Dismantled thermal panels - any DIY ideas or should I just sell them?

Sam W

I have 3 thermal solar panels on the roof at the moment. I’m getting people to take them down and replace them with solar PV’s.

The installers are asking if I want to keep the thermal panels. So I’m wondering, if I keep them, is there any small DIY projects that I can do by myself (e.g. throw them in the garden and connect them to a portable battery/generator), or should I just sell them or dispose of them?

Explosive_Cornflake

DIY hottub in the garden is about the only thing I can suggest.

tphase

Are they flat panels or tubes? I presume you don't have the space for both the thermal and PV panels? If you do, I'd leave at least one in place for hot water.

Definitely keep any you do take off - they will surely be worth something to someone

Sam W

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122121171#Comment_122121171

They are flat panels and yes i don’t really have any space with the thermal panels and velux windows on the roof, so taking them off is the only option.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122121046#Comment_122121046

I wish but living in the centre of Dublin means the garden is not remotely big enough for that 😅

I was thinking of something more basic - like just wiring it to a portable battery of some sort, and use the battery to charge something like an e-scooter. I don’t know if this is technically possible considering these are thermal panels. (Are they actually any different from the ‘solar’ panels?)

deandean

Do these panels heat water or do they make electricity?

Sam W

They heat water.

conor_mc

They don’t generate electricity so, no good for any battery/charging scenarios.

Do they still work? Do you have big hot water demand? Do you have any alternative roof space for PV, including north-facing?

General consensus on a similar thread was to leave the solar thermal until it croaks, and site PV elsewhere, if possible.

Sam W

This might be a daft question. Do these thermal panels work differently than the solar panels? Is it not able to get them to produce electricity with some sort of inverter?

graememk

Yes, they the sun heats the glycol and then that heats your DHW, it's simple heat transfer.

tphase

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122129038#Comment_122129038

They can't produce electricity, only heat water

Charles Babbage

Do you have a water source heat pump? Put then in the garden to pre heat the water the heat pump draws from.

Sam W

Thanks everyone. Well that’s a disappointment. Can’t think of any way of DIY then :( I don’t really have anything in the garden nor am I willing to spend any extra money on the garden at the moment. Would they worth anything on their own? What would be a fair second hand price for such panels?