solar water heater simple DIY project

[crazyking50]

@desersun02 what is 3/5"?? You mean 3/8" and (.375) not (.6 inches) , .6 inches Is 5/8"

[lanceehansen]

add a 55gal drum and a small pump

[parkert51]

great job, will be using this at the retreat!

[jleemabra]

If the average temperature in your area is 42 degrees in winter do you think you could still use it to make steam to heat a green house I just need it around 60 to 75 degrees

[mrbr549]

Thanks for posting the video, even though I had to chuckle a little when I saw "your design" for heating water. Because this same design of using coiled tubing to heat water in the sun has been used many times over the years and to hear someone say they designed it now is kinda like hearing Al Gore say he invented the Internet. Don't take me wrong though, I'm not putting you down at all, because at least you are thinking, building, and trying to help people, so thumbs up!

[seaverable]

Hi,

Could you please explain, how does it connect to the hot water heater ? How does the tank in the house know to draw from this tubing? Just trying to understnad, how it works.

[tractorman6406]

Any tricks on coiling the tubing as well as you did? I would like to go to 300'.

[desertsun02]

@tractorman6406 the only trick I know is to cut it into shorter sections and then connect the sections together. Try 100' foot sections. The piece that connects the tubing together only costs about 75 cents so it won't add much to the cost. I tried to coil up a single 500 foot length once. after 6 hours I gave up. it's nearly impossible. To see what someone did with 2000' of the tubing: go to a channel named "opn24hrs" and look for a video entitled "Hot Tub's Ready". guy made huge coils.

[williebill123]

@tractorman6406 Heck, this is sold in coils...100' coils to be exact. Just get 3 of them and two couplers, 4 clamps and you're good to go.Stuff comes in larger dia. sizes as well and if you would get, say... 1 1/2" pipe you'd have LOTS of hot water. If you want it coiled tighter, just leave it out in the sun for a while.

[AdDiCtEdToWiNd]

Aren't you afraid of chemicals?

[desertsun02]

@AdDiCtEdToWiNd - The tubing is made to be safe to drink from (as safe as any plastic can be anyway). It's rated to 180 F (82.22 C). The water only sits in the collector for a very short time (usually 20-30 mins). not enough time to leach much of anything into the water.

[callmeshane303]

@AdDiCtEdToWiNd

Why don't you fucking grow a brain and ASK what plastic it is, and then research on it yourself, instead of making utterly "dumb fuck" assertions?

]

[aurelianporumb]

what you do in the winter?

do you still have hot water?

[desertsun02]

@aurelianporumb hi. I stop using it in the winter. I get hot water out of it until about the first week of November. I start using it again in March. I have a regular natural gas hot water heater at my house.

[aurelianporumb]

what you do in the winter?



[shyboy2112]

Why did you choose to go with a round pattern of the collector?

[desertsun02]

@shyboy2112 it was just the easiest way to get the most tubing to fit in the smallest area.

[rewtnode]

Just realize I can answer my last question myself: It was 1/2 inch pipe external diameter as you described, so 136 ft of that pipe would cover an area of 136 x 12" x 0.5" = 5264.5 cm^2, or about 1/2 square meter. In other words you get 835 Watts/m^2 (see my previous post). The maximum possible would be the solar constant 1.361 kW/m^2. 0.835 kW/sqm is quite close - if it is true that the water was heated up from 15 Celsius to 65 Celsius.

[rewtnode]

If I assume that the input water temperature was 15 deg Celsius (59 F), and the output was temp 150 F (65 C), then 2 gal of water (3785 cm^3) was heated up by 50 deg C. So that would be an energy of 50*2*3785 cal = 0.44 kWh. Sounds quite high: 440 Watts of power. Questions: What's the total area of the hose spiral, and what was really the input water temperature? What temperature difference would you get if the water flows at 1 ounce per second (a cup filled in 4 seconds)?

[DontFriendInviteMe]

@PHANTOMSLAYER77 It would only be connected to your hot water source. You would still control the hot/cold with the faucet as you always did.

[johnnnyreb51]

I learned back when I was young that if you go to use the hose out in the yard you let the water run a little before you take a drink. You see I live in the southern USA. The sun always heats up the water in the hose when laided in the sun during the summer. The first time you take a drink of hot water when you want cold water you learn to let the hose run a little.

[MrJivePirate]

Great technology. I can see this being of use worldwide. Everyone will benefit from solar hot water.

