Thanks for the kind words! I can’t wait to release the next video. Will be interesting that for sure. With all the suggestions I’m getting I think it might be worth getting some more jars!
With a redesign of the unit it may be possible. A little technical for my backyard setup however definitely worth considering. Would be interesting to see the results. Thanks for the suggestion. This is a possible modification that I would attempt after I’ve tried everything else! Cheers!
Definitely! It’s going into winter here. Lower temps. But still getting noticeable results. If I can get it to work in winter summer time will be a bonanza!
Could the charcoal be absorbing the water, resulting in a lower yield? What about wrapping the exterior of your original setup with a black vinyl or something similar, increasing the interior temperature? Maybe use mirrors to reflect more sunlight? fresnel lenses?
Good suggestion. But it’s not without its problems. The real issue is that all the weight that will be in the jar is already in the jar. Nothing is being added. Even with condensation the water that is evaporated comes from the jar and is returned to the setup. Unless of course you are saying to remove the smaller jar before weighing. That would work! And would be a great idea providing I can get suitable scales to measure it. Thanks for the suggestion! Cheers!
Kind sir Can I ask whether this concept can be improved further by crushing up the charcoal and mixing it in directly with the water in the inner container which will effectively give you black water?
Yes. Absolutely. And that will be a variation that I will attempt over the next week. Small steps! Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it heaps! Cheers!
Exactly. I think the biggest problem is the volume. He creates an closed environment where only a limited amount of water can dissolve into the air in the jar before it's saturrated.
This is definitely the case. There’s also a number of rules in regard to dew points to saturation points as well. The cooler the night the more evaporation condenses. There are so many things to consider. A larger volume would definitely go a long way to increasing the yield. I did design a larger flatter version of this as well. Check out the home page of michealfarmer.com This website has been neglected! But I hope to add to it over time. Thanks for the comment! I appreciate the feedback! I hope to rebuild this design further, using more of the suggestions such as your own. Cheers! I can’t wait to see how much we can improve this by!
@@Remraf I think an inverted design with the saltwater in the in the bigger volume part would be interesting. This should allow better evaporation. The bottom of the lid would be pointy towards the middle with the surface maybe being roughend to allow better accumulation. And then the lid then is cooled to a temperature where the condensation gets improved but it doesn't freeze (for example with more water).
@maximilianfey1346 I actually tried this a couple weeks ago. I even filmed it! And it failed to produce. I should throw the video up to show the process and the thinking. One of the biggest problems I found was that the small jar in the middle wanted to float, and sealing the unit up. I ended up only filling the big jar with a limited amount of seawater so that the weight of the small jar would hold it down. I also feel that sealing the unit up needed to be improved. I used a stone! I think the reason the standard method works so well is due to the large surface area for cooling purposes. Plus trying to direct such a small amount of surface area (lid) into the inner jar proved insufficient as well. You have convinced me! I will publish the results for the whole world to see. I will post a link in this conversation when it is up. Thanks for the suggestion! As always I appreciate the feedback! Cheers!
Hmm well did you pour the salt water over the charcoal? But besides for extra energy being in the jar surface area should be the most important thing besides for the sun itself, the same amount of water in volume but with 2 times the surface area would yield more drinking water
Hi and thanks for your comment. I was thinking that perhaps with the evaporated moisture passing through the charcoal that it would perhaps, act as more surface area? Potentially speeding up the process. It has certainly made a difference (double yield). At this stage it’s all about experimentation. I like to take small steps! And there will be plenty of videos to come doing the many improvements so many people have suggested! I can’t wait to get around to doing them! I am currently on the lookout for a larger flatter surface area to work with, while trying to avoid working with plastics. I appreciate your feedback back. It’s great to see people are watching! Thanks heaps! Cheers!
The only way to increase the yield is to increase the heat (to increase evaporation) and the cold (to condense faster. Is there a particular reason that you don't just boil the water in a small fire and collect the condensate via a tube into a bottle that is sitting in cold water/wet sand? If you don't want to use fire then you need to think of a way to separate the heating and cooling elements - so a pipe to allow the moisture laden air to transfer into the collecting container and have the collecting container lower down and/or protected from the sun.
do away with the lower sea water reservoir and fill the upper raised charcoal space with water and charcoal. Anything black to absorb heat. Use mirrors to focus sun on the black surfaces in the water. Keep all the heat towards the top of the container. Shield the lower half from light. Maybe half bury it.
