You're stranded in your car or truck in the middle of winter and you have no winter survival kit in your car. No relief in sight. This TP heater may save your life. This requires a empty coffee can with the plastic lid, at least two 16 ounce bottles of rubbing alcohol and one roll of unscented toilet paper. It's easy to make:
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Another way and much simpler is to just carry a candle in a metal coffee can.
i would hope that if someone had all those products in their car they would also have an emergency kit.
I have never tried this but I dont think a candle gives off as much heat as a the toilet paper alcohol combo. Just responding to the comment by another user.
I have used this method for years, but not as emergency in winter. Wonderful idea, but I live in Alabama now, lol. Here are some more hints about it: Get a large cinder block (two sided) and use cans that can fit into the cinderblock. This way the cans cannot be accidently tipped or kicked over. This is a great method for camping if you do not want to bother with a campfire, but the kids want to roast marshmallows, lol, and you will be very surprised at the light and heat this thing throws off. I have used it for cooking, reading, and even warming up a bit on cooler nights. It ends up being like one of those burners they use for heating for fondue pots, etc or buffet lines. Also, using the brick method, you can use a small pot or frying pan and cook over it, particularly if you use the old castiron type square grids from the older gas stoves.
What everyone should have is a cell phone, even if you dont have a contract, you can still use the phone for 911 calls, just remember to keep it charged.
i just tried this, it gives off a lot more heat than a candle, but seems like it would consume a lot of alcohol pretty quick. It worked good for a little while though.
I like to use 1 pound coffee cans and denatured alcohol to make the heaters, TP fits in the 1 pound coffee cans really well. Denatured alcohol is used on small boats for a fuel for the stoves because it burns so clean.
When I first started Deer hunting, when I was 10 or 12, we used to use these. However, we did a few thing differently to get as much yield out of them as we could. First we went with the larger coffee cans. Mainly because we were trying to fit as many rolls of toilet paper in as we could. I've seen as many as three rolls crushed flat and packed in side by side together. But, usually it was only two. Then we would pour as many bottles of rubbing alcohol into them as we could soak in before it began to "puddle" up. Then usually we tried to come up with some sort of string rig to carry it around with and popped the lid on. But, now that I've looked at some alcohol burning stove made out of soda cans, I think that maybe we would have been better served to use denatured alcohol.
A candle does work but you do not get enough heat to survive being stranded in your car during a blizzard in South Dakota with wind chill factors of -30 to -40.
FYI, CO2 isn't particularly deadly; it's just carbon dioxide. CO is carbon monoxide, and it is deadly.
This may be a disaster waiting to happen! I'm sure it is better than freezing to death, but alcohol burns with a flame that is almost invisible. If you spill the alcohol, or pour additional alcohol into the heater thinking it is out, you may have a major conflagration on your hands!
For those who are suggesting a candle in a coffee can... please remember that this is a tip for winter SURVIVAL when stranded. A candle will not even come close to the life-sustaining heat this sort of toilet paper heater can provide. I do not live in an area with extremely cold weather, but if I did I would have one of these ready to go in my vehicle.
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