Pics, Frame for 15 tube, integral stainless steel tank

[David]

All laughs aside, it's symptomatic of this godalmighty dreadful, spiteful, sneaky country we now live in - I shall seek planning consent for a twin bofors gun!

Seeking it from the people who might have been sneaking a peek at your garden:-)

Shoulder launched anti-aircraft missiles don't need planning permission.

[northern installer]

heres a little helicopter story:I had a notice from defra telling me one of my fields had been overclaimed on area;now we get a few of these,mainly insignificant errors due to updating of the ordnance survey system,but this was a larger area,nearly 3/4 acre !! I phoned defra who promised to send a copy of their version of the map;when it arrived,a whole corner of my field had been cut off.I went out to the field,but it was still there,just as purchased,but the'missing'corner coincided with a steep bank.The bank was covered with rough grass,as it was too steep to cut for hay,the rest of the field cropped short ,and green.I went back and phoned defra,explaining that the land was still there and had not been beamed up by alien spaceships;No they replied,there is a fence along that line ,its another field.(me)No there isnt,have you sent a surveyor,and if so,why didnt he ask permission to enter my land?(defra,indignantly) we dont need to enter your land,we had an aerial survey.(me)well put your aerial survey man on the phone(defra)sorry cant do that,its done by another organisation.(me)well give me the name of the organisation(defra).sorry cant do that,its confidential.(me)but its my land?surely I have rights?(defra)but these surveys are used for other things so are confidential.(me)what other things?(defra)sorry,cant tell you that......now,at this point,despite blood pressure at danger point,an icy chill ran down my spine; the matter was easily resolved with six letters over six months,another from my solicitor and a copy of the land registry plans;but just what have they got in store for us???

[Ron]

Has anyone come across a blind or shutter that can be mounted over vacuum tube panel to cover same when on extended holidays?

[northern installer]

Ron,I thought of using a plastic(domestic)garage roller shutter door but havent tried it,I think the main enemy is wind,and the strength of the framework to resist same.

[stephend]

I've been thinking of a DIY solution to cover panels.  Find some PVC piping which fits over the tubes.  Cut it in half lengthwise.  Place one strip over each tube.  Make a bearing or use more piping to keep the half-pipe securely on the tube, yet able to swivel around the tube.  Mount simple gears on the top of the pipe and connect them all together with a chain which is attached to a servo.  Servo turns through 180 degrees, the half-pipes move into position over the top of the tubes and the tubes are shaded.  Servo turns through another 180 degrees and the half-pipes move behind the panels, exposing them to sun. 
You can also get fancy and use a reflective surface on the inside of the half pipe so that it acts as a reflector to improve performance when it's underneath the tube.

[zacfurther]

hi, i'm trying to set up the same unit, the pictures you speak of don't show up at all on this page, is it just my browser or should i be looking somewhere else?can you please email me the pictures
thank you
zac

[martin]

unfortunately, it's not "our" fault, and we can't remedy it! "Stu-M" who made the original post linked to images on another server - they are no longer there, hence have disappeared!
Anybody got photos of one of these that they could post?

[zacfurther]

ok, that's what i thought after checking the links in the html source, but it doesn't really help me to assemble this frame correctly,any chance of an *official* navitron version please?
thanks

[kpaprod]

hey, the pics are all gone.

[SteveH]

 Yep... & the website too...

  hasn't posted for over 12 months & a lot can happen in a year...

[martin]

it's ages since I did mine - here's a pic out of the site shop - it's not brilliant, but should be a help........I seem to remember that there's loads of bits that "couldn't fit anywhere else", and a photo with not a lot more detail than this enabled me to put ours together...........

[kpaprod]

was there any instructions to fit this together as I am planning to buy one and what is the best way to connect - parallel/series if I buy two?

[sylva]

it's ages since I did mine - here's a pic out of the site shop - it's not brilliant, but should be a help........I seem to remember that there's loads of bits that "couldn't fit anywhere else", and a photo with not a lot more detail than this enabled me to put ours together...........

My first post:

What are the differences between the sfa and sfd 20 tube designs?

What protection from boiling or freezing is needed in a simple stand alone system, e.g. panel tank plumbed directly to shower head and bath?

I saw a thread, but cannot re find it, that suggested this could feed a combi but couldn't see a combi recommended for hot water feed.

I've been toying with some flat plate collectors but a simple system with a 20 tube device like this feeding a combi and a thermostatic regulated valve under a gravity feed looks easier to implement on the flat roof over my bathroom and I can orient the panel properly. I'm aiming for around 10kWhr/day at about 50C.

[Ivan]

No pocket for sensor, but there are various connections which could be used to engineer a pocket, or you can simply drop the sensor into the open hole at the top.

I would suspect that PRV is not theoretically necessary, as mains pressure water will always boil at a higher temperature (140C+) than the non-pressurised water (100C) in the tank. However, water regulations, depending on country, may require safety devices such as PRV, TRV.

The only difference between SFA and SFD panels is the fact that SFD has the thermal coil in it, thus can produce mains pressure hot water. In fact you could also use SFD to produce non-pressurised water by using the volume of water in the tank to supply taps.

No freeze protection of SFA required, at least in S.Wales for the last 5 years. You can't really do anything to protect against boiling except 1)cover the tubes 2)draw off some water

[sylva]

No pocket for sensor, but there are various connections which could be used to engineer a pocket, or you can simply drop the sensor into the open hole at the top.

In a simple system which has the provision for topping up warmed water by a hot entry combi is there any need for sensors?

I would suspect that PRV is not theoretically necessary, as mains pressure water will always boil at a higher temperature (140C+) than the non-pressurised water (100C) in the tank. However, water regulations, depending on country, may require safety devices such as PRV, TRV.

Pressure reducing valve=PRV? I'm aiming for a simple gravity system fed off the reservoir at the top of the panel, which I suspect means I need the header tank also.

So, given your explanation I think I'm looking at a 20 tube sfa with a mains fed header tank.

No freeze protection of SFA required, at least in S.Wales for the last 5 years. You can't really do anything to protect against boiling except 1)cover the tubes 2)draw off some water

OK, thanks for your answers Ivan, have I got this straight:

Freezing is not an issue because it doesn't harm the tank? Or because you haven't experienced freezing temperatures?

The issue with boiling is scalding, this goes away with a thermostatic blending valve. Another issue is pressure build up, is the sfa reservoir vented? Another is scale build up (hard water here) but I suppose a stainless tank can be descaled every now and then.

On the surface it still looks like a cheap hot water circuit could be formed using this panel + reservoir + header on my flat roof with only a mains supply and an outlet to a combi and blender circuit.

I still need to identify a combi that can accept hot water and decide where to fit the thermostatic blending valve.