# Computer fan to push my hot air



## LadyHawk77 (Oct 11, 2011)

I got 3 panels off a local guy for $35 each. He tossed in a radiator and solar tank that he used with the system. I may play with them for pre-heating water. 
Anyways, the panels were made with input and output vents all at the gound. I liked this beacuse I did not want to put one air vent high and one low in my home. So I found a write-up about a guy using 12v computer fans with solar panels to push hot air out of his attic in the summer. I decided to do the same with my solar air system. Works great! I have it hooked up to a little 5w solar panel we had sitting around the house. I have it wired to a snap switch. On at 100 and off at 85. I did that mainly for when I begin to play with the radiator.
Anyone have thoughts on the system? I do not have a basement so if I hook the radiator up I will run it with to a heat exchanger. I already have an extra set of water lines in the ground. Might help with the house hot water since the batch heater is shut down for the winter.








LH


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## LadyHawk77 (Oct 11, 2011)




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## LadyHawk77 (Oct 11, 2011)

The radiator and tank that I may use in the future.


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## LadyHawk77 (Oct 11, 2011)




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## oregon_prepper (Nov 16, 2010)

I have used them for ages for a variety of things, including Hot Air.

Consider this, Hot Air RISES! (duh) so, Who sits on their ceiling, not me!!!

Get a thin wall 4 inch white plastic pipe, a bit shorter than ceiling hight, use a stand off (be creative) so that you can Pull the hot air DOWN to floor level, where your fan is, and of course standing Off the floor (Breathing room, so to speak).

you just set up a convection wind, which will lower your heating bill, in any room, using any heat.

All that is needed is a means to hold the pipe off the ceiling, and off the floor. Any height! 

Our house had a loft & clear story, back then we used a 12 volt Truck "heater fan" squirrel cage type and it really made living comfortable.

I hope that gives you more inspiration!

I use a fan to pull the smoke away from my Lead Casting, when making them things that go down tubes... err bullits!


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

LadyHawk77 said:


> I got 3 panels off a local guy for $35 each. He tossed in a radiator and solar tank that he used with the system. I may play with them for pre-heating water.
> Anyways, the panels were made with input and output vents all at the gound. I liked this beacuse I did not want to put one air vent high and one low in my home. So I found a write-up about a guy using 12v computer fans with solar panels to push hot air out of his attic in the summer. I decided to do the same with my solar air system. Works great! I have it hooked up to a little 5w solar panel we had sitting around the house. I have it wired to a snap switch. On at 100 and off at 85. I did that mainly for when I begin to play with the radiator.
> Anyone have thoughts on the system? I do not have a basement so if I hook the radiator up I will run it with to a heat exchanger. I already have an extra set of water lines in the ground. Might help with the house hot water since the batch heater is shut down for the winter.
> 
> ...


Hi, 
Nice looking collectors -- looks like you got a bargain!

Most people use air heating collectors for space heating as it makes a really simple system with room air going in the collector inlet, and heated air coming out the collector outlet and into the room all heated up.

For space heating you want about 2 to 3 cfm per sqft of collector for good efficiency. In full sun, this will give you about a 60F rise in temperature from the inlet to the outlet, which is about right for space heating.
The computer fan may be able to do this depending on the fan and the internal air resistance of the collectors, but most computer fans would be on the small size. If you hook the fan up and find you get a very large temperature rise (more than 60F), this means you need more airflow -- the collector operates less efficiently when the airflow is too low in that the temperature rise will be very high and it will lose a lot of heat out the collector glazing.

You can also use preheat water with it using the radiator. This would be especially good in the non heating season when the collector would just be sitting there doing nothing. 
How efficient the water preheat turns out to be depends on the radiator, air velocity etc, but its not likely to be as efficient as either a collector that directly heats the water by circulating water through the collector, or as the space heating with the air collector. 

There are examples of both air collectors used for space heating on this page: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/Space_Heating.htm
Look at the "Active space heating system -- Air" section. And, a couple solar air collectors heating water here: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm#Air

You might get some ideas from these pages.

Gary


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