I wonder if you used mylar , a cheap way would be the foil xmas paper , the kind with the mylar back , would that do better than the more diffused light from the aluminum foil?
@toob247 I am just demonstrating a concept on heating homes with free sunlight. It is strangely long enough that no manufacturer has yet to come up with one! All they care to do is to make photovoltaics or solar water heaters . Where is the space heaters ?? My concept here suggests that you can capture sunlight around your house and direct it toward your house. All houses and buildings has shady northern sides that never saw the sun all day, if you notice that.
@toob247 Also you notice one of my boards is smooth . It is a hollow interior door made of masonite which works great with aluminium foil. YOu can try gift mylar paper . It may be harder to glue on than aluminium foil.. Aluminium foil gives off mellow warmth with less glare than mirrors and mylar.
@junkyardnut yeah youre right about glare. I think it's cool what you did. I kinda did the same thing to boost my home made solar water heating system for the pool. I'd like to try or see some results with mirrors pointed at the can air heaters...
I've set up wall mirrors on the ledges directly outside windows on the south side. They bounce light up onto the ceilings of a bedroom and my living room, giving me free light and a little bit of passive heat. works great, and maximum reflectivity.
Excellent! now go around to the shady northern side if you have windows there , too. you will enjoy the underused cold area more there as well. you know what is interesting ,too? Nobody is talking about it which is that you got to understand that anything you put up that creates shadows on your sunny side, you got a minus yourself. That is why solar rooftops is not a great idea. The rooftop need warmth from the sun . It is a theory of mine .
Do a YouTube search on "Heliostat" - There's an industry for addressing that phenomenon. I'd like to have some set up myself, if only I had a place in my front yard...
The government is not offering any tax credits specifically for heliostats. Those industries makikng heliostats are selling to the utililities mostly for research purposes usually. Those heliotsats are so highly accurate suitable for long distance reflection as far away as hundreds of feet. I dont need those $10,000 heliostats. I need $29.95 plastic molded sprayed on shiner variety that is fine for close reflection less than 15 feet or so. It works great for me and I am waiting for someone
yea but i like my yard nice and neat,the town would have me in court,im in fl so its nice to have a cooler room,or shelter from hot sun when working in yard,and shade will provide lower cooling bills
They are not permanent placements. I move them around . They are reused for summertime as well to reflect back the hot summer rays as well. See my other clip.
Thanks for sharing your experiments with the rest of us! I can talk a good game but you have actually done something !! If I may offer a suggestion. I could catch on quicker if you spoke and explained what we were seeing; even point yer finger at stuff as you talked about it. As if we were standing beside you and you were showing us your back yard items. I think it would add a lot. Thanks again, Rob
Ha ha ha ha ha it is not a photvoltaic device... it is just a reflector of sunlight to bounce sunlight to different direction. In case that you are not aware or never use a compass, you know, all northern sides of all houses north of the equator never see the sunlight even in the summertime. You know, the sun always stay in the sourthern sky. you go out of your condo or house and find the shadow of the home, this is where the norhern side is. You stay there all day and you will find that out.
I hate that 500 count @$%##, anyway, You will be amazed to see that the northern side of your home never get shined on , never, never, never . Usually the northern rooms of your home is colder than the southern side of your home. Why limit yourself to one side that face to the south for "free ligthing and natural warmth" It is like stereo, you know, or even 7 to 1 speaker system. You can fake the sunlight coming from the norrth, east, or west by reflecting the sunlight around your home.
The reflected sunlight is not fake because it can multiply light and heat all around the home that would have gone wasted into the ground from the Sun. You cannot bend the sunlight so you have to use aluminium foil to bounce back to the colder sides of your home. True, aluminium foil doesnt capture and bounce back all the sunlight due to impurities and uneven wrinkles on the foil even as tiny as "pixels' you know.. Every bit counts. But it works well enough to brighten up and warm up a bit.
Once you know where the northern side of your home is, you will realize that you would tend to flick on your lamps there while never doing it in the southren rooms because of the natural sunlight. You will save a lot of electricity by not having to use your lamps in the darker northern rooms during daytime hours. You will feel a few degrees warmer as well. A couple of 4 x 8 plywood sheathing boards with aluminium foil glued on can provide roughly as much heat as your portable electric heater.
