Jim Meaney, owner of Cansolair Inc. displays how he converts pop cans into a powerful solar heating panel.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Heat your house with solar thermal (hot water) collectors. You can buy them, I made my own. There are 3 in this arrangement. 1 square foot of collector heats 1 1/2 US gallons of water 40 degrees farenheit in Pennsylvania, USA in winter. The more collectors you put up the more water volume you can heat. Most people use one of these collectors for domestic hot water, showers, etc. I used mine to heat my house. Of course insulate well first, then see if you can use this. You’ll need to add radiant floor heat system to get heat out of tank. It all cost about 00 in materials, 3 x 4′ x 10′ collectors, tank, fittings, pipe, differential thermostat, pump, insulation, collector box, etc. This system would be great for heating greenhouses thru the winter, almost free, once the up-front costs are met. tonyfixit.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
I work at a sign shop… I think I could build that in a day.
damn 3 grand for a unit but sounds better then the crap the government wants you to buy.
@beefree1 They have not caught me yet! I heat my house with Waste Vegetable Oil using a modified Beckett burner. This other electrician I know runs his Diesel Car on WVO. This car has been parked on Oil Refinery property during jobs. Esso, Pet-Can and $hell
@pickelhead007 CAnada is huge, It’s bound to be overcast somewhere.
unless he invented this 20 years ago, he didn’t invent this. They have been around since the 70′s.
GREAT! I WAS LOOKING AT USING CORRUGATED POLY CARB SHEETING COVERED WITH THE SHINY SIDE OF KITCHEN FOIL.
FOCUSING THE RAYS ON TO BLACK COPPER PIPING (WATER HEATER USING FOCUSED SUN LIGHT?)
@Criminalcondotcom Where is your patented invention? We all know that you, my friend, are obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. What a small and simple mind you have to leave such a comment. All the best wishes to you in any future enlightenment you may receive.
I did not watch the video, i came here to write that there is no such thing as a brilliant Newfoundlander!
very good idea
@Wongofi its overcast in Canada in winter??? wierd i live in Canada and its sunny?
an ya kin beat a baby seal to death wih wun too!
@fabfauna if you put the cold air return high you will be sucking up the hottest air, since, as you say, hot air rises. The cold air return must be low, where the cold air is. home, It is not uncommon for heating ducts to pour heat from the ceiling.
methinks evacuated solar tubes would be a better investment. and ridiculously large hot water tank and a ridiculously large not cold water tank.
during the winter in a place like Canada where it is overcast all the time good luck staying warm lol!
It’d be neat to have two or three units cycle hot air efficently through so the air gets hot enough before it reached the hot air duct and gets returned back into the cycle.
Simple technology. I may have to make one to experiment. I wonder if this type of thing would heat a garage that isn’t insulated better than a propane heater?
The convex curve of the glass is essential when placing it inline with the sun’s displacement throughout the day. I wonder how much air is moved through the unit with the blower?
It’d also be good to have the cold air return at the top of the building, while the hot air duct at the bottom since heat rises. But would it be efficiency enuf
Can you have sun pump water up to water tank?
I like your style.
Awesome!!!
Very well done… thanks for publishing.
There’s a lot of magical thinking about gaining energy from different systems. I’m not sure of the system you mean but it must contain the basics of a heat absorber contained within an insulated box which allows the sun to penetrate. Then the ability to move that heat to where it’s needed. The laws of physics governs the output of these systems. Look at what’s being manufactured and use that as your guide to efficiency.
Beautiful Job… I was wondering what your opinion is on the “soda can” solar heaters?
Go for it Tony. looks like you had some fun building your own solar hot water heating system.
John
Most impressive, I am in the stages of something like this. I will be using a “can heater” panel(s) with a fan to drive the air across 2 new car radiators and a thermal siphon to my water tank for domestic hot water via a coil heat exchanger. Any waste heat will go to heating my home, the rest in summer will be expelled out side. I insulated my entire basement including the floors with extruded polystyrene.
My current winter gas & electric is $150 for winter and 2 people 1200 sq ft home +basemnt
Instead of the radiant floor heat idea, I cut a vent thru the floor to let the heat rise passively, I’m trying to use less power. Power down, that’s our new direction. Before doing any of this first insulate, then insulate, then insulate again, then see what your heat bill is.
this is exactly what i was thinking of doing. i was wondering how it’s working for you so far this year. Also how big your house is. very nice job. i also live in PA.
Thanks for comment. My monthly gas bill for summer is $25, that’s for hot water and cooking. It’s hard to justify the large cost of the type of domestic hot water heater that can accept heat from my collectors. Maybe if someone with 4 teenagers moves in, they’ll do it!
Nice job! A shame not to use unit during summer for domestic hot water.