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 This is a project that I did a while ago; it worked, although I never got the chance to really use it as intended. As with many of my projects, I have learned some things since then and would have done it a little differently now. The basic idea is simple; it's an insulated box with a clear face and some dark tubing to pump fluid through. In practice this can become a little more complicated, but it's still not that difficult.
For the box I used some 1"x3" wood pieces to make an 8x4 foot wood frame, much  like my holiday tables. I then used an 8 foot by 4 foot foam core board and connected it to this frame with screws and tape. Inside this frame I ran black HDPE tubing lengthwise, zigzagging back and forth. I used some sections of wood inside this frame with slots cut in it to help hold the tubing in place. Once I had all the plumbing taken care of, I covered the front of this frame with clear vinyl plastic. I then put another layer of smaller wood on this to create an air gap, and put on a second layer of vinyl plastic like my plastic window frames project. I put this up on the roof of the building I lived in at the time, connected some pipes to it to run inside, and waited for a sunny day.
On a sunny day with the temperature well below freezing, I pumped water mixed with antifreeze through the system. The water came out steaming hot and almost burned me at first. At the time I had problems with the pump, so I never ran it long enough to find out how much heat it would provide. What I did find out, however, is that it made a decent volume of very hot water.
Here is a list of links to other people's plans to build similar heaters;
https://www.thesietch.org/projects/solarthermalpanel3/index.htm
https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/04/26/almost-free-garage-heat-just-drink-a-lot-of-soda
I have seen people use everything from copper pipe to old refrigerator evaporators for the heat collector. I am not so sure plastic pipe was the best choice, but it did work for me and the price was right.
Got a project you've done that you want to share on Workbench Creations? Add a comment to this entry or send me a message.
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Re: DIY Solar Heater
