The question is should you use evacuated or the conventional collectors for your solar heating system. Evacuated collecters are very well designed. You have a series of tubes in a panel. Each can be individually replaced should it become faulty or get damaged.

What you have is two tubes, an inner and an outer one. The inner carries the water and the outer one creates a vacuum. This vacuum makes the system very efficient. The solar water heating glass tubes heat losses are kept to a bare minimum, less that 2%. It also means that these units can work in very low temperatures even down to as low as -40 deg F.

The liquid is pumped round the system, and the heated liquid transfers its heat to the water held in a hot water heater storage tank.

All very good, so why do people still use flat plate absorber panels for a solar hot water system? There are two main reasons. One is that the evacuated collector tube systems are larger and heavier than the flat plate collectors, this means you need at least two people to install it. Where as the flat thermal systems can be carried and positioned by one man.

The other reason is that because they are more sophisticated and have a lot more parts to them, they are more prone to damage. Remember you are dealing with glass with a vacuum between the two tubes. In the past, these panels have been susceptible to damage due to the thermal expansion of the different materials. The glass is connected to a copper pipe with a waterproof seal. Because glass and copper expand at different rates, this seal often became damaged. I understand that modern production techniques have by and large overcome this problem but when you compare them to flat plate systems there is still a lot more to go wrong.

In fact, the flat plate solar hot water system is extremely simple and have very little that can go wrong. The main things you have to look out for are joints leaking and ensuring your system is designed that it can never freeze up should the temperature plummet below freezing point.

There are plenty of suppliers who are offering solar tubes kits for easy installation and it might worth experimenting with it to see if it is right for you.  However I have seen reports and some independent organizations are saying that the efficiency of the evacuated type compared to the flat type, when measured over a year is not that much, perhaps 5% better. They are also suggesting that because there is less maintenance and fewer things to go wrong with flat plate, flat plate is a better option.

Solar water heating collector tubes are more efficient but you have to decide if the advantages are great enough to warrant the higher cost over flat plate.

Solar thermal panels are used for heating hot water which in turn can be used to heat your house, water for washing and showering and is a very green way of heating your swimming pool.

Most solar heating systems are used to heat water for washing and showering. The way the system is typically designed and installed is to have an array of solar collector panels on the roof of your home. These are then connected to a hot water tank and a fluid is circulated around the solar panels and the hot water tank. As the fluid passes through the panels, the suns energy heats the fluid up to a high temperature. However, the fluid that is circulated through your solar panels is used to heat the water in your hot water tank, it is not used for washing and showering.

These are not passive systems. They will have sensors to detect when the sun is hot enough to heat the fluid and will then start the pump working.

How Does the Fluid Heat the Water in the Hot Water Tank?

Inside your hot water tank is a copper pipe which is made into a coil so that you get a greater surface area in which to transfer the heated fluid in the copper pipe to the water stored in the tank.

This coiled copper pipe has an inlet at the bottom of the tank and an out let at the top. The solar panel outlet pipe is connected to the inlet on the tank and the outlet pipe of the tank is connected to the inlet of the solar panel.

What If the Solar Panel Does Not Generate Enough Hot Water?

If the solar panels, be it flat plate or evacuated tube type, do not heat the water to the desired temperature then you have a back-up system. You can get hot water tanks that are fitted with an electric heater element and a thermostat. Therefore the thermostat can detect if the water is hot enough, if it isn’t, the electric element will switch itself on until the correct temperature is reached.

Alternatively you can have your boiler plumbed into your hot water tank. This could be a back boiler which is fitted to a log burning or coal fire or it could be a gas boiler. So if the water is not hot enough, either of these systems will cut in as necessary.

If you have any questions about how solar heating works then ask it in the comment section below.

Solar water heating temperatures fluctuate by large amounts during the day and night as well as throughout the year i.e. summer and winter. Obviously the water is heated during daylight hours using the suns energy and if the water is not used then it needs to be stored in an insulated cylinder ready for use to provide hot water on demand.

