Sunday, August 20, 2006
Rebuilding Solar Collectors
I have three used solar water heater panels, obtained from my Father-in-law who used to sell them. These three orphans were in bad shape. One of them had been allowed to freeze and burst, another had a big gash in the copper absorber plate, and the insulation had deteriorated in them. A wonderful Sunday afternoon project! Soldering up the bad spots, I've painted the collector absorber plates with black barbeque paint from the hardware store, and I'll add some fiberglass in
sulation to the backside to make them more efficient, glue on the tempered glass cover plates with silicone rubber caulk, and voila!: free hot water. They'll attach directly to the metal roof with S-5 Standing Seam roof connectors. The house is already roughed-in with two 3/4" PEX pipes to the roof, which will be insulated (PEX doesn't hold up in sunlight if it isn't covered). The system will be pumped by an ingenious little DC pump called the EL-SID. EL-SID PUMP This pump uses a 10 watt solar electric panel for it's control system. If there is enough sun to make juice to run the pump, then there is enough sun to make solar water heat. No thermostats, differential controllers, or fancy electronics. If there is half enough sun, then the pump runs at half speed, slower water has more time to pick up solar heat. There is only one moving part, the impeller. There are no brushes, commutators, bearings, shaft seals, and other stuff to fail. This is the most ingenious pump I've ever seen.
Everything goes up on the roof in a month or two, when the main construction is winding down.
