Panels through bolted to wall mounts.
Ready fo 3" of formaldehyde free fiberglass insulation. Insulation
was then covered by .010" aluminum. Then 1" thick stick work runs the perimeter
and 2 runs at 1/3 the width to support the suspended plate. Thermistors (temp
sensors) were installed for air temp and plate temp in and out, for a total of 4
sensors + a snap disc thermostat.
This method for joining the
collectors together seems really clean and efficient to me.
I asked the builder some questions
about the collector -- here are are the responses:
What kind of glazing did you use?
Insulated, tempered 3/16" with 1/2" spacer. One of the 3 units was not
tempered and it broke from thermal shock. I replaced it with a tempered
unit.
It looks like the aluminum absorber plate sits right on top of the FG
insulation, and that the air flow path is above the absorber, between the
absorber and the glazing?
Nope. There is a 1" space between the insulation and the absorber and a
1-1/4" space in front of the absorber. This is a front and rear pass
collector.
Do the entry and exit ducts go through the house rim joist? Or?
Yes. 2- 6" holes through the double rim (end?) joist.
How do you distribute the air in the air to the house?
Air enters through a filter housing, passes through a 24vdc electric
damper, then exits the house to panels, reenters the house, passes another
electic damper to the suction side of a 1/4 hp blower, then discharges to
the basement through a utility room wall.
How are you sealing the areas at the panel ends where the air channels go
through to the next channel?
There are 3 channels to connect end to end. They are sealed with some
1/2" wide 1/4" thick foam tape. Then i drilled aclear hole through one side
and drew them together with 6 - 3" screws. on the front,I ran a silicone
bead.
