Solar Air Heater

Solar air heating panels Just completed. Let me know what you think. I've made these with aluminum downspout instead of cans. I tore apart an old hair blow dryer and used the blower hooked to a 12V power supply.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Solar
• Air
• Heater

[STARFIRESOLAR]

Yes, 30 CFM is a very low flow rate. This was only a test I did over 2 1/2 years ago. I have since connected these panels to a clothes dryer( approx. 150 cfm, see my video) and blowers of much higher flow rates over 250cfm and this is my third winter having them heating my house. Interestingly enough the exhaust maintains high temps even at higher flow rates. Thank you for that insightful comment.

[solarguyable]

NICE collectors! What kind of insulation are in them and what did you use for the top (the clear part)?

[STARFIRESOLAR]

@solarguyable Thanks for the question. I used the glass from a sliding glass door for the "glazing", the clear part. Glazing is what you call the clear covering of a collector. Some use Tefzel instead of glass. It's the same stuff that is used for those bags you use to cook a turkey in the oven. It has a low emmisivity and can take the high temperatures of a collector, but it's more expensive than glass.

[ttaylor667]

Did you put any baffles in the down spouts or in the upper area where they connect?

[STARFIRESOLAR]

@ttaylor667 Thanks for the question. No, these have nothing inside the dwon spouts. Just straight through.

[joseney21]

which downspouts did you use?? the ones i see on home depot's web site are rated for 150F.

[STARFIRESOLAR]

@joseney21 As long as they are metal ( most are aluminum or zincalum). I never noticed a heat rating on them, but if they are metal you have no worries. When they are the hottest the air is circulating and taking heat away from them anyway. That's what it's all about. :) It would take alot more than 150 F to do any damage to them. Even if they are not circulating air they will never get hot enough as a flat plate absorber (350-400 F) to do any damage. Thanks for the question.

[CheapEnergyIdeas]

30 cfm? seems low

[rstevewarmorycom]

@purplewtruck Nonesense, shame on you for lying out of your

ignorance!! The more of these you have and the better they're

insulated, double-pane glass, etc, the more heat you'll capture.

You can make them even MORE effective with adjacent mirrors

increasing the solar energy they get. Did you know that a regular

home was once completely heated at -20F in the Canadian

wilderness of Ontario by nothing but a bunch of mirrors in the

yard focused like a big light trap on the windows of the home?

[purplewtruck]

@willowgirl292 these work on a greenhouse principle; such that if it's sealed in any way, it should always be warmer inside the device, than the outside temperature. like a car sitting in the sun. it will always be warmer in the vehicle. however, whether or not the vehicle temperature is sufficient for living, well, that's another question. yes, there is a possibility that the outdoor temp is -30 C, the heater is +10 C - but it's still not sufficiently warm to be pumping into your house.