Solar Food

Jim's been modifying a design on a solar powered food dehydrator.

The black metal at the base of the machine is set to a 45 degree angle. It collects the sun's energy and turns it into heat, while the polycarbonate window traps the heat in the machine.

Air vents in the base of the unit allow the heated air to rise...

and dehydrate the food on the racks.

Adjust the temperature with these screen vents

Temperatures can reach up to 180 degrees so it is important but easy to monitor the progress with thermometers at the base of the racks and at the top of the unit. With this knowledge, the racks can be jockeyed according to how the food is progressing.

So, with proper placement in the sun, this unit can turn five pounds of freshly picked apples into dehydrated apples in just 9 hours...without the use of electricity!

Jim plans on adding wheels and handpoles to allow for better mobility. There will be more updates on this fascinating project to come.

Solar Plumbing

Ryan has been working on building a homemade solar drain back tank. This unit allows a non-toxic antifreeze to drain out of the solar panel during down times. If the antifreeze is not circulated properly, it could become corrosive and destroy the panel.

This is what he had to use.

He started with a five gallon bucket with an epoxy coating the interior. He drilled a hole in the top and bottom and removed the handle.

He then took a 1/2" bulkhead fitting and affixed it to the bottom of the bucket through the hole.

Then he cut two pieces of pink foam insulation and drilled similar holes in the center of them.

He used a spray foam to glue the foam to the top and bottom of the bucket, allowing for the tee fitting to stick through.

He wrapped the entire unit in a fiberglass insulation...

And finally encircled the unit with an aluminum sheet casing for a nice finish.

Ryan could have gone online and got a similar pre-constructed unit for nearly $400. However, after purchasing $40 worth of materials from the local hardware store and a half-day of work, HUG has a solar drain back tank of their very own at less than 10% of the cost of buying online.

Now that's buying local!