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The Revenge of the Hot Water Bottle
- JoeAltmaier 5y agoScouts used to heat a rock in the fire, put it in a bag and take it to their tent.
- downrightmike 5y agonot too hot, nor wet rocks, those explode
- josefresco 5y agoWhen my mother was a child (Northeast US), they'd take baked potatoes to bed to keep their feet warm. Growing up we had one of the soft/red hot water "bottles" and it was used mostly when someone was in pain or sick.
- adventured 5y agoOne side of my family were farmers in prior generations (mid-Atlantic US). They utilized heated bricks in the same way that you're describing the potatoes.
- logosmonkey 5y agoYeah, my mom (grew up in the rural south US) has told me multiple times about how her mom would heat bricks fro the beds each evening. They were very poor and had no central heat so wood stove, bricks, and multiple kids to a bed (there were 13 of them) was the go to winter strategy.
- nickkell 5y agoThey also double as a midnight snack
- josefresco 5y agoMy mom said they'd bring them to school the next day for lunch.
- parenthesis 5y agoAs a child, we had an electric kettle on the upstairs landing specifically for hot water bottles. Not being next to a sink, we'd simply empty the water from the cold hot water bottle back into the kettle.
- danans 5y agoWho remembers waterbeds from the 1980s? Basically a big water bottle (some had heaters too). I assume they were uncomfortable as heck to sleep on, but as a kid they were sure fun to play on until you got reprimanded.
- kwhitefoot 5y agoI've only tied a water bed once; it was very comfortable. It had damping inside so it didn't slosh around all that much.
- Tagbert 5y agoThey were very comfortable in many cases. The water container conformed to your body and provided very evenly distributed pressure. Having a heated bed was very nice in the winter. You usually had an extra pad on top to reduce contact with the vinyl container. It was hard to sleep with someone else though as their movements tended to cause you to bounce around. Later versions had baffles that reduced the motion of the ocean. They were very heavy. I had to get rid of mine when the downstairs neighbor could no longer open her door due to warping of the doorframe in a very old house.
- mikecoles 5y agoI bought one in the late 1990s. I needed a bed and found waterbed mattresses were cheap, actually they were all the same cost from single to CA king. I ordered the king size because why not and went to building the frame while waiting for the mattress arrival. I only had 1' left around two sides of the bed in my bedroom after setting it up, but it was the most comfortable sleep. I think the "waveless" feature was a big benefit. It did take a few days to get used. I now sleep on a high end pillow top bed. It's nice, but is second to the waterbed.
- aidenn0 5y agoThe ones with internal baffles to prevent sea-sickness are still generally liked by people who try them. However, they are extremely heavy and if they leak are a potential source of significant damage (many apartment and condo complexes have a "no water bed" policy for this reason). I'm not sure, but I think that most (if not all) of them had heaters because water can pull an awful lot of heat from your body over the course of 8 hours even if it's quite warm (if it's under 95F or so, you can cool off quite fast by sleeping on a bare waterbed mattress; a bare waterbed mattress under 80F can put you at risk of hypothermia). That being said, the mattresses had insulating covers so it's possible there were some where heaters were not needed.
- shimonabi 5y agoI just remembered I inherited a "termofor" from my grandmother. It's filled now with hot water after 7 years.
- mdrzn 5y agoLoved the article, it's curious that he didn't mention the electric version of the Hot Water Bottle, where it's just a closed system which gets warmed up over and over.
- llampx 5y agoIn my opinion, electric blankets are a superior alternative to hot water bottles. They come in various forms such as throws, pillows and mattress toppers, and can be adjusted for temperature and don't need to be refilled. The only place they don't work is when you're on the move. For that you can nowadays get gloves with active heating that are powered by batteries, or chemical reaction handwarmers. A good creative writing piece, but somewhat out of touch.
- tstrimple 5y agoI would hope that Low Tech Magazine would focus more on "low tech" solutions, such as solutions which don't require electricity.
- llampx 5y agoYou got me there.
- wffurr 5y agoYou gotta heat the bottle; the most efficient method of which is an electric kettle.
- TremendousJudge 5y agoBut electricity is not required, you can use a regular kettle on a stove or even over a wood fire.
- floren 5y agoYou're not allowed to get a gas stove in California any more. Good thing we never have electric supply issues.
