How to make a solar collector from beer cans yourself: step by step instructions. Solar collector from beer cans DIY solar collector from cans
I did not lose heart, and decided to proceed with the backup plan "B". In particular, use aluminum beer cans as a solar collector housing and silicone sealant as a sealing and connecting material. Both for cans and for silicone, the temperature of 60-70 degrees (at which the PET-bottle solar collector collapsed) is just seeds.
I collected cans with the help of myself, friends and neighbors pretty quickly. I had about 50 one-liter beer cans at my disposal, I decided to use 40 pcs (so as not to remake the solar collector housing from bottles.) In principle, the capacity of the water heater remained the same - about 40 liters, and the area of the irradiated surface was about 0.6 square meters.
4 cans had to be opened not as usual, by pulling the lever on the lid, but with the help of a can opener from the bottom side, so that the “lid” remained intact. For the rest, I cut out both the bottom and the lid with a can opener, turning the cans into pipes. In addition, those 8 cans that will be at the end of the solar collector had to cut narrow holes in the side so that water could freely fill the “pipes” of the solar collector. And in one bank there is a hole for a fitting to which a hose is attached.
Council number 1. Before you start gluing the cans, you should test the silicone sealant for adhesion to the cans! It turned out that not all silicone is equally sticky. Among my “collapses” I came across a couple of tubes with some kind of silicone made in Estonia (Olympus, it seems) - it just peeled off a jar with a fingernail and peeled off completely. Silicone brand "Krass" - sticks well. Of course, the banks are all degreased before gluing.
I glued cans into such a block for the first time in my life ... Therefore, I took a pipe, “strung” 8 cans on it and began to glue the joints ... Since the silicone hardens for about a day, the structure constantly moved when lubricating neighboring cans. In general, I was in a hurry and as a result, during the check, many leaks were revealed in the block, which then had to be identified and eliminated.
Council number 2. Do not hurry! Summer has already passed, and autumn and winter will be long ... Therefore, I would recommend the following technology for assembling a solar collector from aluminum cans, if I could do it now. We take a plane (plywood, chipboard, countertop, board, etc.) We fix the “first” jar on it in any way (hot glue, adhesive tape, clamp ...). After lubricating the joint with silicone, we attach a second jar to it from the end and another one from the side. We leave for a day. The next day, we glue the next 3-4 cans, etc. So you can get a perfectly flat and sealed solar collector. Those. the main thing is not to rush!
Finally, I assembled my 4 pipes into a single block, checked it for leaks and put it in the “coffin” of the bottle collector, i.e. in a box of boards, at the bottom of which lies a piece of polystyrene foam (50 mm) covered with foil. I connected a hose to the fitting to fill the solar water heater with cold water and drain it with heated water. The block of cans was positioned so that the fitting would be at the lowest point of the box. And in the jar that was above all, he pierced a small hole for the exit and entry of air.
Having once again checked the block of cans for leaks, I painted the cans with black matte paint, and closed the box with glass. The gaps between the panes were sealed with tape. The solar collector itself is oriented strictly to the east, with a slope of about 15-20 degrees. Not the most optimal orientation, of course, but that's how the roof is located. In the end, this is just a practical experiment, laboratory work. In reality, the sun began to illuminate the solar collector from about 9-30 in the morning and went almost to the “zero” angle at 17 hours.
Since the second decade of August has already begun, I did not expect any outstanding results from this water heater. And the weather is no longer like early July. But nevertheless, these results have more than satisfied me.
Below are graphs showing my non-systematic observations. Graphs of the same color mean temperature marks of one day. Lower - air temperature, upper - water temperature in the solar collector water heater. The comments on the various charts are as follows:
- color black - almost continuous cloudiness, but not cumulus. The sun barely shines through, you can determine its position.
- sea wave color - partly cloudy with dense clouds, haze, rare breaks in the clouds.
- the color is red - almost clear, the air is transparent, in the afternoon there was about 10% cloudiness.
- color lilac - constant haze, cloudiness 5-10%.
- green color - dense cloudiness during the day from 50 to 100%.
- color blue - cloudiness 5-10%, constant haze.
At about 5 pm, the water from the solar water heater is drained into a thermos (a plastic barrel insulated with polystyrene foam) and used for household needs, watering, bathing, etc. In general, I am more than satisfied with the results, you can start building a serious solar collector. But this water heater continues to work properly.
