This solar collector was designed by the author independently on the basis of an old heating radiator. The solar collector allows the use of hot water in the summer, which is heated by natural heat from sunlight. This design will be especially useful in a country house, where hot water usually does not go.
The following materials were used to create the solar collector:
1) Old flat radiators in the amount of two pieces.
2) sheets of metal or tin
3) metal-plastic pipes
4) cranes
5) fittings
6) window glasses
7) two barrels with a capacity of 160 liters
Consider the main stages of creating a solar collector based on an old heating radiator.
First you need to get acquainted with the basic principle of operation of this model of a water heater. Cold water is pumped into the tank from the well; for this, the author installed a pumping station. Water is supplied to the tank through a tap, which allows you to adjust the water level in the tank.
After heating, hot water directly without a tap descends into the bath, since the water in the tank is not under pressure. Thus, hot water itself flows into the bath when the tap is opened.
On the roof of the house, the author installed two radiators so that the top of the radiator was one level lower than the storage tank. Also, for the purpose of natural circulation of water, its supply pipes from the storage tank are installed at an angle to the radiators.
Due to the fact that the tube through which the heated water enters the tank was connected just above the middle of the tank, the warmest and hottest water always accumulates at the top of the storage tank.
Thus, in the summer, when the average air temperature in the shade is 25+ degrees, the water in the tank during the day can warm up to 50-60 degrees.
Also, the author made a simple manipulation of the barrel in order to keep it warm throughout the night and in the morning the water was still warm. For this, the barrel was wrapped with mineral wool and foil, after which the storage tank became a kind of large thermos.
Now about the design of the water heating system itself.
Two flat radiators were placed on the roof of the author’s house.
For convenience of fastening, two metal boxes of their tin and metal sheets were made in which radiators were placed. The radiators in the boxes above were covered with glass to protect them from wind and dirt.The author used two radiators at once in order to reduce the time of heating the water, respectively, the more radiators, the faster the water will heat from solar heat.
In the attic of the house, the author placed a plastic barrel with a capacity of 160 liters, which was connected to the radiators and the water supply system of the house using metal-plastic pipes and fittings.
The top of the radiators installed on the roof is below the level of the storage tank, so the water heated in the sun naturally enters the tank. As expected, the water supply pipes from the tank are made with a downward slope towards the radiators.
Here you can see photos of the manufacture of metal boxes for radiators:
This is how the radiator was placed in the box itself:
Further, the author proceeded to install and fix boxes with radiators on the roof of the building:
And here is a photo of a tank located in the attic of a house:
Since the author used rather old heating radiators that were lying around for a long time, when the system was first started, rusty water flowed for a long time, but after the radiators were washed, the water quality returned to normal.
Also, the author of the collector of this design recalls that in winter the water from the heating system must be drained. Therefore, it is worth providing special drainage taps at the bottom of the radiator. The best way to drain the water from the storage tank is to shut off the pumping station and then open the cold water tap. Thus, all the water in the tank drains by itself. If you do not drain the water from the solar collector for the winter, then in cold weather the structure will deform and become worthless. Although the collector itself is made of fairly cheap materials, it can work for a fairly long time with proper maintenance.