As a subcontractor working with water you may want to either extend the roofline or add a gutter above this solar wall. Keeping water off of this setup would likely extend its useful lifespan significantly in addition to keeping it cleaner which will aid in effectiveness. Adding light colored gravel or leftover metal roofing/siding material at the base on the ground would increase heat through reflectivity and lessen splashback and dirt buildup. Very nice job guys!
Yes, from what I understand, the data shows at least 2ft soffits for significantly preventing water infiltration. I think this comes from southern US hurricane zones. Great thinking with the ground reflective material. Never thought of that. Wondering what would be the better flat white and stay clean for the longest lifecycle?
There was (is?) a company in New Mexico Zomeworks that developed insulated reflective panels in conjunction with passive heat collection. You folded the panel to cover the collector at night.@@cliffmorgan31
This system you built is called the Trombe Wall, after engineer Félix Trombe who designed it in 1956. But he has installed a thicker heat absorbing material (stone wall), behind the glass so that the heat is stored and slowly released into the building for hours. You can use it for heating and cooling the house.
In the hot summer the sun doesn't shine in the south facing wall so the bricks get cold over night and cool off the house during the day. The sun shines on the east wall in the morning, and the west wall in the evening. @@georgeioannidis7953
@@georgeioannidis7953 To cool the house, you have to make openings in the north of the house just above the ground, so that the cool air comes in. But of course, that's not enough. On the Trombe Wall, if it was built correctly, there are tilting windows on the outside, which open outwards, i.e. protrude at an angle upwards. Now comes the trick... As the warm air rises to the top, it gets out of the window and draws in the cool air that comes in from the north and thus cools the house through a natural circulation. Without electricity!
@@susanneschauf7417 Kind of like the brick columns in castles to open the vent in the seller and opposite wall windows to exit the air on all the floors. On better buildings they built on 2 of these on opposite sides of house. They controlled an entire castle using this system. The attic fan opening with down stairs intake windows, is based on this principle.
We built these in Indiana about 40 years ago. We called them "traum walls". We used cement block walls filled with concrete to hold the heat. Worked fantastic
Trombe Wall - ancient thermal storage and passive solar design technique. Actual glass increases effectiveness since it changes the wavelength of the sun rays. Very useful passive energy technique. The thermal mass will slow the energy release to the times of the day when there is no more daylight and it’s the coldest. Love that you guys are experimenting with this!
I experienced a house about 40 years ago that was designed by an architect, a student of Frank Loyd Wright. Built around 1969, one feature was a sunken living room with black slate floors, 12ft tall window sections in a south facing wall, louvered screened vertical panels with doors that you open at dusk to let in the cool air ... close in the morning to keep out the summer heat. Soffit overhang was designed to help limit summer sun exposure. House was built on the bank of the towpath for the Miami Erie canal adjacent to the Maumee river. There were trees in front that provided shade in the summer, leaves drop off in the fall allowing more sun exposure when at lower angle. There was a lot of thermal mass in the slate and locally quarried limestone.
@@CarolHewett-ug2cw No name that I know of. Designed by a former student of FLW from Norman Oklahoma. The original owner that had it built, name was Ed Wolfram.
I own a similar house in Texas. The house was built in 1950 by a lady who didn't want to spend money on utilities. It's a very interesting house as it's 1475 sq ft but only 1 bedroom.
I was showing my husband your video because he had the same idea for one of our future shops. Anyways he recommended putting air filters on your bottom vents so the shop dust doesn't get in your air space making the sun not work as efficiently.
In the days before central heating those wealthy enough to build a large house with surrounding land usually built a conservatory onto the house which was basically a hot house made of glass panels. It was used to collect heat and light in the winter months and get rid of heat in the warmer months as many of the panels were opening windows and the glass area could be reduced with shades. Passive systems fell out of favour when new fangled inventions replaced them.
I've seen this concept in mother earth news years ago. One of the things about that design was having 24" roof overhang to shadow the wall as the sun rises with going into summer. That way, you're not heating in the summer. Also, drapping a lite plastic over the top vents will stop air back tracking through the wall at night acting as a one-way valve. I love your take on it. Great job and thanks for showing it off.
@@littlecountrykitchen you could also utilize it as a solar chimney by adding a vent to the outside so in the summer the hot air escapes out that vent, sucking cool air in from the opposite side of the shop.
A simple way to turn the fan on when the sun shines is to use a 12 vdc pv panel and 12 vdc computer muffin fans. Direct connect the pv to the fan. When sun shines fan is on, fan shuts off with no sun.
Recently used these panels to make a porch roof, they’re great like that. Slightly cooler in the summer, definitely warmer in the winter, and rainproof!
On your next one, consider alternating horizontal baffles so the air would have to snake back and forth and picking up more heat. You don’t want to short circuit. Great job though!
@@jankoodziej877Jan, I beg to differ with you. If it’s ok to allow the warmed air to miss flowing into other areas of the panel, then why not use a simple tube out of the house low, then right back into the house above? The objective is to soak up energy from the sun. You do want to balance the area of the path to ensure you don’t start loosing the energy due to conduction through the glass and bring into the house air at the same or lower than what you had going out! Remember that heat transfer is from Hot to Cold, regardless of conduction, convection or radiation or combination.
I have a similar system (smaller) on my Home this is our second winter, and on a sunny day here in SD, ours can push between 180 and 200f into our house and paid for itself the first winter. The one thing I had to retrofit onto ours was covers for the summer months, so once the outside air reaches nighttime temperature on average in the 40s and the day temperature in the 60s+, then our heater hits around 350f and can start to damage the unit. I cover our 4x8' unit with Exterior UVC alumna back foam board screwed onto the frame. I would advise you to come up with something similar as your system will be producing a lot of heat once the sun lifts above those trees. I, like your vent fans, took me forever to find something that works for our system. Informative video and a great project!
Do you have any pictures or video of your set-up? I am building small energy efficient homes in WI and would like to see your application. What did you use for glass/plastic, did you use metal or cement board inside,.... any help would be great. THANKS!
I have access to those panels for free at my work, though sporadic supply. I used these for the roof on my chicken house and run. I also made a small 4' square greenhouse to put over my Agave every winter. I brought it back from San Diego to Washington, and it has been fine for 7 years! I put a small light fixture with 100 watt light bulb with a terracotta pot over the light fixture, which heats up and keeps the greenhouse warm.
Kind of like the brick columns in castles combined with the open seller windows on opposite wall, which act as an elevator to exit older warmer air our the windows on all the other floors. On better buildings they built 2 of these brick columns on opposite sides of house. They controlled an entire castle using this system. The Egyptian Pharaohs had this skill down perfectly and could rush air into their temples and pyramids using colder night time desert cool air intake. I'm in AZ, still using this method I learned from my parents before the AC was invented. Since the 1800/1900, the attic fan opening venting exhaust air out the roof, combined with down stairs intake windows, is based on this early castle principle.
