Harry Thomason - Solar Energy
(Page 4 of 13)
November/December 1979
By Richard Freudenberger
PLOWBOY: And from there you pump it through a hot-water baseboard system?
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THOMASON: No . . . and that's where we differ from many other systems. I'm sure you realize that-in order to get satisfactory heating in the winter months-water temperature in a baseboard setup has to be fairly hot . . . and has to be kept hot constantly to maintain a comfortable climate in the house. If a cloudy spell should set in, it wouldn't be long before the backup system would have to come on to maintain temperature.
With the Solaris system, though, we set the main hot water storage tank in a cinder-block bin and fill the bin-around the tank-with stones. Then the heated water warms the rocks, which heat the air in the bin, and we blow this warm air throughout the house . . . at a temperature of perhaps 75° at the highest. Of course, it's not difficult to maintain a temperature that low . . . in fact, our system is efficient because it operates, at low heat: The water coming off the collectors might only reach 100° to 125°F in the dead of winter . . . compared to the perhaps 160°F which is common in many closed-loop liquid systems.
PLOWBOY: Speaking of winter, what do you use to prevent freeze-up?
THOMASON: Nothing . . . we don't need antifreeze. Our collectors are of an open flow design, and there are no exterior pipes to freeze. Besides that, the water is always kept moving, and it's always warm.
PLOWBOY: OK, so what do you use for backup heating. if you need it . . . a hot air furnace?
THOMASON: No, we've eliminated the need for a furnace by using the home's standard 40-gallon oil-fired domestic water heater as an auxiliary heat source. We can circulate its hot water-when necessary-through a series of finned copper tubes . . . positioned in the crawl space between the rocks and the top of the storage bin. Additionally, we route the heater's flue pipe through this air space for extra warmth in the colder months. This arrangement can supply twice as much backup heat as we'll ever need, and at a lower operating cost than that of most furnaces, since the heater uses only 1/2 gallon of fuel per hour . . . when it's running, that is.
PLOWBOY: Aha! But you still need that oil to warm your domestic hot water.
THOMASON: Yes, but we only consume an inconsequential amount. Inside the smaller storage tank-mounted up near the top where the water's the hottest-we have another 42-gallon tank . . . which is plumbed into the water heater and fed by the normal outside water source. This system preheats the water that we actually use in our home, so the oil burner merely has to give the liquid a bit of thermal "boost".
PLOWBOY: So far, the Solaris system sounds fine for the winter, but what about the summer . . . how does your design take care of cooling a home?
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