Solar Heating Plan for Any Home
(Page 3 of 8)
December 2007/January 2008
By Gary Reysa
Build the Shed & Collector
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The south wall of our shed is conventional 2-by-6 stud construction with half-inch plywood sheathing. There is no siding on the south side, and the sheathing also serves as the back wall of the collector. The collector framework is laid out right over the south wall sheathing. It is best to lay out the full collector frame on a flat surface so you can make sure everything fits and gang cut the notches in the frame for the absorber manifolds and the horizontal glazing supports. When cutting the manifold support notches in the framework, be sure to allow for the fact that the absorber manifolds must slope and the lowest corner of the absorber panels must be several inches above the tank water level for drainage.
Install the collector frame on the south wall sheathing. Use lag bolts with the heads in counter bores to make them flush with the front of the frame. Caulk all the outside edges to prevent air leaks. The front surface of the frame is the surface on which the glazing panels will be mounted, so make sure it’s smooth.
Install polyisocyanurate insulation in each collector bay. Nail it to the sheathing with large head nails. Do not use polystyrene insulation inside the collector — it will melt.
Drill a half-inch drain hole in the bottom board of each collector bay so that any water that might get in can escape.
Trim the ends of the absorber manifold pipes so that they will fit together when installed in the frame, then place the absorber plates into the notches in the frame. We soldered the manifolds together using ordinary copper solder couplings.
The supply line from the tank pump is hooked to the bottom manifold at the lower end. The return line is hooked to the top manifold at the higher end. The remaining open ends of each manifold are capped. Test the manifold for leaks.
We included vents in each collector bay to reduce the likelihood of the collector overheating when no water is flowing through it. The vents consist of high and low openings in the back wall of each collector bay. Air from the shed enters the lower vent, flows through the collector and exits the upper vent. This flow of air provides cooling for the collector. The upper openings have doors to control airflow. (For a similar design concept, see Build a Simple Solar Heater in the December 2006/January 2007 issue. — Mother.)
Install the horizontal glazing supports in the previously cut notches. These are located just behind the glazing panels to support them and prevent them from buckling. We used electrical metallic tubing (EMT) conduit for the supports.
Install the glazing panels. We used 4-by-12-foot twin-wall polycarbonate glazing panels and secured them with 1-by-2-inch vertical strips screwed to the collector frame. These cap strips are ripped from composite deck boards, which are likely to last longer than ordinary wood strips. We used stainless steel screws to prevent rust stains. No caulk or glazing tape was used between the glazing panels and the collector frame — which has worked fine, with no leaks — and it makes removing glazing panels much easier.
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