We plan to heat our pasteurizer with solar-heated hot water. I built a rack for our solar panels out of 2×4 lumber. The design is simple: two rectangles, one for a base and one to hold the panels. Cross braces of 2×6 provide structural stability, as well as holding the panels in place. The frames are hinged at one end, and a length of 2×4 allows height adjustment at the other. They’ll be at an angle of 35 degrees in the winter, 20 degrees in summer.
In the photo, I was testing for fit, operation, and sturdiness. All seems in order. But those solar panels make it heavy! I plan to add a length of threaded steel so I can adjust the height with a wingnut rather than brute strength. By the way, I dissassembled the rack after testing so it can be painted and then lifted up on the roof. I’ll reassemble it there.
The rack was easy enough to build that if I need more panels, I can easily build another. The cost of the rack: $58 in lumber and $40 in fasteners.
Meanwhile, here’s an article from the Backwoods Home magazine website on solar water pumping. It contains information on head loss and pump sizing, useful for solar hot water applications as well as solar water pumping.
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