#solarhotwater — Public Fediverse posts

@The_Sun @jdmcg this is one of those feeling a bit envious of the folks across the #Tasman moments. I wish there were more #PV #Solar in #NZ. We have #SolarHotwater, so that’s a start.

THIS is what I've been thinking/believing. If every, every other, every third house just added some #LowTechSolarDIY Don't need mega #NOTTeslaBattery Don't need mega expensive #SOLARBuyBack Just good 'ole DIY solar panels and some Passive or active #SolarHotWater (one of the highest costs)

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:a4py7lzj6xarzriaht7uyxq2/post/3lvjn7hibks2t

@lightweight Yeah, just a simple #HomeAssistant setup running on a #RaspPi B+. I log the #SolarHotWater and room temps, monitor energy usage using an old Cent-a-meter and scrape #CarbonIntensity data. That's about all my wee Pi can manage!
https://mastodon.social/@stephenharlow/108581795456463976

@Doug_Bostrom
Interesting! My first system 35 years ago was drain-back. The pump required to lift water ~10' was so noisy you could hear it 100' away outdoors. Tried drain-down, the valves failed every year or so due to hard water (no exchanger required in US). So I added an exchanger and glycol beyond it. But the domestic water was in the big part of the exchanger tank, and eventually corroded it into leaking. Now I have a dual exchanger - glycol coil, domestic coil, and ~100 gallons of "dead" rainwater for heat storage. The domestic water is heated as it is used, passing through five parallel coils.

On any sunny day all year, it provides all my hot water, and sometimes floor or hot tub heat. If no sun, there is a gas heater and an outdoor wood boiler in the glycol system. (I'm totally #OffGrid )

Somehow it doesn't gain much without direct sunlight, though. I'm 39° N, and when a tree shades the panels it stops.

#solarDHW #SolarHotWater

When you buy a townhouse, wonder why its solar hot water system isn't performing, instrument its inputs and outputs with an ESP32, document it's dismal performance on sunny+windy days, finally get on top of your three storey building to check the collectors......and discover that 10 years ago nobody insulated the four metres of exposed 1/2" copper piping coming from the collectors before it enters the roof.

They're insulated now, but ... I just don't understand some people.

#solarhotwater