Autorotica
Well-known member
Wanted to share some build/project pix of the homemade hot air solar collector on the back of our Pennsylvania house. The collector will go from window to window on the unconditioned basement. Any heat going into that space will be a bonus.
Did I happen to mention that the basement is a 28 x 48' unconditioned shop/garage? Pardon the disaster zone in this pic with a few toys and entirely too many projects going on simultaneously for this size space. More on this to follow in another thread.
Anchoring pressure treated 2 x 4's onto wall. The silver material is a foil faced bubble wrap insulation.
Pressure treated 2 x 4's anchored to wall retaining the foil insulation on top and bottom
Stapled ground cover/shade cloth on top of board and to other board. This material has almost no mass to it so it will heat up quickly when the sun shines on it.
Screwed pressure treated 2 x 6's to the edge of the 2 x 4s to create a 4" air space. Anchored additional 2 x 6's in the window openings. Will stretch shade cloth over the 2 x 6's set in an inch and a half so there is not visibility thru the windows into the garage.
"Twinwall" polycarbonate (lexan) was the choice for glazing. Commonly available at greenhouse supply stores. The aluminum h track for the edges and aluminum double H material for joining piece/piece is available at the same place.
Final dimensions are 48" tall x roughly 27' long. Nearly done in this pic! Need one more piece of H track for the very end and to start caulking.
Hung another piece of twinwall inside the window and cut a hole in it to hold the solar panel powered (gable vent) 12v fan. The small 12 watt PV panel can be seen propped up against the tire in the picture above.
The sun is shining and the fan is whizzing. Air is drawn from the open to the collector west window, drawn by thru the heater and blown back into the basement by the fan. I have seen temps over 120 degrees on the edge of the fan. Fan is rated at 1,000 cfm
Approximate cost of materials was $750 broken down as such. $250 for the PV panel and fan, $250 for the twinwall, H track and fasteners, $250 for the the pressure treated lumber, screws, caulk, insulation and shade cloth.
Chris
Did I happen to mention that the basement is a 28 x 48' unconditioned shop/garage? Pardon the disaster zone in this pic with a few toys and entirely too many projects going on simultaneously for this size space. More on this to follow in another thread.
Anchoring pressure treated 2 x 4's onto wall. The silver material is a foil faced bubble wrap insulation.
Pressure treated 2 x 4's anchored to wall retaining the foil insulation on top and bottom
Stapled ground cover/shade cloth on top of board and to other board. This material has almost no mass to it so it will heat up quickly when the sun shines on it.
Screwed pressure treated 2 x 6's to the edge of the 2 x 4s to create a 4" air space. Anchored additional 2 x 6's in the window openings. Will stretch shade cloth over the 2 x 6's set in an inch and a half so there is not visibility thru the windows into the garage.
"Twinwall" polycarbonate (lexan) was the choice for glazing. Commonly available at greenhouse supply stores. The aluminum h track for the edges and aluminum double H material for joining piece/piece is available at the same place.
Final dimensions are 48" tall x roughly 27' long. Nearly done in this pic! Need one more piece of H track for the very end and to start caulking.
Hung another piece of twinwall inside the window and cut a hole in it to hold the solar panel powered (gable vent) 12v fan. The small 12 watt PV panel can be seen propped up against the tire in the picture above.
The sun is shining and the fan is whizzing. Air is drawn from the open to the collector west window, drawn by thru the heater and blown back into the basement by the fan. I have seen temps over 120 degrees on the edge of the fan. Fan is rated at 1,000 cfm
Approximate cost of materials was $750 broken down as such. $250 for the PV panel and fan, $250 for the twinwall, H track and fasteners, $250 for the the pressure treated lumber, screws, caulk, insulation and shade cloth.
Chris
and the build looks like it belongs there!
We'll NEVER recover the cost of changing to an HE heater, installing triple panel windows and the extra 12 inches of blown in insulation, but you do it anyways. If it weren't for the energy rebates, it would have been a money loser for sure.