Batch Solar Water Heater 4 Month Update
A video follow up to my original video describing a batch solar hot water heater I built. The water heater is currently supplying the house as a preheater to the domestic hot water heater. Max water temp observed: 165F.
19 Responses to Batch Solar Water Heater 4 Month Update
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A couple of “poiner’s”….
pathman2
November 9, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Your refractor idea is sound, but they must be outside the box to direct the rays inside. Interior refractors direct light back out. Just think of a solar oven and how it works – same exact principle. Don’t follow the design of most of the solar ovens on YT as most of them have their insides lined with foil.
A large fresnel lens would increase the heat a great deal during the winter. You’d have to be *very* careful about setting it up though. BTW you should’ve painted the exterior black also.
kevjay777
November 9, 2011 at 10:59 pm
@fotosepp The tank you see has been stripped of its foam insulation. The box and double paned glass do a good job of keeping the heat in at night.
KyleBostic
November 9, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Great work,
is the water tank a heavily insulated type or just metal. I am wondering if was insulated how well the heat transfers?
fotosepp
November 10, 2011 at 12:07 am
put the mirrors out of the box to increase the sun grean house efect just reflect more sun to the glass and tank
ingesumadre
November 10, 2011 at 12:08 am
Hi, is the back of the tank touching the box or is it spaced away from it, was thinking of building one and tend to agree that painting the inside black would be better than using reflectors, would think that the tank would only need to be raised from the back if using the reflector method.
areeba2
November 10, 2011 at 12:22 am
@KyleBostic Ok, Your right, its a better than nothing approach, heating the air inside and letting the tank absorb some of that and/or reduced lossees from the tankk due to a lower temperature difference. I’ve learned a bit more since then, and almost forgot I asked this question.
trailkeeper
November 10, 2011 at 12:40 am
@trailkeeper The sides are not connected in any way, however, because the box is air tight, having black sides helps raise the temperature of the box to over 200 degrees on sunny days, this “bakes” the tank and adds additional heat. I tried mirrors on the side because I did design them angled with that option in mind, the result was actually less heat. I presume this is because the mirrors were reflecting some radiation out. Mirrors are best used in projects that actively track the sun.
KyleBostic
November 10, 2011 at 1:17 am
@centervilletn Because the sun goes “south” a bit, actually about 23.5 degrees, in winter-time, it might be a good option to angle the heater a bit south, or for yearly optimization, make it an adjustable angled design.
trailkeeper
November 10, 2011 at 1:54 am
@trailkeeper this was also meant for @centervilletn for his question
trailkeeper
November 10, 2011 at 2:14 am
@KyleBostic Because the sun goes “south” a bit, actually about 23.5 degrees, in winter-time, it might be a good option to angle the heater a bit south, or for yearly optimization, make it an adjustable angled design.
trailkeeper
November 10, 2011 at 2:36 am
I see you have black coated insides of the collector box. Are the sides connected to the water tank in any way? Would it help to use reflective sides to reflect any heat energy back to the water tank?
trailkeeper
November 10, 2011 at 3:34 am
@KyleBostic ill look up the weather data…i read the some info regarding degree of angle (Ill see if i can find the link) ..but i think optimum is your latitude +15 degrees is best…ill post you the link when i find it…
centervilletn
November 10, 2011 at 4:23 am
@centervilletn I live in Palestine Texas, I would pull up the weather averages for your location and mine and compare them. The biggest factor is number of sunny days and length of daylight. Solar insolation charts used for solar panel installations tend to be good indicators of performance. This heater is facing directly south angled at 30 degrees (my latitude.) Thanks!
KyleBostic
November 10, 2011 at 4:30 am
@water4fuelh20 Great question, even before this tank installation, we had a case of SO2 gas buildup due to bacteria in the domestic water heater since the well water is obviously not chlorinated. We remedied the issue by shocking the well with bleach. About a month ago I did smell SO2 gas again in the water. Once again we shocked the well, lines, and tanks and it took care of the problem. All of our drinking water is filtered with reverse osmosis. We have not had any ill effects thus far.
KyleBostic
November 10, 2011 at 4:35 am
— looking good. Just keep an eye on that PVC and the condition of the wood like you have been. Thanks for the update^^
cantecleer
November 10, 2011 at 4:38 am
with the temperature of the water starting to drop off due to the fact the sun is becoming lower in your sky in relation to your heater do you have concerns of bacteria growth in the water or tank? the hot water does not remain at a fixed temp like a normal hot water heater.
nicely done!
water4fuelh20
November 10, 2011 at 5:33 am
Outstanding project! Thanks for the update.
boat6868
November 10, 2011 at 6:28 am
excellent video….what state are you located in..i live in tennessee and was wondering if i can expect similar results…and one more question..what direction is your heater facing? south?
centervilletn
November 10, 2011 at 6:59 am