Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof
heat collecting roof structure
A solar heat collector and radiator is a heat collecting and heat radiating roof structure, designed for building roofs specifically. It was built to be used in conjunction with solar energy and uses a system of air circulation for increased efficiency. A solar heat collector, or solar thermal collector, is used today to capture solar radiation through electromagnetic radiation with the use of solar hot water panels, solar parabolic troughs, or solar towers. Today many people create their own DIY solar heat collectors, but the inventor William Goettl was the first to design and patent this technology.
Usage
William Goettl found in 1977 that many building roofs have heat collectors, often pipes, to warm up water or air for a building.
Design
The Solar Heat Collector & Radiator for Building Roof consists of a U-shaped duct with cross-section, and upstanding flanges. The duct structures between adjacent rafters and provides an intermediate partition between upper areas of rafters. There is also a radiation-transparent convection shield above the cover plate to stop heat being lost air movement. William Goettl, of Goettl Air Conditioning, patented this technology in 1977 through the U.S. Patent Office with patent number US4098260. It has since been cited by five other patents and referenced by twenty-eight other patents, dating from 1977 to present day, including the modern model of a solar-powered water heating system designed by the Snyder National Corporation, and a solar heating panel by Solar Shelter Engineering Inc.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof” as heat collecting roof structure. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as heat collecting roof structure. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 8, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q24900809. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1977.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof primary sources, Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof archive and Solar research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Solar heat collector and radiator for building roof” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.