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Post by orange on Dec 10, 2013 16:03:09 GMT -5
I have some waterbased blackboard paint which I plan to use,, I doubt that will affect the foam and if mine has perforations they are invisible to my eyes. when I say plastic pipe I mean plumbing grade plastic/pushfit pipe so it will be ok I am sure.. I may sadly have resort to your suggestion of PVC sheet time is against me I didn't even start making the boxes till after 8 last night,, the frames wont take long to make but my garage is crammed (its no coincidence that my shash clamps appear in every pic,, its the only space in my garage.. well it was!) you are always a help
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Post by cye again on Dec 11, 2013 4:06:56 GMT -5
there's only one way you'll discover whether plastic pipe will work for your specific collector and that's to try it. That pipe is more than likely not rated for >90c and will soften at higher temps.
it may be the case that vac tube collectors and 'bought' flat panel collectors can reach higher temperatures than home-made ones, but i know a fellow who used copper pipe with (standard) soldered joints on his solar loop and the solder melted. He had to replumb using compression fittings. Also, i know several others who have used standard grey (non high temp) pipe insulation, and this melted too.
If you can ensure your setup will never boil dry you may well be ok, as temps should be kept under 100c. However, all systems stagnate at some point - Steam forms in the collector pushing the water out, and this is when the temps are at the highest.
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Post by orange on Dec 11, 2013 18:48:02 GMT -5
crikey thanks for the warning Cye I never dreamt they could get so hot,, I will be over the moon if my collector melts the pipe though doubt I will achieve full efficiency until I fit proper glazing but in July I might cook the system.. I would imagine the insulation to be at risk too!?
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Post by cye on Dec 12, 2013 17:11:04 GMT -5
more pics today from Orange. Hey Orange, you'll have to talk us through what all this is, it's starting to look very technical indeed! Keep up the good work Attachments:
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Post by cye on Dec 12, 2013 17:12:51 GMT -5
and another... Attachments:
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Post by cye on Dec 12, 2013 17:15:13 GMT -5
oh heck that'll give you a crick in your neck, so i've turned the pics upright.. Attachments:
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Post by cye on Dec 12, 2013 17:16:30 GMT -5
and again Attachments:
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Post by orange on Dec 13, 2013 15:14:31 GMT -5
hello cye
on the box I have five of the finest" £1.99 thermometers from the PRC to monitor cylinder temp and flow/returns from solar/fire.. my solar panel controller, a 5 way fuse box (as I am using the box as a convenient place to mount such things) isolation switches for both pumps and you can see my solenoid.. I also have led's indicating "panel live" 2 x pump live, and solenoid live. the white blank is intended to allow access when I install my dts. which I intend to mount inside it.. I will take some insitu pics and post some temp results in the new year. cheers
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Post by orange on Dec 13, 2013 15:44:14 GMT -5
thermometers were £4.95,for 5 delivered not £1.99.. cheap as chips and probably woefully inaccurate! but will give me an idea how things are working.
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Post by cye on Dec 16, 2013 16:56:19 GMT -5
oops, sorry orange, i forgot to post this new photo up when you sent it through a few days ago. here it is now... Attachments:
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Post by orange on Jan 19, 2014 5:43:03 GMT -5
hi all well my coil worked! In truth as far as heating water it exceeded my wildest dreams,, my heatstore only has about 300mm of 22mm pipe inside as a heat exchanger for domestic water heating (as an afterthought) but it gave us plenty of water for showering etc..
As for central heating it did heat my rads,, and when I bypassed the heatstore the rads were scalding hot,, and even with the heatsore inline the rads were nice and hot with a good fire my return water was usually about 60degrees,, but ,,,, that was my problem the fire! the heating water fluctuated with the size of the fire (obvious really) with an economical slumbering fire it wasn't really worth running the heating pump ( a single skin house without a scrap of insulation wasn't helping) I think for central heating a heat exchanger nearer the heat source is required.... my coil has incredible thermal response,,, but I think one with a bit of mass nearer the heat would take out the peaks and troughs.
cheers
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Post by cye on Jan 19, 2014 9:44:56 GMT -5
Excellent news.
Sounds like you are proposing a buffer tank/ big thermal store beside your stove heater?
Have you any room to fit insulation or is this not a good idea for spanish summer heat?
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Post by orange on Jan 19, 2014 13:24:22 GMT -5
hello Cye
in the rooms that have false ceilings (flat roof house) I will be insulating the ceiling voids,, the walls.. well ...I think the costs are too great to insulate externally and works too disruptive to do it internally,, especially as its only a problem 2-3 months per year (I hope) cheaper to wear a sweater and keep my socks on! If I ever manage to live there full time I might install a rayburn or similar, but for the moment I only plan to tweek some of the controls on the heat store to make the system more efficient,, refine my solar collector start work an a windmill maybe a solar tracker for my panel... so many projects so little time.. but your right I had wondered if welding something onto the fire box would help I have an old co2 welding gas bottle which I think would do the job as a back boiler/preheater/buffer tank,, my gas bottle fire frequently glows red the first time I saw it I thought "that's funny I ground all the red paint off"
B
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Post by orange on May 26, 2014 4:05:19 GMT -5
Hi all I thought I would post some pictures (well email them to Cye so he can compress them!) of my solar collectors,, from what I read everyone seems to be using more advanced methods but somebody might find them useful.
I built the boxes from OSB and sheathed them in fiberglass. lined them with foam insulation.. and painted the internals with blackboard paint. (I had to fit the rads in a slightly different place than intended which is why you can see some foil!)I glazed them with 4mm glass bedded in silicone, I used a water bottle as an expansion tank,, I should have mounted the expansion tank on the lower end (return) side of the pane (with a long pipe). I had a devil of a job to get the air out of the system as I was effectively filling from both ends and causing an air lock and I think mounting on the lower side would have prevented this.
We had air temperatures averaging mid 20s and a few days of marginal sun but if I switched the pump on at about 1 my cylinder temp rose to mid 50s in a few hour's..When the "water out" was within a couple of degrees from the "water in" I turned the pump off, My cylinder kept the water hot until well into the night. I plan on adding some more panels placed in slightly different orientation and hopefully I can have hot water earlier in the day.
My home made cylinder whilst efficient and just about big enough at 30L to provide hot water for 2, caused me problems I still have an internal leak I just don't have enough room inside to fit solder or compression joints but with superhuman effort a push fit will go on but twice now despite testing here they (I think) are leaking by the time I (re) install at the house, Its even more of a problem now as I have converted to a pressurised system.. the pump keeps cycling when it detects a pressure drop, I might have to buy a cylinder! but I only want a small one as I currently have to bring water to the property in plastic drums..
So all in all mixed results, The panels worked, The principle of my cylinder works (but my workmanship lets me down) I couldn't figure out how to make the pump automatic and my pump which I had long thought noisy died.. I have a lot to work on..
As it used to say on my school reports "Must try harder"
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Post by cye on May 27, 2014 13:19:27 GMT -5
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