Good points. I may put an end to this version early and move onto the next suggestions noting the variations and their production values. I was going to wait for a month or so but cannot see the point in that. We need results and we need them asap! Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate the feedback. Cheers!
An impressive use of brainpower here! Can envision the charcoal acting as thermal mass, somewhat like a 'pump' or non-return valve. Looks like I'm going to Kmart soon. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery. I'm wondering if aluminium foil would act as a mirror backing. While also a heat sink to help cool the outside jar.
Thanks for your words of encouragement. It’s always great to get a positive comment such as yours. It makes me want to make videos all day! I have plenty of ideas for videos but lack the time to get them done. As for your thoughts in regards to the charcoal acting like a thermal pump this is very interesting indeed. I guess in a way it could be creating a partial vacuum in the inner jar perhaps, especially while the sun is out. Makes me wonder how much heat does this thermal mass hold during the night even if it’s a slight change for a few hours this may have a significant effect on how the mass may act as a thermal valve of sorts? It would be interesting to design an experiment based solely around this idea alone. And as for the aluminium foil acting as a reflector of sorts this is definitely something I’ve had suggested before and it is definitely something I aim to do in the future. I appreciate your comments and your suggestions. Good luck tracking down the pickle jar at Kmart hopefully they’ve got them in stock for you, cheers!
Loved this video and i look forward to the next one!
Also distilled water is delicious
Thanks for the kind words! I can’t wait to release the next video. Will be interesting that for sure. With all the suggestions I’m getting I think it might be worth getting some more jars!
Can you do this experiment with the container in partial vacuum.
With a redesign of the unit it may be possible. A little technical for my backyard setup however definitely worth considering. Would be interesting to see the results. Thanks for the suggestion. This is a possible modification that I would attempt after I’ve tried everything else! Cheers!
It depends on the season though.More sun, faster yields.
Definitely! It’s going into winter here. Lower temps. But still getting noticeable results. If I can get it to work in winter summer time will be a bonanza!
Could the charcoal be absorbing the water, resulting in a lower yield? What about wrapping the exterior of your original setup with a black vinyl or something similar, increasing the interior temperature? Maybe use mirrors to reflect more sunlight? fresnel lenses?
Yep. These are awesome ideas. As soon as I get a chance I will be building a variation implementing one of these ideas. Cheers!
For water, 1 ml is like 1 mg. So, you could measure the weight change of the jar, if thats easier.
1 ml is 1 g, good idea just out on your units
Good suggestion. But it’s not without its problems. The real issue is that all the weight that will be in the jar is already in the jar. Nothing is being added. Even with condensation the water that is evaporated comes from the jar and is returned to the setup. Unless of course you are saying to remove the smaller jar before weighing. That would work! And would be a great idea providing I can get suitable scales to measure it. Thanks for the suggestion! Cheers!
Kind sir
Can I ask whether this concept can be improved further by crushing up the charcoal and mixing it in directly with the water in the inner container which will effectively give you black water?
Yes. Absolutely. And that will be a variation that I will attempt over the next week. Small steps! Thanks for your comment. I appreciate it heaps! Cheers!
wow
I am about to venture out in the dark hours before dawn to harvest the results! Stay tuned!!!
try extract water from thin air next a clear plastic dome on the grass
This would be fun to try. Perhaps we could suspend a funnel to collect the fluid as it condensates? I appreciate the suggestion. Cheers!
I wonder if larger jars would would be better since more air can dissolve more water and provide more surface area for condensing.
Exactly. I think the biggest problem is the volume. He creates an closed environment where only a limited amount of water can dissolve into the air in the jar before it's saturrated.
Absolutely! If only I could find larger glass vessels! It’s on my too do list!
