Romanov's Solar Collector
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I used 2" x 4" pine boards and 5/8" plywood to build the solar collector frame/box. Then, I painted the whole unit. The frame size is 36" x 79.5" |
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All frame seams were sealed. |
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I also used a one-inch insulation board with aluminum foil (back side). It works
not only as an insulator, but also as a heat reflector. You can use High Density (Rigid) Polyisocyanurate Foam - melting point is 177 degrees Celsius or Expanded Polystyrene - Melting point is 240 degrees Celsius. Also you can use Reflectix Reflective Insulations and Radiant Barriers. |
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Insulation board installed. |
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The seams of the insulation board were also sealed. |
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In order to test the effect of black tar-paper as an absorber, the solar
collector box was temporarily divided into two sections.
The left section contained tar-paper. During a period of several hours,
I tested the temperature inside each section. The better result was reached in the section with tar-paper. Therefore, I decided to install this paper in the entire collector. |
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The main components of my collector are black painted hot water baseboard heating elements (copper pipes with aluminum ribs). |
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Solar collector assembled and covered with double glass sliding door section to trap and hold in
sunlight/sun's energy that is not immediately absorbed by the heating elements in a method similar
to a greenhouse. The solar collector cost includes the cost of materials, which is about $300, and approximately 20 hours of labor. |
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Temperature inside my solar collector February 21, 2009 This photo shows that my solar collector is well-insulated. Thanks to the insulation as well as properly chosen collector (heating) elements, the water in my solar collector reached boiling temperature. |
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12 Volt water pump - $79.99 |
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12V/15W solar panel - $79.99 |
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Contact: borisromanov@gmail.com