Free Hot Water

Here's a great way to make lots of free hot water (depends on how much sunshine I suppose).

A Chinese farmer has made his own solar-powered water heater out of beer bottles and hosepipes.

"I invented this for my mother. I wanted her to shower comfortably," says Ma Yanjun, of Qiqiao village, Shaanxi province.

Full ananova.com article

I was going to make something similar for the top of my shed roof. It faces due south and is pretty big (3 x 8 metres).

I was going to use black plastic pipe and plastic or wine bottles.

Maybe hook it up to the main hot water system of the house, that way I will subsidise my hot water costs all year round and in particularly hot weather it will be peanuts!

Necessity is the mother of invention.......nice one China!

Yeah these have been around for years they can be bought here....
www.solardirect.com...

based on the cost of the heaters at your link, his is much more afforable and practicle...some recycling and everything
kudos to ingenuity

Nice! I wonder how warm the water can reach with a contraption like that.

From Anagram:
Nice! I wonder how warm the water can reach with a contraption like that.

More than hot enogh for a good shower. It depends on outside temperature and volume of water I suppose.

From AcesInTheHole:
Yeah these have been around for years they can be bought here....

Well mine cost me a total of about TEN EUROS for some connections. I had the other stuff lying around...........

I did some crude experiments early last summer when the temperature outside was about 32-35°C.

I rigged up about 30m of thick black plastic mains water tubing (3/4inch internal) which I lay on the lawn, attached to a pump (old "eheim" fish tank pump, very low power) and a large plastic container with a pinhole in the top for expansion (45L ish). I didn't use bottles, but mineral water bottles would do and glass would be ideal.

Had it going for about 3 hours. After a day mixing concrete I had a really hot shower. Just unplugged it from the filter and "voila". Clean at last. Refilled it and did the same each day for about a week until I kicked the pump by accident and split its case.

BUT IT WORKS! Try it! have fun, be inventive and resourseful.

[edit on 5/6/2007 by nerbot]