Very good solar air heater prototypes! Excellent for off grid applications. Great insight into building technology through trail and error. I did the same. After seeing the man in NewFoundland I made one from beer and pop cans standing 5x3 feet tall using R5 tinfoil foam board insulation in the sides, top, bottom and back with joints sealed with aluminum tape. It produced 55C of heat using 4 inch top and bottom ventilation holes. I wanted more heat so I scaled up to a 6x3 feet tall units again with R5 foam insulation everywhere this time with aluminum downspouts. It produced 71C of good heat. Nice for the master bedroom. But I wanted more heat so I scaled up and built a 6x6 feet tall unit this time with 4 inches of foam R26 insulation everywhere again with aluminum downspouts. It produces 95C of heat and warms the dining room. Thank you for sharing your great projects for your off grid paradise!

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

Awesome, please share some pics of your build, sounds cool. Thanks for the feedback.

I have watched a bunch of videos on this builds.A lot of guys would build a small one in summer with no insulation and test them on a hot summers day outside.They do work well lol.Thank you for sharing your builds.They make more sense if tested in real life situations.

In the downspout or a tin can design , if you put a couple of screen pieces to slow the air movement you can get a large increase in temperature.

Use a black paint called Black 3.0 it is the deepest black paint ever made. It won’t even show a flashlight beam on a wall in a dark room the paint literally absorbs all light meaning at least a double if not triple the BTU’s.

@ge2719

Жыл бұрын

nice, what material do you use for the internal pipes?

@TentFever

Жыл бұрын

@@ge2719 Soda Cans rows n rows of soda cans and JB Weld the thin aluminum cans make for extreme Heat transfer. With that paint some days it can get to hot.

Nice video. Thanks

I put an ultraclear glass 3 mm over a photovoltaic panel used as black surface. It works very well.

Try propping a reflector up to see what reflected sun could add. And you can get a boost if the cabinet could turn with the sun, glass reflects less light when passing directly through. If it turns on lazy susan bearings (have big hole in the middle) then the air intake goes to the bottom and output up top. Add a sun tracker and reflectors, you'll get more heat. Look into what they're doing with solar cookers!

Thank you 4 this Video! U are Awesome Entrepreneur....👍🙏🔥

On your first and third prototype I would flip it over to draw colder air from the floor and force the warm air across the room at people level. Heat rises so your first and third heaters are only warming the air above 5 foot in the room. Placing baffles along the pipe would make heat exchange rate better.

@mikeoliver9483

Жыл бұрын

Hi, what are baffles?

@whosonfirst1309

Жыл бұрын

@@mikeoliver9483 baffles are basically air dams the reduce the flow of air. In this case they are being used to slow the air flow to absorb more heat from the sun.

@mikeoliver9483

Жыл бұрын

@@whosonfirst1309 many thanks!

@XX-ol7lf

Жыл бұрын

What are air dams?

@Jlewismedia

Жыл бұрын

@@XX-ol7lf what are air?

I love it thank you so much for sharing it. God bless you and yours.

😮 looks like you got a pretty good 💡 I think once you work the bugs out of it it will be great😊

These are some of the best designs I've seen. A recommendation I would make pertaining to the paint used to make everything black, I would recommend a black paint called Black 3.0 At one point the blackest material was Vantablack, however that material is heavily privatized and not available to the public mostly by the artist who came up with the material/paint. So, someone developed Black 3.0 which is a few percent darker than Vantablack. Black 3.0 is so dark that it literally absorbs 99% of the energy that the sun directs to it, essentially superheating whatever is painted with it. Basically, if you paint your solar air heater with it, it will force the metal to absorb the maximum heat possible than a normal black paint would, maximizing the efficiency of your solar air heater. Just a thought.

@halox585

Жыл бұрын

this idea is great. have you tried this?

@sicurr1

Жыл бұрын

@@halox585 I haven't used it for a solar air heater, however I did help my friend make his solar water heater with this paint. It was his 4th solar water heater and the water heated up much quicker due to the paint. Also, due to his experience, he recommends mounting a solar water heater on the wall and not the roof as the water damage it causes if installed incorrectly is pretty annoying or pretty horrible.

