Next-to-free heat for a garage

[beth]

So I found this amongst my wandering across the internet this weekend. I don't know how efficient it might be, but I know there are some seriously innovative people on this board who could make something like this work for them...

blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/04/26/almost-free-garage-heat-just-drink-a-lot-of-soda/



and there is a bigger one made too...

blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2010/06/22/soda-can-solar-heater-v2-completed/

[MudMagnet]

theres a guy here in the valley that made the south wall of his garage all with a double wall with glass on the outside and the inside painted black with little circulating fans in each cavity. he said it was enough to keep the barn workable but didn't really heat it.

[The Garagemahal]

Leigh was talking about doing this at his cottage , pretty cool

[badwithcomputer]

oh no... the wheels are spinning.....

[Jeepy]

Yeah, it's collecting dust in the garage. Have about 3/4 of the cans done and glued, need to finish it and get a sheet of lexan to cover is so I can prove to myself it was a waste of time! ;D

Mine is 4' X 8'


After trying several methods of putting holes in the top and bottom of cans, acetylene torch proved to be fastest.

They sell several versions around here but prices were high $1-2k

[mostheman]

If you read through the design criteria, the system is not supposed to have nice concentric holes between the cans, I think one builder used the claws of a hammer or something to ensure lots of turbulence in the passage of air to ensure the maximum solar gain in the airflow. Fast air = low heat absorption.

[badwithcomputer]

so would it be better to make multiple smaller holes on the bottom?

[badwithcomputer]

a small duct booster fan!? oh no, I can feel this becoming a project.

[Hawkes]

Saw a show on TV where there were manufactured in Newfoundland.

www.cansolair.com/index.php

[badwithcomputer]

so if a fellow had an input hose and an output hose both located inside the building that went out to the panel rather than like the links above where the intake is located outside the building, would the building not heat up faster as its recirculating warmer air from the inside and not having to heat super cold air? or would that create some kind of vacuum and open up some Stargate to Atlantis?

[mostheman]

You want the intake at floor level and the outlet someweres around shoulder level if I rememmber correctly. But yes cold air inlet is from the garage interior.

[badwithcomputer]

sounds like a good basement project. I think I will give this a shot. This will kill 3 birds with 1 stone. I will have to clean my basement, hopefully compliment my small heater already in the garage and keep me out of Hillary's hair

whether this works well or not, it gives me that "science fair" feeling i used to get when i was kid.

[dan]

When my aunt and uncle builta new house 8 years or so ago, they installed one of these. they say that if the sun is out on a winter day, they don't need the oil at all.

[badwithcomputer]

any idea on the size of the panel Dan?

[Hawkes]

Willyswagon has the cansolair.

nsjc.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=off&action=display&thread=27758&page=2