Building your own solar furnace can help heat areas of your home. There are a number of kits available commercially but you can find the necessary materials for a small solar furnace lying about your home. Plus, you’ll save money while recycling some items helping to keep your environment a little greener.
Materials Needed
•Plywood sheets
•2 X 4s
•50 empty aluminum soda cans
•Black paint
•An old vacuum hose
•PVC three-quarter inch pipes
Make a Box
The first chore is to make a box using a plywood sheet and 2 X 4 lumber. The size of the box created will be dependent upon the number of soda cans that will be used. For this purpose, 50 are chosen so the box will need to be large enough to accommodate five rows of 10 empty soda cans. Make sure a little bit of space is left near the top allowing for air to circulate. These soda cans act as the absorbing plate for your homemade solar furnace.
Make It Airtight
After assembling the box, apply adhesive caulk to any and all areas to keep air from escaping. Drill a ¾ inch hole in the bottom of 45 cans. Drill a hole in the side of each of the last cans. This will create ventilation for the homemade solar furnace. Then place the cans on top of one another using adhesive to connect them. Allow the adhesive to dry before proceeding to paint them.
Paint ‘Em Black
Once the adhesive dries paint the cans black to help them absorb the sun’s energy.
Drill the hole
At the top of the box, drill a hole to fit the vacuum hose you will insert here. The hose will disperse incoming air evenly throughout the absorption plate (soda cans). Make sure the hose is caulked and anchored to the inside of the box. Also make sure the five rows of cans are secured within the box.
More Paint
Protect the outside of the box by applying weather proofing paint or wood stain. The last addition to your homemade solar furnace should be a Plexiglas cover that is simply caulked to the front to keep it in place.
Stand and Point
Now that the solar furnace is complete, take the PVC piping to make a frame to keep the box off the ground. Having your solar furnace mobile will allow it to be angled at the best position to capture the sun’s light that, in turn can help heat a portion of the home or possibly a small work space in a garage or outside shed. You may need to experiment with angling your new solar furnace to discover the best spot to capture the sun’s rays.
Buy a Kit
If you feel you are not handy enough to create your own homemade solar furnace from scratch, search the Internet for one of the available commercial kits that will help you capture the sun’s energy.
