Location, at
Home, CA
We have had
solar water heat since 1984. Actually it was a water pre-heater which feed by
convection into our hot water heater. The solar units consisted of two 20
gallon stainless steel tanks each sitting in large “tubs” with a Mylar
reflector under each tank and a cover over each unit.
They worked
very well with little maintenance. I once replaced a copper flex line which was
leaking and lately we had another leak which I did not fix as the covers were
cracked and breaking up. I could not find spare parts anywhere so a few weeks
ago I removed the units.
I researched
several new units which are now much more efficient, and selected one for instillation.
It is a single unit on the garage roof and again piped to the water heater as a
pre-heater. This system uses propylene glycol as a heating medium to heat the
water in a 48 gallon tank on the roof.
It has taken
several days for the instillation which is mostly complete except for cleanup
and adding some insulation around the pipes.
This unit
also has a rebate from the local gas company and a federal tax write off as
well.
Our cell
phone contracts were up for renewal and Clyda wanted a phone she could text
with. My Droid phone has an unlimited data plan which I want to keep so I
needed to renew my contract. We got a package deal for a new Droid Razr Maxx for
me and a Samsung phone with keyboard for Clyda. It will take me some time to
figure out all the bells and whistles on the Maxx that’s for sure.
I am still
picking berries. The freezer is full so I don’t know what we will do with the
remaining berries. Today I picked 11 baskets.