Thanks for sharing. Great information for consideration!

God bless you all have enjoyed all your comments ...i am excited to try them. Good luck all of you...

Great work, downspout one looks really good.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah it's my favourite. If I had more time I would rebuild them all in that fashion but the other ones work and it seemed wasteful to do for looks.

@1Fred1000

7 ай бұрын

This man's approach is excellent !!!!

Great video again. Thank you! Looking around it seems like there so many different ways how DIY collectors can be built up internally, but my question would be: What are the most efficient designs?

Thanks for sharing 👍

Impressive Sir. Thank you very much for the great detail. It’s been a few years, may I ask if the system is still working well or do you have any new insights? Again thank you very much for this video. It’s been very inspiring.

I find your solar collectors amazing.. your approach is brilliant....I am wishing you the absolute best luck in your future endeavors.... I have a ? are you using a small 12volt fan and is it also being run on solar charged battery...very best of GOD BLESS......

This is a great video thank you for sharing the information with us. I just have a question about the cold air flow pipe that leaves the home going back into the system. Shouldn't the cold air exit intake back close to the floor inside considering that is where normal cooler air is located in a home? Just asking.

you have some flashing work ahead of you. :) Also you might want another louver on the exit into the house so air doesn't mix at night.

@aaronvallejo8220

3 жыл бұрын

I made two large 4 inch plugs with 6 inch base board pieces and 3 layers of R5 foam insulation screwed together to keep the daily heat generated inside the house and to keep out the cold night air.

Thank you for this video... Btw you can't put the cold air beside the hot air... The cold exhaust must be down and you will get better results

Great video can you tell me how you turn on and off the fans when in specific heat and cold range

Add an HEPA air filter on the intake. It'll keep the solar heater clean and circulate back air with less harmful particles

Great video 👍 Down spout working better but I am wondering if you took 1st design and ran 1 dryer duck snaked back and forth from bottom to the top would yield better results. Cheers

i'm curious has anyone heard of people making these with the frames made out of foam? been watching some videos about people making trailers out of foam and "poor mans fiberglass". Seems like it might be a good way to make these and have them be very well insulated so they don't lose any heat, and also probably be cheaper than a wood frame.

I've watched this several times and am intrigued by the third prototype. Am having a hard time picturing the insides at the top - there must be some baffle inside to direct the cold air down the back first? And am guessing that the downspouts are fastened side to side air tight - to force the air to back pass?

Very nice of you to post your findings SolarScooby. I have not attempted this yet but am very eager to as soon as I finish the siding on my house. Im open to all idea's but am considering the dual aluminum mesh technique. I just had our windows changed.. they are the original 50 year old glass lol so no UV protectant. I saved a lot of the large windows and can make about 3 or 4 large collectors. Stay well. Subscribed. ;)

@al2cand

3 жыл бұрын

I was thinking of the same idea: reusing de-gased or end-of-life windows, free glass and frame. It is great to have aluminium unpainted contact to the air as SolarScoobyD did with dryer pipe, otherwise paint fumes will enter the habitat. Aluminium seems as a must due to higher conductivity. Increasing air-metal contact area is great to improve transfer while also reducing metal temperature for lower radiation loss, this is why I believe a double pass concept where the hottest air is insulated on the back side while the mild air passes in front first. One thing I would be really interested to see is someone trying the solar air heater using pre-existing heatpump in the winter with COP 2-3 at -20-30degC(?). My feeling is placing either the heat pump within a greenhouse or connected to the solar air heater is promising.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

One of the considerations I had was keeping the air between the glass and the air in the heater separate to cut down on condensation that happens when warm moist air goes into a cold environment and condenses. I have not gotten any moisture behind the glazing, as moisture can reduce and diffract the light before it hits the collector's surface thereby reducing its efficiency and potential. I also liked the thermal conductive ability of aluminium over plastic, and it produces a cleaner environment for the air to travel through.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

I ran across a few people who did this to increase the efficiency of the heat pump at low temps. It had the added benefit of increased overall efficiency. It works and I am surprised that more people don't try it. It can get your heat pump functioning better when it's really cold but sunny. The simplest would but to put the heat put in a small green house.

you should build to sell people will buy them.. I would buy one myself. I have a huge patio sliding glass door. I could prop one in the open sliding door and it would heat the biggest part of the home. of course they would need to be plug and play style for any size window or doorway.

