A Homemade Solar Water Heater

I was wondering if this solar water heater can be adapted to heat water in a 800 gallon water tank?<a href="http://besthomemadeenergy.com" rel="dofollow">how to make solar panel</a>

My own collector invention is a similar framework but using a network of CPVC tubing attached to it and imbedded in just enough cement to cover the tubes. The cement is black of course. Very inexpensive and plenty hot. Glass is optional but will probably keep things hotter, your choice.

The answer to our energy needs is there every day in the sky.

I live in the Caribbean, so I don't have to worry about freezing pipes! We more worry about water rationing. I was wondering if this solar water heater can be adapted to heat water in a 800 gallon water tank?

My calculations showed that I saved $182 this month on utilities compared to the same month last year. What I did:
1. tinted all of my windows in my manufactored home.
2. Two of my skylights were sprayed with water and I put bubble pak on them (four layers acting as insulation)The water spray sort of glues the bubble pak to the glass. This allows the light in but keeps the heat out.
3. Since I only use my A/C unit in this hot desert of AZ I used styrofoam as insulation in all of my cieling H2O cooler vents, and plastic store bags to seal any drafts in the vents. I removed the swamp cooler, insulating and covering up the hole with a sheet metal cover.
4. changed all lite bulbs to CFL's. I only use one light at a time, makes no sense to lite up the whole house.
5. set my thermostat two degrees higher than last year (to 81 degrees)
6. Turned my gas hot water heater down to vacation mode (still hot enough for me). I wash all of my cloths in cold water.
All of this came out to about $150 investment. Not too bad of an investment, better than anything else I could invest in. During this winter I hope to have built a solar H2O heater. I'm open for suggestions and do subscribe to Mother Earth News. Eddie

I am considering using this type of system to heat a hot tub. We don't worry about freezing as much as over heating. A good summer day here is 100++. Like the idea of using an old patio door-safety glass)Could I use a small pump to move the water?

Se me hace muy interesante los conocimientos que ponen a disposición para elaborar un calentador solar :
y en base esta información voy a eleborar uno usando los siguientes materiales
1.-madera para formar el cuerpo como aislante
2.-tuberia de pvc color negro diametro de una pulgada
para formar el colecctor.
3.-placa de vidrio frontal de 3 mm
4.-El boyler de 40 galones lo voy a usar como tanque de almacenamiento de agua caliente
5.-el solar collector lo voy a poner en la azotea conectado directamente al tanque de almacenamiento de agua fria.
Si alguien tiene experiencia en hacer celdas solares fotovoltaicas agradecería mucho me orientara a mi correo electronico mmmmontes16@gmail.com

In 1931 when the last Doble steam car was built it was refined to the point where it was a very good and dependible car. Why is it that today there over 70 years later there is no intrest in this field with multifuel applications such as wood coal, and anything that burns
could be used as fuel. If there is someone out there who is intrested in a venture of this nature bearing in mind a
knowledge of steam principles is necessary just let me know
because I would like to participate in a venture of this nature.
C Beaubien ( cctb990@yahoo.com)

I am interested in the cheap water-heater - but are there anybody who have any idea of how to put the heat collector on a tripod with a unit so I can track the sun??

Arne

I am curious why the water heating tubes are not set up as a serpentine, or one long back and forth tube? It would seem to bring a higher end temperature to improve the thermosyphen which would also allow a second "water heater" storage container for high use periods and cloudy days.
If one of the "hot water" storeage tanks were an old gas water heater a wood fire box could be built under it for winter water heating and the resultant smoke from the gas water heater simply pipped away to the outside.

My father used a similar method back in the 1980's to help my grandparents with heating costs. He used aluminum cans. He said they were narrowed at one end in the 80's. He just fit them together like tubing. He said he isn't sure if they still are or not, he hasn't taken the time to notice.

The author says he used 50\50 solder, which implies 50% tin and 50% lead.

Lead is no longer allowed to be used in soldering plumbing connections because of the health hazard, at least that is what the experts say.

You have to use a lead-free solder on the connections, available in any plumbing section of a hardware store.

I wonder if your researchers could rate each system of water heating, solar panels for houses, etc., not only for 'best design', 'ease of making', etc., but also according to geographic/weather areas. Up here 30 miles equidistant from the North Dakota and Mannitoba, Canada, border in Minnesota, we've 120 degree fluctuation every year. It is difficult to determine which methods and products would be not only the cheapest (DIY) but also the most hardy.

You can improve ease of assembly and durability for your collecter box by using a discarded Patio Door pane (It's REALLY hard to break these, and when you do they crumble into glass 'gravel' instead of dagger like shards). I actually ended up with more than one of these when i scavenged glass from the debris lot of a small window replacement business. They WANT to get rid of this stuff, too -otherwise they have to pay for it to be hauled away in a dumpster! (you can also gat decent used 2x4's and such). You end up with a large, durable, one piece collector box lid.
Also, the toughness of these pices of glass made me think "glass bottomed boat", bu that's another project....

Kudos to you for making this. One tip that will improve the
performance will be if you position the connections on the inlet
and outlet headers on opposite corners. If they are as you have it
(middle of each header) or positioned on the same side then the
tubes nearer the connections will have slightly higher flow while
the others will have lower which will affect the performance. If
they are positioned on opposite corners then the distance along any
tube between the inlet and outlet will be equal and therefore
provide a balanced flow and therefore more even heat and better
performance. For this reason a commercial hotwater panel has the
connections in opposite corners of the panel.

The illustrations are in the Image Gallery at the top right of the
article, under "Related."

the article was good only if u could include photos coz there might
be some of us who want to build a solar panel ourselves..so ud be
giving us god ideas

One problem with solar water heating is that the system is either
underdesigned in winter, or over designed in summer. Why not
accomplish not just water heating, but also space heat and air
conditioning with the same system? Find out how in my blog. Max
www.energy-guru.blogspot.com