This is definitely the case. There’s also a number of rules in regard to dew points to saturation points as well. The cooler the night the more evaporation condenses. There are so many things to consider. A larger volume would definitely go a long way to increasing the yield. I did design a larger flatter version of this as well. Check out the home page of michealfarmer.com
This website has been neglected! But I hope to add to it over time. Thanks for the comment! I appreciate the feedback!
I hope to rebuild this design further, using more of the suggestions such as your own. Cheers! I can’t wait to see how much we can improve this by!
@@Remraf I think an inverted design with the saltwater in the in the bigger volume part would be interesting. This should allow better evaporation. The bottom of the lid would be pointy towards the middle with the surface maybe being roughend to allow better accumulation. And then the lid then is cooled to a temperature where the condensation gets improved but it doesn't freeze (for example with more water).
@maximilianfey1346 I actually tried this a couple weeks ago. I even filmed it! And it failed to produce. I should throw the video up to show the process and the thinking. One of the biggest problems I found was that the small jar in the middle wanted to float, and sealing the unit up. I ended up only filling the big jar with a limited amount of seawater so that the weight of the small jar would hold it down. I also feel that sealing the unit up needed to be improved. I used a stone! I think the reason the standard method works so well is due to the large surface area for cooling purposes. Plus trying to direct such a small amount of surface area (lid) into the inner jar proved insufficient as well. You have convinced me! I will publish the results for the whole world to see. I will post a link in this conversation when it is up. Thanks for the suggestion! As always I appreciate the feedback! Cheers!
Hmm well did you pour the salt water over the charcoal? But besides for extra energy being in the jar surface area should be the most important thing besides for the sun itself, the same amount of water in volume but with 2 times the surface area would yield more drinking water
Hi and thanks for your comment. I was thinking that perhaps with the evaporated moisture passing through the charcoal that it would perhaps, act as more surface area? Potentially speeding up the process. It has certainly made a difference (double yield). At this stage it’s all about experimentation. I like to take small steps! And there will be plenty of videos to come doing the many improvements so many people have suggested! I can’t wait to get around to doing them! I am currently on the lookout for a larger flatter surface area to work with, while trying to avoid working with plastics. I appreciate your feedback back. It’s great to see people are watching! Thanks heaps! Cheers!
The only way to increase the yield is to increase the heat (to increase evaporation) and the cold (to condense faster. Is there a particular reason that you don't just boil the water in a small fire and collect the condensate via a tube into a bottle that is sitting in cold water/wet sand? If you don't want to use fire then you need to think of a way to separate the heating and cooling elements - so a pipe to allow the moisture laden air to transfer into the collecting container and have the collecting container lower down and/or protected from the sun.
do away with the lower sea water reservoir and fill the upper raised charcoal space with water and charcoal. Anything black to absorb heat. Use mirrors to focus sun on the black surfaces in the water. Keep all the heat towards the top of the container. Shield the lower half from light. Maybe half bury it.
Good points. I may put an end to this version early and move onto the next suggestions noting the variations and their production values. I was going to wait for a month or so but cannot see the point in that. We need results and we need them asap! Thanks for the suggestions! I appreciate the feedback. Cheers!
An impressive use of brainpower here!
Can envision the charcoal acting as thermal mass, somewhat like a 'pump' or non-return valve.
Looks like I'm going to Kmart soon. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery.
I'm wondering if aluminium foil would act as a mirror backing. While also a heat sink to help cool the outside jar.
Thanks for your words of encouragement. It’s always great to get a positive comment such as yours. It makes me want to make videos all day! I have plenty of ideas for videos but lack the time to get them done. As for your thoughts in regards to the charcoal acting like a thermal pump this is very interesting indeed. I guess in a way it could be creating a partial vacuum in the inner jar perhaps, especially while the sun is out. Makes me wonder how much heat does this thermal mass hold during the night even if it’s a slight change for a few hours this may have a significant effect on how the mass may act as a thermal valve of sorts? It would be interesting to design an experiment based solely around this idea alone. And as for the aluminium foil acting as a reflector of sorts this is definitely something I’ve had suggested before and it is definitely something I aim to do in the future. I appreciate your comments and your suggestions. Good luck tracking down the pickle jar at Kmart hopefully they’ve got them in stock for you, cheers!