Projects
2008-07-05 by Rob StevesIWillTry.org is a repository of ideas, experiments and projects to help the average person reduce their energy consumption and their contribution to climate change. Oh yeah… you can save a few bucks too. Some of these links will take you to the Instructables website where I’ve posted some projects. Others may take you to the IWillTry Wiki. I will be moving everything to this site eventually. - Rob
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2008-07-09 at 10:18 am
I ran into your hotdog cooker. I am going to the El Paso Solar Energy Association Summer/solar picnic this saturday, so I needed a good design. Thanks for the design and the math. Can you give me a little info or put it on your site or instructables.com on how to do the heliostat?
Thanks, James
2008-07-09 at 1:33 pm
Hi James,
Thanks for the comment. I’ve posted a lot of information about the heliostat in the Wiki. See How to build a heliostat for solar heating and lighting. I realize the detail is not complete enough for someone to duplicate the design. I plan to build another one at some point and will post more detailed instructions then, but for now I’m too busy with other projects.
2008-08-13 at 1:57 pm
I love this site so much. I rarely build anything practical (most of what I build is simply art). It’s inspiring to see practical solutions to everyday energy-problems.
We need people implementing these types of solutions by the billions. A combination of Iwilltry-style-ingenuity, laws, economic-incentives and sex-appeal will do the trick IMHO. I can’t wait for the day that energy-unawareness is equivilent to racial ignorance in the eyes of the public.
2008-09-19 at 10:27 am
I found your blog etc. interesting. People in Victoria are starting to switch to heat pumps. I wonder if this would be an alternative you would consider rather than space heaters, especially as you can get gov’t rebates.
2008-09-20 at 8:10 pm
Hi Wim, I have considered a heat pump (and I still am). I agree it is a better solution overall. However, it involves a high capital cost, a significant amount of work, and many years till pay back (even with gov’t rebates). I’m not only interested in reducing my own impact, but in exploring what others can do to reduce their impact. Due to the reasons above, it’s unlikely that heat pumps will see widespread adoption in the near future. But for anyone with an old, low efficiency furnace like I have, electric space heating is a simple, significant step in the right direction. It costs only a couple hundred dollars, involves about an hour of work to set up and “tune” and can pay for itself in less than a year. Also, if you are renting, you can easily take the whole system with you when you move.
Essentially, installing a heat pump or high efficiency gas furnace is a big decision while switching from a 30 year old, inefficient gas furnace to electric space heating is a no brainer.
2008-10-07 at 9:49 am
Heat pumps are good if you live in a place with fairly mild winters. In very cold weather, such as we quite often get here in southern Ontario, they are very inefficient. They can waste more heat in the outdoor unit than they manage to pump indoors against the large temperature difference, so they use more electricity than a simple electric heater would use to produce the same amount of heat. Ask a professional before deciding to install one.
2008-10-10 at 2:23 pm
During the summer I built what I like to call the Green-Green House. See all the wood that was used is from a old porch that was removed from a house and thrown in my woods to eventually fall apart. I was able to rip all the 2 x 8’s into 2 x 3.75 and remove all the nails and build the frame. I have a total of $40.00 in this 8′ x 8′ x 9′ greenhouse. After seeing your instructable on the thermal heat I am going to build the pannel and use the hot water that is generated to run through the greenhouse in a continous loop to warm the greenhouse during the winter. I am also working on a small solar cell pannel to mount on one side of the roof of the greenhouse that will charge two gel-cell batteries that will be able to run a 300w voltage inverter that then can be used to power lighting for the greenhouse and back porch. If we had more people willing to try new ideas and put their minds to work we would have a much happier place. I have not used a single ounce of faucet water to water the greenhouse. I have two 5 gallon rain buckets that tie into a central line which is 1″ pvc with several small holes drilled in it, I turn a valve on and the greenhouse gets plenty of water.
2008-10-22 at 10:25 am
I am seaching for some idea to write in my blog… somehow come to your blog. best of luck. Eugene
2008-10-22 at 1:52 pm
I read with interest your solar heat collector plans. I have a sign shop in california and also love to tinker. You used coroplast for your project. I think a more efficient panel would be “alumalite or econolite”. Both products are thin aluminum panels mounted to a coroplast type center and they come in black. They are made for rigid outdoor signs and won’t de-laminate at high heat. They not expensive either. I hope this suggestion is of use to you. I truly enjoyed your website, thanks for sharing.
2008-10-22 at 5:49 pm
Hi Digitalbill,
Thanks for the info. I wasn’t aware of such sign material before and I will certainly look into it. -Rob
2008-10-27 at 9:45 am
Rob, Great idea! I have been considering a solar heater for my pool and would appreciate any thoughts you might have. the pool is 30′ round , 52″deep, buried 24″, approx 10,000 gal. Would a system like yours be more effective/effecient or would a simple “batch-type” be more appropriate for a pool? Also, I have sun all day and was considering building my “collection box” on the ground and circulating the water in conjunction with my existing filtration system. Am I nuts? I plan on starting this spring and want to start collecting my materials and finalize my layout. Your idea has given me the confidence to try- THANKS.
