Thanks to all who suggested items concerning the Solar Cooker, especially the books on cooking with the cooker. Now if I had a case iron water tank and use stove polish on it and put it in a foil box to encase it. I would have hot water that could be added to my already installed water heater right??? Sounds simple anyone try this ????

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), February 04, 1999

Answers

The black stove polish is added to absorb more heat from sunlight than plain cast iron would. Shading it from the sun with a foil enclosure will keep it from warming up much at all. I believe the foil panels in a solar cooker are intended to reflect more sunlight onto the item in the cooker, making it hotter. Not to shade it.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), February 05, 1999.

You don't need a cast iron water tank to do what you are suggesting. Homemade solar water heaters are doable. One option - try the library and mother earth news for starts. As I recall, basically large shallow glazed (half sheet of plywood sized may be convenient) boxes crammed full of continuous lentghs of tubing - all painted black (the box and black paint add efficiency to principle demonstrated by the garden hose that is left out in the sun - standing water in it gets pretty hot.) You need deal with circulation (could be manual pump if someone will be there to watch and do it, pressure relief, and storage of the water you drain back to prevent freezing if applicable.) Advantage. Once you get your basic setup, expansion for added capacity is relatively easy do it yourself.

You'll need to

-- John Hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), February 05, 1999.

Oops, sorry on the the post error. I'll try again.

You don't need a cast iron water tank to do what you are suggesting. Homemade solar water heaters are doable. One option - try the library and mother earth news for starts. As I recall, basically large shallow glazed (half sheet of plywood sized may be convenient) boxes crammed full of continuous lentghs of tubing - all painted black (the box and black paint add efficiency to principle demonstrated by the garden hose that is left out in the sun - standing water in it gets pretty hot.) You need deal with circulation (could be manual pump if someone will be there to watch and do it, pressure relief, and storage of the water you drain back to prevent freezing if applicable.) Advantage. Once you get your basic setup, expansion for added capacity is relatively easy do it yourself.

You'll need to figure out if you want to integrate with existing hot water system kind of as a preheater or keep separate. (Are you interested only in Y2K or sustainable living options.) If you are really ambitious you could try adding lots of capacity and have hot water and hot water heat.

Good Luck jh

-- John Hebert (jt_hebert@hotmail.com), February 05, 1999.

Tom Carey, Thanks for the info about the solar water heater , i might have sent the wrong info; If I polish the water heater cast iron tank in black and then have the tank in a solar reflective box.I would then have free hot water and lots of it. Like a solar panel except it would be in a box.

-- Furie (furieart@dnet.net), February 05, 1999.