dilligence to refill, but it seems simpler.

[S13<3]

the heat from the candles may also crack the tank so be carefull

[papadidypop]

There are many types of tubing other than copper that can withstand salt water. It would have to be temperature resistant and corrosion resistant.

How many days would copper last in a reef tank?

Copper can withstand direct flame. Candle flame 1830 degrees F, copper tubing withstands 2000 F. Blow torch temp is about 2300F.

Metal melting temps...

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/melting-temperature-metals-d_860.html


Stainless steel alloy tubing, corrosion and heat resistant.

http://www.tubemethods.com/general.htm

[papadidypop]

If the heat is off for days then the water in the heater would cool off. At our farm we didnt have any water because our pump for our faucets were off too. So that would be limited to people with water pressure.

[papadidypop]

If you have ever seen the candle powered boat, when you fill the tube with water then heat it, the expanded gas goes out the end and the water goes into the inlet. From what I saw it moved the water and heated it. In one end and out the other, I think it has to be heated right or in motion or something ill have to look it up.

[papadidypop]

Its moving the water and it has to be heating it too under the candle. Hook up enough and it has to do something...

Candle powered boat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDcGSuUMGdc&feature=related

[papadidypop]

Just make a few of these with like 10 candles each and your fish might survive a power outage!!! It moves AND heats the water. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dZ56yNldJQ&NR=1

[dmopar74]

with all the time and massive amounts of money invested in out tanks, i find it odd that people dont go out and spend $300 on a generator when it could save thousands in livestock/headaches.

[widmer]

How many days would copper last in a reef tank?

Copper can withstand direct flame. Candle flame 1830 degrees F, copper tubing withstands 2000 F. Blow torch temp is about 2300F.



It's not a question of how many days would copper last in a reef tank, but rather, how many days would your corals last if the tank is exposed to copper :lol:. It is generally believed that copper is extremely toxic to inverts/corals at extremely low concentrations, so copper should never come in contact with the reef's water.

[hybridazn]

with all the time and massive amounts of money invested in out tanks, i find it odd that people dont go out and spend $300 on a generator when it could save thousands in livestock/headaches.

X2. Quit being cheap and just invest in a generator

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[papadidypop]

Yea thats true I wasn't thinkin bout the copper to the reef. BUT think about if you had the option of trying to save your tank or just letting it die...

send me a check and Ill go grab one.. not everyone has tons of money lying around. If the power goes out and your not prepared people need options.

[SushiGirl]

What's wrong with a generator or battery backup? Who's going to sit up all night keeping candles lit for days?

[papadidypop]

Well if your either rich or plan ahead that would work great, im trying to help people who are in a bad situation and dont have those options. Im thinking worst case scenario, its happend to me before, I had no power, no transportation in a winter storm stuck at a farm for 3 days. But I did have candles and copper tubing (i know its bad for reefs but its better than dead reefs AND fish). Little did I know the whole time I could have made a candle heater instead of pointing a propane sunflower heater at my tank. Way more dangerous than a candle heater.

Im thinking there is a bunch ways to rig up a bunch of candles and keep your fish from dying (if thats ALL you have is candles and household items) in a blizzard. Im going to start experimenting with ideas on how to do this and post them as I do.

[Baltimore Bryan]

If the water was still on, I would probably just get some hot tap water and put it in a plastic container and float it. Seems cheaper, and less likely to fail. It might take a bit of patience, and dilligence to refill, but it seems simpler.
+1 this is what I would do, some heated water in a plastic water bottle/ other container to float in the tank. Also putting some towels, blankets over may help insulate the tank a little.

[hayes_101]

hay I like this idea you may be on to something! but forget copper use stainless! as a welder I have worked with small stainless tubing before. the only thing is that it don't conduct heat as good, but it will hold heat once wormed up. and think bigger than a small candle why not a propane tank and Bunsen burner? you will be able to control the flame to what you want and it will last longer, and enough coils close together this might work.
sorry I do get a little excited with stuff like this! I mean the people are right when they say pick up a generator if you are really that worded but if you only have the one and well you need running water once and a while and heat and come on TV lol. something has got to heat the tank.
and just one other point just off the top of my head. people that use wood/ oil furnaces to heat there water and house could with some modifications use this method to heat a tank even without a power outage.
ok I am done... lol

[oscar.millan]

Doesn't seem practical to me, but I'm happy to tag along and see where this goes.