[gianvieve]

why don't u install a holding tank for the hot water? You can store much more hot water? Just make sure you have a return valve from the tank so the hot water keeps on circulating and stays hot. Also make sure you insulate the holding tank from the outside so you minimize heat loss

[chickenpoper]

@PHANTOMSLAYER77 Easy, have one thing full of cold water and this device(how do you think faucets do it in the shower? they have two input's, hot n' cold, and you chose how much cold and hot water going through.

[meawins13]

I use more than 2 gallons of hot water to take a shower, and this wont heat up water fast enough to give me a warm shower, back to the drawing board!

[eline65]

@meawins13 Small hot water heater and light duty recirculating pump will help there

[DaveTheyCallme]

Watch the tubing in the Suns UV light because it will deteroriate it over time and will weaken the walls of the tubing causing leakage . Im going to be putting a 300' roll of 3/4" pex tubing in a box with glass over the top .. but will wrap the Pex tubing in heavy duty tin foil painted flat black so the UV light doesnt hit the Tubing. Should work very well since all im looking for is 95 f. hot water for my typical fast showers .

[fudgedogbannana]

@PHANTOMSLAYER77 just add cold the way your faucet or shower does now.

[win7techs]

anyone have a part# or description for the tubing from home depot or lowes? i see 100ft vinyl black tubing in lowes but not sure if thats it or not

[ElectricRain0]

@PHANTOMSLAYER77 Um... add cold like you would any other time? O_o You don't really control standard domestic hot water heaters on-the-fly either. No difference really.

[notoriouslizw]

Wow! So cool and so cheap and easy! Two questions: Is the water potable in that black pipe? Will the UV rays of the sun eventually kill the pipe- how long will this system last before the plastic breaks down? Is this plastic recyclable? oops- 4 Qs.

Great work! I'm thinkin throw in an insulated box polycarbed, pump water into an insulated bathtub storage tank in basement and throw in coiled heat exchangers for water heater and pump it through floors for radiant heat eventually...

Keep it simple

[jillmoredartmoor]

Hi there, my husband had a repair garage in the Midlands (UK) and we used to have the water feed runing downhill by means of a 100 yards black pipe that sat against a brick wall. Gave a bucket full of hot water to wash the cars with every time...sometimes too hot to use. Now we are in our 60's and living on Dartmoor we are awaiting the arrival of solar panels for our huge barn roof. We are thinking about using old storage radiators. Fortunately my husband is practical. Good video. Jill Pendleton

[Jigaboo123456]

@jillmoredartmoor

Hi Jill

I've got a weekend shack in the Highlands- -wouldn't recommend a heating radiator-- they are filthy inside, and weight far too much-- too much heat lost heating the rad.

Make an insulated box, line it with flatten ed soft drink cans, sprayed black, fit a pipe in vertically and connect to insulated tand.

Double-glazing companies are only to glad to have old windows removed but polycarb is best- especially in wind as it insulates better.

[opn24hrs]

I was inspired! My homemade hot tub:

youtube.com/watch?v=fIQqWnDR2S­k

[stmarysks]

I made one very simple that is hooked up to my first hot water tank inside my house hooked in series w/ my electric one. It's just 2 garden hoses on the roof pumped w/ an old GE washer pump w/ a timer . I disconnect it in the winter. My electric water heater hardly ever comes on

[dukefan1411]

how hot does it get

[desertsun02]

@dukefan1411 the highest temperature i have recorded is 160 F (71.11 C). it will reach 130 F to 140 F quickly on a sunny summer day. (54.55 C to 60 C)

[fresherloops]

ther is no sun wher i live, wat should i do?

[WoofusDoofusKid]

@fresherloops What you should do, is steal a piece of the sun.. It's fairly easy, but can be challenging if you don't have the right materials.

First: You must get a space shuttle capable of travelling in speeds of light years per hour. Preferably 500,000 light years per minute..

Second: Slow down to about 50 light years per minute when you get within 100 light years of the sun. Slowly and carefully with a pair of pliers, yank a piece of the sun off. Bring it to earth, and heat your water up.

[WoofusDoofusKid]

@WoofusDoofusKid Or you can even take some with your hands, BE CAREFUL! YOU NEED HEAVY DUTY GLOVES OR THE SUN WILL BURN YOU, anyway, roll up small chunks of the sun into a ball, carefully and slowly until you get the amount your looking for. CAREFULLY put it in your backpack or a small plastic box. DO NOT PUT THE SUN IN YOUR POCKET!