- tstrimple 5y agoThis isn't true. The requirement is just that new constructions are ready for electric appliances. It doesn't ban natural gas. https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/No-more-gas-stoves-California-prepares-to-16161119.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/local/article/No-more-gas-stoves... > A draft code update released Thursday by the California Energy Commission would require new single-family homes to be equipped with circuits and panels that would allow them to be powered by all-electric appliances for heating, cooking and drying clothes. > The new code would not prohibit natural gas infrastructure, a step many environmentalists would like the state to take. But if the draft is ultimately authorized by the commission this year, it would require new homes to be “electric ready,” meaning they’re prepared to be transitioned away from gas appliances if any are used initially.
- blakesterz 5y ago"The first “hot water bottles” – quite literally – were other people and animals. Since time immemorial, people have warmed themselves by huddling together" I had to chuckle at that! Low Tech Magazine is such a cool site! So many really interesting things to read about there, low tech hacking at it's finest.
- newsbinator 5y ago> The first “hot water bottles” – quite literally – were other people and animals. Since time immemorial, people have warmed themselves by huddling together. Ha I never thought of it this way.
- mc32 5y ago3-dog night. An expression inherited from shepherds and their sheepdogs.
- jstx1 5y agoIn case it's not clear - it means a night so cold that you need 3 dogs in bed with you.
- dreamcompiler 5y agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Dog_Night#Name_origin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Dog_Night#Name_origin
- cheschire 5y agoWe bought some after some of the recent winter related power outages. Being able to capture gas-sourced heat (cooking water on the stove) and then being able to transfer it somewhere else in the house directly where we need it (under a blanket) is a killer app.
- jgrahamc 5y agoMaybe it's because I am British but hot water bottles have been something I've owned and used forever. They just exist as a thing you use. To warm the bed, or your feet, or your back. Given that the British also have electric kettles for warming water they are simple to use. I did try to buy one here in Portugal and I was sent to the pharmacy where they had a tiny little one that you might use for pain relief.
- kranner 5y agoThey're common in India as well. My dad uses one every day in the (North Indian) winters.
- chrisseaton 5y agoIn my British household we call the cylinder foot warmer ones 'mother cats'.
- masklinn 5y agoWhat is the "proper" name for these? Last time I looked for foot warmers all I got was electric bootstie things, or hotplates for foot. So I got a small radiant heater instead. Though I guess a microwavable grain bag on a normal footrest would also work.
- Someone 5y agoWikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_stove https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foot_stove) says its restricted to wooden ones with hot charcoal, but I would call them “Foot Stove” regardless of construction material or heat source.
- thom 5y agoNever seen one of these, but my dad used to have charcoal hand warmers similar to this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Hand-warmer-charcoal-including/dp/B002VKO19S https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pocket-Hand-warmer-charcoal-includi... We used to take them to football matches but eventually they became the sort of thing they'd confiscate cos fire and idiots don't mix.
- throwaway946513 5y agoWhile the submitted link is wholly appropriate and I take no issues with it - I much prefer and enjoy reading Low Tech Magazine from their solar subdomain. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2022/01/the-revenge-of-the-hot-water-bottle.html https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2022/01/the-revenge-of-the...
- kbos87 5y agoIt’s a pretty common winter camping trick to fill a water bottle with boiling water, put a sock over it, and put in your sleeping bag while you sleep. Works extremely well!
- Lio 5y agoI just replied the same thing. It’s an excellent hack. Was going to add a warning not to drink the water from plastic bottles though due to plasticisers. Unlined Ti metal bottles should be fine though.
- blacksmith_tb 5y agoI'd say that argues for using the ol' Nalgene etc. only as a foot-warmer, and drinking out of the metal bottle?
- Lio 5y agoIdeally yes but it's really hard to find fully metal driking bottles. If you buy something like a Sigg aluminium bottle or no-name copy it will be lined with some kind of plastic. If you use a light weight drinking bladder that will be plastic too. I've read that risk is much higher if you apply heat to a plastic container. This is why you should avoid microwaving in plastic containers. So that leaves you either only using a cold liquids in plastic and accepting some risk or buying expensive (and relatively heavy) titanium drinking bottles.
- rkk3 5y ago> Ideally yes but it's really hard to find fully metal driking bottles. Klean Kanteen?
- Lio 5y agoJust looked them up. Looks really nice. Maybe a bit heavy for me when hiking but really nice for day to day stuff. I like the Vargo stuff. Also the new Keego flexible bottles look really interesting.
- bitxbitxbitcoin 5y agoSpent the summer with the Nevada Conservation Corp doing trail and restoration work a week at a time. Hot Nalgenes are indeed still all the rage for keeping warm in your sleeping bag at night.