Larry hartweg designed a house within a house. About 2feet walk space in-between. South facing windows just like you did, but on both south facing walls. A small swimming pool, jacuzzi or water barrels and plants in the area between the two glass walls to capture heat. Very few windows if at all on the E,W,And N walls. An airspace under the inside house with 4ft of sand to hold heat. A chimney at the highest roof painted black and lever to control opening and closing for air flow up and out. Vents in each door to allow air flow. Second story floors or basements were doored off to prevent heat rising too much upward. He claimed there was a constant slight breeze that kept the house 70 degrees year round. Several houses scattered throughout America but no history saying where. I might try to build a tiny home on foundation to experiment
It’s not often I subscribe on a first viewing, it takes me usually a handful of episodes, not here ,I instantly felt comfortable with how you present yourselves, and your humble attitudes, not found often on UA-cam anymore. Kudos and keep en coming.
Some types of these thermal walls have an exterior top vent that can be opened in the summer so that the thermal chimney effect can be used to draw warm air out of the building with cool make-up air coming from the cooler northern exposure (optionally passing through buried piping). On the other hand, just removing the solar heat load from that wall with summer-time shade might be better. If you do move the powered vent to the bottom, as others have suggested already, you could potentially use the powered fans during summer to draw cool night air into the building. I just found your channel, so not sure yet what other projects you've got going on, but during the summer when you don't need the heat in the shop, with a little modification to add piping to some of the wall it could probably double as a solar hot water source. Finally, if you like passive systems, check out wax motors! They are often used on greenhouses to operate vent dampers. Basically its a sealed container of wax with a piston. As the wax heats up it expands and operates the piston. Very handy for physical control of temperature-responsive systems. Combine with a bi-stable flexure mechanism to make dampers that snap open and closed at various target temperatures.
Thanks for mentioning the wax motors. I knew someone must have invented something like this, but I haven't heard of these until now. Now I have to find someone who manufactures them, or draw up a plan to build them. This could help automate passive heating and cooling for day and night, summer and winter by opening and closing water valves, and airflow dampers and baffles.
It's called a Trombe wall. They've been in use for about 50 years now. The ideal design would have a mass wall behind it; about 6-10 inches of masonry to modulate the heat cycle in the system.
Just happened across your video. I like this idea, I'm going to do this but I am going to include some solar hot water heaters so that I have some dual use. I can use the hot water but it also will have added thermal mass to the wall - hopefully allowing it to heat the room past sundown. Thank you for sharing. Well thought out and great explanation of the process. I'm subscribing.
Wow, first time seeing a solar wall on a big scale like this. And it looks so good. Best free heat idea out there in the homestead solar community. The common name of these plastic panels are polycarbonate panels, comes in double and triple layer. Congrats on figuring out that light sensor relay thing, I get it. Small detail of improvement, a little bead of silicone in the hole before screwing the panels, so you don't get water in thru the screws. I know the panel drains, but it'll keep moisture from rotting out lumber long term. Good job at keeping the electronics fairly low tech and inexpensive.
My pops went a bought a pair of those electric metal sheers…that Dewalt makes…they work ok but he decided that the grinder and the skill saw with the metal blades work best…hate having to cut metal sheets like those…it’s a huge pain in the rear! But the metal does last so much longer and is a lot more durable then anything else…thought I’d share where I get the metal we use for a fraction of the cost…we went down to the scrapyard and asked if they sold it to the public by chance…$.25/lb and they had stacks of it…in really good shape too…we built a garage/shop that’s a 20’x20’ and only spent a total of $1500 altogether…the mostvexp naive part as the concrete and the screws lol…we had found some galvanized 3” tubing that were 18’ long with the ends pinched and holes in them…so we cut them in half and made the roof trusses out of them and used them to the wall framing….I still have to paint the outside to match my home but I thought it was a hell of a deal considering I’m a single mom living on a very tight budget..and now I can work on my vehicles inside a shop instead of out in this freezing cold…so maybe u could find the same sort of deal for ur future shop…if u have any scrap yards around just go and walk around and see what they’ve got stashed if they sell it back to the public like mine did…I love the solar panel idea too…gonna look into doing something like that for a greenhouse next….thanks for sharing! It looks totally awesome!
@thehomesteadingrd I would recommend trying it in *reverse*. The hot air you are collecting is blown...where it will stay, at the top of the room. Instead Reverse the flow of the air to pull the ceiling air, into the cavity that is warming, and let it push the warmed air out of the bottom vent. The warmed air will significantly improve how warm it feels by better mixing and putting heat where you are. Also, heat transfers fastest between things that are the most dissimilar in heat. So, since the air, floor, and items in the shop lowest are the coldest and will be improved more this way. Try it.
Great job!!! If you change the bottom vents tape a house wrap flap on the inside. this will seal the vents to prevent reverse flow of cold air at night. You can also add an overhang of about 2' to provide summer shading, there are calculators to define these for your Latitude.
Great job and video! Not sure if anyone else commented on maybe putting some filters on your bottom vents to keep your system clean of dust build up inside your wall. Just a random thought.
Very nice installation. I used to build a similar collector on homes in upstate NY in the early 80s for s company based in Petoskey MI. We would remove the siding, frame the collector with aluminum U channel. Place thermax (covered with an aluminum sheet) inside that frame. We used standoffs with channel between them to create a 2'x2' grid. We run two layers of aluminum screen vertically, and put glass over the grid using butyl tape to seal it. We would run a 6" duct with a squirrel cage blower, activated by a thermostat bulb inside the collector, from the top of the collector to the north side of the house. We used a sheet of plastic inside the return air as a reverse flow damper, which would prevent cold air leaking into the house. One improvement we made along the way was to add a recirculating loop with a transmission cooler as s hear exchanger. Two electric dampers in the 6" line would alternate state, so when the house was satisfied, hear would be directed over the heat exchanger, and circulate domestic hot water through it. That way a) the house wouldn't overheat, and b) you could hear your water solely with the collector in the summer. Cheers!
The sweetest clever couple .. Beautiful calm energy & wonderful detailed info !! Cheers .. I am most impressed by the respect you share for each other !
I came up with this type of idea a long time ago. My system is still priority to do commercially one day. But, I'm looking at going into prepper low tech solutions, with a number of designs for different things. However, I love seeing other people work it out. There is a Russian guy who does a lot of DIY geothermal solutions.
If you want to tweek it even further add an insulating blanket that rolls down. An insulated wall that tips down like a drawbridge also works and has the advantage of being a reflector on the backside, providing you make it reflective lol.
One problem I have run into is Overheating One time I smelled smoke and a piece of fabric had started to smoulder. One solution would be to build an Awning or an outside Rolled Shade that could be pulled down.
I built a solar wall small scale... 4'x8'. @8am 0 degrees F I was getting with morning sun 132f... Clouds would really cool off the wall as they passed so i used metal inside to absorb the heat and work as clouds passed.... Then I found the best trick to heat the air fast besides using metal painted black.... Was metal screen ...it raised the temperature fast in morning and speed startup time as clouds passed .... I used 12v fan on solar so really efficient....
Great job! The space between the walls will need direct venting outside for the summer as the temperature of it might get very high and ruin the clear plastic sheets in just a very few years.