You can use 4 x 4 boards instead of 4 x8 boards that may be too heavy for you to move around as the sun move , you know. I find that 4 x 8 is not as heavy as I thought because I can "walk" it on its bottom corners like a duck , you know. Quack quack!! Also I simply use two giant 20d nails to pierce through the board for support. I originally used wiring and screws which keep on falling apart. In case you are wondering, I am still improving on my boards or so called solar heliostats.
You will be amazed at the power of your ability to capture and redirect the wasted sunlight back into the dark side of your house. Be sure to get thorugh your windows.. . You can concentrate several boards through the same window to increase light and heat, of course. You wil be warm and toasty indoors.. Be sure to postion them as close as possible so that you wil not have to repositoin the boards as often as further away since the sun moves and the reflection will slip away fast.
I have made my first reflectors out of a plywood scraps I have laying around. They seem to be working well. I am gone from the house all day so I don't get to move them around. I am still waiting on the tarp and I have grabbed some pieces of plexiglass from work to make 2 more reflectors this weekend. I will let you know how it comes out and maybe make a video if it comes out well. We had a 20" snow in Northern Virginia last weekend and I still have limited access to the yard.
the cheapest glue I can think of is Tilebond weatherproof that looks like Elmer glue to the yellowish tint found at Home Depot or Lowes. A gallon for $15, if you plan to use glue..
Your video inspired me junkyardnut. How does the aluminum foil stand up to the weather? Any degradation to the shiny surface after 1 year? In my quest to have an economical, portable solution I have ordered a tarp with a "shiny side" I hope this does not mean just colored silver. If it is not reflective enough I will glue aluminum foil to the face and see if it holds up. I will buy/make a 15' x 100' and stretch it between trees to create a V shape toward the back of the house.
You must have a huge yard, do you? You are talking about 1500 square footage of reflection. Where do you order it? At a solar store? You have to reposition them toward your home as the sun moves . How do you repostion 15 foot high tarp?
@plaubel28 It is true that there is degradation to the shiny surface over the time. However, it is still worth the time and money to reapply another layer as needed. You see, I reused my heliostats for summertime. Yeah, to reflect away unwanted hot summertime sunlight from the southern sides of my house. Interesting? I guess the hot sun degrade aluminium faster. Impurities in the foil making may play another factor. I guess I better stick to high quality Reynolds foil for $8 per 200 sq ft
I also find that the closer the heliostats the hotter they get, but the shadow of my house block the sunlight until 10 am or so. I went ahead and sacrifice the lower half of my 4x8 board to the shade in order to push the upper half of the board closer to my house. it works better than to move it away in ordr to reflect all of the board. I see no point in using studs to prop smaller boards higher up as cost savings is almost negilbe. I can still use the lower half during afternoons.
If I am considering experimenting with Sarah wrap as a protective layer over the aluminium foil. Al;so, you have to remember that my heliostats also provide free lighting. it feels like summer sun even in the shady norhern side of my house. It is so natural and much superior to firewood, I tell y ou...
@plaubel28 Also, my fireplace and chimney made of brick was built on the wrong side of my house where the summer sun strike it all day. During nights, the brickwork radiate heat and made the indoors so unbearingly hot. I decided to tear down the fireplace and chimney last summer. It is just a relic of the Inustrial Age or even Medieval age or even worse the Stone Age!! We cannot use firewood in the outer space , of course..
@plaubel28 Or ... I probably should try the new no stick Reynold foil since it is coated with nonstick and it should help stretch the life of the foil. It may be worth the extra cost. I will deifintely try it on one board and compare.
I dont think any interior designer would approve of that... Yuck! I dont want any rusty rings on my cheap carpet... aluminium foil is not as hot as mirror types, but it does deliver warmth that you will enjoy standing indoors basking it in.. It sure beats firewood.. Firewood is not green.. much similiar to coal...
Yeah, it could get ugly. Having a diffused focus is the kicker. One could control the temperature. Are you familiar with the old Roman censers? They hung hot rocks in their tents off of tripods. Again, a heat sink for night time, is what I'm thinking.
