Looking into adding solar panels to my NCB250...has anyone designed a setup?

[dparkguy]

I've had my NCB250 for 2 years now and love it. Got my smoke and creosote issues resolved and now I'm wanting to get more efficient. Has anyone added a solar system to their OWB? I would love to use my boiler all year and not have to burn wood during the summer to heat our domestic water. I know natures comfort has a system but is mounted on the ground. I have my OWB in a large shed and want to put the panels on the roof.

 

[Henry and Wanda]

Hello,
What do you intend to do with the solar panels........charge batteries to run the circulators(pumps) so you don't have to use any 110 volt from the power company ? Other than that, I don't think that you could run enough solar panels in able to heat the water. So I guess I just don't understand what you are intending to do !


Henry and Wanda

 

[zogger]

I used to sell commercial hotwater units. They worked really well,but were spendy. You could build your own cheaper. Basically just think insulated box, coil for the water, or a tank, like a blackiron tank from old water heaters. (old refrigerators are handy insulated boxes you can scrounge). Then some glazing to let ol sol in... Use them as a preheater for your other hotwater tank. It would take a lot of thermal panel rigs to heat whatever you have, 500 gallons or something. It's doable, the weight on the roof, uhhh...rather a ground mount nearby might be better.

 

[dparkguy]

You got it Zogger...I have heard of using the solar water heaters to help heat the water in my OWB. During the summer I would only need the water to be 110-120 degrees to provide my domestic hot water. My OWB holds 250 gallons of water which would be the holding tank for the water which gets circulated through the solar panels.

 

[firebrick43]

Go to a website
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm#1KSolarWater
Search for the 1000$ system.

Do you use antifreeze in your system?? If so it's pretty easy to do what you want as long as you have good southern exposure on your south side. If you run straight water it maybe pretty difficult to implement and have good freeze protection in the winter.

 

[dparkguy]

No antifreeze in my system. I have a great southern exposure and 2 different roof angles that I could use to install the panels. I use an electric hot water heater during the spring and summer to heat our domestic hot water. Thanks for the info firebrick. Great info!!

 

[Del_]

An un-fired OWB is going to have a tremendous amount of standby heat loss compared to an insulated tank for summer solar collector generated DHW. Two seperated systems would be best let the OWB have a summer rest.

 

[firebrick43]

An un-fired OWB is going to have a tremendous amount of standby heat loss compared to an insulated tank for summer solar collector generated DHW. Two seperated systems would be best let the OWB have a summer rest.

I agree. Also without antifreeze your going to have to drain and shut off the panels before any chance of freezing. If you leave them on they will be likely to either freeze and bust, or if the owb is going the panels will end up acting as a radiator during the night and cooling the water from the owb.

If you put the system draining/ heating it own insulated tank in the basement/crawlspace below panels mounted on the house the system will function year round. Just put a coil of pec in the tank feeding/preheating the water heater.

 

[cantoo]

I burn year around. Good place to get rid of small scrap wood, uglies, sale fliers and cardboard. Unit only fires every couple of days.

 

[NSMaple1]

I don' t think this would work very well. The owb would likely send all the heat your panels would collect to the outdoors.