Solar water heating?

 
 
 
 
 
 
Blag
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Solar water heating?

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Posted: 21.08.2017  ·  #1
Came across this lastnight on ebay:

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Dernord…Sw1KxXNXjg

A 12v 600w DC immersion heater. I know you'd need <600w of solar panels to run it, but I thought it was a good idea that maybe worth adding to the Solar panel forum... MIght spark some ideas.

Your thoughts?



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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 22.08.2017  ·  #2
I am toying with the idea of using an electric solar power to heat the hot water in the house over the summer months. Replace one off the 240v elements in the hot cyclinder with the above, place a few leisure batteries in the attic and a 1000 watts of solar panels on the roof. The figuring to be done is controlling the charging and heating cycles and limiting water temperature to say 55 degrees.
The benefit that I see with the above idea, is that there is no major construction work and the hot press is not taken over with a monster of a traditional solar heating system .
Any ideas folks


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 22.08.2017  ·  #3
probably fabricating a "Willis" heater cylinder with the 12v element would be best for efficiency.
1 kilowatt element would produce a useful amount of hot water quite quickly, and over time it would produce and store it more efficiently than a direct immersion in the cylinder.
Only my thoughts.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 22.08.2017  ·  #4
We installed solar waterheating, tubes on the roof, about 5 years ago and went from using the electric shower (9Kw) twenty times per week to about twenty times per year. All work done in a day and no major upset. It cost around E5000 at the time.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 22.08.2017  ·  #5
Flipperdipper same here except our solar panels cost us €12k (after a lot of haggling!). That's a great price- think we were had. Though I must say the benefits of constant hot water for most of the year are great, especially with 3 small children who will be teenagers in no time.
Would love something similar for the motorhome (at a significantly cheaper cost obviously).


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 26.06.2018  ·  #6
Now that the suns out, it got me thinking about solar water heating again!

Hows this for a DIY special?

Not mine, just ideas stolen from t'internet...





0.3L water per Meter of 3/4" thinwall poly pipe if my calculations aren't a mile off.

(I wonder how much pipe you could put on the roof of a motorhome.....) :P


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 26.06.2018  ·  #7
I setup an outside shower for Sunflowerfest a couple of years ago. 50 metres of blue piping spread out through one tonne of mulch. As the mulch rots it creates heat, we had to add a cold water tap as it got that hot. 3 months later and you could still shower in it, although not as hot.


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Solar water heating?

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Posted: 26.06.2018  ·  #8
Quote by Blag

Now that the suns out, it got me thinking about solar water heating again!

Hows this for a DIY special?

Not mine, just ideas stolen from t'internet...





0.3L water per Meter of 3/4" thinwall poly pipe if my calculations aren't a mile off.

(I wonder how much pipe you could put on the roof of a motorhome.....) :P


Its not how much you could get on the roof , that matters
,its how much you would have to pay, a static security guard to keep it there. :'(


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 20.09.2018  ·  #9
Does anyone know of someone in Ireland who manufacture water heating solar panels?

Particularly the type below (not the more common vacuum glass type).

 


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 20.09.2018  ·  #10
I've often thought about this. Would have liked to know what extra weight it would involve and how much water the system would hold before drawing from the tank. We got one of those dopey black solar water heater bags some years ago, but it was useless in our climate.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 20.09.2018  ·  #11
Quote by Helgahobby

I've often thought about this. Would have liked to know what extra weight it would involve and how much water the system would hold before drawing from the tank. We got one of those dopey black solar water heater bags some years ago, but it was useless in our climate.


Used those in Spain when we were building the house and you could have made a cup of tea from it they were that hot, so again useless unless you wanted third degree burns


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 20.09.2018  ·  #12
Quote by the fat controller

Quote by Helgahobby

I've often thought about this. Would have liked to know what extra weight it would involve and how much water the system would hold before drawing from the tank. We got one of those dopey black solar water heater bags some years ago, but it was useless in our climate.


