I started gluing the foam together tonight. We'll see how well that PL300 glue holds up tomorrow once it has cured.

Gluing the foam together was pretty simple. Just put the glue on with the caulk gun and line up the pieces.

Here is the first set done:

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1350444131



To make sure the pieces were smooshed together good, I laid some plywood boards I had on top of the foam and walked over it a few times.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1350444131



Two down, eight to go. :)

This is going to great seeing the system made, its almost like fist hand, especially being able to read the first hand accounts.
I'm learning ! :)

I gotta come over sometime and help shoot a video!

Photos are great, but they don't always give the best sense of scale and motion.

This project is the most ambitious DIY home-scale solar hot water system that I personally know of. We should try to document the heck out of it, including video!

Come over any time. :)

This project has jumped threads once or twice as it evolved.
It all sort of started when I discovered that a cousin of mine wanted to get rid of the old solar panels on his house, and offered them to me or anyone I knew who would make good use of them.

That meant a Tim & Ben road trip to go fetch some solar panels, and this all sort of went from there.

Here's that video for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Solar Panel Road Trip - YouTube

Yeah, I have the project broken up into different threads for different parts of the project. I makes finding things much easier a few years down the road. Instead of one gigantic thread about getting solar panels, building a rack, building a tank, trenching, putting the panels up, plumbing everything, sizing the pump, etc. you can search for the thread about building a rack and what is involved.

Quick little update. My wife finished digging the trench this weekend! The last little bit under the porch is done. All that is left to do is grade it all, then throw some rock down to provide drainage around the plumbing.

I've been slowly gluing more foam panels together to go in the trench. Still got about half of them to go.

I'll update with some pictures soon.

Here is the trench as it is right now. The trouble light at the end can give you some idea of scale. She dug (with my instruction) too far to the right and ended up having to move the trench over about a foot! The pink you see is the hole in the wall for the pipes. It is currently stuffed with some fiberglass we pulled out of the office.

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...1&d=1352209857

Wow that's a big trench. Guess under the porch, you had to make it big enough for yourselves.

That's almost more of a TUNNELING operation than anything.

Time to re-watch SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION and celebrate.

Well you have practice tunneling if you get sent up the creek