NC Solar Center Solar Hot Water Training
Hey Everyone, I just wanted to pass on a quick reminder to my subscribers that the North Carolina Solar Center is offering a course in solar hot water systems this summer at the McKimmon Center on the campus of North Carolina State University. If you are interested in getting a hands-on educational experience for designing […]
Further Design Pitfalls in Glycol Solar Hot Water Systems
I recently received a post on my blog from a subscriber in the U.K. by the name of Cleland who has installed numerous glycol solar hot water systems. He said he was starting to encounter many of the problems I’ve been describing lately. In particular, he mentioned the following headaches… Stagnation and boiling of glycol […]
Murphey School Solar Hot Water System
I went to check our solar hot water system being installed on the roof of the Murphey School Apartments in downtown Raleigh yesterday. Our friends at Peak Steel were installing the structural support upon which the array of fifteen solar hot water collectors will be mounted. I prefer to have my systems mechanically attached to […]
Reviewing F-Chart Data from Duke
You may recall my trip a few weeks ago to the retrieve the flow meter data from the mechanical room of the Bryan Center on the campus of Duke University. I’ve been swamped with several other projects since then but finally had enough time to take the data and put it into my F-Chart program. […]
Limitations of Glycol Solar Water Heating Systems (Part III)
In this third part of my mini-series on pressurized glycol solar water heating systems, I go into some of the details regarding potential overheating, which is of particular concern for commercial systems. Remember, glycol systems do not scale up easily so the larger the system, the more heat you have to get rid of during […]
Limitations of Glycol Solar Water Heating Systems (Part II)
In the first video of this three part mini-series, I shed some light on why glycol systems represent the majority of solar hot water systems being designed today. I also hit on a few of the initial “features” that glycol systems require as well as their potential failure modes. The second video below goes into […]
Limitations of Glycol Solar Water Heating Systems (Part I)
I’ve recently been seeing more and more new construction projects designed to include solar hot water systems, especially in the government sector. This seems like it should be a good thing for the growth of our burgeoning little industry as a whole. It’s indicating that more architects and engineers are getting comfortable with embracing renewable […]
Using “Forensic Physics” to Determine the Hot Water Load
I had the good pleasure of paying a visit to Matt Thompson of Yes! Solar Solutions in Cary this morning. Matt is working on a solar water heating system design for a prospective client who owns a retirement home in Raleigh. First of all, senior living facilities are an ideal match for solar hot water! […]
Fort Myer Fluid Handling System Hits the Road!
This afternoon around 4pm, our 800 gallon Fluid Handling System left to be installed in the solar hot water system at Fort Myer, Virginia. Check out the video below for details. Thanks again to our friends at Southern Energy Management for trusting us to get the job done. We’re looking forward to seeing more orders from […]
Fort Myer Fluid Handling System Comes Together
The whole team has been working overtime to make sure this new 800 gallon Fluid Handling System gets out the door on time to our friends at Southern Energy Management. The naked tank, shown to the right, arrived just yesterday. But by burning the midnight oil, we have been able to get over three quarters […]