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 […]
The Healing Place – Solar Hot Water System
The Healing Place of Wake County is a non-profit recovery and rehabilitation facility for homeless people with alcohol and drug dependency, located in Raleigh, NC. Just like college dormitories or county jails, rehab facilities have a strong hot water demand profile. The Healing Place has about 180 men each day eating meals, showering, and doing […]
The Heat Exchanger Arrives for our FHS250 Solar Hot Water Tank
The heat exchanger for our 250 gallon Fluid Handling System arrived today. With a little luck, we’ll be able to get this component installed and the tank finished by the end of this week. This solar hot water tank will be shipped out to my old friend Clarence Beaver of Beaver Brothers in Salisbury, NC. […]
Solar Hot Water for Bragaw Hall?
As a school that prides itself deeply on its long history of education in engineering, North Carolina State University is always looking for new ways to become more efficient in its consumption of energy. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Pete Fraccaroli, the Facilities Engineer for University Housing. Pete knows very well that college dormitories make […]
Dr. Ben’s Solar Hot Water System Last 25 Years!
My old friend Clarence Beaver, owner of Beaver Brothers, Inc., called me just the other day to discuss a solar hot water system that I had manufactured back in 1985 for Rowan Helping Ministries under my old company, Astron. Apparently the ministry has received a grant that will allow them to replace all of their […]
Evaluating a New Solar Hot Water System Opportunity
I was recently invited to visit to a local community center that’s under construction. Ideally, I like to get involved in the planning phase for a solar hot water system as early as possible. This allows me to help the architects and engineers understand and make accommodations for the solar components such as the Fluid […]
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 […]