Water Heater - Solar Copper Manual

COPPER
Solar Water HeaterCopper Version

Instruction Manual
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Solar Water Heater Copper
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Solar Water Heater Copper Version Materials
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2 long aluminum profile
2 short aluminum profile
corrugated tin sheets to fit long x short frame
mineral wool insulation to fit long x short frame

3/16 inch popping rivets
24 copper Ts 1.25 inch to 1 inch (3/4 will work, too)
24 pieces 1.25 inch diameter copper pipes cut 2.2 inches

2 copper endcaps, 1.25 inch
12 copper pipes 6 feet
4 6 inch copper pipes (1 inch or 3/4 inch, depending on Ts)

2 short hoses
1 sheet copper (a bit larger than long x short frame)

1 can heat-resistant black spray paint
1 piece 6mm glass (to fit long x short frame)

20 aluminum clamps
6 corner support pieces
1 tube heat resistant silicone

1 piece Tee 3/4 inch
1 valve 3/4 inch
1 water controller
1 water tank
1 expansion water tank

1 ventilation valve
1 temperature sensor
temperature sensor cable
copper pipe and connectors to fit your space

PVC pipe and connectors to fit your space
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Introduction
This manual is a walk-through construction of a Solar Water Heater that uses a copper collector.
The solar hot water system we will build includes a tank to store heated water for distribution
throughout our house.
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When you open a hot water faucet, hot water is drawn out of the tank and is replaced by cold water
from your water source. Our tank has a copper heat exchanger inside (think 100 feet of copper
tubing loosely coiled inside the tank).
Water is heated by the sun in a solar collector and circulated through this coil to heat the water
around it inside the tank.
Just as hot air rises, so does hot water, which means that the hottest water is always at the top of
the tank and the top of the collector. Hot water is drawn from the top of the collector and piped to
the top of the heat exchanger in the tank. As the hot water passes through the coil, it gives up its
heat energy to the surrounding water in the tank, exits at the bottom and is returned to the bottom of the
collector. The tank we will be using also has an electric heating element for days without sun.
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We will need a pump that you can power with solar panels to circulate water in the solar collector
through the heat exchanger in the tank, and you need a controller to tell the pump when to operate,
so that it doesnt run all the time. The controller senses the difference in temperature between the
water stored in our tank and the temperature of the water in the collector, and when the difference
is great enough, the controller turns on the pump to circulate water through the system. You can
adjust the controller to optimize your system operation. We found a unit that combines a pump and
a controller, so we will be working with one box instead of two.
Our solar collector consists of an insulated aluminum frame which were going to build to hold
a system of copper tubing, which is the guts of our collector and which we are also going to build.
The copper tubing and everything else inside the frame is painted with a heat resistant flat black
paint to maximize heat absorption. The whole thing will be covered with glass.
We have an air vent on the output side of the collector to allow any air that may build up in our
system to escape, so that our system is always fully charged with water.
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Your components do not have to be this close together were showing them this way simply by
way of illustration but the greater the distance between your tank and your collector, the more you
will have to contend with potential heat loss.
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Tools Needed
Before we get started, lets take a look at the tools well need to complete the project.
The first tool is the PVC tube cutter.
You will also need a tape measure,
An angle grinder for cutting the
aluminum frame,
A Phillips screwdriver and a flathead
screwdriver.
Other tools well need are a metal file

for smoothing the edges of the frame,
A hammer
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And a pair of pliers with a diagonal cutting
edge,
A riveting tool, which will be used to put the frame together. This tool needs to be able to
cut 3/16 inch rivets, so make sure its a heavy-duty one.
A pipe wrench, which will come in handy when
tightening the pipe joints,
And a utility knife or office knife.

