PV panels and PV installations are still pricey compared to DIY solar heating systems. I know that solar energy investments involve long range planning but 10 years is too long. Fortunately a skilled handy man can make a connection with the sun and make his money back in less than three years. Low cost or no cost recycled materials may further reduce the payback period.
LOW COST MATERIALS like cull lumber, steel stud slots, isocyanurate insulation, Suntuf glazing, heater hose connections, PEX tubing, polyester felt and home made PVC gutters can keep the expense of building materials down.
Cull Lumber goes on sale because of minor defects. When it accumulates the overall sale of lumber drops so the cull lumber is put on a cart and sold for a fraction of the retail cost. Although a small portion of the cull lumber is not suitable most of the lumber is fine.
Steel Stud Slots may be used to assemble a collector frame. Steel stud slots have built in flanges for holding the glazing and insulation materials. The steel frame also has a professional finished look that many people like.
Polyisocyanurate Foam has an R factor of 7 per inch. It also has a melting point well above the maximum temp reached by flat plate collectors. For these and other reasons Polyisocyanurate is preferred collector insulation. Suntuf Polycarbonate is an ideal glazing material that will not degrade in bright sunlight. It is an amazingly tough, low-cost, and long-lasting.
Twin Wall Polycarbonate is a bit more expensive and hard to find among common building supply outlets, but this glazing may be right for you.
A Heater Hose may be used to carry water to a drain back or trickle down collectors. It's flexible, heat resistant and pre-insulated, but it should never be used with closed loop systems that operate at pressures above 15 PSI.
PEX tubing can endure temperatures in excess of 270*F and handle pressures in excess of 60 PSI, but PEX is more difficult to work with than a heater hose. I only use PEX for radiant floor heating systems and for collector returns that require high head pressure. Black Polyester Felt is made from recycled soda bottles. It has incredible water dispersing qualities that can be used to replace both the copper flow tubes and metallic absorber plates of conventional collectors.
PVC Pipe is a low cost, commonly available material that may be used to make gutters for MTD collectors. PVC may also be used to channel solar heated water from gutter to collector, but it should never be used inside a collector where temperatures can exceed 180*F NO COST MATERIALS are salvaged from sanitary landfills, roadsides or companies with no use for empty containers. We have looked at materials used to build collectors. Now lets examine the materials used to store heat. Used Steel Tanks may be transformed into solar hot water storage tanks by bonding heat exchange tubes to the exterior of tanks.
Recycled 55 gallon Plastic Drums may also be used to store heat, but the external heat transfer from tube to plastic tank is more difficult. Large solar heating systems with a dozen or more drums are another matter. A multi drum system provides the needed surface area for DHW heat exchange on the bottoms of the drums. This simplifies the production of heat for both the home heating and domestic hot water system.
Trickle Down Solar Thermal Roofs have been around for the last 60 years, but the idea never became as popular as expected because of installation difficulties. Modified Trickle Down Solar Heating simplifies the installation process and improves heat collection efficiency. DIY skilled handy men are now using the MTD concept to connect with the sun.
