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Make a Solar Water Heater for Under $5
treehugger.com — This is a great way to learn about using the renewable energy of the sun to produce useful effects, in this case hot water. You can use these instructions to build a device that will actually heat enough water to use in the home, but it would require modifications.
stage3- 682 diggs
- digg it
- zanestone, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21Instructables direct link:
http://www.instructables.com/id/E9WT5FSF54HOCV4/ - expert01, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Would be best to use this on the hot water heater input, so it wouldn't have to use as much energy to heat the water and you'd still have a full supply (and water used while heater is empty won't freeze you while you're showering).
- f0dder, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2This would end up costing you more money if used in a normal water heater. He said the water output was 110 degree F. A normal water heater is kept 120-140F. Aside from the pump that would be needed to get this solar heated water into your tank, you'd be cooling the water heater not heating it. http://home.howstuffworks.com/water-heater2.htm
- GreyICE, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I'd really suggest you reread what he posted. He suggested using it on the input water, which normally comes from the city water main, or your well, and is typically a nice 65-70 degrees. That would save probably 2/3rds of the energy your water heater uses. The pump energy would be very minor in comparison.
- f0dder, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I thought about the preheater and was going to change my post but exceeded my edit time. Still the cost of the pump, themostat plus plumbing is going to be well over $5.
- zybch, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Probably a lot less than the amount of electric/gas saved in your hot water service for a year though.
- GreyICE, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5I'd really suggest you reread what he posted. He suggested using it on the input water, which normally comes from the city water main, or your well, and is typically a nice 65-70 degrees. That would save probably 2/3rds of the energy your water heater uses. The pump energy would be very minor in comparison.
- f0dder, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2This would end up costing you more money if used in a normal water heater. He said the water output was 110 degree F. A normal water heater is kept 120-140F. Aside from the pump that would be needed to get this solar heated water into your tank, you'd be cooling the water heater not heating it. http://home.howstuffworks.com/water-heater2.htm
- FalseProphecy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4It's sometimes called a bucket.
- OlnyGuy, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4What would we do on a cloudy day?
- Superfreak77, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1300 sunny days per year where I live
- 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2What would we do???
Run helter skelter to & fro up & down the street holding your hands on your head yelling "Oh me, Oh my, what shall we do? what shall we do?.....the clouds have come & all is lost!"
"Yea, verily, we may die for we had no foresight for an alternative hot water source on this terrible day of cloudiness".
Woe.....woe is me. Poor helpless retarded me.
- idc5, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3very good idea , this is probably just a rough draft because this can definitely be built into something on a larger, more useful scale
- f0dder, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Wow.. makes enough hot water to fill a dixie cup.
- danomagnum, on 10/10/2007, -2/+11That would cost WAY more than 5$, unless you just happened to have a few boards, a pane of glass, and the back of an old refrigerator.
- sancho, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Right. They said up front that they got most of their stuff from the dump.
- seandfeeney, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Direct link to article on one page:
http://www.instructables.com/id/E9WT5FSF54HOCV4/?ALLSTEPS - toconnor, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5Materials:
1. Water
2. 2 buckets
3. Drill (with both drill bits and screw bits)
4. Some scissors
5. A saw (a simple hand saw will do)
6. Some wood
7. A pane of glass.
8. The back of a small refrigerator.
9. 12 feet of air pump hose used in fish tanks
10. Backing material (we used an old door mat)
11. A box of wood screws
12. Aluminum Foil
13. Role of duct tape
14. Angle Cutter (or hack saw)
Good luck finding half the items for under $5.- burkay, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1that glass alone will surely cost around $100.
- sancho, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Right. They said up front that they got most of their stuff from the dump.
- 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I f you have the skill or the habit of building things, then you probably already have all of the basic hand tools required along with a jar or bucket of screws. If not, then this article is probably not for you.
- will592, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Built one of these about 15 years ago with my next door neighbor to connect to his hot water heater. We were on the east coast of Florida and we left the electric connected to the hot water heater just in case the solar didn't produce enough. As far as I know, it's still working 15 years later and he eventually disconnected it from the grid. We used an old sliding glass door and some copper pipe painted black.
- notman, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Would have been a good use for all those old AOL disks
- herrdoktorc, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1A quick Google suggests plenty of sources indicating that even on overcast days these sorts of systems can generate good amounts of water heating.
- Br0wn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Anyone have an idea on what the coil is made of? My friend used the same concept but made more of a spiral out of copper tubing to heat his pool. The copper dyed people's hair so just a heads up.
- will592, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I would venture to say that the water pipes in most people's houses are made of copper. If you buy copper pipe at a hardware store in the plumbing section, you should be fine.
- Error601, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Okay, I got to two buckets and blew the budget. Now what?
- n00bst3r, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I guess you are supposed to have duct tape, aluminum foil, buckets, wood, refrigerator, etc, etc so that all you have to pay for is the hose. Not the author's fault, just another digg dumbass misrepresenting the story.