During the summer months, solar thermal panels can provide up to 75% of a households hot water needs and in the winter months this can drop down to 25%.

There are two main types of solar thermal heating collectors. These are the evacuated tube and the flat panels. The evacuated tube heater panels work harder and are more efficient at converting the suns energy into hot water. These are made of glass tubes, and the gap between the tubes is a vacuum which gives its increased efficiency, plus they will not freeze when the temperature drops during the winter months. However the cost of installation is higher than flat panels.
The flat plate solar collector panel is made up of copper tubes which harvest the suns energy. These are not as efficient and will freeze unless an anti-freeze is pumped round the system.

However, the flatplate panels are currently more popular with home owners because they are lighter and easier to fit and more importantly there are fewer things to go wrong and maintenance is kept to a very minimum.

What if the Water is To Hot

A solar thermal hot water system design will include a sensor and mixer valve on the outlet pipe from the central hot water storage cylinder which feeds your households plumbing system. If the water that comes out is too hot, it will mix it with cold water from the mains supply.

What if the Water is To Cold

As a backup, the central hot water holding tank is also fed with hot water from your homes boiler or it has an electric coil fitted or both. So if the water temperature drops below a certain point, one of these backup systems will cut in.

And so this is how you get the figure 75% during the summer months and 25% during the winter months – for the amount of hot water your solar panels will produce.

If anybody would like to expand on this or specify what solar water heating temperatures they are getting from their solar panels then feel free to leave a comment below.

Solar collecters are fairly simple devices, and if you would like to make your own solar collecter battery then we have given you a few pointers in this article.

You can do it yourself; as long as you have the patience to learn, that is.  Harvesting the sun’s solar power is one of the easiest things you can do to create energy.  With a few simple tools, you can build your own solar energy collector system.  This article will focus on how to make a solar collecter battery; however, this won’t work as a practical solution for powering your home appliances or hot water heaters, maybe you can use it to recharge a battery. Click on this link if you want more info on how to build a solar panel to power your home.

There are many forms of solar collecters, but for convenience’s sake, let’s just focus on a popular concept; the solar cell (or photovoltaic cell).  It is the most widely used solar collecter these days, but somehow, these little things tend to be very expensive.  The concept is simple enough, but then, the cost isn’t.  Therefore, making your own homemade solar cell (or in this case, solar collecter battery), is a viable option.

The Things you’ll Need

To start, you are going to need some copper flashing (or copper sheeting), tin snips, an empty 2 litre plastic bottle, steel wool, some table salt (which you put in a glass of tap water), a micro ammeter (whether a digital one or an old school one, it doesn’t matter), alligator clips and an electric stove (or a propane torch, whichever suits your fancy).

The Procedure

Now, it is time to assemble your very own solar collecter.  First, you are going to need to measure the copper sheets (or copper flashing).  Then you need to cut them with the tin snips.  Make the sheets small enough to perfectly fit on top of the heating coils on your electric stove.  Heat the copper until it looks bright red hot.  Let the copper cook for around maybe 30 minutes or so and see what happens.  You’ll see that you have made 2 kinds of oxides; the black cupric oxide and the other cupric oxide underneath the black one.  You don’t need the black cupric oxide, and when you see this forming all over, you’ll need to turn off the stove so you can let the copper cool down.  After that, you will need to use the steel wool so you can clean off the cupric oxide that you don’t need.

Next, cut out another piece of copper about the same size as your first one.  Place this one into the plastic bottle or tank.  Then, place the heated piece of copper in there too.  Link your alligator clips to your micro ammeter and then connect the negative part of the alligator to the cooked copper, while the positive one goes to the clean copper.  Pour some salt water into the bottle and then you’re done.  Place your makeshift solar collecter under the sun and watch your micro ammeter rise about fifty micro-amps.  Then, Presto!  You have now learned how to make a solar collecter device (or solar cell batteries) on your own.

These are just the basics, and while some solar collectors or photovoltaic cells are much more complicated, at least you now have a basic understanding of how to make a solar collecter system of your own.

