Posts Tagged ‘Solar Water Heater’

What is a Solar Water Heater?

A solar water heater makes use of the thermal component found in sunlight and can heat all the water your home normally needs with only simple sunlight for fuel. Solar power has many uses and while most people think of it as a excellent way to produce energy, it can also be used to heat the water in your home.  A solar water heater is a very economical way to reduce your monthly energy bills and is simple to install.

Containing only a few components, solar hot water systems can be installed on your home in an afternoon. The main component in the system is the solar collector and this is typically mounted on a southern-facing roof. The solar collector looks very similar to a solar panel used in a typical solar power system, but is essentially different in every other way. Inside the solar collector is a netting of thin pipes that are mounted inside its weatherproof enclosure. These thin pipes are all connected to an entry and exit plumbing fixture and will guide any water passing through the collector into this netting. During the day these thin pipes become very hot when exposed to sunlight and can quickly heat up any water that is passing through them. You can use this thermal collector to heat the water you use for bathing and cooking by linking this solar collector to your home’s hot water system. The best part is this system can be very passive and will use the water pressure in your home to circulate the water through the collector naturally.

In colder climates or on larger homes that need more sizeable quantities of hot water a slightly more advanced solar water heater system is used. These varieties of solar hot water systems use a small circulating pump to force a specialized liquid through the solar collector and back down into a thermal holding tank. This circulation system is a closed loop and the same liquid makes the round trip through the collector several times each day. The home’s hot water plumbing is also passed through this thermal storage tank and as it sits in the container, it is warmed by the hot solar plumbing. The home’s water never touches the liquid passing through the solar water heater; it is simply heated through contact with the pipes.

Advantages of a Solar Water Heater

The advantage of this sort of system is that it can be used in colder climates where water would freeze if it were passed through the solar collector directly in the winter months. By using this specialized liquid you can enjoy all the benefits of a solar water heater without the threat of freezing. The other advantage is by using a thermal storage tank you will always have a good source of hot water for use. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of a solar water heater through the evenings when the sun is no longer able to heat the water.

These sorts of systems have also been adapted for heating the water in pools. The solar collector is linked to the circulatory system for the pool’s water and heats it with the sun in this variety of system. This offers a very economical way to keep your pool at a comfortable temperature for swimming without spending any money on fuel.

For More information regarding the benefits of a Solar Water Heater check out: © MyDIYGreenEnergy.com

An almost free solar water heater system for your home home! Now that’s an idea we can get some real savings from, almost everyone would like to have it in their home. . .but most people just won’t take action to install it – these procrastinators are telling themselves that maybe they’ll put in a solar water heater system “sometime down the road,” even though if they did it now their savings would be almost immediate. The gas and electric bills paid to the utility companies throughout the years have cost these people a lot of money. Unless there’s a major paradigm shift, most people like you and I who live in the world with warm or heated water will certainly not want to start doing without it any time soon. So why don’t you take action and convert your hot water production to something highly economical and beneficial like a solar water heater system with hot water on demand from the sun?

You’ll also want to review this top-grade DIY solar water heater system article, be sure to take a look at DIY Solar Water Heater System Discussion.

Before we answer the questions above, let’s talk about not only a solar water heater system, but hot water systems in general. There are several different types of these systems. Some of the most common are the conventional gas heated hot water that uses a hot water storage tank, electrically heated hot water that also uses a storage tank, on demand electrically heated water that uses large amounts of electricity to heat water just before it’s delivered by a faucet and finally, the clean and inexpensively heated solar water heater system heated by the sun itself.

One thing is certain, since you want to put a stop to the costly heating of water in your home, you can really benefit from one of the outstanding solar DIY guides which are available to assist you in achieving highly-reduced monthly utility bills by simply and cheaply constructing your own DIY solar water heater system to meet your family’s hot water demands. In fact, one of the most popular and successful guides, measured in terms of how many homeowners have used it to save a lot of money, is available to you and yes, anyone can do it!

You’ll also want to review this top-grade DIY solar water heater system article, see A Solar Water Heater System – DIY And Save.

The basics of conventional gas and electrically heated hot water systems that use tank storage are almost the same, generally differing only in the method of heating the water itself. You’ll find a thermostat in these systems which controls the heat level of the water itself and as the water in the tank or reservoir cools to a preset temperature level, the water is reheated back to the desired comfort level by either the gas-powered flame or an electrical heating element turning on and raising the temperature of the water to the upper preset level. In almost every conventional home you see, this is the type of water heating system in use, but their operational costs have become overly expensive and burdensome due to the huge amounts of gas and electricity which are continuously required to both initially heat and maintain the temperature of water used in the home for use at a moment’s notice. It looks like a solar water heater system could be a life-safer here, right?

One can find an alternative method of water heating in some homes called an on-demand or in-line tankless water heater which is positioned immediately before the point of water demand such as a spigot/faucet or possibly a sink, bathtub or shower. This approach dictates that no hot water is kept on hand in a holding tank requiring intermittent energy use to reheat it to its desired temperature – the water is only warmed or heated when hot water is actually required and not until that time is any energy used. Many homeowners looking for ways to reduce their energy costs have examined this idea and at first blush, it appears to make sense until the initial costs of both buying and installing the necessary number (three to five and even more in some cases are needed for the average home) of water heating units in addition to rising electricity costs can cause the payback period for the initial outlay to run far into the future, completely negating any financial advantage the homeowner was hoping for.

