Every idea has a huge potential to be a great idea, but how do you know it is a great idea. As most idea start as a brainstorm in your garage, seating friends or just remembering something you discussed along time back pop back in your mind when someone says, “wouldn’t it be nice to have…”
The path to development
Different people use different methods to bring an idea to reality, some use drawing some start to build. Same as you get a new product out of its box, are you reading the instructions first or are you the one that start to build / connect it first. Staying focus is key and probably the hardest part. Innovation doesn’t have to be disruptive Harvard Business Review defines an innovation very clearly to define your idea and bring it into a solution.
Ventilation need is a must in any room regardless to the time you are spending in there, why do we use ceiling fans? Why do use the air filter in our home air-condition? is air movement better than standing air? There are many questions about the air we breathe and just like a water steam in a river, it is always best to use the water in movement than the standing water. like the saying goes about re-inventing the wheel, an innovation is about making the same wheel, move better, faster, more efficient.
At Mobeno we build! We Play with wood, power tools and leverage existing technology to test and improve the solution. We partner with friends, homeowners, garage and Shed owners and local companies to understand their needs, understand what is working and what’s not working. During the process we met many people that will put holes in your ideas. Why not is very easy to do, did you try why yes!
Local business is key to your success in creating a prototype and converting it to a reality, a solution, making it work for you and keep on improving while supporting those that supports you.
Starting the process
After meeting with local garage door companies and sharing the concept idea for the solution, I started building using plywood, screws and glue from local hardware store to build a prototype. One of the local garage door companies was able to cut a panel of a garage door with 2 windows in it to use as a reference for the model unit. A portable unit is great to build around but doesn’t help if it is mobile and not part of an enclosed garage or a room. I moved to my own garage door windows. Playing with air flow require many moving pieces and factors to take in consideration, the occupancy of that garage, how much things and what kind of things do you store in your garage, the car, appliances, paint, tools, lawn mower and the size of it.
I started with 1 big fan to push all the air out. Created a plywood housing to mount it, replacing the garage door window. Had to connect it to power source, keep in mind a moving garage door is limited with power source, cables running and weight limitation on the garage door before something goes wrong. Lucky for me that test showed its result very fast. Within 5-10 minutes of the fan working, it pushed all the air out in a way that I couldn’t open the door from the house into the garage. The fan created a suction in the room leaving no air in the room. My garage is a standard 2 car garage and is not sealed at all, you can see the gap by the light coming in between the sides of the garage door.
Bulb light coming on
After experiencing the air flow suction, it was clear that air must move in both ways in order to be effective and create a desired air circulation while creating powerful air flow. After testing different air blowers and fans across different sizes and CFM’s I came up with the combination of all in 1 unit fans working in both direction of the room. The Zula System is using 3 powerful fans with 2 fans blowing air into the room and 1 fan blowing air out to create a balance air flow in the room as hot air rises , cold air lowered and taking air flow considerations.
Simplify the process 1 step at a time.
Step 1: Organize your idea
Write down the components of your solution, what components do you need to make it look somewhat real while creating the result you are trying to get. If you are hands on first, visit your local hardware store and start building, create, 1+1 doesn’t always adds up to 2, it could be adding up to much more when you see it put together.
Step 2: Measure
Does it deliver the result you want? Again, you do not need to reinvent the wheel, just make that wheal go better, smoother, faster, whatever your measurement of success is, in your own terms of improvement. If you can improve it by an inch or by 1 CFM, you are on the right path. Using existing technology to measure the temperature and humidity, makes it easy and simple way to show the difference.
Step 3: Remember your team
The team you worked with to share the idea initially invite them over or take the solution to them, get their thoughts, again, be ready with answers but more important, open your mind and ears, listen, let them do most of the talking. They may still punch holes, but listen, you are focused in your solution, so learn, listen and look at their response and thoughts and ideas.
Step 4: Improve
Get back to the drawing boards, your shop to improve it based on the feedback you received and know your limits of the solution capabilities, what do you want it to do! With The Zula Solution, we want to make sure we are lowering the temperature between 15-20 degrees, or more.
Step 5: Take it to the next level
As you cycled the first 4 steps over and over again, use your local resources, small business, local manufacturing, produce a closer to real product, do not forget to improve, do not forget to ask for feedback, use your connections from al levels to guide you and stay focus on your solution and the desired results, you want to achieve.
What is out there?
When it comes to a remote building, Garage, Shed ventilation, we look at the available solutions available, ease of use and most cost effective options. Some of the options available today to ventilate fit different needs and ways the garage and sheds are used.
· Open a garage door, window or Door
o This is probably the simplest way to get passive air flow, on a windy day. May be effective but for a short time but may not apply when you are not in the garage or on vacation. If you are in a rural area could mice, snakes or other insects go in?
· Ceiling fan or a floor fan
o Similar to opening a door or Window, it can create some air circulation if it has new air to pull in and old air to exit the room. This solution may work only when using the garage or shed as a workshop, during that time.
· Install an Air Condition
o Unless the Garage is converted to an extended sqft of the home, an air condition cost and building permits will need to be evaluated and considered with local air condition suppliers and your city/county property tax office
· Exhaust vents
o A great way to suck the polluted air, fumes out of the garage. Exhaust vents will require construction work cutting holes in the ceiling and Roof with possible permits requirements.
· Installing a Garage Ventilation fan
o An all in 1 ventilation fan can provide power source to activate the fans while effectively creates air circulation between balanced air flow of pushing similar powerful CFM in as out of the room.
The Zula System was developed for a Garage Door, Shed and other remote building using an all in 1 concept using solar panel, all black solar panel to match a window of the garage and aesthetically fit from a far. As you look at the garage door window you will see a black window, given the closed room inside. The ease of install in a new garage Door, Older garage door window or replacing the gable vent in a shed, makes the solution most efficient way to create the air circulation, lower the temperature and cost-effective installation.
Erez Halfon – Inventor – The Zula Solution – September 9, 2023
Mobeno Solar Solutions
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