Postin' on another site, all CIMER'd out...

[Flyin6]

I joined up on a solar site to learn more about the project at hand. I guess I use a bit of my humorous writin' style over there, so one fo the readers wrote back that I write in a funny manner. That was all it took to lite it all off and here it is:

Got the funny writing from:
1. Being in the Army too long...
2. Being too close to the sun's damaging rays (High altitude) too many times
3. Realizin' (In the tuck, we don't see the need for "g's) well, realizin'... something that I can't remember what the heck I was going to say...Possible CRS onset there...

Ah, forget all that, I'm havin' a CIMER moment (Coffee Induced Early Mornin' Rant) of the humorous variety.

Yea, so, on my build, with this darned cold kicking my butt I managed to cram an hours worth of work into about four hours! Translation: Progress is a clogged up head, slow!

But I did get the south wall framed out for two 36" wide and something between 1" and 60" tall collector. I hope to do that later on after I get through coughing up my left shoe. Actually the daughter is bringing up her dog for breakfast. No, we aren't actually going to cook the dog! But, the thing is, this dog, named Dumas... will be within attack range of my German Shepherd, a little fact that no one seems to have considered.

So If I don't write back for a few days, I'm thinking it is something like 48 hours in the county jail for shootin' your daughters dog within the town limits or something like that. And although I only go down there to share the good word with the boneheads who inhabit that place, I hear the chow is pretty good!

OK, CIMER kickin' in here...What were we talkin' about?

Ah, I remember, sunlight, that's it! So Since I am making an elaborate write up of this contraption on my web site, I have to 1. Keep things simple, 2. Keep it inexpensive. 3. Create it in such a way as our recent vintage of "Educated" people fresh out of school can actually duplicate, and a not so distant 4. The thing has to work

So that is the spirit of the thing. But if you have taken time to look over the various things I/we have going on at this funzy laboratory of hillbilly science, you'll have picked up the fact that Don don't do simple. No I have a derange need to over build, over complicate, and over engineer most things I do. As a pilot if I am flying somewhere three hours away, then 6 hours of fuel is my minimum. If I am going down to the farm for two days and an overnight, the cost at the register at the grocery store is $164. Half tank on the fuel gage in my truck is "Empty" to me. My shed has 200 amp electrical service, and to clear off a two hundred by twenty patch of cedars, I purchased a bulldozer.

So that all means, slappin on a spot of schwartz paint on one side of my hillbilly water tanks and a bunch of old news papers and straw on the other other sides would be a "Yawn" and about three rungs below boring!

Nossir, not for me! Mine is going to have some advance aeronautical engineering concept in play. I'll start with Mr. Bernolli (That guy who invented the lift equation, and overly complicated my life as an aviator!) then add some stealth technology, and finish with a serving of quantum mechanics!

So I was thinking...Hold on, just remembered something
Three of the most dangerous people in the Armee:
1. A captain who says: "I've been thinking"
2. A lietenuent who starts off saying, "It's been my experience..."
3. and The Warrant Officer Pilot who's voice on the cockpit recorder, later recovered from the scene, says, "Watch this!"

Sorry, I seem to have diverges a tad bit, back on point with ya!
OK so I am thinkin' about making up a box, say 36" X 36-48" and placing within it a pretty little grid of copper. Attach the top n' (Kintucky phonetics right there) bottom to a pex which is:
1 Sealed well
2. Filled with RV antifroze (Not freeze, it's froze!)
3. routed from said ends of da radiator grid into the 330 gal water tanks and coiled all over in a mess like some black lives matter protest crowd
4. Blessed by Tibetan Monks for a long and happy live
and
5. something else I can't recall at the moment EMF (Early mornin' forgetfulness) due to lack of quoffee and this CIMER psychological quirk thing I seem to have goin' on.
So,
For reference purposes only, I post the construction of the thing over on my web site...Just makin' a reference, not trying to slide in advertising or anything, but really, its too much work doing those write ups and pics twice.

So, I'm in a state where the quoffee effects are at war with this super cold I have and the results are less than desirable..Therefore I bid you all adieu'

[cudakidd53]

Does that site have its own crew of DOTs, or are YOU the sole member of said "solar" faction?

[Flyin6]

Does that site have its own crew of DOTs, or are YOU the sole member of said "solar" faction?

They seem to be a friendly lot, techno oriented
I'd say I may be an odd-ball there (or here??)

[Wilbur]

In that situation would it be better to have reflective material in the box and the copper pipes painted black to absorb the heat? I dunno enough about how all that works to know if that would be more effecient (something to reflect more sun to the pipes that absorb the heat) versus a "black box" (the non-recording type so no "here hold my beer" proof of pre-accident antics) that heats the air which then in turn heats the pipes. I suspect using angled panels with the copper pipes painted black and suspended in the "valleys" might focus more sun/heat into the anti-froze than just running copper tubing through said non-recordable black box....but whatdoiknow? I can't fly a kite! 