- anarazel 5y agoJust don't forget to budget for the increased fuel consumption for heating that water :). No experience around that, personally, ahem.
- BenoitEssiambre 5y agoI do ice in the summer (this is mentioned in the article). Great for when you have warm feet in bed. It works longer than the hot bottles because of the phase change which adds the equivalent of a 60 to 70 Celsius energy absorption. I think you could do the same with wax for the hot version. Hot wax would last longer than hot water because of the phase change. I assume this is not commercially available because of the dangers of heating wax which should be done in a hot water bath. Some people would inevitably ignore the instructions and burn down their house. Edit after a bit of research: Maybe the lesser heat capacity of wax offsets the benefits of the phase change.
- nickparker 5y agoWater also has an almost uniquely large enthalpy of melting. EG paraffin freezing releases 1/3 as much heat as water
- GuB-42 5y agoBesides heat capacity, the advantage of liquid hot wax is that it stays at around 50°C during the entire melting process, which is a good temperature for something that keeps you warm. Instead of staying at an ideal temperature, water will gradually cool down.
- YXNjaGVyZWdlbgo 5y agoI use a cooling pad [0] for animals and it's amazing no electricity just convection. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Chillz-Cooling-Dogs-Large-Size/dp/B007JT4P88/ https://www.amazon.com/Chillz-Cooling-Dogs-Large-Size/dp/B00...
- goda90 5y agoMy wife and I enjoy a rice filled sock. It has the added benefit of being able to wrap around our shoulder/neck when needed. Might be a bit harder to heat in a low-tech way than water though.
- Pompidou 5y agoHot water bottle. In french we have a specific name for this tool : "bouillotte", from verb "bouillir" (boiling) and sufix "otte" (diminutive). Everybody in my familly use it. My ex wife was litteraly addicted to it.
- rdtwo 5y agoAnyone use an inconspicuous one to keep warm in the office while working? What does it look like?
- fredley 5y agoIf I'm cold at work I just zip one up inside my hoodie.
- Accacin 5y agoDidn't realise they weren't so popular, I know a lot of people who use them here. Lovely in bed!
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- mcv 5y agoWhen I was a kid, I remember my grandmother used metal hot water bottles with a crocheted cover. My wife has recently started taking a cola bottle with hot water (not boiling, or the plastic will melt) to bed. Perhaps I should give her one of these fancy rubber ones.
- LeanderK 5y agohere in germany you can buy the rubber ones with cloth over it. They are way more comfy and don't get super hot. Regardless of the temperature in my room, my girlfriend is always cold, so every night I fill it up to warm the bed
- masklinn 5y ago> here in germany you can buy the rubber ones with cloth over it. There are even different thicknesses of cover, depending whether you want lots of heat (thin cover so you don't get that rubber feel) or more of a lower temp and slow release (thicker padded cover).
- arethuza 5y agoWhen I was a kid (I'm in my 50s) my parents had ceramic hot water bottles that had knitted covers.
- downrightmike 5y agoas long there is water at the level the flames touch, you can boil water in a plastic bottle, it will deform though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzKN0n0WB6Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzKN0n0WB6Q
- ColinWright 5y agoAlso discussed here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30024127 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30024127 We now use "Wheat Bags" ... cloth bags, usually cylindrical, filled with wheat. Heat in a microwave and use where one would use a hot-water bottle, but without the danger of a leak.
- Sparkle-san 5y agoI recently discovered Warmies[1] which is essentially this but inside a stuffed animal and scented with lavender and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm low-key obsessed with them. [1]https://warmies.com/ https://warmies.com/
- phreeza 5y agoOne of those (or similar, I think cherry seeds) caught fire in my microwave once.
- ColinWright 5y agoIndeed. It needs to be heated for 30 seconds, then "stirred", heating again, etc., and the temperature needs to be limited. We had one catch fire, but we patched it and it's good to go again. I still prefer them over hot water containers. We have some that are floppy and flexible, ideal for wrapping around the back of the neck and over the shoulders.
- jgrahamc 5y agoI have one of these that has cherry stones in it. I much prefer the hot water bottle for two reasons. Firstly, I fully understand the failure mode of the hot water bottle and have rarely seen one fail; on the other hand the "cloth thing that catches fire inside the microwave" is not a failure mode I really want. But most importantly, hot water bottles are really hot and much better at keeping me warm.
- ColinWright 5y ago
- ricardobayes 5y agoHah, so nice. It was just earlier today we discussed our newfound love for this little device in my family.
