Been looking at lots of these different solar heater designs as I'm dirt poor on a pension now & can't afford heating, so thank you to yourself & others sharing their thoughts designs & experiences, I am now about to make one. Yours looks really great, would love to see your build video of them. Thanks for sharing.
just wondering if your intention is to share knowledge to help others who could benefit from staying warm, possibly necessary for their survival, cannot you please provide parts and construction..or at least charge for your idea on etsy. You could really help a lot of people out!
The most important thing regarding these "pretty" solar panels water heaters is, what is the sustained temperature rise as a function of gallons per minute being heated. Do you have that information? Thank you in advance......
This is easily the cleanest and best design in terms of aesthetics. I was looking to make one of these for my home, but was put off by the irregular look of the pop-can boxes. The downspouts or corrugated ganvanised sheet is definitely the way to go and more acceptable for neighbours to have to look at. Like the vent info' and the switch for the fan. Thanks for the post, very useful.
Beautiful builds! Glad to see you are still responding to your videos as well. Many UA-camrs upload cool stuff and then abandon ship a little while later, always refreshing to see someone who hasn't. Seriously tho, great craftsmanship! More people need to see these.
Love your efforts and direction! Job well done! My personal issue has always been heat loss.. My wife is still very upset with me for putting in the 'big' windows, then blocking them with a 'Hot Box'... She was looking for more plants.. I was looking for more heat, with no over-night loss.. Think you can guess where this went.. Yes, her plants are doing awesome! Thank you for asking.. LOL..
I've been looking for a pellet stove insert for my chimney for some time now rather than using my heatpump in the winter with such high electric bills . But after seeing your video it gave me a much better and cheaper way to heat my house . Thanks for the great video
Those look great sc. Glad to see ya tidied them up for aesthetic appeal. Love the finish work. Caulk around the dryer vent. Nice touch. Love to see some vids of the mill now that the wind is moving in.
Awesome job and you are very esthetically concerned which most people are not...I'll look forward to seeing more of your videos on solar...if you are doing more. I live in a neighborhood where the sub division complained our solar panels...on the back of our house and woods would reduce the value of all the houses...Wow!!! Keep ups the Great work and keep promoting...I like your style...and results!!!
Nicely done. I'm thinking about building a small version of this, and putting shutters on to cover this in the summer, with a reflective surface inside to direct even more sun light for heating a small camper.
Thank you . I think the downspouts look better and I could fit more in the box . I thought about a reflective surface but went for aesthetics . I walk by these panels everyday and wanted a clean look .
Screen absorber is easier material to work with, and picks up sun from any angle, vertical and horizontal. They make sense as the sun moves off direct alignment as there is more surface in direct line. Cans have some surface area throughout the horizontal arc, but not vertical arc. Whereas downspouts have most of their surface area in direct alignment only. So when the sun moves off direct alignment, output will fall more quickly.
It looks alot nicer than pop can version, when I get around to building 10 of these for my house and my animal barn, I'm using your setup. I love the face plate that says free heat lol.
I'm building my heater on the weekends and finally switched to the down spout because the cans kept pissing me off. My paint is very glossy, I'm thinking I need to grab some flat black and re-paint the spouts this weekend. Hope I can finish before it starts warming up and the heater stops kicking in. Ah well, it will be ready for next year.
I wish you would show your construction, I’m a 72 year old woman who was raised on a farm. It looks like maybe a 1x6 box that you have screwed the down spouts to something put two holes in top and bottom of wall. Seems very simple. I might try it. But wondering about the glass thickness and the framing you used. Looks nice.
Down spout or soda cans are both wasted effort. Matte black painted wood or metal would work just as well. Nothing inside the frame can increase the amount of solar radiation coming thru the glass or increase the heat over a non-reflective flat back. Having said that, I often use corrugated metal roofing with stand-offs as a collector to reduce the heat lost thru the back. An opening at the bottom and one at the top allow natural movement of air eliminating the need for a dedicated fan.
I wonder if you're right. Would it work just as well with a black wood surface? I don't know... they don't make computer heatsinks out of wood, because it doesn't conduct heat. The idea is that metal conducts heat, and the cans create a sealed tube for the hot air to flow through. I think the wood would hit a lower max temperature, and wouldn't transfer to the air as well, and the heat will just bleed back through the glass. It is definitely worth investigation, though.
