DIY solar powered heat for my garage studio for next to nothing

Now that cooler fall weather is firmly here and freezing cold winter is around the corner, I’ve been thinking about moving my clay, glazes and tools to the communal heated studios of the Colorado Potters Guild. As a mom to an elementary school age child, however, I love the flexibility of being able to work from home when and where I find free time and schlepping back and forth to the guild is really going to be a downer for me. So, I started a search for an inexpensive heat source for my garage/studio that can be left unattended overnight.

Well, you know how it is when using the internet to research – one link leads to another and all of a sudden, I discovered a gazillion DIY solutions for supplemental heat powered by the sun on a shoe string budget.  If I knew we were going to be staying in our current home for awhile, I’d install photovoltaic solar panels on the house and my studio, but it looks like we’ll be moving within 1-2 years.

DIY Solar Heater by Daniel Strohl

DIY Solar Heater by Daniel Strohl

The photo above is from a project detailed on the Hemmings Motor News Blog and shows how to make a homemade solar convection heater that uses commonly available materials both recycled and readily available for almost 0$ – absolutely less than $100.00 if you have to buy everything.

Project list includes:

  • Have to have south facing wall or window that gets direct sun for a good part of the day
  • empty clean aluminum cans
  • weather proof caulking
  • plywood
  • wood
  • screws and assorted hammers, screw drivers etc.
  • black all weather paint (for grills)
  • glass or acrylic panels (recycled windows would probably work great)
  • drill
  • dryer vent tubing or other
  • clamps

Optional:

  • insulating panel, foam or batting
  • thermostat
  • low volume fan
  • dryer vent
  • metal flashing

While the project does require cutting holes into your wall,  this site illustrates a similar set up mounted in a window instead of a wall which requires no cutting of holes into an exterior wall – which is pretty cool because this makes it portable (perfect for apartment/condo dwellers).

So how does it work?

Solar air diagram

Solar air diagram from http://rimstar.org

Cool air is pulled in from the bottom inside wall vent and as it’s warmed by the sun in the solar chamber, the heat rises naturally and it expelled back into the same room higher up on the wall – natural convection heating.  On sunny days, a 30-50° increase in temperature can be achieved with this system.

The downside of the system is that it only works while the sun is shining, so at night or on overcast days, it won’t really provide heat, so it really only functions as a supplemental heating system.  The price is right, however, and here in sunny Colorado it is well worth the effort.  If installed in a more temperate climate in the south, supplemental heat wouldn’t be needed at all.

On the website, Instrucables, this project uses window screens instead of aluminum cans and was adapted from a $350.00 solar heat project that Gary Resa author of Build it Solar built for his barn and that was published in The Mother Earth News and Home Power magazines.  If you download Gary’s pdf with photos and plans, he provides a graph that looks at outside air temp, solar chamber output, inside temp at different times of the day and night which is incredibly helpful since I want to prevent my clay and glazes from freezing.  Even at night it looks like his barn workshop stays above freezing even though the outside temp can get to 10-20° F in the winter where he lives in Montana. His project is also very detailed an provides safety recommendations such as adding metal flashing to vents since most buildings in the US use wood framing.

Both Instructables and Build it Solar have other great DIY solar projects to attempt.

Here are some photos of similar projects here (I looked for more information about this set up, since the maker of the project claims that enough heat is stored to adequately heat the space overnight, but could find none), here, and here.

Cansolair panel installed on side of house

Cansolair panel installed on side of house

A commercial alternative for those of you who aren’t on a budget is made by Cansolair out of Newfoundland, Canada for approximately $2800.00 installed and can heat approximately 1000 square feet of living space.

Visit this website to see Cansolair’s Canadian patent application for design drawings for a better understanding of how this type of  passive solar space heating works and for design ideas.

SolarsHeat 1000G heats up to 170 ft2

SolarsHeat 1000G heats up to 300 ft2

Solarsheat is another commercial option with varying sizes available from $1290 per unit and can be wall or roof mounted.  This is the smallest usit – though the company makes larger ones depending on space heat requirements.

This video shows a similar set up as the recycled can solar heat collector, but with 3″ aluminum dryer venting instead of recycled aluminum cans.