The pipe-cutter will be used to make a
clean cut on the copper tubing.
You will also need a marker.
The blowtorch will be used to solder the joints in our copper

piping.
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Well need an electric hand drill to drill holes in our
aluminum frame to put the pieces together.
Well use the air pump to pressure test
our copper tubing system for leaks, or
you can use an electric air compressor,
but its not really necessary.
You can probably use a bench vise.
Well need a PVC welding tool when we start

piping the collector to the rest of our system.
Well also want a couple of clutch style clamps.
These should be all of the tools you need for this project.
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Lets Get Started
Lets get started building our frame. We are using some prefabricated Z-shaped aluminum stock 4
1/2 inches wide, and after we have cut it to length, we are going to need to do some cutting on the
ends to fabricate our frame.
The frame is 40 inches wide by 80 inches long, and weve cut the stock to length, so that each piece
is long enough for us to create a flap 1 1/16 inches long at each end, which we will fold over so that
we can fasten the ends and sides together to create the finished dimensions.
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1 1/16 inches is the width of the short

sides of the z-shaped stock.
We started by measuring off 1 1/16 inches and now we are making the cuts to create our flap.
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Using the file, we smooth the
edges of the cuts.
Now were bending the flap we have created to a 90-degree angle, using the hammer and a wood
block an 18-inch section of 6x6 hardwood fencepost ought to get it.
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We use popping rivets to fasten an end
and side together.
Using the drill and a 1/4-inch bit, we make 1/4-inch holes in the first piece.
Were using a punch to mark where we want to drill. This keeps the bit from skating around and
scratching up the work piece.
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Were using clamps to fix both pieces together at the desired angle, then we drill through the holes
in the first piece into and through the second piece.
Were using the riveting tool to fasten the two pieces together with 3/16 popping rivets.
After we fasten the first corner with the rivets, we use the clamps to set up the next one, mark the
place for the holes with the punch and drill through both pieces at once, then fasten the corner with
rivets and move on to the other two.
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Now we are going to install corrugated steel sheets for the bottom of the frame.
Make sure you lay them down with the ridges parallel to the ends of the panel. This will help
stabilize our frame.
We are going to use the 3/16-inch rivets to fix the sheets in place.
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We use the punch to mark where to drill the holes and drill all the way through the sheet and the frame.
After we make the holes, using the same heavy-duty riveting tool, we fix the sheet to the frame.
We do this on both sides, then we move to the other end of the frame. If the two pieces of sheeting
are not long enough to overlap,
you will have to put a third piece

in the middle. Try to line all
these pieces up so that the ridges

fit together, one sheet on top of
the other. This will make a nice
flat bottom for your panel.

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We want this frame to be as rigid as possible to avoid damage to the glass sheet later on so we
are going to add a pre-drilled slotted metal bracket or brace on the inside of each corner using the
3/16-inch rivets and 1/4-inch bolts, washers and nuts.
Use the holes in the bracket as your guide for drilling holes through one side of the frame and fasten
the bracket to that side using the 3/16-inch rivets.
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You may need to flatten the slotted side of the bracket
against the other side of the frame with a hammer.
Drill two 1/4-inch holes through the slot through the

frame and fasten the bracket to that side of the frame.
You do this by putting a washer on your 1/4-inch bolt
and putting it through the hole from the inside of the
frame. Crank the nut down with a wrench and use the grinder to cut off the excess on the outside
of the frame.
To insulate the panel, so that the
suns heat will stay in the water in
the copper tubing of your collector
and not radiate into your roof, we

use mineral wool, sometimes
called rock wool. We were able

to find it in 2-inch slabs the exact
width of our frame.

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Lay the slabs in the frame, foil side up. Fill in any gaps by measuring and cutting pieces to fit
using the utility knife.
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Now, we are going to build the copper tubing system that will be the guts of our collector.
This is what the finished tubing assembly will look like.
We start by making the ends of the collector. An end is just a series of T-joints connected by short
pieces of 1-inch copper pipe all welded together.
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Begin by cutting all the 2 3/16-inch pieces we will need from the 1-inch copper tubing using the
tube-cutting tool. Its just easier to do them all at once.
Now, we are going to start connecting the T-joints with the short pieces of 1-inch tubing, which fit
inside the big ends of the T-joints.
We do all our copper joints the same way, so read these steps carefully.
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First, we clean the ends of each piece
to be joined, inside and out, using steel
wool or sandpaper until they are

