FREE electricity from propane heaters

[The Restore Kid]

HOW the hell does that work? :shrug: I'm lookin at this stupid heater, it's got a basic on/off switch, OR you can wire your two wires rite here and hook up your thermostat... Doesn't show where to put any power INTO the unit.. evidently the regulator control valve unit just creates electricity?? :shrug:

I know it works.. There's some kind of electrical signal going through the wires.. enough to run like 20 feet of speaker wire, through the contacts in a thermostat, and tell the valve to turn on and off.. :shrug:

 

[SimpleTom]

Probably has a Thermopile. They create millivolt electricity to power a thermostat. Does it have a pilot light?

 

[The Restore Kid]

yes.. pilot with the clicker trigger thing..

How?? Is there a battery?

 

[SimpleTom]

Then it has a Thermopile generator which sticks into the pilot flame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermopile

 

[The Restore Kid]

The pilot light burning burns on a generator thing? Sorta like some kind of solar panel? :blink:

well why hell don't they just build giant thermopiles? :doah:

 

[SimpleTom]

Looks like this.

 

[The Restore Kid]

that damned thing? :glare:

 

[TomH]

I have one on the thermostat on a propane water heater. Mine even has a little green light that blinks for some reason. I took it apart when it was new looking for a battery..haha

 

[Newoldstock]

The pilot light burning burns on a generator thing? Sorta like some kind of solar panel? :blink:

well why hell don't they just build giant thermopiles? :doah:

Because they are not very efficient.
They waste more heat than they can convert to electricity.
And it has to be high grade intense heat.

This came from the Soviet union in the 1950s.

Its a light that can run a small radio and thats about it....

 

[Newoldstock]

This is probably of limited interest, but its worth the read to those who wish to understand the technology used in nuclear decay powered thermo electric systems.

Not much call for it these days, but go back a few decades and this was the technology of the future ( at least it appeared to be if you were Russian ).

Abandoned Russian Polar Nuclear Lighthouses | English Russia