Solar hot water element

Hi, can someone help me with a project I’m having trouble with. I am trying to heat my hot water with solar panels, I bought 2x48vdc/750w elements with built in thermostat and configured my 8x40v/185w panels into a combination that produced 80v/750w (approximately) but unfortunately the thermostats were actually ac (I found this out when they immediately failed and pulled them apart) At the moment I have bypassed the thermostats and have them on constantly (when the sun is out) My question is what is the optimal sized element for my panels? Is it as simple as matching the element size to my wattage? Eg 8x185w = 1480w element?

by watto
August 01, 2018

1 Answer

Answer by mikerogerswsm

Beware! Don't run without a thermostat! This type looks right and can be bought on Ebay: http://mwands.com/store/water-heater-thermostat

+1 vote
by mikerogerswsm
August 01, 2018

Yes I can’t believe these stores get away with selling this stuff!

by watto
August 01, 2018

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