Aluminum Downspout Hot Air Solar Collector Construction

[josephdupont]

how many watts does the fan take.

[DENTONCABINET]

Scott, thanks for the video, where do you purchase the snap switches,the small solar panel and dc fans ?

[GScottVideos]

@DENTONCABINET Hi, YouTube won't let me post links here, but if you join me on SimplySolar I'll be happy to send you some links!

[hayworth111]

@GScottVideos this is great stuff, i tried to join , i want to find out where to get the tap swich. please email me the link, thanks

[blurglide]

I'd really like to see the costs and time to break even calculations for some of these projects.

[GScottVideos]

@blurglide Hi, the hot air collector with a screen absorber may work as well or even better and is definitely a cheaper approach that the downspout. While more expensive, the downspout is nice because your air is completely contained in the downspouts, which among other things, makes it easier to seal Typical payback on a DIY hot air collector is about 2 years. Given these last for decades, in addition to the fun, it will pay you back many times over!

[GScottVideos]

@blurglide Hi, typical break even on solar hot air collectors is 2-3 years. Given that they will last for decades, that is a fantastic return on investment!

[THREEPEACE3]

thanks for your awesome videos! I have started a project of installing old freezer box panels as skirting for my 14x70 mobile home that is located in direct sunlight. Just need to figure the best system to keep the craw space above freezing year round and hopefully use to heat the home and water.

[mark16596]

Great video, Tried to go to your yahoo-simply solar but it doesn't exist. I tried a few times and triple checked spelling. Any suggestions please.

[GScottVideos]

@mark16596 Hi, yes:

1. Go to the Yahoo Groups website (as usual, I can't post the link).

2. In the "Find a Group" text box, type SimplySolar (without a space). It is the first group that comes up.

[jpp9876]

Ever consider running water tubing in the gutters to get hot water from system in summer? , also how about installing gutters tipped at 45 degree angle and installing reflective material between them to get more heat out of them. in Minnesota we have a bit colder winter and maybe shorter days then in Maryland, So it would be good to get a higher temp out of the gutters if possable.

[GScottVideos]

@jpp9876 Hi, I have an easy to build design for a hydronic hot water collector here: (as usual, Youtube won't let me post a link, even to another Youtube video), Please join us on SimplySolar and I can answer your questions in much more detail.

[GScottVideos]

@jpp9876 Hi, yes, I have built a two hydronic collectors as well, using CPVC and PEX. Please see my other videos for more details!

Take care,

Scott

[thestonemaster81]

Thank you so much for all the information I am going to build a aluminum downspout solar heater. Can you tell me where you got your Fan and what kind of fan is that?

[thechainrule]

Hi Scott, I am a Baltimore city native looking to install something similar to this on the roof of our row home downtown. The actual heat exchanger part looks fairly straightforward but I am concerned with the actual ducting with the inlets and outlets. Do you think it is worth it for me to put my intake where the air is coolest and run it all the way up the building (3 stories) or just make the inlet and outlet on the top floor and hope the air trickles down?

[GScottVideos]

@thechainrule Hi, I thinkit depends on what you want to do. You can pull the air from the bottom of the upper floor if you like and that will do a good job, but none of the heat will ever get pulled to the lower floor. I have a rancher here so I really don't have much experience with multiple floors.

[Snailmailtrucker]

Cool (actually hot) stuff Scott and the best part was that you and Brad got to accomplish something long lasting together !

Great job guys !

[GScottVideos]

@Snailmailtrucker Absolutely, this is a GREAT family activity. It is genuinely exciting to feel the free hot air blowing out a collector you've built yourself. My boys share that exhilaration too, so it is super easy to get the family together, spend time in a shared activity and have a lot of fun. Brad, who is 17 now, just mentioned yesterday he is eager to work on some more solar projects together!

[marz3335]

I also wanted to ask this -- it seems this a real hobby of yours and my interest is peaked as well.

Has anyone experimented with "W" valley roof flashing before? Painted black of course, as an absorber? Would the slight angle be of benefit you think?

Another question -- I would imagine any type black plastics are out of the question? Even if secured well? THANKS

[GScottVideos]

@marz3335 I'm not sure what you mean by W valley roof flashing, but there are lots of folks on our Yahoo group, SimplySolar, doing all sorts of experiments. Please join us so that you have the benefit of hearing the experiences of all the testing going on!

[marz3335]

How do you deal with snow on a collector right on the ground like that? You videos are excellent -- very instructive.

[GScottVideos]

@marz3335 If the snow is less than a foot, the collector gets warm and melts the snow immediately near it pretty quickly. With deeper snow, I need to dig the snow away. Thanks for your kind words on the videos!

[5339f]

Thanks fro posting Scott. You have some great ideas for me to try. One suggestion, post your URLs in the notes so that we can just clock on it. The URLs are quite long and I difficult to copy correctly from the video. Peace!

[ddw61]

Thanks Scott for all the great ideas. Is that a radon fan. Thanks again for all your vid's. David

[GScottVideos]

@ddw61 Hi David, yes, that is a radon fan. It is designed to fit nicely on 4" PVC.

[hootiemcgrudy2]

What's the name of the switch you use that automatically turns the fan on and off? What size fans do you use, and do they come in that PVC housing you have connected into the piping, or was that something you got separately? Are the fans solar powered?

