Holy Shit! It's been cold. Well, I was having problems with a heater staying on and not kicking off (stupid safety device) so out the door it went. Luckily nobody was at the door. And in went an extra toilet bowl. One that for years and years I had kept around thinking I could make an excellent heater with it. But it never happened because it just seemed too weird to me and any of my camping friends. (Generally flames and heating elements in the open are not as effective as when stone or ceramic is involved for several reasons.) Plus I already had had a heater inside my little caboose. So after chucking out the old heater and bringing in the toilet bowl within ten minutes I had a propane heating element stuck up its ass (as you will) and working beautifully. And being the kind of toilet bowl that is mounted on the wall rather than the floor it stood up quite well. What I have right now is a non-vented version of my toilet bowl warming concept but it is set on a couple of cinder blocks which are placed next to a small opening from the outside for the cat to crawl through and which also acts as a ventilation system.

What?

What?

WTF, it beats warming the hands while cooking park squab over a pilfered can of sterno, eh?

While I may not understand what dev's done, I have to agree with part of it. You get a much better thermal exchange using a medium such as ceramic as opposed to a naked heating element. It's similar to what a pizza stone does in an oven. Ceramics have an excellent thermal distribution profile, as well as much improved thermal inertia compared to any heating element or the air around any heater. (Basically they may take more to warm up, but once they do, they radiate heat more evenly and for longer than a heating coil or open flame.)

I love it when someone does something a bit unconventional that makes perfect sense when you think it thru. Congratulations. The only suggestion would be to use something other than a pet door for a vent.

Just remember NOT to sit on that one...

Paolo wrote: Mon Jan 28, 2008 10:20 am Just remember NOT to sit on that one...

Why not set it up to warm the water in the other one, too? A plumber friend of mine hooked his crapper up to hot instead of cold water, because he didnt want to freeze his bangers when he sat to feed the boss' wife every morning.

kristoff wrote: Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:44 pm WTF, it beats warming the hands while cooking park squab over a pilfered can of sterno, eh?

It would, wouldn't it.

It would, wouldn't it.

Blaise, is that your kitty? cute little pussy

River

Dev I am glad this thread was bumped as I missed it the first time. Your new heater sounds ingenious. I also love the idea of a caboose, actually three, in which to live. I thought about three in a U formation to create a house and drew floor plans. Just a fun thought to recycle for a home.

Blaise that is a cute cat I would keep it away from some members that might use it in ways a cat is not intended to be used.