Thought this might help some of you get off the, (Grid).
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/04/26/almost-free-garage-heat-just-drink-a-lot-of-soda/
I found this of a other site thought it could be a cool project for some free heat. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

I just breathe a lot, the extra CO2 heats it right up. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Id like to see if it actually works in the winter. They were only showing a 15 degree increase. Thats not very much. If it were 0 degrees outside, 15 degrees inside would not be very comfortable.

I dont think it will work. He talks about putting a fan to circulate air through the box. I think that would produce more heat for about 10 seconds, and then the cans would cool down and there would be no more heat.


A DIY oil burning furnace is the way to go to heat a garage on the cheap.

I thought it was cool because it used solar energy to heat a space. If you recirculate the air in the garage through the box. The box being large enough to produce enough BTU's. Using a low CFM fan. The air coming back into the garage would be getting warmer as long as there were no cold infiltration.
I drink enough stuff out of cans <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />, that next year I will try the little experiment. With the number of years I have in the HVACR field. I think getting a heat gain would not be too hard.
I know your thinking I could just find enough materials in the trade to build a cheap heater. But I am up for a getto challenge. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/mrt.gif" alt="" />

What that set up needs are reflectors. Here's a link that shows how use them for the project.

http://re-energy.ca/pdf/solaroven.pdf

Reflectors would help, as long as air is flowed through the box slow enough it could pick up enough heat to matter. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Several years ago, a friend of mine did something similar, but he cut the cans in half with a bandsaw and nailed the cans down, open side up, to increase the surface that got warm; vented it off to his living room.

There's a solar attic ventilation fan out there that kicks on at 80 dg to move air that might be a good inclusion to the system.

Thanks for some input. There is a cheap fan control that closes a set of contacts for the fan on temp. rise or fall. I see where your going with this, let the temp. rise inside the box, then let the fan blow the warmer air out. That's good, great addition.
The guy in the pick used vacuum hose. That's too small, I may use eight inch insulated flex duct with a six inch supply, along with some sort of diffuser to throw the air in certain directions.
Maybe separate the workshop from the garage to make the climate controlled space smaller. As I can remember the garage is big enough to fit two of my TJ's bumper to bumper.
We'll see how it turns out. Anymore thoughts would be appreciated, the t-stat was a good one. Keep it coming. On my free time this summer, I will have alot of left over lumber. So, I will start building as soon as I can.
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />