Yes, when I have all the air out of the collector loop it works OK, but I have not had it going in cold weather yet. I think the coil will need to be glazed...
23676
bill.allen@...
ba5_1
Aug 1, 2012 6:30 pm
Gary, It was a $150 Daystar. The element looks like a silicon solar cell to me but I could be wrong..... Bill ... From: "yreysa" <gary@...> ...
23677
Jamie Forrester
strider37000
Aug 1, 2012 7:45 pm
I'm looking for an ultra stealth water heating install and the best location for me to pull it off is in an area on the front of my house. The bottom 6' of my...
23678
kenneth wersinger
kennethwers
Aug 1, 2012 8:04 pm
Hi James, For an ultra stealth water heating install. How about a small fence (solar collector) With twinwall it can look really nice. Kenneth W MN ...
23679
Jamie Forrester
strider37000
Aug 1, 2012 8:12 pm
Do you have any links/pictures of what this would look like? I do need a 3' fence around my vegetable garden to keep the dog out of it... It gets full sun...
23680
snkdavis
Aug 1, 2012 9:37 pm
Hi Jamie, If your risers (or hizers for a horizontal approach) aren't all the same length, I'd go with serpentine to ensure flow through all areas of the...
23681
Kenneth
kennethwers
Aug 2, 2012 1:19 am
Hi, The only pic's I can find is here. http://jetsolarpanels.com/solar-fence/ A person can just replace the solid panel in a fence with a solar collector. ...
23682
yreysa
Aug 2, 2012 1:48 am
Hi, I think the fence idea is a good one as long as its not too far from the house. Here is another one that ends up looking a lot like a fence:...
23683
snkdavis
Aug 2, 2012 1:57 am
Hi Gary & All, It sounds like 70 degrees of tilt is really the sweet spot. It offers good year round performance while providing enough of a tilt to protect...
23684
Jamie Forrester
strider37000
Aug 2, 2012 2:21 am
Thanks for all the info guys. lets just say the ultra stealth requirement has nothing to do with looks and wife acceptance of the system. I'll look into the...
23685
Brian
gaiatechnician
Aug 3, 2012 7:13 am
I did a little project for makerfaire Victoria and there was no socket available for power near my booth so I went outside and used a 15 Watt solar panel to...
23686
RadioG3OCR
g3ocr
Aug 3, 2012 7:32 am
It certainly sounds good Brian - if your pump is running (very roughly) at a speed proportional to the amount of sunlight, then you should be giving a higher...
23687
Brian
gaiatechnician
Aug 3, 2012 4:07 pm
Well, I haven't done a long term test yet. I don't know if the bilge pumps will handle hot water without burning out. Totally different game. But maybe some...
23688
Bernard Linton
solarnard
Aug 3, 2012 5:47 pm
Hello guys Just thinking can i use an old chest freezer with a liner as a hot water storage tank, thanks....
23689
solarinterested
Aug 3, 2012 6:58 pm
No thoughts one way or the other but thought I'd link to a (short) previous thread asking the same thing (link) ...
23690
Joe Riccobono
joeyrico123456
Aug 3, 2012 8:11 pm
Hi Bernard.,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,I would say yes..............as long as its water tight...............if not edpm rubber lined should work.....Joe in poconos pa ...
23691
jeremy styles
JSWVU
Aug 3, 2012 9:19 pm
you may think about its structural capacity. not sure if they are meant to bare the force of holding that much water? you could always install some...
23692
snkdavis
Aug 3, 2012 9:36 pm
Hi Guys, Another alternative is to add some foam board insulation to the inside. You lose some volume / storage capacity that way, but you decrease the force...
23693
John Crane
cranejohn20
Aug 3, 2012 10:49 pm
Hello all, I have just joined your group last night, I saw the Utube of the down pipe solar collector and that got me interested. I am into solar and have 4.2...
23694
Kenneth
kennethwers
Aug 4, 2012 2:01 am
Hi John, Please refrain from politics. This is a form for do it yourself solar. Storing heat for winter use is not very practical. Makrolon 8mm is what we...
23695
Mary Crane
cranejohn20
Aug 4, 2012 5:47 am
Kenneth, I feel by adding a chimney in the summer to a position at the top of the collector all the heat created would go to the highest point the chimney...
23696
kenneth wersinger
kennethwers
Aug 4, 2012 1:16 pm
Hi Mary, Using a collector as a solar chimney is a good ideal. And it would be fairly easy and low cost to do with a window screen collector. Your thought on...
23697
kenneth wersinger
kennethwers
Aug 4, 2012 1:33 pm
Hi, I will do the links again. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SimplySolar/photos/album/56580480/pic/list ...
23698
bookbound1
Aug 4, 2012 10:34 pm
Hi gang! Would storing a large amount of thermal mass in my house reduce my utility bills? I live in North Carolina where the summers are warm/hot and the...
23699
rcaprd@...
planepiet
Aug 4, 2012 11:00 pm
Mitch, I'm storing thermal mass in a well insulated 1000 gal concrete tank in the ground, under the floor of my hanger. I just joined SimplySolar today. ...
23700
rcaprd@...
planepiet
Aug 4, 2012 11:16 pm
Hi All, I've been looking for a group like this for a long time, and found it through Mother Earth News e-mail. I'm building a Solar Powered Hanger / Home,...
23701
Kenneth
kennethwers
Aug 4, 2012 11:29 pm
Hi Gary, Stagnation is a real problem and will happen! Will it work to have a hole cut in the bottom and top of the collector then use polystyrene insulation...
23702
snkdavis
Aug 4, 2012 11:37 pm
Hi Mitch, Lots of thermal mass and a way to heat it for winter (solar panels), is a great benefit and will definitely help reduce your utility bills. It will...
23703
snkdavis
Aug 4, 2012 11:39 pm
Hi Chuck, Welcome to the group! Thanks for sharing your project plans. Please keep us updated as your project develops and send along pictures whenever you...
23704
kenneth wersinger
kennethwers
Aug 4, 2012 11:50 pm
Hi Mitch, The best way to reduce your utility bill is to solar heat your hot water. Gary at Builditsolar.com has a great diys system for DHW heating. His...
