Solar Water Heater
Solar water heaters, which are also known as solar hot water systems, are a cost effective method for generating hot water for your household, and they are capable of being used in any climate. Because the only fuel that they require is sunshine, they are free to use once installed.
Solar water heaters work through the use of a storage tank and a solar collector. There are two different types of solar water heater options, which are active and passive, where active water heaters have circulating pumps and passive heaters do not. Well insulated storage tanks are required for most water heaters running on solar energy. For residential applications, there are three different types of solar collectors that are used with these water heaters flat-plate collectors, integral collector systems and evacuated tube solar collectors.
There are two different types of active water heaters that you can choose, direct circulation systems and indirect circulation systems. With a direct system, pumps circulate the household water into the home through the collectors. With an indirect system, pumps circulate a unique heat-transfer fluid through first a heat exchanger and then the collectors.
Passive solar heating systems tend to be less expensive than their active cousins, but they do not tend to be as efficient. They can be more reliable, however, and may even last a lot longer. There are two different types of passive solar heating systems to choose from: integral collector systems and Thermosiphon systems.
Before you purchase a solar type of water heating system, you are going to want to do a couple of different things. First, you should consider the economics associated with operating a solar form of water heating system. Next, you should evaluate the solar resource for your particular site. Third, you should determine the correct size system for your needs. Fourth you should determine the energy efficiency level of the system in question. Now you should estimate the system costs and compare system costs in order to find the best system for your needs. Finally, you should investigate local regulations and codes in order to make sure that you are aligning with the law in installing a solar water heater.
There are a number of different factors that go into making sure that your solar water heater is properly installed. These factors are going to include climate, solar resource, local building code requirements as well as safety issues. For these reasons, you should have a qualified contractor handle the installation of your system in your home in order to achieve the best possible results.
You need to maintain your system properly following installation in order to keep it running properly and smoothly. Passive systems do not require the same amount of maintenance as active systems. If you purchase an active system, make sure to speak to the contractor about maintenance requirements so you know what you will be dealing with. Regular maintenance is done every three to five years or so, and can be done by a solar contractor