Today people are trying to cut back on expenses in the home and one such way is to build an outdoor solar shower. Let us take a look at this ingenious man, Edward Schultz. He has five active little boys, and it became very expensive for him to heat hot water to wash them. Therefore, his solution was to make an outdoor shower in his garden; so his first task was to find out how to build an outdoor solar shower?

As he researched on the Internet for info on the subject of outdoor showers; he soon learned that most eco solar showers were designed for a quick shower by campers; not really practical for a family. Therefore, he decided to design one to fit the needs of his family. He decided to just use whatever he found around his home; which in his case was a farm. For those of us who do not live on a farm, you may have to purchase some of the materials.

Still if you are really thrifty you still can find bargains if you know where to look, for instance, most lumber yards sell damaged or warped lumber for next to nothing just to get the damaged timber off their hands. However, this man had a lot of the needed materials laying around his farm, gathered from years of projects. He had the idea that he wanted that rustic look for his outdoor shower. This is how he went about building an outdoor solar shower for his family. The frame, floor and upper deck were made from with 4X4 treated landscaping timbers; all of which he found on his property, so the wood had that look he was going for. Furthermore, for the cross braces, he used the branches he found lying around his property.

Therefore, this is how he went about building an outdoor solar shower

The hardware like screws he found in the barn. One of the great things about building your own outdoor solar shower is that you really don’t need to be a carpenter just someone with imagination and the basic tools. His design for the water reservoir tank was a couple of old unused metal garbage cans, these were positioned in direct sunlight, so they actually became the solar collector heating system. He painted one black which increased the collectors efficiency and made the water hotter. He did not use rain water (probably a step to far and would mean a shower once a month for the family) but plumbed it in from the mains water.

The simple plumbing he did consist of “3/4 inch CPVC threaded adaptor, two locking nuts, two large washers and two pieces of rubber” from an inner tube;this allowed for the water to be brought up from the bottom of the cans. He even used an old watering can for the shower head, he then hung the cans horizontally from a couple of branches.

For the flooring he did have to install culled wood from a lumber yard. Which as stated before if you buy the damaged wood from a lumber yard, you can get it for next to nothing. In the end his outdoor solar shower had a “capacity of 50 plus gallons” and gives about twenty minutes of shower time.

To give an idea of the temperature of the water the solar heater could produce, when it is 90 degrees or higher outside, the water was hot, like taking an indoor shower. Where as if the temperature was around  80 degrees, the heated water was comfortable and refreshing. However, If the temperatures were getting into the 70’s or lower, the water was like getting into an unheated pool. You get the idea, as the outside temperatures drop so does the water temperatures.
A project like this always has room to make improvements, like hanging a curtain for some privacy!

Reference: http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/90/90-6/Edward_Shultz.html

It is very important, if you are looking into solar power, that you learn how a solar furnace works.  Knowing this information will help to ensure your safety and help you get the most from solar power.

The Basics of a Solar Furnace

A solar furnace captures the suns power and focuses it into a high temperature stream.  The furnace is actually a collection of curved mirrors or mirrored surfaces that capture the rays and reflect them to a single point where the energy is focused.  This focused energy can reach a temperature of over 5,400 degrees. 

The energy or heat collected and focused by a solar furnace can be used in many different ways.  It can be harnessed to create electricity, melt metals, or create fuel by turning water into steam.  It can also be used to cook food.  There is some work with trying to harness solar energy on a large scale to serve as a renewable energy source to heat homes and provide power to homes.

A solar furnace is very reliant upon good, sunny weather.  Without direct sunlight shining of the reflective surface, the furnace has no power.  This is why when using a solar furnace for continuous energy it is important to have other elements, like storage that captures and contains the energy to be used later.

Creation of a Solar Furnace

The basic set up of a solar furnace is simple.  All it takes is 2 mirrors or reflective surfaces pointed to reflect sun to a focal point.  As the number of reflective surfaces is increased, the power harnessed by the furnace increases.  This is because the sun’s rays are multiplied with each surface it is reflecting off.

