Solar Panel Installation questions
mtvhike
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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seabornman
4 years agoarmoured
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Question 2: plumbing of solar panels
Comments (22)I know a sheet of metal roofing would hold the water away from the roof. I guess if I was careful I might be able to just use the metal and one piece of glazing. But wouldn't another piece of insulation under the metal make it more efficient? Bending the edges up just a bit might make me less paranoid about leaks. Another option as apposed to screws is to use construction adhesive. It is really tough stuff. You folks are making me itchy to get out in my shop. After X-mas maybe. I think I should probably build a very small experimental trickle through collector just to try it out and see how I do with leakage. about the "sky cooling" . . . It all makes sense for the most part. Though biology is more my thing than physics. If you wouldn't mind explaining a bit more I would appreciate it. I am having trouble connecting the cooling of the panel with your explanation karen. So lets say you have a panel that is circulating warmish water in it that you want to cool down. You put it on the shady side of the house on a day when the air temperature is greater than the temperature of the water you want to cool off. So the water molecules release IR radiation into the panel and the panel passes that IR on to the air. The air is made up of all sorts of stuff, oxygen, nitrogen, CO2, water vapor & then a bunch of trace stuff. So here comes our IR wave and it runs into a gas molecule. With sunlight the gas molecules would absorb some energy and start bouncing around faster. We would measure this as a higher air temperature with a thermometer. I would imagine that the with the air being warmer than the water in the panel it would do the same thing in terms of energy transfer and warm up the water. Does IR work differently? Do some gases reflect the IR or not interact with it at all? This seems to be the key paragraph that is confusing me. "Now, not only are things on the surface radiating, but things above you are as well. However, the atmosphere isn't a nearby solid (ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT THE ATMOSPHERE RADIATES DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE IT IS A GAS INSTEAD OF A SOLID?). You're getting radiation from a broad range of particles, from ones radiating right above you, further, further, and further away, all the way out to the frigid edge of the atmosphere and beyond. It is the net radiation of these particles that matters in determining how much incoming infrared is absorbed by something that faces skyward (SO YOU ARE SAYING THAT THE NET INCOMING RADIATION FROM THE ATMOSPHERE IS LEss THAN THE OUTGOING RADIATION FROM THE PANEL?)." I am still a bit lost. Sorry for needing so much explanation. If you ever have frog questions feel free to ask and maybe I can reciprocate a bit....See MoreSolar panels and roof load question
Comments (2)Hi, If I understand you correctly, the new panels would apply their loads to new rafters that are not currently loaded by the existing panels. If that is the case, then it seems like if the current panels are OK, the new ones should be OK as well since they are not adding load to the same rafters the current panels are on. You could noodle around these pages and maybe get some help from the info they provide: http://www.awc.org/technical/spantables/tutorial.htm http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/calc/timbercalcstyle.asp On the span calculator at the link above, if you use 2X12s at 24 inch spacing, deflection = L/180, with the 20 psf snow load plus 10 psf dead load (ie the roof) you get a max span of 21.25 feet. If you increase the dead load to 15 psf to cover your panels (actually more than cover them by quite a bit), the allowed span goes down to 19.75 ft -- not exactly a killer change. You could compare the numbers the calculator gives to your actual span and see how (roughly) how much margin you have. Gary...See MoreInstalling Solar Panel on Chemwood Roof
Comments (1)Some solar installers do that with fragile roofs - clay tile, where they remove a good chunk of the original and put down composition shingle. Depending on how things are done, there could be problems for the lower portions of the roof if the water run off is channelled between the roofing felt and the chemwood roof....See Moresolar heating--professional install or diy install
Comments (3)I'm a pool builder in Phoenix, and even as a professional, there are WAY too many ways to mess up a solar installation. Solar involves sensors, low voltage wiring, panel installation, and more. In today's economy, $4000 is a huge decision maker, but also having VALUE of someone else covering warranty, problems, etc. -could be the deciding factor. Other things to consider: 1. Federal Solar Rebate - up to $1000 i think (25% tax rebate) - this should knock $1000 off your $4000 solar bid.... 2. Alternative methods - have you considered gas heaters or electrical heating methods (heat pumps)? Solar is the best long term, environmentally friendly method - but the MOST upfront cost. Here is the company we use in Phoenix - not sure if they have installers where you live? Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Great Solar Company!...See Moremtvhike
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agomtvhike
4 years agoSeabornman
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4 years agoLora Strine
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4 years agoSeabornman
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4 years agoSeabornman
4 years agoarmoured
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoarmoured
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4 years agoSeabornman
4 years agoarmoured
4 years agomtvhike
4 years agomtvhike
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agomtvhike
4 years agoarmoured
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4 years agoSeabornman
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4 years agoMartin George
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3 years agoarmoured
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