Do-it-yourself Solar Thermal Heating ProjectPoquoson, VA
July 2011 April 2012
Motivation for Project
1. Explore solar technology, benefit from tax incentives 2. Exercise my engineering skills 3. Be productive rather than watching TV 4. Improve comfort while watching TV, etc.
Electric Power Consumption
4,000 3,500 3,000
KiloWatt-hrs
Air conditioning costs low compared to heating costs, so design system to reduce winter heating loads. Try a low-cost DIY radiant heat system rather than expensive (~$30K) photovoltaics.
2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Average
System Block Diagram*
20
Radiant Heat System**
*Design from [Link]. See part list at end of charts. ** Analyzed using Uponor Advanced Design Software
Thermal Reservoir
Solar Collector System
Theory of Control
Start Radiant Heat Control Loop Enter desired room temp
Troom< desired ?
YES NO
Rad Heat Pump = OFF
Rad Heat Pump = ON
YES NO
Ttank> (Troom+ 30F)?
YES
NO
Setback timer = ON?
Start Collector Control Loop
Ttank< (Tcollector +30F)?
YES
NO
Collector Pump = OFF
Collector Pump = ON
3D CAD ModelGoogle SketchUp Radiant Heat Circuitsfamily room, kitchen, laundry room, bath
Collector Panels
Radiant Heat Manifold
Reservoir, Circulators & Controllers
Hot Water Heater (ref only)
Solar Collector Installation15 East of True South, 15 Elevation* from Horizontal
Before
After
*vertical orientation maximizes collection in winter, minimizes in summer when unused
Reservoir Installation in Garage
250 gal of tap water Vented to atmosphere
Before
After
Radiant Heat Distribution Manifold Installation in Coat Closet
Manifold Shutoff Valves, 2 places Circuit Flow Adjustors
Pressure Pump for initial leak check only
Radiant Heat Installation:
610 sq ft: 2 Loops in Family Room, 1 in Kitchen, 1 in laundry room / bathroom
Joist Trak plates for PEX tubing
Operator Interfaces
ThermostatRoom ThermostatStorage Tank Mixing Valve Pump Isolation Valves, 4 places Electrical Power Plug
Collector Circulator Pump Controller
Main Shutoff Switch
Radiant Heat Circulator Shutoff Switch
Setback Timer
Fill / Drain Ports, 2 places
Project Management
9 month duration $6,565 material costs 288 man-hours,
Essentially by a single worker Online research time was significant, but is not included
Timeline of Project
Cost of Materials = $6,565
Manhours
4 hrs / day worked, over 73 work days, by a single workman Band joist insul = 12.0 hrs for 95.5 linear ft = 8 linear ft / hr Rad heat instl = 73.9 hrs for 610 sq ft = 8.3 sq ft / hr Instl Manifold Feed Lines = 13.0 hrs Fab collector assemblies = 59.2 hrs = 19.7 hrs / assy Installation collector assemblies = 35.8 hrs = 11.9 hrs / instl Fab Reservoir = 20.7 hrs Fab Circulator Pallet = 42.0 hrs Collector Plumbing = 19.1 hrs
Total labor = 288 man-hrs
Performance of System:
Predicted performance of Collectors and Radiant Heat System Data collection Analysis
Collection efficiency: overall, seasonal Heating of house Cost recovery Reliability and Maintainability
Solar Obscuration Measurements
June 2011, 5 above ridgeline of garage roof, x = 4 out from 2nd story wall
45 40 Elevation, degrees from Hz 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Azimuth, deg from True North
Ridgeline = 166
Trees on Property Line Our Trees Neighbors Tree
Predicted Energy Gathering
from comparable commercial collector
Norfolk Intl Airport, Viessman Vitosol 200F Power Output vs. Season Moving Average of Previous 10 days, T in=113F, T out=122F, Collector Az=-15 deg, Collector Elev=75deg, 1991-2005 Average = 442 BTU/sq ft/day
For three 4x8 collectors = 42,432 BTU/day
1000 Power Output, BTU/sq ft/day 900 800 700
Max
600 500 400 300 200 100 0 1 31 61 91 121 151 181 Day of Year 211 241 271 301 331 361
Median Min
[Link]
Predicted Heating Performance
Calculated using free Advanced Design Suite software from Uponor
68F room temp, 24F outdoor temp, 23 mph wind 630 sq ft, average construction, Tin-Tout10 7,540 BTU/hr required = 1.8 gal/min @ 109F
Given predicted collector performance of 42,432 BTU/day, well get 5.6 hrs of 68F room temp each day. Existing heat pump runs in parallel.
