How our solar heater was set up this past winter.

[crsbt]

very informative

was going to do one of these but its not practical were i live

might give it a bash for fun

[Pesadelo80]

Hi man, nice atittude !! Want to know how strong is the winter there and its efficient in that conditicion

[supergokue1]

@Pesadelo80 I think if I were to guess on our average winter temps here I would say they are right around 40 degrees fahrenheit. For us, the heaters work great and have had no problem with them so far. I would like to say that I also made a smaller one that just sits in the window and does not have to be placed outside. That one is way smaller, but also worked great. Thanks for the question, Lonny

[c9ari]

It seems to me that you need to stand this thing on end to make it work better.

[STARFIRESOLAR]

Insulating that bare duct somehow or using my idea(see video) of making duct from ridged insulation would really help your efficiency. If you are are using 12V check into bilge blowers! They blow 240-270 cfm(alot more than fans) and can be mounted inline and far from the vent for even less noise. Also, using a snap disc inside the collector to control the fans is alot less expensive and less complicated.

You've done a great job, don't get me wrong. A few easy changes will make it better!

[the1969info]

will you do a video of how to hook up the household thermostat to those fans. Thanks. also, how hot did your heater usually get, I know it blew at 70 degrees, but did it stay on for a while before it shut off the fans, how long did it stay on normally?

Thanks again.

[supergokue1]

@the1969info Yes, I can do that. but It might be at the end of the summer. well with the fans off it would get around 190. With the fans on and blowing in and out of the house the air would regulate around 110. I will be adding reflectors, giving it more of a angle and adding more fans. The air has a long way to travel before it gets into the house.

[supergokue1]

@the1969info I just wanted to let you know that I did put up the thermostat video. I hope it helps you with your project. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks again, Lonny

[dhaddox]

To reduce noise, instead of the car fans you could use 120mm computer case fans. They are whisper quiet, have good airflow, and are also 12v so shouldn't be hard to adapt.

[Yourbadnightmare]

You have a nice idea for location, adjustment of angle and storage of the unit. A simple track top & bottom would allow a slide in summer protection cover made out of Luan, foam insulation etc . It could be easily installed to protect against hail in the operating mode. Insulated duct would probably increase heat output .

[900amm]

Greeting from Scotland , Thanks for sharing you ideas .

[KayakFisher01]

What are you thoughts on using your heater for a Solar Clothes Dryer in the Spring/Summer? Vent the heat into a large box that you could hang your clothes in to dry. But you could always just hang clothes on a line if your area promitted it.

[CTOL1]

Very nice! It will be interesting to see how long the fans last? I would imagine they have brushes? At least they were inexpensive. The ambient heat may kill the one that gets the hottest. Check out junk yards for old direct drive blowers from old equipment. There is a reason the motor is often on the cold side of furnaces.

I offer this as a FYI and no way intend to be critical of your work, I am still building mine

Thank you for sharing your work 5 green thumbs up

[doug2877]

I think the rocks are a great idea, dont know why it wouldnt work.

[doug2877]

I think the rocks are a great idea, dont know why it wouldnt work.

[doug2877]

I think the rocks are a great idea, dont know why it wouldnt work.

[centervilletn]

fantastic job...i really am glad to see this video!