It is very important that the reflective surfaces are aimed accurately at the focal point where the energy is collected.  All reflective surfaces need to be reflecting the sun to the same point or else the energy will be scattered and the result will not be as powerful.

Concerns About Solar Energy

There are some safety concerns about the use of a solar furnace since the temperature of the heat is so extreme.  At the focal point, the suns energy is hot enough to melt metal.  It is almost like a laser that could cut the hardest surface.  This focused energy must be treated as very dangerous.  It is essential to always use protective gear and follow strict safety standards when working with a solar furnace. However, in terms of impact on the environment, it has to be one of the cleanest energy sources available.

As mentioned, solar energy is not 100% reliable.  The sun may not shine everyday, or it may not shine bright enough or on the reflective surface long enough to produce adequate power for your needs.  A lot of planning is required so that you can harness the power you need and create storage of power to create a reliable energy source.

The basic process of how a solar furnace works is actually an easy concept to figure out and the basic materials you need to build one are just a couple of mirrors.  It is the different factors of using a solar furnace that requires some attention and skill to ensure a good final result.

The economy is in bad shape, of that we have no doubt.  The cost of energy seems to be at the forefront of any argument these days.  It’s good to know that people are now thinking about the climate and better sources of energy than ever before.  However, how does that help you?  How do you know which clean energy sources are best for you?

One source of “free” energy you should consider is solar power, more specifically solar water heating.

You know how hard it is to keep your water at a hot temperature.  You fight all the time for a nice hot shower to end your hard day.  But sometimes it seems hard to get because you are so concerned with saving energy that you have to keep the water heater turned down.  With solar water heating units you can keep that heat cranked as high as it will go without worrying about your energy bills going through the roof!

Not only that, but in this eco-friendly age, imagine how great it would feel to NOT burn any fossil fuels for your personal benefit or feel guilty about heating your swimming pool.   You also know what it means to have your energy prices go up and down dependent on how the energy company feels that day.  With a solar water heater, your energy bill stays relatively constant and can even become non-existent!

We understand the problems facing home owners and their growing energy bills, so that is why it is important to check out solar water heaters.  Sizing is easy, and you can have them installed with very little hassle.  Many local governments offer tax incentives for those switching to renewable energy such as solar water heaters.

Some solar water heater features:

•    Solar water heating can provide 40-75% of your water heating from the sun.
•    In sunny areas, you may save 50-80% on your electricity or gas bill.
•    State and local governments offer incentives for renewable energy solutions.
•    Dependence on fossil fuels significantly reduced.
•    More control over your final energy bill.

There are two types of solar water heaters.  This is where you should start – deciding to size up exactly what you need.
•    Open Loop:  These systems are mostly used for homes that are not subjected to freezing temperatures.
•    Closed Loop: Closed loop systems are mostly for homes that will experience some freezing temperatures.

Basic Components used In a Solar Water Heater

•   Solar collectors or a panel which absorbs the suns energy, the modern ones work very efficiently. These are designed to fit on the side or roof of a building and installation is fairly simple, copper tube, thermal heat exchanger, pump, evacuated tube collector, storage system .

Be sure to check out the many options of solar water heating.  You really can’t go wrong with this wonderful, renewable source of energy.  For about a 3-6k, you’ll get about 25 years of renewable energy, and it will likely pay itself off in a meager 5-6 years.  If you want to be a part of the solution and not the problem, then invest in a solar water heater.

Don’t get caught out falling behind when every home has a solar water heater.  It is a much better idea to be at the forefront of this new energy revolution.

Let us help you on your way by providing you with information that will help you lower your energy bill and will save you and mother earth a lot!

Source: http://www.solarbotanic.com/

You can get solar panels to put on your roof or walls which collect the suns energy and convert this to heat for your home. For a 1500sq ft home you will need about 150 to 190 sq ft of solar collecting area. Depending on which conventional fuels you currently use it could take 10 to 15 years to pay back on your solar heating investment.