Solar install Evac Tubes

Wayco Wayne_2

My system is up and running. I'm very excited. I've changed my mind more times than a lady changes shoes before an event. My Home owners association slowed me down or I would have been done this Summer. After attended some classes at a Solart Conference here in MD I did an about face and abandoned my idea to do a drainback system. The reason was I looked at my house from above using MS Virtual Earth and found my compass points were not what I thought. My back roof was directly SE. 45 degrees off true South. The flat plates would not work well at such an angle. I would have a lot of reflected sun off the glass. I decided to go with dual glass evac tubes with a round absorber inside. Since the absorber is round it tracks the sun better than a flat plate would. I also had a high tree line cutting down my Winter exposure. Even with the leaves off I get a lot of shade in the morning. I had to add more tubes to adjust for that. Here are pictures of the frames.

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rene_4

I'm glad for you. MY evac tubes are working super. Yesterday, my tank temp was 105 @ 9:00AM and by 2:00 PM, my 80 gallons of storage went up to 140 degrees. The outside temp was 10 degrees. Today with the same outside temp, my tank started out @ 127 degrees and it topped out @ 149 degrees. I've got two 25 tube collectors. Tomorrow should be another good heating day here in NH. Looking at your frames and manifold, they look like Silicon Tubes like mine.

Rene

michael_34

Nice!

Looks good Wayne. I would love to see your mechanical room and what tanks and controller you are using. I love solar! What kind of tubes are those?
Congratulations! Now hopefully everybody in your association will want them! : )
Michael

Wayco Wayne_2

More Pics

My tubes are Apricus. This morning the bottom of my tank was 60 and it rose to 95 before the end of the day. One picture is my tree line at 9:15. Another shows the diffused light on the collector at the same time. At the time the temp at the collector was 20 degrees above ambient and rising. Ambient was 15 degrees. In Late Feb early March I believe the sun will be over the tree line and I will be able to heat my radiant floor completely. In the Summer I will be dumping heat as I will have more than I will need on Sunny days.

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Wayco Wayne_2

Here's some

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"pictures from MS Virtual Earrth. Very helpful in checking out sites before a visit. Notice the compass points right on the pictures.

Wayco Wayne_2

My Mechanical room

is a mess. Just imagine it cleaned up. It may happen even yet. The storage tank is a 120 gallon Vaughn with dual HX. The top HX has the returns from my radiant floor hydro air and snow melt running through it. (notice the top HX piping done with my Curvo tool. Neato torpedo) The boiler is a Munchkin tied in with close tees to a 2 pipe system with modulation on the different zones. I also used the Callefi differential controller with variable speed on the circulators. I must admit the literature that came with the controller is kind of hard to decifer. It must be translated from Italian. (It could also be I am not good at reading technical stuff). WW

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Mad Dog_2

Way to go Wayne...Solar Warrior!!!

Mad Dog

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Mark Custis

Nice

singh

Nice Job !

What you doing for a heat dump? From the overhead pic I think I see a pool, or maybe that's a trampoline.

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Wayco Wayne_2

It's a tampoline

I am installing a diverting valve up in the attic that will run the return line through 16 ft of copper fin baseboard right below the attic exhaust fan. If that isnt enough, I have a radiant slab in a shed under the deck I can run hot water through, and lastly if needed I could run it through my snow melt system. I may re-pipe the old hot tub and use it for excess too. Lot of options. WW

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Mark Custis

Did you

move the trampoline closer to the house for safety?

Bob Gagnon plumbing and heating

Great Job Wayne!

Now your neighbors can see how attractive solar panels are. Rene, do your collectors max out at 2PM? You could collect a lot more btu's if you ran a small radiant panel, or baseboard loop, to heat your house, and kept the tank cooler. Plus you might collect energy, at lower temperatures, for a couple of more hours in the afternoon, if your tank were about 80 degrees.

Thanks for going Solar, Bob Gagnon

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rt_2

Bob,
The 2PM is about the time that the sun is pretty much no more effective. It's down below a tree line I have behind my house. During the winter here in NH, The sun is not generating enough heat to keep my storage tank temp high enough to use the exess heat elsewhere. We'll have a couple of days of sunny weather and then 2 or 3 days of clouds/snow. This is my first winter so I'm still monitoring my system. It may very well create way too much hot water in a month or two and adding in a small baseboard to dump it into my house may be a option. I'm just the average Joe-Smuck trying to go green a little. With the help from you gys, the pros, it's really helped. Thanks for any input.

Rene

rene_4

Wayne,
I have the identical controller you have except mine has the name RESOL on it.

Wayco Wayne_2

O:

Trampoline is gone. I imagine if I fell off the roof onto the trampoline I would have ended up in a tree. WW

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Wayco Wayne_2

Thanks MD

Solar Warrior. I like the sound of that. (:

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Unknown

congrats wayne!

are you maintaining temp in the top of the tank, or do you have another DHW heating method here?