anyone built solar panals for heating water my father waants to try it


I had a boss who installed them in the 70’s, when solar panels were the big selling item, along with double glazing. After a couple of years, he admitted that it would take him four lifetimes to recoup the cost! That thing about it not needing to have direct sunlight proved to be a load of fooeey – but maybe the technology has improved.

Which raises the points:

Why do we use water to heat up our central heating systems, when it’s such a poor conductor? – electric radiators with a thermostat in each room are much more efficient, and at to-day’s energy prices (in the UK) would work out cheaper (I’m told), as well as being more responsive to the needs of each room. You could control the whole lot with an X-10 system on a PC for maximum efficiency.

Why do we spend a great deal of money heating the water to near boiling, only to mix it with cold water to cool it down. It could be heated to hand washing temperature by a small heater underneath: and you would get instant hot water instead of having to run it for an age. After all, instant heating works fine with your shower.

Only the kitchen sink needs potentially hotter water, which, again could be provided on and as when basis by an undersink heater.

For washing and dishwashing, detergents respond effectively at ever lower temperatures – so it’s probably becoming as effective for them to heat their own water.

Which leaves the bath, which can be served by an immersion heater for those that wish to sit in their own dirt. That again could be scheduled for its pattern of use.

So, as the cold water tap is now only for cleaning teeth and drinking, it could be fed through a filter system to improve its quality, thus saving a bomb in bottled water.

This system would be to current plumbing, as the Empeg is to the 8track, unless somebody knows different!

That sounds like their story (same game my sister won the fish at too). I'll have to call them again and find out exactly how long they had it (I just found out my nephew is 6. Man am I a lousy uncle). It was in our 55 gallon tank, with several other fish, so he did have room to grow.

In the house I recently sold I built an outdoor pond. I stocked it with koi and a bunch of goldfish. I named all the fish. The fish were keeped in the upper pond as I had designed it to be the deepest with the lower section a bog for growing water plants. Well one day I went out there and about 75% of the fish were gone, except for parts of fins and heads and stuff like that. The racoons had found my pond! I built a cover out of cedar and steel wire mesh that I keeped on it from then on. About six months later I was draining the lower pond to remove and clean the filter and lo and behold there was one of the goldfish! He must have taken a trip over the waterfall and had lived in the lower section without being feed for six months! He had grown a bit and his new name was "Die Hard"! So my point is that these are hardy fish. I never took them out of the pond in the winter and at times the water temp can't be much above freezing. I just stop feeding them when the water temp dips below 50 F.

Goldfish are not very sociable in an aquarium with other types of fish and will usually eat them. Best to keep them with their own kind.

It's a hobby and not supposed to be cheap I just go to the local fish store and have never shopped online for any equipment needed so I can't help you on that. Drop me a line if you want any questions answered, I enjoy my fish and so do my cats.