[IanThe994]

can u please send me some instrtions of how to make one at imiller81@yahoo.com

[looking412]

Just FYI: anyone thinking of using regular black garden hose.. I made a solar heater for the kids pool using garden hose, and coiled it like this vid.. I used a small solar panel and water pump.. the result: water was nicely warmed BUT it smelled/tasted just like water from a garden hose, left to sit in the sun all day.. wasn't very pleasant.

[joe18370]

i can heat water with my fire pit how many coils will you use im working on solar water heater i need more then 1 or 2 gallons to take a shower but im using an old water heater coil 40 gallon tank.

[MegaGuerman]

whats in winter with less sun..??

[1foxtrot70]

@MegaGuerman - The reason for less sun in the winter is the seasonal progressional shift of the earth. The earth is like a giant top spinning and it wobbles on its axis. This wobble is about 23 degrees, it doesnt sound like much but that is why the sun is high in the sky in the summer ( the northern hemisphere is pointing toward the sun) and the sun is low in the sky in winter (the northern hemisphere is pointing away from the sum). For folks living south of the equator the tilt is reversed.

[jab0805]

I just bought 100 feet at 1/2 in. diameter. I plan to add an additional 200 feet. The cost was $17.86 at Lowes for the 100 feet. I just filled it with water and tested it after 10 minutes of direct sunlight. it was 101 degrees after 10 minutes. This was cold well water. It wis at the moment just laying loosely on the ground. I imagine my results will be much better after I've rolled it tightly and put it at a 30 degree angle facing south. Cheers!

[desertsun02]

@jab0805 I've noticed that if the air temperature is below about 80 F - the efficiency of water heater drops rapidly. if it's cooler where you are, try enclosing the tubing. you should easily be able to get water temps of 130 F to 140 F. update: on 10/7/10 water still reaching 130F (no clouds - air temp. 80.1F - 11am)

[flamedrag18]

@desertsun02 yeah, just make a enclosure with plexiglass to keep the cold air out, might be a good idea to add a sheet of metal roofing, spray painted black to heat the air in the box too, just an idea.

[1foxtrot70]

@jab0805 I have a solar project I been working on for some time and I notice that when the collectors like the coiled tubing are enclosed the hot water production increases. The enclosure can be of clear plexi or corrogated plastic sheeting used in greenhouses or recycled sliding glass doors. The idea here is to keep ambient air from blowing away the heat you have just collected.

[justdfactsmaam]

@jab0805 just think if you add a black metal backing and spaced the hose loops a little so as to keep them from touching. It would let the sun hit the metal directly between each loop. I imagine this would heat it up considerably, and faster. (Touch a car thats been sitting in the sun for a couple hours....ouch!)

[eline65]

@jab0805 This is the typical irrigation hose?

[pds1258]

I have two of these heating my pool in Las vegas. Using a pond pump to circulate water. In three years they have had problems only if you do not circulate the water. It can melt the plastic and leak. A 100 foot coil fits on a 4 x 4 foot piece of plywood. By the way, with a blanket on the pool I get an extra 2 months of swimming because of these two small panels

[digilogtech]

I love the design, but 50' of 1/2" pipe is slightly over 1/2 gallon.

[desertsun02]

@digilogtech you are correct. the pipe is sold as 1/2" but the actual ID (internal diameter) per manufacturer is .6 inches. 100ft holds 1.47 gallons and 136ft holds 2 gallons.

[queball147]

Hi would it make any diffrence if you put the pipe in a ceeled insulation box? you know like the sola iar cans, just a thuoght.

[desertsun02]

@queball147 Yes, the water would almost certainly get hotter. Currently (unenclosed) I am able to get hot water from about March through October. I will be enclosing the coiled tubing as fall and winter approach. (If I enclosed this type of tubing during the summer months - it would most likely get too hot and would be damaged). It's rated up to 180 F (approx. 82.22 C)

[andyinfo59]

Hiya

I'm planning to do this too in Spain with a 1.2m coil inside a matt black box with an acrylic double skin top. Your info is great but you don't give any calcs for moving water, IE a direct system. Obviously when you move water through the tube the temp drops quickly. I'm hoping to regulate the flow by the 12 pump or throttling the tube so that I get warmed water continuously to trickle a small pool. What do you think? What happens to your water temp when its not static in the tubes? Ta

[BooKittyRadley]

Please tell me the diameter of the coil, as it measures now on the plywood.

Also, how warm does it have to be outside for the water in the black hose to heat to 130 degrees in 30 minutes?

Thanks.

