Solar hot water

Would the pictured layout of a thermosyphon system work by running the hot pipe high and the cold return low?
This pic is almost identical to what I want to do with the addition of a one way valve and an expansion tank.

...and relief valves...

Garygary over at otherpower.com has done extensive development of solar water heaters. He has a treasure trove of information.

That is how i set my one up, need the top of the panel to be below the top of the heating/cooling coil. I have a small up hill run to the top of the tank, the coil is then in the water to be heated and cools the solar water. I have an expansion tank fitted (with blow off) from a car and a one way valve.
I don't believe the one way valve is needed as the water only moves with thermosyphon so the hot water won't go down hill.

One of the threads i was involved with a few years back during my solar build:
http://www.ppcindex.co.uk/inebg_solar_water.pdf

Chris

Chris,

Thanks for sharing. That IS a very interesting read. :)

Cost me about £100 for the complete build, now just sits on the roof saving me money pre heats my water to about 60C in the summer, sooooo much easier than wind!

I will post some photos if i can track them down.

Chris

That's a huge read! :mrgreen:
Never thought about heating the water in the tank directly.
If I can do that with 22mm pipe I should be able to make it thermosyphon just like my gas boiler does now.
My plan is to drain down at the end of September,and re-fill in April.I'm going to use the remote wireless sensor on my weather station to tell me the temperature of the tank. :mrgreen:

Don't forget to read about CmeBREW's drainback system. If you have a basement this could be an easy project.

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2009/7/8/3257/35059

Hardly any houses in the UK have basements Matt, only really old ones. I've never been in a house with a basement even :D
Most places have a high water table,I once dug a pit for a garage and put a big diesel tank in it to line it out. The next day the tank had been thrown out of the ground all but 12" :mrgreen:
Chris what state is your solar panel in right now is it drained waiting for summer?

I decided early on that i wanted as maintenance free as possible, so it is filled with anti freeze and left to do its stuff, can be a pain to bleed if you are not careful and the slightest air lock stops it functioning.

Had a quick look for photos but couldn't find them. I made a box from a length of decking for the outsides (comes treated and nice groove pattern so looks proffesional), marine ply for the back of it, filled with loft insulation, old copper water tank cut top and bottom off and fold into sheet, solder pipe work together to form the pipe work and solder to the copper sheet, paint all black, sheet of glass cut to size (with overhang for drain off) held on with copper strips from the tank, heating coil is the coil that came out of the old boiler, expansion tank from a jaguar XK (just because i could!), fitted with drain valves and a one way valve (that i don't think i need).

Chris

I started to read the pdf then when i saw how far down the side the scroll had gone I dragged it down to see the pictures :D Aren't the pics yours that are on it?
I don't think I'll need an expansion tank heating the water directly as the top pipe vents to an overflow tank if I remember rightly. ;)
So do you flush the system in April and turn it back on?