Concentrator questions.

[pyrocasto]

ok, this is what a satelite dish I just picked up looks like: "http://www.bigear.org/odisplays/perkins/je0257l.jpg

I dont have mine down so this is just one I found online.

What I'm wondering:

I'm wanting to line it with mirrors, do I need to reinforce the mesh or will it hold mirros fine through strong winds?

Should I reinforce the arms as they are build to hold a mesh dish, not a mirror dish?

What type of glue should I use, as I was told silicone would eat the backing off of mirrors?

That should be a good start, thinking of using 6" squares to line it, to steam power.

Thanks for your comments,

[GaryGary]

Hi,

I don't know a lot about this, so maybe someone else will have better info.

I've heard that the most common material to use for mirros on the kind of dishes is Aluminized Mylar, and that the best way to "glue" the mirror to the dish is with grease.  This sounds a bit strange, but the advantage is that its easy, and when you have to replace the Mylar it comes free of the dish easily.

A great source of information on this kind of stuff is www.RedRok.com  -- Duane (who runs RedRok) knows everything and will answer email questions.  Also a good place to get cheap tracker kits.

I you need Aluminized Mylar, I have bought a couple times at this place, and gotten good service -- there are not many places that do small quantities:

  http://www.mirrorsheeting.com/

Gary

[pyrocasto]

Mirror I've got, mylar I dont, and it wont work. As you can see in the picture it's a screen mesh, so the first wind on the backside and there goes my mylar.

I know Duane as well, have had some good questions answered and tried a few products of his. ;-)

Good site he has.

[georgeodjungle]

maylar doesn't weather to good.

is it a concentrator for cooking?

like this?



if you use a concentrator for pvs if will kill them even faster than normal.

great cookers though.

you can even add a tracker or 2 for truble free cooking.

[ruddycrazy]

Hiya Chris,

           If you use a plastic sheet backing then the mylar would be the go. A mate found on the net a beaut way of harvesting the sun using the same technique but instead of a sat dish it's simply a curved base which relects into a point to heat a tube. When small amounts of water are injected steam is produced, I suppose this is also your aim. The only problem I see with using mirrors it could tend to be brittle and a strong wind flexing the sat dish could leave a heap of mirror shards on the ground. Anyway I looked at your website, it looks pretty good but those pop-ups are my biggest hate when it comes to looking at a website.

Cheers Bryan

[Gordy]

Chris,

I met Duane a couple years ago , at Custer Wis. RE Fair. He's a good guy. He had an 18" sat. dish coated with mylar and a pile of pop cans, to show how you could burn a hole through them with the little dish. Also got to watch his tracker work.

On the subject of mirrors he told me to coat the back and edges with that aluminumized roof coating (used on trailer house roofs), to prevent the backing from pealing off, from contact with moisture (like old bathroom mirrors).

I wish I'd met him a couple years earlier, as while reroofing a bar in down town Minniapolis we removed and through away a 12'fiberglass dish and controle system wish I had it NOW that I know what to do with it.

Gordy

[pyrocasto]

Oh sorry for the popups, using firefox I dont get any so I didnt even know I had them. I'm gonna switch to a paid site ad free when I get the time.

Well, since I've got the mirrors that's kinda what I wanna use. Last case though I'll  do mylar.