Solar heaters are devices that use the inexhaustible energy of the sun to produce heat in a renewable way, without the need to consume gas or electricity.
In this note you will learn step by step how to build it yourself by reusing soda cans, with which, in addition, you will be contributing to reduce the waste generated with their disposal.
The system is simple: the sun heats the black painted aluminum cans which, being perforated, will be filled with circulating air, creating a current from the bottom to the top and causing hot air to come out of the upper hole. This will be the one that will provide us with heating with the help of a tube that transports the air.
In this way, it is possible to incorporate green technology in your home to heat small spaces such as a room. In addition, this heater will offer a temperature of 21 to 26ºC, so it will also help you reduce consumption and collaborate with the home economy.
Necessary materials
-196 soda cans
– Plywood boards (multi-laminated)
– 2 aluminum tubes
– Rock mineral wool
– Wood glue
– High temperature silicone
– Saw
– Sandpaper
– Wood nails
– Hammer
– Cutter
Step by Step
Build the ducts
1. When you have collected enough cans, pierce the top and bottom of each with a utility knife.
2. Wash them with water and detergent.
3. Put silicone on each end of the open cans and join them to the end of another to form a row.
4. Make 14 columns of 14 cans each.
These will be the pathways through which the air will pass in your heater.
Build the collecting drawer
1. Cut the plywood boards to make a drawer with rounded sides.
2. Join the wood with white glue and nails. While the glue dries, keep the panels pressed together.
3. Sand the edges.
4. Once the drawer has dried, insulate its base with rock wool.
5. Take a piece of wood the size of the drawer you have made and make 14 openings that have the circumference of the cans, so that the ducts fit.
Arm your heater
1. Put silicone on each column of cans and join them to the holes in the wood.
2. Do the same with all 14 ducts.
3. Make two openings in the collector drawer, where the tubes for the air inlet and outlet will connect.
4. Put an aluminum tube in each hole.
5. Paint the can columns with black paint to absorb more heat.
6. Finish your heater with a polycarbonate surface and place it where there is direct sunlight.
Thus, you will have your own solar heater ready to save energy and help take care of the environment starting with your home.