Tea Light BTU

Last Updated on July 17th, 2023

We may earn commissions for purchases made through links on our site. Learn more on our about us page.

BTU, or British Thermal Unit, is the unit that defines how much heat you need to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. One BTU equals about 1055J, so keep that in mind when reading the rest of this article.

If you’re wondering how many BTUs are needed to boil water, it depends on the temperature of your water. For example, if you put the water on the heat at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, you would need about 182 BTUs to raise the temperature to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Does Tea Light Produce Enough BTU?

A single tea light can produce around 75-85 BTUs. So if we follow the above example, you would need about three tea light candles to get your water to boil. The good news is that most room temperature water sits at around 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 30.

This would mean you would only have to use two candles instead of three, so long as you’re not trapped in the cold.

If you were planning on making a heater using the tea candles, you would need about 60 of them to heat a 100-square-foot room. Be conscious of your space so you don’t use up all your candles.

Is Tea Light a Reliable Source?

Tea lights only burn for 3-4 hours, meaning they don’t last long. Also, keep in mind that food takes longer to cook when using candles instead of electricity.

If you get yourself a 5-gallon bucket, you can fit up to 800 tea lights. Keep in mind that every 100 tea light candles tend to sell for $16.

If you use 5 of them each time you cook, you will get a minimum of 480 hours out of them. Let’s say you’ve stored cans of soup, and it takes 30-45 minutes every time you want to eat it. That would be 10-16 meals for those 800 tea lights you bought.

Should You Consider Buying Tea Light for Prepping?

Tea lights might be a good option if you’re looking for candles for heating water. Due to their small size, it’s easy to pack a lot of them even in tight spaces. It also means it won’t take up a lot of room if you find yourself in a smaller place than you initially thought.

However, suppose you’re looking for candles to create a heater or for more long-term situations. In that case, it might be better to go for a candle that is a little bigger and lasts longer.

If you find yourself having to sleep in the cold, the last thing you would want is your heat source to burn out within the first couple of hours.

How Many Tea Lights Should You Get for Prepping?

If you’re trying to last through the 89-day winter and eat three meals a day, you could have to buy 20,000 tea light candles just to ensure you have enough.

That would be roughly $3,200 spent on candles, and you would need 25 5-gallon buckets to hold them all just for the food alone.

With that being said, the calculations were done with the thought that you would only be eating soup and that it would take 45 minutes every time you want to heat it to have you ready for a worst-case scenario.

What Amount of BTU is Good For Prepping?

It depends on how cold you expect things to get. If it becomes freezing, you need at least 40-45 BTUs per square foot of space. The colder the area and the bigger the room, the more BTUs will be required to keep it at a comfortable temperature.

If possible, it might be good to plan to keep your heaters in the smallest room to have a place to warm up and sleep, but not have to use up all the candles doing so. Also, keep in mind that heaters produce more BTU than tea lights.

Final Thoughts on Tea Light BTU

When prepping for a power outage during the freezing winter, it’s essential to consider BTU. BTU is how much heat is needed to increase water’s temperature by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Candles give off BTUs and are less toxic than other forms of heat.

If you’re considering buying candles instead of heaters, it helps to know that one tea light gives off about 75-85 BTUs and can burn for about 3-4 hours. Knowing this, you would have to buy over 20,000 tea lights to heat your space, boil water, cook, etc.