jlparsons
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 09:06 PM |
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Energy reclaiming shower tray
I'm liking the look of this - http://www.shower-save.com/. This one is silly expensive but it looks very
easy to build one for next to nowt. Some micro-bore tubing and some teak flooring offcuts from a chandlery and Bob's your Marley. Makes a good
deal of sense to my mind, if you work out the flow rate of your shower, multiply by how long you usually spend in there (bloody ages for me) and you
have a financial coronary.
Anyone done it or similar?
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during
shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Subject to
approval, terms and conditions apply. Apply only to affected area. For recreational use only. All models over 18 years of age. No user-serviceable
parts inside. Subject to change. As seen on TV. One size fits all. May contain nuts. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Edited for television.
Keep cool; process promptly.
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Simon
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 09:10 PM |
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Afaik my shower is heated by nuclear generated electricity, so won't save me diddlysquat in the CO2 stakes, but I agree, it is quite a good
idea.
The only downside is, I'll have to put it in the bath - where our shower is
ATB
Simon
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smart51
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 09:31 PM |
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what does it do? Pre-heat the water going into your boiler with a heat exchanger in your shower drain?
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Simon
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 09:43 PM |
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No idea, I didn't read it, but guesswork would say it warms the water from the cold water feed, so you don't use as much hot. Simple heat
exchanger in effect. Use a couple of intercoolers Perhaps
ATB
Simon
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StevieB
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 09:55 PM |
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Yeah, it looks like it preheats the water going into your storage tank - guess the clever bit is getting the flow at the same rate as the shower so
the storage tank effectively retains it's level.
It's amazing what you could achieve from researching and installing as many of these energy recovery systems into your house. I thnk the major
problem is that the systems are so expensive that it'd take years to see a recovery on the investment and just one house installed with all the
gear won't make a blind bit of difference to global co2 output. However, I do believe that there should be much heavier legislation on
nstalling these things into big commercial buildings...
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cloudy
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:19 PM |
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No need to regulate the flow, this just sits inline with the tank as normal, will flow whenever hot water is used...
www.warnercars.com
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jlparsons
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:36 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Simon
No idea, I didn't read it, but guesswork would say it warms the water from the cold water feed, so you don't use as much hot. Simple heat
exchanger in effect. Use a couple of intercoolers Perhaps
ATB
Simon
Yup, that's it. You have the cold water input going through a long microbore copper pipe which is coiled underneath the raised platform in the
shower tray, which is slightly deeper than a standard tray and has a slightly raised drain so the water stands and pools before it drains. The feed
is then split and goes to both the shower input so you don't use as much hot and also to the hot water tank if you have one. You can get
downpipe heat exchangers too though they have far lower surface area and the drainwater is moving through them pretty quick, so I don't think
it'll be as efficient. The ideal would be to have both of course, with hot and cold water moving in opposing directions.
As microbore is such a doddle to work with, and as this is such a simple idea, it beats me how they can charge that much for it.
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Simon
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 10:49 PM |
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Can't see the point in heating water going to hot water tank - has to travel too far. Cold water pipe under shower, next to drain.
Hmmm, maybe after I've swapped engines
ATB
Simon
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dhutch
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| posted on 6/2/09 at 11:02 PM |
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We have a boat, where although heat is free/abundant from the engine. Potable water is at a large premium. (like we hold 80galls, then its all
gone).
I thought of a system where you send the 'bearly grey at all' from the plug hole round and back over you again. Just like a dishwasher.
Adding a smattering (scalding) hot water to the blend to keep it warm.
Start it on the standard 'run through and pump it overboard' routine while you wash, then switch over to re-circ mode for that
'30minutes of warm shower without emptying the tank' effect.
Proberbly never get around to it.
- But the idea of using grey shower water to preheat the boiler/hw feed sounds spot on to me. And it wouldnt even need a fancy tray. Just a
water-water heat exchange and bobs your sisters goldfish.
Daniel
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jlparsons
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 01:19 AM |
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Nothin wrong with a bit of grey water, but then there's nothing wrong with a bit of salt water either! 
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during
shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Subject to
approval, terms and conditions apply. Apply only to affected area. For recreational use only. All models over 18 years of age. No user-serviceable
parts inside. Subject to change. As seen on TV. One size fits all. May contain nuts. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Edited for television.
Keep cool; process promptly.
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dhutch
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| posted on 7/2/09 at 11:45 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by jlparsons
Nothin wrong with a bit of grey water, but then there's nothing wrong with a bit of salt water either!
But I dont think i would like to shower in canal water.
- On clear streach of the trent maybe (and its even slightly warm) but the middle of birmingham or stoke maybe not!
Daniel
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jlparsons
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| posted on 12/2/09 at 06:37 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by dhutch
quote:
Originally posted by jlparsons
Nothin wrong with a bit of grey water, but then there's nothing wrong with a bit of salt water either!
But I dont think i would like to shower in canal water.
- On clear streach of the trent maybe (and its even slightly warm) but the middle of birmingham or stoke maybe not!
Daniel
Yeah ok, I'll have to agree with you there
Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Contents may settle during
shipment. Use only as directed. No other warranty expressed or implied. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Subject to
approval, terms and conditions apply. Apply only to affected area. For recreational use only. All models over 18 years of age. No user-serviceable
parts inside. Subject to change. As seen on TV. One size fits all. May contain nuts. Slippery when wet. For office use only. Edited for television.
Keep cool; process promptly.
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