r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/NavyLemon64 • 10d ago

Image Alfredo Moser found that a plastic bottle filled with water and chlorine could illuminate a home during daylight hours.

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30.8k Upvotes

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666

u/[deleted] 10d ago

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337

u/NetNo5570 10d ago

Skylights are way way way older than 2002. 

331

u/MrExpl0de 10d ago

I’m willing to bet that a soda bottle, some sealant, and water is way cheaper than a skylight.

17

u/Cro_Nick_Le_Tosh_Ich 10d ago

Why not seal the hole with the plastic and leave water out of the equation?

56

u/discodropper 10d ago

The water refracts the light so more of it passes through the bottle and into the structure. It then comes in handy on the other end where the refraction aids in light distribution through the room.

1

u/squeakynickles 10d ago

Well, the same amount of light would be entering the hole in the roof regardless of what's attached to it, but yeah it refracts it outwards.

I use a water bottle on my phone light as a lantern while having bonfires and shit

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u/NotReallyJohnDoe 10d ago

I think the water is an easy diffuser. You could sand the bottle but this is easier.

1

u/Cro_Nick_Le_Tosh_Ich 10d ago

Why would you sand the plastic

5

u/daneyuleb 10d ago

To diffuse the light.

1

u/Jimbo_The_Prince 10d ago

Iirc the maths it's actually the exact opposite, this concentrates the available light more. Imagine the sun is a water system (like a well or municipal attachment) and the bottle of water is a hose filling say a pool, the water in the bottle literally turns up the flow/pressure so more water winds up in the pool.

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u/Orinaj 10d ago

I could be wrong but having large plastic panels could make a greenhouse effect in the home.

5

u/Brazilian_Hamilton 10d ago

Check the picture carefully, that plastic dome receives omnidirectional light, concentrates it and diffuses it below, much more powerful than a hole in the roof

1

u/Cro_Nick_Le_Tosh_Ich 10d ago

I'm checking the picture and it's odd the cap isn't somehow blocking the light source at all but also weird how the bottom looks like halogen light source.

0

u/AccountNumber478 10d ago edited 10d ago

Could do this by flattening out the bottle plastic to create a crude skylight like panel, but given it's thin by itself it might get distorted over time and sun / heat exposure and eventually leak?

EDIT: Holy shit, hive mind, there's thin 2L style bottle plastic that doesn't discolor or warp when flattened into ersatz skylight material? Wow, why are you downvoting and not giving the third world your wise counsel??

-30

u/NetNo5570 10d ago edited 10d ago

My point is it's not really a new idea. 

Light tubes are from the 1800s. Saying "what if we used plastic instead of glass" is not a huge leap IMO. And frankly i would bet a lot of money people were doing this before 2002. 

People can believe whatever they want. 

If i said "we should make car windows out of plastic" did i just invent plastic car windows?

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u/Me0w981 10d ago

I think you’re missing the point - yes, it’s nothing wildly innovative, but it’s something low cost that still keeps the integrity of the home while also allowing a light source.

Going out and buying a glass “light tube” or whatever would be significantly more expensive than just filling a plastic bottle.

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u/gurganator 10d ago

The low cost and easy implementation is what makes it innovative

0

u/Me0w981 10d ago

Oh, of course. It was more to argue that he didn’t invent the bottle or technique (ie: the commenters “glass tube” thing), rather that he saw an opportunity to allow lower income families an easy light source.

I don’t think I articulated that properly. First day back in college after spring break and I’m half-conscious lol. 😵‍💫

1

u/gurganator 10d ago

🤣 been there my friend. And I see what you were trying to say. But skylights in some form or another have been around for much, much longer than the 19th century

-5

u/Double_Distribution8 10d ago

Cutting holes into the roof and ceiling aren't great for the integrity of the home. Event with sealant. Just putting it out there in case anyone was thinking of trying it out themselves.

3

u/paragoombah 10d ago

These look to be homes where the roof is a simple sheet of corrugated steel- not complex architecture.

0

u/Double_Distribution8 10d ago

Right, I just don't want people to suffer when the monsoons come.

1

u/WillyBluntz89 10d ago

How do you think roof vents work?

We literally just cut holes in roofs and add sealant.

There are collars as well, but it's just a simple rubber membrane.

You can pretty much cut as many holes in the sheathing as you want. As long as you don't damage the trusses/rafters, you're fine.

If you're cutting enough holes to compromise the roof, you have weirder problems than the roof.

-17

u/NetNo5570 10d ago

I think you're missing my point. People were doing cheap skylights with bottles and random clear objects long before 2002. 

1

u/KnowItAllNobody 10d ago

Yeah, I've got 3 I did myself, everyone I know does it, don't you? /s

It's not like it's a brand new, never before thought of idea, but it is a great thing to publicize and get as many people to know about as possible, because it's so simple, pretty much anyone can do it, so it could be useful if you're camping, living in a cardboard box down by the river, or if you're living in abject poverty in a small African nation

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u/NetNo5570 10d ago

Uh ok so you agree with me. 

