Comment

Comment by Andrea on June 2, 2012 at 1:23pm

Yes, I think it was working at least somewhat.

Comment by Chris Carr on June 2, 2012 at 11:29am

Do you think it worked at all? Could you feel flow coming out of the hose under the water?

Comment by Andrea on June 2, 2012 at 11:27am

I only used it in the coldest months, and not for long. Overheating the 350 gallon tank in 35 degree weather wasn't a concern. But it was a hassle and I'm lazy, so I stopped using it. I don't really know how well it worked.

Comment by Chris Carr on June 2, 2012 at 11:25am

Really cool concept. I love the simplicity. I am curious on a nice hot day what are your flow rates like? I am curious how the efficiency would change based on the lift height. Less lift should get you faster flow, but faster flow means less time in the tube and less thermosiphon action. I wonder if it is a 1:1 tradeoff (on this scale anyway). You could try going around the fence, provided you can avoid sharp bends in the tube and compare it to a 1 foot lift instead of what looks to be 4+ foot.

Comment by Matthew Holzmann on June 2, 2012 at 10:43am

Andrea, how do you control when/how long you run your solar heater?  Does your tank end up too hot?  Does the tank get 'hot spots'?  Love the concept, but would love to know how you are controlling it.

Thanks!

Comment by Andrea on April 21, 2011 at 8:51pm

No, I have had outside temps from snow to 90 within a week. It's too hard to measure anything under those conditions. :(

Comment by Rich Milliron on April 21, 2011 at 8:12pm

Very cool, ahhhh hot!  I love the simplicity of this.  Do you have any low/high temps on this beauty?