Solar Water Heating & Greywater

Solar Hot Water Systems
Our solar water heating system was installed in 1999. It is being used to heat the hot water in the lodge kitchen and bathrooms from May through September.   The system is a passive solar heating system, where water is heated directly by sunlight, as opposed to photovoltaic solar panels that convert sunlight to electricity.  The passive solar panels can warm water from 85 degrees F on an overcast day to around 160 degrees F on a clear day. Water travels through copper pipes inside the panels and is heated by sunlight that passes through the plastic window and is absorbed by the pipes. The expansion of water caused by heating creates a siphon effect that enables the hot water to transport itself uphill to the kitchen and bathroom without a pump.  In the winter, the system is disconnected and drained to prevent damage to the panels from water freezing inside the pipes.

There are two other passive solar water heating panels at Lost Valley.  One is near the cordwood sauna for an outdoor shower and the other is in the meadow for an outdoor kitchen and shower, which are used throughout the summer months.  

Greywater System
In our outdoor kitchen, the sink drains into two bathtubs filled with plants that filter the water. The water can then be transported by way of swale or taken to plants that need more water. Both outdoor showers are homes for willows, iris, and other water-loving plants that are fed by the runoff.   These plants also act as a living privacy screen around the showers, in combination with the fence woven with willows we coppiced on our property.