Sure, and it doesnt have to be inside my house. You can put rocks in a greenhouse outdoors and pipe in . I need all the space in my house for myself.. Rocks, bricks or whatever is a waste of space , they go out. I just tore down my fireplace and chmney because it is a waste of space... Firewood pollutes air., yet environmentalists love firewood, Bizaree!
The mounting boards behind the reflectors are heavy enough to stabilize itself in windy days except a few worst ones. 2x6 is heavy enough , but you can use 2x8 as well. 2x4 may not be heavy enough. Hinges are very expensive, yet many of us toss away so many good old rusty hinges that can be bought for a dime each or so.. We need more junk stores around..
I bought wrong types of boards because they are uneven and rough and cheap.. You see a lot of wrinkle on them which mean most of the sunlight is not reflected accurately as pointed to . Old hollow doors, old ping pong tables, anything with smooth even surfaces are the best . People routinely discard hollow doors , etc mindlessly..Where do I find more of them except mine in my house?? I have half dozen of them indoors that I can rip out and put outdoors if I want..
I wonder if you used mylar , a cheap way would be the foil xmas paper , the kind with the mylar back , would that do better than the more diffused light from the aluminum foil?
toob247 1 year ago
@toob247 I am just demonstrating a concept on heating homes with free sunlight. It is strangely long enough that no manufacturer has yet to come up with one! All they care to do is to make photovoltaics or solar water heaters . Where is the space heaters ?? My concept here suggests that you can capture sunlight around your house and direct it toward your house. All houses and buildings has shady northern sides that never saw the sun all day, if you notice that.
junkyardnut 1 year ago
@toob247 Also you notice one of my boards is smooth . It is a hollow interior door made of masonite which works great with aluminium foil. YOu can try gift mylar paper . It may be harder to glue on than aluminium foil.. Aluminium foil gives off mellow warmth with less glare than mirrors and mylar.
junkyardnut 1 year ago
@junkyardnut yeah youre right about glare. I think it's cool what you did. I kinda did the same thing to boost my home made solar water heating system for the pool. I'd like to try or see some results with mirrors pointed at the can air heaters...
toob247 1 year ago
Try painting your fences white that should help a little bit.
specallez 1 year ago
No way! I dont need it.. I am redesigning my solar reflectors and it is going to be much more powerful and concnetrated than before. keep tuned
junkyardnut 1 year ago
I've set up wall mirrors on the ledges directly outside windows on the south side. They bounce light up onto the ceilings of a bedroom and my living room, giving me free light and a little bit of passive heat. works great, and maximum reflectivity.
wjj4832 2 years ago
Excellent! now go around to the shady northern side if you have windows there , too. you will enjoy the underused cold area more there as well. you know what is interesting ,too? Nobody is talking about it which is that you got to understand that anything you put up that creates shadows on your sunny side, you got a minus yourself. That is why solar rooftops is not a great idea. The rooftop need warmth from the sun . It is a theory of mine .
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Do a YouTube search on "Heliostat" - There's an industry for addressing that phenomenon. I'd like to have some set up myself, if only I had a place in my front yard...