This is a longer 16 minute video from Green Power Science who made a solar collector heater using just cardboard, paint and wood and it can be mounted on a wall or roof.  The author does advise people to use weather and heat proof materials for a permanently installed unit of your own making.

Pros of solar heat collectors:

  1. inexpensive to free
  2. uses solar energy to heat spaces which saves money
  3. Less dependence on fossil fuels
  4. not too difficult to make – no special skills needed
  5. depending on the size, you could heat your whole house or just an outbuilding/shop/garage

Cons:

  1. Supplemental heat – doesn’t work well on overcast days and not at all at night
  2. Not a terribly attractive addition to the house – though some aren’t bad

I showed my husband the plans and we’re going to try to make one.  Probably an amalgamation of several plans and we are going to make it with safety in mind.

I will need to add supplemental heat to the garage/studio for overcast days and nighttime, but in my search for solar powered space heaters, I found the following electric heater that should do the trick.

Eco Heater

Eco Heater

Eco Heaters are high energy efficiency convection heaters that are mounted on a wall and cost about 3¢/hour to operate – If I used it from 10pm – 8am, the cost would be approximately .30/day during the winter months.  If I can get a satisfactory result from the DIY solar heater, I’m going to buy one of these and install in in my garage studio – I should only have to operate it at night when the temp is expected to be below freezing.  It is also portable, so when we move, I can take it with me.

Meanwhile, my husband and I are going to try making on of these removable storm window solar panel heaters for a south facing window on the main floor of our house just for kicks.  The panels are capable of delivering 120° F + of supplemental heat on sunny or partly sunny days and if you have a thermostat installed in your home, the main heat source won’t come on at all until the temperature drops.  We have gas forced air as heating for our home and normally program our thermostat to raise the temp to 65°F only between 6am – 9am and then again 4pm – 9pm.  During sleeping hours and daytime hours, it’s set at 55°F – the house heats up pretty well during the day due to many south facing windows.

Meanwhile, I’ve loaded a packed kiln for a bisque firing and will have one additional bisque to fire tomorrow which will leave me 5 days to glaze and fire.  I imagine I’ll have to press my old manual Paragon into service to get all my work fired in time for the Guild’s sale next weekend.

Happy Halloween,

From my kid's after school clay class, Rhiannon 4th grade

Rhiannon 4th grade

~Cynthia

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18 comments

  • Undaunted

    October 30, 2008 at 4:09 pm // Reply

    Wow. I wish I had your energy and resourcefulness. Unfortunately I don’t think we get enough sunshine here in the UK to make this project worth the effort. And I’ve been waiting for a curtain poll to be put up for the last two years so I don’t want to push my luck on the DIY front!! What a great idea though. It’s tempting to give it a try…

  • David

    October 30, 2008 at 8:29 pm // Reply

    For DIY project ,the hardest part is choose the right controller and battery.We should really be careful on that otherwise it will burn all the things down.

  • Cynthia

    October 31, 2008 at 7:33 am // Reply

    Linda U. – You’d be surprised by how much energy can be generated by solar power even in less sunny locales. One country that is a pioneer in solar energy is Germany which may not get as much rain as the U.K., but if they can do it, you can too. I was just listening to a Sierra Club podcast the other day and the host was interviewing Seattle, WA. mayor, Greg Nickels who initiated a green mayor movement and while they rely a lot on hydro power in the NW USA of which they have an abundance, Seattle is on its way to relying 100% on renewable energy to power the city.

    http://www.solarpoweruk.org/ has some FAQs about solar energy in the UK

    http://rimstar.org has a mini experimental heater to try out before committing to something bigger.

    Ron – I think it’s perfect for potters who often work in unheated or poorly heated spaces. I think I’m going to try building a mini one first to get an idea of how it works and maybe work out some of the kinks. I have till about mid to late December here in Colorado before it gets really cold. Luckily we’ve been having 50-70F degree days this fall.

