Desigining & building a solar hot water panel rack

[menaus2]

Wow this is a really ambitious project! This kind of stuff is a huge inspiration. Keep up the good work!

[Daox]

Thanks Menaus. Its good to hear that its interesting and inspiring for others.

Originally Posted by Mikesolar

use a bigger wire like 16g for the sensor due to the run, and use 4 conductors in a PVC conduit, just in case.....

Thats not a bad idea. I'm also planning on using shielded wire or something to cut down on intereference. I've had issues with interference with shorter runs with my attic heater setup.

[Xringer]

If it's RFI you're worried about, it's not normally a problem with underground cables.
RF noise or radio transmissions in the AM band and higher, don't penetrate more than a few inches into the ground.

For the section of wire that's exposed to the RF environment in your basement,
(if it's not twisted pair) a simple ferrite clamp-on filter should work fine.
Ten TDK 5mm Clip on EMI RFI Filter Snap Around Ferrite New | eBay
The old CRT monitor cables had them installed..

Anyways, if you have some extra wire, I would think about having an extra pair,
for a few watts of PV that you might want to add later on.

[Mikesolar]

Don't forget the conduit. Most wire insulation is not waterproof in this application.

[Daox]

Sadly, my home projects have ground to a hault. Earlier this month I was in a car accident and thankfully only had some mild injuries. I'm mostly better now except for a bruised up right wrist. Of course I'm also right handed. I can't lift anything heavy or do any real work until it heals up, and it seems to be taking its sweet time.

[zick]

Sorry to hear that, thankfully it wasn't worse.

Get well soon!

[AC_Hacker]

Originally Posted by Daox

...Earlier this month I was in a car accident and thankfully only had some mild injuries...(

Very sorry to hear of your accident, injuries and the damage to your project. You were lucky, though. I fell off my bike and took a year to feel right again.

This LIFE thing doesn't come with any guarantees...

On a more ecorenovatoristic (newly coined word?) note, I received the glorious electronic thermostat today. She's a real beauty, she is. I'll put her to work right away.

Be well, my friend...

-AC

[Mikesolar]

Hope all goes well in re-hab on the wrist and I hope the new car works out for you. Big bummer getting in an accident.

[S-F]

It can be strange how life keeps us on our toes like this. One time when I had been doing a lot of video encoding (a hobby) and had been used to being able to move the film forward and back with a slider I broke a major piece of my PDA while tinkering with it. My first reaction was to rewind and not make the same mistake....
The moral of that story is that no matter how much we prepare for difficulties they will inevitably creep in to our lives, and it usually happens when least expected. And when it does occur it can be so unexpected that it seems unreal. Just like a film. Cars have such a great potential for disaster that I'm amazed ever time I drive that more people aren't crashing dramatically. Really the speed at which we move in vehicles and the sheer volume of vehicles on the road, operated by random unknown individuals is scary when thought about. Probably a lot of the people you share the road with on a daily basis aren't the kind of people you would invite into your house for dinner and a movie, yet we entrust our lives to them whilst driving.

At least you're still healthy in the basic sense. This is just one more reminder to me to be grateful for all I have.

I wish you a speedy, but more importantly, a FULL recovery.
I also wish that you get the solar thermal system up and running in time to take the edge off your winter. But I'll happily wait with patience while you live your life to see the culmination of all your due diligence on your project.

All my best,

-Colin

[Daox]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. I really am itching to get back to work on things. Its been over a week now and I'm getting antsy haha.