@@flyingpants With constant air flow heat is never extremely high in the box. Openings are about half the size of the vertical cross section of the box. Smaller openings could require fans to keep the heat from building up in the box, which would make heat loss greater.
Professional work , looks well built . Plexiglass , glass ? I'm very interested in making some on families house in New Hampshire . Maybe on some elderly relatives houses to help them out . Would you have parts list , particular hints or such ! Grateful for you sharing this
Great work, amazing craftsman ship on the panel I would definitely contract you to do some for my house but not for doing a video. 😬 Absolutely loved the panels!
It was warm outside that day , not sure of the temp. These heaters will give off lots of heat even in the winter months . I've seen the temp outside below freezing and the temp inside the boxes will still get over 150 deg ( when the fans are off )
A little more detail on construction would be nice. Solar panel & fan brands and how to hook them up. As well as the temp monitors. Can you add a thermostat to the fan to have it come on at a preset temp?
+1funrichard I put a thermostat in the first heater I made but I disconnected it later. When the sun comes out and hits the solar panels the fan kicks on and I get all the heat produced from the heater. Not just when it's 90 degrees and above.
Nicely done. I wonder: Has qnyone used the same concept for A.C.? Forr example, run one of these when its cooler and use the same concept to radiate heat rather than collect heat...
There's no definitive answer to that - it depends on numerous factors like the size of the box, shade, latitude, house size and how well insulated your walls are, amongst other factors.
Nice job. How did you seal off the downspouts at the manifold? Do you have a large hole at the manifold for each of the downspouts or several small holes to reduce the airflow? Did you put anything in the downspouts to reduce the flow thru downspouts?
@jimginnyohio The box is constructed using 1X6 wrapped in aluminum . The manifold are made from aluminum coil stock . Downspouts come in 10 foot lengths .To cut down on waste and to reduce costs I simply cut them in half . This is the link for the solar fan . Send me pictures of your solar heater if you get a chance . Good luck
Very very impressed with your design. I want to build this. Might you be able to show how to build this and how exactly you bring this to the inside? I live in Santa Fe, NM, where solar energy is a year round business. Thanks. Wren
I wouldn't change a thing. One of the fans stopped working. With natural convection the heat still comes in as if the fan still worked. I love the sun !
I cooked my 4" duct fan by placing it in the top hole of my solar heater. It was just too hot. So I installed a new 4" duct fan in the bottom hole circulating the air. Actually, the heater works without a fan. The heater also works when it is cloudy...just not as warm obviously.
Great looking heaters! I'm in the process of building my first heater now. Just curious about a couple things.... 1. What are you using for the box frame? It looks like aluminum. Very clean and professional looking! 2. What are you using for the manifolds? These appear larger than most others I've seen. Is this made of wood? 3. Please provide more info about the fans used. Since powering with a small solar panel, I'm assuming 12-volt. Can you provide a source on eBay? Thanks in advance!
@yzerman1997 The sun is high enough and the boxes are shaded in the summer time . Temps haven't made it much higher than 115 degs inside of boxes . The boxes have 2 " of high heat foam insulation on the sides and the back . The headers are made out of 3/4 " plywood wrapped in alum. and alum. downspout outlets . Next one I make I'll take video ! Thanks for the comment !
I'm at 1:57 right now, and may be erase my question when going further watching the video: what I would like to see is the connection system from outside to inside. Lets watch further. Very interesting. From the inside, the first one have a vent on the ower part and and air ewhaust on the higher part. Does it means that the vent pump air from inside of the house into the external box heater to reinject it back on the top thru the exhaust? Thanks for your video!
Thanks for response - You might have the cleanest build I have seen on youtube to date. how powerful are the fans you are using for the largest collector you have? Is there a rule of thumb?
Great job, looks so good it looks professional. Thanks for sharing. I guess the builder of the home forgot about efficient design and windows facing south or else yall wouldn't even need to do this.
Have you considered piping the solar heated air into your cold air intake? Would that allow you to distribute the heat evenly throughout the house using the existing duct work? Great video! Thanks for sharing your insights on solar heating.
Hi, I have few more questions about your heaters. Do you use a snap disk to turn the fans on/off? If so, where do you locate the disk? Where do you get your thermometers that you use to detect the temperature inside the heater? Thanks.
