The instructables web site provides how to guides on many topics. The origins of the site trace back to the MIT Media Lab. Solar Thermal Water Heater For Less Than $5

This project will create a DIY solar hot water heater for less than five dollars (if you have access to a garbage dump). It will allow you to see the principles of solar water heating in action, and is highly customizable.

Its a great way to learn about using the renewable energy of the sun to produce useful effects, in this case hot water. You can use these instructions to build a device that will actually heat enough water to use in the home, but it would require modifications.

Materials needed:

* Water
* 2 buckets
* Drill (with both drill bits and screw bits)
* Some scissors
* A saw (a simple hand saw will do)
* Some wood
* A pane of glass.
* The back of a small refrigerator.
* 12 feet of air pump hose used in fish tanks
* Backing material (we used an old door mat)
* A box of wood screws
* Aluminum Foil
* Role of duct tape
* Angle Cutter (or hack saw)

Time:

This project took about 3 hours of constructions time. It took a couple weeks to find all the parts.

Related: Dissecting an IP Phone ‘Magic Cable’ - Engineers Without Borders - Cost Efficient Solar Thermal Dish by MIT Students - Engineering at Home (AC) - Make blog

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under How Things Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.