Hi, I'm looking at making a solar hot air box and I need your expertise advice, would using onduline bitumen corrugated sheeting be OK to use?

Cool

Ok but what heat better its cans pips or that aluminum tubes ,im planning to do one .greetings from Norway

Do you have a problem with water condensation inside tubes after night or cloudy days?

Solar Air Heater vs Solar PV of the same size - which produces more heat over a season?

Please make make an video on double pass method , please make an DIY tutorial 🙏

It is very interesting to see how you made these! I can't understand why you made the in -and outlet just near each-other. To the inlet there will go a lot of warmed air which is coming from the outlet I think. Greetings from the Netherlands! Peter

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

This design was created after careful research, testing and evolution. The active nature of the fan allows for the inlet and outlet to be up high where the tube complex can keep the air pressure in balance when it's not in use. It works as an air exchanger and can make our bathroom so hot it's nearly unbearable if the door is closed for too long. These designs were an attempt to improve on the classic air heater design and cure the flaws that I experienced with them when I made my first prototype. I did smoke tests to watch the air currents and the hot air coming from the fan was rifling away from the outlet and the air was coming into the inlet from all around it. Most of all they did not leak cold air at night or when they were inactive.

@dnpeer7770

3 жыл бұрын

@@solarscoobyd7629 Thanks for the answer!

@robertweekley5926

Жыл бұрын

@@solarscoobyd7629 - Still, I wonder if moving the Cold Air Inlets, at least 12" to 16" away from the Hot Air Outlets, wouldn't be better? Either Straight Horizontally, Vertically, or Diagonally!

@steventrott8714

Жыл бұрын

@@solarscoobyd7629 ok… that is brilliant. I’ve been concerned about night time cold air ingress. Very smart!

2 things i see. 1 - you put your inlet and outlet right next to each other. air should enter at the floor and exit at the top allowing the hot air to rise through the heater by it's natural process. 2 - your fan does not fit the inside of the duct. tighten or close the space between the tips of the fan blades and you'll substantially increase the efficiency of your fan.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

Point #1 the designs with floor vents create a cold air syphon that leaks on the floor when the unit is cold and inactive . Point #2 the fan is designed for a 6" hole and works very well at moving air (240 cfm Cubic Feet Minute). Thanks for your input.

can you tell me types of material you use in this project ?

Dies make sense to have an inlet right next to the output. Your sucking out warm air as you pump it in.

What happens if you turn that fan off?

Wat if u can put your sprayer back on there and cover up the pool and add a few bags of ice maybe it my cool down the panels

how does it work on a cloudy day?

I wonder if this could be improved with Fresnel lens from an old flat-screen TV.??

I live in an RV and live totally off the grid. I #electrifyeverything. Although I have an electric space heater, I am looking for something that is more efficient and effective. Your concept is something I have thought about. Do you recommend that the panel be mounted against a wall to preserve its insulation?What fans did you use and where did you purchase them?

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

It will ruin the weather seal on you RV to mount it. You could pipe it in a window and seal the window up so you can undo it. You can just insulate the piping. I use the 6" furnace booster fan that goes inline in 6" metal duct work. Most hardware stores carry them.

by any chance have you got any solar production data of your vertical (facade) panels? Do you have data stored on SMA or any other online service? would love to know winter production of your panels. I see the video is old but maybe i get your reply. Tnx

Could the hot air be pumped through a sand heat storage to make heat available later into the night?

I was considering using twin wall polycarb on my build but when I researched the manufacturers spec they seemed to be very proud of its heat insulating properties. They say it doesn't let much solar heat through. This would seem to rule it out for solar heating purposes....?

@TuttleCreative

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely correct. Polycarbonate reflects solar energy and it stays clear for life. Acrylic (plex) lets the UV and UVB light pass through and this is why it yellows over time and should be considered a maintenance cost. Magnified glass would be best.

Is it still working?

