DIY Solar Thermal PEX COIL Water Heater! PEX Solar Water Heater! Easy DIY! No Soldering, Clamps, Crimp Rings, Glues, Unions, or that expensive crimping tool! in my design it’s just 2 push-to-fit “shark-bite” connectors! (located outside of collector) and because it’s all one piece of tube, the unit has no potential internal leak points.
source/image(PrtSc): desertsun02
PEX is sturdy, tough and rigid. water temp rating range… 33F to 185F-200F (93°C) water! And if temps hit or fall below 32F (0°C) it’s freeze damage resistant! it’ll freeze but doesn’t break. the connectors are made to last at least 25 years and pipe is rated 50+ years!via: desertsun02
Note that PEX, if left “uncoated” can be damaged by the UV rays of the sun *but painting and/or primer coating it blocks all of those (making it sun-safe) and a great choice for DIY solar applications! a very detailed list of the parts i used is shown near the end of the video (last 40 seconds or so).
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Lastly, with research, you’ll notice that ‘all’ non-metal pipe manufacturers will say that they recommend metal pipe over non-metal for solar units but, in my opinion, that’s just because they want to cover themselves – say for example if it was used in a large “highly insulated” commercial installation (with mirrors, metal backing, reflectors etc.).//desertsun02
