Monday, May 24, 2010

Solar Sundays- Part IV

Okay, my "Solar Sunday" idea didn't work out so well. Other more pressing projects got in the way, along with seminars, expos, holidays and a great vacation trip to Glacier. Once I got back on it, Spring had passed, the days were getting hot and we were already eating salad greens with dinner. I decided to add another dump loop to the solar system to avoid the risk of overheating the raised beds. For this, I dug 40 feet of trench, put down a loop of pex, and covered it with topsoil. Then I extended the main line to the first two of our four raised bed gardens. The dump loop and each of the raised bed loops have their own shutoff valve so I can direct the heat wherever it is needed.
On a steamy day with the temp in the high 80s, I finally charged the system with fluid and flipped the switch- the heat is pumping through the soil and everything seems to be working well so far!

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