Free Energy solar heater for your house/shed

[steevo]

I found this video on YouTube :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NveshAa5qpk

All you need to make this solar heater is basically what you see in the video.
The sun or warmth of the air through the glass collects in the container. I dont think the holes at the bottom and top of the panel need to be as big as is shown in the video (especially the inlet hole). I think that he may have done it that big because the fan was big. A smaller fan can be used.
The fan is powered by a cheap solar panel which switches on in the day time and switches off at night (obviously) so that it doesnt blow cold air in the house.
I think the area painted matt black may be an alluminium sheet for good heat conductivity.

I have to point out that I have never made one of these myself but I have heard that they can be very effective even in the UK.

[gugdav]

Slightly better one, actually in the UK.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=173owKST-w4


Cheers

Gug.

[revolutionary_jam]

incredable!

Someone make me one hahaha

[steevo]

incredable!

Someone make me one hahaha

Thanks for replying guys, yeah they are brilliant arent they :)

[kblood]

Nice :)

[bones]

i have a question!!! why would you need a solar heater on when its 22 deg c out side?

solar water heater yes but just heater !! no.

i built a solar water heater and it got so hot it burned my hands.

[_invisibleplane_]

simple and efficient, probably ideal for fall/spring

theres another video of some 10 yr olds making a solar water heater on youtube, its literally that easy

thanks!

[steevo]

i have a question!!! why would you need a solar heater on when its 22 deg c out side?

solar water heater yes but just heater !! no.

i built a solar water heater and it got so hot it burned my hands.

According to some of the videos it can be used at 15C but I would like to know if it is effective below that temperature.

[icke_is_right]

So the second one with the cans, increase the interior surface area? I see a couple of things that might be relevant:

Increase surface area to trap sunlight.
Could the dark interior material that traps heat be one that holds heat longer?
Could extra rays could be focused to increase efficiency?

Maybe not relevant? Great concept.

[steevo]

simple and efficient, probably ideal for fall/spring

theres another video of some 10 yr olds making a solar water heater on youtube, its literally that easy

thanks!

Thanks IP I will have to take a look at that :)

So the second one with the cans, increase the interior surface area? I see a couple of things that might be relevant:

Increase surface area to trap sunlight.
Could the dark interior material that traps heat be one that holds heat longer?
Could extra rays could be focused to increase efficiency?

Maybe not relevant? Great concept.

Icke is Right, I agree with what you have said (I have to say that I am quite new to all this stuff but I am very interested in it for obvious reasons). I personally think that the INCREASED SURFACE AREA of the cans is to absorb more heat/light. The reason for the matt black paint is that it is one of the best colours for absorbing heat and the heat that has been absorbed by the cans also heats the air which surrounds it and the surface areas of all the cans are then exposed to the hot air and absorb it too. A shiny, light coloured surface would reflect heat and so the alluminium surface would not get very warm at all.
The smaller the amount of heat that is stored in the panel, the quicker it would run cold when the extracter fan is switched on, which is why they have a "matrix system" in a cars heater for example. Also, a good reason for a matrix of cans is so that when the fan extracts the hot air, more heat will be provided per second, ie a contant HIGHER temperature.

I would be interested to know if a solar reflector would make the panel provide alot more heat. I definitely think it would. I saw a solar reflector on YouTube (I just searched for it but couldnt find it), and it was made out of an old satellite dish (that are on the side of houses) covered in a sticky shiny foil covering and in was incredibly powerful but could be dangerous if the focal point was "touching" the panel.

[danster82]

Its great how simple it is but does it actually generate heat in the winter when theres no heat to warmup the foil? and when you most need the heat? but in the summer when you dont need the heat there will be lots of it.

[steevo]

Here is a very good webpage with big pictures showing how to make a solar heater.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/04/26/almost-free-garage-heat-just-drink-a-lot-of-soda/#more-3769

http://blog.hemmings.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/solarbox_1453_resized.jpg

For anyone who doesnt have a garden, maybe you could make a few minature ones to put on your window sill. You could maybe use a cardboard box as the frame.
Danster, I also would like to know if it works in winter. Maybe LIGHT from the sun creates the heat. From my childhood, I seem to remember that green houses (glass houses) were warm in the winter too. Can anyone confirm this ?

[steevo]

Here is a webpage with a video of how to make what would appear to be a less efficient solar heater :-
http://blog.alientimes.org/2007/11/make-your-own-solar-heater/