How Do Solar Hot Water Heaters Work?With the rising cost of fuel and concern over carbon footprints, many homeowners are turning to green technologies such as a solar water heater. These hot water heating systems not only lower your fuel costs over the lifetime of the system but will also help the environment by cutting back on harmful carbon emissions. Developing a set of workable solar hot water heater plans could be your first important step toward leading a “greener” lifestyle. BasicsThe U.S. Department of Energy provides a complete breakdown of the basics of solar hot water heater systems. As they explain, there are basically two types of solar hot water heaters: active systems, which contain circulating pumps and controls, or the passive systems, which don’t. Both of these plans will require solar panel collectors and storage tanks for the water. The solar storage tanks will need to be well-insulated to lock in the heat and keep out the cold. You could opt for a two-tank storage, where your system would preheat the water before it enters your conventional water heater. Or you could decide on the single-tank storage option, which combines the back-up heater with solar storage within the same tank. |
