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HOW TO: Turn a Pizza box into a Solar Oven - 10 EASY STEPS!

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posted on Mar, 31 2013 @ 12:56 PM
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Greetings, ATS!

I did a search and although there are a few threads discussing the benefits of Solar Ovens and a few tutorials, I did not see one that involved using an old Pizza Box.

Materials:
Cardboard pizza box (the kind delivered pizza comes in)
Box knife or scissors
Aluminum foil
Clear tape
Plastic wrap (a heavy-duty or freezer zip lock bag will also work)
Black construction paper
Newspapers
Ruler, or wooden spoon
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***Tip - Maintaining an airtight box is crucial in keeping the oven hot.***
Peak cooking times 11am - 3pm


Pic:


1) Draw a square
Using the ruler and pencil/pen, draw a square on your pizza-box lid, leaving a 1-inch border from the edge of the box to each side of the square.

2)Form the flap
With the box cutter or utility knife/scissors, cut through three sides of the square you just drew, leaving the line at the rear of the box attached. Fold the flap back so that it stands up when the pizza-box lid is closed.

3)Cover the flap with foil
Cover the underside of the flap with heavy-duty aluminum foil, which will reflect sunlight into the oven. Glue the foil to the flap, smooth out wrinkles, and cut off any excess

4) Tape plastic sheet
With the scissors, cut two square pieces of clear plastic wrap, each 1 square inch larger than the flap opening. Open the pizza box, and tape one piece of plastic to the underside of the hole so that the plastic covers it.

5)Tape second plastic sheet
Close the lid, and tape the second plastic sheet over the top of the hole, creating a window that helps keep the sun's heat in the box. Pull both sheets taut as you tape them.

6) Layer the bottom with foil
Glue or tape a layer of aluminum foil to the inside bottom of your pizza box for insulation.

7) Cover with black paper
Cover the foil layer in the box with sheets of black construction paper and glue them into place. The black base will absorb light and generate more heat inside your oven.

8) Find best angle
Close the lid, and you're ready to start cooking! On a bright day, place your solar oven outside in direct sunlight. Adjust the foil flap to find the best ray-reflecting angle, and use the ruler, a stick, or a hard-plastic straw to keep the flap propped in place.

9)Preheat
Preheat your oven by leaving it in direct sunlight for 30 minutes. The box's temperature will reach about 200 degrees, so while you won't be able to cook a roast, you can reheat cooked food, melt cheese or chocolate, or—if you have all day—prepare a veggie stew.

10)Cook
Whatever you decide to cook, place it—on its own, or in a heat-safe container (Glass Jar or Dark small baking pan also suggested)—in the center of the oven, so that it is directly under the plastic-wrap window. Close the lid, leaving the flap propped open, and check on your food every 15 to 30 minutes.

Your solar oven will reach about 200° F on a sunny day, and will take longer to heat things than a conventional oven. Although this method will take longer, it is very easy to use, and it is safe to leave alone while the energy from the sun cooks your food. If you do not want to wait long to have a solar-cooked dish, try heating up something that has already been cooked, like leftovers, or a can of soup. Putting solid food in a glass dish and liquids in a heavy plastic zip lock bag works well. You can also pre-heat your oven by setting it in direct sun for up to an hour.

**Tip - If you want to test the reflective angles of your oven before you head outside, shine a laser pointer onto the foil flap to simulate rays of sunlight.

Home Science Tools
Youtube tutorial:

edit on 31-3-2013 by RooskiZombi because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 31 2013 @ 01:02 PM
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That is awesome. It looks like it's using the 'passive solar heating' method that many are also utilizing in heating their homes with.



posted on Mar, 31 2013 @ 01:39 PM
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reply to post by TheLieWeLive
 


I would definitely be interested in learning how to solar-power heat a home, but using cost efficient methods.. Can't really afford the panels without severing a limb.
edit on 31-3-2013 by RooskiZombi because: (no reason given)


edit on 31-3-2013 by RooskiZombi because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 31 2013 @ 02:10 PM
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reply to post by RooskiZombi
 


You don't need to spend a lot of money to do it. You can use aluminum cans and a little ingenuity.

Here is an idea of how this guy did it. There are many examples out there. The process is easy. There is nothing hard about it at all.



I need to get off my tail and make one myself.
edit on 31-3-2013 by TheLieWeLive because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 1 2013 @ 10:23 AM
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For a sturdier model, you can find plans online for building them out of wood also (the solar ovens).



posted on Apr, 4 2013 @ 11:19 PM
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reply to post by TheLieWeLive
 


as nice and cheap as this is,it won't really do a lot.Granted,scale it up,you might do a small room.Maybe put water in the bottom cans to hold the heat for a while after the sun sets,sort of a heat storage battery.My project is a cross between this,a solar oven,and a fresnel lens from a big screen TV.A thick wall pipe feeds air into the lower hole,and the lens is slightly out of focus on the pipe,to keep from melting it.Imagine a solar convection oven.



posted on Apr, 4 2013 @ 11:37 PM
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reply to post by RooskiZombi
 


Seems like there would be a market for a commercial solar oven, and the alike. With proper engineering, a commercial oven would be a great money saver and an odd attraction for outdoor events.

On a similar note, I'd personally like to have a parabolic mirror to mess about with. The mirrors are too costly, and inconvenient, to be used for everyday cooking and heating, but I think it would be great fun, and it would have great potential in a dire situation - such as your pizza box has.



posted on Apr, 9 2013 @ 04:44 PM
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Originally posted by TheLieWeLive
reply to post by RooskiZombi
 


You don't need to spend a lot of money to do it. You can use aluminum cans and a little ingenuity.

Here is an idea of how this guy did it. There are many examples out there. The process is easy. There is nothing hard about it at all.



I need to get off my tail and make one myself.
edit on 31-3-2013 by TheLieWeLive because: (no reason given)


Just don't make them too big.... I know a guy that did this to heat his "shop" (basically a very large garage in his back yard) during the winter.... Well he made the pop can heater just a tad too big and melted the handles of all his tools, not to mention anything else plastic that was in there...

These things work incredibly well.. A little too well.

Note he used an electric fan to circulate the heat into the building.
edit on 9-4-2013 by DaMod because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 9 2013 @ 04:58 PM
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So before I make the effort to construct such a cooking device from my next pizza box can anyone be generous enough to tell me if their 'oven' was in a rainy northern latitude cold climate like the UK or somewhere warmer with lots of hours of direct sunlight?

I see posts like this all the time on t'internet but I have doubts they'll work here so rely instead on means of making fire. Has anyone actually reached 200C temps for cooking in an ambient local temperature of 8C as it was today here in sunlight? Please share the love and provide examples of ambient temps compared to cooking temps, maybe I'll consider it an option if I don't need 50mm thermal boards to insulate the 'stove' ???



posted on Apr, 9 2013 @ 05:01 PM
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You can make the box into an oven, I'll eat the pizza while I watch.




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