[desertsun02]

@BooKittyRadley The diameter of the coil on the plywood is 3 feet. I would say the air temperature needs to be at least 85 F. (unless you enclose the coil in some way)

[kermit30au]

@desertsun02 I like this simple design you have here. I was thinking putting them inside a insulated matt black box but having six or eight of these spirals in parallel. But I would have a solar powered pump pushing the water in the system.

[TheEsseboy]

So you can get 48celsius water? Thats not hot!

[desertsun02]

The water will rise well above 48 degrees celsius (roughly 118 F). It will reach about 56 degrees celsius in 30 mins (132.8 F) and can reach 66 degrees celsius (150.8 F) in 60 to 90 mins.

[kchedville]

Update...i now have two boxes on the roof tied in series, on a good sunny day now, my water circulates at 140 degrees and stays hot till the next day. I've only applied electricity to my water heater 3times in the last month....

[IronHorsez88]

@kchedville

Awesome, you've got it, now go out and do that for all your friends. Where are you located?

[viking1au]

Well done. --- I will do something like this

[StriderGTS]

Hey where do you get black hose like this?

My idea is to heat my solar greenhouse by putting coils of this at the top of the greenhouse where it will be hot and hit by the sun, and then pump water from a container in the greenhouse through the coils and then back into the container. Will this work? And how many feet of coil would you suggest and how bit of a barrel of water?

A barrel of hot water would help heat the greenhouse through the cold nights in any number of ways.

[IronHorsez88]

@StriderGTS

Awesome man awesome, solar is heating free for the taking.

[jawbraeka]

if you have a friend that is throwing away an old fresnal lens from a rear projection tv, find a "warm spot" where the lens "heats up and put it over your pipes ... you'll find that it will increase the temp by a few degrees without melting the pipes... tell me how you go...

by the way, the lens is what the picture will show up on with a rear projection tv.

[AtvProjects]

the only reason I wouldn't use it is because of the winter where i am but if I lived in Florida etc. i would defenitly use this

[magicyte]

Dude. Thanks to you I now know how to heat water with solar. It is the same tech as it is with using pop cans as heat collectors in a solar heating panel...instead...use soft copper run in the same box and coiled within...as many coils as possible..insulate the box...you could even not bother uncoiling a brand new roll of soft copper. Might even to be able to fit nearly 1000 feet of copper. Top it off with aluminum flashing painted black and walla. Instant boiling water in the warm months.

[kchedville]

I made one using Sprinkler tubing which was suppose to be good to high temps, inclosed 200 feet inside an insulated box with acrylic cover, installed in on the roof,, half hour later, the box filled with water,,,, the tubing did not hold up,,,, it bursted... redone it all using soft copper tubing,,, on a sunney day, my heater stays filled with 110 degree water from the sun...

[jeremusic]

@kchedville add a pressure escape in any water heating system to prevent bursts....

[stangtrax]

? I am thinking of doing this for my homes hot water, but can that black tubing handle temps over 140 deg. F ?

[desertsun02]

@stangtrax - the black tubing is rated up to 180 degrees (Fahrenheit)

[Danster82]

so the water cames out of the main you direct it into that tube it flows through it warms up and ends in your tank?

[statefanman76]

Lets say you used a tank and a valve on a timer with this system how would you get the pressure up to come out of the faucet without the incoming water pushing it out?Could it strictly come from gravity of the tank being higher than the pipes?I sketched a cool design of my own but I just wondered about the pressure.

[kchedville]

Now if i could only get the wife to use a clothes line instead of the Energy Eating Monster Clothes Dryer.....

[afoulsmell]

@kchedville Yep, that's my problem. "LOVES" that dryer.

[XoXKyleXXX]

I was thinking more like 50 gallon tank inside the attic, connected directed to the pipe that comes from outside into the attic this is my case though, to the cold water + a splitter if I want just cold water. since im in FL its very hot! in the attic could reach 130 in no time

[DaveTheyCallme]

Nice. Im going to use a 1/2" x 60' copper tubing roll in a box on the roof and plumbed to the water heater 5' directly below.

[7777dmith7777]

Build an insulated case to put this in and paint the entire inside surface flat black and put a polycarbonate (like plexiglass but heat resistant) put the coil of tubing in it making sure that there is a small space between the coils so the hot air in the box can reach all surfaces of the tubing and this unit will double in heat efficency and will have heat almost instantly because you will not loose any heat due to it being in the open air ..nice project,, stick it to the oil man !!

