DIY Advanced Solar Oven! Fully Insulated 'No Turn' Solar Oven! (real wood, glass and mirror!) 350F+

DIY Advanced Solar Oven! Hi temps! Fully Insulated! No Turning! Large Capacity! and solidly built! (made w/real wood, real glass and real mirror!) 350F+. this video shows the full build of my most advanced DIY solar box oven yet! The video breakdown... first 3 mins showcases the oven (w/talk through, temp tests and cooking). then a 10-minute "Time-lapse Assisted" Fast Full-Build (from 3 - 13 min. marks) *and then wraps up with the facts/stats pages, a list of parts (lumber, glass, mirror, hardware, paint etc...) some final design thoughts, cooking and storage idea. The idea in designing and making this one was to try to make one of the best ones ever made. a few of its features... 1.) it's a "No Turn" design for ease of use. because it has a long low-profile shape w/large rear reflector there's very little shadowing... therefore you almost never need to turn it (only once every 6 hrs or so). 2.) it's Fully insulated (back, bottom and both sides). high temps are achieved in part by fully insulating the bottom, back and both sides using a large amount of "very densely packed" insulation. the insulation used is the strongest on the market (with highest R value) that is made *while also being "food safe". it's a green fiber blend made up of ground up newspaper, cardboard, straw, sawdust etc. note: you should not use foam or fiberglass insulation. foam won't handle the heat. it's only good to 150 or 160F and don't use fiberglass for obvious reasons (plus the R value of fiberglass is lower than what i used, so it's not as good for that reason too). this along with the permanently installed real glass on the top and the front, a large glass mirror reflector and thick caulking and heavy weather stripping combine to make it a solid high output unit. 3.) it's weight and a very low center of gravity allow it to handle high winds easily up to 40mph. 4.) made with a glass top AND a glass front for maximum sun exposure and no slanted top so no wasted heating of the space above the pots (the glass sort of hugs the pots to center the heat around them). 5.) super easy construction. it's all rectangular shaped pieces (no slanted cuts, no curved cuts, no angle cuts). 6.) super solid - all real wood, glass and mirror for maximum reflectance and heat retention (no plastics or polished aluminum and definitely no cardboard or tin foil). 7.) all caulk used is FDA rated food safe and good to over 500F. 8.) it's large cooking area (28.5" by 12") holds 3 big pans and is the largest space by far of any solar oven on the market 9.) can be left outside year round. i'll be leaving this one outside year round (covered by a tarp when not in use). 10.) lastly (and possibly most uniquely) the way it opens is one of a kind! with most solar ovens the glass-top IS the door. (but that allows for a lot of heat to escape) with mine, all the glass is permanently sealed up and there are no doors on the back or sides of the unit. so how does it open? the whole oven (minus the cooking platform) tilts back! since the oven only opens at the bottom and since it's heavy and sits on heavy weather stripping, this allows for a nearly complete trapping of the heat. (and when it is opened, much heat is still trapped in the top part for minimal losses). every aspect of this oven was thought thru to make it one of the most powerful and durable ones out there. additions to it could be to add removable side reflectors (for times when you don't mind turning it) or double panes of glass for additional heat. if you like the vid. please rate sub and share!

[AlanHowellphotovideo]

Very impressive design! I designed one made in a similar style but using metal for the sides, and a steel base plate underneath the pot area to absorb and hold heat for keeping foods warm for hours even after the Sun has set. However, using metal was more expensive, but I think it'll last longer if I wanted to keep it outdoors. (I can also shine one of my satellite dish reflectors on the side for extra heat if needed..enough to easily cook pizzas). The crux for me was figuring out the glass. I've had both tempered and non-tempered glass break from sheer heat so it definitely helps to design it to be able to replace the glass easily just in case you get some bad glass.

What amazes me is all the naysayers and trolls that claim this is impossible or doesn't get hot enough to cook foods safely...despite people doing it virtually every day around the world lol. Solar cooking isn't always about the hottest temps....but also length of time. Even with meat, as long as you are getting temps over 130F you can cook it safely...just cook a little longer. This is exactly how slow cookers and sous vide cookers work to provide safe food.

So, hats off to you. You are making the world a better, greener place, and inspiring a younger generation to think scientifically as well as about sustainable energy alternatives. Not to mention you get to have some serious fun and enjoy great food! :-)

p.s. I do recommend using safety glasses around these type of reflective surfaces to keep the retinas from getting flashed and causing permanent damage. I use Grade 5 welding glasses that look like sunglasses...found on Amazon.