@13:15 firstly got to say I love the videos and I think this is a genius method you guys did. About light sensors: my uncle was doing a project couple years back where he wanted a daytime and a night time sensor. He spent months looking and thinking and his expensive solution failed and he sent it back. He had broken one of those little solar panel driveway lights and he wired The sensor backwards in the flow of current and sure enough the thing turned on when it got light and turned off when it got dark. Don't know if that's helpful or if it would even work with the type of sensor you have. Again, love the videos!
Very cool and smart! Thanks for sharing! Just a side note, if you haven’t already done it, I highly recommend a blower door test! They’re the best way to find any areas where air can leak!
Very cool 👍👏❤️ I would like to recommend that for future videos film as the process goes on to teach what you are doing. You can either show us a bunch of short 10 minute videos as the process goes on or one longer video ( preferred by me 😂) to show us and teach us. Love you guys and will always support you!!
I totally agree and that's the plan going forward! We started on this solar wall before I started to make UA-cam videos (hence why all the in-process clips were all vertical and VERY short - I was planning on making a reel for IG at the time). Thanks for the suggestion!
If you use a light sensor that turns things on when it gets dark, hook it to a relay using the nc contact, When it gets dark the sensor will turn on power and open the nc contact shutting off power to the fans. I do love your use of passive solar heating.
I've been thinking about framing the inside of my connex and insulating it with pex all along the roof, the east end, and the south 40' side and putting a large insulated glycol tank in the connex to store heat in the tank and send it to the cabin at night Edit: basically the same idea, but heating and storing liquid instead of heating the air when the sun is out. I live in Alaska and storing the heat for night time is ideal for me.
I wonder if putting your vents on a dusk-till-dawn timer will aveviate the improper function of the light sensor? Great build, wonderful commentary, and your explanations are clear and consise. Thank you for sharing!
Maybe a simple flap at the outside bottom vents to act as a valve, so that cold air does not fall back into the shop would be worth trying? And a simple filter as others mentioned
That's pretty interesting. My first thought, without having really though what happens, was that an entirely passive system would be pretty cool. In other words, energy creates heat inside the air space, which naturally drafts air up and out in a constant current, which a ceiling fan could push down and mix into the larger space.
By using fans, it is possible to remove heat faster from the heat absorbing material. Cooler surfaces and cooler air will possibly increase the absorption and reduce the heat radiated or conducted back outside. The fans would also allow some control, pulling warm air inside when you wanted it while using the natural resistance to flow to reduce it when you didn't. The plastic covering will deteriorate more quickly the hotter it gets and the less the temperature extremes the less expansion and contraction it has to accommodate.
Great job on the solar collection wall. Back during the beginning of solar heating fad they were very common by DIYers. I’ve seen several on houses over the years and was surprised to see several taken down. Nice to see them making a comeback. The louvres on the air inlets might be useful come summer time.
I usually don't subscribe on a first watch, however your professional presentation and eager attempt to try this was intriguing. Thanks for sharing and keep them coming. Cheers to you both.
Long ago, in Wawa, ON, Canada, I built a solar wall-type heating system using corrugated metal roofing, metal stud framing, tempered glass shower doors from the dump after a local motel remodeled, and only 1" fiberglass insulation. I made a chicken wire bin filled with rocks and also insulated to store the heat overnight. Ppl don't realize, the coldest days are also the clearest, and so produce the most heat to make up for it. When it clouds over, it warms up. Do not use foam insulations for environmental as well as off-gassing reasons. What I learned was, can actually use no insulation if make a sealed layer and simply use quiet, low power computer cooling fans to maintain a slight vacuum. No insulation needed at all, just like a thermos coffee bottle. Point is, I never had another heating bill, and the house sold instantly at my asking price, because of this.
Or install a reverse flow damper inside the vent with a sheet of plastic, taped to the register along the top. The fan pulls the flap open when running, and the cold air pushes the flap down at night.
I've seen a similar System Incorporated into homes during the 70s in Arizona of all places. You might need to have a slight overhang to provide shade to your wall during the peak summer. Overtime you can tune it in.
I did a similar one, but actually made a greenhouse. For the lumber I used inexpensive cedar fence lumber. It had black painted water barrels for a heat sink. But it was in a warmer southern climate.
Great job. Re your original idea:Why not drill holes in the studs to allow the warming air to equalize before it enters the room. Its seems with carefully placed crossbracing you wouldnt weaken the walls. I think you just reinvented the Trombe wall
You have to extend the roofline, because at summer it is necessary to cover up from the sun and protect from water! Dont wait until summer because it generates a lots of heat. Cheers
Great idea and good job walking us through your installation process. I am positive this is going to help lots of people formulate a plan for their solar walls.
(1) How much of a gap was made between the green house panel and the black painted wall? 4", 3", 2" ? (2) Are those fans powerful enough or could you get more hot air with a faster circulation? (3) Wouldn't you want your hot air to come out at the ground level so the heat rises?
I think that your idea for the heat wall is great, IF you were living in the Arctic where the temperatures rarely get above 2-3 degrees, but what happens in your summer when you need cold air??? Your barn construction will be like an oven.
Several years ago I ran across a similar system and was wondering if I could do that on a larger scale to heat a building- you have proven it with this video. I also want to passively heat a shop in winter (haven't built the shop yet) but since I am in zone 4, this might be exactly what I will do. Thanks!
Modern windows (Marvin double pane with lowE) are failing in a conventionally heated building and are about 18 years old. They were pricey enough 18 yrs. ago. My climate is too harsh to be spending that kind of cash in a relatively short period of time. looking for alternatives.@@Crashbangable
Great Job. I think you will be happy that you can close the bottom vents in the summer. I have seen people run water tubing inside the solar wall to barrels full of water to absorb the suns energy. The theory being that even after the sun goes down the thermal mass releases its heat I was wondering what’s the highest temperature you have seen coming out of your upper vents.
Great video and thanks for breaking it down so well. 😎 I haven't installed one in years but for outside light controls I used to install a programmable switch that you could set the date and latitude on and combined with your reversing relay it would take care of your fan issues. It mounts indoors away from the elements ; a dozen or so years ago I think they were $40 ish dollars Canadian and fit in a standard electrical outlet box.
Hi, because of the way your wall works you might not even need the fans especially if you have a larger hole at the top you can make a thermal draft which will lower the cost again. Anyway nice work and it looks good.
Very cool system... As I am very into Earthships (selfsustainable structures), I was wondering if angling the wall out to about 25 to 30 degrees (so directly angled to the sun at winter solstice) would not capture more heat in winter and less heat (due to the sun hitting the panels at an angle) in summer. And then I wondered what that space within would be useful for, as it would have higher warmth and possibly humidity... a slender walk-through greenhouse maybe, accessable from the inside? Would love to hear your thoughts with your practical experience in building this.
Neat design, thanks for sharing. 3 to 4 degrees in the worse time of the year. Will have to check back to see how performs. I've been thinking about doing the same and have my Dads old greenhouse to restore with some more not wood framed sliding glass windows I got for free, like he did. Been thinking a double or triple burn high efficiency thermal mass heater of some sort would be a great improvement as well, outside of course and pipe the heat in. Min fuel consumption and the capabilities of using multi fuels. That coupled with some geothermal tubes and pipes while digging.
