August 19, 2006 Testing continues
Below is a plot that shows my test as suggested by Barry (see above) to see if a reverse thermo-siphon effect in the collectors at night was causing heat loss in the tank.
I shut off the Wand circulation using the valve right above the Solar Wand at 7:00pm and opened it at midnight. What happened at midnight clearly shows a thermo-siphon, but the flow is in the normal direction which is peculiar. I would expect to see the red line bump up from a reverse thermo-siphon that would result from the larger cold mass in the collectors falling down through the plumbing. Barry Butler is just as perplexed, since a check valve will not prevent this effect.
Also notice the drop in tank temperature from the cooler water that is now circulating through the Wand from the collectors.
I had not gotten around to filling the system with glycol mixture, so you can see a dip in temperature at 7:45 as I filled in fresh 50% glycol mix.
Average tank temperature 85.462F
Making your house a sustainable living home only adds value to to a home buyer, should you be thinking about selling any time in the near future. People place a lot of value in any item in the home that would save them money on their monthly up keep expenses.
By having a renewable energy system in place, whether through home solar systems or a wind power generator so the home can run entirely on it’s own home solar power would be a big asset when it come time to sell, even more so in today’s economy.
Learning to build your own solar panels can be a fun and easy way to convert your home to solar energy. I found that it is not all that difficult even for one who is not terribly handy! The good thing about this is that you can implement the solar panel system incrementally. That is to say build over time that suites your budget. Explore the possibilities at SHIFTING SOLUTIONS LLC.