When the heaters kick on they will hold the temp in the room at around 69 degrees. I used aluminum trim to cover the wood box exteriors. Thanks for the comment!
sc3re, 1-20-2020 just now finding these devices. #1 I wish you had gone into more detail as you didnt any,,,,for me,,,,,,what you did to enter the house with the pipe? #2 I know you got something going on with the windmill,,,,so,,for a guy in Kentucky,,thats me,,nothing about Ky,,but what is the windmill powering please and thank you as I have seen several models and like the way you used the down spouts,,what if you had painted them black? Thanks again. If you ever do answer; QUESTION for summer: Can you over charge a solar panel? I know you put a switch. AND THANK YOU AGAIN
What has been done to address: Closing up at night to prevent entrance of cold air from the outside via the in and out ducts in the south facing walls? Closing up during summer to prevent entrance of hot air into the house via the in and out ducts in the south facing walls?
I have ventilation hole plugs that I remove in the morning and replace in the evening keep the heat generated inside the house. Solar House Heater 95C (203F) Feb 20, 2019 ua-cam.com/video/7S8CWsIcK20/v-deo.html
I need heat in my greenhouse. Electric heaters cost too much to operate all winter. I like your design but I'm concerned about night-time heat. Would copper and water last all night? I've also seen videos with geothermal heat. Could your system be piggy-backed to a geothermal system? Do you have any other ideas I could use?
William Quick You could use this system to heat water by running copper pipes inside the box. Run the pipes to a storage tank inside your greenhouse or run the pipes under your greenhouse. Heating air only lasts as long as the sun is out. But heating water, rocks or cement (thermal mass) is the best solution for making it through the night. I hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
@Airsled10 Not sure of the RPMs but I do know my fans are about 55 CFM (cubic feet per minute) I find the faster you move the air through the heater the cooler the air . Faster isn't always better. Thanks for the comment.
Yes in the first solar heater I install a snap disk . I installed it in the upper manifold . What I have found is that with my fans running off of solar panels a snap disk is not needed .When the sun is out the fans start , when the sun goes behind a cloud the fans go off . I purchased the thermometers at Home Depot . Thanks for watching
Hi Jim, The fans have louvers that close when the fan turns off. This stops the air flow. In the summer time I have a switch that turns off the fans. Thanks for the comment!
How long does it take to heat up? Cost for supplies? Is the system air tight from rain and such? How well does this work during the winter months? Same heat output?
@@sc3re temperature dips below minus in winters and upto 38 during few months of summers and our construction is neither suited for summers or harsh winters and your idea looks promising except in December and January 👍
Hey man, I am seriously planning to make one of these solar heaters asap and would love to know your basic building plan for constructing yours...looks great. I hear 1 X 8 stock and downspouts. My main question is, how do the gutters connect inside? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Also, do you have a source for the mini solar panel and fan?
I have had the same thoughts myself. There is no reason why you couldn't build two systems in one.Heating air is great, but when the sun goes down your heat is gone. When you heat water, you have thermal mass in the water. That thermal mass will hold the heat well into the night.
Like actual furnaces build a water system and send that to the solar heat collectors you make, only plumb them with copper instead of downspouts and run copper coils through water tanks throughout the house. Each circuit will thermosiphon from the differences throughout the system pumping automatically. The only method that I could think of that may allow the water warm enough is to prefill the system with scolding hot water, during peak solar times, then the system will stay warm and continue to operate until it becomes too cool, then you'd need a hotter heat source I think to get it hot fast enough to actually utilize it for heating the home.. You could also automate insulating panels to close the collectors and insulate them to keep the warm water or air from cooling to the outside temps. For water systems, a simple valve would do as well.
I am from Northern MI ( near Mac bridge) will this work in the northern parts? also what was the cost of these? can you also list everything ( ok, i am a girl) its just eaiser for me to go buy it all and get directions.my final goal is to live off grid and have no monthly costs on most things... thanks
I have another question about your heaters. What RPM fan do you use? I bought two fans that run 3700 rpm and they are a little noisy. I have built a window unit that installs on the inside of our dining room window. I am using 24" x 3" metal duct and have 10 tubes. It's running around 30 degrees hotter than the input air. The reason for the inside install is we live in a stilt house with all upstairs windows. I may have to install some vanes to direct the air flow to cover all the tubes.
Been looking at lots of these different solar heater designs as I'm dirt poor on a pension now & can't afford heating, so thank you to yourself & others sharing their thoughts designs & experiences, I am now about to make one. Yours looks really great, would love to see your build video of them. Thanks for sharing.
