We took advantage of this beautiful fall day to build the support structure for the solar hot water collector. The beams we used are a bit oversized structurally but it was a good opportunity to use up some wood and large structural screws that were left over from previous builds.
As I wrote in yesterday’s post the support structure hinges on the tiny house to allow for movement but this also gives me an opportunity to change the collector angle somewhat and see what effect it has on flow rate and heating.
The collector is more than just a heater though, it‘s also the roof of our outdoor shower. The plan is to build a couple steps coming down from the end of the deck onto a small deck that will be surrounded by plants and wooden screens with a freestanding shower valve sitting loosely against the tiny house. This is one of the big reasons that we plumbed both a hot and cold water hose bib directly out the bottom of the trailer in this location. These bibs serve as a low point drain for our entire water system but can also supply the outdoor shower and garden irrigation.
-Brian
