DIY Portable Solar Heater
As eco-awareness continues to rise, homeowners continue to search for ways to save money while using sustainable resources. Solar energy is an attractive source for electricity and heat because it's free and requires very little work to collect. Heating your home with solar energy costs only as much as the materials to make your own portable convection heater. Since most of the supplies are household items, these heaters usually cost under $20. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Thick cardboard
- Utility knife
- Flexible vacuum hose
- Black spray paint
- Silicone caulk
- Hole punch
- S hooks
Instructions
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1
Measure the height and width of your window. Cut a piece of cardboard matching the height and width. For instance, if your window is 36 inches high by 24 inches wide, you'll need a rectangle of thick cardboard 36 inches tall by 24 inches wide.
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2
Cut a piece of flexible vacuum hose about four times longer than your window is tall. In this case, you'll need about 12 feet of vacuum hose. This kind of hose is thick plastic and looks like an accordion. It's available at most hardware stores. You can also recycle old vacuum pieces.
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3
Hold a black spray paint can about 6 inches from the flexible hose and one side of the cardboard. Coat all sides of the hose completely and one side of the cardboard. Let the paint cure overnight.
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4
Run a thick bead of silicone caulk down one side of your flexible hose. Line one end of the hose up with the bottom left corner of your cardboard. Press the hose into the cardboard, bending it back and forth up the cardboard in a zig-zag pattern. The other end of the hose should end up lined up against the upper right corner of the cardboard. Let the caulk dry overnight.
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5
Punch a hole in the upper right and left corners of the cardboard. Slip S hooks through the holes and hang the panel from a curtain rod in a south-facing window. Because warm air rises, cooler air will enter the bottom end of the hose and rise through the hose. The sun will warm the hose and the air inside the hose. Because the hose is curved in a zig-zag pattern, the air will move slowly and will have more time to become warm. The warmed air exits the top end of the hose, warming your room.
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Tips & Warnings
Replace the tubing with PVC pipe, aluminum beverage cans or steel soup cans. The air will still travel and warm the same way.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