I hope you made one and feeling warmer :)
Heating starvation is a big problem :/
just wondering if your intention is to share knowledge to help others who could benefit from staying warm, possibly necessary for their survival, cannot you please provide parts and construction..or at least charge for your idea on etsy. You could really help a lot of people out!
By far the prettiest build I've seen so far.
Thank you!
Yesssss. I agree. love it!
Levo75 loloiop
The most important thing regarding these "pretty" solar panels water heaters is, what is the sustained temperature rise as a function of gallons per minute being heated. Do you have that information? Thank you in advance......
@@dougthegreat1808 , these just heat air.
I agree with many of the comments below. Nicely done! I would love to see a parts list and a video on building these units.
This is easily the cleanest and best design in terms of aesthetics. I was looking to make one of these for my home, but was put off by the irregular look of the pop-can boxes. The downspouts or corrugated ganvanised sheet is definitely the way to go and more acceptable for neighbours to have to look at. Like the vent info' and the switch for the fan. Thanks for the post, very useful.
Beautiful builds! Glad to see you are still responding to your videos as well. Many UA-camrs upload cool stuff and then abandon ship a little while later, always refreshing to see someone who hasn't.
Seriously tho, great craftsmanship! More people need to see these.
Thanks Russell !
I appreciate the compliment.
@@sc3re, thank YOU for sharing!
Love your efforts and direction!
Job well done!
My personal issue has always been heat loss..
My wife is still very upset with me for putting in the 'big' windows, then blocking them with a 'Hot Box'...
She was looking for more plants..
I was looking for more heat, with no over-night loss..
Think you can guess where this went..
Yes, her plants are doing awesome!
Thank you for asking.. LOL..
I've been looking for a pellet stove insert for my chimney for some time now rather than using my heatpump in the winter with such high electric bills . But after seeing your video it gave me a much better and cheaper way to heat my house . Thanks for the great video
Very Nice Job! Clean & professional looking. Well Done!
I thought these were professional system with an overpriced ticket. Your design is beautifully done!
Agreed, easily the most professional looknig solar heat panels I've seen. These are going to be my design.
Very nicely done !! Clean and level. Good job. You took your time with the large one and it paid off.
Those look great sc. Glad to see ya tidied them up for aesthetic appeal. Love the finish work. Caulk around the dryer vent. Nice touch. Love to see some vids of the mill now that the wind is moving in.
I would love to see some plans for building these. They look really nice and I don't want to use soda cans either. Very nice work! Thanks.
Super nice job. Clean design. I also used aluminum downspouts. Nice work.
Haha I was thinking the same in Maine. 5 cent returnable. That money adds up! Thank you excellent video. Most are very scattered.
Awesome job and you are very esthetically concerned which most people are not...I'll look forward to seeing more of your videos on solar...if you are doing more. I live in a neighborhood where the sub division complained our solar panels...on the back of our house and woods would reduce the value of all the houses...Wow!!! Keep ups the Great work and keep promoting...I like your style...and results!!!
Thank you
You’re very kind
😉
hello that looks like a great set up....would love to see how you put them together
Congrats - Your panels look very nice and professional looking.
Very interresting.I live in South Dakota and it can get real cold here.Great idea.I think my garage are getting one first.
Very nice work. They blend right in.
Really nice job Brother. God Bless America! Love Uncle Jeff!
Nicely done. I'm thinking about building a small version of this, and putting shutters on to cover this in the summer, with a reflective surface inside to direct even more sun light for heating a small camper.
Thank you. I like where your head is at Steve Smith ! Sounds like you have some good ideas.
Great job! Imagination, conservation, noninvasive way of using the natural world.
Thank you HU -LK !
great job. very clean and modern looking.
Thank you . I think the downspouts look better and I could fit more in the box . I thought about a reflective surface but went for aesthetics . I walk by these panels everyday and wanted a clean look .
WOW, these solar heaters look very nice. Impressive.
Thanks Txtea Ranch!
Looks very professionally built
Thank you!
Screen absorber is easier material to work with, and picks up sun from any angle, vertical and horizontal. They make sense as the sun moves off direct alignment as there is more surface in direct line. Cans have some surface area throughout the horizontal arc, but not vertical arc. Whereas downspouts have most of their surface area in direct alignment only. So when the sun moves off direct alignment, output will fall more quickly.
Beautiful, and functional. Well done!
I think you've got the right idea with the aluminum downspouts.
Really nice looking heaters.
