The idea of using recycled cans to heat a home may sound a little wacky at first, but a Canadian company has proved the idea makes great sense. Cansolair Inc. uses aluminum cans in it's solar panels for over 10 years now, and they've even won awards for their design.
Why Recycled Cans Work Well
The company's pop can heaters have been described as "green energy and recycling all rolled into one", and have proven to be very cost effective and efficient as well. One customer reported "on the coldest days of winter I need no other heat source as it easily produces enough heat".
Cansolair's solar heater takes up a little less area than a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood and is about 4 1/2 in. thick. It can produce up to 10,000 BTUs per hour and will raise the temperature of the air passing through it by up to 50F. A fan increases it's efficiency by forcing the air through the columns of cans.
How They Work
The heaters are typically installed on the outside walls of a house, 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 heater 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 ideal 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.
Make 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 easily available materials.
Frank Gombik of Ontario, Canada built one to heat his workshop in the winter, and Daniel Strohl of Vermont made one to heat his garage.
Daniel noted that the south wall of his garage was receiving a lot of sunshine, but the temperature inside was still cold. He constructed a modest free-standing heater, containing 45 aluminum cans. He used a vacuum cleaner hose to pipe to and from the garage.
Frank had two goals in mind - he wanted to heat his workshop and also replace the old double-door entry leading into it from the outside. His design included a total of 176 cans and some special temperature sensing equipment to measure the system's efficiency.
Building this type of solar heater is well 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 Recycled Cans Work Well
The company's pop can heaters have been described as "green energy and recycling all rolled into one", and have proven to be very cost effective and efficient as well. One customer reported "on the coldest days of winter I need no other heat source as it easily produces enough heat".
Cansolair's solar heater takes up a little less area than a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood and is about 4 1/2 in. thick. It can produce up to 10,000 BTUs per hour and will raise the temperature of the air passing through it by up to 50F. A fan increases it's efficiency by forcing the air through the columns of cans.
How They Work
The heaters are typically installed on the outside walls of a house, 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 heater 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 ideal 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.
Make 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 easily available materials.
Frank Gombik of Ontario, Canada built one to heat his workshop in the winter, and Daniel Strohl of Vermont made one to heat his garage.
Daniel noted that the south wall of his garage was receiving a lot of sunshine, but the temperature inside was still cold. He constructed a modest free-standing heater, containing 45 aluminum cans. He used a vacuum cleaner hose to pipe to and from the garage.
Frank had two goals in mind - he wanted to heat his workshop and also replace the old double-door entry leading into it from the outside. His design included a total of 176 cans and some special temperature sensing equipment to measure the system's efficiency.
Building this type of solar heater is well 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 solar project for the Do-It-Yourselfer. Learn more about making a solar-powered heater out of recycled cans on his website, www.DIY-Solar-Power.net.
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