- 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Get a big wooden spoon from your kitchen drawer. Now stand in ONE bucket, then put the OTHER bucket over your head.....now repeatedly whack the bucket that is on your head without ever stopping. (Maybe I should have numbered these steps for him?)
This will NOT make hot water, but neither does buying 2 buckets for $5 that can be found for free behind most any restaurant.- rarson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So now, instead of "make it for $5," it's "make it for $5 buy stealing a bunch of supplies?"
- 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Where I live, dumpster diving is not stealing. But I concede that some communities may have local laws/ordinances against scooping up discarded items.
So please do, inform yourselves of your local laws and be safe.
- 2oonhed, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Where I live, dumpster diving is not stealing. But I concede that some communities may have local laws/ordinances against scooping up discarded items.
- rarson, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So now, instead of "make it for $5," it's "make it for $5 buy stealing a bunch of supplies?"
- minox, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2People use similar devices on sailboats to heat water to take showers on the deck. The only bummer is that you need the sun.
- NonLeftistDiggr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Sorry hippies, I like enough water to get the soap off quicker than 20 minutes in my shower... and I like to be able to take a shower whenever I want.
That would work well for getting hot water for cup o' noodles and tea from the hours of 10am to 7pm or so. - Drizzit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2I would not drink water out of this contraption. First it's gone through pipe rated for refrigerant and had refrigerants going through it. You can get the same thing with a black water hose laid out on a dark surface as well. Though water speed is key to keeping the temperature just right.
I prefer gas powered on demand heaters. At least I know it's gas that's powering it and not something worse. - BSX98, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0Buried for stupid ***** blog spam.
- databoy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Nice idea but inefficient. Commercial solar hot water systems use a different design. The back is a solid metal plate usually made of aluminium or copper. Ten capillary tubes run vertical and welded to a 25mm copper pipe top and bottom. The capillary tubes are fastened to the metal backing plate and the whole unit is painted black. The housing is made of galvanised metal with a layer of fibreglass or rock wool insulation. The top is of safety glass. The unit pictured would not work on main pressure. With a backing plate and a heat exchanger unit it could be adapted. Instead of water, use a light engine oil or similar. The other problem with using a refrigerator coil is made of aluminium. Aluminium corrodes on a mains water supply. Before you flame, I live in an area with commercial solar hot water systems and know the construction history of the devices.
- in2deep, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Wow good info...enjoyed the post!
- caponumen, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Good one.
Solar stills can be useful as well for those of you with water quality problems.
Way cheaper that bottled water.
http://permapak.net/solarstill.htm - flashingcurser, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2This is the most retarded article I have seen on digg in a long time. DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME!
The "black thing" in the article is a condenser from a home refrigerator. To get one of these you must cut the refrigerant lines expelling the "freon". Refrigerants (freon is a du pont brand name) are greenhouse gases, and they destroy the ozone! If that weren't bad enough, the oils in refrigeration systems contain PCB's! The oils are supposed to be handled as hazardous waste. If you don't give a ***** about the environment, then how about a $5,000 fine? It is illegal to vent r-22 and r-12 (the most common refrigerants in home refrigerators).
The only ones who may recover (recycle) refrigerants are specially trained refrigeration mechanics who are licensed to do so. The oils must be washed out with solvent and the solvent taken to a hazardous waste facility.- grumpyrain, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I wouldn't be drinking any water going through the rusty old fridge pipes, perhaps if they had a closed loop and used the hot water to heat a supply that does not directly go through those pipes, it would be safe, but that would kill the efficiency. Also, the article mentions that he had to suck the water through to get it primed, yet it is also clearly on a movable mount so it can follow the sun. The question then beckons, why not just tip it the other way and let gravity do the sucking.
- TheKingInYellow, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2hey, treehugger.com, if you want to be taken seriously you might want to have someone other than your high school drop out relative proof read your articles. i found three grammatical errors in the first paragraph alone which caused me to stop reading altogether. proof and reproof before you upload that story next time.
- JuniorPurvis, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Let them come, there is one Dwarf in Moria who still draws Blood - Gimli the Dwarf
- reshensolar, on 12/24/2007, -0/+0Haining Reshen Solar Energy Industry Company
China manufacturer of Solar Water Heater, Integrated Pressured Solar Water Heater, Solar Heater, Separate Pressured Solar Water Heater, Solar Collector and many kinds of solar water heater's parts and attachment.
http://www.china-solarwaterheater.com/ - reshensolar, on 12/24/2007, -0/+0Haining Reshen Solar Energy Industry Company
China manufacturer of Solar Water Heater, Integrated Pressured Solar Water Heater, Solar Heater, Separate Pressured Solar Water Heater, Solar Collector and many kinds of solar water heater's parts and attachment.
http://www.china-solarwaterheater.com/
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