Solar hot water and gray water.

     Okay so you could never depend on there being hot water IAA. They use "instant hot water heads" in the showers which consist of a 240 volt heater element in a head filled with water directly above you. Yep it works pretty well and we haven't had anyone killed yet! One huge problem is that they draw 25 amps on the electrical system and low and behold if two folks take showers (not together) it simply blows out the circuit which is a fuse that has blown once before but now has wires wrapped around it to "make it work".
     If you lived on the equator would you have free hot water most of the time? Saving those bucks for a great safari or cruise, even a trip to Ireland! Well the original building plans called for two flat plate solar hot water systems, one on each side of the building. All said and done they had one 300 liter (80gal. for you US folks) installed in the attic with one 3Kw heating element.
     First problem was the tank was located  below the solar panels but a small pump was added to force the flow when the sun shone. The tank had only two pipes on one end. One out and one in. All good solar tanks have two on each end and are located above the solar panels so natural convection can flow hot water thru the tank when the sun shines, remember we are still on the equator. The sun will bake a bald head quickly even at 8,300 ft. on an overcast day.
     Last year the best we could do is make the water flow thru the two pipes and worked with much less efficiency. We even added a timer to turn off the element when the demand dropped to save electricity. The contactor failed about two months ago and the element went bad. An electrican replaced the element but the staff here could not get the timer connected correctly.
     Last year we begged some friends we knew for cash to help IAA with their hot water problems and had much left over since we only repiped a two pipe system.
     I contacted the local tank maker to build us a 300 liter, four pipe tank. You can't just go to Lowes and pick one up. Enter the other problem. Roof solar panels have NEVER been cleaned because there is no ladder that will reach 24ft. Next call was to "Ladder David" a guy who makes aluminum ladders of all sorts. Believe me ladders are expensive here and so are hot water tanks. We did get a tour of the plants when we picked them up, very interesting. Too much to include in this blog and you ladies are bored to death anyway but Keith loves this stuff.
     Last Sat. the new tank was installed, so hard to get into the attic but with much Kenyan muscle power was done. Guy removed the solar powered pump and cleaned panels. Welder made a great rack to hold it above the panels in the attic. This tank has two heating elements instead on one. On a sunny day the water coming off the panels is 120 deg. F. and cold outlet is 86 deg. F. WOW, a cruise is coming soon!!

     The gray water system is simply waste water that contains no sewage that is piped to a tank. This tank allows any solids from kitchen sink drain to fall to the bottom to decay. The outlet is piped to the garden to water it. From the picture we learned not to work on a Sat. because all the children are glad to pitch in. We love em but they were too much help.