    David – I will build mine with safety in mind and I don’t plan to install a battery or controller since this is a temporary solution – after moving, my husband and I are going to install photovoltaic solar panels to our home but don’t want to incur the expense on a home that we will be selling soon. I’m going to look more closely at Gary Resa’s plans – he recommends flashing, and insulation as safety precautions. I read somewhere that one person had a fire because of a similar DIY heater installed on a home he purchased. I also want to make mine either detachable or make a reflective cover for it since I don’t want heat mid summer.

    I have seen a few DIY solar heaters with fan/blowers added to the out vent for heat and they can either be on AC power or a small solar panel can be installed to power that. Since my garage/studio has electricity, I will opt for the former.

    Anne – I’m like a bulldog – only I don’t wear lipstick (often)! ;)

    Ang – I think so. I’m so freaking amazed at the wealth of info available on the net. I’m actually thinking about going to a solar workshop at Solar Energy International up in Paonia, CO in the next year sometime – they have a program just for women http://www.solarenergy.org/workshops/womenspvdi.html who, like me have little electrical or construction experience.

    Diana – I forgot that you’re a car freak! I just glanced at their cars… ;)

    Ben – It’s worth a shot – and based on the temperature readings that are shown in the videos, it’s totally effective. It’s like there’s this resource that’s been here all along and we haven’t really tapped into it or been educated on the possibilities. It doesn’t cost a lot of money either which makes me think that more people should be talking about it especially to people who are struggling to pay heating bills. There should be a Habitat for Heat program or something.

  • Mary T.

    October 31, 2008 at 4:28 pm // Reply

    This is way cool! I’m sure it will work as we have so much sun even in the winter. Is this cool or what? Good for you Cynthia! BTW, I did it, I went Mac! Super exciting!

  • Julie

    October 31, 2008 at 4:38 pm // Reply

    One of the best things you can do in terms of human comfort is to make sure that your windows and doors are well sealed. Cool still air and cool drafty air feel really different from each other. Even if you have to resort to that weird plastic shrink-wrap stuff.

    As for the rest – neat!

  • Undaunted

    October 31, 2008 at 5:43 pm // Reply

    That’s excellent about Seattle! Thanks for the links Cynthia. We had looked a little into solar power previously but decided that the panels were way out of our price range at the moment. What I meant was, I’m not sure if we would get enough sun to make the homemade tin can one work! I think it would be fun to make though. :)

  • Cynthia

    November 1, 2008 at 8:46 am // Reply

    Mary – Awesome – I hope you’ll let me know how you like your new Mac?? My computer is over 3 years old now and is slowwwwing down bt. I imagine I’ll be in the market next year.

    Julie – Our 100 year old home was remodeled in 2005 and is terrifically tight, but my garage studio is another story…. The antique home we’ll be moving into next year or the year after is not – it’s leaky in so many ways. We’ve been renting it out for 10 years now and it has a few issues – but it’s really cute.

    Linda – you can always make a mini as an experiment. I’m going to make a mini just to see how it works and if it works at all for fun before investing more time into the project. Even the cardboard one would be fun to make.

  • Cynthia

    November 2, 2008 at 8:43 am // Reply

    Janet – Isn’t the cat cute? She has been taking my class for almost a whole year now and it quite the artist.

    Linda – okay I nabbed an old pizza box from the recycle bin and I’m going to make a very basic solar heater today after I glaze a bit. I have cardboard tubing, box, and I have a sheet of plexiglass that I’m going to use. I don’t have the high temp paint, but I do have flat black. I mainly want to see if it generates heat.

  • Terry

    November 9, 2008 at 3:03 pm // Reply

    I am looking to heat my garage by solar power and your short video has given me some great ideas. The making of an efficient panel to mount on the roof of the garage here in the UK is the main task and then possibly blowing the warmer air over some type of heat storage blocks, as used in electric storage heaters, then this could be released in the evenings when the sun has gone down.
    Plenty of food for thought.
    Thanks
    Terry, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

  • Seo D

    December 12, 2008 at 6:51 am // Reply

    Hello, thanks for the good “o Art Studio » DIY solar powered heat for my garage studio for next to nothing” post. My wife works at a local newspaper production in germany and she ask me: Would it be possible, that i can write a story about this post? She would be really happy if she can do this and she will give you a link from a german blog too. Please post me the answer. Greetings Motor

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