As you can see, even on almost cloudy days, a solar water heater somehow warms up the water. And you must admit, there is a difference for the same wash - it is one thing to heat 20-30 of water or simply add one “kettle” of hot water to the already heated water to bring the water to condition. Or warm water for irrigation, for example. Cucumbers should not be watered with cold water. And what to do in dry cloudy weather? Do not heat it especially for cucumbers.
A bit of economics. As you can see from the graphs, in the morning the water "starts" at about 15 degrees Celsius. And in the evening it heats up to 55 (on a sunny day and above). Those. 40 liters of water are heated by 40 degrees. Since the heat capacity of water is 4200 J * kg * deg, the water receives heat 40 x 40 x 4200 = 6,720,000 J of heat. Or 1.87 kWh (if converted into electrical power). Is it a lot or a little? 1.87 kWh of electricity cost about 4 rubles. Those. solar heater saves me 4 rubles of electricity per day. If during the season I use his “services” 100 times (and this is realistic in the period from mid-April to mid-September - 150-160 days), then the savings will be 400 rubles.
It took me about 2 tubes of silicone to make the solar water heater itself (if I had made the collector right away, it would have taken much less silicone). Banks are waste, the rest is waste material ... Well, let the costs amount to 300 rubles. But anyway - the payback of a solar collector is less than one season!
Aluminum cans from beer or other drinks are an excellent material for creating a solar collector. Firstly, it is a thin metal that heats up very quickly and, as a result, quickly heats up the air. Secondly, such cans are made of aluminum, and this metal is an excellent conductor of heat. Perhaps this is the best material for a solar collector that you can get for free.
For the manufacture of the collector housing, the author used plywood 15 mm thick. And as glass, you can use plexiglass, polycarbonate or ordinary glass with a thickness of 3 mm. In order to insulate the collector, glass wool or polystyrene 20 mm thick is used. The design is assembled quite quickly and simply. This device can heat any room, be it a barn, garage or even an apartment.
Materials and tools for manufacturing:
- empty aluminum cans;
- matte paint (heat-resistant);
- silicone or heat-resistant glue;
- drill with a nozzle for cutting large holes;
- plywood;
- a board for creating a box (case);
- fasteners such as "ears" for fixing the collector to the wall;
- glass or polycarbonate;
- a small fan (it can be from a computer power supply);
- differential thermostat;
- puncher.
Collector manufacturing process:
Step one. Preparing banks
First of all, the jars need to be washed and dried well, otherwise all this “aroma” will go into the room when the collector is working. It is best to use aluminum cans, they absorb heat better. You can check what the bank is made of with a magnet, the magnet will not stick to aluminum.
Next, holes need to be made in the banks, for this it is necessary to adhere to the scheme proposed by the author. First, using a nail or other suitable object, three small holes must be punched in the marked places. Next, take a large Phillips screwdriver or a special punch and use it to make holes, as in the photo. With this scheme, the maximum efficiency of the collector will be ensured.
The upper part of the can must be cut and bent in such a way that a “fin” is formed. Thanks to it, air turbulence will form inside the collector, which will allow the air to warm up better.
Step two. We glue the cans
For gluing cans, you need to use glue that can withstand temperatures of at least 200 degrees Celsius. The cans are glued upside down to the neck, they are perfectly suited to each other in diameter. Glue must be applied evenly throughout the circle, if the tightness is broken in the collector, its performance will greatly decrease. How the banks are connected can be seen in the sectional photo.
Thus, it is necessary to form pipes of the required length from cans. In order for the pipe to be even, it is necessary to make a template from the boards, in which the structure will remain until the glue dries completely.
Step three. We collect the frame for the collector
To create the inlet and outlet parts of the box, a board was used, in which holes are drilled using a drill and a special nozzle. You can also use aluminum sheet for this purpose.
The box itself is also made of board, and plywood was used to create the bottom.
After the body is assembled, it must be insulated. For this, fiberglass or foam is suitable. From above, the insulation is covered with a thin sheet of plywood so that the banks do not have direct contact with the insulator.
Step four. Installing banks
Now the cans can be stacked in the case. They are fixed at both ends with two boards, in which holes are cut out according to the diameter of the cans. The boards are attached with glue. To make the structure stronger, you can make an inner wall.
Step five. Collector mount
To make the collector easy to install and remove, you need to install a special bracket.
Step six. Final build step
At the final stage, the collector needs to be painted. The absorber (cans) must be painted with heat-resistant matt black paint. This is necessary for maximum heating of the absorber. The case also needs to be painted to protect against moisture. Now it only remains to glaze the structure, while it is important to remember that everything must be airtight. When using polycarbonate, the sheet must be installed in such a way that it is slightly curved, this will increase its strength.
