Installation of Solar Air Heaters

Installation: Wall

For places at latitudes greater than about 35 degrees, where the sun is low on the winter sky, you should install the solar air heater on a very tilted roof or vertically, on a wall which is oriented towards the Equator (towards the South in the Northern Hemisphere and towards the North in the Southern Hemisphere).


If the solar air heater has a 110V or 220/240V fan, you will need to plug it in a power point at less than 1.5m from the air heater, or to use an extension cord (not provided).

Below you can see the inside air vent in a kind of installation where the solar air heater was placed low on the outside wall so that the vent is close to the floor of the room to be heated:

However, the fan can also push the heated air of the room downwards if the installation is made higher on the wall

For places situated at latitudes smaller than about 30 degrees (close to the Equator), our solar air heaters can be easily installed, by a handy person, on the roof of new or existing buildings.


As the heater is installed closer to the horizontal than to the vertical, it will work better during summer than during winter. In summer, if building heating is not required the heated air can be used for a drier installed in the attic. Contact us for details and support on this issue. It can be installed on tilted (sloping) roofs covered with tiles, corrugated steel or other impermeable (waterproof) roofing materials. If the roof is flat, the solar air heater can also be installed on a tilted stand situated on the roof.

Please Note: The A1D and A3D models cannot be installed on the roof unless you ask us to custom-make them for you.

You should choose the side of the roof that tilts towards the Equator (towards the South in the Northern Hemisphere or towards the North in the Southern Hemisphere). If the heater is installed on a side of the roof that tilts only towards the East, only a little heating in the morning will occur. Conversely, if the heater is on a west-facing roof side, the same effect will be given in the afternoon. Never install a solar device tilted towards the South in the Southern Hemisphere or towards the North in the Northern Hemisphere!

A different installation is on a flat roof or on the ground. Because in winter, when space heating is needed, the sun is low on the sky, the solar air heater must be installed close to the vertical. So on a horizontal surface like a flat roof or on the ground it needs a stand (see figure below).


The solar air heater has a small weight, but as it has a large area, it has to be installed on a sturdy stand that can withstand storm winds. Also, the stand must be thermally insulated to minimise the loses of heat on its large area. A local mechanic can easily manufacture such a stand and good thermal insulation (50mm thicness) should be placed under the solar air heater. The insulation should be protected from moisture with an impermeable layer.

It is important that the solar air heater matches its conditions of use, so you must tell us how many metres the solar air heater will be above the place of use, so that we can deliver the proper device.

See also: more info about solar air heaters