Product History
The Solar Room® was developed and patented high in the Sangre de Christo Mountains of New Mexico. Taos was a fortunate birthplace - its 7,000 ft. altitude makes a perfect solar test site. It has Winters that drop to -20 degrees, lots of sun and snow, 50 to 75 mph winds each Spring. And in addition to a rigorous test climate, Taos is the home of creative and highly skilled people who hide in the woodwork. The support of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory with its solar scientists is just 50 miles away.
The Solar Greenhouse System
The Solar Room® when mounted on the south, southeast, or southwest sides of a home, is a solar collector in addition to being a greenhouse. It is a gold anodized extruded aluminum frame which bolts together erector set fashion. It is then bolted to a wood beam or cement foundation and the wall of the house. The frame is covered with a Twin Skin™ glazing made of a double layer of special 6 mil ultraviolet resistant polyethylene developed for the commercial greenhouse industry. The layers are separated by air inflation supplied by a 36 watt blower. The Twin Skin™ is sealed around the perimeter of the "solar greenhouse" and locked into position by a patented locking gasket system. In the Summer, the Solar Room® can be easily converted to a screen porch with the removal of the Twin Skin™ cover and the installation of the optional screen/awning (an operation which generally takes one or two hours).
Do-It-Yoursel Installation
Typical installation is 2 days for 2 people for a 20' to 24' unit. Your choice of foundation will affect the installation time. A 6" x 6" wooden beam in the ground installs rapidly and makes a fine foundation. Specific home and setting situation may require other kinds of foundations and attachments. We have tried to anticipate installation questions in very great detail. However, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call us at (575) 779-6796.
Solar Testing & Sizing
The Solar Room® has been thermally tested under the Department of Energy auspices for three years and field tested in a dozen states for over thirty years. Tests prove that it can have significant effect on the amount of fuel used for home space heating. When the sun is shining during the Winter the Solar Room® will be 110 degrees to 120 degrees with no air circulation. It is designed to operate at a temperature of 80 degrees to 85 degrees while millions of BTU's are circulated around the house. Generally speaking, the larger the Solar Room® the more BTU's provided. An optimum size can be calculated for any home or office.