It's winter here in the northern hemisphere, and a cold snap with snow has hit the Spokane, Washington and Idaho panhandle region. That means supplemental heat is necessary for many. It's a timely video from Technology Connections on the topic of these space heaters which reminded me that I meant to add that channel to my Cool Creator Spotlight series.
It's a nice breakdown of how they work, what safety features are in even that cheap heater, and what real dangers still exist so we can avoid them.
About 5 years ago, he had another video on the wider topic of space heaters and the oddities of labels and hype about different types.
To be fair, I have mentioned this channel before in a post discussing common accusations of "free market failure," but that was more about economics and less about the presentation. Technology Connections covers lots of oddities about HVAC, electronics, lighting, and DIY solutions to the host's concerns about some of them along the way. He's opinionated, but he backs his opinions with data and demonstrations.
I remember the necessity of humidifiers in Minnesota winters, and the inverse dehumidifiers in Minnesota summers. I don't miss that, or the -40° plus a wind chill factor. Anyway, our humidifier had a massive wheel covered with a sponge-like material which slowly rotated through a basin of water and carried that moisture into the path of a fan.
Alas, this past December seems to have brought a conclusion to his ongoing war to make LED Christmas lights (or fairy lights to some parts of the world) look like the colors from old incandescent bulbs. That's because someone is apparently making them now at a factory which finally meet his standards for color value.
He also covered an architectural feature now relegated to old houses and cheap infomercial solutions: awnings! As a draftsman and a frugal fellow familiar with sunlight heat gain, I'd like to see these make a comeback instead of McMansions or sterile modernism continuing to dominate residential design.
He's also covered everything from his old electro-mechanical pinball machine and how it works...
To odd devices like automatic door closers and infrared sensors.
This just scratches the surface of his content, and it goes back a fair few years, so there's lots of content if this scratches your "how does it work" itch. Antique toasters, modern dishwashers, heat pumps, electric cars, automotive tail light opinions and more are lurking for your entertainment and enlightenment.
And as a midwestern expat, I love the references to the regional lumber and home improvement chain. I can still hear the jingle... "Save big money at Menards!" Home Depot and Lowes may be bigger, but they aren't better!
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