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Save Power And Save The Planet Using Solar Water Heaters

By Scott Rodgers

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Published: 12Jul2009
Word count: 539
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In this day and age any possibilities of saving power are becoming important and people are starting to look more and more to natural solutions to supply their heating needs. The obvious, especially if you live in an area with a lot of sunshine, is to heat your water with solar power. This will save you significant amounts of power, often by more than 50%, and if used in conjunction with some other modern technology such as underfloor heating, you will find that your overall power consumption in your household significantly reduces. The first thing you need to do when you contemplating installing any new water heating system, is to figure out how much hot water you consume. This is important as you may purchase a system that may not supply your requirements, and you're not going to get any thanks from your family if you end up only being able to run one hot water fixture at a time, especially early in the morning when everyone is trying to race out the door. Once you have figured out how much you use, you will be able to talk to a consultant to discuss whether a solar heating system would work for your house, taking into account your existing water heating tank.

If you then decide that a combination of your climate and hot water requirements will suit a solar heating system, then you need to bring in a builder to make sure that your roof can hold the type of unit required. Your roof may be fine, but there may be the need to reinforce the roof and you will want to get a quote for this so that you can accurately assess the entire amount the solar heating system will cost.

As the solar water system uses your existing heating tank, it is also a good idea to get a plumber to assess the state of your current tank. They will need to check that it is in good working order, and especially that the thermostat is working because if this is faulty your system won't be able to assess that the water coming from the solar system is already hot, and will waste power re-heating the water.

There are basically two types of systems. The passive system is cheaper to run and generally requires less maintenance. Of these passive systems there are two types, the ICS and the thermosyphon system, and if you live in an area where the temperatures drop below zero, it is recommended that you use the thermosyphon system as they divert the water to the conventional water heater when the temperature drops below freezing.

The other type is the active system which is more expensive to run as it needs a pump to operate and because of this it can create more maintenance costs. The direct solar circulation system heats up a storage tank on the roof that is then circulated through the house using a pump. The other system is an indirect circulation system that works by heating a non-freezing fluid that is pumped to a heat exchanger, which then heats your water. This is your best option if you live in an area where the temperature drops below freezing.

Scott Rodgers is a plumber who has recently begun writing articles for both a plumbing and non-plumbing audience. To view more of plumbing articles, visit http://eLocalPlumbers.com

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