Do you think a recuperator is expensive? I solved this question: the first step is a foil heat exchanger, with my own hands (cheap, but not easy).
"When you want to save money and do everything yourself, then be ready to work for three." - During the construction of my house, I got used to this rule. And here's another example ...
Friends, a big hello to everyone. Today there will be no theories and reflections about the need for a recuperation system in a private house.
Those who follow my squatter are already aware of my choice, and if you are here for the first time, then be sure to read the previous articles, on my channel.
In short, we start from the following ...
#Recuperator to be#I will do everything myself#base - plate heat exchanger
And today, let's move on to the very process of manufacturing the heat exchanger.
✔ It all starts with a blank. To begin with, I cut the required pieces from the foil.
I bought two rolls of foil from a general store. Thickness 20mkn, length 10m, width 29cm.
The resulting squares are 29 by 29 cm.
✔ Then, from honeycomb polypropylene strips 290mm long(for the size of the foil roll) approximately 10 mm wide (accuracy is not required here).
✔ Now, you need to glue it all together ... For this I used a silicone sealant.
The result was the following blanks: a sheet of foil with glued strips of honeycomb polypropylene.
I glued four pieces to each sheet to minimize the sagging of the foil.
✔ Next, you need to connect these sheets together.
The main principle is crosswise connection. In this case, you need to give the foil a slight stretch so that it does not sag (this is why the polypropylene strips were glued in advance so that you could pull 😁).
When fixing, you can insure a little with aluminum tape. But in principle, there will be enough sealant.
As a result, we get two such heat exchanger blocks (29 x 29 cm, and 20 cm high).
✅ What is the principle of heat exchange ???
On one side of the heat exchanger, cold air from the street will come up and pass into some channels, between the foil. And warm air from the house wakes up to pass through the heat exchanger in the opposite direction. Thus, through the thinnest foil, heat transfer will take place.
It turns out that the most important thing is that the "heart" of the recuperator is already ready.
Yes, the work is painstaking and not fast. Sometimes, it seemed to me that I got back to school, for a labor lesson, and I was doing some kind of nonsense. So patience, you definitely need to stock up.
❗ In all this dreary work, the good news is that for the money, everything was very inexpensive.
- Sheet of honeycomb polypropylene, 1x1.5m, thickness 3.5 mm. - 600 p.
- Two rolls of foil 20 microns, 290 mm wide, 10 m long - 300 rubles.
- Silicone sealant, 2 pcs. - 300 p.
- Aluminum tape - 300 r.
In total, only 1,500 rubles. And I think this is a very budget solution.
Of course, this is just the beginning.
✅ Before the final assembly of the recuperator, all that remains is to make a box around the heat exchangers, and plug in the fans (with regard to electronics and control systems, this is already, as they say, as they become available ...), and a super device that sells for 100,000 rubles. ready.
But at the same time, one should not forget about the ventilation channels themselves. In my case, this is where the main costs will be.
Work goes on, but there is not always enough time... So don't judge and wait for the sequel.
Friends, I'm waiting in the comments for your opinion on the work done. Be sure to share your experience, if any, it will help a lot.
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