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Old radiator as solar panel

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  • 10-03-2014 7:50pm
    #1
    Seanieke
    Registered Users Posts: 853 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    just wondering has anyone tried this and been successful?
    Bought a pool yesterday in Smiths (3000 litres) and was planning on, in the summer, heating it a bit using a cast iron radiator in a glass box. I have a small pump which will take the water from the pool, around the rad & back to the pool.

    Sounds simple!


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    #2
    aaakev
    Registered Users Posts: 3,088 ✭✭✭aaakev


    Paint it black and ya should not need the glass box


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    #3
    thehippychippy
    Registered Users Posts: 220 ✭✭thehippychippy


    Thermo-Syphoning I believe it's called. Heard the term twice yesterday and was talking to a lad about it today. Depending on the type of rad, you'd need the water coming in the bottom, getting heated, and as it heats and expands, it heads out the top. Simple enough on paper I suppose but I wouldn't have a clue how long it would take go heat the pool, or how much sunlight you'd need for it to make a difference. I think, in my very limited experience and as a not a plumber.... It would take a massive rad and an ass load of sun to make a difference. As the amount of water your trying to heat is many times greater then the amount of heated water being put back into the water your trying to heat, coupled with the loss of heat from the water from the rad as it enters back into the cool pool.
    Probably didn't manage to explain exactly or understandably what I'm thinking. Still a cracking idea though. Kevin mc clouds man made home on Sunday had something similar for his shower.


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    #4
    milltown
    Registered Users Posts: 4,613 ✭✭✭milltown


    I noticed in Italy a few years ago that a lot of the beach club type of bars had big coils of black hose on their roofs. I wondered why they all kept so much spare hose until I realised they were heating the water for their showers. Brilliant idea, but they had reliable sunshine and heat pretty much from dawn till dusk.

    Unless you work out some sort of timer, either manual or automatic, to let the rad and the water in it absorb the sun's heat for a while, I suspect you'll be water cooling the rad rather than solar heating the water. I'd love to hear that it works though.


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    #5
    Fries-With-That
    Registered Users Posts: 776 ✭✭✭Fries-With-That


    thehippychippy wrote: »
    Thermo-Syphoning I believe it's called. Heard the term twice yesterday and was talking to a lad about it today. Depending on the type of rad, you'd need the water coming in the bottom, getting heated, and as it heats and expands, it heads out the top. Simple enough on paper I suppose but I wouldn't have a clue how long it would take go heat the pool, or how much sunlight you'd need for it to make a difference. I think, in my very limited experience and as a not a plumber.... It would take a massive rad and an ass load of sun to make a difference. As the amount of water your trying to heat is many times greater then the amount of heated water being put back into the water your trying to heat, coupled with the loss of heat from the water from the rad as it enters back into the cool pool.
    Probably didn't manage to explain exactly or understandably what I'm thinking. Still a cracking idea though. Kevin mc clouds man made home on Sunday had something similar for his shower.

    This really sum it up, lots of rad solar panel projects on google.


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