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SOLAR HEATING SYSTEM
CONSTRUCTION LOG
PROGRESS
REPORT:
September
23, 2002: Added home-made Differential Temperature Controller
After
observing my system for the first year I noticed
that
the tank temperature would drop considerably in the
morning
and late
afternoon. I finally realized that
on cold days there was not enough sun on the collectors
to heat the fluid to the point that is was hotter than the
storage tank, but there was enough sun on the solar
panel to run the pump. The pump was basically
pumping heated water into the collectors which then
became radiators!
What
I needed was a controller that would shut off the
pump
that circulates heated water through the heat exchanger
and
into the tank when the collector temperature
drops
below the temperature at the top of the tank.
This
type of Differential Temperature Controller
was
available only as an AC powered version for over $160.00,
there was no DC powered controller available.
Being an inventor
and electrical
engineer,
I decided to design and build
my
own from spare parts.
Above is the original hand made controller.