cheap solar tube for chicken coop

| October 14, 2013 | 50 Comments

Just slightly improved an existing idea that uses plastic soda bottles as a skylight. Easy project for a shed or coop.
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Our family, mainly my dear husband, made our family a chicken coop out of 100% free pallets and a few other materials. Watch as he cuts apart Free Pallets an…
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Category: Chicken Coop

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  1. Jenni Jacques says:

    cool

  2. Karak Roshin says:

    No algae: he said be put bleach in the water.

  3. sorin990 says:

    quite genius ! ^___^ keep up the good work friend !

  4. datoken S says:

    overtime will the water “evaporate” from the sun and collapse?

  5. relax142 says:

    Or you could have just cut up the bottle to make a window out of the plastic. But that would have made sense.
    

  6. Naguilianisabela says:

    you need to change the bottle every week light go to water it create algae

  7. vehement1usa says:

    Please DO NOT use use auto anti-freeze in these – if it should bust, the mixture would be toxic to pets and wildlife, which also find it very appealing. Use rubbing alcohol, drinking alcohol, mineral oil or salt to prevent freezing.

  8. Johano Fiera says:

    Try replacing the bottle assemble with a diffuser (a rough translucent cover, basically a sheet of plastic over the hole), it would give you even more light, and you won’t have an issue with freezing bottles ;) Water bottles only appear to provide more light because the bottles looks “bight”, but they are just diffusing the light coming through the hole, and actually reduce the light a bit.

  9. Vitaminj1973 says:

    Nice idea

  10. m98353 says:

    to bad it want keep light threw the night time

  11. ReefAdvicer says:

    use salt in the water

  12. imustbkrazee says:

    they need to put these in port-a-pot houses.

  13. aurespawn says:

    Comment improv…you are SOOO much more welcome here than those nasty trolls that generally hold humanity back everywhere they go!! Moar, please! (Only you, though…you have writing ninjas skilz, lol!)

  14. asajification says:

    incase its cold

  15. kezdodik1 says:

    well in winter time you can just unscrew the top, and squeeze out some water, to give room for expansion. 

  16. DiatomicAnemone says:

    Is salt clear? the whole idea is to keep the liquid crystal clear after all…

  17. pretjim2011 says:

    Just use a tightly wrapped piece of aluminium foil to avoid UV deterioration of the cap. Add a drop of superglue and it will stay on in a hurricane!

  18. metalgodkill says:

    you can put antifreeze in the water like the one we use in the cars,so the bottles don.t freeze.

  19. lachimere1 says:

    Well, it’a a good idea… if you cannot afford a 6 $ window, then go with the free bottle. I guess it is why it is a good idea mostly for the “third world”. I must also add that it is not very good looking in a backyard. But… compared to a window the bottle may bring more light into the coop because it is deep inside and not flat like a window.

  20. clintonmedic80 says:

    Great idea

  21. Robert Penland says:

    If you’re worried about it freezing, you can add cheap vodka or windshield washer antifreeze.

  22. Logan Herald says:

    why not put some alcohol in the bottle?

  23. Tmusa442 says:

    Use 35m film tube to cover the caps. 100% uv resistant.

  24. f00bert24 says:

    will the bottle ever “run out”? like is it the bleach or chlorine that causes so much light or is it there just for reliability reasons? and is it the water that does the job?

  25. thought2b says:

    it last about 10 years

  26. Jenni Jacques says:

    cool

  27. Karak Roshin says:

    No algae: he said be put bleach in the water.

  28. sorin990 says:

    quite genius ! ^___^ keep up the good work friend !

  29. datoken S says:

    overtime will the water “evaporate” from the sun and collapse? 

  30. relax142 says:

    Or you could have just cut up the bottle to make a window out of the plastic. But that would have made sense.

  31. Naguilianisabela says:

    you need to change the bottle every week light go to water it create algae

  32. vehement1usa says:

    Please DO NOT use use auto anti-freeze in these – if it should bust, the mixture would be toxic to pets and wildlife, which also find it very appealing. Use rubbing alcohol, drinking alcohol, mineral oil or salt to prevent freezing.

  33. Johano Fiera says:

    Try replacing the bottle assemble with a diffuser (a rough translucent cover, basically a sheet of plastic over the hole), it would give you even more light, and you won’t have an issue with freezing bottles ;) Water bottles only appear to provide more light because the bottles looks “bight”, but they are just diffusing the light coming through the hole, and actually reduce the light a bit.

  34. Vitaminj1973 says:

    Nice idea

  35. m98353 says:

    to bad it want keep light threw the night time

  36. ReefAdvicer says:

    use salt in the water

  37. imustbkrazee says:

    they need to put these in port-a-pot houses.

  38. aurespawn says:

    Comment improv…you are SOOO much more welcome here than those nasty trolls that generally hold humanity back everywhere they go!! Moar, please! (Only you, though…you have writing ninjas skilz, lol!)

  39. asajification says:

    incase its cold

  40. kezdodik1 says:

    well in winter time you can just unscrew the top, and squeeze out some water, to give room for expansion.

  41. DiatomicAnemone says:

    Is salt clear? the whole idea is to keep the liquid crystal clear after all…

  42. pretjim2011 says:

    Just use a tightly wrapped piece of aluminium foil to avoid UV deterioration of the cap. Add a drop of superglue and it will stay on in a hurricane!

  43. metalgodkill says:

    you can put antifreeze in the water like the one we use in the cars,so the bottles don.t freeze.

  44. lachimere1 says:

    Well, it’a a good idea… if you cannot afford a 6 $ window, then go with the free bottle. I guess it is why it is a good idea mostly for the “third world”. I must also add that it is not very good looking in a backyard. But… compared to a window the bottle may bring more light into the coop because it is deep inside and not flat like a window.

  45. clintonmedic80 says:

    Great idea

  46. Robert Penland says:

    If you’re worried about it freezing, you can add cheap vodka or windshield washer antifreeze.

  47. Logan Herald says:

    why not put some alcohol in the bottle?

  48. Tmusa442 says:

    Use 35m film tube to cover the caps. 100% uv resistant.

  49. f00bert24 says:

    will the bottle ever “run out”? like is it the bleach or chlorine that causes so much light or is it there just for reliability reasons? and is it the water that does the job?

  50. thought2b says:

    it last about 10 years

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