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This week I picked up two Reynolds solar water panels - 4’ x 12’ each. When I put in the slab for the first floor of the original workshop I put the PEX tubing in it for heat. The idea had always been to set up a system with solar panels to keep the workshop warmer through the winter. Just with sun in the windows, the upstairs woodshop typically stays above 40℉ - although the recent single digit temperatures had it down around 20℉. Without windows, the lower level does get colder, but with some solar gain I think I can probably keep it up around 50 to 55℉ at least and by warming the thermal mass of the floor should be able to keep it more stable.
The stopping block had always been how to control things. What I needed was a system that compares the temperature of the floor to that of the solar panel and then circulates the coolant when it would add heat to the floor - obviously shutting things down for the months that would warm things too much. Basically: If Floor Temp < Solar Panel Temp AND < Maximum Desired Temp (say 70℉) THEN Power Pump to Circulate Fluid.
When I first started looking into it, discussions along those lines always ended up being cost prohibitive. In more recent years, the idea of running an older PC to control things started to seem doable, but still seemed cumbersome. Lately I’ve started reading up on Arduino and Raspberry Pi controllers and an Arduino seems to be the ticket.
The stopping block had always been how to control things. What I needed was a system that compares the temperature of the floor to that of the solar panel and then circulates the coolant when it would add heat to the floor - obviously shutting things down for the months that would warm things too much. Basically: If Floor Temp < Solar Panel Temp AND < Maximum Desired Temp (say 70℉) THEN Power Pump to Circulate Fluid.
When I first started looking into it, discussions along those lines always ended up being cost prohibitive. In more recent years, the idea of running an older PC to control things started to seem doable, but still seemed cumbersome. Lately I’ve started reading up on Arduino and Raspberry Pi controllers and an Arduino seems to be the ticket.