- Oem18 5y ago
- kowlo 5y agoMy wife gifted me a hot water sausage for work https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08J2FK6KZ https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08J2FK6KZ Mine is a little longer...
- kevinmchugh 5y agoVery off-topic but if you've never seen someone inflate and burst a hot water bottle, it's really something. It's one of those goofy strongman feats, like tearing a phonebook in half, with a big bang at the end. https://youtu.be/oM5ZzR2KBSQ https://youtu.be/oM5ZzR2KBSQ
- DaltonCoffee 5y agoHeheh, love that seam line.
- exodust 5y agoThat's a very thin hot water bottle. The hot water bottles commonly available where I live are made of thick rubber, and would be impossible to inflate in this way.
- JohnJamesRambo 5y agoI would never use one of these because I know how clammy and cold it is going to be when the heat runs out.
- DocTomoe 5y agoHm, the ones I am using usually are still warmer than body warmth on the next morning... YMMV
- Flashtoo 5y agoAn alternative would be something like a bag of rice or cherry stones. You can microwave them and they won't feel cold when they lose their heat. (See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30025026 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30025026)
- thrwy_ywrht 5y agoMany/most hot water bottles have a knitted fabric cover. When the heat runs out (which takes many hours), you are not in direct contact with the rubber/plastic body of the water bottle, so there is no sensation of cold or clamminess.
- kaybe 5y agoThe coldest they become is body temperature under the blanket. It would only have a chance to become colder than its surroundings if the water had a way to evaporate, which it doesn't.
- tupac_speedrap 5y agoThey are good but make sure that the bottle is sealed properly and you don't have the bottle over your body while you sleep because people getting burned by these things is surprisingly common.
- draw_down 5y ago
- danw1979 5y agoEven more efficient, but not portable, are electric heat mats. I've had one under my desk this winter and between that and a couple of jumpers, I've not felt the need to have the heating on in my northern UK based home office.
- zemvpferreira 5y agoAn electric blanket in every bed has been my only winter must-have since I turned 30. I never turn on heat and I walk around in shirt sleeves all winter, but getting into a cold bed is torture (especially since I sleep naked with only one blanket). It's the most comfortable thing I've ever experienced and I've converted 10s of people to my religion. Electric blankets in every bed!
- dsr_ 5y agoYour profile says that you live in Lisbon. Lisbon's average January low: 47F = 8.3C Boston's average January low: 23F = -5C
- soperj 5y agoEdmonton average January low: -15C And there are people that go around in shorts in the winter there too. What's the point of this?
- zemvpferreira 5y agoI'm not sure either. To clarify I was merely trying to illustrate that I am not a cold person and I still love love love my electric bed warmers. There's something magical about going from a cold room into a really warm bed and I'll never sleep another winter without one if I can help it.
- dsr_ 5y agoThe point is that in Lisbon, perhaps it's reasonable to shut off your heating and use hot water bottles. That's a route to suicide in Boston or Edmonton.
- leecarraher 5y agowas kind of hoping for a more analytical take, comparing their efficiency to the newish slate of battery powered personal heaters, or older iron-oxide single use heaters. My guess is the newer electronic devices allow for more consistent heat, but at a much higher entry cost, and less flexible charging. I wonder if an mechanically adjustable thermal barrier could be employed in a hot water device, that could provide a more consistent heating experience.
- zwieback 5y agoWe have four of them at our house and one at our weekend place. And this is in Western Oregon where it doesn't really get cold.
- pier25 5y agoI'm from Mallorca (Spain) and there you can still find tables with a brazier underneath. Hot water bottles made from rubber are very common too. https://images.app.goo.gl/DG73Vs74i6RgQbyk7 https://images.app.goo.gl/DG73Vs74i6RgQbyk7
- harperlee 5y agoHuge carbon monoxide intoxication risk!
- pier25 5y agoYou don't burn anything. It's for containing red coals. These days electric ones are more common though.
- floatingatoll 5y agoCan you rest the hot water bottles in the brazier for partial effect?
- pier25 5y agoHuh no. The bottles would melt.
- mberning 5y agoIt’s baffling that people have such a persistent and romantic fascination with regressive technology. Why enjoy whole home climate control when you can dress up like Nanook of the North while indoors and sit on hot water bottles? Why is the discussion not focused on how to make modern technology better, more efficient, more accessible? Next week we will have a story about how suffering through summer heat with a wet towel and sleeping all day are “making a comeback”.
- unbalancedevh 5y agoThat was my first thought as well, but the article is pretty thorough about the relative benefits of using a hot water bottle, also asserting that the intent isn't to replace central heating. It's an option with some cultural history behind it, and might be just the right solution for some use cases.
