The warm summer months never last forever. Soon it’s time to look for a way to bring a little extra warmth into the home and this simple solar heater is a great project to do just that. It’s made of metal cans, steel or aluminum, and can produce a surprisingly strong and consistent airflow upwards of 140F.
Even on a heavy snow day you’re looking at somewhere around 75-85F.
Best of all, this simple project requires just a few common parts and many of them can simply be re-purposed from your regular recycling. Watch the project come together in the fully-detailed video on the NEXT PAGE:
insulate it
Newer solar panels generate 80% on cloudy days.
What powers fan?
They actually work great I made one from aluminium cans and pennies for my 10×20 garage
John C. Jenkins II look at this
Just might try this one
This type of heater is being used in a cabin located in Finland. It’s the primary source of heat and he is cozy. Another design utilizing black (non-metallic) window screen is proving more efficient and it’s easier to build.
Awesome but I’m fuzzy on some parts. Are the cans kept inside the house or outside in the winter? Does the pipe/vent come through a wall or window or is it all inside the house? How does this generate more heat than the sunshine alone coming through a window (how does it work)?
The unit generally draws cold air the through the bottom. Cans are behind glass or a UV stabilized plastic. Cans painted black will heat up the air (running through the tubes) and will exit the top through the induced convection. Some units use a fan to move the air quicker, but the temperature will be lower.
The unit (with cans) is permanently mounted outside the house and direct vented to the inside.