Date:         Thu, 15 May 2008 08:51:31 -0700
Reply-To:     Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: [NVC] Beer bottle solar heater
Comments: To: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

A friend did something similar for his cabin utilizing a large coil of 1" I.D. black plastic tubing (ABS?  PVC?). The tubing came in to the tilting-for-optimum-angle-of-incidence 8'x8' platform at the center and spiraled out from there to exit at the perimeter.  The coil was in one layer and used lots of feet of tubing (held down with conduit clips) but held and heated enough water for a leisurely garden hose shower.

Stephen


--- On Thu, 5/15/08, Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET> wrote:

> From: Mike <mbucchino@CHARTER.NET>
> Subject: Re: [NVC] Beer bottle solar heater
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008, 7:25 AM
> He did it using green bottles!  I bet brown bottles would
> get hotter in
> the sun, so drink up!
> I want one!   This rig would be fairy heavy with the box,
> all that glass and
> the water (8 lbs/ gal).
>   I'm wondering how it's done?  It seems that each
> bottle would have a cork
> with an inlet and outlet for closed system?  My only
> problem is that I don't
> like beer; I guess I could find root beer or something in a
> brown
> bottle.........
>
> Mike B.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Elliott"
> <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:11 AM
> Subject: [NVC] Beer bottle solar heater
>
>
> > 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.
> >
> > --
> > Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> > 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus - for sale
> > 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical
> Banana")
> > 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan
> Capistrano
> > KG6RCR