July 10th, 2010 | 
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http://NewJuraBuilding.info – First attempt at building a solar water heater out of 3/4″ copper type M, 5′ in length with 3/4″ tee’s and 5″ fillers. This manifold is 8 sticks wideand fits in a wooden tray thats 4′x64″
Duration : 0:3:5
http://NewJuraBuilding.info – First attempt at building a solar water heater out of 3/4″ copper type M, 5′ in length with 3/4″ tee’s and 5″ fillers. This manifold is 8 sticks wideand fits in a wooden tray thats 4′x64″
Duration : 0:3:5
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@tomcatwilson this …
@tomcatwilson this terrible design is cranking out a nearly continual 140 degrees and works well.
Terrible piping design. …
Terrible piping design. 2 problems : The header is the same size as the crossover pipes. Water takes the path of least resistance. The flow will not be balanced and the header is not huge enough to handle all eight of the 3/4 cross over pipes. but I can appreciate your ingenuity and hard work.
Thanks that would …
Thanks that would be awsome
@kanatuna97 you can …
@kanatuna97 you can make a smaller one for your camper but a personal one for camping wouldn’t be efficient, buying a solar shower ar any sports store runs around $8-$25 bucks and works well, but if you want a nice on demand propane heater that draws from a source and uses small camp stove propane cans I have some plans inspired by an outrageously priced version I will post soon.
This is so clean but …
This is so clean but how can i build something for camping ill be sucking from lake or water from a tank,i have a camper van and i may install on my utililty trailer for showers.
I already clarified …
I already clarified above , that Im going to start building mine very soon . Like I said, if it works for you then fantastic . Did you examine all the possible ways of making the collector ?
wheres yours?
wheres yours?
it stays at a rough …
it stays at a rough temp of 140 degrees, if you need hotter than that then I dont know what for, have you built one? if so then post some pics and let us see, too many people pop up and say shoulda this or that but never show what they did, seems amusing to me.
I reckon the design …
I reckon the design is incorrect with flow at 3/4 inch the water will not heat to high enough temp, I am sure it will help but you should have used a ziz-zag pattern so water has a longer travel distance in the unit…Peace
The exposed surface …
The exposed surface area is much greater with a 60′ copper roll, its protected in a wooden box, and all overhanging tree branches should be cut down so as not to restrict sunlight to the collector in any case. Im not dropping a bomb on your design because im sure it works excellent for you ; just thinking of a more simplified / compact/ efficient way.
I originally …
I originally thought of doing that but I am not a fan of soft copper, I wanted a rigid and solid manifold and this works well for me, I am not telling anyone what they should use, but should a branch or something fall and hit the panel rigid pipe will hold up better.
You should have …
You should have GREATLY reduced your costs and made it much more efficient, by going with a 60′ roll of Type L. 3/4″ ID . Copper tubing. It would have made your collector size more compact too. Im doing mine this way and ill post the results in this heading. Its going to be hooked up to a 40 gallon standard electric water heater and will be an open type system since i live in Florida.
Red pex does not …
Red pex does not absorb or hold heat, while it will stand up to the heat the sun puts out, Pex will break down in UV light this is why it is used underground and in walls, never exposed. If you are going to use a plastic I advise the black gardening type ABS, it is flexable and will stand up to UV rays and exposure. This heater I made will stand the test of time and gets hot and stays hot for hours after the sun goes down. It is well worth the price I payed, but I encourage everyone to try.
im thinking the red …
im thinking the red pex would be a lot cheaper and easyer
TheDudeRulez09,
…
TheDudeRulez09,
The flow tubes you call them are refered to as risers in your system. I noticrd you use all 3/4 pipe. Have you tried using 3/4 pipe for the headers and 1/2 pipe for the risers. I reckon you would get better performance with that set-up. Also if you are able to place aluminum fins on the riser tubes, everything painted black would help you a lot.
Yeah I really try …
Yeah I really try my best to utilize as much recycled materials as possible, so for the most part the copper is all it cost me.
thas not terrible price, …
thas not terrible price, I already got over $400 invested in putting together a 4×8ft solar soda can heater….thanks
all in all cash …
all in all cash wise it cost me around $120 for the copper and that built 2 of these units.
You must get free …
You must get free copper tubing….i checked prices on this at home depot last week, and the fittings and stuff aren’t cheap at all…..I have some 20′ lengths of 1/4″ stainless tubing, wonder if i can paint that black and use it in a coil formation….
Excellent start. Lookin …
Excellent start. Lookin’ for part two now.