Solar hot water to heat a house?

Christ · 09-02-09, 01:51 AM

Let's say the house is supposed to be 50x80, and will be at least partially buried in a hill, built from cinder block, directly on top of a concrete slab with water pipes running through it.

How do I figure out how many gallons of bulk water/antifreeze mix do I need to store to keep the system operating and able to heat the home through the day/night?

Assuming for a minute that I need about 600 gallons of antifreeze mix in bulk tanks, plus the line capacity and the collector capacity, will the system work strictly using thermal siphoning?

I've seen solar water setups that reach 150-180 degF, so I'm relatively sure I should be able to do this, but no matter what I search, I haven't been able to find a good example of anyone else having done it, so I have nothing to go on when mentally mulling over the majority of options and variables.

The setup I dream of is a system with a bypass loop and each room of the house on it's own thermal circuit, which is temperature controlled by a series of valves that redirect antifreeze mix into the bypass loop rather than under that particular part of the house. In this way, each room/area can have a thermostat that controls the temperature via a valve which controls flow to that room's heating pipes.

Is there such a thing as "too much" with a system like this? I mean, even if I create way too much heat to actually use in the home, I can always just bypass the home w/ the antifreeze, allowing the water to then cool into atmosphere with a radiator.

Side question: Could that thermal siphoning effect be strong enough to generate a small amount of electricity if a generator were installed in the cold side? The actual heater will be about 200 feet away, and about 30 feet down hill from the house, if that matters. I don't think a sealed system will develop head, will it?

09-02-09, 01:51 AM	#1
Christ Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 123 Thanks: 14 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Solar hot water to heat a house? Let's say the house is supposed to be 50x80, and will be at least partially buried in a hill, built from cinder block, directly on top of a concrete slab with water pipes running through it. How do I figure out how many gallons of bulk water/antifreeze mix do I need to store to keep the system operating and able to heat the home through the day/night? Assuming for a minute that I need about 600 gallons of antifreeze mix in bulk tanks, plus the line capacity and the collector capacity, will the system work strictly using thermal siphoning? I've seen solar water setups that reach 150-180 degF, so I'm relatively sure I should be able to do this, but no matter what I search, I haven't been able to find a good example of anyone else having done it, so I have nothing to go on when mentally mulling over the majority of options and variables. The setup I dream of is a system with a bypass loop and each room of the house on it's own thermal circuit, which is temperature controlled by a series of valves that redirect antifreeze mix into the bypass loop rather than under that particular part of the house. In this way, each room/area can have a thermostat that controls the temperature via a valve which controls flow to that room's heating pipes. Is there such a thing as "too much" with a system like this? I mean, even if I create way too much heat to actually use in the home, I can always just bypass the home w/ the antifreeze, allowing the water to then cool into atmosphere with a radiator. Side question: Could that thermal siphoning effect be strong enough to generate a small amount of electricity if a generator were installed in the cold side? The actual heater will be about 200 feet away, and about 30 feet down hill from the house, if that matters. I don't think a sealed system will develop head, will it?