The idea of going green and saving money on energy costs at the same time can be appealing, but the initial cost of hiring a company to install solar collectors and all the related materials will require a big leap of faith the you will save enough on the cost of electricity to pay for the initial installation before the parts begin to deteriorate.
Many of those do-it-yourselfers find that starting with a small project is an easy way to learn about solar collectors and how it can save them money. One project can be done in less than a day using materials usually found around the house to heat a small area of their home such as an unheated garage. To do this you will need:
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Wood boards to build a frame
- Empty aluminum drink cans
- Small metal cutting shears
- Several small lengths of wire
- A piece of Plexiglas or glass large enough to cover the completed frame
- Piece of plastic hose at least two-inches in diameter about a foot long
Building the collector housing takes most of the project’s time
To begin, construct the frame as a rectangle, large enough to house at least 48 empty, standard size soda cans. The average soda can is five-inches tall and two-and-a-half-inches thick. The frame built 40-inches wide and 20-inches high, inside measurements, will hold 64 empty cans. The back of this box can be a solid piece of wood or heavy-duty plastic, but half-inch thick plywood or particleboard will work just fine.
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Measure size of the collector housing
- Calculate the number of cans needed
- Use nail or hole punch to make space for wire
Using the metal shears, cut out the bottom of the can. The top already has an opening through which the content was consumed, and when placed end-to-end will provide a continuous line of cans. A small hole needs to be punched through the bottom and top of all cans, one on each side, through which the wire is placed to tie the cans together.
The cans are then placed in the box in a serpentine manner, creating a continuous metal "hose" with the can at the beginning of the section closed at the top. A hole will need to be drilled in the back of the box with a matching hole in the last can in the sequence.
Collector placement is key to success
The glass cover is then placed on the box and the collector is positioned where it will have plenty of sunshine. In nearly every location in the northern hemisphere, the most sunlight comes from the south. A garage wall that faces south without a lot of trees or other growth that will limit the time the sun hits the solar collector will be ideal.
- Exterior wall must face south
- Consider season when installing solar collector as tree branches grow in summer
- Keep glass cover clean to maximize heating capability
Once your solar collector is fastened to the exterior wall, drill a hole in the garage wall,, lining it up with the hole in the back of the solar collector and running it through the wall and into the garage. As the sun heats the air inside the cans, it will be forced through the hose and into the garage.
This size of solar collector probably will not melt ice inside the garage during the coldest days, but a larger one can provide enough heat to take some of the chill out of the air while the homeowner learns how a solar collector can provide free heat energy.
Useful Resources
- Wikipedia on thermal solar heat for information about how thermal solar energy and how it can be harnessed for free heat.
- JC Solar Homes for ideas on heating entire home with thermal solar power.
- Energy efficiency and solar heating information with solar collectors and renewable energy resources.
