Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    usa
    Posts
    3
    Rep Power
    0

    using a condensing coil as a solar heater for hot tub



    so i thought about laying out a conderser coil, building a frame with a glass opening and painting everything black. then using a submergible water pump to circulate water through it to heat the hot tub. i calculated i have about 400 feet of copper in this coil.

    my biggest concern is the brazing material and how it will leach into the water.

    any inputs? will it be a toxic bath or are the levels so low that it will not matter?

    thanks

    Art



  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Auckland
    Age
    55
    Posts
    264
    Rep Power
    21

    Re: using a condensing coil as a solar heater for hot tub

    Can't see it being an issue if standard brazing materials used...until the advent of plastic piping for plumbing we all used copper and brazing systems for a our drinking water...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    usa
    Posts
    3
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: using a condensing coil as a solar heater for hot tub

    i wasn't around back then=] my largest concern is that i don't know what they use at the factory to braze the copper end bends and distributors. id figure if it ran for 10 years with high pressures most of it should have come out, but then again when you put chlorinated water through it that might be different story.

    so you think that it would be a safe choice?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    2,479
    Rep Power
    45
    In swimming pool applications, where chlorine and other chemicals are frequently used in high concentrations, copper are best avoided. It tend to react with the chemicals and leave a green tinge on stuff.

    For your application, why wouldn't you use a long length of black plastic piping? Seen that done successfully even in situations where I thought it wouldn't work. (like 200m of black plastic piping, all overgrown but still supplying enough hot water for a constantly used shower. This at ambient temps just around 20C)

    .

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    usa
    Posts
    3
    Rep Power
    0

    Re: using a condensing coil as a solar heater for hot tub

    i just have coils, lumber and shower doors laying around. plus the idea of being able to get boiling hot water even the cold florida winter days=] kinda excites me.

    the green folks around here are doing all kinds of stuff from plastic hose to beer can solar heaters and if this is safe to use then hell with all the aluminum fins painted black it should work miracles.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Auckland
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,362
    Rep Power
    37

    Re: using a condensing coil as a solar heater for hot tub

    Hi Arttu.
    as the viking indicated the chlorinated water will eventually corrode holes in copper, but give it a go anyway if you have the bits lying around, put some reflective aluminium foil underneath condenser coil to get a double wammy effect. Long term look at the black plastic piping, here it is called alcathene (cheap) I did a freebee for a school swimming pool, summer the pool was too hot, had to add covers to collectors.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    England
    Age
    59
    Posts
    1,537
    Rep Power
    36

    Re: using a condensing coil as a solar heater for hot tub

    .

    If your condenser was brazed with cadmium bearing rods then
    it is recomended that it is not used in any way, where the thing
    can come into contact with food or food stuffs, so that may mean
    liquids that come into contact with the joints and then you..........

    Cadmium is used to make the filler rod flow at lower temperatures
    and there is a possibility that it has been used on the condenser?????

    Read

    http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/secto...m_jan10_en.pdf

    Read section

    A6.2.2 Indirect Exposure of the Public to Cadmium from Brazed Joints
    In November 2003, a high concentration of cadmium was detected in water in the island
    of Rhodes, Greece. Following investigation, it was found that water originated from a
    nearby water cooler and the source was cadmium-containing fillers in fittings at the inlet
    and outlet point of the cooler tank. Extraction from this source was considerable when
    water was stagnant for extended period. A preliminary survey indicated that cadmium
    concentrations differed significantly according to water cooler brand; consequently all
    drinking water coolers were considered to be “imminently hazardous consumer products”
    and examined in the years 2003-2005. 30% of the examined water coolers found to
    produce water with cadmium content exceeding the legislative limit of 5 ppb Cd and a
    program was carried out to ensure that all water coolers tested and found to contribute
    cadmium to drinking water, were repaired, permanently removed or replaced (Matsis &
    Nikolaou, 2006).
    In a similar case, in 2004, cadmium concentrations above the limit of 5 ppb were detected
    in drinking water distributed by cooling devices that were positioned in public buildings in


    Regards

    Rob

    .
    Last edited by Rob White; 29-07-2012 at 11:10 AM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •