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bluefin
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2013 07:59pm
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I have a Sunmar 3000NE for my off-grid cabin ( which we use all year ). I have a spare 40W 12v solar panel and was trying to think of a way to use this to power a small heater/warming cable to place under the sunmar to provide some heat to continue the actual composting over the winter ( BC south Coast at the water so it doesn't get that cold here). Any ideas ??
Thanks.
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groingo
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2013 08:26pm
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Good idea, you may check out the seat warmers they use in electric cars, that should draw the least and produce the most heat.
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mjmmessina
Member
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# Posted: 12 Nov 2013 11:46pm
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bluefin, I have a nature's head composting toilet and love it but it does stop composting in the winter. Keep me posted if you come up with some solar option to warm it.
mjmmessina
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2013 12:10am
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40 watts is almost nothing when we're talking heating. I don't think you will see any difference in how the composter works. The material to be composted needs to be above 55 F for there to be any chance of composting action to take place.
How many hours a day will the PV panel be able to put out meaningful power? Not many.
You would have better luck making direct use of the heat of the sun rather than using the relatively inefficient method of turning sunlight to electricity and then heating with that power. I've been down the road of trying to use the excess power from 600 watts worth of panels and ran headlong into many issues that make it pretty well impractical.
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Dillio187
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2013 08:11am
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yep, what Don said. You'd be better off making a solar hot air panel and using that to heat instead. Lot's of plans for those on the web.
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creeky
Member
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# Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:38am
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build it solar has some excellent plans and research on solar hot air panels.
http://builditsolar.com/Experimental/PopCanVsScreen/PopCanVsScreen.htm
you might be better off with a hot water solution. run some pex through the pile and then into a tank mounted in the sun. use the thermosiphon effect to move the water or use yer panel to run a small pump.
could even preheat your water in the summer using the pile... lol.
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