@@thehomesteadingrd this setup made me think that it could also generate electricity through either something like a sterling engine or perhaps using thermal electric pads that extract the heat and turn it into electricity at the same time while providing heat to the structure. anyway i really enjoyed this video, very informative.
It may be worth putting the fans at the bottom so that the rising warm air inside heats the wall while the wall heats the air from a higher starting temp. The lower fans will introduce heat to the living space instead of needing to fill the roof void before putting heat where you are. Great idea.
Nice system ! I have much the same plan running for 34 years trouble free. Large unit 220 square feet installed vertically ( no snow build up and utilizes reflecting light off of snow on the ground) full sun will generate 105 degrees on a January day with outside temps of -30. Heats 900 square feet to 70 F+ by early afternoon providing there good sun . It will operate on some cloud cover. Total cost and maintenance over the 34 years around $635 . Key to most efficient set up is a variable temp controller at cost of $70
KLT. Good job, both coming up with the idea, doing the work, and explaining what you did. PS I am 72 and have been around alternative methods since the 60s. There was a guy named Tomlinson, I think, back in the 70s who used similar methods in home construction. Just an FYI. Thanks
I made an 4'x8' solar box to hang on an outside wall. The horizontally divided airspace allowed heat build-up and was passive flow. Only ran one winter (moved), but it had nice warm output. Using the Durarock as a heat "bank" is a great Idea!
Great job! If you wish, in the next project you can try to paint black not the wall, but the slats of the blinds, glued with reflective foil on the back side. The blinds can be controlled from a thermal actuator (for example, a piston type).
Pushing more dense cold air is more efficient and "fan motor friendly" than pulling hot air across a fan motor. Consider putting the fan near the floor and pushing cold air. The thermometer that triggers the fan can still be near the top outlet. Can't argue with physics.
I have built a green house attached on the south side of my house and heats up the whole side. 20 degrees outside and inside 50 degrees. Yesterday it was 10 degrees and it was 40 degrees inside. I used polycarbonate roofing panels.
I have the same idea on my pole barn, but I simply put the lexan panels over the outside metal wall. The warm air comes in by convection without fans. It’s amazing how much heat from it.
I have studied Passive solar heating and understand every effect and benefit after operating the two Homes with south facing walls that just collected and released so much heat, to pay my heating would be costs 6 months out of each year. The system even heats a percentage on cloudy days with bright sun barely covered laying in more free solar Heat. My 4 giant maples reducing summer heat saves on ac by reducing energy needed to cool a hotter house.
@@thehomesteadingrd would be great to see it when the sun's out showing outside temperature's and inside temps, temp change throughout the day. Also temp differences between sunny days and cloudy days. Great job on the build! Maybe one of those trampoline type shade sails could help for the summer if needed.
Interesting that such a simple system works. I've studied solar heating and tried a few projects myself. Have you looked at traditional "trombe walls" and compared the method and theory with yours? I wonder how long the board stores heat for use after the sun goes down, and I wonder what happens during the summer--do you just close the fans or do you vent the system to outside?
Well-- Then extra points for inventing this more or less from scratch. Whatever the efficiency, your system was not too expensive and will save a lot of energy. @@thehomesteadingrd
@@pcatful Thanks! Ryan has a gift for looking at a problem and coming up with a solution on his own. One of my favorites of his was making a hot tub using a George Foreman grill heating element in college. Ha! Clearly, it won me over :) -Katie
Have you considered reversing the air flow? Meaning flip the fan register so when the air gets heated it blows return air into the greenhouse and heated air comes out down by the floor where you need it.
Yeah, we thought about it, but the thermostat and the fan wouldn't work properly because once it started to pull cool air it would shut itself off. Good idea, though!
@thehomesteadingrd This is a bit mind warping, but I setup a Thermostat hooked to a relay. So the fans operate in a range. Set the Thermostat for Auto switching between heating and cooling. Too hot, the fan kicks off, too cold, the fan also kicks off. Stays ON in the range you set that formerly kicked on the heat or AC.
You did a great job. Slightly oversized screw holes in the polycarbonate are vital, to allow for expansion and contraction. You obviously knew that. The R-value, by the way, for 8mm twin-wall polycarbonate, is 1.8 I think that's what you used. I use an angle grinder with ultra-thin cutting wheel to cut roofing metal. It works really well, but I do have to deburr the cut edges with a round chainsaw file. A professional would roll his eyes, I suppose, but it has worked for me for many years.
As a subcontractor working with water you may want to either extend the roofline or add a gutter above this solar wall. Keeping water off of this setup would likely extend its useful lifespan significantly in addition to keeping it cleaner which will aid in effectiveness. Adding light colored gravel or leftover metal roofing/siding material at the base on the ground would increase heat through reflectivity and lessen splashback and dirt buildup. Very nice job guys!
These are some great ideas! Thank you so much!
Silver/reflective metal on the ground out to 10 feet or so (figure angles) would increase amount of heat…
Yes, from what I understand, the data shows at least 2ft soffits for significantly preventing water infiltration. I think this comes from southern US hurricane zones. Great thinking with the ground reflective material. Never thought of that. Wondering what would be the better flat white and stay clean for the longest lifecycle?
There was (is?) a company in New Mexico Zomeworks that developed insulated reflective panels in conjunction with passive heat collection. You folded the panel to cover the collector at night.@@cliffmorgan31
@@jafinch78 2ft soffit would be great for throwing shade on the wall in the summer, and getting full sun in the winter.
This system you built is called the Trombe Wall, after engineer Félix Trombe who designed it in 1956. But he has installed a thicker heat absorbing material (stone wall), behind the glass so that the heat is stored and slowly released into the building for hours.
You can use it for heating and cooling the house.
I understand the heating process. But cooling? How?
In the hot summer the sun doesn't shine in the south facing wall so the bricks get cold over night and cool off the house during the day. The sun shines on the east wall in the morning, and the west wall in the evening. @@georgeioannidis7953
I didn't know this ❤
@@georgeioannidis7953 To cool the house, you have to make openings in the north of the house just above the ground, so that the cool air comes in. But of course, that's not enough.
On the Trombe Wall, if it was built correctly, there are tilting windows on the outside, which open outwards, i.e. protrude at an angle upwards.
Now comes the trick...
As the warm air rises to the top, it gets out of the window and draws in the cool air that comes in from the north and thus cools the house through a natural circulation. Without electricity!
@@susanneschauf7417 Kind of like the brick columns in castles to open the vent in the seller and opposite wall windows to exit the air on all the floors. On better buildings they built on 2 of these on opposite sides of house. They controlled an entire castle using this system.
The attic fan opening with down stairs intake windows, is based on this principle.
We built these in Indiana about 40 years ago. We called them "traum walls". We used cement block walls filled with concrete to hold the heat. Worked fantastic
So cool!
Trombe Wall - ancient thermal storage and passive solar design technique. Actual glass increases effectiveness since it changes the wavelength of the sun rays. Very useful passive energy technique. The thermal mass will slow the energy release to the times of the day when there is no more daylight and it’s the coldest. Love that you guys are experimenting with this!
