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Pre-heat or Complete/Stand alone How Water system

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  • Pre-heat or Complete/Stand alone How Water system

    I have books that show me how to build my own collector and drain back tank, so I can build a pre-heat system to augment a propane hot H2O heater. I'm on the grid in Texas but would like to be less vulnerable when the inevitable boogie men come for our <insert stuff here>.

    Should I build a pre-heat or go all out and try for something 100% sun driven?

    I've been looking for American Solar King collectors in case of the latter (hard to find).

  • #2
    I know there are lots of people on here who know infinitely more than me, but what I have been looking at is building a solar batch water heater ahead of my domestic water heater. If the lights go out, then here in OK as in TX I should get at least warm water all year round. And it's cheap, if I can find a used water heater that doesn't leak. Besides this forum, I spend a lot of time getting ideas on this site:

    http://www.builditsolar.com/index.htm

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    • #3
      I'd suggest disabusing yourself of the idea that solar is a complete alternative to conventional energy. Most every solar energy application, DHW, residential heating, PV, passive and all the rest of the applications almost always require a conventional source as backup if there is any hope of being cost effective, and also of meeting the load on a reliable basis. Solar energy is rarely a 100% thing. Dreams of lower electric bills and aspirations of independence from the robber POCOs as often found here and elsewhere would be a lot more cost effective if folks began with the idea that solar is not a complete replacement for conventional sources and, from the beginning, was never intended as such. Such a realization may also save some ruffled feathers when other knowledgeable folks state such an opinion and wind up being the shot at messengers.

      On American Solar King thermal flat plate, I'm pretty sure they're out of business as reported in a thread about 24 hrs. ago.

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      • #4
        pre heat or complete stand alone hot water system

        Increasingly, solar powered water heaters are being used in some areas with ample sunlight. Where there is insufficient sunlight present, circulation through the panel can be stopped by closing a valve and/or stopping the circulating pump, to keep hot water in the storage tank from cooling.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by OEStegall View Post
          Increasingly, solar powered water heaters are being used in some areas with ample sunlight. Where there is insufficient sunlight present, circulation through the panel can be stopped by closing a valve and/or stopping the circulating pump, to keep hot water in the storage tank from cooling.
          Solar thermal water heaters have been with us for at least hundreds if not thousands of years, depending on the type of design being considered. I'd proffer a guess and think that solar thermal system install rate may actually be declining a bit, in the U.S. anyway, as PV takes more of a center stage.

          Reverse flow, or thermosiphoning is addressed and usually prevented by proper system design. It's one reason why God made check valves.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by OEStegall View Post
            Increasingly, solar powered water heaters are being used in some areas with ample sunlight. Where there is insufficient sunlight present, circulation through the panel can be stopped by closing a valve and/or stopping the circulating pump, to keep hot water in the storage tank from cooling.
            Mod note - It seemed this was just a silly statement but in your next post you placed your spam link - bye.
            [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

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