Planning ahead for solar panel remote monitors. Any advice?

[RigidRaider]

Hello all, I don't normally post on the sparky forum, you'll find me mostly on plumbing.

I have installed an extra HW cylinder in the attic in tandem with the existing HW cylinder and when funds allow I plan to buy a Viridian Solar panel setup and install it on the roof, running it through the coil in the new tank to pre-heat the water.

I would like to have a couple of remote thermometers in the downstairs utility so that I can watch the panel in action and feel conceited about saving energy. At the moment I'm doing a bathroom project and we've got floors up and ceilings down so I have the opportunity to pre-lay the cables from the attic to the utility. What kind of cable would you advise me to use? I was thinking of using multi-core alarm cable.

Can you recommend a pipe thermometer with remote readout?

Thanks!

 

[bernardgreen]

Until you get the system you cannot for sure say what type of cable will be need. So instead install a cable route in the form of a duct or conduit into the loft into which you can pull cables into when you know what is needed.

 

[ericmark]

There are many types of thermocouple see Wikipedia some like the J type require compensating cable. Also there are remote methods of reading most common is 4 to 20ma by starting at 4 not zero it allows the use of one pair of wires both to power device and read.
I have used PLC's (Programmable logic control) with SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) and a graphic interface on a PC. Which gets expensive the simple systems I have seen are for underfloor heating.
But temperature switches are normally cheaper than temperature senders and many senders are wireless so as already said until you have selected system you will not know what wire is required.

 

[RigidRaider]

Ah! Thanks!

 

[toasty]

I tend to agree, if you can run a thin conduit with a draw string in it then you'll have the best of both worlds.

If you can't do this, then your idea of alarm cable (more cores the better) or good old fashioned Cat5 cable (again more cores the better, so consider running a couple of them) is pretty versatile and could surely be used for most applications.

I use these http://www.quasarelectronics.com/3145-ds18s20-computer-serial-temperature-data-logger.htm over cat 5 (at least 20 meters) and they work great!! You need 3 cores for each sensor ideally.. Mine are interfaced to a pc, which makes for easy reading/logging.

Good luck!

 

[RigidRaider]

Thanks again. That might be a bit OTT for me but I've bookmarked the site anyway.

 

[jockspark]

have a look on worcester site. the probes come with
approx 3 meters of 2 core T1 fits in the solar panel
T2 fits in the probe pocket in the cylinder in place of the standerd stat. they work on change of temp = change in
resistance they are not no/nc. very strait forward .
programmer has L N in L N pump mv and TI T2 as mentioned above you will need conduit and/or draw line
to extend cable

 

[RigidRaider]

Again, thanks. Jockspark I can't find the stuff you mention on the Worcester site. Can you give me a link?

 

[jockspark]

Again, thanks. Jockspark I can't find the stuff you mention on the Worcester site. Can you give me a link?

hi i just installed this system i never got the info
from there site. i thought it may be found on there
i will see if i can get the paper work for it scan it and post
it on here for you.
it was a worcester system two solar panels with a megaflow cylinder with two coils. one heated by the boiler
one heated by the solar panels. very basic a pump
2 port valve circulating through the panel and heating
coil.

 

[jockspark]

this may be helpful
http://www.discountedheating.co.uk/shop/acatalog/Worcester_Greenskies_Solar_Systems.html

 

[jockspark]

http://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/cache/file/33/tds10-solar-system-controller.pdf

here is the diagram for the tds 10 controler

 

[RigidRaider]

Thanks! *sound of mind boggling gently* That's quite a sophisticated system!

I was going to buy a system from these people: http://www.viridiansolar.co.uk/

What do you think? They look simple and easy to install. All I need is to buy a stand-alone system and run the hot water through the coil in the cyclinder I've installed.

 

[ericmark]

Take a holiday in Spain, Turkey, or Tunisia and you will see how it is all done. Think back to basic. A radiator painted mat black will absorb the suns heat and a double glassed window with stop it escaping again. Pumping a liquid through the radiator will allow you to transfer the heat if the liquid can't freeze that's an advantage. You only want the water to circulate when the sun is out so powering the pump from a solar photovoltaic (PV) power cell would make sense. And since it is not too hot here also the water store will need the heat exchanger in a very low position.

If you are able to position the hot water tank above the solar panel like they do in hot countries then no need for a pump you can use thermosiphon.

Step one build a house with a flat roof!