80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

8 Posts
May 22, 2011 10:45 pm
80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

I have a brand new (out of box but never installed) solar hot water tank for sale.  It's made by Sunmaxx Solar.  The specs are: 80 gallons, stainless steel with injected foam insulation.  In addition to the usual solar HX loop and hot and cold feeds, it has an extra heat exchanger at the top that can be interfaced with baseboard or radiant heating.  It has two thermo wells and a port for installing an electric element.  I paid over 1,400 for it.  Unfortunately, it has a single wall heat exchanger and technically is not legal in MA so I had to buy a different tank.  Asking $800 OBO.  I also have a 175 amp DC battery box breaker for sale for $35 OBO as well as a brand new(from AltE)4 lug utility meter and round socket base.  My grid tied Outback needs a 5 lug meter.  Asking $25.

contact me at Boyceaj at gmail dot com or ask Amy at AltE if interested.
 
462 Posts
May 23, 2011 09:56 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Andy, just curious, I know you already bought a new tank, but being a plumber here in MA, I have never heard of such a thing as a single wall heat exchanger being illegal. Most heat exchanger tanks such as SuperStor or Vaughn have heat exchangers that only have a single wall and these are used in everyday installations. So just curious as to who told you this information. If it was your installer, maybe he wasn't familiar with the Sunmaxx or was reluctant to install it if he did not purchase it.
  The only thing I can think of with a double wall is an external heat exchanger whereby there is a tube within a tube, one with fluid from the collector and one with fluid from the HW tank. The surface area of the inner tube is the heat exchange surface.
 
8 Posts
May 23, 2011 10:24 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

My plumbing inspector told me MA requires a double wall HX which must have a bleed path between the two walls such that any leaking glycol will be vented to the outside world.  Most states don't require it anymore because newer non toxic glycols won't poison anyone but MA still thinks people will fill with automotive antifreeze. 
 
462 Posts
May 23, 2011 02:03 pm
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

I'll have to double check that. Most hx tanks work off a boiler using dirty boiler water. Probabably more caustic and deadly than antifreeze.....I use non-toxic glycol all the time in SHW systems so that is probably his only beef....
 
22 Posts
May 23, 2011 05:20 pm
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Tom,

Andy's my brother-in-law, we've discussed his dilemma alot.  There is an old SHW recommendation document that MA had adopted, stating that a double wall HX is required, unless only water is used (IE for a drainback).  The thinking is, just because you're not foolish enough to use toxic antifreeze, what's to prevent the next person from doing it.  I have seen the doc before online, but haven't been able to find it lately.  His inspector was insisting he will not approve the system with a single wall, and you well know the AHJ has the final word.

We ended up getting a tank with the wrap-around HX for the double wall protection.

It's a great tank, I'm disappointed we aren't being allowed to use it.     
 
462 Posts
May 23, 2011 11:13 pm
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Hey Amy, I checked the MA code book and nothing about it there. You can go online and get a majority of the code book. There has never been much on solar added that I know of, only one short paragraph. All other considerations would come under "cross-connections".
 Some inspectors have their own little quirks when it comes to inspecting. This may be one of his. Also there is no "real" inspection when it comes to SHW. It is still a gray area.
 Also if the document is labeled as a "recommendation",  it doesn't seem to be something that is "required" and may just be a liability document from past manufacturers. Which is why it isn't in the code book.

Might as well hang on to the tank. The installed one will have to be replaced at some time. Prices probably won't go down. (Next time don't call you know who.)

PS: If he is still running a heat zone off solar, think of using the return line heading back to the panels instead of robbing tank hot water.
« Last Edit: May 24, 2011 08:35 am by Tom Mayrand »
 
8 Posts
May 24, 2011 08:50 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

I never planned to use the tank for heating.  It just came with the extra HX.  I thought I would use it as a dump load for my hydro but changed direction.  It's still for sale.  I need the cash to buy a Midnight Classic controller.
 
2 Posts
May 24, 2011 08:15 pm
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Do you have an idea on cost of shipping to Arizona? Are you interested in shipping or want to sell locally?
Thanks
Elaine
 
8 Posts
May 25, 2011 09:27 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Sorry but since it's out of the box, I don't think it will ship well.  I'd prefer to sell it locally.

Andy
 
2 Posts
May 26, 2011 08:49 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

We understand...thank you for reply.  Elaine
 
8 Posts
Jul 10, 2011 04:18 pm
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

I'll lower the price to $700 and throw in the 250 amp breaker and meter for free.  This is a great deal if you live close enough to MA to pick it up.  My glass lined tank that will likely only last 10 years cost more than $1,200 with shipping and that was with the "family discount" from Amy. 
 
3 Posts
Aug 11, 2011 12:23 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and go with OUTBACK, My experience with MidNite (fly by Nite) has been frustrating and expensive
My Classic failed in a day and with no real customer support from a fledgling, floundering tiny company I was forced to replace my brand new Classic 200(brick)with a dependable Outback FlexMax 80. I could not really afford a second very costly Charge Controller but was left with no choice. If you are selling things to buy a controller PLEASE go with a proven design and avoid the STUPID bells and whistles that lured me into the financial abyss!
 
8 Posts
Aug 11, 2011 08:59 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience.  Frankly I'm surprised you think Midnite is a "floundering company".  I have an MX60 and it isn't meeting my hydro needs.  It's fine for my PV though.  I have a lot of Midnite equipment in my system and it's all well made, fairly priced and customer service has been excellent.  Robin and the Midnite team are the guys who originally designed the MX60 at Outback and a bunch of other equipment for Trace/Xantrex before that.  Rumor has it they founded Outback by designing the FX inverter "Out Back" while working for Xantrex. They certainly have the chops to make a reliable controller.  I hope you give them a chance to resolve the problem.  I'd be interested in buying it if you get it repaired.
 
4 Posts
Aug 11, 2011 08:59 pm
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Off topic I don't live close enough or know anyone that does
to purchase your tank. My dad and I built a solar heating system back in the late 70's.  The way we did the hot water was to run a fifty foot copper coil inside one of the tanks. That was the pre-heater for the regular hot water tank. The tank had 170 gallons of water in it and the solar panels heated that water up to 206 degrees.  Needless to say you could run the shower for 4 hours  before the regular hot water heater kicked in. There were 4 tanks and it took about 1 day to charge them all from stone cold and they would last about 3 to four days for home heating and hot water use. The tanks were in the basement and when the pump shut off all the water drained to the tanks by gravity feed so no anti-freeze was needed.  This was a non-pressurized system.  Not bad at all for home made. My dad just thought 5 cents a KwH was too much to pay for electricity.  The house was all electric.
 
47 Posts
Oct 21, 2011 10:15 am
Re: 80 gallon solar hot water tank &other stuff for sale.

Well, you guys missed out on a great deal.  I ended up buying the tank from Andy to use up in Maine.  Stay tuned for stories on that project!
 

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