Solar Thermal to blown warm air?

[mark_2cv]

Hi all
I'm kinda new to all this, and would welcome your learned opinions..
My workshop (aka "our conservatory") would really benefit from some extra heating at times. I have been wondering if it would be possible/feasible to run two or three of the smaller (i.e. cheaper) Navitron thermal collectors through an underseat type vehicle heater matrix with an integral 12v fan.

What else would be needed over and above the collectors to construct a safe system if it is worth looking at?

Mark.

[dhaslam]

When you say "conservatory" I presume you mean that the room has a lot of glass.   If this is the case then solar  heating, at least without some storage facility,   will not help  because it should be warm if the sun shines anyway.   

[daftlad]

Or
http://www.navitron.org.uk/forum/index.php/topic,6899.0.html
ta ta

[martin]

Warm a conservatory? - presumabubbly in winter - el cheapo pot belly stove and flue, under £150 the lot - burn old pallet wood etc - job done! Got one in my "shed of earthly desires"- utterly brill! -
The teensie problem with using solar for room heating is that when you most need the heat (winter), you're going to get least from solar..... (or the sun won't come out at all....)

[Hugo]

Looking at your el cheapo stove Martin, Machine mart has them for £80.00, not sure about the flue mind you.
And just to say about QUALITY, if Navitron did one this small I'm sure it would be better made. 

[Ivan]

How about this? This is the Navitron air heater panel. You need to keep the ducts between panel and room as short as possible (air has very low heat capacity). It only works well when the sun is shining, but I've found this to be fantastic in spring and autumn. In the winter, it works well on sunny days - here it is on a day when the temperature was well below freezing, and the room was warm as toast, despite some snow on the panel.

[mark_2cv]

Thanks for the replies....sorry I've been working away since Feb!

I like the look of the Navitron air panel...and I still wonder about my original idea, but will it work?

Mark.

[mark_2cv]

I should have said that the roof is tiled over and does not benefit from much direct sunshine.
I'd like a small woodburner but there just is'nt the room for it, as things stand.
There is a large radiator on the house wall (lean to conservatory) but it can not always cope.

Mark.

[dhaslam]

What you would need is a way of storing the heat until it is needed. A few of the Navitron panels would produce quite a lot of heat  when the sun is shining  but  by storing the heat in an underground insulated  store  you could feed the heat into the room when it is needed.  The store doesn't need much sophistication,  much the same system as is used for  night time heating of greenhouses.         

[mark_2cv]

Hi Ivan

How about this? This is the Navitron air heater panel. You need to keep the ducts between panel and room as short as possible (air has very low heat capacity). It only works well when the sun is shining, but I've found this to be fantastic in spring and autumn. In the winter, it works well on sunny days - here it is on a day when the temperature was well below freezing, and the room was warm as toast, despite some snow on the panel.

How is this plumbed in? If you draw air through with a fan suggested in the product blurb, how did you adapt from 50mm connections?

Mark.