If your electric or gas bill is too high due to the cost of keeping water hot, why not install a solar water heater and have free hot water. In many locations solar water heating systems can provide seventy percent or more of the water needed for the home.
There are a couple of designs of water heaters that depend on the sun and both work well, especially in warmer climates. A passive solar tank is simply a black tank that is installed on the roof that allows the water to be warmed by the sun. An active solar water heater will have collector panels on the roof and these collector panels are connected to the cold water supply and the storage tank in the home.
With the passive solar water heater, the tank is black as this allows for the most heat to be absorbed from the sun. The amount of water in the tank is controlled by a float mechanism which regulates the amount of water in the tank. Heated water flows into the home using gravity pressure. As the hot water is emptied from the tank, it is replenished using cold water from the supply line.
Since the solar heating tank can be very heavy when filled with water, the roof may need to be strengthened to support its weight. Solar collector panels however are light and will not require any additional support.
Passive heating tanks are only appropriate for homes in warmer climates.
The active solar heater may simply be a pre-heater where cold water passes through the collector on the way to a normal gas or electric water heater in the home or it may have a small pump that circulates the water from the tank through the collector panels to keep it at the right temperature. In either case, the secondary heat source will come on if the solar collector is unable to keep the water at the correct temperature. Most solar collector panels are 4 feet by 8 feet or 4 feet by 10 feet and painted black inside with a clear cover.
Active systems require that the collector panels be faced in such a direction that they get the largest amount of heat gain. Ideally, they are placed on a flat roof, however if the roof is sloped, they should be on the southerly facing roof.
You will have special instructions for protecting your system any time there is the danger of a freeze. Not following these instructions can cause major damage to your water heating system.
If you live in a climate where the chance of freezing occurs many times during the winter, an active solar heating system that uses a heat transfer solution is a better choice. This system will use collector panels just like the other active systems; however instead of water flowing through the tubes, an antifreeze solution is used. In the storage tank, there is a heat exchanger that allows the heat collected in the solar collectors to heat the water. The cooled heat transfer solution is then returned to the collector to heat again. - 32387
There are a couple of designs of water heaters that depend on the sun and both work well, especially in warmer climates. A passive solar tank is simply a black tank that is installed on the roof that allows the water to be warmed by the sun. An active solar water heater will have collector panels on the roof and these collector panels are connected to the cold water supply and the storage tank in the home.
With the passive solar water heater, the tank is black as this allows for the most heat to be absorbed from the sun. The amount of water in the tank is controlled by a float mechanism which regulates the amount of water in the tank. Heated water flows into the home using gravity pressure. As the hot water is emptied from the tank, it is replenished using cold water from the supply line.
Since the solar heating tank can be very heavy when filled with water, the roof may need to be strengthened to support its weight. Solar collector panels however are light and will not require any additional support.
Passive heating tanks are only appropriate for homes in warmer climates.
The active solar heater may simply be a pre-heater where cold water passes through the collector on the way to a normal gas or electric water heater in the home or it may have a small pump that circulates the water from the tank through the collector panels to keep it at the right temperature. In either case, the secondary heat source will come on if the solar collector is unable to keep the water at the correct temperature. Most solar collector panels are 4 feet by 8 feet or 4 feet by 10 feet and painted black inside with a clear cover.
Active systems require that the collector panels be faced in such a direction that they get the largest amount of heat gain. Ideally, they are placed on a flat roof, however if the roof is sloped, they should be on the southerly facing roof.
You will have special instructions for protecting your system any time there is the danger of a freeze. Not following these instructions can cause major damage to your water heating system.
If you live in a climate where the chance of freezing occurs many times during the winter, an active solar heating system that uses a heat transfer solution is a better choice. This system will use collector panels just like the other active systems; however instead of water flowing through the tubes, an antifreeze solution is used. In the storage tank, there is a heat exchanger that allows the heat collected in the solar collectors to heat the water. The cooled heat transfer solution is then returned to the collector to heat again. - 32387
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If your electric or gas bill is too high due to the cost of keeping water hot, why not install a solar water heater and have 100 percent free hot water. More info on solar water heaters now a click away.
