What Is a Solar Water Heater?
What Is a Solar Water Heater? – The Types and How They Work
The solar water heater is an innovation which allows us to utilize the free energy of the sun to fulfill our water heating needs. They have the reliability to be used in any climate condition and anywhere, where the sun rays fall. It can easily satisfy the hot water requirements for a family of four to eight. A solar water heater uses direct sunlight instead of electricity to heat water and supply directly to our taps. It is the best alternative one can find as it uses zero energy and is maintenance free equipment.
The basic working principle of a solar water heater is simple. It has a solar collector in which cold water is spread out or sent via pipes the sun rays fall on these solar collectors where it gets concentrated and can take temperature as high as 140 degree Fahrenheit. The two basic parts of a solar heater are an insulated water storage tank and a solar collector. The storage tank is similar in design to a tank type electric heater and performs almost the same functions. The solar collector is the one which heats the water and moves it up into the tank. The hot water is either collected in a storage tank or sends directly to taps for use. Sometimes there is a possibility of overheating of water. The tank drains the warm water so that the whole system can be secure from damage.
A solar power water heater can basically be categorized into “Active” and “Passive” systems. The Active system uses storage tanks, electric pumps, reflecting mirrors and is more costly than the Passive one’s. An active system is most commonly used where it is cold all through the year and the temperature rarely goes above 15 degrees. To transport water, the active system uses small electric pumps which are generally run by solar powered panels. Those solar panels always should be at an angle facing the sun to generate the maximum heat and efficiency.
The passive system depends upon the natural tendency of hot water to move up the pipes so that the warm water is collected in a tank situated above. They are suitable for most of the houses and demand less structural considerations and cost.
One more thing to consider is the hot water requirements of the household, and one should buy the optimal sized tank for that purpose.
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