PSA: Please stop suggesting that a candle and a terracotta pot will heat a room.

This myth has been debunked so many times yet it keeps landing on this sub anyway. Allowing people to believe that a clay pot is “magic” and can save your life in a pinch is irresponsible and could literally get somebody killed.

Everything in the universe follows the laws of thermodynamics. There is no way to “magnify” heat. Baring a legit miracle, it is just impossible. A burning candle produces around 80-ish BTU. A Mr. Heater Buddy produces 9,000 BTU on high. (Total side note: a sleeping human produces around 360 BTUs.) So yeah, if you light up 120 candles, you can heat a 200 sq ft room. It will be dangerous as hell, and as a happy side benefit they would absolutely produce enough carbon monoxide to kill you.

Ignoring all the numbers for a moment… Not everything in science is obvious, but some things can rely on common sense. Stepping back from the problem for a minute, imagine two rooms… one heated by a candle and the other heated by a single log in a fireplace. Which one is warmer?

The moral of the story is that if you have no power and it is cold, put on warm clothes, don’t forget a hat and socks, and get in bed with blankets.

Edit: spelling police mea culpa.

Edit 2: I said you can't heat a room. But yes, a candle and a pot could make a nice hand warmer.