A solar generator made from beer cans is very similar to a collector, but it does not heat water, but directly the air. As a rule, this design is installed on the south side. This increases its effectiveness. The heat generator can be installed on the roof of a building or even on a wall. To place the structure on the wall, you will need to make two holes through which air will enter and exit. A fan will help him in this, which will direct the air flow in the right direction. The result of the work of a solar heat generator with your own hands is a high air temperature, reaching 80 0 C.
Heat generator from beer cans - design advantages
By design, solar generators can be of two types:
- air is supplied from below, and comes out already heated from above (upper diagram);
- Air enters and exits from below (lower diagram).
Which option is better? If you are guided by the rules of physics, then due to the fact that warm air always rises, it would be more expedient to use the second method of making a heat generator with your own hands.
This design can be made from various materials, among which the cheapest way is a heat generator from beer cans. They can be replaced by thin aluminum pipes of the required diameter, but the question is the cost, you will have to spend money.
If you use metal drain pipes in your work, heat will be lost, since iron has a lower heat conductivity compared to aluminum.
The advantages of our design include:
- no expenses for building material;
- low weight of the collector;
- thanks to the rounded shape of the beer cans, the area of the heat generator increases.
Making a solar collector with your own hands
For the manufacture of a solar collector - a heat generator with dimensions of 2400 x 1265 mm, we need aluminum cans of the same size in the amount 234 PC. Having collected the required number of cans, they should be processed.
Using a metal crown, it is necessary to cut out the bottom in each jar. The hole should be 44 mm in diameter. It will be convenient to use a drilling machine. The crown attached at the bottom of the machine (diameter 51 mm) will not allow the beer can to scroll and wrinkle in the hands.
This method gives an ideally shaped hole at the exit. If you do not have the opportunity to use a drilling machine, you can replace it with a drill (low speed). In this case, the drill must be fixed or use the help of a partner. In this case, extreme care must be taken.
To create internal turbulence, you need to cut the top of the can into strips and fold it inward. As a result, the air hitting the walls of the beer cans will heat up faster.
After processing all the cans, it is necessary to wash and degrease them. In this case, any detergent can be used.
After drying, the banks of the future heat generator with your own hands must be glued into pipes. The composition of each of the pipes should include 13 cans (total length 2150 mm). As a result, we get 18 channels.
When gluing, to maintain the evenness of the channels, you should use a guide. This can be done using a metal corner or a self-made guide from two boards.
The first is a can with two holes.
The cans are glued together with a special aluminum sealant that can withstand temperatures from -50 to +250 0 С.
Sealant must be applied to the neck of the jar from the inside. The layer must be even.
In the process of gluing, each jar must be fixed with a wide elastic band.
After gluing the last can, it is necessary to squeeze the resulting structure with a clamping screw. In this state, our design should remain for a day for the glue to dry.
Making a box for a solar collector from beer cans
For the manufacture of the frame of the box, wood, moisture-resistant plywood or OSB boards can be used. Box dimensions:
- along its outer borders - 2400 x 1265 mm;
- thickness in the smaller part of the box - 120 mm;
- thickness at the top of the bend - 160 mm.
The back wall of the box is made of plywood 12 mm thick, and its side walls are made of boards (20 mm). Corners must be reinforced with metal corners. In order to support the pipes in the middle, it is necessary to install a bar.
The do-it-yourself bulge of the front side of the collector, in addition to its elegant appearance, allows the sun's rays to hit the surface more intensively. To mark the correct radius on the workpiece, a rope tied to a pencil on one side will help, and the other side of the rope is tied at a certain distance from the workpiece - 4.75 m.
For the manufacture of air ducts, plywood 12 mm thick, upholstered with aluminum (layer - 1 mm), is used. Joints should be treated with sealant to avoid air loss.
In our case, the holes in the air duct for the heat generator were drilled with a crown (54 mm). You should evenly and symmetrically distribute all 18 holes across the width of the collector with your own hands.
Hi all!I promised to tell you about this device the other day and about the fact that I want to connect this piece to it Before the history of my acquaintance with this device is as follows. My friend and I went for mushrooms in the fall, if anyone remembers, we collected so many mushrooms that it was necessary to dry, freeze, preserve or distribute the excess to relatives and good people. So, the first option was dropped due to the energy consumption of the process. I have a combined stove in the kitchen - gas on top, electricity on the bottom. From the top part the denyuzhka goes to Mr. Firtash, from the bottom to Mr. Akhmetov. It seems to me that since they shook hands in the case of the division of spheres of influence on energy resources in Ukraine, only combined stoves will be sold, well, whatever gets to both ;-).
