A solar heater includes an elongated solar collector having two fixedly connected solar panels of highly heat conductive material supported by a roof clamp on a shingled roof. The bottom edges of each of the solar panels include upturned gutter portions. One form of roof clamp for shingled roofs includes a J-shape shingle clamp member having a clamp bolt extending therethrough, and a solar collector clamp member assembled on the bolt and clamped to the bottom gutter portions of the solar panels. A bottom plate of the J-shape clamp member is slid under a shingle of a first shingle course and under a shingle of a second upper shingle course to carry the bolt into the top of the gap between adjacent shingle portions of the first course and to position a top plate of the shingle clamp member over parts of the shank portions of the first course and over a part of the one shingle of the second course. A clamp nut clamps the collector clamp member and the shinlge clamp member firmly to the contacted shingles.

A beverage maker includes a container having a portion for receiving a beverage made by passing hot water over an ingredient and a basket for holding a beverage ingredient provided at an upper end of the container. When hot liquid is supplied into the basket, a hot liquid and beverage ingredient mixture exits from the basket into the receiver portion. In embodiments of the present invention, the receiver portion and a reservoir from which the hot liquid originates are disposed side-by-side. Embodiments of the present invention have elements that shield the beverage ingredient from microwave energy and/or an element or elements that insulate the hot liquid and beverage ingredient mixture.

An elongated passive solar roof ice melter is placed on top of accumulated ice and snow including an ice dam along the lower edge of a roof of a heated building and is held against longitudinal movement with respect to itself. The melter includes a bottom wall having an upper surface highly absorbent to radiant solar energy; a first window situated at right angles with respect to the bottom wall, and a reflecting wall connecting the opposite side edges of the bottom wall and the first window. The reflecting wall has a surface facing the bottom wall and the window which is highly reflective to radiant solar energy. Radiant solar energy passes through the first window and either strikes the highly absorbent upper surface of the bottom wall or first strikes the reflecting wall to be reflected down to the upper surface of the bottom wall. The heat generated thereby melts through the ice below the bottom wall causing the ice dam to be removed between the bottom wall and the top of the roof and immediately adjacent to the ice melter along the roof. Water dammed up by the ice dam can then flow down through this break in the dam and drain out harmlessly onto the ground. This prevents dammed water from seeping back under the shingles and into the house to damage the interior of the house.