uniformly shiny.
Then we coat the surfaces that are
going to be touching that is, the inside

of the T-joint and the outside of the 1-
inch pipe, with flux, which is an acidic
paste that chemically etches the copper

so that the solder will bond to it.
We then put the two pieces together, after heating the flux on the T-joint just a little bit.
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When you do this, you have to make sure that all your T-joints line up and that the little ends are
pointing in exactly the same direction because, eventually, we are going to connect the ends of the
collector with long pieces of copper tubing, and youre not going to be able to get it together with
the T-joints pointing every which way.
We put the joint in a vice so you dont get burned and start heating the joint with the torch. Do
this until the copper starts to change color. You have to get the entire joint hot enough to melt the
solder. Touch the solder to the top of the joint, and it will usually run all the way around, filling up
all the tiny spaces between the two pieces of pipe. Make sure the whole joint is covered with solder.
You can use the torch to melt off any excess.
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Your first welds wont look that great, but as long as they keep the water in, thats all you need. At
the end, we will paint the collector black, so you wont see any flaws in the finished product.
Remember these pieces are HOT, so wear gloves and use eye protection when soldering or doing
other jobs that involve cutting, welding or any actions that may be dangerous. We dont want you
to have any bad memories when you look at your completed solar water heater later.
When you gain a little confidence, you can weld several joints at once.
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An end consists of 12 T-joints in a row connected by 1-inch pipe, with a T-joint on each end of the row.
Now, we are going to start cutting the
longer 3/4-inch copper tubes that fit