[luc59457]

@7777dmith7777 excellent comment

[mnc90034]

I know a few people who have done this with only a few changes. Black polly tubing 300ft running to a conventional hot water tank which is higher than the hose letting the hotter water go to the tank which has a pressure relief valve built into the tank. Doing this kept the water in the hot water tank warmer longer and you ran out less. Also if the water got too hot, the pressure valves would let off steam. If you have extra solar/ wind power it can be sent to hot water tank element.

[andrew0901280]

that is awsome im gonna use that to heat the hot tub i built.

oh ya how long does it take for the water to heat up in the tube or can you run it nonstop without the water getting cold

[desertsun02]

the water will be cold if you run it non-stop. it takes about 30 mins to reach 130 degrees in summer time (in desert climate). the highest water temp. i achieved was 157 degrees when i let the water sit in the tube for 4 hours on a hot (100 degree) sunny summer day.

[andrew0901280]

so do you have like a thermostate system set up or do you run out there every 30 mins and turn it on

[desertsun02]

in a typically day i will drain the hot water heater 2 or 3 times. no thermostat or intermittent timer connected (yet). i like the idea that 'kchedville' wrote in the comments below. would run the water pump and timer off of solar panel.

[MrWombatPPC]

Even if this is not safe for house hold drinking. Which to be honest who drinks from the Hot Tap anyhow.? Bu this would be Ideal for underfloor heating. Simply have the water pumped round on a timer. ever 35-30 mins cycle the flow. Simple.

[charlesjackson10]

Great idea. You more then likely already know it, but many watching this video might not even consider. You cannot consume water out of black plastic hose as it leaches all sorts of toxics not for human consumption as does standard garden hoses. I only learned that after living in my motor home and had to purchase the white hoses for drinking water. Would not want someone to get sick, we battle enough! Good idea with lots of possible applications though! Thanks.

[desertsun02]

Good point. It is true that some black plastic hose and garden hoses etc... are not safe to drink from. Many types, however, are made to be perfectly safe to use for 'drinking water'. i used the 'safe' type.

[kchedville]

YOu could tie it to your Home Water Heater, install an intermittent timer onto a pump that kicks on every 20 mins or so and let it fill your big tank all day long. Insulate the Big Tank Very Well thou.

[desertsun02]

thanks for the comment.  that is a very good idea

[catatonicable]

@kchedville Or put a tap to slow the flow right down.

[jaketeater]

Have you ever thought about enclosing it in an insulated box? It would get a lot hotter.

I made a solar water heater for my house, most all of my hot water comes from it. It gets similar temps (135F or 55C)as you do, (but it did cost more). I made mine from PVC (much cheaper than copper)

Here is a video about it:

just go to youtube(dot)com(slash)watch?v= KOY49bH7Ocg

[desertsun02]

it would probably get to hot (at least in the summer months).  the tubing is only rated to 180 degrees.

[leerider52]

Thats the ticket rolled up hose piped into a water heater,stripped & painted black.(maybe incased in shower doors?)

[VRJensen1]

Awesome Data and work.

have you thought of using a 50 gallon plastic barrel as a storage tank, coiling your tubing on a cone so that convection would create flow and heating 52 gallons?

[1969info]

Hi, I like the temperatures you reached but how long can you run your water until the heated water runs out and your back to normal temperatures.

[desertsun02]

This system will heat up a little over 2 gallons at a time.

[7501234]

Well if you are smart you can buy 5000ft of tubing and have hot water for a long as time....He is just showing us how to build, you can always expand to suit your needs...If his 100 fett holds up 2 gallons and you need more just multiply that by the gallons you might need....My buddy has 1500 feet of that tubbing, so i guess he has 30 gallons or so...How long will it take for that water to be used up, you now gonna run just hot water but adjust to your needs

[DaveTheyCallme]

What about when its 95 f. outside on a bright sunny day ? How long would it have to sit in the piping under those conditions . Any idea ? thanks.

[desertsun02]

probably 45 to 60 minutes to reach 150 degrees. you could probably get the water to 130 degrees in as little as 20 mins when it is 95 degrees out.

[DaveTheyCallme]

Ill be youd really get some serious temp. output if you put it on the roof facing south. Its amazing youre getting 130 f. - 150 f. water when the water is moving fast.

[desertsun02]

you have to let the water sit in the piping for 30 to 60 minutes before draining it out for the water to get hot. maximum temperature i've recorded so far is 153 degrees.

[insAneTunA]

Hey... have you ever seen the videos from "GREENPOWERSCIENCE" ? (excuse me for the capitals but I just copied the name) The specific video that you should see is called : SOLAR HOT WATER 2 DIY USING BLACK WATER HOSE

great work, I love it!

Greets from the Netherlands