Used those in Spain when we were building the house and you could have made a cup of tea from it they were that hot, so again useless unless you wanted third degree burns


Did the water not taste foul, John. It smelt plasticky.....


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 21.09.2018  ·  #13
I built a small water heating solar panel for my leaving cert (construction studies) project back in 1988.
The following year, my dad and I scaled it up and made one for his place in Crosshaven. A simple set up. An 8ft X 4ft X 6inch box, painted black, with black 40mm wavin pipe snaked back and forth under a sheet of acrylic 'glass'. Simple as f*ck and not very pretty, but in the summer months, it supplied us with enough hot water for kitchen duties & showers. We HAD to fit a hot/cold mixer as the hot water would often get way too hot. It was a direct gravity fed system, meaning it only heated the water in the pipes and the volume of available water was limited to about 75 litres, all up on the roof of the bungalow. It was only good for a few hours during the warmest part of the day, but by 6pm, it's start cooling off. I'd like to fit an indirect system to the camper with an insulated storage tank that could be fitted down low in a cabinet and we could have solar heated hot water available after sundown. I could also plumb this indirect storage tank into the engine cooling circuit so that the water would be heated by the engine as we drove along.

Fitting something to the camper has aways been an idea floating around in the back of my mind, I'll get to it eventually!

I like the look of the panels above (in post #9). They look sharp. Very pricey though.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 30.01.2019  ·  #14
I am installing a solar panel system 100 watts panel with Mpp3 splitter connected to both batteries . I had considered getting an element for the water heating as well as discussed here .Iwii fuse it on both sides .Will I have enough power in one solar panel .Any suggestions as I have all the units in the garage ready for fitting shortly


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #15
Completely implausible I'm afraid. Not unless you are talking about heating more than a cup of water. Lets assume you have two 100Ah batteries, you want to heat 20 litres of water, and you have a 12V 600W heating element.

Well if my math is correct,

Power required to raise temperature of 20L water from 15 to 60 degrees = (4.2 * 20 * 45)/3600 = 0.9333 kWh

Time needed to heat the water with 600W element = 0.9333/0.6 = 93 minutes

Available battery power = 2 * 100 * 12 = 2.4kWh

Available battery capacity after heating water = (1- (0.9333/2.4) * 100%) = 61% state of charge

You would be discharging your batteries close to the 50% limit. It would take over 9 hours of perfectly performing solar power to replenish that, which is impossible. More likely it would take 3 to 4 days in summer.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #16
Blag ,Do you have enough spare weight capacity on your GVW for the water and ,tank, solar cabinet and insulated cylinder. you would need to be using this heated water for many weeks to recover the cost and botheration against a bit of gas when you need to wash up the dinner plates. If you were static and connected to the mains for say 6 months or more, then maybe a runner.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #17
I have solar tubes on my sunroom roof and it is made up of 20 1.5 metres long evacuated tubes (vacuum inside) linked to a pump and insulated water tank. It is specially designed and placed to maximise efficiency and yet I wouldn’t rely on it to heat my water on a cloudy day.

My father has a big array of pv panels on a shed that pass any excess power to a heating element in an insulated tank for domestic hot water. The panel area would cover about 40 Motorhomes and it still needs a very sunny day with little power elsewhere being used to heat the water.


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Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #18
Ok not solar but, what about a sealed oil filled pipe, wrapped around the exhaust pipe just below the manifold, running through a coil in an insulated tank, similar to your commoner garden domestic indirect hot water system. piping hot water for a shower when you arrive or for doing the dishes after dinner?
Or the pipe filled with water from the storage tank as in the old direct system with a copper tank in the back of the fireplace?


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #19
Quote by sprinter

Ok not solar but, what about a sealed oil filled pipe, wrapped around the exhaust pipe just below the manifold, running through a coil in an insulated tank, similar to your commoner garden domestic indirect hot water system. piping hot water for a shower when you arrive or for doing the dishes after dinner?
Or the pipe filled with water from the storage tank as in the old direct system with a copper tank in the back of the fireplace?