Thé name comes from Felix Trombe - he designed quite few nice solutions (these walls, passive fridge, etc) and is definitely worth looking for ;)
yes and you can even poor some perlite in the concreet to improve a better buildup of the thermic function and the heat holding time
I experienced a house about 40 years ago that was designed by an architect, a student of Frank Loyd Wright. Built around 1969, one feature was a sunken living room with black slate floors, 12ft tall window sections in a south facing wall, louvered screened vertical panels with doors that you open at dusk to let in the cool air ... close in the morning to keep out the summer heat. Soffit overhang was designed to help limit summer sun exposure. House was built on the bank of the towpath for the Miami Erie canal adjacent to the Maumee river. There were trees in front that provided shade in the summer, leaves drop off in the fall allowing more sun exposure when at lower angle. There was a lot of thermal mass in the slate and locally quarried limestone.
I'm currently living in a FLW inspired house. Does the house you describe have a name?
Ill take it, when can you pick me up, im on superior sounds perfect to try erie
@@CarolHewett-ug2cw No name that I know of. Designed by a former student of FLW from Norman Oklahoma. The original owner that had it built, name was Ed Wolfram.
@@vaughnturley5475 thx
I own a similar house in Texas. The house was built in 1950 by a lady who didn't want to spend money on utilities. It's a very interesting house as it's 1475 sq ft but only 1 bedroom.
I was showing my husband your video because he had the same idea for one of our future shops. Anyways he recommended putting air filters on your bottom vents so the shop dust doesn't get in your air space making the sun not work as efficiently.
That is an excellent idea!!! Thank you!!
hmn, like a laundry filter, good idea that way the space is prevented from ever running into efficiency issues down the road.
do you have a backhoe? you might consider trenching as deep as possible outside of wall and utilize geothermal heat. also
@@thehomesteadingrd Filter all the vents to keep insects out.
In the days before central heating those wealthy enough to build a large house with surrounding land usually built a conservatory onto the house which was basically a hot house made of glass panels. It was used to collect heat and light in the winter months and get rid of heat in the warmer months as many of the panels were opening windows and the glass area could be reduced with shades. Passive systems fell out of favour when new fangled inventions replaced them.
I've seen this concept in mother earth news years ago. One of the things about that design was having 24" roof overhang to shadow the wall as the sun rises with going into summer. That way, you're not heating in the summer. Also, drapping a lite plastic over the top vents will stop air back tracking through the wall at night acting as a one-way valve.
I love your take on it. Great job and thanks for showing it off.
Great ideas!!! Thank you!
I was wondering how to combat the heat in summer ☀️
@@littlecountrykitchen you could also utilize it as a solar chimney by adding a vent to the outside so in the summer the hot air escapes out that vent, sucking cool air in from the opposite side of the shop.
A simple way to turn the fan on when the sun shines is to use a 12 vdc pv panel and 12 vdc computer muffin fans. Direct connect the pv to the fan. When sun shines fan is on, fan shuts off with no sun.
Indeed, the same way my 12 volt circ pump controls flow thru my solar hot water panels, all 9 of them.
Recently used these panels to make a porch roof, they’re great like that. Slightly cooler in the summer, definitely warmer in the winter, and rainproof!
So neat! Thanks for sharing
On your next one, consider alternating horizontal baffles so the air would have to snake back and forth and picking up more heat. You don’t want to short circuit. Great job though!
that's a great idea, as it will heat up the air because it takes a bit longer.
It doesn't really matter that much, same effect if the fan goes a bit slower. It's a closed loop anyway.
@@jankoodziej877Jan, I beg to differ with you. If it’s ok to allow the warmed air to miss flowing into other areas of the panel, then why not use a simple tube out of the house low, then right back into the house above? The objective is to soak up energy from the sun. You do want to balance the area of the path to ensure you don’t start loosing the energy due to conduction through the glass and bring into the house air at the same or lower than what you had going out! Remember that heat transfer is from Hot to Cold, regardless of conduction, convection or radiation or combination.
I have a similar system (smaller) on my Home this is our second winter, and on a sunny day here in SD, ours can push between 180 and 200f into our house and paid for itself the first winter. The one thing I had to retrofit onto ours was covers for the summer months, so once the outside air reaches nighttime temperature on average in the 40s and the day temperature in the 60s+, then our heater hits around 350f and can start to damage the unit. I cover our 4x8' unit with Exterior UVC alumna back foam board screwed onto the frame. I would advise you to come up with something similar as your system will be producing a lot of heat once the sun lifts above those trees. I, like your vent fans, took me forever to find something that works for our system. Informative video and a great project!
Great ideas!!! Thank you!
Do you have any pictures or video of your set-up? I am building small energy efficient homes in WI and would like to see your application. What did you use for glass/plastic, did you use metal or cement board inside,.... any help would be great. THANKS!
I have access to those panels for free at my work, though sporadic supply. I used these for the roof on my chicken house and run. I also made a small 4' square greenhouse to put over my Agave every winter. I brought it back from San Diego to Washington, and it has been fine for 7 years! I put a small light fixture with 100 watt light bulb with a terracotta pot over the light fixture, which heats up and keeps the greenhouse warm.
Kind of like the brick columns in castles combined with the open seller windows on opposite wall, which act as an elevator to exit older warmer air our the windows on all the other floors.
On better buildings they built 2 of these brick columns on opposite sides of house. They controlled an entire castle using this system. The Egyptian Pharaohs had this skill down perfectly and could rush air into their temples and pyramids using colder night time desert cool air intake. I'm in AZ, still using this method I learned from my parents before the AC was invented.
Since the 1800/1900, the attic fan opening venting exhaust air out the roof, combined with down stairs intake windows, is based on this early castle principle.
Larry hartweg designed a house within a house. About 2feet walk space in-between. South facing windows just like you did, but on both south facing walls. A small swimming pool, jacuzzi or water barrels and plants in the area between the two glass walls to capture heat. Very few windows if at all on the E,W,And N walls. An airspace under the inside house with 4ft of sand to hold heat. A chimney at the highest roof painted black and lever to control opening and closing for air flow up and out.
Vents in each door to allow air flow. Second story floors or basements were doored off to prevent heat rising too much upward.
He claimed there was a constant slight breeze that kept the house 70 degrees year round. Several houses scattered throughout America but no history saying where. I might try to build a tiny home on foundation to experiment
It’s not often I subscribe on a first viewing, it takes me usually a handful of episodes, not here ,I instantly felt comfortable with how you present yourselves, and your humble attitudes, not found often on UA-cam anymore. Kudos and keep en coming.
This comment made our day! Thank you ☺️
Some types of these thermal walls have an exterior top vent that can be opened in the summer so that the thermal chimney effect can be used to draw warm air out of the building with cool make-up air coming from the cooler northern exposure (optionally passing through buried piping). On the other hand, just removing the solar heat load from that wall with summer-time shade might be better.
If you do move the powered vent to the bottom, as others have suggested already, you could potentially use the powered fans during summer to draw cool night air into the building.
I just found your channel, so not sure yet what other projects you've got going on, but during the summer when you don't need the heat in the shop, with a little modification to add piping to some of the wall it could probably double as a solar hot water source.
