Wife wearing hoody in living room.

[kbhale]

I bought today everything needed to build the first of two for sure, possibly three tanks. using Firestone 45 mil EPDM Pond Liner. The first tank, about 750 - 800 gallon is in a unattached garage. I plan to heat water in the garage and pump it to the house for heat. The second tank will be in the basement of the house on the south wall. This tank will be for the hot water tank. The plan is solar panels on the south wall to heat the tank. But water heated in the garage could supply it.

Solar and wood will be used to heat the water. I'll post some pictures, soon.

[Mike90250]

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/SolarShed/solarshed.htm

Water based, hot water heating panels, circulating to heat house in Montana, DIY.

Also, folks have buried a septic tank, insulated it, and lined it, for hot water storage.

[kbhale]

I like the idea of a septic tank but it won't work for me.

I've already down sized my primary tank to 650 gallon to make it more counter top / shelf friendly.
For my wood back up heat I bought a conversion kit,
http://www.vogelzang.com/browse.cfm/...-kits/2,6.html Going to wrap copper tubing around the barrel stove to heat water, when the sun don't shine. I have 14' x 24' of roof space for water heating and another 12' x 16' roof that gets sun till noon, maybe two during summer. I've not decided on what style of Solar water panels to build. I do know I don't want to use anti-freeze. During the Fall, Winter and spring I want to heat the house and BBQ kitchen. During the summer, the swimming pool. Bath / dish water year round.

More later.

If anyone has a solar friendly water pump, that can pump water up 12' and circulate a 500 gallon tank around a 150' loop, maybe 2 or 3 times in an hour? Please share.

[Mike90250]

.....
If anyone has a solar friendly water pump, that can pump water up 12' and circulate a 500 gallon tank around a 150' loop, maybe 2 or 3 times in an hour? Please share.

From the Solar Shed build list:
Taco 008 120VAC bronze circulator pump

http://shop.solardirect.com/pdf/water-heaters/solar-hot-water/active-solar/pumps/taco008-pump.pdf

14GPM 16' head.

[kbhale]

Maybe 500+ gallon now. Garage was not built to be heated. I screwed OSB to the walls and ceiling and blew insulation when I bought it. The floor has zip for insulation. It froze and broke in the past. Not level at all.


Before. Sort of. Move the Hydroponics to the basement of the house. Right on top of where the next tank goes. Nice that the Ranco can use unmodified sine wave to work and pump water.


Can you find the solar panels?



Made from left over parts. It works when the sun shines. It's why I'm spending money for solar.

[netttech]

KB, what kind of heat (water temp) you getting from that panel? That looks very similiar (size, tubing, etc.) to my 'failed' panel. It wouldn't sustain good heat when the pump came on.
I was curious how yours is performing. I decided to build a parabolic trough panel (in progress). I have since removed the 80' of tubing in my panel, adapted into a wood-burner/boiler for radiant (PEX)/baseboard.
Jeff

[kbhale]

That's a hundred foot of 1/2" poly pipe. with 6 hours of sun it would raise the temp of fifty gallon of water 30-40 degrees. Not good but not bad either for an uninsulated barrel setting on a concrete floor. In below freezing weather outside.

Anyway I plan to rebuild it with copper. South facing surface for solar water is precious. I'm thinking about going this rout for the roof of my out building.

http://www.jc-solarhomes.com/

Hope to start filling the tank this weekend.


The in house tank will be the base support for my main hydroponic bed. I'll build this summer.

[kbhale]

Tank a holding water.






Working on a hot air and water hybrid panel. Going to use copper wire to pull the tubing tight against the cans.

[netttech]

Look interesting to me. I haven't been able to test my parabolic test panel yet. It's been overcast, cloudy, or raining every weekend for the last 4. I may bypass a test & just build a full scale.
Jeff

Tank a holding water.






Working on a hot air and water hybrid panel. Going to use copper wire to pull the tubing tight against the cans.

[SiL3nT]

Nice work. Looks like a good set up

[kbhale]

It raised 412 gallon of water 2 degrees F. From 64.8F to 66.7F, today. Outside temp in the fifties. The highest panel temp before I went to work 115F. Sun angle change, sun does not shine on the panel till about 10.30 Central. Notice the shadow. I've not made vent holes for the air yet. Have some remodel to do inside before I open it.

[kbhale]

Wire pulled tubing tight against cans. Not as good as fins but cheaper.

[kbhale]

For when the sun don't shine, next winter.


While I was building this wood stove. The sun shined on it and made it hot to touch. Thinking about leaving it in the sun this summer to heat water without wood.

[Heliopolite]

For when the sun don't shine, next winter.


While I was building this wood stove. The sun shined on it and made it hot to touch. Thinking about leaving it in the sun this summer to heat water without wood.

Your heat drum reminds me of the big boiler that was a standard part of the old wood stoves. I never realised before seing your tank these boilers were more for storing residual heat than having a readily made provision of hot water for coffee.