Solar heat setpoint 2 above heat pump to draw from solar first Degree of interaction unknown
Data Acquisition System
Solely for initial testing, the removed Arduino based data logger Real Time Clock for time stamping SD Card Reader module for data storage Cost approximately $60 Dataset includes Temp of room Temp of H20 in Reservoir Outdoor Temp Temp in Garage Insolation on Collectors Radiant Heat Status (ON/OFF) Time of day
Design Flaw = Freeze Up
Burst, 3 places
Flawed Design
Corrected Design 7-28-2013
Drain back level
Trap precludes breaking siphon, therefore NO DRAIN BACK! 23 Jan 2013 Overnight temp = 18 deg F Eastern & western collectors froze & split pipes. No leak in center collector. Pumped tank dry
Measured Collector Performance
No heat draw from Reservoir (Rad ht OFF) Measure on cloudless days, no leaves on trees Heat gain = (Temp rise of tank) x (vol tank) x (density water) x (heat capacity of water) 12 March 2012: Heat Gain = (100 -74 )x(250 gal)x(62 lb/cu ft)x(1 BTU/lb/ F) =48,360 BTUs / day = 504 BTU / sq ft / day 9 Nov 2012: 510 BTU / sq ft / day vs. predicted avg of 450 BTU / sq ft / day. Pretty Good!
Measured Heating Performance
Works well in spring and fall- no heat pump at all! Unclear about winter. Interaction w/ heat pump unclear, still figuring out ramp-up / down times Added set-back timer to heat rooms only in afternoon & evening With reservoir temp around 120F, looses ~6 / night with unheated garage @ 50
Was Project Successful?
1. Explore solar technology, benefit from tax incentives Learned much about solar technology, only got minimal tax break for insulating floor 2. Exercise my engineering skills YES! Design / build / test of plumbing, electrical, carpentry, controls, data logging 3. Be productive rather than watching TV Yes. Watched little TV during the project 4. Improve comfort while watching TV, etc. Yes. Den / kitchen was 60-62 F in winter, now 66-68 F
Items in Block Diagram
Item # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Description Solar Collector Tubing Pump, Collector Sensor, Coll'r Temp Water Tubing Tubing Valve, Mixing Pump Rad Ht Manifold, Supply Manifold, Return Rad Ht Loop T'stat, Tank T'stat, Room Controller, Collector Sensor, Tank Temp Sensor, Room Temp Sensor, Tank Temp Valve, Flow Cntl Timer, Temp Setback Make self PEX Taco incl w/ Steca God PEX PEX Honeywell Grundfos RHT incl w/ supply mfld PEX & Joist Track Johnson Controls Johnson Controls Steca/Solene incl w/ Steca ? ? incl w/ supply mfld [Link] Model self 3/4 diam 009-SF5 Tap 3/4 diam 3/4 diam AM101-US-1 UP15-29SF FN5-4-90 1/2 diam A419ABC-1C A419ABC-1C TR 0301 U RTD, 1000 RTD, 1000 7 day Cost $ 483.00 $ 0.46 $ 326.00 $ 0.46 $ 0.46 $ 75.00 $ 164.00 $ 129.00 $0.89 / ft $ 56.75 $ 56.75 $ 187.00 $ 10.00 $ 10.00 $ 20.00