Seems like the inltet and discharge locations would allow short circuiting. Resulting in massive efficiency potential losses.

Why wouldn't your cold intake come off the floor or lower on the wall where cold air naturally collects?

What happens at night, when temperatures drop below -30 in winter? Aren't these a cold air refridgerator then

have you tried salt water dooe not freeze

Have you tried copper pipe? Copper is a better conductor and easier to source from scrap plumbing removed from renovation projects.

great ideas! thanks for sharing this with all. just one question, wont be better to have the intake of cold air nearer to the floor? considering that the heat goes up. thanks again!

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

The first design that I created was built this way and it created a reverse cold siphon at night. Cold air leaked over floor like an air conditioner all night long. This was even with a damper installed. These designs are active and the reason the intake is at the top is because the fan has the power to overtake any natural convection and draws the cool air down through the back, and up through front heat tubes. These designs are balanced keep air from leaking into the house at night without complicated motorized dampers.

@Gaboshkyy

3 жыл бұрын

@@solarscoobyd7629 thanks! that knowledge only comes with experience, now i know why i must avoid the intake on the bottom, thanks again, you've just save me 1 or 2 failed prototypes. cheers

@aaronvallejo8220

3 жыл бұрын

@@Gaboshkyy I made all my units with a bottom intake ventilation hole and top hole for the warm and rising air. I use a fan but not needed. The trick is to have insulated plugs for these holes when the sun sets and no more heat is being generated and you turn off the fan for the day.

@chrisloving6647

2 жыл бұрын

@Anna window is kind of a hole anyway. You could use the window to put one out side. I just have some black curtains over mine and they run about 110 f.

@WSmith_1984

2 жыл бұрын

@@solarscoobyd7629 would stuffing the tubes with wire mesh/wire washing pads or something similar help increase the heat efficiency dur to greater surface area as the air passes through them? Edit: obviously not to block the air flow just allowing greater surface area. Peace, power and freedom to all.

Should have cold air intake at the bottom, and same for heat. Try to spread them apart if possible.

What about in the summer can it burn your house down

My problem…when the sun is out my 33KW of PV doesn’t need any help running my 16 to 33 seer heat pumps. It’s those 4+ dark cloudy days that I need the wood burner or LP Gen.

My off grid home does not have power lines in the back yard.

Why shouldnt the air enter the space to be heated at the bottom of the room so it can rise and geat? I dont understand the air entering and exiting the space at the same height seven feet off the ground.

At night does lots of cold air come in thru the 2 . 6 inch duct?

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

No it doesn't have any reverse convection or air leakage, there is a small damper in each unit. I was initially worried about this, but they tested perfect and have been working great for two seasons now. I don't burn any wood on these sunny days in later winter.

Thanks...just wondering weather the intake air should come from the inside of the house?

@ge2719

Жыл бұрын

it should, otherwise youre pumping cold air from outside into your house, even though its heater by the system it'll be cold air, especially if your in a place were its snowing outside. you can see he always has two ducts inside the house, like at 1:39.

@1Fred1000

7 ай бұрын

I have suggested a cool air vent at night in the fall instead of running AC for COOLING.....

Hello, is there another heat source in your house besides solar collectors? As far as you can see from your video, you live near a forest, so there should be a possibility of heating and firewood.

@RED_DK_

Жыл бұрын

Thinking here that he prioritizes his time - you have to work too much with the wood to get heating form it. 🙂

Great idea! I have a question - why not make the tubing single entry and single exit, like a labyrinth, so the air is maximally heated inside all of it? Like coils usually are used for water heater, when it enters, passes under the whole surface and exits?

@Knardsh

Жыл бұрын

Good for horizontal boxes, it’s what I’m about to build. Trying to decide if this double pass idea is worth it too

@michaelcre8

Жыл бұрын

you'd get less heat because the air gets as hot as it can get from a fairly short pass with turbulent air flow

Cold air outlets need to be at lowest room line and hot air 75% room hight.

these kind of heaters are also available professionally made

27° is damned cold where I come from. You talking fahrenheit or Celsius?

So I see most of the solar air heater place the fans so they suck air through the heater. Would it not be better to put the fan so it blows the air through the heater. Then you would avoid laminar flow and the fan should run cooler.

