"SOLAR-RISE" YOUR APARTMENT WITH HEAT GRABBER

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Equally important is the fact that the new high-rise Heat Grabber uses lightweight, energy-transmitting, relatively vandalproof plastic for glazing . . . the same fiberglass-reinforced material seen in many greenhouses and commercially made collectors.

Finally, the low-cost solar furnace now makes use of a thermostatically controlled fan to pull cool room air in and then force the sunwarmed air back into the house or apartment. (On days when a lot of heat isn't needed, the blower can be shut off, and the collector will function in a passive mode.)

Of course, there is a sacrifice involved in the switch from an angled configuration to a vertical one: Because the sun's rays don't strike the perpendicularly mounted collector as directly as they would a tilted surface, a reduction of efficiency (of up to 30%) may result. Fortunately, though, this loss will be greatest at the beginning and end of each cold season, when the sun crosses the sky at a high angle of incidence and—in general—heating demands are lower than during midwinter. (Those ground-floor residents who'd rather set their collectors at the optimal angle for their latitude will find complete instructions for this procedure in the original Heat Grabber article in issue 47 . . . see page 48 to order back issues.)

GRAB A SHARE OF THE SUN

Other than the items included in the bill of materials, it takes very little to put together a Heat Grabber of your own: After making the block knives (detailed on page 122), all you'll need to complete the job are a caulking gun, a sharp kitchen knife, a tape measure, and a screwdriver.

The standard sizes of the insulation board that makes up the body of the collector (foil-clad woven fiberglass duct board can be substituted if need be) are such that you'll be able to construct two complete Heat.

Grabbers from just three sheets of insulation with a minimum of leftover waste . . . assuming that your window opening is 32" in width.

You can, by using the entire 48" breadth of a rigid foam sheet for the base and sides, make your window heater a maximum of 34" wide . . . or you can reduce the width to fit a narrow opening by simply cutting away the necessary amount of material. And, if your south-facing window happens to be larger than 34", it's possible to cut some of your leftover board into spacers that'll fit between the sides of the Grabber and the tracks in the window frame (the seams should be well sealed with duct tape to prevent drafts).

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