Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

Looking to install passive/thermal solar cells for heating the house.

There's some DIY manuals out there for $50 but I'm a little skeptical.

I could buy the panels and try to manage installing them myself, but not sure how difficult and feasible this would be.

Would it be worth paying someone else to install them knowing things were done "right" or is it not terribly difficult to install?

Anyone have any experiences?

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

Do you mean a solar air heater that sucks cool air from one vent and returns it heated?

Usually mount on West or South side of house on wall?

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

A closed loop system where water is heated.

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

Your post isn't clear as to what you expect to get out of the solar system, "Passive/thermal solar" can mean a lot of different things.

But in general installing solar is not a "no-brainer",

To generate electricity (photo-voltaic), lots of technical issues need to take into consideration.

Generating hot water is less complicated, but you would still need competence in basic plumbing system design and installation.

But it's like anything else, you can try to learn it and do it yourself, or hire somebody. You have to ask yourself, how much is your time worth and do you have the necessary technical skills, vs. hiring an expert.

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

Get yourself edumicated...

get yourself a subscription to:

www.homepower.com

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

I second the recommendation for homepower. State of the art info. And you can download their free sample edition for free. http://www.homepower.com/sample/

Also tons of more practical info for DIY at: http://backwoodshome.com/

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

If there is any kind of panel involved, by definition, it is not a passive system...it is an active system. In the case of direct electrical production, photovoltaic panels, or in the case of space heating, and/or domestic hot water, the panels are water tube in enclosed by glass.

The 'active' part in heating water comes from the fact you have to pump it to the panels when the sun shines, controlled by a differential thermostat ( sometimes called a Delta T thermostat ) that measures storage tank temps, and panel temps, and when the panel is higher than the storage, calls for the pump to run.

Installing them isn't rocket science....you will need some skills in plumbing, electrical work, and roofing, since the panels are generally roof mounted, and penetrate the roof with pipe. You can buy kits that contain most of the parts you need, pipe/fittings, wire, etc, you generally purchase locally. You have to decide if you're going with a direct feed of your water into the panels, using a drain back system in case of freezing weather ( if that applies where you live ) or using a closed loop system where an antifreeze solution makes a loop thru the panels, and also thru a heat exchanger coil in the storage tank(s).

As to the famous "50 buck" how to manual.....I'd probably save my 50 bucks, go to websites that sell equipment for my education: http://www.altestore.com/store/ is one that also has a good education section, and a public forum for specific questions.....there are plenty of good books out there, but I suspect the manual you mention is the one that claims "you can power your house for $200 with parts from any hardware store" and is complete bullshit.

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

also, what is the cost of a mistake, whoever does the work -

* fire if the electrical part isn't done right
* water leaks if the plumbing part isn't done right

whether you DIY or hire someone, the project still benefits from the end-user being informed about the system.

there's nothing like hands-on education.

Re: Installing Passive/Thermal Solar Cells
 

You might want to check out http://www.instructables.com/ or solarpowerforum.net

Another site http://www.fieldlines.com/