A Beginners Guide On Solar Hot Water Heaters
To save a considerable amount of electricity at your home you must install a solar hot water heater. The cost of such installation is a little higher than the conventional water heating system, but you will save a good amount of energy and money in the long run. On an average you would cut down the cost of heating the water by 50-80 percent.
The central parts of a solar water heater are solar collectors whose main function is to seize the energy present in the sunlight to heat the water. There are basically two models of solar water heater which you can install in your home for hot water solutions.
The first one is called active solar heater that is equipped with circulating pumps and controls. The other one is passive water heater which doesn't possess the system of circulating and controls. The storage tank of the later has additional inlet and outlet connected from and to the collector.
Whether you live in Ontario or Illinois or Houston or Georgia you come across three types of solar water collectors which are extensively used for residential purposes. They are flat plat collector, Integral collector-storage systems and evacuated tube solar collectors. All these collectors have different working principle regarding absorption of heat and transfer to heat water in storage tanks. There are again two types of active solar water heater systems such as direct circulation systems and indirect circulation systems which are applicable based on the weather of area. Direct circulation systems water heater is required in homes where water rarely freezes. The pump circulates household water through collector and into your home. However, indirect circulation systems are popular in those areas where water is prone to freezing. The pump of such water heater circulates non freezing heat transfer fluid to the collector and then to a heat exchanger. This heats water which is ready to flow into your home system. Installing passive solar water heater system is less expensive compared to active system. But their efficiency level is lesser than the active water heaters. The only advantage of passive water heater is that it lasts longer than active water heater. Whatever solar water heater you use you need a backup system for those cloudy or rainy days. The backup system also works fine to give back up when there is more demand of hot water in your home. Most of the conventional water heaters also use backup systems for efficiency and hassle free hot water supply. Here are few things which you should consider while you purchase solar hot water heater. The economics of solar water, the site of your house, the right system for your home, estimation and comparison and whether the brand complies with local codes and norms for solar water heater are a few things you need to look for before purchasing a solar water heater.
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