- ssully 5y agoSome people have poor circulation. Even with whole home climate control their extremities (hands or feet) will be ice cold for awhile. Sure, there are more modern ways to warm your hands and feet, but a hot water bottle is cheap and easy.
- masklinn 5y agoAlso heating up one's entire dwelling to comfortable-enough temperatures could be much more expensive than dressing up a bit and using that sort of accessories.
- analyte123 5y agoWhole home climate control costs money. Why run up your gas or electric bill to heat your entire 2000 sqft house to 78 degrees, when the only thing that needs that much heat is your own body?
- wolverine876 5y agoWhy write a few lines of code when you can use an entire framework? Why walk two blocks or ride a bike when you can drive? > regressive That depends on your definition of regressive. If you designate it as regressive, you create a circular argument: it must be worse, somehow. IMHO, there's nothing inherently better about tech that is newer - why do I care if it's newer? - and many see complexity as the enemy of good engineering. Technology is tools and the only question is, how well do they deliver on the needs and specifications (which include efficiency and cost)? > Why enjoy whole home climate control ... Whole home climate control has more whole world climate impact, so it doesn't deliver well on many people's specifications.
- stakkur 5y agoLast year, when we were without electricity for a week, we used hot water bottles to heat the beds and generally for warmth and comfort. They're cheap, stay warm for hours, and have many uses. I recommend getting several for your home 'emergency' kit.
- 2Gkashmiri 5y agoi use it daily. heck, for a family of 3 we have 5 in circulation for today. i find hat a tad bit excessive but coughing in the home has caught up so its fine. we usually buy every year for winter for like inr ~160-300 or $ 3-4. lasts the winter season and shitty products leak in the bed, either causing you a burnt leg in the morning or a dripping bed. all in all, a good thing.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- Cerium 5y agoIn China there are hot water bags with integrated heating elements and thermostatic cutoff. I'm sure they are a single failure away from a steam explosion, but very convenient. I used some while visiting family in the winter.
- swilliamsio 5y agoThe fact that this website is solar powered is very, very cool to me. I will have to come back in a few hours and see if the Spanish night has taken it offline.
- exhilaration 5y agoIf you need something portable while walking around the house, I recently bought this rechargeable heated vest for my wife https://fieldsheer.com/products/summit-vest-women-s# https://fieldsheer.com/products/summit-vest-women-s# who hates the cold. She LOVES this vest, wears it every evening. This was possibly my most successful gift in our 12 year marriage. And I don't mean to keep promoting this brand but I've got their heated ski gloves too and they're amazing. I was night skiing and saw that one of the ski patrol ladies had a lit LED on her gloves. I asked her what that was and he told me it was this: https://fieldsheer.com/collections/womens/products/storm-glove-old-year-model https://fieldsheer.com/collections/womens/products/storm-glo... (wait, I wear women's gloves?) They're fantastic, I wore them skiing in 10ºF Vermont weather from 9am to 3pm on low heat. The batteries died around 3ish but I had hand warmers after that.
- grogenaut 5y agoWonder if they sell just the heat and controls. My wife wouldn't like the material / style but would love to make her own
- mikestew 5y agoI say this only so that you know it's worth searching, because I don't have any links handy at the moment: yes, you can buy the wiring or carbon inserts separately as well as some kind of controller. I say this because I've previously researched such things for making heated motorcycle clothing (which, when combined with the higher power of a motorcycle electrical system, will keep you balmy for as long as the bike is running). One can do anything from sourcing your own wire to buying pre-made carbon inserts (such as in heated auto seats), to kits you just sew into the clothing. There are pages that will tell you how to do the math for wattage draw, etc., should you need such. It's been a number of years since I've done this research, so your options should be even more broad now, because heated clothing that isn't motorcycle/snowmobile-specific is a relatively new thing (thanks, lithium batteries!). Anyway, the stuff is out there, you'll just have to go look for it.
- 5y ago
- thrwy_ywrht 5y agoHot water bottles are very popular in the UK for three main reasons that don't really translate to the US: * Every household has an electric kettle * Kettles boil very quickly (due to power differences) * Most households have radiator-style heating, which takes much, much longer to heat up a room than US-style forced-air heating
- rootusrootus 5y agoI thought hot water bottles were supposed to have water around 100F (38C) or below? I imagine most hot water heaters put out water hotter than that, no kettle needed.