[GScottVideos]

@hootiemcgrudy2 Hi, that is a Snap Switch. They are only about $6.00, which I got separately. Youtube won't let me post links here, but if you join SimplySolar I'll tell you where to find them. The fan is powered by conventional house current. Fans draw very little power. To size your fan, you want about 3 CFM of air per square foot of collector.

[PersonalSecurityZone]

This is great and your presentation is wonderful! The best I have seen! My husband and I are going to build a solar air collector like yours! Thanks again! -- Mary Kay

[GScottVideos]

@PersonalSecurityZone Thanks Mary Kay! If you have any questions as you build your collector, please join us on the SimplySolar e-mail group and we will be happy to help!

Take care,

Scott

[MrTpengineer]

I would mount it up on the roof so it gets better light and could probebly even temperarily replace the furnace during the winter :)

[DailyDrivenAutosport]

i saw this first on Build it Solar. Nice video to go with the write up from BIS!

[STARFIRESOLAR]

Cool looking blowers. What voltage and where do you get them.

Also How do I join your email group?

[GScottVideos]

@STARFIRESOLAR They are "off the shelf", 120V AC blowers that run off regular house current. Youtube won't let me post links here, but if you join our SimplySolar group, I can send you links to sources for a variety of blowers and other parts we used.

If you go to yahoogroups DotCom (replacing Dot with a .), type in SimplySolar (one word) and click Search, you will find us. We would love to have you join our group!

[dmacosta1]

thanks for sharing

[techhidotnet]

Very Nice - I have a few friends that are in the HVAC business and going to show them this I may dry it myself

[GScottVideos]

@techhidotnet Thanks for your kind words. I'd love to hear any thoughts and suggestions your HVAC friends have to offer! After you build yours, please stop back and let us know how it is working for you. Better yet, please join us on our Yahoo e-mail group SimplySolar! Take care, Scott

[solarguyable]

This is great! I was wondering how not putting anything inside the box (just paint and no downspouts) would work. Have you tried this?

[GScottVideos]

@solarguyable Yes, we have tried an empty black box. YouTube won't let me post links in my reply, but if you will join our e-mail group on SimplySolar, I can tell you all about the experiments we have been doing and give you links to some side by side test results. it is a lot of fun and very interesting stuff!

[ForPropertyInvestors]

Hi Scott, I'm putting together plans for a solar collector that will double as both a hot air heater and hot water collector in one, similar to what you have made but will be a around 2 mtrs high by 2 mtrs wide. I'm wandering if it would be hotter for the copper hot water pipes to run inside the downspouts or on the top of the downspouts? Then also when the heater is not on could use a circular air flow around the downspouts in the summer when not needing a heater.

[GScottVideos]

@ForPropertyInvestors Hi, I would think putting the copper outside would be better, but please be sure to post your questions on the SimplySolar e-mail group. I'm sure you'll get lots of good feedback there!

[justinmy300z]

good job stealing my down spout heat panel info and not giving any credit guys! Been building these and posting the videos for years.

[GScottVideos]

@justinmy300z Hi, I didn't see this idea anywhere before my son Brad and I came up with it a few years ago and built ours. I certainly would have given credit otherwise, as I credited Gary with the pex collector design that I built and as I credited Mike for the coroplast collector I'm considering. In this case, great minds think alike! Congratulations on a great idea!

[jwchenard1]

Fantastic vid. Thanks. To clarify the fan question: It's better to pull, because in layman's terms, if you push, the air "smashes into" all the elbows and other obstacles. Pulling does not cause this effect. (HVAC engineer talking here.) With fluid pumping in a closed loop, there is really no push/pull difference, because the fluid does not "know where the pump is" as it were. The only caveat is that the expansion tank for the system must be at the inlet of the pump.

[GScottVideos]

@jwchenard1 Thanks for the great information!

[GScottVideos]

Hi John,

Most of what I've read encourages pulling. My engineering friend Dave stopped by today and he said definitely - pull the air. That's the theory behind the cooling of all the electronic equipment designs he works on.

I'm setting up with pulling in mind with my new, 3 bay hot air test collector, but hopefully I can test pushing and pulling comparatively as well!

[Yourbadnightmare]

Scott, very nice low profile design. I am curious why did you choose to put the fan on the outlet side of the solar heater instead of the inlet side? I ask this because the return air is obviously hotter and would tend to heat up the fan and would seem to shorted the lifespan of the fan. Another thought, the air pulled into the inlet side is denser & a fan would seem to push more air into the heater & be more efficient than trying to pull the less dense heated air from the heater.

Thanks,

Rick

[GScottVideos]

@Yourbadnightmare Hi Rick,

From what I have read, air behaves more cooperatively pulled than pushed. If I remember right, the fan is rated at something like 130F, so while I'm at the upper end of its range at times, I'm not usually exceeding it.

Thanks for your interest and kind words!

Scott

[jcanivan]

@GScottVideos

That's strange. I heard that it's better to push air than pull it in the same way that pumps work by pushing water. I wonder how much of a difference it makes. One advantage to pushing air from a house through a collector is that the fan would not be overheated.

[MrAataghi]

Thanks for the vedio and sharing it,

So far the bast Idea and the most practical way to bring Hot air in to the House. I love it when I see American mind at work. Looking for a day that we totally be independent and stop buyimng Oil all together.

[GScottVideos]

@MrAataghi Thanks for your kind words! It really is a nice easy build that anyone could do in a weekend and enjoy free hot air for decades!