Renew Ride

I biked to a casa de ciclistas, or a bike hostel, located in San Antonio de Prado in Colombia. The owner of la casa, Manuel, is one of the more fun people I have met in my life. After telling him about my interest in renewable energy, he asked if I could build a solar water heater. After several design changes and help from other cyclists that came through the house, I managed to build a functioning solar water heater. It was a great experience to harness the power of the sun and water that flowed from the Colombian mountains to provide hot showers for cyclists from around the world. If you have ever considered a solar water heater for your home, give it a try. Constructing a DIY system is easier than you might think, and there are plenty of affordable commercial systems available as well. Check out builditsolar.com for design ideas.

Turbo, Colombia to San Antonio de Prado, Colombia 5/3 to 6/4 2016

1) So you start by building a box... (while enjoying a Colombian beer and soda pop concoction. Maybe 1 part miller lite, 2 parts cherry 7up if you made it back in the States)

3) Next you untangle 100 meters of black PVC...

6) Close the box with plastic...

Thermosiphon physics experiment with hot water

Shout out to Origon and Celine for all their help!

Source of water for the bike hostelFinished product, designs 1 and 2

2) You then paint it black with a metal bottom...

4) Then wrap the PVC in the box...

5) You proceed to tying the PVC to the box..

7) And put it on the roof!

Thermosiphon system #2

Making connections to the hot water tank