Sandy's $1K Solar Water Heating System On Prince Edward Island

Sandy describes in detail his new $1K style solar water heating system. 

The collectors mounted to side of house.

The collectors use a unique horizontal riser arrangement that makes better use of the copper tubing for horizontal layouts.   The collector mounting to the house is by a hook and eye arrangement that makes for minimal impact on the siding.

The tank heat exchanger PEX coil being wound on a form to
space the coils out for better heat transfer.

Very nice tank arrangement -- looks a lot better than mine :)
Note the small SwiftTech pump mounted on the side -- uses only 18 watts.

The tank is very nicely done, and might be a good model for people who will have tanks located where they are visible and need to look good.  Sandy uses a 300 ft coil of 3/4 inch PEX for the heat exchanger, and took the time to rewind the coil for better separation of the individual coils to improve heat transfer.

All the details on Sandy's Solar Water Heating System...

Lots more DIY solar water heating system plans and examples...

This solar water heater is a part of Sandy's overall plan to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions -- other parts include a new efficient boiler for space heating, upgraded insulation, a Prius, and more efficient appliances -- maybe we can talk Sandy into a report on how the whole program effects their energy use.

Gary