Securing hard plumbing for AG + solar panels

[zephans]

I have two sites I'm erecting solar hot water panels. I've got my plumbing routing figured out (after much noodling) and chose to use 2" Sch40 pipe everywhere (likely overkill but nice if I ever split off to additional arrays).

I'm still not sure how I will attach the main valve array to the side of our deck.

My current idea is to use plumbing tape (metal with holes) wherever I can attach to deck lumber. However most the valve section will be below the deck floor. For that area I'm planning to buy some plastic trellis to visually block the entire under-deck area plus provide nice area to strap piping to. Probably will work but thought I'd post in case the collective wisdom has any additional thoughts.

Plumbing details:
The heart is the valve section (looks like a 2'x2' square with ball valves to direct to solar or bypass). I'm mounting it vertically just under north edge of our deck (about 4' away from pump & filter). Vertical for easy access, drainage, and space saving.
From there I'll run one set of pipes up above our deck where I'll have 10x17 area to mount ~4 4x10 mats.
Another set of pipes goes under the deck to South side where I'll mount two 2x20' SunHeater solar panels almost vertically against my south deck rail. (I know it would be better if I can slope, but space is a bit of a premium with no room to just rest on the ground.)

Let me know if you have any feedback. Thanks! -z

[matt4x4]

Hi Zephans:
1. Why not use the grey abs plastic screw in clips for electrical conduit - I believe they come in 2" and look a lot nicer than those metal straps.

2. The 4x10 mats - which direction are the facing? By "above deck" I'm presuming you have a roof like structure above your deck you will place the mats on, so they lay relatively flat.

3. Are you able to build some sort of angled base for the 2x20's? Even a 20 degree slope from vertical would be very beneficial, because vertical mounting will really negate most of the gain you could see from those panels. Actually, when thinking about it, the 4@4x10 Which is twice what I have on my pool) is already giving you a good solar gain and should likely be enough for your size pool, I have 2 2x20's for a 30' diameter pool (20,000+ Gal.) and although the solar manufacturer recommends 3 x as many, I find the panels do a great job of extending my swimming season by over a month total.
I would try it with just the 4x10's and if you are not satisfied after a full season of use, add more panels at that time, should be easy enough since you are setting your plumbing up to accommodate easy changes.

[zephans]

Thanks for the advice Matt. Good advice (as usual). I will look for the ABS screw-in clips.
I'll also hang the 2 2'x20' panels at 70 degree angle instead of 90 degrees (vertical).

The 4 4x10 panels will be mounted on a rack I'm building above our existing 16'x8' deck pergola. The rack will be angled 30 to 45 degrees toward unobstructed Southern exposure :). I'm planning on putting metal corrugated panels below where I'll mount the panels. That way the deck can be used when it rains (which is often in the Seattle area :rolleyes:).

I'm building the two separate arrays for a couple reasons:
1. We live just North of Seattle in a convergence zone. That means it rains and/or is cloudy where I live more often than it does in Seattle. My DW loves heat and we don't have a spa. The warmer we can get the pool the better. The other challenge is that I don't want to spend the money and consume the energy necessary for a heat pump or gas heater. Going from 65-70 degrees to low 90 degree (ideal) will take as much solar as possible.

2. The pergola roof mount will take me longer to build. It may be Mid-September or later until it is ready. I have to order the panels, construct the mini-trusses, buy corrugated panels and 16' of gutter, etc. Oh yeah, I already bought the SunHeater 2 2'x20' "cheap panels" before I did the research and math to figure out better panels are 4'x8' or 4'x10', and I have just enough room for 4'x10' panels.

3. I actually get a kick out of designing construction projects. This is my first plumbing project. I take pride in doing more than the default cheap-20'-panels-plumbed-in-series installation. I think I watched too much "Home Improvement" on TV. Bring on the Binford 5,000.

Actually in contrast with my serial sadistic overkill pool projects I need to buy a smaller pump because the 2hp Waterco pump packaged with the pool is too noisy (and overpowered for my 12'x24' pool)... back to ). It's really too bad that I couldn't read and understand every post in this forum before I bought my pool (which tried that for 1 year). I'm still a beginner on the chemicals... but we're clean and algee free which is my bar.

Speaking of dreams, I'll have a nice supply of water 10' above the deck right next to the pool edge. I'm going to plumb a valve up there to feed a future fountain or other water feature. I have no idea what it will look like or when I'll do it... but it will be cool!:cool:


<Note to self: Once solar heater(s) are working algee and other stuff will be able to grow faster. Keep reading the chemical posts and get water PH and other factors balanced beyond just Chlorine and CYA stabilizer using test strips :eek: .>

[matt4x4]

Sounds like you got it all under control!
Yes, if you're in the 60-70 degree range because of high cloud cover, you will likely need as much solar as possible - we have a ton of sun - when we do have summer, so it's a bit different.