Solar Collection

Hey everyone-

   First..  the thermo-siphon through the heat exchanger has to be working good..  it was too hot to touch when the water tank was turned back on, so I know when I get my collector online, the passive heat exchange into the tank will work.  I wrapped all the individual copper pipes with closed cell foam insulation made for wrapping hot water pipes.  the heat exchanger will be insulated inside the insulation blanket that I will wrap the hot water tank with also.  I'm thinking a big part of the efficiency of the solar hot water system will bear on how well everything is insulated.

So, Here is my solar collector -->

   A few words on it's design.  first of all, I'm putting this on the roof of my girlfriends house.  Those of you who have seen this house, know that it is a very nice house.  Those of you who know my girlfriend, know she would not put up with shitty lookin stuff on the roof of her house, so I purchased a sheet of 1/2" MDF to build it out of.  The size is 34" x 74" which was dictated by the size of the piece of glass which was salvaged from a sliding glass door.  MDF is actually a perfect material to make it with..  the collector will not sit directly on the roof..  there will be airflow all around it and the paint will protect it from absorbing water.  Also, MDF is dirt cheap..  a 4' x 8' sheet is only $16.  Second, this system will require a circulation pump..  no way around it, therefore, I designed it so the cold water inlet and the hot water outlet are close to each other so both pipes can be insulated together and will only be visibly unappealing in the one spot and not all over the roof..  The cold inlet is 3/4" copper and splits into two 1/2 copper vertical pipes which rejoin at the bottom manifold which is 3/4" copper and extends through the right side of the box where it can be attached to another collector if I decide I need more than one in the system.  There are three 1/2" copper pipes that return fluid to the top of the collector into another 3/4" copper manifold that extends through both sides of the collector.  On the left as a return to the heat exchanger, on the right as a return from the next collector.  I capped both pipes on the right side of the collector, figuring to add unions when the second collector is installed.  Further thought has led me to the position that I will connect future panels with pex instead of unions.  I'll explain those reasons in the future if it becomes relevant, otherwise just consider it planning for phase three.  Sorry I didn't take a picture of the copper grid when I made it..  shear laziness, then when I was ready to put the collector together, laziness struck again...  the camera was upstairs...  so it goes..  I painted the grid and absorber plate outside...  I burnt my fingertips carrying it inside..  It should heat water!