Modular Heat-Exchanger Collects Solar Energy and Melts Snow

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Robert Barmore

Each 23 ½-inch-by-23 ½-inch panel includes push-on… Read More Each 23 ½-inch-by-23 ½-inch panel includes push-on connections with synthetic rubber D-ring seals to connect with other panels in rows.

A modular heat exchanger sends heating or cooling fluid through … Read More A modular heat exchanger sends heating or cooling fluid through channels beneath the each panel’s surface.

The rows send and return energy in manifolds, forming arrays.

The sub-zones connect to the system at the main manifold (shown)… Read More The sub-zones connect to the system at the main manifold (shown), which connects to the pumps, heat exchanger, and geothermal system located in the basement.

Robert Barmore

The bottom of this pedestal-mounted panel is covered with insula… Read More The bottom of this pedestal-mounted panel is covered with insulation. The insulation does not extend to the corners in order to support connections among pavers.

The paver comes in ground- or pedestal-mount form. The pedestal … Read More The paver comes in ground- or pedestal-mount form. The pedestal version includes 1/2-inch EPS rigid insulation on the bottom and flexible insulation on the tubes. The ground version includes 1 1/2-inch EPS or XPS rigid insulation.

The paver can be trimmed parallel to its flow channels on either… Read More The paver can be trimmed parallel to its flow channels on either side of its inlet tubes. The pavers also can be rotated 90 degrees and use insulated flexible poly tubing to connect the rows and manifolds. The cut header channels are sealed with RTV silicone and folded over twice as a hem to create a positive seal.

Rooftop installation with pedestal-mount paver.

Installed pavers.

What if you could have your solar collector and melt your snow, too? You can, thanks to a high-tech fix developed by Robert Barmore, a high-end builder turned green entrepreneur. Barmore realized the potential for a solar collector that had snow-melt capacity when building homes in Aspen, Colo.—where the sun shines as much as the snow dumps loads atop outdoor decks and sidewalks. His product—a paver that incorporates solar-energy collecting technology—gathers energy from the sun during the summer to heat domestic water and can be reversed during the winter to use geothermal energy to melt snow.

The trick, he says, was keeping the paver-cum-solar-collector cool enough to sit or stand on without hampering its functionality. Following five years of development and with $115,000 in funding from the Green Launching Pad program at the University of New Hampshire, the pavers recently were used in the full-scale retrofit of a bar and saloon in White Fish, Mont. The architect was after a snow melt system, but Barmore says he was able to convince the project team to put an array of pipes beneath the building that could serve as a geothermal heat sink—tempering fluid to 50 degrees—and tie that system into the roof.

“Architects are starting to recognize and understand [the product],” Barmore says. “Now that we are producing them they are starting to put them into projects.” Currently the product is sold directly to builders, but adding a sales team and bringing production in-house is part of Barmore’s plan to make the system available through more channels. “I like to solve problems, and this was a big one that I found,” he says.

How it works: A modular heat-exchanger panel distributes a heating and cooling transfer fluid, either glycol or water, through fractal flow channels on the panel’s surface. The 23 1/2-inch by 23 1/2-inch panels use removable push-on connections that align the panels into rows. The rows send and return energy in manifolds to form arrays and have a shut-off valve on the send and return for easy installation and pressure testing. The manifold system is custom-designed for each project and uses an Aquatherm brand Climatherm weldable PP-R pipe. Removable connections allow for easy access to the surface below the system, including the roof and below-grade utilities.

The high-density pavers are about 2 inches thick and each 4-square-foot component weighs approximately 90 pounds. The ThermaPaver system installs as pedestal- or ground-mounted pavers or stones, and it can be used on driveways, patios, sidewalks, plazas, and roads. Therma-Hexx, www.therma-hexx.com; 603.319.8815.