I’m setting up some Solar Water Heater work shops with Water Shed Management Group. I’ve built them before out of an old fridge and a salvaged tank, with a $10.00 shower door from the habistore. I’ve also helped to install a Glas-tek factory built model.

There will be 3 Co-op work shops initially put on by Watershed Management Group and facilitated by Barton in the near future. Look here for updates.

The graphic below illustrates the basic concept.

Sources of info on solar water heaters in general.

• http://www.azsolarcenter.org/tech-science/solar-for-consumers/solar-hot-water/solar-hot-water-a-primer.html
• http://solarcooking.org/bkerr/SWHeaterRev-1d.pdf
• http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterHeating/water_heating.htm
• Glas-Tek
• Technicians for Sustainability

The form is the simplest I could find, and uses minimal materials. I’m going to do a few variations on this theme, one all off the shelf, one 100% recycled, We bought sliding glass doors from Barnett and Shore, they have tanks and materials for boxes also, some of our tanks are coming from Technicians for Sustainability, One will be a combination of recycled and earth work.

The idea of sculpting these out of cob, and using additives to the cob mix or insulation within the core to eliminate heat losses, is what I’m aiming at. I’d like these to be yard art. I’m hoping to integrate solar ovens and on demand high temperature water or possibly even steam access in future designs. These will be built as part of outdoor shower, laundry, grey water harvesting gardens.