Peter
I may have been who you spoke with. Since 1995 I have installed 3 kinds of flat plate SHW collectors and THERMOMAX / OVENTROPE, SUNDA and APRICUS evacuated tube collectors. Long story shortened on the evacuated tube collectors. I have replace 290 of 300 evacuated tubes by manufactured by Thermomax after 3-4 years. I had replacements in the first year, I do not remember the # replaced. Been there and not going back. >From the experiences with evacuated tubes the major short coming is the intersection of glass to rubber collar to heat pipe. I see the single wall glass evacuated tube collectors as a recipe for eventual failure. 3 materials 3 different thermal expansion and contraction co-efficient. Add wine glassing where the bottom of the single wall glass vacuum tube falls off [looks like a wine glass without a base] and I would not install one if you gave it to me The first time I saw the APRICUS evacuated tube build I was sold. The vacuum is between a tub in a tube, it is glass on glass. The heat pipe fits inside the inner tube in a heat collector piece of galv. sheet metal, and no rubber collar that is required to maintain a vacuum seal. I love it. The glass vacuum tubes are heavier and less prone to an accidental bang and break. If a glass tube gets broken you can replace the glass vacuum tube separate from a heat pipe, and if the heat pipe fails you can replace jut the heat pie and reuse the tube.. I like components and this is the great advantage with APRICUS over the other designs. 15 year warranty on the manifold and 10 year on the glass vacuum tube and heat pipe. The whole tube is black and absorbs heat 360° so it even picks up heat on the back off of a roof or reflected surface behind. This works for me. I am now an APRICUS dealer for evacuated tubes and use several flat plate manufacturers. Dana Orzel Great Solar Works, Inc www.solarwork.com E - [email protected] V - 970.626.5253 F - 970.626.4140 C - 970.209.4076 I'd put my money on solar energy I hope we don't have to wait 'til oil and coal run out before we tackle that. Thomas Edison, in conversation with Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, March 1931 From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peter Parrish Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 7:41 AM To: 'RE-wrenches' Subject: [RE-wrenches] Evacuated Tube-based SDHW Back at the San Diego Solar 2008 show, I made a point to look at a number of evacuated tube systems for SDHW. I got one very strong recommendation from a Colorado-based installer I bumped into, and I promptly put the information into write-only memory. So here I am six months later no better off than I was before I went to the show. Has there been a recent thread on evacuated tube SDHW systems? If so, how do I access the archives? If not could we start a thread? My principal reason for looking into this technology is for space-limited applications. Right now we are looking at trying to find space on a crowded roof for about 100-120 sq-ft of conventional flat plate collectors (e.g. SunEarth Empire 4x8 or 4x10), and skylights, parapet walls and a PV array are getting in the way. Climate is southern California coastal. Any help would be appreciated. - Peter Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President California Solar Engineering, Inc. 820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065 Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885 CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26 [email protected] _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Peter Parrish Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 6:05 AM To: 'RE-wrenches' Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] MPPT greater than 150V Yes, as far as I know. Apollo is supposed to have one in beta evaluation but we havent been able to obtain satisfactory information from them how product evaluation is taking place and when the unit will be available as a product. We had an application for which we wanted to use this new product and gave up on them and their product. - Peter Peter T. Parrish, Ph.D., President California Solar Engineering, Inc. 820 Cynthia Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90065 Ph 323-258-8883, Mobile 323-839-6108, Fax 323-258-8885 CA Lic. 854779, NABCEP Cert. 031806-26 [email protected] _____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Carl Emerson Sent: Tuesday, March 24, 2009 5:20 PM To: 'RE-wrenches' Subject: [RE-wrenches] MPPT greater than 150V Hi there, Can someone confirm that there is still no MPPT regulators available capable of accepting array voltages greater than 150. Thanks, Carl Emerson Free Power Ltd. Auckland NZ
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