Now the curtain rises for the solar water heater system to help us save a lot of money each month. . .you’re able to have an excellent hot water system and because of its solar DIY benefits (simple and economical to construct by almost everyone) it will save money for many years into the future, generally for the rest of your life. Don’t forget that you will be able not only to save a lot of money on your electrical bill each month (if not eliminate it entirely) but you can save an absolute fortune by using your money-saving solar water heater system to heat your spa and pool – you’ll extend your swimming season and also save money that was formerly just wasted! If you want more information on getting started in solar DIY, visit the following DIY solar guide (Hint: This guide also shows you how to build your own and save with solar electricity panels and solar hot water panels):

This excellent article on a DIY solar water heater system is also a must-read, be sure to take a look at A DIY Solar Water Heater System – Which One Is Best For Your Home?

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As promised here are a few of my favorite products and services I met at the Everything Green Expo:

1) EcoStone -Eco-Friendly pavers made from reclaimed granite.

Ecostone Booth at the Everything Green Expo

EcoStone is a Portland based company that manufactures tile, landscaping pavers and interior/exterior stone from reclaimed granite and other natural stone. A typical kitchen granite counter install results in a 30% waste of material, most of which ends up in landfills. EcoStone collects this “waste” material from several stone fabricators in the Portland area and uses a patented hydralic press to tranform it into solid granite tile and pavers of various shapes and sizes. Any resulting waste is crushed into gravel and used as aggregate with zero net waste ending up in ladnfills. Thier goal is to keep 1,000,000 pounds of waste out of Oregon landfill each year. I hope they exceed this goal. In fact we will be installing an EcoStone patio to replace our existing ground level deck that is in it’s last years of useability. I will definately be posting more about this product, and the installation of our patio in the near future. Check out http://www.ecostonenw.com for more information.

The Solar Oregon Booth at the Expo

2) Solar Oregon – Good Energy for Oregonians, is there slogan. My first question to them was: Is Oregon sunny enough for solar?The answer a resounding YES! Even portland and the rainy Willamette Valley recieve as much sunshine as the average US city. In fact, solar is Oregon’s most abundant renewable resource. Today, more than 17,000 Oregon households use solar energy systems to generate electricity or heat water. Suprisingly half the power we use in Oregon is generated by power plants that contribute to climate change and pollution. the sun is a clean, renewable source of energy that can help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Okay, great we can do solar in Oregon, but what does Solar Oregon do? They make it easy for homeowners to install solar energy systems. They are a nonprofit organization that offers free workshops, expert advice, cash incentives from the Energy Trust, State of Oregon Tax Credits, information about Federal Tax Credits, referrals to qualified contractors and access to affordable financing. To learn more or attend a free workshop go to http://www.solarnoworegon.org Their Solar Now! campaign connects Oregonians with the resources and assistance they need to choose solar energy.

3) McGee Salvage- Purveyors of quality reclaimed hardwood floors. Their business is reclaiming hardwood flooring from gymnasiums, homes, hotels, churches, dance halls, etc. around the Pacific Northwest. They then sell the reclaimed materials to customers who are interested in hardwood flooring that is unique in character, antique out-of-production, and green eco-friendly. You can visit them online at http://www.mcgeesalvage.com

The Master Shield demo at the Everything Green Expo

4) Master Shield – Gutter protection that actually works. the single largest problem with gutters on my own home is pine needles. They clog the downspouts, fill the gutters, and always seem to somehow overcome any device designed to stop them. But, believe me this system actually works. We are having them installed on all our gutters. I will be writing about the install with plenty of photos.  They say it keeps ALL debris, including leaves, pine and fir needles, twigs, seedpods, oak tassels – you name it! And after seeing the product I believe it. They give an unconditional 100% money back warranty if it ever clogs. They say they have never had a gutter clog, anywhere, nationwide.

This makes the water in the gutters the cleanest of any gutter system, and eliminates all debris. Which brings about the real importance of this system, it makes rainwater cistern projects much simpler. And this is why we are so excited to install the system. Our hope is to soon be installing a gray-water system for the toilets and gardens using the rain water from the 8000 gallon cistern.

You can learn more about Master Shield and find a local contractor to install the system at their website http://www.mastershield.com

5) Skylights NW- Adding light to your life. Skylights are less than exciting. Though, we will be adding a few to our home to allow more natural light. What is exciting is this 65 year old, established company is now selling and installing Velux Solar water heating systems. On average, installing a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50%-80%. Also, because the sun is free, you’re protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes. On average it takes 3-7 years to payback the system in most areas.

We have not yet chosen a solar hot water system or contractor, but this Velux system is one of the more interesting ones. You can find more information at: http://www.veluxusa.com/solar

In the next part of this series I will be talking of several photovoltaic systems, and  more from the Everything Green Expo.