It may always seem easier to go to the professionals and have a complete solar heating system installed in your home, workshop or office building, but for some systems, the task of building your own solar heating system is not that complicated at all.
The technology required for constructing a solar panel system that converts sunlight into electricity is more complex certainly, but with solar heating systems the whole exercise is much more logical. It doesn’t matter whether the system you wish to build is for water or space heating, practically all of the materials needed are easily available.
To build your own solar heating system for the household water supply you’ll need a sturdy frame (a hardwood is ideal) with a plywood back, an aluminum absorber plate painted black with a high heat absorbent paint (such as those used on barbecues) and a glazed front. You’ll also need around 10 meters length of copper tubing (also painted black) should be coiled to fit within the frame and attached to the absorber plate. The glazing, along with some aluminum foil and fibre wool, will act as an insulator.
Construct a tray from the frame and plywood, then place the absorber plate at the back before attaching the coiled copper tubbing. Be sure to drill whole at the top and bottom of the frame on alternate side to allow for the copper inlet and outlet, with cold water flowing in and hot water out at the top. The circulating water is heated in the copper tubing, then can be pumped back into a water storage tank in the home. This simple flat-plate collector is easy to make and fix to an existing water system.
If you wish to construct a solar space heater for a small room or workshop, then it is just as simple to do. This time however, insure the frame is airtight and instead of copper tubing, simple aluminum soda cans are hugely effective. Just paint them in heat absorbent black paint, drill holes in their bases and glue them together. The air inside will move thanks to the laws of convection which sees warm air rise and cold fall. A black aluminum absorber plate at the back ensures the air behind the insulated glass is heated dramatically.
You may have four or five rows of can, each with eight to ten cans in them, but as the air inside snaking through to a vent in the top (cold air comes in at the base). The air entering your room or workshop can be significantly warmer than the air outside, and a frame as large as a medium-sized window is big enough to prove effective.
Doing it yourself is easy when it comes to collectors for your own sola heating systems, though care must always be applied. Still, the savings you can make on installation costs can be as much as 60%, a figure that can’t be sneezed at – no matter how cold it may be outside.
Build Your Own Solar Heating System – Comment Below
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