2008-10-27 at 8:35 pm
Hi Pat, you’re definitely not nuts. There are lots of homemade pool heaters out there. I’m not aware of any “batch type” pool heaters. Since pools generally have a pump running to filter the water it makes sense to circulate the water continuously through the collector. For pool heating you generally aren’t trying to achieve temperatures much higher than the air temperature. In that case it’s usually cheaper per watt if you don’t use glazing or insulate the panel. In addition to my design, I recommend taking a look at this site: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/PoolHeating/pool_heating.htm
2008-11-04 at 12:21 am
hi sir,
i am an mechanical student wanted to know how to calculate the center of gravity of a car?
is their any experiment you suggest to me?
please kindly tell me about this?
i have gone through you website it is very nice work which reflects your talent?
have a nice day sir…………………………
please replay me on : r.kharatmal@gmail.com
2008-11-04 at 4:15 pm
Hi Raghavendra, I’ve never tried to find the CG of a vehicle before. I imagine if you can measure the weight on each wheel on a flat surface, you can determine the location of the CG in XY. To determine the height Z of the CG, you can raise one side of the vehicle significantly higher than the other and measure the weight on the wheels again. Comparing the weights from the two tests and knowing the geometry of the vehicle, you should be able to calculate the height of the CG. Of course all that is easier said than done.
2008-12-01 at 12:06 pm
Rob Steves:
I’ve read through and am inspired by your solar hot water collector using black coroplast. In fact, I’m making a prototype. I’ve modified the design somewhat for my circumstances and ease of construction. I intend on mounting 8 to 10 2′X8′ panels about 3′ off the ground, at the optimal angle for wintertime solar gain for our latitude (61 degrees off horizontal). I did some online research on both coroplast and silicon sealant. According to the Coroplast website and the Dap website, the melting points for the products are 324 degrees Fahrenheit and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Why did you state 176 degrees maximum as the temperature that this system can tolerate? I’ll find out myself in a few days, but I’m interested to hear your insight. If, as you say, 176 is the threshold to avoid, why couldn’t one put two temperature valves (thermostats) in the opposite side walls of each unit, so that when the internal air temperature gets to be 176 degrees, the valves open and let the hot air escape to keep the system under the threshold? If I put thermostats on opposite sides of my unit, at the top where it’s hottest, then there would be cross ventilation. i.e., when both thermostats open at the same time, one lets air out and the other lets air in to keep the system below the threshold. 160 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, is plenty hot enough for both my domestic hot water (120 degrees) and infloor radiant heating (110 degres). The bottom line is that I intend on building 8 to 10 units for about $1000, compared to the $5000 quote I received for conventional collector units. The biggest are the tempered glass faces for each unit. I’ll look forward to seeing your feedback.
Bob
2008-12-01 at 3:39 pm
Hi Bob,
The melting point may by higher, but the material will soften at a much lower temperatures. If the material is evenly supported and its thermal expansion is not constrained, then the softening may be tolerable. Temperature controlled valves to allow air flow through the panel may offer a good solution for preventing overheating. I experimented only briefly with this design. I would not be at all surprised if you can improve upon it. You may want to read through the comments on the article page for some recommended adhesives that may be more appropriate than silicone sealant. Good luck and please let us know how it works out.
2008-12-02 at 6:22 pm
I have been using natural gas for my heat even though I have central heating to. I live in Tennessee, and I have heard many things on what will save me money, but no one seems to know if natural gas or central heat will save me money! I need HELP!!!! Does anyone know?
2008-12-03 at 12:48 am
Hi Casandra,
See my article http://www.iwilltry.org/b/projects/make-the-switch-to-electric-space-heating/ for information on how to determine which method of heating will be least expensive. Good luck.
2009-01-04 at 9:04 pm
i read through your project about electric versus gas heat in a home. i live in michigan and was intrigued about whether oil filled space heaters could possibly heat my whole house. then my 9 month old crawled up under my chair without me knowing he was there and i realized how unsafe it would be to have 16 or more electric heaters scattered around my house. he could easily get burned.
i guess i’ll just have to save up for a more efficient NG furnace.
2009-01-04 at 11:31 pm
That may be a valid concern but homes have been built for ages (and presumably children have been raised in them) with steam or hot water heated radiators that reach higher surface temperatures than the oil filled electric radiators I’m using. I’m sure some children have been burned by these but generally I believe they are quite safe. A greater concern would be the possibility of a child tipping over an oil filled heater as they are heavy (by comparison to a child) and not too stable.