- frankus 5y agoI'm semi-seriously considering installing a few 240V outlets in my kitchen when I redo it and smuggling in a European kettle (any recommendations on a nice temperature-controlled one? I use and like this 120V now: https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV382510V-Variable-Temperature-Gooseneck/dp/B005YR0F40 https://www.amazon.com/Bonavita-BV382510V-Variable-Temperatu...) The US secretly has 240V power almost everywhere, but we use center-tapped transformers upstream of the service connection that provide two 120V legs (180 degrees out of phase). So lighting and appliances all get 120V (typically 15A), with the exception of high-power items like cooktops, ovens, and these machines we have for drying our laundry indoors.
- Karrot_Kream 5y agoMy partner and I use hot water bottles extensively (we both grew up in immigrant households that used them). We have a hot water boiler that we schedule to run in the early hours of the morning before any of us are up to use cheaper energy and have the water ready for us. We use the boiler for hot water bottles, for brewing tea, for brewing coffee (well I'm picky with coffee so I reheat the water to exact temp on an old-fashioned stove kettle), for boiling noodles or pasta, for cleaning caked on grime, etc etc. I'd suggest that over redoing your outlet, though you will have to periodically descale your water boiler, because of sheer utility and portability (you can move and you'll still be able to just plug it into a standard 1-phase 120V outlet.)
- kipchak 5y agoHot water bottles or heat bags are nice for keeping limbs warm also, especially if you don't have great circulation. heavyweight base Layers and hot tea do a great job keeping your core temperature up, but you have to get creative keeping uncovered fingers warm while typing.
- bradly 5y agodang: can you close/merge this with https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30024127 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30024127 ? They are both on the home page currently
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- fbanon 5y agoThe high-tech equivalent is an Intel MacBook Pro in your lap, running a clean build.
- meepmorp 5y agoBack in the day, I had a dual proc Athlon XP workstation that also functioned as the main heating system for my apartment.
- masklinn 5y agoWith a P4 it’d have been a sauna instead. In reality you’d need pretty low heating needs for that to work, the bigger rigs would have a hard time reaching 1kW, which is not even a portable heater.
- Frenziefrenz 5y agoI do have very low heating needs. I doubt it's even possible for the apartment to drop under 17 degrees or so as long as the downstairs neighbors live in whatever kind of tropical temperatures they do. Besides the occasional push from the furnace all heat pretty much comes from our computers and ourselves (and that's really not much at all), enough to lift it to probably about 18.5.
- I_complete_me 5y agoOur main heat source as students was a HP 33S Scientific Calculator; on really cold nights we input sqrt(-1).
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- frankus 5y agoWater is a pretty amazing heat carrier. I did a bit of poking around for a project idea and couldn't really find anything with a higher heat capacity, at least for things that don't undergo a phase change. I wonder if there's a semi-low-tech way of taking advantage of a phase change for extra capacity in something like a hot water bottle.
- smeyer 5y agoPeople take advantage of phase changes as a way to store thermal capacity frequently. Here[0] is one designed to keep your coffee hot by using a material with a phase change temperature similar to a temperature folks like to drink coffee. [0] https://www.joulies.com/ https://www.joulies.com/
- calvinmorrison 5y agoTangentially related are "Boveda" packets which are the opposite of silica packets for keeping food dry, they keep your box perfectly humidified. For optimal cigar storage or consumption - the humidity is a huge factor. Boveda packs are sold by target humidity and are pretty awesome (protip: you can reuse them by soaking them in distilled water for a while after they dry up0
- falcolas 5y agoPeople were recommending wax elsewhere, since its phase change is above 20°C.
- masklinn 5y ago> Water is a pretty amazing heat carrier. I did a bit of poking around for a project idea and couldn't really find anything with a higher heat capacity, at least for things that don't undergo a phase change. Pretty much the only thing better would be ammonia, and it's not necessarily as good for water bottles: it has a higher mass heat capacity, but a lower volume heat capacity. And of course you're dealing with a large volume of ammonia, which is not exactly innocuous. > I wonder if there's a semi-low-tech way of taking advantage of a phase change for extra capacity in something like a hot water bottle. There are reusable handwarmers which do that, you heat them to liquid, then phase-change them to solid. The advantage is mostly that you can trigger the release though, their heat capacity is not amazing.
- lowbloodsugar 5y agoin Scotland, it's not a "foot warmer". it's a piggy.
