Hillbilly Heater
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Industry Standards
- Hillbilly heater - 20 sf or 2 sq meters per 500' roll of 1/2" tubing - $62 - [1](note: special order, but 100' sections are in stock). OD is .712".
- Compare to 3/4" tubing - $72 for 500' roll- [2], 1" OD. Based on surface area, the 3/4" option is about 20% cheaper, and less work to install. 3/4" should be used, as it saves 30% on installation length for the same power.
- Amazon - 4 sf - $124 - [3]
- Evacuated tube - 5 sf - $179 + $230 ship - [4]
- Evacuated - $670 - 15 sf - [5]
DIY
- $250 cost for 4x8 foot finned collector with CPVC, which works comparably to finned aluminum collector - or $8/sf - [6]
System Goals
Exchange Solar heat to aquarium water.
Efficiency
Heat transfer is limited by the thermal conductivity of the pipe (PEH ~0.5 W/m K good for plastics).
Is high-pressure system ideal or is a low-pressure gravity system possible using black gutter(s) etc.?
Can water be mixed directly or is thermal mixing a bigger problem?
Can temperature be managed by pump control?
Reference Links
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0csXsRzrq2Y&t=5s Marcin Aquaponic Green House walkthrough