Re: Best Heat for my Shop ? HELP - Page 3

 Sounds more like you. Try looking through a window instead of a mirror.

*plonk*


--
Steve Spence
Renewable energy and sustainable living
http://www.green-trust.org
Discuss vegetable oil and biodiesel
powered diesels at
http://www.veggievan.org/discuss/


although

http://pmilligan.net/pmtherm/

  nicksanspam@ece.villanova.edu wrote:

The barn collector (referenced above) is still working well.  It is
starting to make the garage too warm on sunny warm days, so I plan to
add the outside collector vents, and seal off at least some of the vents
  going to the garage soon.

There are some small (but maybe important) things I would change in the
construction.  I'll add these to the write up when I get some time, but
briefly:

1) I would add light weight horizontal supports to the glazing at around
2.5 ft intervals -- i.e. two supports for my 8 ft panels.  This would
control the tendency of the glazing to bow inward or outward.  When the
wind blows from the North, it creates a negative pressure on the South
side of the barn and causes the panels to bow out.  This hasn't caused
any failures, but I think over time it might.  I plan to add these to
mine sometime during the summer.
I think that something like a 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch would be enough.
Maybe painted white to reflect sun further into the collector?

2) If you can get the 4 ft wide glazing panels this is a real plus, in
that it eliminates the intermediate vertical panel supports, and makes
it easier to add the horz supports mentioned in 1.

3) I would use two layers of black screening for the absorber instead of
one.  The one bay I have that has two layers does better.

4) I am about to add the summer vent openings to keep the collecters
from getting too hot during the summer when the vents to garage will be
closed off.  I am going to try using a couple of the cover plates that
are used on outdoor electrical outlets.  These can just be fliped open
or closed  easily, and they have foam gaskets that seal well.  I will
install 1 or 2 of these per 4 ft bay in the upper sill, and the same in
the lower sill.  I'm not sure if this will provide enough area or not --
I will add the results to the writeup.

-------
I have some thoughts on an even simplier collector for
garage/barn/workshop situations that I'll try to gather together and
post in a few days.

Gary

 
I missed the original post. My shop is in DeSoto, Iowa (16 mi
west of Des Moines on I-80) and occupies a 2500 ft² aircraft
hanger. I managed to keep the otherwise unheated and somewhat
drafty shop above freezing all winter with the 6'x12' collector
pictured near the bottom of http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/pix.html  -
I plan to rebuild this one and add two more before this next winter.

Stop out for coffee next time you're in the Des Moines area.

---
Morris Dovey
DeSoto, Iowa USA