Solar Hot Water Systems - How To Build Solar Water Heaters

July 13, 2009 - PRLog -- Solar Hot Water Systems - Energy from the sun is basically solar radiation hitting the earth. By harnessing this energy with solar hot water systems enables you to generate energy in the form of electricity and hot water.

How It Works:

Evacuated tube solar collectors - Evacuated tubes use a glass tube with a vacuum within it and copper pipes running through the center. The copper pipes are all linked to a common manifold which is then connected to a slow flow circulation pump. Its job is to pump water to a storage tank below, thus heating the hot water during the day. The hot water can be used at night or the next day due to the insulation of the tank.

The evacuation tube system are superior as they can extract the heat out of the air on a humid day and don't require direct sunlight. Due to the vacuum inside the glass tube, the total efficiency in all areas is higher and there's better performance when the sun is not at an optimum angle.

Water tank and thermal mixing - As the heat increases, the hot water delivered to the tank from the solar collector is drawn from the top for use in the house. As the temperature of the water exceeds 60 degrees Celsius/140 degrees Fahrenheit (a requirement to kill bacteria), in order to ensure a safe temperature at the taps, a tempering valve will reduce the temperature to around 45 degrees Celsius/113 degrees Fahrenheit.

Electricity and gas boosters - While the sun can provide sufficient energy to provide you with plenty of hot water for most of the year, there may be extended periods of cloudy, cold days where your system will need a helping hand. This is provided with an electricity boosted or gas booster system.

Boosting with a tankless gas water heater is the most efficient boosting method as boosting only occurs when hot water is used. With an electric system, the tank is heated as soon as the internal temperature drops.

Retrofitting for solar hot water systems - If your current solar hot water systems have plenty of serviceable life left or you've just purchased a solar hot water system , you can still go solar with a retrofit kit!

By installing solar water systems, you will reduce these emissions and also save over 70% of your water heating costs!

DIY solar hot water systems are very economical when used to replace expensive heating methods such as oil, electricity and gas.The cost of a homemade  hot water system will vary.

If you are interested to learn more about how to build your very own home solar power systems or DIY solar water heater, visit us at:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com

To get your DIY solar water heater guide, proceed to:
http://www.greenearth4energy.com/diy_hot_water

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Andy O Silliven is an engineer and author in the fields of electrical engineering. He enjoys writing about the topic and keeping up with current events and research in the area of renewable energy sources.
http://www.greenearth4energy.com