DIY Solar Heating Panels
- 1). Build a stick frame for the panel. Cut and screw together the 2x4s to fit the size of the Plexiglas and cut the plywood to match the size of the Plexiglas. Screw the plywood into the frame.
- 2). Cut the insulation board to fit snugly inside the back of the frame and place it inside the frame against the plywood. Lay the flashing over the insulation board and cut it to cover the board. Feel free to overlap the sheets of flashing as needed.
- 3). Cut some of the extra insulation board into strips. The strips will work as a sort of obstacle course for air. As the air works its way around and through the panel, it heats up. The strips should measure about three-fourths of the way across the panel. The strips should be secured to the back of the panel alternating in a pattern similar to zebra stripes. In other words, if you secure the first strip to the top of the panel, secure the next to the bottom so that the air is forced to "zigzag" around the strips.
- 4). Using the jigsaw, cut a hole in the top of the panel and the bottom of the panel that will match the diameter of the flange duct. The bottom hole will be your air intake and the top will allow the warmed air into the house. Attach the panel to the side of the house that gets the most light.
- 5). With the panel placed, cut away the wall behind the panel using the holes in the panel as guides. Place the flange duct into the top hole. Fill the bottom with insulation and close it off from the inside with a plug, spackle or other material.
- 6). Using scrap flashing, hammer periodic folds into the sheets so that they resemble the peaks on a heart monitor. Secure the strips of flashing to the sides of the strips of insulation zigzagging across the panel. This will agitate the air more and warm it further. Secure weather stripping to the insulation board strips facing outward.
- 7). Hang the corrugated absorption plate. This black plate is harder to get at the average hardware store, but worth the effort. It will gather the heat from the light and pass it into the panel and keep the flashing against the back of the panel warm, rather than forcing the panel to rely just on the flashing to retain warmth to heat the air.
- 8). Hang the glass. Secure it in place tightly using screws. The glass needs to seal against the corrugated absorption plate so that air cannot pass between the glass and plate. Inability to create a seal may lead to condensation and mold on the glass.
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