How to Make a Solar Water Heater for a House
Making a solar water heater for a home can be done with minimal tools and skill, and can dramatically reduce hot water costs. A solar water heater is a large panel filled with copper pipe that can be mounted to the roof of the home or in a location that gets a lot of sunlight. The average homeowner can create a solar hot water heater in about three hours. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Section of plywood (3'x4')
- 2x4 lumber (2 14-foot pieces)
- Saw
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Flat black paint
- Wood screws
- Plexiglas
- Copper pipe
- 90-degree pipe adapters
- Pipe solder and flux
- Propane torch
Instructions
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Construct the panel base from the 3'x4' section of plywood and the two 2"x4" pieces of lumber measuring 14 feet in length. Measure and cut the 2"x4"s into two 3-foot sticks and two 4-foot sticks. Attach these to the edge of the plywood using wood screws, driving them clockwise from the plywood side first. The goal is a shallow "box" or pan, with the plywood bottom and four walls.
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Create openings for copper pipe in the sides of the 2"x4" walls by drilling holes at opposite corners large enough for the pipe to fit. Drill two holes: one for input and one for output.
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3
Run the copper pipe through an opening and across to the other side. Attach a 90-degree pipe adapter to the open end with the solder and flux, then a 3-inch section of pipe. Paint the clean area with flux, then heat it with the torch until it bubbles, adding solder gradually. Allow the solder to cool when it has filled the gap. Add another 90-degree adapter to the open end of the short pipe. Run a long section of pipe to the opposite wall and repeat the 180-degree pipe adapter process, sending the pipe into a radiating pattern in the bottom of the panel. Finish by sending the pipe out of the second hole by cutting the last short section of pipe to the right size.
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4
Paint the entire inside of the panel flat black. Be sure to paint over all of the pipes and use several coats so that the paint will survive the intense sun. The black color absorbs more light rays, and therefore more heat, and transfers this heat to the copper pipe. Allow the paint to dry completely.
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Cover the panel with a section of plexiglas acrylic plastic. Carefully drill small holes into the edge of the plastic and mount it with shallow, narrow wood screws to the top of the panel, sealing the pipes inside. Acrylic can crack easily so be sure the drilled hole is significantly larger than the screws' width. With the plastic attached, the panel is ready for installation. The "top" pipe opening is the input, and the bottom is the output.
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Tips & Warnings
Mount the panel on a roof with southern exposure, if possible, for maximum sunlight.
Don't touch the panel in the daytime or for at least an hour after sunset; the panel can get extremely hot.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit photo Solar energy image by Aleksandar Radovanovic from Fotolia.com
