Solar Oven

Anyone here using one, or has used one?
Olds

Hi Olds,
I have wanted to make one or buy one to use during the summer here when I don't want to heat up the house but so far we haven't gotten my outdoor kitchen made so I haven't done anything yet about it. I am interested in knowing if others have used one.

I have. The concept is fantastic; the fabrication can be easy or quite difficult depending on how intricate an oven you build. Usefulness depends a lot on location, i.e. how much sunlight, and tracking.

There is much success building and using them in Third World countries, esp. those where firewood is non-existent or at a premium and sunshine abounds.

After experimenting a bit, I decided it was not so practical for me here in the mountains, although I have built a couple of solar food dryers which work fine.

Years ago a friend built something like that to render the wax out of honey frames.

I don't remember how hot it got but it was surprising.

The thing was simply a box painted all black inside. As I remember it had a sloped glass face.

I could call him tomorrow after work or maybe tonight if I get home soon enough. He goes to bed with the chickens, claims thats why he is 78 looks 60. I think it's genes.

Anyway he may know about plans for a solar oven because he is a great reader,especially of how to build things.Regards Ernie

Could you describe your food driers please darius?
I don't think the ovens would work in the UK climate, but driers might

My best-working drier was a simple box with a hinged door and with shelves made of a wood edge and fiberglas screening. The box sat up on legs, and the glass solar chamber was on an angle below it so the heated air rose into the box. The box had a slit vent at the top on the side opposite the low intake vent from the solar chamber. The solar chamber was a simple thin box painted black inside and an old window glazing panel on top.

The plans came from a book on drying foods and I'd scan the photo if I had the book available. Most of my books are packed.

Those work great, don't they darius! I made one out of a big cardboard box like that years ago to dry certain herbs in. They really heated up good, almost too good sometimes, and would burn the herb.

I enjoyed fine-tuning that dryer (more vents, change the angle, even used tinted glass at one point).

Thanks a lot darius (and Horseshoe), I shall try that next year. (We're into cold, wet leaf dropping season now - not enough sun to do anything by lol)

http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/solarcoo.htm#dryers
http://solarcooking.org/
This site has a lot of helpful information on the subject.
I haven't tried it but a friend who lives in the mountains uses one all summer to keep the heat of cooking out of the house.
http://home.earthlink.net/~drduggee/solar.htm


edited to add links and correct a typo


This message was edited Oct 22, 2003 12:24 PM

That's great Zany, thanks. Lots of info

Ok check out this link....really neat stuff.

http://www.eg-solar.de/english/solar_cooling.htm

Can you say solar Refrigerator???

Olds

That's really COOL olds LOL

Very interesting. I am going to print this out and take it to my friends who own and operate a zeolite plant near here where they mine the stuff. They will be interested in this. Thanks Olds for the link. Cool man cool. lol

Very interesting. But it states that only artificial Zeolite is pure enough to use for cooling. I really hope this type of research is followed up and expanded upon. We need to find new power sources that will wean us from our dependence on Oil and Nucular Power and allow us to maintain comfortable lifestyles that do not destroy the planet and it's atmosphere. This type of power could improve the quality of life here as much as in third world nations.