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As you seem to know how to explain that would you mind fixing it? You don't even need an account.

Wouldn't the thermostatic radiator valves contain a wax motor? According to the definition in the article, using ambient heat as the energy source counts. Or are you saying it's only a wax motor if there's electric heating?

I'm not sure I get what you mean.

There are commercial thermostats where the wax element itself is both the temperature sensor and the actuator, eg Thera-100 T1002W0.

I was quite amazed to find these when dismantling appliances.

Boy I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder!

Here is a timelapse of one opening a greenhouse window as it gets warm: https://youtube.com/watch?v=S-55VBYbbdo

It was so refreshing to see a video with a clear and direct title. In 2026 this would have been "We cracked open a motor. You won't believe what we found inside! <emoji>". Checking the channel, it seems they have succumbed to this for their latest videos.

skipping 4 minutes of talking first: https://youtu.be/sApyrDEXGAI?t=249

Seems as though it's been filed under a different page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wax_thermostatic_element

Perhaps you would consider adding that information? That's would be an interesting addition!

What a treasure Big Clive is. Educational, entertaining, and zero of those YouTube cliches and clickbait that everyone hates. I don't think he's ever said "Like and subscribe" literally ever.

That’s exactly what I needed to see, thank you!

Thermostatic mixers make sense for continuous flow applications - showers, filling a large bathtub for example. But I don't think they make sense for a kitchen tap - where you might be filling a small basin.

The goal is that the water in the basin is the correct temperature, not the stream filling it - which means you need to compensate every time based on how much cold is already there before the hot water arrives. And that varies seasonally.

The time it takes for hot water to arrive tends to be a big proportion of the total time the tap is running, so you actually don't want controlled 40C water once hot water arrives. Perhaps if you had instant hot water, this would be useful.

Moen figured out a good enough solution without wax called moentrol

Push/pull adjusts volume, rotation adjusts hot/cold mix

Hard disagree with that faucet design, but is a neat idea. I like my bathroom faucet as low maintenance as it already is.

The use case for the full unmixed hot tap is hygiene (usually washing face and shaving).

I also don't want any hot water mixed in when I'm washing my hands. The water coming out of the unmixed cold tap indicates the ambient temperature of the pipes. That's a feature, not a bug.

Some hot water radiator systems use wax actuated valves made from brass (Taco brand is common). They are extremely simple and robust.

This is why wax motors are used for washing machine door locks.

Yeah, they are used in space. I don't work directly in this field, but have discussed wax motors with some newspace/smallsat folks, and get the impression they are popular for the same reason nitinol wire actuators are: few moving parts, no rotary bearings, resettable/multi-use unlike pyrotechnic actuators.

I see what you mean, but it’s less the exploitation itself than its immediacy and legibility. It doesn’t vanish behind a million abstractions or complicated miniaturization processes but can be readily experienced and understood, like steam.

On the other hand one might as well associate it with “solar punk”, especially when powered by ambient temperature.

I have bad news to tell you about your "digital" computer.

> Objects like this make me think of grimdark (steam|diesel)punk works like the video games Dishonored or BioShock. It feels like there's a touch of occultism or corruption whenever one creates a device that exploits analog side effects to create machines in a closed, black-box package.

The second sentence also fits for field effect transistors and solid state electronics in general.

In the spirit of grimdark steampunk, have you ever heard of pneumatic logic? I still see these systems operating normally in some older mechanical rooms, it’s cool to see them still working after 40-50 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pneumatic_circuit

Why is this obvious? Beeswax is not particularly expensive I think?

We’ll circle back, launch our go to market strategy, and chase the lightning for a win…

Did you post this on the wrong link? The first image is literally just a photo of a part, you can look up the part number.

The Wikipedia page?