Solar Thermal Roof on coop

[dixygirl]

I will be constructing my coup over the next month or two and have decided to include a solar thermal forced air heater that can provide day time heat for my house in the winter. This will go on top of the slant to roof.

http://www.coloradowindpower.com/page.php?26


Please read to learn the general concepts. Any additional plan suggestions are welcome

The general concept is very simple. 2 holes on a box. Cold air comes in a hole on the bottom and hot air goes out a hole on the top of the box. The sun heats up the air in the box as it passes over black Sheet metal or soda cans inside the box. Black color attracts heat and the metal holds the heat. Some models use a vacume tube to vent the warmed air inside the house. You can use a small solar fan to suck air in the hole on the bottom of the box.

The air in the box can heat up to 110 degrees. That free hot air is a big help heating a house on a cold winter day.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1977_September_October/Mother_s__Heat_Grabber_


http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/04/26/almost-free-garage-heat-just-drink-a-lot-of-soda/

http://builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/Space_Heating.htm
Other features I decided to include are a door backing up to my bedroom window as well so I can just open my window to collect eggs.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Wonderful idea and great job on helping to save our earth's resources (not to mention your checkbook)!!!

I had to come back and comment on your egg door to! Great idea! How smart is that?!?!

 

[BowChickaBowMow]

What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing this!

 

[patandchickens]

Will that *work*, on a roof? Generally they have to be located lower-down than much of the space they're heating, e.g. on the lower half of a wall. The warmed air needs somewhere to rise *to*, inside the building. Otherwise you will not get a whole lot of air circulation without a fan. Might be worth looking into before you install...

Good luck,

Pat

 

[seedcorn]

Need advice.

Situation: 6' X 8' hen house 8' tall at peak. faces East with tree on south and shed on west to protect it from IN winds. Where would you install something like this? I'd like the concept of being able to warm it up in winter.

 

[patandchickens]

Assuming it's a deciduous tree, or an evergreen that does allow sunlight to fall on the S side of coop as the sun moves around, I would still install the heater on the south side... no-brainer.

The ONLY reason I can think of for installing it on the E side is if the south gets absolutely no sun at all... but you will get very little benefit from it, and I'm not sure how worthwhile it'd be on the east.

Perhaps the tree could be carefully thinned or pruned (depending on size or type) to allow more winter sunlight onto coop wall? I'd wait til Actual Winter to do it, so you can see exactly which parts would give you the most 'bang for your buck'.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Davaroo]

I suggest you make it part of a south facing wall, and not the roof.
The cold air inlet is at the floor, and the outlet at the ceiling.

Thats how it is normally done, anyway...

 

[seedcorn]

Quote:
It is a mulberry tree so sun in winter could hit south wall. Since these are so easy/cheap to make would it be worth time to do one on east side as well as south side or over kill? Do you put it on wall or slooped away as "mother earth article" did? seems if it was on wall more heat would hit coop.

 

[dixygirl]

Quote:
Hi Pat,
In my original post I wrote that the unit would use a solar fan to suck in air so there is no air pressure problem that you were speaking of. That would only happen if you did not use one. Oh the good thing about a solar fan is you don't need a thermostat. When the metal heats up in the sun, at the same time the solar panel will be turning the fan on. So it will turn on automatically when optimum heat / sunlight is produced. The only problem with this is it does not produce heat at night when there is no sun light

Just free heat during the day.

Regarding the person who wants to place one on the east of the house. That would provide morning sunrise heat but nothing later on in the day. Facing a south sky at about a 45 degree angle in most cases produces the best results usually.


Good luck... I cant wait to see our results

 

[dixygirl]

here are some solar fans on Ebay
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=solar+fan&category0=


This is the one i have. The panel has a long cord so can put it anyhere. Not just on top of the fan like in the picture.