into the small ends of the T-joints and
connect the two ends to form the
main part of the collector.
We were able to find the 3/4-inch
copper tubing in 9-foot lengths. We
need 6-foot, 6-inch lengths.
We
combine the shorter leftovers with
copper connectors, so that we wont
waste any material and still get all the
pieces we need.
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Next, we clean the inside edges of the T-joints with a Dremel. You can also use a screwdriver
handle wrapped in sandpaper.
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Then we connect the 6 1/2-foot tubes to the end and finish the joints just like we did all the others
sandpaper, flux, heat and solder.
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This is where you find out if you have all of your T-joints lined up straight. The whole assembly
should lay flat on your work table.
When the joints have cooled, we stand the assembly on the finished end and fit the other end over
the 6 1/2-foot tubes. This may take some jiggling, and you will probably have to use a hammer to
seat the end on the pipes. Be careful with the hammer, because you dont want to dent or bend any
of the tubing or break any of your joints.
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We should have four of the short pieces of 1-inch tubing left, and we are now going to prepare and
insert one into the T-joint at each corner of the collector. We are going to cap two of these and
leave one at each end open on the same side of the collector. This is where we will connect the water
input and output assemblies. Cold water comes in at the bottom and hot water exits at the top.
Weld all these joints just like we did all the others. You might want to give some thought now to
where you will be mounting your collector, so you know which side is which.
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Next, we are going to test our copper tube assembly for leaks by filling it with water under pressure.
First, we need an air manifold, and we are making one out of some PVC parts we had lying around
the shop.
You will need a nipple on the end to connect the hose from your air pump, but we probably dont
need the gate valve.
Stand your copper tubing assembly on its side with the open ends pointing up.
Then, we attach our manifold to one of the open ends of the collector with a length of hose and hose
clamps. Make sure the hose fits well down on the copper pipe. Make sure there are no obvious
cracks in this first joint because it will be covered by the hose. Get the clamps really tight.
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Now, we fasten a length of hose to the other open end. Notice that we have notched the end of the
hose so that it fits well down on the pipe.
We use this hose to fill the whole assembly with water. Remember, we not only have to fill the ends,
but all the pipes in between.
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When all the pipes are full of water, we insert a plug in the filler hose and fasten it with a hose clamp.
Then, using a piece of rubber tubing, we attach our bicycle pump to the nipple on the manifold and
start pumping.
It will get hard to pump after a few strokes. Watch for any major leaks.
Then, we examine each and every joint very carefully for the slightest sign of any escaping water.
It will collect at the bottom of the joints.
If you find any, mark them with your marker, then, after emptying out the water, go back and reheat
the leaking joints and add some more solder.
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After repairing any leaking joints with solder and the solder has completely cooled, repeat the
pressure test. If there are any leaks in the copper tubing assembly, you are not going to get any hot water.
Next, we are going to make a tray out of copper sheeting to fit inside our frame on top of the mineral
wool insulation.
The copper sheeting should be slightly larger than the frame, and we make it fit by crimping one
or more edges with a couple of hammers. Crimping the edges not only makes for a proper fit, but
adds strength to the copper tray.
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Once our copper tray is snuggly fitted inside the frame, we lay in the copper tubing assembly to measure
and mark for the openings required to allow the input and output tubes to pass through the frame.
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Were using an electric drill and a hole cutter bit to make the openings.
Now, we put the input and output pipes through the holes and lay the copper tube assembly inside
the frame on top of the copper tray and mineral wool insulation to make sure everything fits nicely
and lays flat.
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Next, we are going to remove the copper tubing assembly and the copper tray from the frame, so
we can weld them together. You dont want to apply any heat inside the frame or you might damage
the mineral wool insulation.
First, we lay the copper tray down on our work table and lay the copper tube assembly on top in
the exact positions they were in inside the frame, or as close as possible to them.
Then, we mark the spots for our welds by using a screwdriver to score the copper sheet along the
6 1/2-foot tubes. You want to score along both sides of each tube.
Remember, we have to clean copper parts before trying to solder them together, so we are using the
grinder with a wire brush attachment to clean the copper sheet within the tube outlines.
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When weve finished polishing the copper sheet, we turn the copper tube assembly over and use
the same wire brush wheel to polish the back sides of the tubes, where they are going to contact the
copper sheet.
After going over the tubes with the wire brush, we use sandpaper or steel wool to finish the job.
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Now, we are going to apply flux liberally to the shiny side of each tube along the entire length
because we cant be exactly sure of the contact points between the pipes and the copper sheet.
After applying flux to the pipes, we lay the copper tube assembly back on top of the copper sheet
in their original positions and use the pipes to guide our brush in applying flux to the copper sheet.
After doing this, weve placed an aluminum bar between the copper sheeting and our work table
to press the copper sheeting up against the bottom of the copper tubes, so that they make contact.
You can slide this aluminum bar along as you work.
Start at one end, five or six inches from the T-joints, and when you are sure you have good contact
between the copper sheeting and the copper tube, heat both pieces and apply your solder. Do this
for all the tubes at that end. Dont try to move the aluminum bar until all the joints have cooled.
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Now, go to the other end and go through the same process.
Once the ends are done, you can work in between. You dont have to have a continuous joint from
end to end. Three or four spots in between will get the job done.
Now, we are going to fasten the fittings for the input and output valves to the input and output pipes
with solder.
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Now that thats done, we spray paint everything inside the frame with heat-resistant flat black paint.
The paint has to be heat-resistant because the temperature inside the panel can go up to 400 degrees
Fahrenheit. Try to get everything and get everything evenly.
We are using copper because it is a great conductor of heat, and we are painting it black so all the
suns heat is absorbed by the copper and transferred to the water inside the tubes rather than being
reflected back in the direction it came from.
We need to attach some brackets to the bottom of our frame to fasten it to the roof in this case, a
ground-mounted demonstration frame. Use the brackets to fasten the frame to your roof with screws
set into rafters or joists, if possible. Make sure you apply silicone around the brackets and screws,
so your roof doesnt leak.
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We also need to fasten a number of aluminum clips to the top edges of the frame, which we will
later bend over to hold our glass cover in place.
Once we have the collector mounted in place, we prepare it to receive the glass cover by applying
a liberal bead of silicone around all the edges where the glass cover will rest.
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After the glass has been laid in place, we press the glass carefully against the frame to ensure we
have a total seal.
Now, we bend all the aluminum clips
over the edges of the glass to hold it
firmly in place.
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This is our water tank. You can buy a new one with a heat exchanger inside for about $150, or you
can get a used one for $20. Were mounting our tank on a wall a few feet off the ground using
concrete anchors.
This is our water controller, which is specially made for solar applications and incorporates a pump,
but there is more than one brand and more than one way to skin this cat. The controller uses sensors
to compare the temperature of the water in our tank to the temperature of the water in our collector,
and these sensors are connected to the wiring terminal of the controller. You use the controller to
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maintain a desired water temperature in your tank, but the highest water temperature you can
achieve depends on how much sun you get and other variables, such as air temperature and
unavoidable heat loss in your system. The controller operates on temperature differentials, which
you can adjust, and when a certain differential is reached, the controller turns on the circulating
pump and shuts it off when the differential is eliminated. If you set your limits too high, your pump
will run all the time. If you set them too low, youll only get warm water. When the pump starts,
water is circulated through the solar collector and the heat exchanger in our tank. Cooler water is
drawn from the bottom of the heat exchanger in the tank to the top of the controller and pushed out
the bottom of the controller to the bottom of the solar collector. As the water passes through the
collector, it is heated by the sun and exits the top of the collector to return to the top of the heat
exchanger in the tank.
This is a closed system. Water heated in a closed system expands and creates pressure, so you have
to have safety valves to avoid a blowout in your system. Our controller has a safety valve to release
pressure into a reservoir tank before pressure in the controller reaches any dangerous level.
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Here, we have started the cold water side of our system by constructing a short piece of copper
tubing with nut and rubber washer fittings at each end, and connecting it to the Return Outlet
Connection at the bottom of the controller.
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Next, we are going to start on the collector cold-water return valve assembly and piping. We begin
by screwing a 3/4-inch T-joint onto the fitting we welded earlier, wrapping the threads with pipe
tape to ensure we have an airtight seal. Get this T-joint on as tight as possible, so that the base of
the T is pointing toward the back of our collector panel.
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Now, we attach the valve to the end of the T-joint in the same way. This valve allows us to fill the
system with water and close it when it is full.
Next, we are going to run copper tubing

