Solar Water Heating & Cooking

     When I was a Boy Scout, a friend of mine and I got tired of taking cold showers at Camp Straughn in Savannah so we decided to take on a little "project"... my friend found a huge aluminum tank somewhere and all we did was mount the tank on a stand about 4 feet off the ground. This is required for the thermosiphon effect to take place as described in the book. The next thing we did was build a simple frame out of 2x4's and plywood. If I remember correctly we only used one sheet of plywood. We then ran a black hose serpentine style back and forth horizontally on the frame. I know everyone reading this newsletter has turned their garden hose on after it has been sitting in the sun for a while and noticed how hot the water gets. Down here in the South it will scald you if you're not careful. One end of the hose was connected to the right/bottom of the water tank and entered the lower part of the frame - this was the cold water in connection. The hot water output side came out of the top of the frame and into the left side of the tank. There was also a "cold water in" line going into the tank and a "hot water out" line coming out of the top part of the tank (where the hot water rises) and went to the showers.

     That's all there was to it - a simple solar water heater! The water was warm with this setup and it heated the water absolutely free. It was very inexpensive and all the Scouts and Leaders loved it. Anybody can do this. With a few improvements, you can easily make scalding hot water with a system like this. Some improvements could be...

• Making the heating pipes or hose longer
• Painting the inside surface of your frame black
• Insulating the outside of your frame
• Putting a glass cover on the frame to trap the sun's thermal energy inside the frame sort of like a solar oven
• Insulating your input & output hoses
• Set up some solar reflectors to channel more rays into your frame
• Insulate your holding tank
• Feed the hot water from your holding tank into your existing hot water heater so you always have hot water even on cloudy days
• You can also feed the hot water into your radiant home heating system
  
  

     I can assure you... a good chunk of your energy bill goes to heating water and cooking. Nobody uses solar ovens and they are so simple to make and use and they work like a charm! I encourage you to go to www.cookwiththesun.com and get all the details on how to make your own solar oven. Doug Edwards runs the site and it is absolutely free. Lots of great information there that will definitely cut a big chunk out of your energy bill - not to mention how useful a solar oven will be when the power goes out.

     And... don't forget about all the home heating principles as described in "Electricity - Make it, Don't Buy it". I guarantee you, solar home heating will save you some money by cutting your heating bill dramatically. And it can be as simple as installing a solar room on your house and channeling the heated air into and throughout your home. Not only will it heat your home, but you will enjoy the extra space too.

And... don't forget all these titles available in our eBay Store:

Living Without Electricity - the Amish have been doing this for 100's of years. Read all about how they do it in this enlightening book that is a must read for anyone interested in this subject.

Tesla's Engine - a great book that details everything about what Tesla considered his greatest invention - the Tesla Turbine. Discover little known facts about this simple but powerful device.

Tesla - Man Out of Time - Simply put, the best Tesla book available. Not only do you get great coverage of Nikola's technical achievements, but you get a rare look at his very interesting personal life too. From his business relationships with leaders like JP Morgan, Edison, and Westinghouse, to details about his personal life like his photographic memory, his obsession with germs, his flirting with Katherine Johnson, and his friends the pigeons.

From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank - this is the original biodiesel book which tells how the author drove across the country using only used cooking oil. Everything you ever wanted to know about biodiesel is in this book! This is the best and most informative biodiesel book available.

Electricity - Make it, Don't Buy it - Learn how to set up your own electric company in your back yard. Also... biodiesel, free energy notes, passive solar, and much, much more! Paper and eBook versions available in the store.

Welding Secrets - this book shows you where NOT to weld and how to make welds that hold forever. Written by Hal Wilson who has over 40 years experience as a welder.

Natural Home Heating by Greg Pahl - This guy's favorite home heating method is using biodiesel in his home oil burner! Many, many other natural heating methods are described in this book including wood pellets, corn, passive solar, ground heat pumps, etc. Winter home heating costs will rise by 50% this year and natural gas prices will increase by 75%... this may very well be the most valuable book you own.

This Organic Life Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader by Joan Dye Gussow - When the oil dries up, the delivery trucks and farmer's tractors will stop too. This means no food at your local grocery store. This may be an important book when that happens. And... the book will entertain you as it teaches you the art of organic farming.

When Technology Fails a Manual for Self-Reliance and Planetary Survival by Matthew Stein - This is an amazing book jam packed with useful information like survival, clothing, growing food, shelter, water, medicine & first aid, energy, metal working, chemistry, and much more than I can list here. All for only $19.95 - what a steal!

The Oil Age is Over (Now available in paperback) What to Expect as the World Runs Out of Cheap Oil by Matt Savinar - All I can say about this book is click the link below and get it NOW! This book is amazing. This book will change your life! If you read nothing else, read this book today!

The Contrary Farmer by Gene Logdson - Cottage farming part-time for fun and profit... greater numbers of people in the U.S. will soon be growing and raising a greater share of their own food than at any time since the last century. Instead of vanishing, more and more farmers will be cottage farming, part-time.

Extreme Simplicity - Homesteading in the City by Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges  - Homesteading in LA? Off-the-Grid in Tinseltown? Here is an upbeat, unabashedly outrageous book about applying the principles of self-reliance, more often associated with rural back-to-the-landers and wilderness campers, to life in suburban Los Angeles. By telling their own homesteading story, the Nyergeses have created a blueprint that will help city-dwellers anywhere live more independently.

