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  1. pinkeng

    Electric water heater with timer and thermostatic mixing valve

    Here is what I would do. Get a inferred non contact thermometer (Amazon or any hardware store). install a ball valve on the discharge of the pump and set the ball valve partly closed. Measure the supply (Colder) and return (hotter) pipe and adjust the valve open or closed till you have about...
  2. pinkeng

    Emergency inverter for well and refrigerators - Opinions on the SunGold inverters or suggestions for other manufacturer?

    We've only had the Sun Gold installed a few months, though solar for a year. Purchased off Amazon. Good followup by the sun gold folks as well.
  3. pinkeng

    Emergency inverter for well and refrigerators - Opinions on the SunGold inverters or suggestions for other manufacturer?

    I have the Gould 240v 1hp 3 wire well pump (150' deep) and a inverter fridge and large 20cf upright freezer. I just added a 4kw sungold inverter as a 24v emergency power system located in a separate solar shed. Gould's, OK really Franklin motor's installation manual recommends a 4kw generator...
  4. pinkeng

    Solar Pond

    Ah Thermal Rankine cycle using two or three heat exchangers with refrigerant. I'm scratching my head trying to figure out how they get Usable net energy out of the system. My issue is they would have to drive two pumps, one to pump the lower hot water to the evaporator and another taken from...
  5. pinkeng

    Solar Pond

    Ah It appears that the Beit HaArava system was using the hot water produced by the solar pond simply to make hot water for domestic / industrial processes. It was not generating electricity. It's a poor mans hydronic solar collector. Ok, that would work for a shallow pond. Everywhere in the...
  6. pinkeng

    Solar Pond

    I'm not sure that's Ponds are great for energy storage. they they can be used to dump waste Heat. Back in the 90s there was a pond I think in Reno. We used the pond to reject condenser water heat from a few 1,000 ton Chillers. it basically saved a couple 150 horsepower fans on a couple...
  7. pinkeng

    Heat Pumps Harmonizing Heating and Cooling Needs

    Using refrigerant say from a compressor will not lower the PV panel temperature. You use the condenser located on the outside ac unit which generally has the compressor to drop the liquid refrigerant temperature about 10 degrees. Because the refrigerant has been compressed it's actually hot...
  8. pinkeng

    Heat Pumps Harmonizing Heating and Cooling Needs

    I actually look at this about 20 years ago when a 100 watt solar panel was about $800. In theory you can extract heat from the back of a solar panel. Let's say you want to extract 110 degree water and stored in a small hot water tank. Problem with this is that your solar panel needs to be at...
  9. pinkeng

    Electric water heater with timer and thermostatic mixing valve

    Makes sense. I assume you added external insulation around the sides and top. One other thing to reduce heat loss if the distribution piping is above the water heater is to put a U bend in the hot water supply. If your hot supply pipe is hot above the water heater you can/ will lose heat...
  10. pinkeng

    Help: Engineering Plans for Ground Mount Panels in NW Florida

    HUM, the only thing I can find about Tier 1 relates to the solar panel wind load. It's a rating that solar panel manufacturers need to meet (be certified for) . So you'll need to check with the panel manufacturer if they meet Tier1. Wind loads from a florida building code standpoint are...
  11. pinkeng

    Cell type preference for sailboat build?

    I would use a FLA for engine start, as the starter is very high inrush. Plus if a BMS disconnected a battery at the inopportune time, it could blow the diode pack in your alternator. You can do it all with Lithium but you would need a huge BMS for starter inrush. Most folks I know using...
  12. pinkeng

    Small Power Boat Solar/Battery/Inverter Setup

    If you're only anchoring out part time, FLA works well enough. FLA will work 4-7 years on a boat. (4 years full time cruising, 7 years part time) Though if you roll your own a Lifepo4 does very well. How much battery. With the typical marine fridge, you will need 800-1000 watts a day just for...
  13. pinkeng

    Help: Engineering Plans for Ground Mount Panels in NW Florida

    And Registered in Florida and not another state.
  14. pinkeng

    Electric water heater with timer and thermostatic mixing valve

    Referencing Legionella, it's killed at temperatures above 135 degrees Fahrenheit. It however loves 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
  15. pinkeng

    Electric water heater with timer and thermostatic mixing valve

    I would recommend no more than 140 degree temperature. Reason being at 180 degrees, you're going to get a massive amount of calcium build up very quickly on your heating element. And a fair amount of heat loss thru the wall. 140 degrees will produce about 20% of the lime, and have lower...
  16. pinkeng

    BUYING WATER SOFTENER

    Look at the fleck 5600 on amazon. I put one in 5 years ago and its going strong. $550 ish.
  17. pinkeng

    Help: Engineering Plans for Ground Mount Panels in NW Florida

    That the building department wants engineering plans means you need to get stamped and signed plans. Probably from a structural engineer, licensed in Florida. hurricanes (teir 1) will make that solar panel Mount design quite spendy. my guess is it would cost you a few thousand dollars for a...
  18. pinkeng

    One large inverter or dedicated smaller inverter for a dorm fridge? Or just go all in one?

    I've been running a dorm fridge off a small 1000 watt inverter for over 10 years, off and on full time on my sailboat. You can run it full-time if you want to. I have a giandel 2000w 24v inverter ( nice inverter) that has run pretty much full-time for the last year running a full size fridge...
  19. pinkeng

    Why Higher Amps in HOT Weather?

    Solar panels have a thermal coefficient. Solar panel output is rated at 20° C or 68 degrees F. For every degree above 68 degrees the output decreases a slight amount, which vary slightly between manufacturers. My rule of thumb is 1 volt lost for every 25 degrees F. Roughly. So if the cell...
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