[themostamazingwoman]

I love it when someone comes up with a plan to make people's lives easier, thank you Mr Solar Oven guy for making this video.

[mariekrasch]

This is by far the most useful, efficient solar oven design I have ever seen!

[charlescarabott]

The best diy solar oven ive seen so far. Even better then most comercial ones. And not that difficult to construct. Brilliant 👍👍👍

[tux]

Great project! I built one similar but not as nice as yours. One thing I did you may want to try is that on the surface where the pans sit, I placed a rectangular ceramic tile painted black. Same paint as you used. The thought behind that idea was that here in Florida we do get many sunny days but we also get many passing clouds. So when the sun is blocked by a passing cloud the heat absorbed into the ceramic tile will then radiate the heat back into the box, thereby minimizing the amount of heat variation when the sun is blocked by clouds from time to time. I never tested this theory scientifically (measurements), but in practice I was satisfied with the results. When the sun was blocked, it seemed the temp. drop seemed slower and when unblocked the temp rose up in minimal time. It's inexpensive and if not satisfied, you can always remove the tile.

[tonysicily]

I love this design,
Simple to build
Simple to use
Very simple to store.

Love it

The only change I will make is to hinge the mirror so it lies flat on the glass top (as a lid) for easier storage.

A great design, thank you

[colleenscottcarmello]

Love it.. I would love to see the mirror be removable for storage purposes.. perhaps on a hinge that you can fold it down and latch it to the oven itself. I love the way you left the front open with the glass. I have been looking at different ways to make my own and this is the very best video I have come across. ever.. I will certainly try to use some of your ideas, mainly the open front concept, in my build. Thank you so much for sharing .. you did a great job!

[peterbeyer]

I made a copy of yours out of pallet wood and fibre glass insulation. I used a piece of stainless steel that I polished instead of the mirror. I made a slot for the stainless so I can take it out and store it in a slot that I made under the base. It cooks great. I’m going to line it with insulbreak insulation that is removable for cleaning to see if it improves the efficiency.

[angelicabrierleyspeer]

great work in design, manufacture and simple, well edited video with no annoying music, screaming or unnecessary waffle which is all too common in DIY project videos - totally want to see what else you've made now. We're living off grid, so this kind of thing is what we'll be using for cooking almost every day - and in fact to keep hot water as well.

[tvertixoli]

Thank you so much!! I used your concept at a solar oven competition and won 400 bucks! Thank you!

[tolarpowell]

I really like this, and might build one. If I do, I think I'll put the mirror on a hinged plywood back with another hinged piece on top so I can lay them down and cover all the glass. Put some tool box style latches on the flap that folds over the front, and you have a nice package for transport, say, to a campground.

[MoPoppins]

This is going in my future projects playlist! Love this build...it’s simple to make, yet durable and made to last.

[RajeevBAgarwal]

Looks great! Simple design, all good quality materials, effective design !! 179 degC is unbelievable!! Wow

[jim.h]

For added insulation, use thinner pieces of wood and don't smash the insulation. Wood is actually a poor insulator (r-value is about 1 per inch, whereas fiberglass is about 3 per inch). Good build and lots of ideas you've given us!!

[lilakmonoke]

This is awesome. I live in fuerteventura with shit loads of sun. This is pure genius.

[MongoTheMad]

This is a great ! The weight is enough to keep moderate winds from blowing the oven around, over, etc. and should keep it stable at 40 MPH winds, which would make it ideal for the part of the southwest that I live in. This looks heavy enough that I can use it outside and not have to find a place for it inside when not in use. Very professional looking design. Looks like it will bake bread if you keep an eye on it.

[flipit]

Wow...i think its really nice to have a friend like you. You are a genius.

[bethanyephraim]

I've looked into many solar ovens for building one but this one you've built is truly Super that I want to make. Love it!! Thank you so much for sharing your idea & blessings in all you do.

[abstractcreations]

I'M from the island of Barbados, and I've learnt so much about solar systems of all kinds from watching your channel. you've made everything so easy to understand in order so viewers to build for themselves... Many thanks!!!

[mossandthesea]

Thanks for sharing this project. It looks like a good permanent thing for outdoor cooking.