- tppiotrowski 5y agoI remember a story from college in early 2000's. The university was trying to cut energy use by 20% by 2020. The professor asked how much power would be saved if we turned off every light, computer and unplugged all other electronics: 12%. This was an eye opening moment. LED's are great but if you really want to make a dent in energy usage of buildings it's heating and ventilation. Why can't we live in a world where everyone wears heated clothes and we just leave the windows open (even in winter)? Seems like heating a person is much more efficient than heating an entire house, in which we never occupy more than 1% of the available floor space at any one time...
- entropicgravity 5y agoThis depends entirely on the efficiency of the house to retain heat. In the extreme, if the house is 100% efficient then it needs to be heated just once in all eternity. Not to mention that in many locations it's quite possible to engineer a house (mostly lots of insulation) that can warm or cool itself to a large extent just by taking advantage of the local climate.
- falcolas 5y ago> just leave the windows open (even in winter)? Because even with heated clothes, you can get frostbite on exposed skin. Not to mention frozen water pipes, the effective inability to remove clothes to clean yourself, and technology stops working when it gets too cold. Even igloos are at or above freezing on the inside.
- fulafel 5y agoYou don't get frostbite sleeping in tent in the winter with suitable bedding or sleeping bag, so it shouldn't be a problem in a building. Changing clothes and cleaning in winter camping works out as well.
- GavinMcG 5y agoThe response was about leaving the windows open. Do you leave the door of your tent open when you winter camp?
- madeofpalk 5y agofyi, you can see the article also at https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2022/01/the-revenge-of-the-hot-water-bottle.html https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2022/01/the-revenge-of-the-h... which lacks the distracting background
- djhworld 5y agoReally appreciate my hot water bottle in the winter, pop it in the bed 5-10 minutes before climbing in and it's wonderful. Oddly I also like a really cold bedroom, I have the window open a bit mostly all year round.
- infologics 5y ago[dead]
- ExtraE 5y agoDang, can you merge this with the other link to the same article that’s also on the front page?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- elric 5y agoI use my laptop's power brick as a foot warmer. Works remarkably well in winter, and it's a great use for what is otherwise waste heat.
- Frenziefrenz 5y agoI'd be worried about it overheating?
- danka 5y agoMobile-friendly URL - https://outline.com/XFtrM5 https://outline.com/XFtrM5
- giantg2 5y agoHot snapz makes hand warmers and larger sizes that are rechargeable by boiling in water. Interesting stuff.
- pierrebai 5y agoI personally use a bean bag. I put it 2 minutes in the microwave. Seems simpler than heating water.
- vardagsnytt 5y agoThis summer I experimented with a waterbottle hack (if you will). Where I live winters are usually somewhat cold, but houses are more or less well insulated and heating is widely available. However, summers have become quite warm nowadays and there are very strict rules around installing AC. Thus, I was thinking if a water bottle can keep me warm, perhaps it could also cool me down? So what I do is put a handful of ice cubes into water and then fill that into my water bottle. Although last summer was not the best for a test it worked quite well. I got through a full workday (~30°) with 2 bottles. I'm aware that using my fridge does contribute to some degree to the heat in the apartment. But given the little amount of ice needed I'm pretty sure its negligible and certainly more efficient than AC. I also want to note that it is way more comfortable (at least to me) than having these humidified ventilators that are quite popular nowadays.
- sneak 5y agoThe only reason this is a thing is because of our habit of building cheap buildings that aren't insulated well. In modern times it is more than possible to build well-insulated buildings that can be heated affordably to reasonable indoor temperatures everywhere in the living space. Almost nobody does this.
- kbutler 5y agoFamily members have different temperature preferences. Supplemental heating/cooling can add comfort for a compromise temperature.
- gumby 5y agoFor winter camping I use a Nalgene bottle full of boiling water, which I toss into my sleeping bag to pre warm it. Before sleeping I pull it out and give it to the dog who knows to curl around it.
- anon776 5y agoI've read about a few cases where the nalgene pops/breaks and leaves you with a wet sleeping bag. Which is one of my greatest camping fears.
- gumby 5y agoIt’s a legitimate fear as a wet sleeping bag could kill you in the snow, but I’ve ever seen an actual Nalgene bottle fail even when we tried driving a forklift and a bobcat over one. I did crack one with liquid nitrogen but I don’t camp at those temperatures :-). I’ve been given bottles made from other plastics but I’ve always been dubious about them. I have cracked the lids, but that takes a lot of work and an aged lid. The lids are made of a different, softer material which is more compliant to make a good seal. I do replace the lids every few years. Speaking of getting your gear soaked (not): a good habit in the snow is to put a nalgene of water upside down into the leg of each boot overnight to keep them from freezing. I guess you’d be concerned about that too.
