(NewsUSA) – For over 30 years, The Weather Channel has inspired viewers to explore, investigate and appreciate how it’s amazing out there by providing the latest weather information for the modern era. The network continues to explore this connection with its newest original primetime series, “BrainStormers,” where weather will be both the teacher and the enemy.
The series follows three backyard inventors, Rob “Poppy” Parker, Ryan Parker (a father, son duo) and Bill LeVasseur (Ryan’s best friend), who channel their inner MacGyver by building and testing inventions that either fight inclement weather or harness its power for everyday use — while on a budget.
From their Colorado-based workshop, the three men test their ingenuity and tackle weather issues by repurposing what some may consider junk. Sometimes the builds required our BrainStormers to start from scratch, and other times they were called upon to help other backyard inventors improve their projects. Every build comes with its own unique set of challenges, from creating a homemade mosquito trap or solar water heater to fixing a nearby town’s wind generator.
Here are some of the creative inventions you can expect to see on “BrainStormers”:
* A beer can heater. A Denver friend needs a low-cost fix to make her drafty bedroom warmer. So, the team decides a solar heater could work, but would require expensive aluminum tubes to transfer the sun’s radiation to heat. What to do? Use beer cans, of course. By using rows of black-painted beer cans in a sealed wooden box, the team finds a solar heater can be built for pennies on the dollar.
* A snow maker. If you think living in Denver means enough snow for even the most die-hard snowboarder, think again. This is the issue for Seth Hill, a pro-snowboarder who wanted to make practice runs near his house when he’s not on tour. He enlists the BrainStormers team to build an inexpensive snowmaking machine by using a junkyard power washer.
* A “swamp bucket cooler.” An Arizona housewife can’t take the high temperatures in her kitchen, and the family is tired of ordering takeout. They enlist the BrainStormers for a portable and low-cost way to cool the kitchen. The BrainStormers determine that an evaporative cooling system would work best for Arizona’s high heat and low humidity, but how do you make it so it is small and inexpensive? Well, you’ll just have to watch to find out.
For more information, visit www.weather.com/tv.
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