Solar Hot Water System
In this current economy everyone is trying to find ways in which they can save money, particularly on their utility bills. Today, one of the best ways in which persons can reduce the charges of their electricity bills is by installing solar hot water systems. These hot water systems primarily depend on the sun’s natural heat to warm the water; therefore, helping to reduce your dependency on traditional electric means of warm the water in your home.
This particular type of hot water systems are made up of a special type of storage tank, and also a collector. The purpose of the storage tank is to store the water supply, while the purpose of the collector is to gather the heat from the sun. There are two primary types of systems for solar hot water; these are the active system and the passive system. The active system is made up of a series of controls and pumps that are used to actively heat the sun; on the other hand, the passive system are without these controls and pumps, and primarily rely on the heat of the sun to warm the water.
One of the major elements of this type of hot water system is the collector, and there are three primary types of collectors that are found in a majority of systems; these are flat-plate collectors, integral collectors and evacuated tube. The flat-plate collectors can be describe as boxes that have been weather proofed and insulated with a type of plastic or glass cover. The integral collectors are made up of the black tubes that are found on the roofs of several homes. Most times, the integral collector is paired with a traditional water heater. Lastly, the evacuated tubes are actually rows of glass tubes. Once the tubes have been lined up, they are then covering with a coating, so that the energy can be absorbed and heat loss prevented.
One of the most common types of the active solar power water system is the direct circulation system. These are the type of active systems that are mostly found in the warmer climates that do not experience extremely cold weather. In this particular system, the water is passed through the collector and is then passed into the home so that it can be used. The other type of active system is the indirect system, where the water first passes through the collector, to the heat exchanger and finally into the home.
Passive solar systems are also available, and the two primary types are the thermosysphon system and the collector system.