got a hot water heater

[Bart Adkins]

Went to Lowes today and got a 50 gallon hot water heater. The plan was to open the rear half of the tonneau, extend the bed extender and off we go...well almost! I nknew the water heater was 48 inches long which will fit in the cargo box no problem. I gambled (and lost) with the height of the water heater while on it's side. would not slide under the closed half of the tonneau...maybe 2 inches too high. Sooo close!

Needless to say I ended up taking the cover off, leaving it folded and hauling it home leaning next to the new water heater...oh well. Win some, lose some.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

I know the feeling. That hinge sometimes gets in the way when putting taller items in the bed. Still I prefer having the ability to fold the cover in half.



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[EddieS'04]

Still worked out though...the trac is so versital....

 

[Andrew Tollison 3]

I am wanting a cover for my ST, where would be a good place to get one.

 

[Ben Poche]

What is the purpose of a hot water heater? I have a water heater, wow how hot do you want your water if it is already hot.:lol:just messing with you. A coworker and i were talking about that today.

 

[Bart Adkins]

Andrew, you can't go wrong with the factory hard cover from Ford. The folding aspect is what saved me today. It's not as pretty as some of the paint to match fiberglass covers, but it matches the truck...tough, functional, versitile. There's one in the swap & sell section for $450 which is about $300 less than they are from the dealer.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Hot water heaters are much more efficient than cold water heaters. lol :lol:

 

[Chops]

Here is my new solar collector I plumbed in a couple weeks ago (collects solar?)

The picture is deceiving, 4' x 10' and 160 pounds.

Thanks to Hurricane Wilma that trashed the old one.....

Anyway, water circulates through and we get free hot water.

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[Nelson Atwell]

Chops, how much does a setup like that cost? Do you still have a regular water heater for cold, rainy days?

 

[Chops]

Nelson,

I have a "storage tank", which is really a 100 gallon water heater. The tank has only one electric heating element in it, and the element will only come on *if* it is cloudy for a couple days (and the water temp drops below 120 deg.)

When the sun is out, a photovoltaic panel energizes a circulating pump, which moves water out of the tank, up to the roof and through the collector, and back to the tank. At dusk, no power to the circulating pump, the heat in the water stays in the tank instead of being convected out of the collector. ......I'm not sure convected is a real word.....



This was already installed in my house when I bought it, and I have become intrigued and educated with the process over the last few years.

The collector was destroyed Oct 24th, I ordered a new one and with shipping came out to $1050. Another $50 for copper pipe, connectors, unions, T's etc.

I think the tank runs about $800. Probably $4k for an installed system.

There is a little more to it than that, initial labor to install a system new is high I'm sure, but I have cheap power bills considering my AC runs from March to Nov.



For 2006, new tax break$ for solar systems are being implemented so this industry is going to take off again, like they did in the mid 1980's.



Oh yea, my old collector on Oct 25th, nothing left but broken glass and frame.





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[Bart Adkins]

that sweet solar jobby wont do crap here in Ohio except for 40 days out of a year if we're lucky!...On the up side I have yet to have anything I own get damaged by a hurricane.