solar powered air brick

Jul 03, 2009 8 Replies
G

A friend has made the following request elsewhere, and doesn't use newsgroups



"we have a small larder at the back of the kitchen (it used to be the outside loo). It has two airbricks for ventilation - one low down that opens onto the cool passageway between the houses, the other high up on the back wall.



In the Summer, it gets too hot, despite insulation. So I'd like to install a small solar-powered fan to assist with circulating comparatively cool air in from the passageway. There are a few kits around, but what I'm really after is an airbrick with a fan in it - preferably a centrifugal one as it's fit the rectangular shape better.



Does anyone have any knowledge, experience or ideas please? As a default I'll get a kit and botch the physical interface to the airbrick."



sensible recommendations, anyone ?



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A

Maplin are a good source of cheap solar at the moment (and just wait until September!) and there's also mutr.co.uk for all manner of bits.

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G

Hmmm yes ISTR they had a pretty good solar panel on offer last year

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N

4" PC fan is probably as near as you'll get to that. Run it all night long, not in the day time. There are other ways to improve the coolness too. A very basic one is a frozen 1 litre tetrapak.

NT

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G

I've already suggested that

"Cool air from the passageway"

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C

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A small cross flow fan would give the right shape to fit into an airbrick; a computer bay cooler, (Maplin) might be worth a try. Maplin used to sell a 'computer air conditioner' which was basically a cross flow fan with controller which fitted into a 5.25" bay.

I guess either of the above would be small enough to be driven by solar power.

Cic.

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T

I wonder if you can be a bit clever with thermostats here. For example, have two thermostats. When T_outside < T_inside, run the fan(s). When it isn't, don't. That way you're either pumping in colder air or stopping warm air coming in. You might need to switch this mechanism off in winter :-)

Having a flap on the leeward side of the air bricks operated by the fan's pressure will prevent warm draughts blowing in when you don't want them.

Theo

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M

Have a look on the net - australia has some wind powered ones

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N

A differential stat would be ideal. Not sure you could do it with 2 separate single stats though. Timers are far cheaper and more accessible, so a much simpler but less ideal option is to just run the fan when its coldest outside. But the diff stat would definitely give more cooling.

NT

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