- mleonhard 5y agoThis happens when the air in the bottle warms up and increases pressure which tries to expand the bottle. To prevent this, fill the bottle with hot water, close it, shake it for a moment to let the air mix with the hot water and warm up, then open it just enough to equalize the air pressure, and close it tightly. As the bottle cools, its internal pressure goes down. External air pressure will try to crush the bottle. External pressure is less likely to damage the bottle than internal pressure.
- dredmorbius 5y agoSlip a sock around that and it won't scald you. Can leave it in the bag all night, it'll still be warm in the morning.
- baud147258 5y agoSince there's a few people here using hot water bottles and I didn't found the information in the article, how long does a hot water bottle stays hot? (starting from hot tape water or boiling water from a kettle)
- jkubicek 5y agoI have a hot water bottle that I use occasionally in the winter months. Filled with boiling water it'll be too warm to handle for about 45 minutes, then comfy for hours. Tucked under the comforter it's frequently still a little warm in the morning.
- qwertox 5y agoIf you use it to warm your feet by putting it on the floor and having socks on, resting your feet on it but changing position because of the heat, around one hour, a bit more. If you use it to have something warm in your bed, if you leave it below the blanket it will still be warm in the morning. But putting it with boiling water in the bed means that you just can't touch it because it's really hot. You may put your feet on it for 10 to 20 seconds or put it on your stomach for the same amount of time, to heat up quick, but then you need to place it somewhere where it has no direct contact with you. I just love mine, which is one made of flexible rubber (or pvc). When I get up I start making my coffee and in parallel I heat up a kettle of water until it boils, then i use that one under the desktop for my feet. Sometimes I put it on my lap or hug it for a while. It's worth it, but only during the winter.
- goodpoint 5y agoWith *good* isolation and placed under a good duvet it will be warm until morning. With bad isolation: uncomfortably hot for 30 mins, ok for 30 mins and ice cold in the morning!
- mleonhard 5y agoFor hot weather: A bamboo sleeping mat also works very well in hot weather. Put it on top of a foam mattress. The gaps between the bamboo allow air flow under your body. The bamboo also wicks away perspiration. The mat multiplies the effectiveness of a fan or air conditioner, since it allows the air to reach under your body. When I lived in Taiwan, my bamboo sleeping mat helped me sleep well through the hot and humid summer. Water beds also work well in hot weather. The water cools down at night. Cover the water bed with a blanket during the day to insulate it from the heat. In the evening, get under the blanket and feel the cool water draw the heat out of your body. It's far more effective than an air conditioner. When I lived in Ghana, my water bed made the hot season almost tolerable. Perspiration causes two problems: wet clothing and smell. Wear a thin synthetic t-shirt and thin synthetic underpants to prevent wet clothing. Upgrade to thin merino wool to also prevent smell.
- CodeGlitch 5y agoIn extreme heat I'll just wet a t-shirt and wear that in bed with a fan blowing over me. This is the UK, so "extreme" is probably laughable, also not so humid so evaporation still works :)
- donbrae 5y agoI sit with a hot water bottle all day at my desk during the winter months. Really works well and is cheaper than running the heating all the time.
- 14 5y agoMy kids love nighttime hot water bottles but we don’t actually own any rubber ones we just take a empty 2 litre pop bottle and fill them. The kids all want them every night even though it’s not cold. Something about that warm bottle is very comforting.
- userbinator 5y agoThe classical hot water bottle for sale today is either made from rubber or PVC plastic. The latter material has few advantages. It’s often a bit cheaper and can be made transparant, but unlike rubber it contains toxic chemicals (which make the plastic flexible). A third option – a bit harder to find – are plastic hot water bottles without chemical softeners, which are rigid instead of flexible. A fourth and possibly much cheaper alternative --- a regular plastic bag, or multiple layers of them if they're too thin. They are polyethylene, which is flexible without plasticisers, and many people already have some non-holed ones lying around.
- dredmorbius 5y agoI would very strongly recommend against plastic bags. They're not designed for rugged use or hot contents, and will fail far more often than a hot water bottle or Nalgene bottle would. At best, you'll find yourself, clothing, carpets, and/or bedding soaked. At worst, badly scalded.
- userbinator 5y agoYou definitely don't want to put boiling-hot water in one, so "warm water bag" might be a more suitable term, and they are more fragile, but do work well if not too thin.
- dredmorbius 5y agoZiplock bags are not meant to be secure containers for liquid. Full stop. Don't do this.