In the current world trends, use of electricity has fluctuated in a major way. Moreover, the electric bills have gone up leaving people to choose simpler and cheaper methods. Heard of solar oven? It's a simple cooker that utilizes sunlight as its main source of energy. In addition, a solar oven does not use fuel making its cost nil. This facilitates you saving both money and time. The following article gives detailed information on how to make a simple solar oven that can be used at home.
Materials that are required
To make an oven, the first step is to make sure you have all the materials needed for the process to take off. A solar panel can either be simple or complex depending on your preference. Since the solar oven is an inexpensive oven, the materials used are mostly recycled or obtained from household goods that are in no use. These include: 2 pizza boxes, aluminum foil, a black construction paper, a pair of scissors, masking tape, a knife, a ruler, tape or glue, cardboards, stapler and staples, newspapers and a plastic wrap.
In addition, a stick may at times be needed to help in the opening of the door in the solar oven. However, during selection of the materials, it is highly advisable to avoid materials that emit poisonous fumes when heated as this may cause adverse effects on the user and the surrounding.
Steps to be followed
- The first step is to find two pizza boxes with one having a fitting of 2-3 inches on the inside of each side. The spaces available can be filled with newspapers. Crumple some newspapers and use them to align the bottom of the bigger pizza box.
- Afterwards, inside the larger pizza box put the smaller pizza box. The spaces created by the two boxes on each side can be filled with crumpled newspapers.
- Use the aluminum foil to align the inside of the smaller pizza box. To ensure rigidity of the box, you may use a tape or simply fold the foil edges over the top side of the small pizza box.
- Use the black construction paper on the bottom inside of the smaller pizza box to ensure easy absorption of heat which will create a conducive atmosphere for your solar oven.
- Use an aligned piece of cardboard about 2 inches long to help in tracing the shape of the pizza box. Additionally, the trace line made can be used for making a reflector.
- Use a piece of aluminum foil in covering the card board as well as smoothening it from wrinkles using non-poisonous glue or tape for security measures. To ensure maximum enhancement, you should staple the reflector to the large pizza box from the outside.
- A tape can be used to secure the plastic wrap that has been stretched on the large pizza box. Finally, after achieving all these, you can locate the oven with its pizza box opening (lid) facing upwards. In addition, to achieve intense and maximum heat, place the reflector facing the emission of the sun. You can place the food intended to be cooked in the solar oven ensuring that you avoid foods that need rapid cooking due to manifestation of high temperatures.