[Flyin6]

In that situation would it be better to have reflective material in the box and the copper pipes painted black to absorb the heat? I dunno enough about how all that works to know if that would be more effecient (something to reflect more sun to the pipes that absorb the heat) versus a "black box" (the non-recording type so no "here hold my beer" proof of pre-accident antics) that heats the air which then in turn heats the pipes. I suspect using angled panels with the copper pipes painted black and suspended in the "valleys" might focus more sun/heat into the anti-froze than just running copper tubing through said non-recordable black box....but whatdoiknow? I can't fly a kite! 

You described the approximate layout of the box correctly.
You would start with the box itself which, in my case  would have say, two- three inch holes in the bottom and two in the top. The holes would be connected to the interior heated space. The holes would vent excess heat into the enclosure where the water lives.

The bow would be lined with a reflective form of plastic insulation which is heat resistant. I have the name written down, starts with poly________.
The copper grid would be suspended between the reflective material and the glazing and be painted flat black. It would be filled with RV antifreeze which would either rise when heated and convectively circulate, transitioning through the much colder water where it would also cool, condense and be pushed along to end up back inside the lower manifold of the copper grid to begin the process anew.

The warm air would do its job as well and with heat flowing into cold the water tanks are natural absorbers.

I may augument the system with a one way check valve and a solar panel driven water pump.

I was where a larger panel outside of a guys house circulating solar heated hot fluid some distance into a collection tank in his basement was able to cook that 250 or so gallon tank of water up to over 150 degrees!

I just need my tank to remain comfortably above 32F so my 36" X 40 ish inch panel ought to be able to do that. The enclosure will also be well sealed and a well insulated affair, hopefully with minimum heat loss.

Still sick, but picked up some parts for the thing today

Running tally:

$150  Two-330 gallon Tote water storage tanks
$264  2"X4"X8', 2" X 6", 1"X10"X8', 6 ea 4X8 smart panels
$51   Screws and structural bolts

[JR]

I joined one solar forum and got like 3 smart arse answers smart to a simple question. Basically asking about DIY solar panels off grid and thought I asked about nuclear weapons or something, never went back.

I think the panels you describe are great for for air. For water I would use the spiral drip hose with a solar pump. They really do work well, but they don't like freezing weather.

I have one of these pumps; http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solar-DC-12V-24V-Hot-Water-Circulation-Pump-Brushless-Motor-Water-Pump-700L-H-/222273553873?hash=item33c08945d1:g:8lwAAOSw-CpX9wC8 that moves water well, but does not lift it to much. This and a cheap solar panel would keep that water moving.

[JR]

Your right though, you overthink and over build like I do.

[Flyin6]

The posts I have read over there are civil, heck if I can find that site again, I'll post a link.

They make their discussions based on data and provide links. Probably a nicer place than JR ran across.

[JR]

Could be. I was asking about doing regular solar under the scope of permits. Thought I asked about satanic stuff.

[OldKooT]

See now I'd have never even considered a permit. The rule here is if you can see it from the road and it can't be built overnight, you may want a permit.

Since we have very little road traffic past our place, and I no longer worry the UPS man is a tax spy (new driver)...I usually only apply for a permit if I see abnormal overflight activity from non crop dusters.

[JR]

Just how I'm doing a room add on. Can't build it overnight, but you can't see it either.

[Flyin6]

Just how I'm doing a room add on. Can't build it overnight, but you can't see it either.

Two syllables: Neigh-Bors

I was happily building a covered porch. Hired some guys and we were poking away on it. On the back of the house, barely visible. One day a county car pulls up and out steps this guy with a clipboard.
He asks who is running this job. I ask who is he and what does he want. Now I know I have told this story before, so if you heard it before, go back to sleep.
The time which this county guy decided to pull in my driveway, I had a pistol or two out, while I was explaining features of them and quick draw to these guys.
So he is standing there acting like he's the sherriff, I am leaning on the saw horse with boards on it, with pistols on the boards when I asked him who he was. He looked a long minute at the guns then handed me the paperwork, which stated "Stop word order."
The neighbors who were friends with the redneck who shot my wife's dog while I was in Kabul turned us in...Freakin creeps!

That's the highest compliment I'll pay them!

[JR]

I have a couple odd neighbors a couple houses away. Both side houses and the rear house are fine, done work with them both.

I also have a permit for the garage which this is attached to and you will only 1/2 of this with the roof peak. This cannot be seen from the street.