Finally, if you like passive systems, check out wax motors! They are often used on greenhouses to operate vent dampers. Basically its a sealed container of wax with a piston. As the wax heats up it expands and operates the piston. Very handy for physical control of temperature-responsive systems. Combine with a bi-stable flexure mechanism to make dampers that snap open and closed at various target temperatures.
Good idea since my thought was also how to cool the building in summer.
Thanks for mentioning the wax motors. I knew someone must have invented something like this, but I haven't heard of these until now. Now I have to find someone who manufactures them, or draw up a plan to build them. This could help automate passive heating and cooling for day and night, summer and winter by opening and closing water valves, and airflow dampers and baffles.
It's called a Trombe wall. They've been in use for about 50 years now. The ideal design would have a mass wall behind it; about 6-10 inches of masonry to modulate the heat cycle in the system.
Just happened across your video. I like this idea, I'm going to do this but I am going to include some solar hot water heaters so that I have some dual use. I can use the hot water but it also will have added thermal mass to the wall - hopefully allowing it to heat the room past sundown. Thank you for sharing. Well thought out and great explanation of the process. I'm subscribing.
Wow, first time seeing a solar wall on a big scale like this. And it looks so good. Best free heat idea out there in the homestead solar community. The common name of these plastic panels are polycarbonate panels, comes in double and triple layer. Congrats on figuring out that light sensor relay thing, I get it. Small detail of improvement, a little bead of silicone in the hole before screwing the panels, so you don't get water in thru the screws. I know the panel drains, but it'll keep moisture from rotting out lumber long term. Good job at keeping the electronics fairly low tech and inexpensive.
My pops went a bought a pair of those electric metal sheers…that Dewalt makes…they work ok but he decided that the grinder and the skill saw with the metal blades work best…hate having to cut metal sheets like those…it’s a huge pain in the rear! But the metal does last so much longer and is a lot more durable then anything else…thought I’d share where I get the metal we use for a fraction of the cost…we went down to the scrapyard and asked if they sold it to the public by chance…$.25/lb and they had stacks of it…in really good shape too…we built a garage/shop that’s a 20’x20’ and only spent a total of $1500 altogether…the mostvexp naive part as the concrete and the screws lol…we had found some galvanized 3” tubing that were 18’ long with the ends pinched and holes in them…so we cut them in half and made the roof trusses out of them and used them to the wall framing….I still have to paint the outside to match my home but I thought it was a hell of a deal considering I’m a single mom living on a very tight budget..and now I can work on my vehicles inside a shop instead of out in this freezing cold…so maybe u could find the same sort of deal for ur future shop…if u have any scrap yards around just go and walk around and see what they’ve got stashed if they sell it back to the public like mine did…I love the solar panel idea too…gonna look into doing something like that for a greenhouse next….thanks for sharing! It looks totally awesome!
@thehomesteadingrd I would recommend trying it in *reverse*. The hot air you are collecting is blown...where it will stay, at the top of the room.
Instead
Reverse the flow of the air to pull the ceiling air, into the cavity that is warming, and let it push the warmed air out of the bottom vent.
The warmed air will significantly improve how warm it feels by better mixing and putting heat where you are.
Also, heat transfers fastest between things that are the most dissimilar in heat. So, since the air, floor, and items in the shop lowest are the coldest and will be improved more this way.
Try it.
Great job!!! If you change the bottom vents tape a house wrap flap on the inside. this will seal the vents to prevent reverse flow of cold air at night. You can also add an overhang of about 2' to provide summer shading, there are calculators to define these for your Latitude.
Like your house wrap idea, for reverse air flow. Run my fan on cool evenings to offset air cond
No joke I was just thinking about how to do this in our little living space the other day. This is a sweet, and very simple design for this.
I’m glad you found it helpful! Good luck!
Great job and video! Not sure if anyone else commented on maybe putting some filters on your bottom vents to keep your system clean of dust build up inside your wall. Just a random thought.
Very nice installation.
I used to build a similar collector on homes in upstate NY in the early 80s for s company based in Petoskey MI.
We would remove the siding, frame the collector with aluminum U channel. Place thermax (covered with an aluminum sheet) inside that frame. We used standoffs with channel between them to create a 2'x2' grid. We run two layers of aluminum screen vertically, and put glass over the grid using butyl tape to seal it. We would run a 6" duct with a squirrel cage blower, activated by a thermostat bulb inside the collector, from the top of the collector to the north side of the house. We used a sheet of plastic inside the return air as a reverse flow damper, which would prevent cold air leaking into the house.
One improvement we made along the way was to add a recirculating loop with a transmission cooler as s hear exchanger. Two electric dampers in the 6" line would alternate state, so when the house was satisfied, hear would be directed over the heat exchanger, and circulate domestic hot water through it. That way a) the house wouldn't overheat, and b) you could hear your water solely with the collector in the summer.
Cheers!
I love hearing ya'll troubled shooting and explaining your process. Ya'll are such an awesome couple ❤😺
Thank you! We make a good team! :)
This is a really good idea and your work ethic is great. Can't wait to see what you guys do next. ❤
More to come!
The sweetest clever couple .. Beautiful calm energy & wonderful detailed info !! Cheers .. I am most impressed by the respect you share for each other !
Thank you so much! :) We're a good team
Thank you so much. I had forgotten about this technique. I'm designing my own studio and will incorporate something like it. Well done!
Glad it was helpful!
I came up with this type of idea a long time ago. My system is still priority to do commercially one day. But, I'm looking at going into prepper low tech solutions, with a number of designs for different things. However, I love seeing other people work it out. There is a Russian guy who does a lot of DIY geothermal solutions.
If you want to tweek it even further add an insulating blanket that rolls down. An insulated wall that tips down like a drawbridge also works and has the advantage of being a reflector on the backside, providing you make it reflective lol.
Very cool idea! Love how you used the variable fans with the wall. Thanks for the content!
You guys did an awesome job, I love it.
Thank you so much!
One problem I have run into is Overheating
One time I smelled smoke and a piece of fabric had started to smoulder.
One solution would be to build an Awning or an outside Rolled Shade that could be pulled down.
Looks like a typical Trombe Wall, I've seen them being used in Northern New Mexico for the last 40 years. It's a great system.
I’m so glad to hear it!
I built my 20ft wheelhouse using a similar concept. Not done yet but my test panel created 140 degrees in a 41 1/2 x 80 void.
I built a solar wall small scale... 4'x8'. @8am 0 degrees F I was getting with morning sun 132f... Clouds would really cool off the wall as they passed so i used metal inside to absorb the heat and work as clouds passed.... Then I found the best trick to heat the air fast besides using metal painted black.... Was metal screen ...it raised the temperature fast in morning and speed startup time as clouds passed .... I used 12v fan on solar so really efficient....
Wow! That sounds like an awesome setup!
Thanks for making this vid. It’s exactly what I’d been wanting to do in my shop in MN for years!
Cool! Definitely give it a go! 🙌🏼
Great job!
The space between the walls will need direct venting outside for the summer as the temperature of it might get very high and ruin the clear plastic sheets in just a very few years.
Man glad to see someone do this been thinking about this for years
@13:15 firstly got to say I love the videos and I think this is a genius method you guys did.
About light sensors: my uncle was doing a project couple years back where he wanted a daytime and a night time sensor. He spent months looking and thinking and his expensive solution failed and he sent it back.