I did not want to spend my energy on mushrooms then (to share my energy with the aforementioned gentlemen). I began to look for home-made oven-dryers for mushrooms, I found it, but not what I wanted. In principle, the drying cabinet itself is a matter of five minutes, but where to take the heated air there - again from the outlet? Then I dug up this thing. Connect it to a drying cabinet (only smaller than in the material below) and order. Well, if the cooler does not spin from magnets, then it will spin from a couple of solar cells from an old calculator. Well, in the Domed House in the "village of friends" you yourself understand what you can do with it.
A brilliant solution came to a guest of our site( http://sunbat.narod.ru/14.htm ), he built an efficient one withsolar collector from used aluminum cans
It's an incredibly easy and cheap way to build a solar panel to supplement your home's heating (or domestic hot water).
The most important thing is that the collector is almost entirely built from empty aluminum cans and, accordingly, its price is very low!
The body for the solar collector is made of wood (15 mm plywood). Plexiglas / polycarbonate on top (tempered glass can be used. The back of the case is lined with 20 mm mineral wool as insulation.
The solar absorber is made from beer and beverage cans that are painted with a high temperature resistant matt black paint. The top part (lid) of the cans is specially designed to provide more efficient heat exchange between the cans and the passing air.
Solar collector FROM CANS do it yourself. Instruction:
To begin with, we collected empty jars from which we will collect solar panels. Banks need to be washed. Attention! Cans are usually made of aluminum, but there are also iron ones, use only aluminum ones, as they are less susceptible to corrosion and such cans have better heat transfer. You can check banks with a magnet.
We used tools to punch three holes into each of the fingernail sized jars (shown in Figures 2 and 3). Next, we carefully trimmed the tops of the cans into a star shape, and then folded the loose ends using pliers (fig. 1) for better turbulence and hot air circulation. All this must be done before gluing cans.
fig.1
rice2
fig.3
When punching is completed, small pieces of metal may remain in the can. We recommend using tweezers to remove these parts.
Do not take out (tear off) pieces of metal, wood chips and debris with your bare hands!
Remove grease and dirt from the surface of the can with any liquid designed specifically for this purpose, but without acid. Clean only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Glue all the jars together with any silicone adhesive that is resistant to high temperatures, at least up to 200 ° C. All jars should fit perfectly together. Glue the cans so that they are airtight, or solder. Soldering with tin, you can see in photo 4, batteries of finished cans are shown in picture 5.
fig.4
fig.5
fig.6
Preparing templates for laying jars - shown in Figure 6. You can use two of the most common flat slabs and knock them down with nails. The template will serve as a frame during the drying process of the cans to get straight tubes of the solar collector.
fig.7
fig.8
fig.9
Pictures 7, 8 and 9 show the gluing process. Figure 10 shows that the pipes must be fixed until the adhesive is completely dry.
fig.10
The inlet and outlet boxes are made of wood or aluminium, 1 mm (fig. 11 and 12), the gaps at the edges are filled with adhesive tape or heat-resistant silicone. We drill holes 55mm in diameter in the box (Fig. 13). the collector assembled and prepared for painting is shown.
fig.11
fig.12
fig.13
The solar absorber is assembled in a wooden case (Fig. 14). Insulation between pipes and walls made of mineral wool or other thermal insulation. Installation of the insulation is shown in Figure 15. Pay particular attention to the insulation around the air outlet and inlet of the solar collector.
fig.14
fig.15
fig.16
fig.17
The preparation, protection and painting of the wood from which the box is assembled is finished. Hooks are attached to all four corners of the solar collector to allow it to be wall mounted (fig. 16) using 10mm screws (fig. 17).
fig.18
fig.19
fig.20
At the end of our work, the solar receiver is painted black and put into operation. The body is covered with plexiglass, carefully glued with silicone. The plexiglass is slightly convex for greater strength. You can see the installed solar absorber without plexiglass in picture 18. The complete solar collector is shown in picture 19 and finally the installed solar system can be seen in picture 20.
Such a solar collector is best used for heating air with its subsequent supply to the room using a blower ( computer cooler). But it can also be used to heat water.
P.S. Beacon someone - can you see the pictures?
This is an incredibly simple and inexpensive solar collector for additional home heating that heats the air directly. The most interesting thing is that the solar panel is almost entirely made of empty aluminum cans!
