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Helping needy Malagasy kids to become Jesus’ kids! July 2009 Volume 12, Number 7 "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food
with the poor."
Proverbs 22:9 |
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Betikara Solar Hot Water
We are delighted to inform all of you that Betikara now has a solar hot water system that is operational. We have completed the installation and are in the process of trying out the system. Of course, some days the water is hotter than other days, depending on how cold it is out side and how much the sun shines each day. In the following picture you can see the insulated 2000 liter (500 imperial gallon) water tank that we wrapped in fiberglass insulation and then wrapped in a plastic sheet to help keep in the heat from the solar system.
Tank, Water Pump, and Timer
In the above picture you can see the blue water pump mounted on the platform
just to the right of the water tank. If you look up at the top of the picture
you will see a white electronic programmable timer. This timer is presently set
to start the pump each morning at 9:00 a.m. and to turn the pump off each
afternoon at 4:00 p.m. These are the hours that the sun is most effective for
heating water during the winter months that we are presently experiencing in
Madagascar.
In the following picture you can get a close up view of the water pump and some of the valve system that we have installed to control the flow of water that goes through the solar system. We have a coil of black 25mm (1 inch) tube on the roof on the road side of the building that is heated by the morning sun. We also have a coil of the same size tube on the roof on the lake side of the building that is heated by the afternoon sun.
Close View of
Water Pump and Plumbing
Presently these two coils of tube are not covered in any way. In the future, if
we decide the temperature of the water is not sufficient during the coldest
months of the winter we can make some design changes. We can build short walls
surrounding the area of coiled tubing on each roof and then cover the area with
transparent fiberglass panels or glass in order to help trap the heat from the
sun. By doing this the wind will not affect the temperature of the water, and
the enclosed area will cause the air temperature to rise by several degrees.
This will cause heating of the air that is trapped between the fiberglass panels
or glass and the roof where the black tube is laying. This will be just like
what happens when you get into a car on a sunny but cold day. The inside air
inside the car is vastly hotter than the air outside the car. We can also
insulate the tubing that is carrying the water to and from the coils of black
tubing in order to cut down on loss of heat.
We can make some other design changes by inserting a temperature control into
the side of the water tank. This temperature control would be like what is used
in an electric hot water heater. The control will sense the temperature of the
water. If the water is too cold the contacts in the control will close turning
the pump on automatically, circulating heated water from the coils of tubes and
heating the water in the hot water tank. If the water temperature gets to hot in
the tank then the control will turn the pump off.
We can also install a temperature control near the coils of tube that lay on the
roof. This way if there is not enough heat generated by the sun the pump will
not be turned on. This will stop the circulation of water that would be too cold
and cause the already heated water that is in the tank to be cooled down. For
instance, the day might start out sunny and then become cloudy, but the pump
would still be running because of the preset times of the timer for starting the
pump each morning and stopping the pump each afternoon.
All in all, the Betikara solar hot water system is off to a good start. One of
the caregivers reported recently that some of the children were complaining that
the water was too hot for them. Of course, when a person is not used to bathing
in anything but cold water, even tepid water might seem hot. The children were
shown how to mix hot and cold water using the tub and shower water valves in
order to get a water temperature that is desirable. Water that is too hot is a
good sign. If less hot water is used by using cold to temper the hot water, then
the hot water will not be used up as quick, allowing more children to take
showers or baths before the water gets cold each day.
There were donations from two different sources that provided enough money for
us to be able to undertake this project. We still have about $500.00 of the
donated money left that we will be able to use in putting into place some of the
design changes that I mentioned earlier in this article. Time will tell as to
just what will be the best line of action to improve our already working hot
water system. We want to thank those who contributed specifically for the solar
hot water system. We also want to thank all of you that support Betikara
monthly, and by numerous one time donations like the one time donations that
were given for the solar hot water system.
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Indiana Church of Christ “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for
what he has done.” |