Date: Thu, 15 May 2008 15:01:03 -0600
Reply-To: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: [NVC] Beer bottle solar heater
In-Reply-To: <482CA111.2020803@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
On May 15, 2008, at 2:46 PM, Mike Elliott wrote:
> Pfft. Two problems with the Coleman unit.
>
> 1. We're trying to maximize solar energy gathering area per unit
> volume
> of water. The 5-gallon Coleman bag is about 12'' x 18'' square as I
> recall, which provides about 1400cm^2 of surface for 19000ml of water,
> giving us .07^2cm/ml of exposure. Assuming that we build our beer
> bottle
> heater using 650ml "Bomber" bottles, and assuming an o.d. of 8cm (I
> don't have one handy) and i.d. of 7cm, the height (excluding the neck)
> would be around 17cm (including bottom and shoulders). This bottle
> would
> cast a shadow of 136 square cm, which comes to 136cm^2/650ml =
> .210cm^2/ml of water, or about 3 times the energy-gathering capability
> of a stupid bag of water, and
>
> 2. You can't get a Coleman black plastic 5 gallon bag by drinking a
> lot
> of beers.
>
> Sheesh.
Mr. Squirrel took the words right outta my mouth.
Mr. BZ
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
>
> On 5/15/2008 12:27 PM Jake de Villiers wrote:
>
>> Hey fellas, Coleman's already done the drinking for you!
>>
>> http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-5-Gallon-PVC-Camp-Shower/dp/B0009PUT20
>>
>> Its also lightweight and unbreakable, so you can concentrate on
>> what's in
>> the cooler.......... :)
>>
>> On Thu, May 15, 2008 at 9:22 AM, Tom Buese <tombuese@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On May 14, 2008, at 10:11 PM, Mike Elliott wrote:
>>>
>>> Not related to Vanagons except in the "useful for camping" sense...
>>>> "A Chinese peasant has made a solar water heater - using only beers
>>>> bottles and hoses."
>>>>
>>>> http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2850151.html
>>>>
>>>> It's very nearly the most perfect invention ever in so many ways. A
>>>> cheap source of solar-heater water for showering, and the inventor
>>>> "...
>>>> will build a public bathroom for the village using his invention
>>>> when he
>>>> has the money to buy enough beers." What makes it so nearly
>>>> perfect is
>>>> that any money you spend on beers can be expensed as cost of goods
>>>> sold,
>>>> and the "manufacturing process" needed to convert beers into empty
>>>> bottles involves drinking those beers.
>>>>
>>>> Maybe there's a way to make a Westy version. Hey Buese? You want to
>>>> help
>>>> develop this into a product? You figure out from the photo how
>>>> the rig
>>>> works. I'll start "making" beer bottles right away.
>>>>
>>> I will continue to work on the beer bottles, but might have to start
>>> drinking, I mean making, brown bottles for the design, but until I
>>> have the BZ shelves out the door, NO NEW PROJECTS!
>>>
>>> I like a lot of the other ideas suggested & will steal those
>>> ideas as
>>> appropriate once the time is ready. I am designing some projects w/
>>> solar water heat, PV panels & GSHP(Ground Source Heat Pumps)
>>> presently, but of course I rely on my mechanical engineers to figure
>>> out the hard stuff.
>>>
>>>
>>> YMMV,
>>>
>>> Mr. BZ
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jake
>> 1984 Vanagon GL
>> 1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
>> Crescent Beach, BC
>> www.crescentbeachguitar.com
>> http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27
>>
|