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We had the plumbing trenches for the under floor drainage pipes dug with the site excavation. There was some cleanup and adjustments to be done before we started bedding the pipes. We used 14 tons (1 truckload) of crusher fines to bed the pipes (4 inches below, on each side, and 6 inches above the pipes) and kept the slope of the pipe between 1/8 and 1/4 inch per foot for the 4 inch pipes. Crusher fines are coarser than sand but much cheaper and compact very well. We used a form in the trench to make the material go as far as possible.
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We used the measurements from the blueprints and made a grid over the trench using string held up by stakes. Then we hung a plumb-bob from the string intersections to mark where the sink, tub, toilet will go. We re-measured to make sure everything was in the right place and started gluing pipes together. |
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| This view shows the master bath. The tub is on the left, the large pipe is the toilet, the vent is behind it and then the sink. The boards and stakes are to hold the pipes in place when we backfill. |
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| This will be the washing machine drain, utility sink, and vent pipe. Towards the back of the picture is the pipe leading to the kitchen sink. |
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We passed the underground plumbing and the underground electrical inspections in September so now we can continue to set the rest of the bales. ______________________________
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We are testing a Solahart Black Chrome XII 80 gallon hot water system we intend to use on the house. We have built a 4X4 frame for it next to our cabin. We lifted it in place using the skid steer since the collectors weigh 88 lbs. each and the tank weighs 363 lbs. Next we hooked up all the pipes and turned on the water to fill the tank, then mixed the heat transfer fluid with water and filled the collector panels. The fluid heats in the collector panels and then the heated fluid travels upward and around the tank warming the water inside. No electrical pump needed. We have also installed a heat dissipation kit (see picture below right) which runs through the inside of the tank and out the back side It is designed to keep the water temperature below 176 degrees (F). We finished filling the unit at 5:30PM on 8-12-2004 and uncovered the collectors. The next morning, at sunrise, it was 50 degrees (F) outside and by 2:30 PM the hot water from the kitchen faucet registered 121 degrees (F). At 5:30 PM the tap water had risen to 147 degrees (F).
October 2004 Update: The Solahart is doing fantastic! The longest stretch we have had to go without sunshine so far is 2 and a half days. At that point we took a water temp reading and it was 90 degrees. We have the heat dissippator hooked up but not the tempering valve (that keeps the temp constant). Most of the time the water is scalding hot. When we have a full day of sunshine we can hear the heat dissapator clicking which means that the water temperature has reached at least 176 degrees (F). August 2005 Update: The Solahart is still doing fantastic! Last winter we only had a couple of nights that got down to -20 degrees but still had hot, but not scalding, water. There were only about six times that we had to heat water for showers, each time due to 3-4 consecutive days of clouds during a cold winter. This reinforces our intent to enclose the tank when we install it on the house. Right now, as it stands, it is unprotected from the cold, wind, and snow. This will not be the case on the house.
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About the Solahart: Solahart has been making solar hot water systems since 1953 and are made in Western Australia. They are extremely popular there and are in use all over the world. Solahart has recently been bought by Rheem Manufacturing here in the U.S. and now should gain more popularity here. We got ours through Rheem in Montgomery, Alabama. Click here for a listing of contacts. We're not going to use the optional gas or electric backup for our testing, only solar. We're curious to see how the winter affects it. |
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Home First
Steps Excavation Setting
the Bales Solar Electric |
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