diy solar

diy solar

Insulate one side or reflect 360

kcthetc1

New Member
Joined
May 8, 2023
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1
Location
florida
I am setting up a solar water heater that is simply an old hot water heater tank that has had the outer metal skin and insulation removed. It is in a location that will only get about five hours of excellent sunlight (10:00am to 3:00pm). Would it be better to heavily insulate 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank facing away from the sun, or place reflectors behind it as well to have sun hitting it from all sides? I have it on a "lazy susan" so I can turn it to follow the sun during this somewhat short window of sunlight. I am asking to get an answer based on both cost and efficiency/effectiveness. Do I have to have it enclosed with glazing facing direct and reflected sun, or would additional reflectors adequately make up for heat losses due to not having it in a glazed "box"?

Note: I am on an artesian well with adequate pressure coming from the ground, so not a standard high pressure residential line. I plan to keep the tank standing upright to keep the warmest water at the top, so the majority of the sunlight hitting it will be reflected, not direct. I can either have the back of the reflectors insulated and close them down when no longer collecting, or I could have an insulated tube slide down over the tank from above, and not have it encased behind glazing. I also could have this feed into a second water heater tank that is super insulated with no exposure to the sun. Because of the natural ground pressure of our well, the second tank could even be placed at or below ground.

Thoughts?
 
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