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  1. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    Basically it is too heaters. One is run through the vacuum tubes. That will be two tanks. The other is the water for the floor. That will be stored underground in an insulated vault. There will be a discharge tank for water coming out of the floor. That will be above ground. It will be heated by...
  2. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    The tempering valves are usually used in gas fired systems. Or at least that is how I understand it. In a closed system, the water doesn't cool when some of it is removed. The only way that would happen is, if the cold water was returned to the storage tank. I plan to have a discharge tank that...
  3. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    It sounds like a really poorly designed system. I really don't think keeping water at a certain temperature is all that hard. Especially if I use heat exchangers and a discharge tank. My system is designed to be under ground, inside a greenhouse with an insulated bottom. I could see some over...
  4. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    As an update. I have been convinced oil is a bad idea. It has many good points, but the bad outweighs the potential. I will be using water in the vacuum tubes to heat underground storage tanks. The main reason I am doing it that way, is so I will have a constant supply of water heated to a...
  5. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    you do make some great points about the cost of PV solar. But I really really want radiant floor heat. I will get my electricity from PV solar. It will run the AC.
  6. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    that would work. But I am designing a system tht will actually heat the house all winter. I'm not looking to supplement a different system. As to heat transfer fluid, it is formulated to cool quickly. Usually it is used in large machines that need to be cooled.
  7. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    LOL! I'm still here. Don't be sendin' DHS to the house yet. I did get delayed due to a car crash. I won't be building anything for at least another year. But I am healing and growing stronger.
  8. WillyP

    Paraffin heaters?

    I like the radiator idea. You could just lower it inside a steel drum, then fill the drum with paraffin. I am designing a system that will have two fifty gallon drums of water, that will be heated by vacuum tubes. That water will be used to heat underground tanks that feed my radiant floor...
  9. WillyP

    using panels when power is out

    It really does seem like somebody could make a manual switch so you could go off grid during power outages. I haven't been able to find one, but maybe they are out there.
  10. WillyP

    Newbie to solar water heating need advice.

    I would hook the pump up to its own solar panel. that way at night it wouldn't pump.
  11. WillyP

    Paraffin heaters?

    I believe you have that backwards. Paraffin absorbs heat as it melts and gives off heat as it cools. While it wouldn't work as a fluid in a collector. It could work as a insulator around a storage tank. For example if the collectors heat a fifty gallon drum of water, then that drum is...
  12. WillyP

    Paraffin heaters?

    I've certainly heard of it. But it seems like a very expensive solution to a problem that can usually be solved by heating water (or stone) instead.
  13. WillyP

    Why Bother!? $$$OffGrid$$$

    In my case, I am getting ready to retire. I am willing to pay up front, so I don't have an electric bill for the rest of my life. Although in The USA it I shard to imagine an electric bill of $285 per year. I pay that much most months. I know I could save through conservation. But my wife wants...
  14. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    everything I have read say 185°F
  15. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    So as a follow up. It sounded good in theory. But the good people on this and a couple of other boards pointed out that oil lacks the ability to hold heat. Even though it does heat up quickly. Water with antifreeze seems to be a far better solution. As for price, oil is actually cheaper and...
  16. WillyP

    Batteries V Generator.

    Thanks for responding. I plan on doing most of what you recommended. I'll be going with 2X10 walls not 2X6, It will be 16 inch centers due to structural concerns with the second floor. The ceiling between the first and second floor is going to have pex pipe in it and be insulated on the bottom...
  17. WillyP

    Help !!! moved from canada to australia and heading for the tropics as a prepper; i want to build 2 seperate solar system of 24 pannels each minimum

    I am far from an expert. But everything i have read says to go with the LG Neon. It seems to me there is no reason to go cheap with your panels if youhave the money to buy the good ones. Also the neon has builtin mini inverters, so that will save you the cost of an inverter. I am curious if...
  18. WillyP

    Why Bother!? $$$OffGrid$$$

    SOme of this makes no sense.... How do you only have four hours of sunlight in Peru? It sounds nice to have a single digit power bill, but how long will that last? I mean is there some sort of guarantee that it wont go up in the future? It also seems if you are only using a tiny bit of...
  19. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    You pretty much answered all my questions on this topic. Thanks for your input. I am kind of weighing all my options at this point, as I have until next spring before we start construction. Trust me when I say. I will have many more questions before then.
  20. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    What is the price and wattage of what you're considering? These days I can buy PV panels for $0.35/watt and inverters for $0.30/watt (current models & code) or $0.15/watt (new older model, for retrofit of existing system). Balance of system like mounting racks and wires is an increasing...
  21. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    I think the times when there is no grid power will be so few and far between that it isn't really an issue. But I still tend to plan for anything. Especially if it is a situation where the power is off for a couple days and the outside temperature is well below freezing, with a couple feet of...
  22. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    I am a little confused about how inverters work with micro inverters. I am planing on getting the LG Neon R panels which have built in micro inverters. But I think I still need a separate inverter to tie to the grid, IS that right?
  23. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    Thanks, I will look into sunny island (it sounds like a nice place). My current thinking is I need to go with manual or spend a large amount of cash. Does that seem right?
  24. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    That is a great idea. I could have the fridge and TV etc. wired to a separate panel box, with a switch inbetween...
  25. WillyP

    backup generators in a grid tied system

    Okay so some of you may already know, I am in the design phase of building a new home. I plan on using LG Neon solar panels. with a grid tied system. But I would also like to have a back up generator, for when the power company power goes down. Now most (ALL?) grid tied systems shut down when...
  26. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    WOW! That is a great design. How hot does the wood stove get the water? How do you prevent boiling? I originally started out my design with a wood stove as my main source of heat. But over the years it evolved into this passive solar heater. I think this was a result of having far too much time...
  27. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    The big problem with paraffin is it solidifies at 123°F The stored water will be at 95°F. That translates to the wax solidifying in the heater coils. But it does hold heat well. Thanks for sharing this. There are some great ideas here. I really love the idea of using buried tires as a heat...
  28. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    I am trying to picture this. Does the water from the storage tanks ever mix with cold water? Or does the water from the heat source (wood stove or PV) separate and run through the exchanges? Where does the water go after it passes through the slab?
  29. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    Thanks for replying. Is yours an open system? How do you keep the water in storage from over heating?
  30. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    absolutely! I plan on having an on demand water heater that will heat water in the discharge tank.
  31. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    I agree with all of that. My plan is to let the oil get as hot as it can, then run it through coils whenever the water tanks start to cool. I can do this using a simple thermostat connected to the pumps. the oil Pumps are cheap enough so I can use one for each water tank. This will keep the...
  32. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    Anybody who has ever owned (or operated) a well-designed greenhouse*1 knows how well heat sinks work. However anybody who has owned a poorly designed greenhouse knows (without a doubt) that heat sinks are nothing more than the fantasy of wild eyed preppers, who believe heat loss is a government...
  33. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    This is the biggest problem. There are so many variables, it is almost impossible to simply plug in a mathematical formula and just calculate the needs. One of the biggest unknowns is; what is the normal discharge temperature of the water in a slab with pex pipes. Of course computing that...
  34. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    My location is just south of the forty fifth parallel in other words the great white north. I think the trenches would probably have to be at least fifteen feet deep. The frostline is about six or seven feet. But yes I have looked into it. I currently live in Virginia (USA) where that method...
  35. WillyP

    Oil in vacuum tubes

    LOL! I don't mean to come off like that. I am hoping somebody has tried it. I know the science. I just want to hear some practical results.
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