The Solar Electric House - electricity for the energy independant home by Steven J. Strong - As ya'll probably know if you have read my book "Electricity - Make it, Don't Buy it", I'm not a big fan of solar panels. I love solar panels - I just hate the economics of solar electricity. They are way too expensive for the little power that they put out. But... if you have deep pockets or if you can get by on very little power or if you live in a state that helps pay for your system, then I recommend this book.

Log Construction Manual the ultimate guide to building handcrafter log homes by Robert W. Chambers - This book tells you what you need to know to build your own log home and also reveals the deep rhythms and patterns of log construction. Author Robert Chambers shows how to take naturally shaped, tapered, round logs and scribe-fit them one to another so that they look like they actually grew together in the woods.

Gaviotas - the true story about a sustainable village in Columbia by Alan Weisman - This is a book about an amazing village in the remote savannas of eastern Columbia - an area called the llanos. A man by the name of Paolo Lugari got the wild idea to start a self-sustained village and he chose this extremely remote area of Columbia to do it. I didn't have any idea Columbia had so many gifted engineers and visionaries. Some of the devices they invented are astonishing... highly efficient windmills and water pumps, solar water heaters, methane digesters, cooling techniques, hydroponic gardening techniques, microhydro electricity, and many, many more.

Competition BBQ Secrets - Learn how to slow smoke meats right... mouth watering, fall off the bone, competition quality ribs, butts, brisket, and chicken. Did you know that competition BBQ is better than any BBQ you can get in any restaurant? No? Then go to our eBay store now and learn how to do it right. No electricity required!

eBay Store: www.network6000.biz

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Alternative Energy News - Back issues of Network 6000's alternative energy newsletters
OTEC - Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
Tesla Death Ray - Has Tesla's death ray gun finally come to life?
Tesla Turbine - Information about teh Tesla Turbine - Tesla's greatest invention?
Jatropha - All about the jatropha plant - a great source for oil in making biodiesel.
D1 Oils - a biodiesel producer with a portable biodiesel processor.
Biodiesel News - Two more oil producing trees - the African Oil Palm and the Paradise Tree
Edward Leedskalnin - Edward Leedskalnin's Coral Castle secret revealed!
Peak Oil - Peak Oil, Hurricanes, and the Price of Gas.
Peak Oil Update - More information on the Peak Oil crisis.
Magic with Magnetism - Professor Felex Ehrenhaft and how his magnetic electrolysis experiment.
Atmospheric Engine - The Power of a Vacuum, Atmospheric Pressure, Atmospheric Engines, and the Newcomen Engine.
Composting for Heat - How Jean Pain extracts heat and methane from a simple compost heap.
E85 Ethanol - Why E85 ethanol may or may not be in your future and FFV - Flex Fuel Vehicles.
Cornish Generator - a unique way to generate hydrogen using aluminum wire and smaller amounts of electricity.
Solar Water Heating & Cooking - A simple, easy, low cost way to heat your water or cook your dinner with the sun.
Enviromax Plus - Add this simple liquid to your gas tank and save up to 35% on your gas or diesel.
Magnetricity - A comparison of the Ed Leedskalnin and Howard Johnson magnetic theories.
Hydrogen on Demand - HOD... can you run an engine totally on Hydrogen created as you need it?
Sustainable Living Information - Over 800 FREE publications on green energy and sustainable living.
Glycerin Soap Recipes - How to make soap from the byproduct of making biodiesel - glycerin
Update on Jatropha & Biodiesel - What is the current status of making biodiesel from jatropha?
Surging Demand for Fossil Fuels - Do you eat, drink, and sleep fossil fuels?
Free Alternative Energy News - Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter (ESSN)
Solar Flares - How extreme solar activity is predicted to knock out the entire electrical grid sometime soon.
Free Energy - Some current technologies that look very interesting.
Survival Supplies and Equipment - Lehman's - a great source for supplies for off-grid living.
Nikola Tesla Information - and... a huge database of other useful alternative energy/sustainable living info.
Wind Turbines - Learn how to build your own wind turbine, get free batteries, and more!
Biodiesel - Book review of "The Rise of Biodiesel"
Nikola Tesla's Birthday - Some of my favorite sites about Nikola Tesla
Peak Oil - peak oil and a look into the future to 2015.
Garrett Yazzie's Solar Water Heater - If this kid can do it using parts found in a dump, then you can too!
Energy Conservation Tips - My top 10 energy conservation tips.
Hydro Boost and Dennis Lee Scam - Old Dennis Lee is at it again with a hydro boost scam - don't buy into it!
Boone Pickens - Learn about his plans for natural gas and a 4000MW wind farm in Texas.
Algae Biodiesel - All about biodiesel from algae and how you can cultivate it in your back yard.
Cars of Tomorrow - All about the Tesla Roadster, The Smart Car, an Air Powered car, and the chevy Volt.
Electric Car Conversion - Convert your car to all electric for under $500.
Cause of Financial Crisis - Did high oil prices cause the sub-prime financial crisis?
Energy for the Future - What to do about the future economic & energy crisis - a 52 week course.
Victory Gardens - Why it would be wise to start your own Victory Garden now.
Static Electricity - Can static electricity be a source of power?
Solar Water Purification - simple low tech "Sodis" technology could save your life.
Green Energy - example on a highly efficient dairy farm.
Credit Bubble - All about the coming credit bubble and consequences.
Water Powered Cars - Can you run your car on 100% water using electrolysis? (not hydro boost scams)

 

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