Using pop cans to help heat your home sounds like a strange idea at first, but a Canadian company has turned the idea into a profitable business. The company, Cansolair Inc., has been building solar-powered heating panels out of recycled aluminum cans and even won awards with their design.
Why Aluminum Cans Work Well
The company's heaters, made with used aluminum cans, are not only cheaper than other types, but have proven to be very efficient as well. The company reports exponential growth over the past few years.
The Cansolair unit, which measures a little under 4 ft. wide by 8 ft. tall, produces up to 10,000 BTUs per hour and can raise the temperature of the air passing through it by 50F or more. It uses a fan to force the air through, increasing it's efficiency.
How Aluminum Can Heaters Work
The heaters are typically installed on the outside walls of a building, and of course, in a location that gets a lot of sun. While they won't help you much on a cloudy day, they can make a big difference in your heating bill on cold sunny days.
The cans have holes cut in their tops and bottoms and are arranged in vertical columns in a panel. Air is drawn from the floor level of room through the exterior wall into the solar panel where it passes through the cans and back into the building at a higher level and at up to 50F higher temperature.
Thin-walled aluminum, which is what the cans are made of, has good thermal conductivity, making it an excellent material for transferring solar heat to the air as it flows past the cans. Flat black paint on the outside of the cans aids in the process by absorbing the sun's heat more quickly.
Build Your Own
While the Cansolair units are sophisticated, the concept is simple enough that any do-it-yourselfer can construct a solar heater of similar design without too much effort, and using readily available materials.
Daniel Strohl of Vermont constructed a unit to heat his garage in the winter, while Frank Gombik of Ontario, Canada made one to heat his workshop.
Daniel noted that the south wall of his garage was getting a lot of sunshine, but the temperature inside was still cold. He constructed a simple free-standing heater, containing 45 aluminum cans. He used a vacuum cleaner hose to pipe to and from the garage.
Frank needed a new double-door entry for his workshop, and because it was facing south, he decided to include solar heaters into the new doors. He used a total of 176 cans in his unit, and added some temperature sensing and recording devices to measure the efficiency of his new heaters.
Building this type of solar heater is certainly within the ability of the average handyman. All the materials are either inexpensive or free. Not only are you getting free heating for your effort, but you're doing your part to help conserve natural resources.
Why Aluminum Cans Work Well
The company's heaters, made with used aluminum cans, are not only cheaper than other types, but have proven to be very efficient as well. The company reports exponential growth over the past few years.
The Cansolair unit, which measures a little under 4 ft. wide by 8 ft. tall, produces up to 10,000 BTUs per hour and can raise the temperature of the air passing through it by 50F or more. It uses a fan to force the air through, increasing it's efficiency.
How Aluminum Can Heaters Work
The heaters are typically installed on the outside walls of a building, and of course, in a location that gets a lot of sun. While they won't help you much on a cloudy day, they can make a big difference in your heating bill on cold sunny days.
The cans have holes cut in their tops and bottoms and are arranged in vertical columns in a panel. Air is drawn from the floor level of room through the exterior wall into the solar panel where it passes through the cans and back into the building at a higher level and at up to 50F higher temperature.
Thin-walled aluminum, which is what the cans are made of, has good thermal conductivity, making it an excellent material for transferring solar heat to the air as it flows past the cans. Flat black paint on the outside of the cans aids in the process by absorbing the sun's heat more quickly.
Build Your Own
While the Cansolair units are sophisticated, the concept is simple enough that any do-it-yourselfer can construct a solar heater of similar design without too much effort, and using readily available materials.
Daniel Strohl of Vermont constructed a unit to heat his garage in the winter, while Frank Gombik of Ontario, Canada made one to heat his workshop.
Daniel noted that the south wall of his garage was getting a lot of sunshine, but the temperature inside was still cold. He constructed a simple free-standing heater, containing 45 aluminum cans. He used a vacuum cleaner hose to pipe to and from the garage.
Frank needed a new double-door entry for his workshop, and because it was facing south, he decided to include solar heaters into the new doors. He used a total of 176 cans in his unit, and added some temperature sensing and recording devices to measure the efficiency of his new heaters.
Building this type of solar heater is certainly within the ability of the average handyman. All the materials are either inexpensive or free. Not only are you getting free heating for your effort, but you're doing your part to help conserve natural resources.
About the Author:
About the author: John Horning has a website devoted to do-it-yourself solar projects. Learn more about making a solar-powered heater out of aluminum cans on his website, www.DIY-Solar-Power.net.
No comments:
Post a Comment