wjj4832 2 years ago
The government is not offering any tax credits specifically for heliostats. Those industries makikng heliostats are selling to the utililities mostly for research purposes usually. Those heliotsats are so highly accurate suitable for long distance reflection as far away as hundreds of feet. I dont need those $10,000 heliostats. I need $29.95 plastic molded sprayed on shiner variety that is fine for close reflection less than 15 feet or so. It works great for me and I am waiting for someone
junkyardnut 2 years ago
yea but i like my yard nice and neat,the town would have me in court,im in fl so its nice to have a cooler room,or shelter from hot sun when working in yard,and shade will provide lower cooling bills
joe18370 2 years ago
They are not permanent placements. I move them around . They are reused for summertime as well to reflect back the hot summer rays as well. See my other clip.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Thanks for sharing your experiments with the rest of us! I can talk a good game but you have actually done something !! If I may offer a suggestion. I could catch on quicker if you spoke and explained what we were seeing; even point yer finger at stuff as you talked about it. As if we were standing beside you and you were showing us your back yard items. I think it would add a lot. Thanks again, Rob
robstorms 2 years ago
My digital camera doesnt come with a built in microphone. Many users cannot hear so I feel that it is more fair to use only captions.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Good idea but your yard must look like a landing strip for U.F.O.'s
tdk1955 2 years ago
You never know , really..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
but how did you connect it from foil to your house, which side is + or -
floweryork 2 years ago
Ha ha ha ha ha it is not a photvoltaic device... it is just a reflector of sunlight to bounce sunlight to different direction. In case that you are not aware or never use a compass, you know, all northern sides of all houses north of the equator never see the sunlight even in the summertime. You know, the sun always stay in the sourthern sky. you go out of your condo or house and find the shadow of the home, this is where the norhern side is. You stay there all day and you will find that out.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
I hate that 500 count @$%##, anyway, You will be amazed to see that the northern side of your home never get shined on , never, never, never . Usually the northern rooms of your home is colder than the southern side of your home. Why limit yourself to one side that face to the south for "free ligthing and natural warmth" It is like stereo, you know, or even 7 to 1 speaker system. You can fake the sunlight coming from the norrth, east, or west by reflecting the sunlight around your home.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
The reflected sunlight is not fake because it can multiply light and heat all around the home that would have gone wasted into the ground from the Sun. You cannot bend the sunlight so you have to use aluminium foil to bounce back to the colder sides of your home. True, aluminium foil doesnt capture and bounce back all the sunlight due to impurities and uneven wrinkles on the foil even as tiny as "pixels' you know.. Every bit counts. But it works well enough to brighten up and warm up a bit.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Once you know where the northern side of your home is, you will realize that you would tend to flick on your lamps there while never doing it in the southren rooms because of the natural sunlight. You will save a lot of electricity by not having to use your lamps in the darker northern rooms during daytime hours. You will feel a few degrees warmer as well. A couple of 4 x 8 plywood sheathing boards with aluminium foil glued on can provide roughly as much heat as your portable electric heater.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
You can use 4 x 4 boards instead of 4 x8 boards that may be too heavy for you to move around as the sun move , you know. I find that 4 x 8 is not as heavy as I thought because I can "walk" it on its bottom corners like a duck , you know. Quack quack!! Also I simply use two giant 20d nails to pierce through the board for support. I originally used wiring and screws which keep on falling apart. In case you are wondering, I am still improving on my boards or so called solar heliostats.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
You will be amazed at the power of your ability to capture and redirect the wasted sunlight back into the dark side of your house. Be sure to get thorugh your windows.. . You can concentrate several boards through the same window to increase light and heat, of course. You wil be warm and toasty indoors.. Be sure to postion them as close as possible so that you wil not have to repositoin the boards as often as further away since the sun moves and the reflection will slip away fast.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
I have made my first reflectors out of a plywood scraps I have laying around. They seem to be working well. I am gone from the house all day so I don't get to move them around. I am still waiting on the tarp and I have grabbed some pieces of plexiglass from work to make 2 more reflectors this weekend. I will let you know how it comes out and maybe make a video if it comes out well. We had a 20" snow in Northern Virginia last weekend and I still have limited access to the yard.
plaubel28 2 years ago
the cheapest glue I can think of is Tilebond weatherproof that looks like Elmer glue to the yellowish tint found at Home Depot or Lowes. A gallon for $15, if you plan to use glue..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Your video inspired me junkyardnut. How does the aluminum foil stand up to the weather? Any degradation to the shiny surface after 1 year? In my quest to have an economical, portable solution I have ordered a tarp with a "shiny side" I hope this does not mean just colored silver. If it is not reflective enough I will glue aluminum foil to the face and see if it holds up. I will buy/make a 15' x 100' and stretch it between trees to create a V shape toward the back of the house.
plaubel28 2 years ago
You must have a huge yard, do you? You are talking about 1500 square footage of reflection. Where do you order it? At a solar store? You have to reposition them toward your home as the sun moves . How do you repostion 15 foot high tarp?
