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Old 05-20-10, 04:53 PM   #1
cmroseberry
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Default Patent Pending Pool Heating System

I just "transferred" from ecomodder. W*rmSpr*ng is the project that has kept me too busy to modify my cars.

My product warms a swimming pool or spa by recovering heat from the air that is ventilated from a attic space. I have been heating my pool for years using this technique. I have gotten 500,000 BTU per day from a couple of my units.
More information and pictures will be forthcoming.


Last edited by cmroseberry; 06-05-10 at 08:51 AM.. Reason: potential customers using search engines frightened away by terms that imply the system is only experimental
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Old 05-20-10, 05:27 PM   #2
cmroseberry
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Datasheet for WS pool heating system:

Nominal Heating Rate: 23,000 BTU/hr. from 1300 cubic feet per minute of 110° F attic air with 4 gallons per minute of 80° F entering water.

Height: 9 1/2 inches
Width: 30 inches
Length: 30 inches
Weight: 32 pounds (not including fan assembly)

Units can be readily disassembled into three main components to ease carrying onto roof.

Materials:
Water coils consisting of copper tubes expanded into aluminum fins.
Sheet metal parts consisting of 20 gauge or thicker steel, either galvanized or powder-coated.
Aluminum spacers and screen supports.

Features protective screen surrounding coils to prevent hail damage to fins.

Plumbing connections: ½” outside diameter copper tubes with beaded upsets (ridges) to retain ½” inside diameter hose secured with hose clamps.

Heat exchanger coils tested to 320 psi at factory.

Mounting brackets will attach to attic fan tubes 10” to 18” in diameter.

Made in the USA. Patent Pending

Last edited by cmroseberry; 06-05-10 at 08:56 AM.. Reason: I don't want search engines to pick-up this post until I have more complete info on my own site
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Old 05-24-10, 03:54 PM   #3
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Please look in my album for pictures of my production units.

Last edited by cmroseberry; 06-05-10 at 09:01 AM.. Reason: removed proper name
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Old 05-24-10, 06:06 PM   #4
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Last edited by Daox; 05-25-10 at 07:36 AM.. Reason: added more pics & fixed links
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Old 05-25-10, 07:34 AM   #5
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Woah, must have missed this thread before. Thats a really cool idea!

I don't have a pool though, but that would probably work great as a preheating system for hot water...
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Old 05-25-10, 02:11 PM   #6
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I like the idea, but again, no pool. I was going to ask, would it not be less expensive to move the air than it would the water? Or do you have small enough tubes to get a "syphen" effect to keep pumping power at a minimum? Or is pumping cost so low that it really doesn't matter?
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Old 05-25-10, 11:05 PM   #7
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Sometimes it might be more convenient to bring the air to the water flow rather than vice versa, but the fan actually uses more power than the heat exchanger loop pump. The current production model of my WS system uses a typical home improvement store attic fan that draws 360 watts. The little pump that I use to send water to the heat exchangers draws 140 watts. Because the water flow rate in the heat exchanger loop is only 2 to 8 gallons per minute, I can use 3/4" PVC to go up on the roof to the heat recovery unit(s). This approach of using a small pump and small diameter tubes is a departure from how solar pool heating is normally done. With a conventional solar panel installation, the entire main pump flow (about 50 gpm) is routed through 1.5" or larger lines onto the roof. Moreover, an automatic power-actuated valve for diverting the main pump flow to roof panels is about twice as expensive as the little auxiliary pump I use for my device. A little flow of water can take-up a lot of heat. I am experimenting with high efficiency fans. One of my prototypes has a blower that moves about the same amount of air as the Home Depot variety fan, but only uses about 190 watts. If I use a brushless DC motor with a high efficiency impeller, I could lower the fan power draw to 100 watts. The air mass flow is one of the limiting factors on the heat output from a WS unit - half the airflow would only give half the heat.
So why not use a PV panel to power a WS system? I think that it would require about 200 Watt to make it work (using DC brushless motors for fans and pumps). Such a PV panel would not fit on top of the 30" by 30" lid of the WS unit. I have not checked prices lately, but a PV panel with this capacity would be considerably more expensive than the rest of the WS system. Another difficulty is that the attic fans will run for hours after sunset to remove the remaining heat within an attic space (lag due to thermal mass). I would love to make a PV-powered WS system, but I feel it is more important to first provide a system that most people can afford.

I have not attempted to establish a thermosiphon for the heat exchanger loop. I would think the water velocity might be lower than optimal for effective heat transfer. Also pool water tends to have air dissolved in the water from waterfalls, splashing, etc. When the water is brought up in temperature in the heat exchangers, some of this air comes out of solution to form bubbles. Having a little bubbling stream coming into my pool is part of what inspired the "W***S***" play-on-words.

Last edited by cmroseberry; 06-05-10 at 09:08 AM.. Reason: proper name removed to hide post from search engines
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Old 05-25-10, 11:12 PM   #8
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Can you see the water lines to the attic heat recovery units? They are painted gray and routed along the ridges of the roof.

I appreciate the editorial help in posting the photos. I will keep trying to figure-out how to do it properly.

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Old 05-26-10, 07:52 AM   #9
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No problem with the edits. Just use the "img" tag instead of the "url" tag and you got it.

I agree with the cost effective unit vs PV unit to get it out there.
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Old 05-26-10, 11:48 AM   #10
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Are you insulating the return as well? It seems a shame to heat water from ~80deg to ~110deg to have it lose some heat to the air. Maybe not a big deal, but worth consideration. I am guessing that from the amount of thought you have put into this project that you have. Thanks for your reply.

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