You should keep some of these ideas to yourself Martin. Now off to the patent office with yourself!


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #20
Excuse the pun.
Pipe dreams lads.
12 volt water heaters are very slow and need the same amps as a welder to work.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/RISEPRO®-Temperature-Removable-Switchable-K8/dp/B01MZAEE9F/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1548973736&sr=8-3&keywords=Solar+showers
You probably need to be in the tropics for it to work.
Sprinter idea of exhaust heat recovery has some merit but you would need a coil inside your hot water heater tank for it to work.
If a fella was to insert a coil into their tank, why not plumb it into your engine water, like your dash heater.
80/85°c circulation around your engine block.
Malcolm


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 31.01.2019  ·  #21
Lad's...Life is too short. Just flick the switch on the already fitted gas heating system and hey presto....Hot water... job done! :P


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #22
Agree with you John but it's fun trying to be green and efficient and you never know we might get something right and become millionaires 😁


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #23
Quote by eirebus

Agree with you John but it's fun trying to be green and efficient and you never know we might get something right and become millionaires 😁


This time next year Rodney! If you do Dave give me your address so I can send the begging letters :P


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #24
I have a counterflow heat exchanger for engine coolant to heat domestic water I used it on a land cruiser to provide a hot shower while spear fishing, a 20 liter drum of water is all that’s needed you just put the hose in the water supply and the engine on fast idle and flick the switch for the pump and you got lovely warm water instantly.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #25
Quote by panda

Lad's...Life is too short. Just flick the switch on the already fitted gas heating system and hey presto....Hot water... job done! :P


John. don't be a spoil sport even big children must play :lol:
As said
( it's fun trying to be green and efficient and you never know we might get something right and become millionaires 😁 )
I'll bet someone said what would we want a mobile phone for ,can't we just send a pigeon. :D


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #26
Jasus lads, its motorhoming, not grand designs. I,m dizzy here trying to understand half the terminology, never mind the procedures. I like Johns idea, spark up the gas and give yourself a good cleaning 8-)


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #27
Seeing Bounders blog about heat exchangers takes me back to a time when grimey cafes where the only thing on the road and if you got a nice piece of fish or steak ,wrapped it up in tin foil and secured it on the top of the exhaust manifold. Down the road a few hours later you had a nice tea and freshly cooked fish.


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #28
Quote by sprinter

Quote by panda

Lad's...Life is too short. Just flick the switch on the already fitted gas heating system and hey presto....Hot water... job done! :P


John. don't be a spoil sport even big children must play :lol:
As said
( it's fun trying to be green and efficient and you never know we might get something right and become millionaires 😁 )
I'll bet someone said what would we want a mobile phone for ,can't we just send a pigeon. :D


Sorry Martin...Didn't mean to be a spoilsport :o I think you all are very inventive tbh....best of luck with the experiments! :up:


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Solar water heating?

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Posted: 01.02.2019  ·  #29
Quote by ROBANDSUE

Jasus lads, its motorhoming, not grand designs. I,m dizzy here trying to understand half the terminology, never mind the procedures. I like Johns idea, spark up the gas and give yourself a good cleaning 8-)


But you wouldn't be able to do that if some bright spark didn't think of it instead of a potbelly stove. :-/


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Re: Solar water heating?

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Posted: 03.02.2019  ·  #30
Anyone who comes up with a good idea photos of your inventions please


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Solar water heating?

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Posted: 03.02.2019  ·  #31
Sorry Martin...Didn't mean to be a spoilsport :o I think you all are very inventive tbh....best of luck with the experiments! :up:
[/quote]

That's ok John. I know you'll love it if one one off us would be millionaire are successful. :lol:

And Robert. You needn't think we are going to put photos up,just so you can sneak off and get the patent :D


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