Yeah, that seems like a good way to go. 65 degrees at ground level is what I'd also expect. My assumption up top would be close to 90/95 degrees. Driving the pump more often would be interesting.
Hmm, the heater element being controller disregarding your will is a bit of a bummer.
Thanks for clarifying, so you are indeed circulating the water itself, it's not a separate line used as a heater. In this case you really are at the mercy of either your pump, pipe length, ambient temperature, insulation and/or sun intensity.
Have you monitored the temperature at the panel on the roof itself? Also, what type of insulation are you running on those pipes?
OK this is interesting, but also differs. If I have read correctly, you're circulating the water in the system as a whole.
I'm also using a solar setup, but I'm using a serpentine coil running a separate coolant liquid. The coolant is used since winter goes from -10 to minimim -20 degrees celsius.
What are your coldest months like?
Yeah, just gonna chime in here real quick.
I went down this road just as you. I found out that most MOTs are rather weak for 18650 nickel strips.
You need a transformer rated around 1500 watts. Most are 700-900 watts. I ended up wiring 2 transformers in parallel. Also, make sure to remove the transformer's shunts. They are a form of current limiting and will impact your amps at the end.
Finally, make sure to carefully regulate your pressure with the copper tips. High pressure does indeed equal a weaker weld.
AC in general is also not the best for very short pulses of welds. I have found that 40-60ms work best for 0.2 with around 1000amps. Anything less didn't weld tbh and the MOT couldn't pull amps fast enough. I tried all sorts of windings and cable thicknesses. I finally chose 6AWG and I'm happy enough with 2 transformers.