junkyardnut 2 years ago
@plaubel28 It is true that there is degradation to the shiny surface over the time. However, it is still worth the time and money to reapply another layer as needed. You see, I reused my heliostats for summertime. Yeah, to reflect away unwanted hot summertime sunlight from the southern sides of my house. Interesting? I guess the hot sun degrade aluminium faster. Impurities in the foil making may play another factor. I guess I better stick to high quality Reynolds foil for $8 per 200 sq ft
junkyardnut 2 years ago
@plaubel28
I also find that the closer the heliostats the hotter they get, but the shadow of my house block the sunlight until 10 am or so. I went ahead and sacrifice the lower half of my 4x8 board to the shade in order to push the upper half of the board closer to my house. it works better than to move it away in ordr to reflect all of the board. I see no point in using studs to prop smaller boards higher up as cost savings is almost negilbe. I can still use the lower half during afternoons.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
@plaubel28
If I am considering experimenting with Sarah wrap as a protective layer over the aluminium foil. Al;so, you have to remember that my heliostats also provide free lighting. it feels like summer sun even in the shady norhern side of my house. It is so natural and much superior to firewood, I tell y ou...
junkyardnut 2 years ago
@plaubel28 Also, my fireplace and chimney made of brick was built on the wrong side of my house where the summer sun strike it all day. During nights, the brickwork radiate heat and made the indoors so unbearingly hot. I decided to tear down the fireplace and chimney last summer. It is just a relic of the Inustrial Age or even Medieval age or even worse the Stone Age!! We cannot use firewood in the outer space , of course..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
@plaubel28 Or ... I probably should try the new no stick Reynold foil since it is coated with nonstick and it should help stretch the life of the foil. It may be worth the extra cost. I will deifintely try it on one board and compare.
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Make a table (inside the patio door) out of a 55 gallon drum painted black filled with water. A heat sink inside! Aim the panels at it.
jeremiahsineiii 2 years ago
I dont think any interior designer would approve of that... Yuck! I dont want any rusty rings on my cheap carpet... aluminium foil is not as hot as mirror types, but it does deliver warmth that you will enjoy standing indoors basking it in.. It sure beats firewood.. Firewood is not green.. much similiar to coal...
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Have you seen Greenpowerscience 's parabolic mirrors he made out of old satellite tv dishes?
jeremiahsineiii 2 years ago
Parabolic mirrors is used to cook or burn down homes... Your pick.. I will pass...
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Yeah, it could get ugly. Having a diffused focus is the kicker. One could control the temperature. Are you familiar with the old Roman censers? They hung hot rocks in their tents off of tripods. Again, a heat sink for night time, is what I'm thinking.
jeremiahsineiii 2 years ago
Sure, and it doesnt have to be inside my house. You can put rocks in a greenhouse outdoors and pipe in . I need all the space in my house for myself.. Rocks, bricks or whatever is a waste of space , they go out. I just tore down my fireplace and chmney because it is a waste of space... Firewood pollutes air., yet environmentalists love firewood, Bizaree!
junkyardnut 2 years ago
What happens in high winds? A good reason for better/upgraded bracing.
mrbuki77 2 years ago
The mounting boards behind the reflectors are heavy enough to stabilize itself in windy days except a few worst ones. 2x6 is heavy enough , but you can use 2x8 as well. 2x4 may not be heavy enough. Hinges are very expensive, yet many of us toss away so many good old rusty hinges that can be bought for a dime each or so.. We need more junk stores around..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Ah, I have a couple of 40 year old rusty gate hinges salvaged from my old torn down gate , for instance.. But I forgot where it was stored..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
I bought wrong types of boards because they are uneven and rough and cheap.. You see a lot of wrinkle on them which mean most of the sunlight is not reflected accurately as pointed to . Old hollow doors, old ping pong tables, anything with smooth even surfaces are the best . People routinely discard hollow doors , etc mindlessly..Where do I find more of them except mine in my house?? I have half dozen of them indoors that I can rip out and put outdoors if I want..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Do you have to wear sunglasses to go outside?
WoundedEgo 2 years ago
You got be kidding, eh?
junkyardnut 2 years ago
No, I"m not. But I guess then that the answer is no? I don't see why not, with all that glare. ?
WoundedEgo 2 years ago
I dont need it and I know better than to stare at it.. do you?
junkyardnut 2 years ago
Nice vid...try some space blankets next.
youngstali 2 years ago
I hope you will make some like mine and try it out and see for yourself..
junkyardnut 2 years ago
interesting idea...cool!
centervilletn 2 years ago