Build a SunSaluter: Preparation

Increase solar output by 30-40% compared to stationary solar panels.

Step 1: Tools
 Hammer

1
 Saw

1
 Tape Measure / String

Step 2: Materials
 Lumber / Bamboo (Big)
Sturdy 1.33m (4ft) long beams for building the frame. (If your solar panel is large (>100W),
consider using longer beams.) 4 BEAMS
 Lumber / Bamboo (Small)
Sturdy 1m (3ft) long beams for building the frame. (If your solar panel is large (>100W),
consider using longer beams.) 4 BEAMS
 Nails
With heads greater than 0.5cm in diameter. 1 BOX
 Bolts
Medium sized bolts which attach the solar panel to the SunSaluter’s pivot point for rotation 2
BOLTS
 Component Clamps
2 CLAMPS
 Bearing Brackets with Attached Clamps
2 BRACKETS
 Water Jug (or Similar)
Used to recapture water. 1 JUG
 Tubing
Vinyl, rubber, or similar tubing used to drip the water 1-2 METRES
 Bag/Bottle
A sturdy bag to fill with material and use as a counterweight. 1 CONTAINER
 Duct Tape / Twine
 To temporarily hold wood in place. Should be strong enough to hang a jug of water. People have
used clothes hangers! 1 ROLL
 Water Filter (Optional)
Choose one that makes sense for your water source’s needs. 1 FILTER

Build: Frame Assembly

Step 1:
Using a tape measure or length of string, measure 2.5 feet (0.75 meters) on one of
your four longer lumber (or other material) pieces. 
 
 
Step 2: 
Cut the lumber at the mark. Note: If your solar panel is larger than 1 meter in length,
you may need to use longer wood.
 
 

Step 3:
Take two pieces of the 2.5-foot (0.75 meter) material that you just cut. They should
be equal length and size. At one end of each piece, cut off a small section at a 45-
degree angle. These angled ends will become the feet of the mount, so it will sit flat
on the ground.
 
 

Step 4:
Using one of the bearing brackets, attach the two pieces of wood in place with
galvanized nails. Make sure to nail the pieces of wood on the side of the bracket
opposite the clamp. The pieces of wood should be at a 90-degree angle and should
leave enough room for the bracket to rotate freely.
 
 

Step 5: 
Once the two pieces of wood have been secured to the bracket, take one of the lumber
pieces which you have not yet cut. This will become the cross bar to support the
frame. Place it approximately halfway down the lumber structure (outlined in red
below) and nail it into place.
 

Repeat Steps 1-5, making an identical A-frame. After this is done you
should have two A-frames and two remaining pieces of individual lumber.

Step 6:

Read this entire step before proceeding

Find a flat location where you would like to setup your SunSaluter. Stand the A-
frames up such that the clamps on the bearing brackets are facing inward toward each
other. Do NOT permanently secure any more pieces in place yet. Temporarily secure
the remaining two pieces of lumber between the A-frames at the points outlined in
red using duct tape, twine, or any other material you have
 
 
Step 7:
Mount the solar panel onto the SunSaluter with the clamps. The bolts should be on
the bottom side of the solar panel, so that tightening the bolts will not damage the
solar cells. Be sure that the solar panel is straight and attached in the middle so the
device is balanced when no weights are attached. The solar panel should sit just
below the centre bolt of the bracket when at rest.
 
 

Step 8
One at a time, remove the temporary fixings and nail the cross beams in place. Once
that is done, the SunSaluter frame is complete. Nice work!
Build: Water Clock & Counterweight

Step 1:
Using a wire, create a loop to allow your water clock and counterweight to be
attached to the solar panel.
 
 

Step 2: 
Lightly press down on the top to clear the water clock bag of any excess air, and shut
the top. Roll the top of the bag, then lift the ends up and clasp them together. Hang
the water clock to the east-facing side of the solar panel.
 
 
Step 3:
Fill your counterweight bag with approximately double the weight of the water clock
(1L of water weighs 1kg). For example, if you are using two 2L soda bottles, then
your counterweight should be about 4kg. Attach the counterweight loop in similar
fashion on the west-facing side of the solar panel.
 
 

Step 4:
Gently let go of the bag and let the SunSaluter rebalance. When full, the bag should
be lower than the counterweight. Face the side with the water bag to the east so that it
faces the sunrise every morning.
 
 
Step 5:
Attach the tubing to the water clock bag. If you are using a water filter, attach it to the
end of the water clock. You will use the valve to adjust the flow rate, which in turn
controls the solar panel’s rate of rotation. Open the valve to increase the flow of
water, and increase the speed of rotation, or close it to decrease the flow and slow the
rotation. It may take you several days to fine-tune it until it is just right.
 
 
Step 6:
To ensure that the flow rate is correct, measure how much water drips out in a 15-
minute period. Using a measure cup or a soda bottle to estimate how fast the water is
flowing out. The ideal flow should rotate the whole system in 10 hours, so you
should have about 100-200 mL of water coming out every 15 minutes. If more than
that is coming out, tighten the valve a little bit. If there is too little water coming out,
open the valve a bit.  Remember to fill up the water bag or bottle each day and adjust
as needed!

Maintaining Your SunSaluter

Clean the tubing and drip mechanism by running it through once every two weeks.

If using pet bottles, we recommend replacing the water bottles once every 5-6 weeks
if possible.

While cleaning, be sure to check that the tubing and water bottles do not have any
holes and that the drip mechanism is working properly.