Hi,
Very informative stuff!
I’ve been contemplating building one of these for some time, but as neither I nor anyone in my family consumes drinks out of pop cans I baulked at the idea of collecting so many cans. I live in the UK in central London and the local council and the residents in my area are almost fanatical on re-cycling so most of the used cans get put in the re-cycling bins and I wouldn’t feel happy taking them from there. So my project stalled at the basic requirements.
I have however seen some rather nice aluminium ducting on eBay that retails at £6.50 (approx $10.00) for 10 meters with a diameter of 4 inches. The ducting is corrugated and flexible. My idea is to use this rather than tin cans, as it's essentially the same material but in a different form factor.
I can foresee some benefits of this approach:
1) I can wrap string around the tubing at various locations to create air turbulence.
2) The tubing can run directly into my inlet thus minimising heat loss.
3) No need to use caulk to stick the cans together.
4) No need to collect, clean & soak any cans.
Also as I have quite a large back garden I'm thinking of strategically placing some mirrors to direct sunlight onto the panel.
I'd like to know if anyone has tried this approach; and if so has any observations or tips that might prove beneficial for me?
I'd also like to hear from anyone who might know of any potential pitfalls of this approach.
Thanks chaps!
Mike
