The crazy solar heating unit installation escapade (say that 5x fast!)that I wrote about a while ago? If you missed it, read it here: I've Got Sunshine...
Well, finally, I am ready to write a review.
First of all, after we installed the panel in November, we didn't get any sunshine for the next 30+ days! in a row! really!
For the longest time, we had no idea whether the darn thing worked or not, BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANY SUN!!!
The sun has since appeared, and along with it some darn cold weather. I am thrilled to say that IT WORKS!
Now, I'm not an engineer, so I went and read about how the panel works.
In layman's terms, this is my take on it:
The Cansolair panel is mounted on the exterior wall of the east side of our house. The panel, which is made up of 240 recycled aluminum cans, conductive black paint and a Lexan lens, absorbs the sun's heat.
When the air temperature inside the panel warms, the fan unit then blows it into the house. Colder air is sucked outside to the panel to be heated and the cycle continues.
Now, I have no scientific results to report, but I can give you my observations. Around 10:30 am or so, when the sun gets high enough to hit the panel where we have it positioned, it takes less than 10 minutes for the air to heat up and the unit to begin blowing heat into the house. ` The warm air will continue to blow into the house for about 75 minutes or so, if the sun is not obscured by cloud cover. It will shut down for less than 10 minutes again, and then resume.
Well, finally, I am ready to write a review.
First of all, after we installed the panel in November, we didn't get any sunshine for the next 30+ days! in a row! really!
For the longest time, we had no idea whether the darn thing worked or not, BECAUSE THERE WASN'T ANY SUN!!!
The sun has since appeared, and along with it some darn cold weather. I am thrilled to say that IT WORKS!
Now, I'm not an engineer, so I went and read about how the panel works.
In layman's terms, this is my take on it:
The Cansolair panel is mounted on the exterior wall of the east side of our house. The panel, which is made up of 240 recycled aluminum cans, conductive black paint and a Lexan lens, absorbs the sun's heat.
When the air temperature inside the panel warms, the fan unit then blows it into the house. Colder air is sucked outside to the panel to be heated and the cycle continues.
Now, I have no scientific results to report, but I can give you my observations. Around 10:30 am or so, when the sun gets high enough to hit the panel where we have it positioned, it takes less than 10 minutes for the air to heat up and the unit to begin blowing heat into the house. ` The warm air will continue to blow into the house for about 75 minutes or so, if the sun is not obscured by cloud cover. It will shut down for less than 10 minutes again, and then resume.
On sunny days, it warms up the upstairs of the house so nicely that I often forget to put wood in the wood stove downstairs. (Hubby does not like having to relight the fire when he gets home - oops)
I have found that it will even run as late as 4:30 in the afternoon - which I found surprising as the sun is already getting low then, at this time of the year.
We are very happy with our Cansolair panel. It is a great source of supplementary heat, requires no maintenance on our part, and once we got the !#$% thing on the wall (refer to "I've Got Sunshine" post), it has been easy - it requires no shoveling of ashes, no putting wood in, no cleaning.....
(did you read my post about my dislike of heating with wood??)
Best of all? The fan unit is in my daughter's bedroom and it provides white noise so that she naps like a dream She even sleeps through baby brother's crying and the dog's barking to go outside!
Cansolair panel image from www.cansolair.com
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