| Thank's folks,
My thanks to all for your opinions and suggestions on my solar panel design. guess I'll re-think the asphalt shingle thing (Gary gave me another idea)I guess I should give all of you an idea of what I'm doing. These panels are going on the roof of a solar room, green house solarium what ever you want to call it. The entire south and west sides of which are almost solid glass the floor will be (not this year) a 4 foot layer of 3/4" crushed black stone(this year gotta settle for dirt). The room will be 10'X12' and is connected to the house, and vented into the house by a set of french doors. It will also heat the room that the radient is under. For this year I am going to put 3 or 4 55 gal drums(filled with water) on the north wall to help hold the heat and disperse durring the night. The gas water heater will also be housed in the room. If it does get really cold the water heater will come on to heat the water and the ventpipe will give slight heat in the room. I have been finishing up the shell (that's why I've been so long getting back to everyone). When finished the roof will have 12" of insulation plus 1" thermax the north wall 6" plus 1" thermax, the south and west walls all double pane patio doors (again free) and one slider(double pane) in the winter these will all be sealed from the inside with an extra sheet of 6ml plastic(an extra airgap of 2 inches)or if I have to and radient heatloss is to great I'll cut-to-fit some blue or pink insulation for nightime use to be inserted from the inside and do away with the plastic)
Gary gary, what a site (gotta go back and read all of it) for now I have another idea on the collector/absorber's I'd like to run by you.
You said, >>The alum plates that are used as absorbers can be made for less money by constructing a groove or channel using plywood that is just a bit larger than the copper tube you are using -- then take the alum flashing sheet that they sell at Home Depot and lay it over the groove -- then using a mallet, pound the tube into the groove -- this makes a groove in the alum that fits the copper tube. Take the tube out, put a bead of silicone in it, and put the tube back in the groove and let the silicone set. Make the tube to alum fit as close a possible -- this silicone will conduct heat well if it very thin, but not if its thick.
I've heard that this technique works well, but I've not actually used it.<<
I assume your using the plywood as a jig. If so after setting the pipe in silicon back into the jig you took a second sheet of aluminum laid flat on top of the pipe drill and pop-riveted it to the back aluminum plate (a copper pipe sandwich)Once the silicon is dry remve the whole thing from the jig and start over. Would there be much gain in this or would it just be a waste of aluminum?? I would think at least, it would keep the collector/absorber together rather than just the silicon. Not a new idea (sorta stole it from the link you gave).
Oh ya the reason for the size is because I was given the glazing prebuilt (large windows, 3 of them) approx 3'X5' for a total collector of about 9'X5', so I would like to use them.
Well again thank's for all the ideas, I'll post some pic's when it looks like something. |
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