My MOTHER’s House Part VI: Build a Solar Water Heater

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The two center pieces of insulation must be beveled to fit snuggly at the cusp.
The two center pieces of insulation must be beveled to fit snuggly at the cusp.
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The completed collector resides behind the greenhouse's glazing.
The completed collector resides behind the greenhouse's glazing.
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The skeleton of the batch heater, ready for reflectors.
The skeleton of the batch heater, ready for reflectors.
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Our smaller solar chimney.
Our smaller solar chimney.
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The tank rests on supports cut into the three 3/4-inch plywood ribs and stand formed from two-by lumber.
The tank rests on supports cut into the three 3/4-inch plywood ribs and stand formed from two-by lumber.
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The central sun-powered ventilator exhausts air from the roof peak.
The central sun-powered ventilator exhausts air from the roof peak.
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All insulation should be carefully taped to prevent air leaks.
All insulation should be carefully taped to prevent air leaks.
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Tank-supports Template: 1 square per inch.
Tank-supports Template: 1 square per inch.
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Batch heater.
Batch heater.

If you’ve been seeking plans for the simplest type of solar water heater around, look no further. (See the solar water heater diagrams in the image gallery.)

Since our last visit to My MOTHER’s House–when we described the building’s hybrid solar heating system–the Eco-Village crew has been working on detailing our earth-sheltered dwelling. And among the numerous finishing jobs they’ve tackled were two energy-related projects that we’d like to describe in this issue’s installment: our passive solar domestic water heater . . . and a pair of solar chimneys, which boost airflow through the home’s interior on sultry summer days.

TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Of the many different systems used to heat water with the sun, only one kind of collector can claim a performance history of more than a century. The basic tank-in-a-box water-warmers first appeared in the 1870’s, with the introduction of the Climax Solar Water Heater, and have enjoyed a varying amount of popularity since that time. Such devices go by a number of names–batch heater, breadbox, and integral passive solar water heater are a few of the popular terms–and there actually are some variations in their designs as well. However, these collectors all have one thing in common: real down-to-earth simplicity!

A typically configured batch heater consists of little more than a black-painted tank in a glazed, insulated box. The internal vessel serves as both absorber and storage container (thereby eliminating any need for the tubes, fins, and other paraphernalia common to flat-plate collectors), and water is moved through the system by either gravity or line pressure. In fact, one of the most popular ways to use a breadbox (this name derives from its resemblance–when fitted with an insulated cover–to that once common kitchen item) is to plumb the collector in right before the conventional water heater in order to preheat the incoming cold liquid.

  • Published on Jul 1, 1982
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