He had broken one of those little solar panel driveway lights and he wired The sensor backwards in the flow of current and sure enough the thing turned on when it got light and turned off when it got dark. Don't know if that's helpful or if it would even work with the type of sensor you have. Again, love the videos!
Very cool and smart! Thanks for sharing! Just a side note, if you haven’t already done it, I highly recommend a blower door test! They’re the best way to find any areas where air can leak!
Very nice presentation. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Very cool 👍👏❤️ I would like to recommend that for future videos film as the process goes on to teach what you are doing. You can either show us a bunch of short 10 minute videos as the process goes on or one longer video ( preferred by me 😂) to show us and teach us.
Love you guys and will always support you!!
I totally agree and that's the plan going forward! We started on this solar wall before I started to make UA-cam videos (hence why all the in-process clips were all vertical and VERY short - I was planning on making a reel for IG at the time). Thanks for the suggestion!
If you use a light sensor that turns things on when it gets dark, hook it to a relay using the nc contact, When it gets dark the sensor will turn on power and open the nc contact shutting off power to the fans. I do love your use of passive solar heating.
Great concept, nice to see your application, really useful and cheap principle if you have wall space available like this.
I've been thinking about framing the inside of my connex and insulating it with pex all along the roof, the east end, and the south 40' side and putting a large insulated glycol tank in the connex to store heat in the tank and send it to the cabin at night Edit: basically the same idea, but heating and storing liquid instead of heating the air when the sun is out. I live in Alaska and storing the heat for night time is ideal for me.
R15 is the pannels resistance value or insulation value. The thicker the pannel, the more it can resist the colder Temps transferring to the inside.
I wonder if putting your vents on a dusk-till-dawn timer will aveviate the improper function of the light sensor? Great build, wonderful commentary, and your explanations are clear and consise. Thank you for sharing!
Maybe a simple flap at the outside bottom vents to act as a valve, so that cold air does not fall back into the shop would be worth trying?
And a simple filter as others mentioned
That's pretty interesting. My first thought, without having really though what happens, was that an entirely passive system would be pretty cool. In other words, energy creates heat inside the air space, which naturally drafts air up and out in a constant current, which a ceiling fan could push down and mix into the larger space.
By using fans, it is possible to remove heat faster from the heat absorbing material. Cooler surfaces and cooler air will possibly increase the absorption and reduce the heat radiated or conducted back outside. The fans would also allow some control, pulling warm air inside when you wanted it while using the natural resistance to flow to reduce it when you didn't. The plastic covering will deteriorate more quickly the hotter it gets and the less the temperature extremes the less expansion and contraction it has to accommodate.
Great job on the solar collection wall. Back during the beginning of solar heating fad they were very common by DIYers. I’ve seen several on houses over the years and was surprised to see several taken down. Nice to see them making a comeback. The louvres on the air inlets might be useful come summer time.
Very clever, well thought out and adapted to your climate. The fact you know your climate zone says a lot about your attention to detail.
I usually don't subscribe on a first watch, however your professional presentation and eager attempt to try this was intriguing. Thanks for sharing and keep them coming. Cheers to you both.
Long ago, in Wawa, ON, Canada, I built a solar wall-type heating system using corrugated metal roofing, metal stud framing, tempered glass shower doors from the dump after a local motel remodeled, and only 1" fiberglass insulation. I made a chicken wire bin filled with rocks and also insulated to store the heat overnight. Ppl don't realize, the coldest days are also the clearest, and so produce the most heat to make up for it. When it clouds over, it warms up. Do not use foam insulations for environmental as well as off-gassing reasons. What I learned was, can actually use no insulation if make a sealed layer and simply use quiet, low power computer cooling fans to maintain a slight vacuum. No insulation needed at all, just like a thermos coffee bottle. Point is, I never had another heating bill, and the house sold instantly at my asking price, because of this.
Close all your vents at night, or you will let in cold air at night. Awesome job!
Good tip!
Or install a reverse flow damper inside the vent with a sheet of plastic, taped to the register along the top. The fan pulls the flap open when running, and the cold air pushes the flap down at night.
Appreciate hearing of your successes and what you learned to improve. Sharing is caring.
My pleasure!
I've seen a similar System Incorporated into homes during the 70s in Arizona of all places.
You might need to have a slight overhang to provide shade to your wall during the peak summer.
Overtime you can tune it in.
I did a similar one, but actually made a greenhouse. For the lumber I used inexpensive cedar fence lumber. It had black painted water barrels for a heat sink. But it was in a warmer southern climate.
My greenhouse is a geodesic dome using the same plastic panels. It heats fine even in freezing weather.
Great concept 💡 👌 👍
Look forward to a follow up!!
Coming soon!
Awesome job. I did this about 24 years ago. Works really good.
I’m so glad to hear it!!
Right off the bat, you guys are awesome.
Aw thank you! ♥️
Great job. Re your original idea:Why not drill holes in the studs to allow the warming air to equalize before it enters the room. Its seems with carefully placed crossbracing you wouldnt weaken the walls. I think you just reinvented the Trombe wall
Thank you, keep working.
Thanks, will do!
You have to extend the roofline, because at summer it is necessary to cover up from the sun and protect from water! Dont wait until summer because it generates a lots of heat. Cheers
Great idea and good job walking us through your installation process.
I am positive this is going to help lots of people formulate a plan for their solar walls.
I hope so too! Thank you!! ☺️☺️
It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. Great video!
(1) How much of a gap was made between the green house panel and the black painted wall? 4", 3", 2" ? (2) Are those fans powerful enough or could you get more hot air with a faster circulation? (3) Wouldn't you want your hot air to come out at the ground level so the heat rises?
What beautiful children may God bless your family
I think that your idea for the heat wall is great, IF you were living in the Arctic where the temperatures rarely get above 2-3 degrees, but what happens in your summer when you need cold air??? Your barn construction will be like an oven.
a really inventive way to use what is around you and minnesota is cold around winter solstice. iliked the simplicity of it.
Very interesting. Ingenious. Only question how does it work in summer when you want coolness?
Several years ago I ran across a similar system and was wondering if I could do that on a larger scale to heat a building- you have proven it with this video. I also want to passively heat a shop in winter (haven't built the shop yet) but since I am in zone 4, this might be exactly what I will do. Thanks!
Moden windows can out perform a trombe wall but might cost more upfront.
Modern windows (Marvin double pane with lowE) are failing in a conventionally heated building and are about 18 years old. They were pricey enough 18 yrs. ago. My climate is too harsh to be spending that kind of cash in a relatively short period of time. looking for alternatives.@@Crashbangable
Great Job.
I think you will be happy that you can close the bottom vents in the summer. I have seen people run water tubing inside the solar wall to barrels full of water to absorb the suns energy. The theory being that even after the sun goes down the thermal mass releases its heat
I was wondering what’s the highest temperature you have seen coming out of your upper vents.
Stone or concrete mass can work for that too. But flowing water does probably battery more thermal energy. Then again, moving/leaking parts.
