Quote:
Originally Posted by Daox
...This is a very cool setup. I wonder about the longevity of it though. What do you guys think?...
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There is an economic dimension that needs to be considered...
I think that in an economy such as ours, a PET plastic water heater would be a waste of time. It would be better to build (as randen does) or buy a substantial solar water heater system that would give us a life span that we, in an advanced economy (at the top of the empire pyramid) have come to expect.
But in an economy, such as you would find in many parts of Brazil, where the 'middle class' is about 15% of the population, and the 'poor' are about 80% of the population, this design is absolutely brilliant, as it is using material from the waste stream and directing it to a useful application. If it holds up for a few months before being replaced, it is a huge success.
I have come across many studies where apparently simplistic technical fixes were still completely out of reach of the intended population, and the 'improvements' were just not sustainable.
Something to think about
:
the majority of people in South America live their whole lives, never experiencing a hot bath.
-AC