It looks alot nicer than pop can version, when I get around to building 10 of these for my house and my animal barn, I'm using your setup. I love the face plate that says free heat lol.
Sweet set up - I like the downspouts more than the cans, awesome
Thank you!
I'm building my heater on the weekends and finally switched to the down spout because the cans kept pissing me off. My paint is very glossy, I'm thinking I need to grab some flat black and re-paint the spouts this weekend. Hope I can finish before it starts warming up and the heater stops kicking in. Ah well, it will be ready for next year.
I wish you would show your construction, I’m a 72 year old woman who was raised on a farm. It looks like maybe a 1x6 box that you have screwed the down spouts to something put two holes in top and bottom of wall. Seems very simple. I might try it. But wondering about the glass thickness and the framing you used. Looks nice.
I love how you made it so clean looking to fit the outside of your house. Nice job on the quality work. So much better looking then soda cans.
Very nice , I built 2 of them and they work great ! I will be also adding a third one on the roof.
Down spout or soda cans are both wasted effort. Matte black painted wood or metal would work just as well. Nothing inside the frame can increase the amount of solar radiation coming thru the glass or increase the heat over a non-reflective flat back. Having said that, I often use corrugated metal roofing with stand-offs as a collector to reduce the heat lost thru the back.
An opening at the bottom and one at the top allow natural movement of air eliminating the need for a dedicated fan.
DO YOU HAVE PICTURES of one that you have built using natural air flow?
I wonder if you're right. Would it work just as well with a black wood surface? I don't know... they don't make computer heatsinks out of wood, because it doesn't conduct heat. The idea is that metal conducts heat, and the cans create a sealed tube for the hot air to flow through. I think the wood would hit a lower max temperature, and wouldn't transfer to the air as well, and the heat will just bleed back through the glass. It is definitely worth investigation, though.
@@flyingpants
With constant air flow heat is never extremely high in the box. Openings are about half the size of the vertical cross section of the box. Smaller openings could require fans to keep the heat from building up in the box, which would make heat loss greater.
Most professional looking DIY to date
Thanks DANBOY89GYM !
Professional work , looks well built .
Plexiglass , glass ?
I'm very interested in making some on families house in New Hampshire .
Maybe on some elderly relatives houses to help them out .
Would you have parts list , particular hints or such !
Grateful for you sharing this
I charge batteries during the day with my solar panels.
Then I run my Eden Pure electric heater off of my inverter.
WOW! Eden Pure ... great idea, I use 2 in a mobile home and they work great! The Best Electric heaters out there.
Look into zinc bromide (redflow z-cell) batteries.
Great work, amazing craftsman ship on the panel I would definitely contract you to do some for my house but not for doing a video.
😬
Absolutely loved the panels!
Thanks Daniel Peixoto Martins 😆
It was warm outside that day , not sure of the temp. These heaters will give off lots of heat even in the winter months . I've seen the temp outside below freezing and the temp inside the boxes will still get over 150 deg ( when the fans are off )
A little more detail on construction would be nice. Solar panel & fan brands and how to hook them up. As well as the temp monitors. Can you add a thermostat to the fan to have it come on at a preset temp?
+1funrichard I put a thermostat in the first heater I made but I disconnected it later. When the sun comes out and hits the solar panels the fan kicks on and I get all the heat produced from the heater. Not just when it's 90 degrees and above.
Wow...very pro looking, I’m doing the same to my house this summer
Good looking construction and installation!
Thanks, I think I want to build a combo unit to heat water too. If I ever get to it I'll post a video
Nicely done.
I wonder: Has qnyone used the same concept for A.C.?
Forr example, run one of these when its cooler and use the same concept to radiate heat rather than collect heat...
Hey Dan.
I thought about running pipes under ground (earth tubes) and pulling cool air into the house.
NIce job - they look great.
Man could you post a parts list. These are awesome. During a 30 degree day how warm will your house get?
There's no definitive answer to that - it depends on numerous factors like the size of the box, shade, latitude, house size and how well insulated your walls are, amongst other factors.
I’m in Chicago and that looks awesome for saving
Nice job. How did you seal off the downspouts at the manifold? Do you have a large hole at the manifold for each of the downspouts or several small holes to reduce the airflow? Did you put anything in the downspouts to reduce the flow thru downspouts?