It's quite cool up that far north, even in summer. Most days are less than 85 degrees
Great video and thanks for breaking it down so well. 😎
I haven't installed one in years but for outside light controls I used to install a programmable switch that you could set the date and latitude on and combined with your reversing relay it would take care of your fan issues. It mounts indoors away from the elements ; a dozen or so years ago I think they were $40 ish dollars Canadian and fit in a standard electrical outlet box.
Hi, because of the way your wall works you might not even need the fans especially if you have a larger hole at the top you can make a thermal draft which will lower the cost again.
Anyway nice work and it looks good.
I think you'd find that the air would stagnate in the collector. The fan actively moves it through.
Very cool system... As I am very into Earthships (selfsustainable structures), I was wondering if angling the wall out to about 25 to 30 degrees (so directly angled to the sun at winter solstice) would not capture more heat in winter and less heat (due to the sun hitting the panels at an angle) in summer. And then I wondered what that space within would be useful for, as it would have higher warmth and possibly humidity... a slender walk-through greenhouse maybe, accessable from the inside? Would love to hear your thoughts with your practical experience in building this.
For winter climates a vertical wall tends to work better, it keeps the snow off and also captures reflected light off the snow in front.
Good thinking/reasoning kids. I've seen variations of this concept but, never done exactly like this.Well done indeed.
Neat design, thanks for sharing. 3 to 4 degrees in the worse time of the year. Will have to check back to see how performs. I've been thinking about doing the same and have my Dads old greenhouse to restore with some more not wood framed sliding glass windows I got for free, like he did. Been thinking a double or triple burn high efficiency thermal mass heater of some sort would be a great improvement as well, outside of course and pipe the heat in. Min fuel consumption and the capabilities of using multi fuels. That coupled with some geothermal tubes and pipes while digging.
I have totally had to put a relay on a light sensor before! 😂 I love this idea though! 👍
Thank you!
@@thehomesteadingrd
this setup made me think that it could also generate electricity through either something like a sterling engine or perhaps using thermal electric pads that extract the heat and turn it into electricity at the same time while providing heat to the structure.
anyway i really enjoyed this video, very informative.
Thank Y❤U for Sharing
Great job! I hope it works out wonderfully. Thanks for sharing.
I hope so too! Thanks
We are going with a modified Earthship style greenhouse - great video on the material!! Thank you both!!
It may be worth putting the fans at the bottom so that the rising warm air inside heats the wall while the wall heats the air from a higher starting temp. The lower fans will introduce heat to the living space instead of needing to fill the roof void before putting heat where you are. Great idea.
Nice system ! I have much the same plan running for 34 years trouble free. Large unit 220 square feet installed vertically ( no snow build up and utilizes reflecting light off of snow on the ground) full sun will generate 105 degrees on a January day with outside temps of -30. Heats 900 square feet to 70 F+ by early afternoon providing there good sun . It will operate on some cloud cover. Total cost and maintenance over the 34 years around $635 . Key to most efficient set up is a variable temp controller at cost of $70
Cool!!! We’re so glad to hear that it’s been working well long term!
I can tell you guys are good people
KLT. Good job, both coming up with the idea, doing the work, and explaining what you did. PS I am 72 and have been around alternative methods since the 60s. There was a guy named Tomlinson, I think, back in the 70s who used similar methods in home construction. Just an FYI. Thanks
I made an 4'x8' solar box to hang on an outside wall. The horizontally divided airspace allowed heat build-up and was passive flow. Only ran one winter (moved), but it had nice warm output. Using the Durarock as a heat "bank" is a great Idea!
Great job!
If you wish, in the next project you can try to paint black not the wall, but the slats of the blinds, glued with reflective foil on the back side. The blinds can be controlled from a thermal actuator (for example, a piston type).
Pushing more dense cold air is more efficient and "fan motor friendly" than pulling hot air across a fan motor. Consider putting the fan near the floor and pushing cold air. The thermometer that triggers the fan can still be near the top outlet. Can't argue with physics.
That actually makes alot of sense. Since hot air expands, you'll get more heat flow with the same fan.
I have built a green house attached on the south side of my house and heats up the whole side. 20 degrees outside and inside 50 degrees. Yesterday it was 10 degrees and it was 40 degrees inside. I used polycarbonate roofing panels.
Good Saturday morning from Forest lake Minnesota!!! Super fantastic episode! Tanya and I can't wait to visit you guys and see it!
Come on up!!!
Similarities to a “trombe wall” for (semi-)passive heat.
I have the same idea on my pole barn, but I simply put the lexan panels over the outside metal wall. The warm air comes in by convection without fans. It’s amazing how much heat from it.
I have studied Passive solar heating and understand every effect and benefit after operating the two Homes with south facing walls that just collected and released so much heat, to pay my heating would be costs 6 months out of each year. The system even heats a percentage on cloudy days with bright sun barely covered laying in more free solar Heat. My 4 giant maples reducing summer heat saves on ac by reducing energy needed to cool a hotter house.
Please do an update video. Is very informative.
We sure will!
@@thehomesteadingrd would be great to see it when the sun's out showing outside temperature's and inside temps, temp change throughout the day. Also temp differences between sunny days and cloudy days. Great job on the build! Maybe one of those trampoline type shade sails could help for the summer if needed.
Interesting that such a simple system works. I've studied solar heating and tried a few projects myself. Have you looked at traditional "trombe walls" and compared the method and theory with yours? I wonder how long the board stores heat for use after the sun goes down, and I wonder what happens during the summer--do you just close the fans or do you vent the system to outside?
I’ve never heard of trombe walls before - we’ll have to check them out! Thanks! Unfortunately the cement board doesn’t hold heat too long.
Well-- Then extra points for inventing this more or less from scratch. Whatever the efficiency, your system was not too expensive and will save a lot of energy. @@thehomesteadingrd
@@pcatful Thanks! Ryan has a gift for looking at a problem and coming up with a solution on his own. One of my favorites of his was making a hot tub using a George Foreman grill heating element in college. Ha! Clearly, it won me over :) -Katie
Have you considered reversing the air flow? Meaning flip the fan register so when the air gets heated it blows return air into the greenhouse and heated air comes out down by the floor where you need it.
Yeah, we thought about it, but the thermostat and the fan wouldn't work properly because once it started to pull cool air it would shut itself off. Good idea, though!
@@thehomesteadingrd look at trying to move the fan to the floor and pull the air down from the top.
@thehomesteadingrd This is a bit mind warping, but I setup a Thermostat hooked to a relay. So the fans operate in a range. Set the Thermostat for Auto switching between heating and cooling. Too hot, the fan kicks off, too cold, the fan also kicks off. Stays ON in the range you set that formerly kicked on the heat or AC.
From the look I guess the 15 in "Clearview 15" is probably the thickness of 15 millimeters. Welcome to the metric system, you mastered it
You did a great job. Slightly oversized screw holes in the polycarbonate are vital, to allow for expansion and contraction. You obviously knew that. The R-value, by the way, for 8mm twin-wall polycarbonate, is 1.8 I think that's what you used. I use an angle grinder with ultra-thin cutting wheel to cut roofing metal. It works really well, but I do have to deburr the cut edges with a round chainsaw file. A professional would roll his eyes, I suppose, but it has worked for me for many years.