View Single Post
Old 03-13-21, 09:35 PM   #4
jeff5may
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
Posts: 2,428
Thanks: 431
Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to jeff5may
Default

Nope, not trying to do a copper skeleton and roll form or solder or both. If it was going on a roof, if it was meant to last 50 years, if I had a big budget... Maybe. Too high speed high cost for my "meager" purpose. For fish or swimming pool duty, the plastic micro channel heat soakers are very bang for the buck. I had some and they don't bust when they freeze if you don't touch them.

Anyhow, I went shopping at menards and came home with 3 pieces of 3-5/8 track, 2 pieces of 1-5/8 track, and a sheet of polyiso Rmax board. 1 inch was 20 bucks, half inch was 10 bucks, and 3/4 inch was 13 bucks, so I got 3/4 inch. Grand total of about 34 bucks. I had a chat with hotrod / ratrod builder buddy, and found a few suitable watertight back things for the wet collector part: plastic store sign panels. Pretty close to the same thing as gas station signs without the number brackets. He had two that were long and skinny: smaller was about 2 ft x 10 ft, larger about 3ft x 15 ft. Good enough for prototype duty. We're still negotiating on price, but I may be able to get them for sweat.

I found a water pump on FB market for 10 bucks also. 12 volt RV duty, 3 gallons per minute with a built-in pressure switch. Previous owner took the pressure switch apart and couldn't put it back together. Go figure. Rigged it to my truck battery and jumped the switch contacts to verify no moving parts gremlins in the actual pump, and it spit out some moisture. Yee haw! Thanks, see ya, zoom! Flojet model 03526 looks up easy on the net, dude had a Ziploc bag full of guts and fittings for the pump body, so whenever I can carve out some time I've got just about everything I need to get something made.

Another possibility: it's fake spring here. All of the pilgrims are getting rid of their old hot tubs. For some more sweat and some beers, I could probably score one for free. I absolutely NEED another hot tub. One if those appliances you either love or hate and I love 'em. It would make a great heat dump for all the extra summer output.
jeff5may is offline   Reply With Quote