How to Make a Solar Water Heater From Driscopipe

A solar hot water heater heats water without the need for fuel or electricity. These heaters are usually built of copper or PVC pipes, which carry water into a special heating box. These designs often require a lot of assembly, as well as the knowledge of how to solder or cement pipes together. Many joints between different pieces are involved, any of which are prone to leaking if improperly sealed. The price of so much copper is often very high, as well. As an alternative, use flexible polyethylene pipe, such as Driscopipe, to cheaply and easily build your own solar water heater -- with no need for special engineering skills and very few pipe joints.

8-foot-long 2-by-6 boards, 4
Measuring tape
Saw
3-inch screws
Screwdriver
8-by-4 sheets of plywood, 2
8-by-4 sheets of Styrofoam, 2
Drill
Roll of polyethylene pipe, approximately 1-inch diameter
Old water heater tank
2 adapters, sized to connect the pipe to the heater valves
8-by-4 sheets of transparent acrylic, 2
Acrylic drill bit

Instructions

- 1
  Screw the 2-by-6 boards together into a roughly square shape. Screw the two sheets of plywood onto one side of this square. Flip over the shallow box you have made so that the open side is uppermost.
- 2
  Lay the Styrofoam sheets onto the bottom of the box. They will insulate the pipe above them so that its heat does not leak out of the bottom of the box.
- 3
  Drill a hole in the middle of one of the sides of the box. Make this hole the same diameter as the pipe. Drill another hole in the middle of the opposite side.
- 4
  Position the hot water heater wherever you want to set it up. It must sit at a slightly higher elevation than the heating box. This will be used to store the water.
- 5
  Feed one end of the polyethylene pipe through one of the holes in the box, from the inside to the outside. Pull it through until the pipe reaches the old water heater tank’s lower valve. Connect it to the valve with an adapter.
- 6
  Coil up the pipe inside the box. Feed the other end of the pipe out through the other hole. Run it up to the upper valve of the old heater tank. Cut off any excess. Attach the pipe to the valve with the other adapter.
- 7
  Lay the acrylic sheets on top of the box. Drill holes in them around the edges using an acrylic drill bit. Attach the sheets to the box with screws, using these holes.

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