Use a water barrel to heat water for a simple summer solar shower.
A passive solar home uses a variety of means to keep the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer without costly energy use. One of these methods involves using water drums inside the home. It's best to disguise them by boxing them in wood or concrete, so you don't have to look at the ugly water drums, but the advantages can be worth the effort. Does this Spark an idea?
Thermal Storage
One advantage water drums offer in the solar home is an ability to store heat simply by its mass. When placed strategically in a passively heated home, such as a back wall that receives the winter sun, the painted-black drums will store the solar energy during the day and release it as heat at night. Enclose the drums in concrete or wood for visual appeal. Add rocks around the drums to increase the thermal mass.
Solar Water Heating
Water drums can also store heated water that has run through a passive solar collector on the roof. Working on a non-powered loop system, simple thermodynamics moves the water through the system continually. This provides heated water throughout the year while reducing energy bills.
Cooling Advantage
It's critical when building a solar home to place the drums where they will not receive the summer sun or the home will be too hot. If placed in a location shaded during the summer, but strategically designed to receive the winter's sunlight, the drums wick the warmth from the room during the summer, cooling the room as they do so, giving up the warmth at night.
Rain Barrels
Water drums in a solar home offer another advantage -- collecting rainwater for watering houseplants or greenhouse vegetables. Develop a gutter system to feed rainwater into barrels placed at downspout locations. Keep the barrels closed to avoid excessive evaporation, but allow access through a removable lid. Many solar homes have greenhouses attached to provide food and warmth during the winter; water storage nearby makes it handy for watering.
Heat Exchange System
Much like the passive heating system for water, barrels can also be used to provide heat in the home. A heat exchange system consisting of a series of black plastic piping connected to a water solar collector on the roof can be laid into the flooring of the home. As the water heats, it continually moves through this piping to provide heat when needed. Shut-off valves control the movement of the water through the heat-exchange system.
Tags: solar home, collector roof, during summer, heated water, passive solar