Easy Steps on Welding Biogas at Home

Shifting to renewable energy can be an excellent option to reduce the impact of climate change on our planet. A lot of renewable energy alternatives have been developed all over the world from biogas, solar panel, and many more. 

At su-re.co we develop a biogas digester that is designed to be a simple, removable, and eco-friendly source of energy. Following our concept as a think-do-be tank, our gift makers (staff and interns) do the research, experiment, and create the biogas ourselves. We use simple material like PVC to create the biogas bag and using a heat gun to weld it until it perfectly becomes a biogas bag.

Using the simple material and instructions, this article will guide you for a tutorial on welding a biogas digester. 

What do you need to prepare?

Before starting our action, make sure you have all the tools and materials needed to weld the biogas. Tools and materials 

1. Measure tape

2. Permanent marker

3. Cutter

4. Heat gun

5. Safety Gloves

6. Roller

7. Wood board

8. PVC

Let’s Get Started!

After you get all the tools and materials with you, be prepared for the welding process.

Preparation

Prepare PVC with size 36o x 25o cm, in this step you can use your measure tape and cutter to help you. 

Draw some lines in 1o cm from the edge for the overlapping. Use the permanent marker!

Welding

1. Now you are ready to move to the main part.  Make sure you pay attention to safety and be careful as a heat gun will produce such hot air.

2. Put your safety gloves on to protect your hands. 

3. Put the wood board on the non-shiny part of the PVC. It is to make sure the PVC will not be sticking to each other when you are welding biogas.

4. Fold the PVC such that the 1o cm area overlap. 

5. Ask someone to help you to weld press the PVC with the roller while you are operating the heat gun. 

6. Turn on the heat gun and wait until it is really hot otherwise, the weld will not work. You can check the indicator on the heat gun showing a number. Usually, the position of the controller is between 4 and 6 but welding around 5 is a good temperature. 

7. Once the heat gun is hot enough, prepare the roller and put some heat under the first layer. Tips : heat it up for approximately 4-6 seconds, for the first time can be done longer as the heat gun is not too hot.  

8.  Remove the heat gun and press on the PVC using the roller. Press it really hard!

9. Once it is done, flip the PVC to the other side and insert the wood board between the layers and redo steps number 7 and 8. Tips : to ensure the quality of the weld, you can put your index finger under the PVC then push it under the previous welding. If you can still push under the material meaning the welding is not strong. Try to avoid bubbles and wrinkles because it does not increase the stability of the welding.  

10. Finally, weld the edges, and your biogas bag is ready!

Those are how we are making our biogas digester at the office. If you need further explanation, we can also watch the video of Raphael who will be guiding you to make your own biogas bag!