@jimginnyohio
The box is constructed using 1X6 wrapped in aluminum . The manifold are made from aluminum coil stock . Downspouts come in 10 foot lengths .To cut down on waste and to reduce costs I simply cut them in half . This is the link for the solar fan . Send me pictures of your solar heater if you get a chance . Good luck
Very very impressed with your design. I want to build this. Might you be able to show how to build this and how exactly you bring this to the inside? I live in Santa Fe, NM, where solar energy is a year round business. Thanks. Wren
I wouldn't change a thing. One of the fans stopped working. With natural convection the heat still comes in as if the fan still worked. I love the sun !
I cooked my 4" duct fan by placing it in the top hole of my solar heater. It was just too hot. So I installed a new 4" duct fan in the bottom hole circulating the air. Actually, the heater works without a fan. The heater also works when it is cloudy...just not as warm obviously.
they look great ! clean look.
Great looking heaters! I'm in the process of building my first heater now. Just curious about a couple things....
1. What are you using for the box frame? It looks like aluminum. Very clean and professional looking!
2. What are you using for the manifolds? These appear larger than most others I've seen. Is this made of wood?
3. Please provide more info about the fans used. Since powering with a small solar panel, I'm assuming 12-volt. Can you provide a source on eBay?
Thanks in advance!
@yzerman1997 The sun is high enough and the boxes are shaded in the summer time . Temps haven't made it much higher than 115 degs inside of boxes . The boxes have 2 " of high heat foam insulation on the sides and the back . The headers are made out of 3/4 " plywood wrapped in alum. and alum. downspout outlets . Next one I make I'll take video ! Thanks for the comment !
Nice set up.
I've been thinking the same thing. It would be very easy to install copper or pex pipe into these heaters to heat air and water at the same time!
Good job! Can you tell us more about the 10 watt solar panels...brand, etc., and do you like them? Thanks.
I'm at 1:57 right now, and may be erase my question when going further watching the video: what I would like to see is the connection system from outside to inside.
Lets watch further.
Very interesting.
From the inside, the first one have a vent on the ower part and and air ewhaust on the higher part.
Does it means that the vent pump air from inside of the house into the external box heater to reinject it back on the top thru the exhaust?
Thanks for your video!
Sounds great. Post a video when you get them done.
That is the best system I've ever seen. !:- )
Thanks for response - You might have the cleanest build I have seen on youtube to date. how powerful are the fans you are using for the largest collector you have? Is there a rule of thumb?
Great job, looks so good it looks professional. Thanks for sharing. I guess the builder of the home forgot about efficient design and windows facing south or else yall wouldn't even need to do this.
Xung Ngo
Lol! I think you’re right!
Have you considered piping the solar heated air into your cold air intake? Would that allow you to distribute the heat evenly throughout the house using the existing duct work? Great video! Thanks for sharing your insights on solar heating.
now that sounds like a plan TNSW
That’s a wonderful idea. 😊
Hi,
I have few more questions about your heaters.
Do you use a snap disk to turn the fans on/off? If so, where do you locate the disk?
Where do you get your thermometers that you use to detect the temperature inside the heater?
Thanks.
Best looking!!! Great job!!!
where did get the solor panel to run fan. thanks looks great.
When the heaters kick on they will hold the temp in the room at around 69 degrees. I used aluminum trim to cover the wood box exteriors. Thanks for the comment!
Great job man!
Do you COVER them up in the Summer? How are they working now? WHY A BIG HEADER?
sc3re, 1-20-2020 just now finding these devices. #1 I wish you had gone into more detail as you didnt any,,,,for me,,,,,,what you did to enter the house with the pipe? #2 I know you got something going on with the windmill,,,,so,,for a guy in Kentucky,,thats me,,nothing about Ky,,but what is the windmill powering please and thank you as I have seen several models and like the way you used the down spouts,,what if you had painted them black? Thanks again. If you ever do answer; QUESTION for summer: Can you over charge a solar panel? I know you put a switch. AND THANK YOU AGAIN
I was just thinking, why not heat water at the same time. Have to see if you have done it.
Why is the header and footer so large? Just wondering??? Your's seems to be the first I have seen that big. Looks great by the way, impressive
You need to show how you made them.
What has been done to address:
Closing up at night to prevent entrance of cold air from the outside via the in and out ducts in the south facing walls?
Closing up during summer to prevent entrance of hot air into the house via the in and out ducts in the south facing walls?
