My solar powered heater - Free heat

[GotScout]

Here is an improvement... take waste black pipe... fill it with used motor oil that you get drom next oil change... fill pipes and seal and cap...

Place those in your window box.

Get a small 12V computer fan, use this instead of your 110V duct fan... and run it from a small solar powered panel. Now you get same... but hotter, free no electricity usage, and the oil tubes maintain a higher temperature for longer.

[madwilliamflint]

Curious how hot it was outside that day?

[DrFrankensteam]

I'm interested in building one of these myself, I was wondering what the outside temperature was the day you took the test? And what kind of temps do you get out of it in the winter.

[jlpMedia1]

the box puts out the same amount of heat a window would of equal size. it just concentrates the heat of the boxes surface area into a smaller area. I've gotten my version of this solar heater hot enough to boil water. The application for this would only be ideal for cooking food or boiling water. My second solar heater got up to 2000F and parts were <$80...

[MSGDREWRY]

@jlpMedia1 hey, I'd like to see a video on that one! sounds cool

[jlpMedia1]

@MSGDREWRY a video?? just build it..i used copper pipe, engine oil and mirrored plexiglass. put the plexiglass mirror in a parabolic bowl. put that in the oven so the glass takes that shape, drill a hole in the center. build an oil filled radiator from the pipe and have one of the ends feed through the center of that hole. as for the solar tracker(to change position of the mirror..i took a 12v phone charger and hooked it up to an electric motor that drove a series of worm gears(for torque)

[jlpMedia1]

i got all the gears from a bunch of old dvd players. you will have to do a bit of math but if u want to build it for dirt cheap, it beats spending another $80+ for an electronic solar tracker. copper melts at 1997F so the oil will keep it from melting. u can always just reduce the size of your mirror to limit heat output. i havent figured out the formula yet, but depending on the square footage of the house, will determine the size of the mirror. MIT recently copied this idea of mine and built 1

[MrAnthonyRizzo]

Very nicely done! How much of a space does it heat and for how long once the sun goes down? What form of thermal heat sink could you use indoors to extend the heating cycle after dark?

[MSGDREWRY]

@MrAnthonyRizzo this is in a pretty big room so it is to supplement the furnace - not replace it

it will run until the temp in the box drops below 80 degrees - this depends on how cold it is outside

I haven't thought of a heat sink inside but it's a pretty good idea since the temp is so high coming out of the box

maybe duct it thru a box inside the room - but would need an blower in it after the box stops blowing

[MrAnthonyRizzo]

@MSGDREWRY Thanks for the info. I’ve seen people use in their greenhouses, 2 liter soda bottles painted black filled with water. The bottles absorb the daytime heat and release it after the sun goes down. I don’t know how many bottles you would need but it is passive and you could avoid the extra electrical load.

[kidjr27]

Does it need sun daily to work?

[MSGDREWRY]

@kidjr27 It only works when the sun heats it up

[kidjr27]

@MSGDREWRY Say the sun heated it all day. How long could it go before needing sun again?

[MSGDREWRY]

@MSGDREWRY AS LONG AS THE BOX IS MORE THAN 80 DEGREES IT WILL PUMP AIR INTO THE HOUSE - OTHERS WILL PUMP AS LONG AS THE OUTSIDE AIR IS WARMER THAN THE AIR COMING IN

[primoknoxville]

How does it work when it's not 80 degrees outside.

[MSGDREWRY]

@primoknoxville EVEN IF IT'S COLD OUTSIDE, THE BOX WILL GET HOT INSIDE

[primoknoxville]

@MSGDREWRY Well then that makes you a gal darn super hero.

[jdcc061]

Does it still work during winter?

[MSGDREWRY]

@jdcc061 Yes, as long as the sun is shining it will heat up and it has no parts to freeze. (why would I want a heater in the summer? lol)

[bob21801]

great job. I've been wanting to make a similar one for a year or so.

[MSGDREWRY]

@bob21801 go ahead, it's a simple weekend project - just because you have to let the paint dry. I only used one sheet of plywood to do it. I think it will be cheaper with downspouts too.

[edwardwills]

ever hear of someone setting up a system for their water pump?

[MSGDREWRY]

@edwardwills  there are lots of them - just search for solar water heater

[Iseekoutthetruth]

how does it heat the house during the night?

[MSGDREWRY]

@Iseekoutthetruth it only heats up while the sun is out

[GettingThereGreen]

haha... I commented on another of your videos re: this exact thing... haha! Nice.

[MSGDREWRY]

@water4fuelh20

I plan to connect and indoor thermostat soon so after it warms up, The fan won't come on or I won't have to cut the power to it

[smileykai77]

Thank you so much for sharing this. Good inspiration.

[MSGDREWRY]

@smileykai77 glad to help

[self0asis]

fantastic! Great ingenuity and it's wonderful that you are sharing it with others too.

peace and love

Deanna

[GoatHollow]

Subbed, and 5*****. Keep up the good work, glad I found your channel. I've been putting up gardening, and "economic collapse" vids for some time now. Your stuff is right in line with my ideas.

[MSGDREWRY]

@GoatHollow I kept seeing this word subbed and thought it meant sub-titles or something - I didn't have a clue and it just struck me - subscribed! Thanks guy

[ssiaudio]

Nice job. They are great. Mine works great to this day. I have had it for two years now.

[MSGDREWRY]

Thanks, I'm thinking about making one with aluminum downspouts this time.

[mookixox]

*subbed* i could use one of those.

[envirosponsible]

Great job, awesome video.