Hey everyone! I'm currently building my home in Wisconsin, going fully off-grid—perhaps a first in the area! I'm considering adding solar heating tubes to supplement the LP water heater. If you have any experiences or suggestions on what components I should purchase, it would be greatly appreciated!
I'm planning to use in-floor heating on a cement slab, so I need a hot water heating system that can manage both our domestic hot water and home heating, using radiant heat with either LP gas or solar. Thanks in advance for any tips you can share!
3 Answers
I suggest looking into adding more PV panels and switching to an electric hot water heater. It's a lot easier to work with wires compared to pipes and pumps, and it could simplify your setup overall.
Switching to PV for electric water heating can be a money sink. Instead, I’d recommend considering evacuated tube collectors for solar water heating. They can last a long time with minimal maintenance. Also, solar thermal tends to work efficiently for various applications despite PV being more common now. If you’re interested in a DIY approach, check out this informative article I found on passive solar homes with heat storage!
My neighbors tried a PV-powered water heater but weren’t thrilled with it. They found the system a bit lacking during cloudy days. It seems like they skimped on the quality of the panels and the tank, and they ended up needing a controller that wasn't standard with their setup. Meanwhile, I have a roof-mounted antifreeze loop collector with a small PV setup. It works great with my propane on-demand tank less heater. I get reliable hot water without breaking the bank! Just make sure you're ready for potential installation costs if you're not doing it yourself.