10
HOW TO GET
THE MOST FROM CAIA
Where to place CAIA
CAIA can be placed both indoors and outdoors.
What is crucially important is that she must be under direct sunlight to work.
Just imagine two straight lines. The first imaginary straight line going from
the sun to CAIA. The second imaginary straight line going from the middle
of the mirror, through the Sunlight Pointer, in the direction where you have
pointed CAIA.
Is there anything in the way of these two lines? A tree? A building?
A piece of furniture? Etc.
If your answer is “no”, then you have found a perfect spot for CAIA!
If your answer is “yes”, then it’s likely that spot will not work for CAIA.
If your answer is “sometimes”, then consider that CAIA will work appropriately
only when those two imaginary straight lines do not have any obstacles in the
way. If, for example, a tree is in the way of the imaginary straight line from the
sun to CAIA, then she will stop tracking while the sun is behind the tree.
Once the sun comes out from behind the tree, give CAIA a couple of minutes
and she will start tracking the sun again, all by herself!
Where to point CAIA
The brightness effect is not created by the reflected beam of
sunlight itself, rather it’s created by:
1. The surface that is hit by the reflected beam of sunlight
Color and material make the difference. White will reflect
light. Black will absorb light. A white plastered wall or ceiling
will maximize the brightness effect. A wooden wall or ceiling
will absorb light and produce a negligible difference in
brightness.
2. The size of the room
The smaller the room, the less space the reflected sunlight
will need to “fill”, therefore the brighter the effect.
3. The spot that the reflected sunlight hits
We have found that the ideal spot to point CAIA is the ceiling
or the corner where the ceiling and walls join. Pointing
CAIA high will diffuse light top-to-bottom, maximizing the
brightness effect.
4. The distance between CAIA and the spot where the
sunlight is reflected to
Sunlight can travel far. However, the shorter the distance
between CAIA and the spot you point her towards, the
greater the brightness effect.
5. The brightness of the sun
Seasons, as well as very thin low-level clouds, will affect the
brightness of the sun. The brighter the sun, the greater the
brightness effect in your chosen room.
