Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 2Let's see if it will move water...
-
So I plumbed it up to a (clean, new) plastic garbage can full of water and thermal convection started moving the water through the pipes.
(Just like hot air rises above cooler air, hot water will also rise above cooler water because the hot water is less dense thus its specific gravity is less. This is called thermal convection and we can use it to eliminate the need for a pump to circulate the water.)
The water in the garbage can will quickly stratify with the warmer water at the top and the coldest water at the bottom. The heated water in the pipes will rise, going through the hose to the top of the can. The coldest water at the bottom of the can will be drawn into the pipes to replace the rising heated water.
And the convection was stronger than I expected with only 1/2" tubing. Bits of pollen in the water that drifted in front of the return pipe suddenly shot to the other side of the can at surprising speed.
I drilled a small hole in the top of the collection box and inserted a probe thermometer to be able to read the interior air temperature at any time.
So I plumbed it up to a (clean, new) plastic garbage can full of water and thermal convection started moving the water through the pipes.
(Just like hot air rises above cooler air, hot water will also rise above cooler water because the hot water is less dense thus its specific gravity is less. This is called thermal convection and we can use it to eliminate the need for a pump to circulate the water.)
The water in the garbage can will quickly stratify with the warmer water at the top and the coldest water at the bottom. The heated water in the pipes will rise, going through the hose to the top of the can. The coldest water at the bottom of the can will be drawn into the pipes to replace the rising heated water.
And the convection was stronger than I expected with only 1/2" tubing. Bits of pollen in the water that drifted in front of the return pipe suddenly shot to the other side of the can at surprising speed.
I drilled a small hole in the top of the collection box and inserted a probe thermometer to be able to read the interior air temperature at any time.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
