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Lots of questions Noobie. Looking for good technical advice

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  • Lots of questions Noobie. Looking for good technical advice

    Ok guys so here is what I have:
    Located in southern Maine-
    28'x54' Ranch with a daylight basement on back side. Facing Southwest on the front side of the house. 7-12 pitch on the roof.
    Three adults currently living in the house. Finished basement. 2 full bathrooms one 3/4 Bathroom.

    Crown CT 35 oil boiler running 85 to 86% efficiency 90,000 BTUH. 6 heating zones and one zone for indirect domestic hot water. Zones fed by Taco 007 pumps and ARGO pump controller.
    Mega-Stor horizontal 40 gallon tank under the boiler. Location- basement boiler room/laundry room.

    Vermont castings Defiant woodstove 75,000 BTUH. Location- basement den center of house with a draft hood above it and a large floor grate to the main floor.

    36,000 BTU 10 SEER R22 central air conditioning system. Location- AHU in attic and CU out back.

    Silicon Solar (80 gallon??) two coil, two sensor locations, option for electric heat element. Solar tank never used.

    Used 15 tube solar collector year unknown but older model. Needs at least two new tubes

    large, deep aluminum finned copper tube hydronic air coil never used 1' copper in and out.

    several different size heat exchangers

    A little about myself. I am a HVAC tech. I have been in the trade for 20 years but have never installed a single solar system and honestly don't know a lot about them when you get into the real techy stuff.



    I mostly use wood to heat my house so the boiler only heat now and then and heat my domestic hot water all year. I burn 4 cord of wood a year and go through over 1000 gallons of oil a year. Some of the wood burning is a waste because the wood stove usually makes the house hotter than we need (75-80 degrees unless below 0)
    I run the central AC when it gets really hot in the Summer. So July and August mostly.

    So here is my vision that I need help with:

    -Try to us the solar collector I have if it is worth using (???) or purchase a 30 tube collector
    -Install the hyronic coil I have in the attic with two 12 volt automotive fans fed from a FV system to remove heat from the attic to heat my dom HW AND to cool down the attic. This should help keep my house cooler and help my AC system in the attic to be more efficient (Usually 120+ in my attic on a sunny day I the Summer)
    -Use the solar tank I have to heat domestic hot water.
    -Use my current indirect HW tank somehow
    -Steal some heat from my woodstove to reduce the BTU output and to heat domestic hot water AND maybe a hot water coil in the duct of my central AC system
    -Install a de-superheater on the central AC condensing unit to make the AC unit more efficient AND use BTUs removed from the house to heat domestic hot water.

    So I need a solar controller or some sort of a PLC that can decide what pumps should run, valves should open, when they need to go on/off, etc. Also it would be nice if it had data logging. I've been looking at the Resol Deltasol units.
    I can get HVAC and plumbing parts at cost through local supply houses like FW Webb.
    I want to do this as cheap as possible to get the best payback. I was thinking $3000 max to get something up and running making how water then add on a little here and there. I've heard you can save some money by not buying the package pump set ups so I will be building my own set up as I go along.

    I like the idea of a variable speed pump or pumps but don't know what I need to do this. I deal with Grundfos Alpha pumps a lot but they vary their own speed and don't take an external control input.

    I was thinking for now pipe up the solar tank, pipe up the air coil in the attic and install two automotive 12 volt fans on it. If I cant afford the solar controller I REALLY want/need just get a $100 one for now to get going (I'm thinking for what I want to do I'm looking at a $500+ controller)
    Next step install 15 tube collector or buy a 30 tube and install it on the roof. OR install de-superheater on my AC system.

    So what do you guys think?

    Oh also what happens to all the built up heat when the tank is up to temp and the pump shuts off??

  • #2
    Oh one thing I forgot.
    I plan on removing my 330 gallon oil tank, my boiler, my pumps, etc. and installing a direct vented HE Bosch condensing gas boiler with new Taco zone valves and a grundfos Alpha variable speed pump.

    Comment


    • #3
      Welcome

      I am also in Southern Maine, [technically the Southern half of the state, just a bit North of Bangor]. Sounds like you have a lot of stuff there.

      Our house is 2400 sq ft, though the entire Southern side is a wall of windows. We get a good deal of Passive Solar from those windows.

      We have radiant heated floor, taco-7s from our woodstove. Nothing better than radiant floors

      I see those 'tube solar collector' every year being sold at the Common Ground Fair. When I have asked about how to replace the busted tubes they always say that HVAC folks can get them easy, and re-soldering is smooth. Personally I hate trying to re-solder on old copper, but that is just me I guess.

      You have a lot of neat toys there to play with
      4400w, Midnite Classic 150 charge-controller.

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