Author Topic: solar air heater question  (Read 25291 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

xboxman

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 73
  • Country: us
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #33 on: August 28, 2010, 12:24:03 PM »
Gary
any chance you have a youtube video on your combo air/water heater set up ??
here's a video of the biggest air heater i have evenr seen 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXN_1Kf18_I

Tom Sullivan

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 131
    • U.P. Solar Solutions
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #34 on: August 28, 2010, 10:33:26 PM »
I built a bigger one for a lot less money, but then again, mine is on the side of a metal building.  The metal on the building is the absorber.  The collector is 30' by 11', for about 330 SQ' of collector.  It heats my unheated 42' x 64' hangar to 60 degrees in the dead of winter (U.P. of Michigan), and to 70-75 in the spring and fall.  The collector is at the bottom of the page on the link provided below.  I built it about 3 years ago.

http://www.aluminum-solar-absorbers.com/solar-hot-air-collectors.html

Tom

Shadow

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 473
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #35 on: August 29, 2010, 09:59:46 AM »
Thats a very impressive project Tom!

Do you use a ceiling fan or anything to circulate/push the heat down?

I used glass on mine but will use the poly stuff on the next one. I put mine to work yesterday, its about 9x9. Hot as can be while installing it, but woke up to rain and cloud.

 Apparently these follow the same laws as wind turbines, wind wont blow for at least 4 days after installation!

Tom Sullivan

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 131
    • U.P. Solar Solutions
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #36 on: August 29, 2010, 11:46:41 AM »
We have 4 ceiling fans.  In the write up on the website I explained how we wired the ceiling fans to the control circuit of the solar collector fan, so the ceiling fans only run when the collector is making heat.

Tom

MattM

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1176
  • Country: us
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #37 on: August 30, 2010, 11:36:02 AM »
Fat Charlie -

They call those 'bends' in downspout a word; corrugation.  You can by 4 foot by 8 foot panels of corrugated steel or aluminum at builder supply stores if that is what you want.  They used to sell an accordion style, with a more zigzag to the shape, years ago but that's probably not made any more.  I know from previous experiments that an air gap between the corrugation and the glass is good or the glass gets hot.  But the same applies for the insulation behind, too, you want an air gap on both sides.  Air is a better insulator than one might give it credit.

Shadow

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 473
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #38 on: September 01, 2010, 11:59:23 PM »
I just posted the results of my first Solar heater in my Diary, check it out and let me know your feedback.  Thanks

00MrNotWrong00

  • Guest
Re: solar air heater question
« Reply #39 on: October 20, 2010, 06:52:49 PM »
I built one of these as well



I love it,  and I love the idea of reusing junk.

I'm building a new one now,  trying to do everything right this time.