from this T-joint to the water controller.
We start by welding a screw fitting to the
end of a length of tubing so it fits into the
T-joint and screw the finished piece into
the
joint
temporarily
to
begin
our
measurements. We are going to cut this
tubing to various lengths and connect them

with copper elbows to fit this demonstration
setup, but the lengths and number of bends
you need will depend on the relative
positions of your components.
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Now, were working on the end that connects to the bottom of the water controller.
While were at it, we make a copper to PVC fitting for the top of the controller, since we are going
to be using PVC to pipe the hot water side of our system.
Heres what the finished cold water side of our system looks like.
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Next, we are going to construct the fittings for the
hot water side of our collector.
These will
accommodate the temperature sensor from our
controller, the air vent that will bleed off any air
accumulating in our system and the connection for

the piping.
Be sure to tape the fittings and tighten the joints on
all your connections.
This piece is for the temperature sensor.
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This one is the vent valve which will

automatically close once all the air from the
system is released.
Now, we are going to complete the hot water
side of the circuit using PVC pipe. You can use

copper for this, too, but your hot water is likely
to lose a lot of heat to the air over the pipe run

because copper is such a good heat conductor.
Thats why we are using PVC. If you use

copper for the hot water side, you will need to
insulate it with mineral wool.
Its also much easier to work with PVC than
copper. You just need a hot plate welding tool

to heat both parts, then put them together and
hold them for a few moments until they cool,
and your PVC weld is done.
You will need to fabricate the PVC piping to
connect the hot water side of your collector to
the hot water connection on your tank.