I have ventilation hole plugs that I remove in the morning and replace in the evening keep the heat generated inside the house. Solar House Heater 95C (203F) Feb 20, 2019 ua-cam.com/video/7S8CWsIcK20/v-deo.html
Definitely the most refined version I have seen on YT...May I ask where you got the solar cell that powers the fan? thanks
It would be helpful to have data on the heating capacity of the units and BTU's, etc.
Would love to see the actual detailed build
I need heat in my greenhouse. Electric heaters cost too much to operate all winter. I like your design but I'm concerned about night-time heat. Would copper and water last all night? I've also seen videos with geothermal heat. Could your system be piggy-backed to a geothermal system? Do you have any other ideas I could use?
William Quick
You could use this system to heat water by running copper pipes inside the box. Run the pipes to a storage tank inside your greenhouse or run the pipes under your greenhouse. Heating air only lasts as long as the sun is out. But heating water, rocks or cement (thermal mass) is the best solution for making it through the night. I hope this helps. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for posting this. Nice work!
Very good job!
Whats your opinion now after two years?
do have a video how you built them and how they operate? and links for fans and solar panels for prices?
@Airsled10
Not sure of the RPMs but I do know my fans are about 55 CFM (cubic feet per minute) I find the faster you move the air through the heater the cooler the air . Faster isn't always better.
Thanks for the comment.
Yes in the first solar heater I install a snap disk . I installed it in the upper manifold . What I have found is that with my fans running off of solar panels a snap disk is not needed .When the sun is out the fans start , when the sun goes behind a cloud the fans go off . I purchased the thermometers at Home Depot .
Thanks for watching
Where do you get the aluminum for the sides of the heater? what is it before you bend it. Is it rolled aluminum or flat? What gage is the aluminum
I used quarter inch plexiglass .Little pricey but I like the end result.
Hi Jim,
The fans have louvers that close when the fan turns off.
This stops the air flow.
In the summer time I have a switch that turns off the fans.
Thanks for the comment!
How long does it take to heat up? Cost for supplies? Is the system air tight from rain and such? How well does this work during the winter months? Same heat output?
No cold air at all. Solar panel runs the fan only when the sun is out.
Mann, you have done an amazing job 👍
Thank you!
@@sc3re temperature dips below minus in winters and upto 38 during few months of summers and our construction is neither suited for summers or harsh winters and your idea looks promising except in December and January 👍
Very nice looking. How much do you think they save you?
Hey man,
I am seriously planning to make one of these solar heaters asap and would love to know your basic building plan for constructing yours...looks great.
I hear 1 X 8 stock and downspouts. My main question is, how do the gutters connect inside? Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Also, do you have a source for the mini solar panel and fan?
@iwatau2 I just had a coil of white aluminum left over from a job .
I have had the same thoughts myself. There is no reason why you couldn't build two systems in one.Heating air is great, but when the sun goes down your heat is gone. When you heat water, you have thermal mass in the water. That thermal mass will hold the heat well into the night.
Like actual furnaces build a water system and send that to the solar heat collectors you make, only plumb them with copper instead of downspouts and run copper coils through water tanks throughout the house. Each circuit will thermosiphon from the differences throughout the system pumping automatically. The only method that I could think of that may allow the water warm enough is to prefill the system with scolding hot water, during peak solar times, then the system will stay warm and continue to operate until it becomes too cool, then you'd need a hotter heat source I think to get it hot fast enough to actually utilize it for heating the home.. You could also automate insulating panels to close the collectors and insulate them to keep the warm water or air from cooling to the outside temps. For water systems, a simple valve would do as well.
Awesome! Thanks for posting.
Great job...free heat
I am from Northern MI ( near Mac bridge) will this work in the northern parts? also what was the cost of these? can you also list everything ( ok, i am a girl) its just eaiser for me to go buy it all and get directions.my final goal is to live off grid and have no monthly costs on most things... thanks
I have another question about your heaters. What RPM fan do you use? I bought two fans that run 3700 rpm and they are a little noisy. I have built a window unit that installs on the inside of our dining room window. I am using 24" x 3" metal duct and have 10 tubes. It's running around 30 degrees hotter than the input air.
The reason for the inside install is we live in a stilt house with all upstairs windows.
I may have to install some vanes to direct the air flow to cover all the tubes.
awesome video, are the pipes just vertically stacked and not connected at the top and bottom. thanks from sunny UK
Your panels look better than the factory made ones. U build and sell? Im from Mi. too
Thanks Larry!
Larry