Solar hot water - Hot water system

If we create the bottom half of a thermosiphon by putting a black hose into a foam box and cover it with a sheet of glass, we will see the beginnings of a (hopefully) slightly efficient (albeit temporary and largely useless) solar collector.

If we use a large insulated drink bottle to concentrate collected hot water as the top half of the thermosiphon, we will see the beginnings of a temporary and largely useless solar hot water system.

Its night time.

Its not collecting much heat.

It's not very well designed. There are bits where the tubes form loops, and all tubes go down in through the top. My head says it should work a bit. The rest of me is not so sure.

We shall see when the sun next shines.

Solar hot water - Thermosiphon

With enough time on your hands its possible to make water go round and around with the power of sunshine.

If you connect one end of a hose to the top of a container of water and connect the other end to the bottom of the container, you will have made a bucket with a loop of hose.

If you fill it to the top with water, shade the end of the hose that is attached to the bottom, and drag the entire contraption out into the sun, you will have made a solar powered thermosiphon.

A thermosiphon is better than a bucket with a loop of hose attached to it.

Because hot stuff rises, the part of the hose that is exposed to sunlight will make the water inside move up. Once the water moves up, some water in the bucket moves down. The water cycles around for as long as the device is in the sun.

The best part is, when the hotter water gets into the container, it rises to the top. This means that its the coldest of the water that flows back out into the hose, and the hottest water remains in the container.

This also means we have collected some solar hot water. Not much and not very efficiently yet, but we are on the right track.