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Monday, November 12, 2012

Solar Beer Can Heater Update

Just as I thought, I had way too much going on this weekend to complete the solar heater build 100%. I got close, but not all the way done.
Here is a little bit of what I did.

All the cans had to be drilled, cleaned and glues together. I had to make 10 rows of 10 and then painted.  At each end of the row of cans there is a board with holes in it to hold the cans in place and to let the air enter through the bottom and swirl it's way up through and out the top.
Just a note, you want to make sure to clean the cans because of the hot, sour beer smell.

 I designed the frame to have a air collector system powered by a solar fan to draw in the outside air and force it through the cans. The bottom collector chamber is pictured here.
 And another chamber for the hot air to collect and be forced out the exit and into the shop .

I could have left it at that and just leaned the heater up against the outside wall but you know that is not how I roll. I have to go above and beyond. 


I decided I did not want to man handle this heater all day to maximize it's potential by keeping it faced to the sun so I decided to build a swivel frame. With one finger I can turn the heater to face the sun all day long. 

One reason for this is because this heater is independent from any electric. I have seen some built where they use a powered fan to push the air. If I am building a solar heater then it needs to be powered by solar. The solar panel I have on this needs to face the sun to turn the fan on. You can see the cords running down the side of the frame in this picture.

And here you go. A 100% Solar Beer Can Heater. In this picture you can now see the two air collector chambers at the top and bottom and where the solar panel is mounted.

To finish this project I need to run a flex tube from the top of the heater frame to the shop window and that will be that.

If you look close you can see I installed a thermometer just below the air outlet to see how hot this get the air.  Once this is in use I will give feedback on how it works.

All I need now is some sun.   










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26 comments:

  1. Poor to Rich a Day at a TimeNovember 12, 2012 at 8:27 AM

    too awesome for words, this ha got to be one of the coolest cheap solar projects I have ever seen! Thanks for sharing it!

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 8:46 AM

      Thanks PTRADAAT,
      So far the total build cost is around $40 bucks. Keep in mind I had a bunch of the material already. I have not had the chance to figure out what it would cost if everything was bought new.

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  2. DaniNovember 12, 2012 at 8:40 AM

    Looks amazing - from a distance you'd never know it's home made.

    When can I place my order - or do you still have to drink the beer...? ;)

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 8:50 AM

      Thanks Dani, Up close you can't even tell it was home made.
      Drinking the beer would be the fun part.
      LOL, I can see the wife coming out to the shop and asking what I was doing sitting there drinking beer after beer, I would simply say, "Working" and I really would be.

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  3. AnonymousNovember 12, 2012 at 8:48 AM

    Can't wait to see the results :)

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 8:51 AM

      Stephanie, As soon as have the chance I will get them.

      Delete
  4. tffnguyNovember 12, 2012 at 9:17 AM

    I might have to try one of those myself. Pretty darn cool. (Or should I say HOT.)

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 10:23 AM

      Thanks tffnguy, I know you can make one to dehydrate with as well.

      Delete
  5. johnnybNovember 12, 2012 at 9:40 AM

    I built one an experimental one a few years ago. It worked good. Air was at 120 degrees coming out real quick. It was just one thrown together with cardboard. I was curious if it worked and it does!

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 10:26 AM

      John if a cardboard one worked that good then this one should really get the job done. How many cans did you use? From what I have read, the more cans the more the heat.

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  6. becky3086November 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM

    Very nicely done! That looks just like the one I am going to build, lol. I hope it works great for you!

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 12:06 PM

      Thanks Becky, The wife is at home charting the temperatures now.

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  7. DFWNovember 12, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Hey MDR,

    With as much beer as my cousins drink, I could be rich making these - LOL.

    It looks great, can't wait for the final results.

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 12, 2012 at 3:07 PM

      Thanks DFW, if it wasn't for my buddy it would have taken a few months to get all the cans.

      Delete
  8. Quixote KidNovember 13, 2012 at 7:13 AM

    MDR, that is awesome! I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your tests.

    Very impressive how you added the swivel and the solar panel/fan to take the project from 'redneck' to 'modern day redneck'!

    Starting to save soda cans now.

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    1. Quixote KidNovember 13, 2012 at 7:15 AM

      PS, what size holes did you drill in the bottom of the cans? Similar to the holes already in the top?

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    2. Modern Day RedneckNovember 13, 2012 at 7:19 AM

      Quixote, Thanks for recognizing the leap from Redneck to Modern Day Redneck. It is something I do on every project but you are the first to actually call it out.
      The holes are drilled with a 1/2" wood bit. When you stack them you need to make sure the top holes are not all in a row. That gives the air more time to swirl and pick up the heat.

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  9. johnnybNovember 13, 2012 at 10:10 AM

    Mine was only experimental and very crude. Just one of those things you throw together to see if it works. I think I only used about 24 cans. It works real good. temp dropped real fast when the sun dropped down. I was really surprised how it worked. I have not built a permanent one since we moved to our present home. I would think the more the better. I did not have any fans in the system and the air still flowed good.

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 14, 2012 at 7:03 AM

      John, I am glad it worked for you. I have seen many different designs on you tube with some being just as you described. With all I put into this one, I hope mine does as good.
      Thanks for sharing.

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  10. SpudNovember 14, 2012 at 6:54 AM

    Only thing that I might add is that you really don't need a fan at all. Just place the outlet pipe high in your building and the cold air return low. It will naturally convect, durn physics and thermodynamics really do work.

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 14, 2012 at 7:49 AM

      Thanks for you input Spud.
      In the heaters final resting spot it will be thermostat controlled with a HOA switch. I understand thermodynamics and if this heater was large enough to circulate the CF in a more timely manor then yes, I would not need the fan. Being that the room it has to heat is large and the exchange rate of flow will not be enough to heat the room effectively, doing the calculations a fan is the only way to insure maximum efficiency. Even running 100%, this heater is about half the size I will need to achieve the desired result.
      Now for the bathhouse it would do great and that is what I built it for.
      After all, this one was just an experiment to see if the calculations were correct. Plus I'm just a dumb redneck, what do I know.

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  11. YardenerNovember 14, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    New here. Was wondering how you made the connection from the heater to the building?

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    1. Modern Day RedneckNovember 14, 2012 at 9:33 AM

      Thanks for being here Yarder, it is good to have ya. I will post an update tomorrow and show pictures of how it was done, but to answer your question, I used a 3" flex tube and ran it through the window.
      Stay turned by hitting the follow button and get the latest update on the temps and completion of the project.

      Delete
  12. heater patioFebruary 14, 2013 at 6:37 AM

    Thanks for telling us about this heating system

    Patio Heater

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  13. AnonymousAugust 2, 2013 at 8:52 AM

    My husband has put together the beer cans.
    I am concerned about the toxins that may
    be emitted into our home? Does anyone
    have a read on this part of the project?
    How long does the thin plastic lining last at
    120 degrees plus,as it is made to be chilled
    down not heated up, and not to be recycled.

    Do you eventually have aluminum oxide in the
    air it produces?

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    1. Modern Day RedneckAugust 2, 2013 at 1:38 PM

      Thanks for the comment Anony,
      I used glass and not plastic because I did not want to redo it every year. Plus the glass holds the heat in better.
      I ran mine all last winter and the only thing I smelled was stale beer. It went away after a week, after that there was no smell at all.
      The air temp does not get high enough to give off aluminum oxide and I had temps up to 190 degrees.
      Good luck with it.

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