Scrap Heap Solar Panel
After a winter of freezing while working in the garage, Daniel Strohl was struck with the idea of creating his own solar panel garage heater. Fifty cans of Sprite later, he concocted a heater that was easily able to add 15 degrees of heat to the air. Too bad it’s summer now and he won’t need a heater for another six months.
He had a lot of ideas on how he could have done better next time around:
Were I to do this again, I’d first make the furnace larger. As I recall, Dad’s measured something like four feet on each side. Obviously, the more surface area, the more heat you’ll pick up. Second, as mentioned above, I’d relocate the inlet to the back of the box to direct all the air through the cans. Or at least I’d cut a piece of aluminum to act as a baffle and prevent the air from rising straight up. Third, I might use those small soda cans I’ve seen in the grocery stores lately, just to get more surface area.
Sounds like a great idea for a project to work on this summer so that you can add a little free heat to your home or garage next year. Get drinking that Red Bull because those cans are probably the best.