Solar power for shed

[Stormtrooper]

Heating the room is more efficient and cheaper when running multiple tanks, it’s common in the aquarium hobby.

 

[johnb2713]

Thanks do you have a link for an example?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325734614691?hash=item4bd74bc6a3:g:ZW4AAOSwJWtfkTwU&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA8NSE1mPkbs4R7JL+dVKkIYanpkoWb5pxJvzcb6/SOSpp3DH5f4A+0blJDEmTVxW2lTw8MVViovejRArRmROWvnIiL9/vEzjz6WQ627cD0tJQwRYjr6eyApldst4iOE/cY03o1zA3NDykGccQ5ydxJh1+FvQiou4cXyvaXS5VNUI8Trs0xGm/YtoZmI6zg7ip6WlhPPbWZlxQHtHGUcmYS2cIHpwashqzbCt/U2xSHueQBq3QGXeEyFd5KEAugvjAdUdQu1x4iNlH/NnZjazSeDQMDsunIx1Qt32V6XbqXVzSVsMSgL4o2torwzd4LH012Q==|tkp:Bk9SR6rOo5qtYg

You will see an effective 350% efficiency for heating ! By far the cheapest way to use electricity for heating.

 

[BorisJ]

Heating the room is more efficient and cheaper when running multiple tanks,

I don’t believe that. The more space you heat the greater the losses.

 

[MikeJhn]

Don't know if it's viable, but have you considered under tank heating using Greenhouse seed tray heating mats, thermostatically controlled with heat probe, just an idea.

 

[johnb2713]

Don't know if it's viable, but have you considered under tank heating using Greenhouse seed tray heating mats, thermostatically controlled with heat probe, just an idea.

The most efficient way would be heating the tanks with an internal heater, 100% of the energy would be directly in the water. Only the heat loss would need to be replaced, insulating the tanks would make it very efficient rather than heating the room.

 

[dj.reynolds.]

Thanks for the reply John.

I’ve found solar powered lights so will just use them.

I just use 1 air pump, it runs multiple tanks, I think there’s around 10 at the moment.

In regards to the heating, in the winter I heat the room rather than the tanks individually. I’ve done this with one oil filled radiator but have seen people online using infrared heaters and they have got the water up to temp.

Heat loss is minimal, they have insulation around the back, bottom and sides and lids on the top. The shed’s insulated as well as I could have.

Ideally I’d like to go completely off grid with it, stop the mrs moaning at me when the electric bills come in.

Cheers

I hope you do not mind me putting in my thoughts on the matter of heating the tanks, but heating the room by whatever means is not the way I would go. You have no means to keep the water at the correct temp. bearing in mind that the fish will require a fairly narrow temperature range to live in. and if a tank at the bottom becomes too cold they die, if the tanks at the top become too warm , they die. By all means insulate the shed, keep it at a certain temperature higher than the minimum tolerated, and lower than the maximum, but ensure the heaters control the temps of the tanks. The temperature of the shed if there are enough tanks in it and it is well insulated may well be decided by the heat lost from the tanks, a single glass panel is not a very good insulator.
Insulating the backs and sides and even the bottom of the tanks with polyfoam would cut your losses quite a bit.
Sorry I am rambling now.