The body of the solar collector is made of wood (15mm plywood) and its front panel is made of Plexiglas/Polycarbonate (you can also use regular glass), 3mm thick. Glass wool or foam (20mm) is installed on the back of the case as insulation. The solar collector is made from empty cans of beer or other drinks, which are painted with a matte black paint that is resistant to high temperatures. The top part (lid) of the can is specially designed to provide more efficient heat exchange between the air and the surface of the can. (Please follow the technology!).
When it is sunny, regardless of the outside temperature, the air in the jars heats up very quickly. The fan returns the air back to the heated air and the room is warm.
1. Cooking jars.
To begin with, we collected empty jars from which we will make solar panels. It is necessary to wash the jars as soon as they begin to spread odors. Attention! Cans are usually made of aluminum, but there are also some made of iron. Banks can be checked with a magnet.
A punch (or nail) is inserted into the bottom of each jar and neat holes are made, although you can drill it with a drill. The caliper is then inserted and distorted according to the pattern.
Instead, you can use special tools or large Phillips screwdrivers.
The top of the jar is cut with scissors and bent to form a "fin". Its mission is to promote turbulent airflow in order to collect as much heat as possible from the heated can wall. (Please observe the technology!) All this must be done before gluing the cans.
2. Remove grease and dirt from the surface of the jar.
Any synthetic degreaser will work well enough for this purpose. Degreasing should only be carried out outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
3. We plant jars on glue.
The adhesive or silicone tape on the jar is resistant to high temperatures up to at least 200°C. There are also adhesive products that can withstand up to 280°C or 300°C. glue. A detailed section of the glued cans can be seen in the figure.
In order not to miss with the vertical-horizontal, it is better to make a template in advance from two boards knocked down with nails at an angle of 90 degrees. The template in the picture will provide support during the drying of the cans in order to obtain a straight tube - a solar tunnel.
The pipe must be fixed until the glue is completely dry.
4. We make a frame.
The inlet and outlet boxes are made of wood or aluminium, 1 mm thick; gaps in the edges are closed with adhesive tape or heat-resistant silicone. Round holes according to the size of the cans are made with a special nozzle for a drill, or with a drill.
5. We glue the box. The glue dries very slowly. Be sure to let it dry for at least 24 hours.
The body of the solar receiver is made of wood. The back of the solar collector box is made of plywood. In order to further strengthen the structure, you can make an inner wall.
6. Thermal insulation of the solar collector.
Insulation is applied between the sections - fiberglass or foam. All this is covered with a thin plywood lid. Pay special attention to the insulation around the air inlet and outlet of the solar collector.
7. Fixing the solar collector.
Next, you should install the "ears" - fasteners with which the Collector is attached to the wall, and protect the wood with protective paint. Then an empty box must be placed on the wall and mark the place where there will be a hole for hot air to enter and cold air to exit. A pipe made of improvised material is inserted into the holes punched in the wall.
At the end of the work, the solar receiver is painted black and placed in a cabinet. From above it is covered with plexiglass, carefully fitted to the frame. Polycarbonate/Plexiglas should be (preferably) slightly convex to get more strength.
Important Note: This design cannot store the thermal energy it produces. If it is cool at night, then it is better to close the Collector, otherwise the house will cool down. This can be solved in a simple way - by installing a valve or gate valve, which will reduce heat loss.
The differential thermostat controls the operation of the fan and turns on/off. This thermostat can be purchased from electronic component stores. The device has two sensors. One is installed in the upper warm air opening, the other is installed inside the lower cool air duct of the Manifold. If you correctly set the temperature threshold, the solar collector can produce an average of about 1-2 kW of energy for heating. It mostly depends on how sunny the day is.
A dress rehearsal of the solar collectors was done in the yard before installing the system at home. It was a sunny (see video) winter day, no clouds. As a fan, a small cooler was used, taken from a faulty power supply to the computer. After 10 minutes of sunlight from the solar collectors, the air temperature reached 70°C!
After completing the installation of collectors on the wall of the house, when the ambient temperature is from -3 ° C, 3 m3/min (3 cubic meters per minute) of heated air came out from the solar collector. The temperature of the heated air rose to +72 ° C. The temperature was measured using a digital thermometer. To calculate the power of the Solar Thermal Collector, we took the air flow, and the average air temperature - at the outlet of the unit. The calculated power given by the Solar Collector was approximately 1950 W (watt), which is almost 3 hp. (3 hp)!
Conclusion: Considering that the results are quite satisfactory, it can be concluded that these homemade solar panels are definitely worth making. The collector can at least be used for the extra space you live in and it's up to you to work out and understand what savings can be made.
