A new shed in progress
 

Hi all! It's been a long time since I posted, but I have lurked every now and again. Life has been quite busy, and thus my non-attendance.

Anywho, I'm in the process of building a 12x28 shed, and plan on building a Gambrel roof. I figure I can get 4 4x7 foot collectors on the lower roof portion, and hang 4 4x7 foot collectors on the wall. According to Solar Angle Calculator | Solar Panel Angle Calculator, I think the best angle is between 31 and 35 degrees from vertical, or between 55 and 59 degrees from horizontal. This would put the angle just outside of the winter solstice. What say you?

I had to make a 12"x12" footing to meet the city requirements, so, in October or November I will pour the floor. It will be insulated from the compacted gravel underneath, and from the footings on the sides (1 1/2" iso). I intend to run PEX tubing on the mesh before the cement is poured. What say you?

The plan is to heat the pad in winter. It doesn't need to be real warm, but anything above freezing will be a blessing. I also plan to preheat water before it enters the water heater in the house.

The panels that will be hung on the wall will likely be covered during the light-load season to prevent stagnation.

I am told by an acquantance that he is going to give me a PV panel of which I plan to charge a battery bank for powering the shed, and for running the pump.

PS: I really appreciate the knowledge on this forum.

Well your new shed work sounds pretty impressive.. I hope you will the thread updated with the progress and positive and negative outcomes of the new shed..

Since you want to use the system only in the winter time, why not just put the panels on the wall or at least close to 90 deg. If you use glycol, it will not get hot enough in the summer to degrade it too much and you can run straight from the panels to the floor.

I have been using a lot of these pumps lately, run from a 20w PV panel. No other controller necessary except for an internal t-stat.

Thermo Dynamics Ltd. - Solar Pumps

Alvin, when there is more noticeable progress, I'll report. Still busy building, and working a full-time job.

Mikesolar, Yes, mostly winter, but also for DHW preheat for the rest of the year.
Also, thanks for the pump link. A question: are the pumps usually that expensive? I'm a little nervous about the price considering that I haven't calculated my return. :o I do realize that if the cost was factored over 10 years, then it's not so much.

There are a lot of benefits to the pumps. One is because they include the controller. All you do is get a 20-30w PV panel. I do a lot with these pumps and they have 3 sizes, the smallest being for 2-3 panels and the largest is big enough for 9-10 panels. It is no problem to have a diverting valve that switches over to a DHW tank.

Positive displacement means you can run 3/8" copper tube which is much less expensive as well as the insulation so there are saving there as well. Also, I have some of their pumps in 20+ year old systems.

Well, it's been a long time since I have last posted! I was afraid to log in because of the way the forum used to be, and that I would not know which threads I had read or not read. Thankfully, it appears to be fixed...yay!
Also, I was quite busy building 4 PA speakers and a Pro touring subwoofer.
Anyway, the structure is built and the outer skin (1/4” OSB) is painted, and the permit signed off (3 months after permit given). Unfortunately, I ran out of money so therefore, the floor is 12 foot pallets that I shortened up to 10 feet with OSB screwed to the pallets to tie them all together. Hopefully, in a year or so I will pour the floor with PEX installed. Running out of money also means that there is no insulation for now. For heat, I have just installed a DIY rocketstove heater, but have not run it fully yet.

Here are some pictures.

And, boom! Here are the pics (first time uploading for me on this forum :)).

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...703_142538-jpg

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...802_155226-jpg

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/attach...002_112251-jpg

Don't use poliso foam below grade, it will soak up water & loose much of R-value.

Nice shed , add a few windows plumbing and you have a rental or quest cottage :D

Some house wrap and siding would help keep the board dry and stop any eventual rot.

I received a couple of used vinyl windows which I hope to install this summer. There is one small (14"x14") one installed in the back wall.

Haha, on the "guest house" idea.

I built a rocket stove heater (without the mass) and it has been a treat to have since I can heat the shed by 5° C every 30 minutes, even starting from -11°C (the coldest it ever got in the shed even with -20°C ambient).
Attachment 5087
There is R22 in the ceiling and the south (long wall) with R14 in the rest of the walls, all rockwool.
I realized that the ground was giving up heat into the shed, which got me to wondering about whether how to insulate the footing. I've been thinking about digging two feet out from the footing and installing 1 1/2" x2' pink rigid board horizontally below grade. But I realize that the footing needs to be insulated as well, and I just have to figure how I'm going to do that part.