Almost free garage heat – just drink a lot of soda

I’ve had a few days during the HMX build while I’m either waiting for parts or waiting for something to dry and had some free time. I’m not exactly one to sit and watch TV when I have nothing planned, so I set out on another project. While I have electricity out to the garage now, heat has been an issue all winter long. Mattar graciously lent me his kerosene heater, which did an okay job of taking the bite off the chill. Insulating the garage would go a long way to help keep the bitter Vermont cold out, but that’s a project for another day. I started with some 2x4s and plywood to build a simple box. I actually built the box to certain dimensions, based on what scrap materials I had and on the dimensions of my heat collection method – aluminum cans. Sealed the box using adhesive caulk, just to keep any heated air from escaping the box. So you may have already thought, “How can air climb the columns of cans when there’s no hole at the bottom of the can?” The caulk is pretty strong.

How I built an electricity producing wind turbine Several years ago I bought some remote property in Arizona. I am an astronomer and wanted a place to practice my hobby far away from the sky-wrecking light pollution found near cities of any real size. I found a great piece of property. The problem is, it's so remote that there is no electric service available. One thing I noticed right away about my property is that most of the time, the wind is blowing. Let me state up front that I probably won't be able to help you out much if you decide to build your own wind turbine. Since no one seems to be reading the FAQ, I will answer the No. 1 question I get many, many times a day right here up front. Update: Here is a video of the wind turbine in operation. Update: Here is a video of me assembling and setting up the wind turbine on my remote off-grid property. I started the process of designing my wind turbine by Googling for information on home-built wind turbines. I reduced the project to just five little systems. for only $26. .

My Home-Built Solar Panel Projects I am a person who loves to build things. I'd rather build something than buy it, if I can. Even if it something inexpensive, I like the challenge of figuring out how to build it myself, rather than just buying it and being part of the mindless consumer culture. If an item is really expensive, like solar panels, then I have a monetary incentive to try to build it myself, as well as the challenge. For a long time I thought solar panels were just too difficult for me to build. After doing lots of research, I discovered that they aren't that hard to build at all. This is my Suntracker. Click here to see how I built the Suntracker. My first home-made solar panel was a 60 Watt, 12 Volt unit I built a few years ago so I would have power on my remote, off-grid property. Click here to see how I built the 60 Watt panel. My second home-built solar panel is a folding 15 Watt unit. Click here to see how I built the 15 Watt folding panel.