Solar Heating Providing Warmth For Over A Century
Those who have stood outside on a sunny day already have a basic understanding of solar heating and there are already many devices available to harness that power and use it in everyday life. The idea of maintaining warmth with solar heating has been around for over a century and is still widely used today. Think about a greenhouse and its construction of glass or plastic panels and how the sun, passing through the glass, heats the interior of the building.
While the concept and practical application is sound, there are very few people who would be willing to sacrifice their privacy for the sake of using solar heating by living in a glass house. As a result, there have been methods designed to take advantage of the sun's ability to heat water and air and move that heated air or water into a house where it can do the most good.
One of the simplest forms of capturing and using solar heating can be done with a little bit of lumber and some empty aluminum cans. When constructed it can use the sun's rays to pass warmer air into small buildings to help take the edge off the cold without increasing energy costs.
Building Small Forced-Air Solar Heater
To make a small device for solar heating you will need to build a box. Start with a small box, about two by three feet made with pieces of lumber, two-inches by four-inches. Cover the back of the box with a piece of plywood between one-quarter to one-half inch thick, essentially whatever you can find.
Next take your collection of empty cans and cut a small hole in the bottom. The top should already have a hole where the tab is located. Set them in the box, top to bottom making a continuous loop inside the box and use duct tape to hold them together. This series of cans is what gathers the warmer air for use in solar heating. Cut a hole in the bottom of the box into which a piece of plastic tubing can be inserted, about one-inch diameter.
Fasten the box to the outside of a building or garage and cover the front with clear Plexiglas or glass. Run the hose from the hole in the box in another hole drilled in the outdoor building. One the sun comes up and strikes the glass, the air inside the cans will be heated and begin moving through the hose and into the building, pushed by the solar heating of the air.
