As I was browsing on the web the other day looking for any information about an evacuated tube solar hot water heater today on the web I came across a guy on the web who had made a video demonstrating how he had made the vacuum component for this type of  system. He gives you step by step instructions on how to make the vacuum component for such a system via video so you can watch exactly how he does it. He uses a beer bottle with a 1” diameter mouth and puts it inside of a straight vase. The two get molded into place with a plastic polymer and then he drills a hole in the side and inserts a polytube which is hooked up to a vacuum pump and then the air is vacuumed out from between the two. If you buy an evacuated tube system from a manufacturer you have to take into consideration that this type of system is a lot more complex and more expensive than it’s more well known counterpart the flat plate collector. The flat plate collector is a much simpler system overall. If you factor in the fact that the evacuated tube solar hot water system is supposed to be much more efficient especially in cold regions and ones that are overcast a lot then maybe this type of system deserves a closer look, especially if it’s possible to build such a system on your own incorporating commonly found parts into it’s design.

On another website I found a guy who made his own flat plate solar collector that was put together using old parts from the dump. He used an old rubber mat for his backing piece covered with a piece of tinfoil to reflect the heat back onto the coils and his coils were made out of an old refrigerator coil that had had the refrigerant removed. When he put it all together by framing it with some old scrap wood, adding glass on top to keep the heat from escaping, using some wood screws and tape to hold it all together and he had a fully functional model. He hooked up some polytube to the cold incoming water placed higher than the outgoing hot water so that gravity moved the water through the system once the system was primed. This prototype was tested for its effectiveness and within minutes the model was producing very hot water. It performed much better than one would expect. Not bad for going to the dump and picking up some parts which are readily available. I believe he said his total cost was for the poly tube which was somewhere under $4.00. This flat plate solar collector was so simple, easy to put together, used existing parts from something that otherwise would be going into a landfill and yet you could use this to heat the water from your home or for your hot tub or pool. I’d say all and all not a bad days work!!

 

For more articles like this click here

There are several reasons why you should build your own solar hot water heater to heat your hot water. First of all it just makes good sense. I’ve listed several reasons why one might consider tackling such a project and I’m sure you can easily come up with some of your own. Take a look at what you’ll find in our e-book to see just what you’re up against. It’s just not all that daunting although it may require that you read the instructions several times to be sure that you absolutely understand just what you’re up against. That said-here are the reasons that I think are important-you can add your own. 

 

1.   Solar is free energy.
2.   Solar is abundant energy.
3.   Solar is clean energy-non polluting.
4.   Using solar saves you money on your energy costs-30% or more
5.   Building a DIY Solar system is not rocket science
6.   Using solar hot water helps preserve precious resources.
7.   You can build a DIY solar hot water system for a fraction of what it costs      to have one installed.
8.   All types of folks build their own solar hot water heaters-you can too.
9.   You can feel good about helping the earth
10.   You can feel good about promoting a technology which is good for the earth and is barely being utilized.
11.    Once you finish this entry level project you can move on to more solar projects making an even bigger impact on your environment.
12.    It’s a challenge worthy of taking on.

 

 

Having good clear instructions is the key when looking to build your own solar hot water heater. Pictures really are worth a thousand words in this situation. It really helps to see just what it’s supposed to look like when you get finished. Take the leap-go for it and do yourself and the earth a favor.

 

Click here to learn how to build your own solar hot water heater

You don’t need to go searching to find solar power-it’s everywhere.

            You are probably already aware that solar power can be used to power almost anything.

Some examples would include heating your home, creating power to run your appliances or power to pump water are just a few ways that solar power can be used. 

         Another very good use of solar power would be to fuel your vehicle.

 Using solar power only makes good sense and saves many cents since it can be utilized so inexpensively.

           In order to use solar power requires that you acquire some basic knowledge about how it works. Basically it      requires that you harness the power  of the sun by concentrating it and converting it into usable power.

            There are many benefits to using solar power. First and foremost is that it’s non-polluting. Traditional power sources are all polluting and  contribute to the poisoning of our environment.

            Another great benefit is that there is an unlimited supply of energy when using power from the sun.

            A third very nice benefit of using solar power is that you don’t need to worry about power outages because the sun’s power is continuous.

            One other benefit from using solar power is the cost-once set up solar power is virtually free with the only costs involved being the upkeep of the equipment necessary to generate and convert the power into usable energy,

            If we continue using the same power sources that we are utilizing now we continue to poison our environment more and more all the time since  our need for power just keeps getting greater as the earth’s population increases.

As the pollution levels grow it’s possible that it could become so bad that it would block the sun’s rays from reaching the earth.

            When choosing a system to generate solar power there are so many options available now-some of them include solar panels, solar roofs, solar windows and the list goes on and on.

            Whatever choice you make when choosing your solar poser system-this much is certain-you’ll be doing yourself and the earth a big favor.

For more tips on green living click here