garbage hot water tank

[ricie]

When i bought my house it had a gas line in for the water heater and the stove, the gas company I used wanted to ripe me off they wanted to charge me 20 bucks just to drop off a note at my door telling me there going to disconnect my gas. If im late with anther payment. So i told them to disconnect and I came up with an ideal to get hot water. I bought a 30 galleon garbage can took 2 110 heating coil's and put them in  and filled it up with hot water. Then I took my  60w and 200w solar panel and connceted them to the heating coils. I could have done 2 things got some kind of water tank that can hold pressure and used it to push the water out into the house or use a water pump and connect it to the shower. Well the water pump to the shower was much cheaper and it works pretty good and it was the cheaper way to go to for a hot water heater it costs for a 20 gallon 215 bucks a home depot. I spent 75 bucks makin this one and I think it works good. what do you think about it?

[Rover]

ALthough i works for you, its terribly inneficient.

I bought a 30 galleon garbage can took 2 110 heating coil's and put them in  and filled it up with hot water. Then I took my  60w and 200w solar panel and connceted them to the heating coils. I could have done 2 things got some kind of water tank that can hold pressure and used it to push the water out into the house or use a water pump and connect it to the shower. Well the water pump to the shower was much cheaper and it works pretty good and it was the cheaper way to go to for a hot water heater it costs for a 20 gallon 215 bucks a home depot. I spent 75 bucks makin this one and I think it works good. what do you think about it?

You filled it with hot water?, since you have a way of making hot water, its probably more efficient to just fill the garbage can with hot water when you want to take a shower. Don't know if you insulated the garbage can, but just trying to keep it at temp is really inneficient, besides you have to fill the garbage can anyway somehow, unless you added some kind of float valve.

I have no idea what kind of electric coils you used, not getting into that

just my 2 cents

[ghurd]

The solar panels, at best, are not doing enough to notice.
G-

[Rover]

Be better off buying a a solar shower, hanging it from a tree, and taking your showers in the late afternoon.

[alcul8r]

You are not getting your money's worth. The PV is doing nothing but heating itself due to internal resistance.

For the same money you could elevate a 30 gallon drum in the sun, paint it black, and run your soon-to-be hot water through a small copper coil in the drum. You'd still have house pressure and not have to refill it much. Add an absorber plate below it to thermosiphon and heat the water in the drum, Some insulation on the North face, a little antifreeze just in case, and you'd have a first-class setup.

Rex

[ricie]

Ill build a better one and see how everyone likes it lol looks like i got tanked on this ideal. and the heating coil is for water heaters.

[Rover]

110 v AC heating element ... typically between 1000 and 1500 watts.... you were just tickling it