I want to install solar panels to contribute to water heating. This is a 4 bed house with currently only 3 occupants but capacity needs to be adequate for 4 - 6 people I guess.
Current system is entirely conventional gravity fed and open with gas boiler.
Boiler is over 15 yrs old and is weeping along some joints so due for replacement this summer. At the same time we want to fit a bigger cylinder with 2 coils as the current cyl is only just adequate for 3 people.
When funds allow I will then either buy or construct a collector. I have started looking at vacuum tube collectors but am beginning to think these will be too expensive for my project (I want to do it as cheaply as possible) and I'm worried about the fragility - the roof faces south west and is exposed to westerly gales coming from the Irish Sea about 15 miles away.
So my present thinking is a conventional collector with a solar powered self-regulating circulation pump feeding the second coil in the new bigger tank.
How do you prevent the water from boiling in the collector in summer? By early afternon the sun is beating down on our roof and the attic gets flippin' hot so I reckon boiling is a possibility. Would the circuit need to be closed or open with a header tank and expansion pipe?
My neighbour is a retired plumber who installed his own panels 20 years ago and is keen to help me with this as the poor bloke is bored.
Current system is entirely conventional gravity fed and open with gas boiler.
Boiler is over 15 yrs old and is weeping along some joints so due for replacement this summer. At the same time we want to fit a bigger cylinder with 2 coils as the current cyl is only just adequate for 3 people.
When funds allow I will then either buy or construct a collector. I have started looking at vacuum tube collectors but am beginning to think these will be too expensive for my project (I want to do it as cheaply as possible) and I'm worried about the fragility - the roof faces south west and is exposed to westerly gales coming from the Irish Sea about 15 miles away.
So my present thinking is a conventional collector with a solar powered self-regulating circulation pump feeding the second coil in the new bigger tank.
How do you prevent the water from boiling in the collector in summer? By early afternon the sun is beating down on our roof and the attic gets flippin' hot so I reckon boiling is a possibility. Would the circuit need to be closed or open with a header tank and expansion pipe?
My neighbour is a retired plumber who installed his own panels 20 years ago and is keen to help me with this as the poor bloke is bored.