You mentioned you are getting 27 or 28 degree air out of it, but what is the input temperature and what is the difference between the input and output temperatures?

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

Generally in the morning it's around 15 degrees so the air from the heater warms the kitchen, it really heats up the bathroom because the heater in bigger and the room is smaller. It's nice to take a shower and step out into a 25 degree room.

@timlocke3159

3 жыл бұрын

From 15 to 27 degrees is great! I was looking into doing this for my house a couple of years ago but the amount of ducting I would need to run through the house discouraged me.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

@@timlocke3159 Yeah that's why I put them on the walls and just piped the air right into the room that needed it. Go luck with your project.

I wonder if you could use PVs as heat collectors. It seem that would kill two birds with one stone.

@steventrott8714

Жыл бұрын

Search PVT’s. It’s a hybrid and expensive!

Why not put the photovoltaic modules on an angled stand a bit away from the house?

@RED_DK_

Жыл бұрын

Then it is necessary to insulate the back side of the frame to prevent condensation were he is living.

Is there a way to get in touch with you? thanks..

It's probably because the air pockets in flexible metal duct prevent conduction

Seriously thinking of building one of these but please Could I ask what do you do with the heat emitted in the summertime??

@mikelindgren7946

3 жыл бұрын

I'm in the same boat, but I saw a video where the guy mentions having a vent that he manually opens (on the top of his collector) in summertime that allows the heat to escape the collector box( It was an outdoor fixture)

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

I have covers that slip over them for the summer, they pop on and off easier enough to use on cold days in the summer when the house is chilly. They are just simple wood frames with dark tarps stapled to them to for a cover panel.

@mikelindgren7946

3 жыл бұрын

I figure that or covering the glass might be the best option for me (maybe both)

@aaronvallejo8220

3 жыл бұрын

My roof overhangs enough so that when the sun angle rises in the summer the rays do not enter the lens. During the winter the sun is lower in the sky and flood all day into the solar air heater. For another unit I made a steel sheeting overhang roof to achieve the same and to protect it from the snow and rain. To stop heat from entering my house at anytime I did keep the ventilation hole insulated plugs installed.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

@@aaronvallejo8220 That is the best way to do it. I didn't have the space to mount them in shaded way you are describing but I think its brilliant.

in vertical collector panel fresh air goes in at floor level by lower plenum... heated air goes out in the interior at top higher plenum to maximize convection in the interior environment also. Why don't simply make an encased tube snail without collectors forcing air directly into the tube at variable speed* by one side and exhaling hot air in the environment by the other after the entire tube path... *Variable speed perhaps can be reached with a solar panel powering directly the fan so, as long as sun power radiate both devices fan works circulating air... the more sun power delivered to the panel and more heat is developed and faster fan runs circulating air with no external energy sources and an auto shut-off when there's no sun at night.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

In most conventional vertical collectors, there are dampers required often motorized that attempt to prevent reverse thermal syphoning. My final design eliminates the need for this damper by keeping the loop in balance so that thermal syphoning does not happen at night, and leak cold air across the floors. Finally while a solar panel is an ideal solution for wiring, it required 12 volt fans and will operate even when there is not enough heat in the collector and could create a cooling effect. The off the shelf controller is more accessible to the average builder and requires no wiring or engineering. Please show us what your collectors look like. I'd love to see your experience.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but you said you could get 28° inside the house, that would be too cold for me? Why not just put in a diesel heater, like they use in the vans. You can turn this on and off quickly and it runs off a minimal amount of electricity.

@solarscoobyd7629

3 жыл бұрын

28 degree Celcius not Farenheit. I live in Canada so we use the metric system for temperature, sorry for any misunderstanding.

When you say 27 degree your taking C right??

During the night?

is it your house? :0 wall construction structure and insulation quality - i am shocked... in east EU identically are building just super low quality, cheap garden houses for summer usage for peoples with 500 eur/mnth incomes... invest in heat insulation, not thinking and making how to get MORE heat. have you ever heard about passive house principles? Insulation instead of MORE FREE heat...

Intake needs to be close to the floor. Cold air sinks