Page Roadmap for the $1K Solar Water Heating Collector

There are more than 20 pages that cover the $1K solar water heating system, its components, component testing, performance testing, and the cost and payback analysis.  So, you really need a roadmap to find everything -- here it is.

 

I'm very open to answering questions on the system, but please check to make sure your question is not already covered on one of these pages.
 

 

Overview

A detailed overview of the $1K Solar Water Heating System...

Developments (or the lack of) in low cost solar water heaters...

Collectors  (there are two collector designs -- either can be used)

The Copper/Aluminum Version...

Construction details...

Making or buying collector fins...

Prototype performance testing...
Galvanic corrosion...

Optimizing the thermal conductivity of the fin to riser joint.... 
Small diameter headers...
Copper/aluminum collector flow distribution test... 

The PEX/Aluminum Version...

Construction details...

Prototype performance testing...

PEX-AL-PEX vs PEX...

Serpentine drain back test...
Stagnation temperature test...

The collector in the prototype system...  (this is my actual system -- its the PEX/Aluminum version)

Construction details...

Very cold day performance...

Heat Storage Tank

Tank construction and Installation...

Tank Update...

Tank heat loss testing...

 

Plumbing, Controls, Pump, and Heat Exchanger

Controls, Pump and Heat Exchanger...

The new pump...

Potential pumps...

Determining Collector Flow rate...

Determining Pump and Pipe sizes...

Cost and Payback

Cost and payback...

Performance Testing and Logging -- Month by Month performance for my system, and other performance tests

Month by Month performance...  (performance of my system for a full year)
Collector performance...  (how do these homemade collectors compare to commercial collectors?)

Very cold day performance... (PEX collector performance on a -20F day)
Thermal performance of the plastic pipe coil heat exchanger
2nd test of plastic pipe heat exchanger

Design and Component Tests -- Lots of testing was done to validate doubtful aspects of the design

 Prototype PEX collector.....
Stagnation tests of PEX collector.....
Drain back testing of serpentine collector.....
Copper/aluminum collector flow distribution test.... 

Flow distribution test on wide collector with 3/4 inch manifolds...
Optimizing the thermal conductivity of the fin to riser joint.... 

Making or buying collector fins and evaluating collector fin designs...

An odd control problem...

Working Examples of $1K Systems

Example $1K System Documented by Their Builders... -- Thank You!

Gary July 24, 2009