CHEAP & EASY POPCAN HEATER # 2

[missouriinventor]

 I wonder if you mounted the cans on the bottom instead of the sides if you wouldn't get higher temps since you would have more mass and surface area interacting with the heated air flowing around the soda cans? Something to think about, anyway thanks for the great vid's!

[missouriinventor]

I love the soda can idea, aluminum has a great heat transfer, but I also like the shop teachers idea too since there is little value in the cans he used in today's market and it helps to recycle them, just thought I would share it with you,

[missouriinventor]

I had a shop teacher back in high school that used old coffee style tin cans that he set on their bottoms staggered in rows in an insulated box, he said the cans caused the air to circulate around them and heat up as they were heated by the sun. It worked great for him back then.

[auntmeme902]

Excellent videos! Thx for sharing.

[Skylad14]

can you make a video on how to make the mini one?

[theblueteam10]

those cans look pretty grey to me.. are they blacker in real life?

[richallenmusic]

@theblueteam10 there are flat black it just shows up like that on video

[landslave]

What is the clear plastic you are using for the front cover? My design temp is 320F and I recently got my prototype to 265F in Tampa in September. I priced calcium carbonate UV stabilized material, but it was prohibitively expensive. What plastic did you use for the front? I was afraid of the front cover plastic melting. Also, thanks for all the videos and great engineering you've brought to us soda can furnace home-builders! Thanks for telling viewers about ReStore for glass, too.

[sc00b3rt]

Is there a difference between painting the backing black or leaving it silver?

[richallenmusic]

@sc00b3rt i dont think it matters that much on the backing

[united4mi]

maybe a good idea to of set the fan , a couple of foot via piping so the air is warmer entering the box?? cheers chris, great and cheap.

[isaiah30v8]

You need a place to store the heat for night time.

If you could build a large sealed box under or beside the house with mortar blocks and arrange them so that the hot air from the cans blows through them during the day you could then harvest the heat from the mortar blocks for night time too!

[ozmanofpeace]

good vids but surely that sla deep cycle battery is way overkill for that fan! would run it for a year without needing a recharge!

[MarkProffitt]

Try it without the cans, just a box painted black inside.

[richallenmusic]

why? trying to get more heat not less you need mass to gain temp

[MarkProffitt]

You don't want mass, you want surface area. All the heat is coming from the sun. So a flat surface getting maximum sunlight is the best for gathering the heat.

Once you have the heat you want the most surface area with the least obstruction to air flow.

You were absolutely right in thinking you could just throw one together. Also your idea of aluminum gutters was moving towards the ideal system. Flat collector with vertical fins to transmit heat as convection carries it up.

[MarkProffitt]

Try it without anything so you can measure your baseline efficiency. Use that to determine the cost benefit of anything else.

[jihadacadien]

What was the material you used fot the box? Like the black sheets.

[richallenmusic]

it is the 1/2 inch foiled backed insulation and black duct tape

[jihadacadien]

@richallenmusic K thanks a lot!You'll see a vid on my page of this later ;)

[ltpiglet]

Thx so much for sharing!

What kind of insulation are you using? I have been looking and can't find anything with a high enough flash point and a decent R Value.

[richallenmusic]

its just 1/2 inch foiled back i got at lowes it works great

[andrew0901280]

ok thanks.

i also tried a really hevy duty trash bag cut square and streched tight over the top and it worked just as good but i dont know how long it will hold up to weather

[andrew0901280]

hey see if you can think of a cheaper matirial to use other than the plexi glass because even with my dicount at the hardware i work at it still isnt cheap stuff

[richallenmusic]

find a piece of old glass you know a window or door

[andrew0901280]

what did you use to keep the cans inplace on the mini me

[richallenmusic]

nothing they just sit in there i am replacing the pop cans with cat food cans to test will see how that works

[andrew0901280]

how well does the foam hold up to weather

[packymck]

Hey Rich....You're doing a great job.

I've got a 12v computer fan and would like to hook it to a solar cell/power source like you did with mini me. Where can I buy one and what do I need, exactly, to install the heater? duct, wires, thermostat, etc.

[richallenmusic]

hi i get most of my solar panels on ebay you dont need a big one for 12volt fans also running your ducts is up you ive got one comming in window others i drill holes in the wall a lot of videos on youtube showing how people are hooking up good luck

[NBMonkey]

this is great stuff. I'm going to have fun this winter messing with this.

Mini me LOL :)

[richallenmusic]

thanks it is fun working with stuff

[servant74]

How about testing a box EXACTLY like one of your boxes but don't put any cans in it. This is just to see if there is a difference.

[richallenmusic]

hi theres already a vid on a window box its just a box painted black that hangs on window i think the temp was 90 degrees thats a long ways from 180 degrees the metal mass is what makes better heat

[sporabolic]

I just wanted to say, great job! and if you have a minute i have a few questions for you, what was the air temp outside when you were filming this? What is the square footage of the larger pop can heater, and what is the cubic feet per minute of the fan you are using?

[phishstain]

Rich Happy Thanksgiving! I subscribe to your video's. Keep up the good work!

[jab0805]

Nice video Rich. These simple inexpensive solar heaters are great. I Have an idea for one I call a FASH system. Forced Air Solar Heater. You should check it out. Im so busy these days that it's hard to find the time to build it. You should look at it and see if maybe it's worth the time.

[richallenmusic]

thanks i like messing with this stuff

[centervilletn]

those metal studs work great dont they...construction time sure gets cut....great job !

[richallenmusic]

no metal studs on this one

[LARC0]

Great output for a quick job. :) happy Thanksgiving to you to m8. :)

[DailyDrivenAutosport]

another good video rich.