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 […]
Some Tips on Brazing from Dr. Ben
One of the many inherent benefits of the Fluid Handling System design is that all of the piping for the pumps and heat exchangers are done in the factory. This saves time and money versus installing the components in the field. So while working on this 800 gallon FHS for the Fort Myer installation, I […]
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 […]
Fluid Handling System Arrives Safely
The Fluid Handling System that we shipped out last Thursday arrived safe and sound at the job site of the Warrior Transition Unit on Friday. Thanks again to our installation partners at Alternative Energy Concepts for keeping everything on track. We should be setting the collectors this coming week so stay tuned for the action! Dr. […]
Installing Solar Hot Water Collectors at WTU
Another important step in the construction of the solar hot water system for the Warrior Transition Unit occurred yesterday as several crates containing solar hot water collectors manufactured by Alternate Energy Technologies were lifted to the roof by crane. Thanks to the skillful work of our installers at AEC, this project is moving forward smoothly […]
On to the Next…
Just as soon as one bird leaves the nest, another one arrives. The heat exchanger for our next Fluid Handling System came in today. This FHS will be heading to Fort Myer, VA as part of a solar water heating system being installed by our friends at Southern Energy Management. Fort Myer is an historic […]