[Greenbuilding] new solar heating system in this country

[Nick Pyner]

Not to me.

I don't know anything about drain back systems but my understanding is that:

1. If you use a closed loop glycol collector, you don't need drain back

2, If you just use water, you drain the water and refill it the next
morning - with water  , which I guess goes quite soem way to explain why
people use glycol.

In the article alluded to

1. They don't seem to draw any distinction between open and closed loop
systems.

2. they glibly talk about an oversized heat exchanger. This may be
detrimental to the heat exchanger performing its prime function - namely,
exchanging heat.

3. It seems that they must have air in the circlation system. This would be
fatal to collector efficiency

4. The actual collector must be the worst design ever. I have never actually
seen a serpentine design like that in actual production. The only place
where you would see anything like that is in an article showing how not to
do it.

 Even if there is no need to distinguish between open and close loop
systems, and the heat exchanger is OK, and they have some secret air relief
device, who on earth would take Wagner Solar seriously, when they have a
collector like that?

I don't know who the smiling guys are at the top of the page, but they could
certainly do with asking some questions. Maybe they are just salesmen
quoting a press handout.

And another thing. Why would you use a second heat exchanger system for
backup? Surely it is simpler to just install an electric element at the
bottom of the tank like everybody else does?

Nick Pyner

Dee Why   NSW

  -----Original Message-----
  From: greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org]On Behalf Of Sacie
Lambertson
  Sent: Wednesday, 14 March 2012 7:06 AM
  To: Greenbuilding
  Subject: [Greenbuilding] new solar heating system in this country


  This sounds very good to me:

  http://www.buildinggreen.com/live/index.cfm/2012/3/13/German-Innovation-in
-Solar-Water-Heating
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