Simple passive solar water heater
Hey, I made a simple solar water heater with a 55 gallon barrel elevated slightly. Took a garden hose connected to a well and made a connection for the rather cold water on the bottom, the barrel i...
Forum Discussion
The toilet float valve sounds good at first, but I think you will lose a lot of water heating efficiency if there is an air space at the top.
How much pump pressure, and how much tank pressure would you like? Maybe 40psi to feed an RV?
The problem is the large area of the flat drum heads. Do the math and you will see how much pressure there is on the heads. The cylinder of the drum would probably handle it, but not the heads.
Consider a 20 gallon drum. Do the math on the head area, and it is much much less. I still don't know if you can get to 40 or 60 psi. Can you add stiffeners to each head?
Try to eliminate all of the air inside the drum, and then you don't have to worry about creating a bomb. Air will expand violently. Water won't.
How much pump pressure, and how much tank pressure would you like? Maybe 40psi to feed an RV?
The problem is the large area of the flat drum heads. Do the math and you will see how much pressure there is on the heads. The cylinder of the drum would probably handle it, but not the heads.
Consider a 20 gallon drum. Do the math on the head area, and it is much much less. I still don't know if you can get to 40 or 60 psi. Can you add stiffeners to each head?
Try to eliminate all of the air inside the drum, and then you don't have to worry about creating a bomb. Air will expand violently. Water won't.
