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I just don't want to wind up missing a digit or limb. I can sometimes get in a hurry to get results.
A couple suggestions:1. You need to be able to seal off the solar unit from the room at night time. Otherwise all your heat gained during daytime will be lost at night time when it gets cold outside and the process reverses.2. This system was designed to work with an existing double hung window. For better performance, the cold return duct would be connected at the bottom of your conditioned room to pull the coldest air off the floor. It would then be routed flat to the bottom of the solar heater. This would require an additional floor or wall penetration.
The thing I found was that the air didn't move fast enough on its own
Quote from: Wilbur on December 13, 2016, 04:06:19 PMThe thing I found was that the air didn't move fast enough on its own This is caused by the fact that the supply duct at the top of the collector is short. If you were able to increase the length of this duct upward before the air outlet, you would see an increase in air flow. This is due to the stack effect, also known as draft. The same principle is applied to fireplaces and other appliances that heat air. The farther the flue or chimney extends above the heat source, the greater the air flow.
Don a thought based on some experience.... use oil not water. A tank full of oil....submerged say 4' or so with a heat exchanger in it...would absorb and maintain a lot of heat.
Quote from: moto123 on December 13, 2016, 04:49:54 PMQuote from: Wilbur on December 13, 2016, 04:06:19 PMThe thing I found was that the air didn't move fast enough on its own This is caused by the fact that the supply duct at the top of the collector is short. If you were able to increase the length of this duct upward before the air outlet, you would see an increase in air flow. This is due to the stack effect, also known as draft. The same principle is applied to fireplaces and other appliances that heat air. The farther the flue or chimney extends above the heat source, the greater the air flow.That makes sense moto....I am ignorant on a lot of this part for sure! Don here's a site (there's tons out there) that will help explain what the best angle of the collector should be for your location (presumably for winter given what you want it to do):http://www.solarpaneltilt.com/