One fuel we tend to take for granted or ignore is the sun. Solar energy is becoming a catch word now with fossil fuels rising in cost and coming to the end of their supply. The sun is always there up in the sky. To use it's power is free, the equipment is not. The Solar Water Heater, or solar domestic hot water system, can be an energy saving way to generate your hot water for the house. It is a whole new technology to learn about. New technology is a little expensive in the beginning, but as more people use it and the systems improve with new innovations, solar water heating may become the most common system for heating water in the future.
All solar water heating systems need a good source of sun. Don't put the collectors where trees or roof block the suns' rays. All solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors with all the plumbing and electrical elements to connect them to your water system. They all need a backup system for cloudy days, and most systems address this need with storage or on demand conventional water heaters. A Solar Water Heater can be either passive, or active which requires circulating pumps and controls.
Solar water heating systems require well insulated storage tanks. You can choose a one or two tank system. A one tank system has the back up heater combined with the solar storage in one tank. The two tank system has the Solar Water Heater preheating water before it enters a conventional storage type water heater. You also need some type of solar collector connected to those storage tanks. There are three types of solar collectors to choose from: the flat plate collector which is a flat weatherproof box containing dark absorber plates under glass or plastic covers, the ICS or integral collector storage system which has one or more black tanks or tubes in insulated glazed boxes for cold water to pass through and be heated and sent on to conventional heater and the evacuated tube solar collectors which consist of rows of glass tubes with metal absorber tubes inside attached to coated fins that absorb solar energy. The second system is for mild climates and the third system is more for commercial use. It takes a bit or research to choose all the components for your system and location.
Then you need to choose between 2 types of active solar heating systems or 2 types of passive solar water heating systems. After you have decided on all the elements making up your Solar Water Heater, you need to get it purchased and installed. Getting a professional solar thermal system contractor to help you obtain and then install the system is a good idea. Make sure the contractor is licensed, certified and has experience.
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