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Now, we fabricate the PVC piping and connect the cold water connection on our tank to the top of
the controller.
Once our piping connections to the controller are complete, we connect the wiring for the controls
to the controller cover and button it up. Follow the instructions that come with your controller to
set it up. We set this one to start the pump at a difference of 14.4 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees
Celsius.
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Here, we are using a metal clad hose and PVC pipe assembly to connect our pressure relief reservoir
tank to the pressure relief valve on our controller.
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Now, we are going to install the connections for hot and cold water at the bottom of our tank. The
blue connection is for the cold water line from your household water supply, and the red connection
is for your hot water line to the hot water faucets in your house.
We are going to construct a By-Pass System, so we can isolate our solar hot water heater from the
rest of our household water system for any maintenance that may be required.
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Now that we have our initial fittings in place, we
are going to build the By-Pass System from PVC

pipe and common valves.
Weve added a hose bib on the cold-water side of

our By-Pass, so we can keep our tank filled with
water, and are attaching some metal clad hose to
the hot water side of our By-Pass to connect to
the hot water line for our house.
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Now, lets get ready to fire this sucker up.

First, we are going to attach a hose bib to the valve we installed at the bottom of our collector, so
we can fill the closed system with water.
Attach the hose, turn on the water and open the valve.
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As the closed system fills with water, the air is driven out through the vent at the top of the collector,
and you can hear it. As soon as all the air has been driven from the system, the vent will close.
The pressure gauge on our controller registers increasing water pressure in the system.
Now, following the instructions, we set our controller to the desired temperature differential. As
soon as the closed system is filled with water, the water in the collector immediately begins heating
up, provided its a sunny day, and, if the water in your tank is cold, the pump will activate and
begin circulating water immediately.
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The temperature gauge on our tank registers
a rising temperature, and when it is hot
enough for you, it can be drawn off at your

faucets.
Were using the same metal clad hose to
connect our tank to the plumbing in the house
that we used to connect our pressure relief

reservoir tank. If pressure builds up in the
system, it is released into the tank by the
pressure relief valve on our controller until

the pressure subsides.
The temperature sensors on
our collector and in our tank

are working perfectly.
Now that the temperature

differential is set on your water
controller, your solar hot water
heater is ready to rip.
Hope you enjoyed this manual as much as we enjoyed creating it for you.
Now, go take a hot shower.
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Water Heater - Solar Copper Manual

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COPPER

Solar Water HeaterCopper Version

Solar Water Heater Copper

Solar Water Heater Copper

Solar Water Heater Copper Version Materials

2 long aluminum profile

2 short aluminum profile

corrugated tin sheets to fit long x short frame

mineral wool insulation to fit long x short frame

24 copper Ts 1.25 inch to 1 inch (3/4 will work, too)

24 pieces 1.25 inch diameter copper pipes cut 2.2 inches

4 6 inch copper pipes (1 inch or 3/4 inch, depending on Ts)

1 sheet copper (a bit larger than long x short frame)

1 piece 6mm glass (to fit long x short frame)

6 corner support pieces

1 tube heat resistant silicone

1 expansion water tank

temperature sensor cable

copper pipe and connectors to fit your space

Solar Water Heater Copper

Solar Water Heater Copper

tubing loosely coiled inside the tank).

Solar Water Heater Copper

a controller, so we will be working with one box instead of two.

Solar Water Heater Copper

will have to contend with potential heat loss.

Solar Water Heater Copper

The first tool is the PVC tube cutter.

You will also need a tape measure,

An angle grinder for cutting the

A Phillips screwdriver and a flathead

Other tools well need are a metal file

Solar Water Heater Copper

And a pair of pliers with a diagonal cutting

A pipe wrench, which will come in handy when

tightening the pipe joints,

And a utility knife or office knife.

You will also need a marker.

The blowtorch will be used to solder the joints in our copper

Solar Water Heater Copper

Well need an electric hand drill to drill holes in our

aluminum frame to put the pieces together.

Well use the air pump to pressure test

our copper tubing system for leaks, or

you can use an electric air compressor,

but its not really necessary.

You can probably use a bench vise.

Well need a PVC welding tool when we start

Well also want a couple of clutch style clamps.

Solar Water Heater Copper

Lets Get Started

ends to fabricate our frame.

Solar Water Heater Copper

1 1/16 inches is the width of the short

Solar Water Heater Copper

Using the file, we smooth the

edges of the cuts.

Solar Water Heater Copper

We use popping rivets to fasten an end

and side together.

Solar Water Heater Copper

in the first piece into and through the second piece.

rivets and move on to the other two.

Solar Water Heater Copper