It is common in most solar heating applications to use a check valve
While it is common in most solar heating applications to use a check valve to prevent this, there is no standard part made for 3/8″ copper pipe. So Barry, being the brilliant inventor that he is, designed his own low flow check valve. He sent me one to beta test and I installed it — see below.
I drained the collector fluid into a bucket at around 8:00pm and cut the tube that exits the Solar Wand and inserted the new check valve. Using a pump, I then re-filled the system, and as you can see in the plot above, once the temperatures equalized the reverse flow was blocked. I am sure that this will prevent significant heat loss in the very cold months to come here in Maine.
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An interesting footnote. The next morning I saw that the red light was showing on my control panel (and on my custom dashboard in the kitchen) that indicates that the fluid in the reservoir above the collectors was low. I am able to access this from the bedroom window and verified it was dry — and it was 3/4 full the night before. On thinking about this I realized that I had filled the collectors with 68F fluid and over night it had cooled to 30F causing the system to draw fluid from the tank as it reduced in volume. So I topped up the reservoir with more 50% glycol mixture and the level remained normal afterwards.
With what is going on in todays economy many have little to no discretionary funds to speak of, at best perhaps some unused credit available on the credit cards. We are all watching our spending for sure. However, now is also the time when things can be purchased rather cheaply compared to when there is a stronger consume5r demand in a year or two. spending some of your hard earned and saved finances now might just well pay off in the longer run, when you consider that monthly power bills continue to increase.
One of those investments that you might consider at this time, would be a do-it-yourself home energy kit that shows you how to build your own solar panels and /or wind power generator for a personal renewable energy system in your home. Sustainable living is just becoming popular and setting up your own home solar systems to create your own home solar power is just the thing to turn an investment today into security for tomorrow.
Tomorrow part 27 of 29