[j.p. harrington]

not practical but i do understand where u are comming from. but also if u had a generator u can run tank lights and other stuff in the house depending on how big it is. i had to use mine on thanksgiving as a car hit a power pole and knocked power out for 12 hours. i didnt sweat it i just went out crunk the generator and pluged it in

[hayes_101]

I know it is not practical I do relies this but I am not the one to shoot down some ones ideas! if some one wants to try it I mean the theory and physics seem to be on his side why not build on it? that's all, just helping out besides its fun to invent new things I think

[captnslapy]

During the winter, we keep the kerosene heaters ready with plenty of fuel around. Much less expensive than a generator and keeps the house warm enough for the tanks.

[BeanAnimal]

. But I did have candles and copper tubing (i know its bad for reefs but its better than dead reefs AND fish).

Copper isn't "bad" for the reef, it is deadly.

The average candle puts out about 50 BTUs per hour. It takes 1 BTU to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree F.

There is no way that you are going to harness all of the energy (HEAT) coming from the candle and transfer it to the water. Assume you do a good job and get 50% of the energy into the water (not likely with a crude setup, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt).

So you have 25 BTU/hour of heat going into the tank. But remember, we are heating the tank because it is LOSING HEAT due to the power outage.

So lets take your 100 gallon tank that holds 850 pounds of water. Lets assume that the tank is losing 1 degree an hour of heat due to the power outage. That means you need to put 850 BTUs of heat back into the tank to maintain its temperature.

You get 25 BTU/hour per of heat into your tank from your candle setup, so you need 34 candles to keep the tank at temperature! In reality, you would need closer to 50 candles.

In a colder room (winter home without power) the tank may easily lose heat faster than 1 degree F per hour. That means even more candles.

Furthermore, you would need a way to control the temperature, as you would not want to overheat the tank. Because you are using a passive flow system, (convection) you have no easy way of fitting a thermostatic valve into the system.

Lastly, even 3 or 4 candles left unattended is a fairly risky venture, let alone 50 or 500.

For some perspective a 100W aquarium heater produces 342 BTU of heat per hour and that is usually not enough to accomodate the heating needs of a modest 100 gallon tank in a temperature controlled room, let alone one with no power or environmental controls.

You get credit for attempting to think outside the box, but the physics are not on your side.


Lets look at the reality of the situation:

If you do not have a generator or other means to keep the room and/or tank heated then you need to be prepared. Have insulated panels ready to cover the tank sides. Be careful covering the top though, as you need to allow gas exchange (see about air pumps below).
If you have a gas water heater, then you can (as others mentioned) use it to heat the tank via floating containers of hot water.
circulation can be provided by small battery powered air-pumps. You should have these ready to go.
if have electric water heat and/or a well AND you have a reef aquarium, then you really have no excuse to not have a generator. You can get a very small generator for less than $200 that will be enough to run a heater and a circulation pump.
During extended outages, lower temperatures (within the safe zone) are better, as the livestock's biological functions will slow down as they are cold blooded animals. Insulating the tank will "control" the temperature decrease so that it does not happen too quickly and give you time to get your backup plan implemented.
Let me be blunt but honest here... Each of us has different means of income, but a reef tank costs money to operate. People are willing to invest hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in livestock and the latest greatest equipment but are not willing to invest in a generator.

You should have a disaster plan in place to protect your investment and the critters whose care you have opted to take charge of.

[Runfrumu]

After having to run my tank for 2 days on a gas powered generator with a drop cord we had an electrician install a generac 20kw unit to power the house during power failures now.

A generator is as important for a successful reef as a skimmer to me.

[RokleM]

Think we're done here.