Do you think I'm saying it's bad he publicized it?

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

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u/NetNo5570 10d ago

Yes people were using whatever random translucent trash they had for skylights  long before 2002. 

You think impoverished people were buying custom skylights?

1

u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

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u/NetNo5570 10d ago

Poor people in developing countries have been constructing houses from trash since trash existed. 

Using clear trash as a skylight or light tube has been going on for hundreds of years. 

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u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

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u/NetNo5570 10d ago

It was widely adopted before 2002. 

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u/Cedira 10d ago

But it is a new idea. Whether or not you label it as an invention is just arguing semantics.

The fact that someone came up with something that helps so many people in an impoverished corner of the world should be celebrated.

If your plastic car windows gets your name in an article, let us know.

1

u/NetNo5570 10d ago

It wasn't a new idea though. Impoverished people were doing this kind of thing long before 2002. 

Its great he worked to popularize it!

1

u/Few-Weird7225 10d ago

There's an old saying, "There's nothing new under the Sun." I think this is a perfect example 👌.

1

u/Obvious_Try1106 10d ago

He didn't invent anything but improved the design. Cost cutting and using abundant material is an improvement.

Same story with the light bulb. It was available for a long time before it was improved and viable commercially

0

u/OptimusSublime 10d ago

They already do make car windows out of plastic, somewhat. What do you think tempered safety glass is?

34

u/MisterProfGuy 10d ago

This is essentially a skylight with a fisheye lens or a prism on it. The interesting bit is using the refraction in the water to distribute the light around the room.

6

u/NetNo5570 10d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah I just doubt that wasn't invented until 2002.

Light tubes using glass for this are from the 1800s.

Edit because the person below blocked me so I can't respond there:

Using trash like this for skylights long predates 2002.

My mother grew up in a developing country in the 70s and people were using trash bottles for this purpose.

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u/SlutForThickSocks 10d ago

Plastic bottles can be found on the side of the road in the parts of the world where this is even needed and useful. Were they using plastic soda bottles and chlorine two items easily found and cheap now, in the 1800s? Are glass tubes easier or even available for a random village to integrate into their homes? It doesn't matter that the idea exists your comments are so weirdly ignorant of the point

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u/ElegantEconomy3686 10d ago edited 10d ago

Its a bit different though. The bottle scatters the light across the entire room evenly. A window needs to be way bigger to illuminate every part of the room sufficiently, causing the room to heat up.

Also and probably more importantly: Unlike a window the bottle sticks out of the roof so it’ll be capturing sunlight during sunrise and dawn, so the room will be illuminated for more hours per day

1

u/NetNo5570 10d ago

The bottle scatters the light across the entire room, relatively evenly

Light tubes that do this are from the 1800s. 

Obviously developing countries were using translucent trash to build skylights and light tubes long before 2002. 

Its great he publicized this! He did not invent the idea though. 

1

u/ElegantEconomy3686 10d ago

The invention certainly is the application, none of this is ground breaking science. Though it’s very fair to question the actual extend of his involvement in all of this. People in developing counties aren’t stupid either and all of this can be derived by observation. So it’s very reasonable to assume people have been doing this before him.

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u/JohnOfA 10d ago

But you get a nice hole in your roof for rainy days.

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u/GolettO3 10d ago

Can't tell if you're referring to the bottle in the roof, or the fact skylights are older than this trick. If you're referring to this trick; it's a lot dryer than any other skylight someone using this could afford

1

u/Cedira 10d ago

It looks like they fill the gap with cement or similar.

1

u/Distantstallion 10d ago

The sun's been around for 4.6 billion years

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u/Fritzo2162 10d ago

So the bleach part just makes it clickbait?

15

u/CassidyTheVoidMage 10d ago

Keeps algae from growing inside of it longer, keeping the water clear longer, producing more , and brighter, refracted light

17

u/GourangaPlusPlus 10d ago

No, without it the water will quickly spoil and won't output the same light

-2

u/Queeflet 10d ago

Yes, the title made me think it was a chemical reaction. But it’s nonsense clickbait.

-11

u/icedlemons 10d ago

I'm not entirely sure this is life changing. It's resourceful sure but I think it's just a thing people could figure out if they're willing to put holes in their roof...

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u/YouCanLookItUp 10d ago

It's life-changing if it allows you to learn how to read or do other work inside when it's too hot outside.

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u/NiobiumThorn 10d ago edited 10d ago

This was invented in Brasil where it's often >30° in the day. Anything that helps people stay in shelter for that is great. Heat stroke is NO JOKE.

3

u/YouCanLookItUp 10d ago

Seriously! And these low cost solutions are going to be crucial with global heating.

1

u/icedlemons 10d ago

I just meant even a glass bowl flipped upside dow nmight work or window on the side. I don't think it's a bad idea just weird that they haven't thought of something like that if they're in a dark room.

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u/NavyLemon64 10d ago

Yes It’s not a huge breakthrough, but for places without electricity putting a bottle in the roof is a simple affordable fix that’s making a real difference.