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 Water Heating Collector Tubes is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

Using solar collectors for heating water can produce 42% to 72% of all your hot water needs. This can translate to 53% and 81% reduction in your energy water heating bill. If you maintain your solar water heating system, it can last for 25 to 30 years before needing replacing.

Our recommended supplier of Solar Water Heating is the altE Store, who offer a range of solar panels and accessories including:

Climate freezes: Closed Loop Systems

Closed Loop Systems for 1-4 People

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Closed Loop Systems for 1-4 People

Closed Loop Systems for 5+ People

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Closed Loop Systems for 5+ People

Climates are mild: Open Loop Systems

Open Loop Systems for 1-4 People

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Open Loop Systems for 1-4 People

Open Loop Systems for 5+ People

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Open Loop Systems for 5+ People

Collectors, Mounts and System Components

AET Collectors, Rack & Mounts

Check availability of Solar Water Heating AET Collectors, Rack & Mounts

AET Absorber Plates

Check availability of Solar Water Heating AET Absorber Plates

Heliodyne Collectors, Racks & Mounts

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Heliodyne Collectors, Racks & Mounts

Retrofit Kits for Drainback Systems

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Retrofit Kits for Drainback Systems

SolarRoofs Skyline Collectors & Parts

Check availability of Solar Water Heating SolarRoofs Skyline Collectors & Parts

Differential Temperature Controllers

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Differential Temperature Controllers

Heat Exchangers

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Heat Exchangers

Hot Water Storage Tanks

Tanks WITH Heat Exchangers

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Tanks WITH Heat Exchangers

Tanks WITHOUT Heat Exchangers

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Tanks WITHOUT Heat Exchangers

Solar Circulator Pumps

Ac Pumps

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Circulator Pumps

Dc Pumps

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Dc Pumps

Grundfos Flanges And Unions

Check availability of Solar Water Heating Grundfos Flanges And Unions

Taco Flanges

Check availability, price & order Solar Water Heating

Solar Water Heaters is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

Traditional hot water tanks are designed to be heated by a boiler, and/or they are fitted with an electric coil. This hot water is generally used for showering or washing not heating the home.

A hot water tank which has been produced for use with a solar panel is designed to be heated by a boiler and/or an electric coil and a solar panel. The way the hot water system works is that it has a copper coiled pipe inside the top of the tank which is connected to your boiler and has a second coil at the bottom which is connected to your solar panel.

The tank is filled with cold water from your mains supply or a header tank. The fluid that is heated by the solar panel is pumped to your hot water tank, it travels around the coil in the bottom of the tank and while doing so, transfers heat from the fluid to the cold water in the tank via the copper pipe. This cooled fluid is then pumped back to the solar panel where it is heated again and this continues until the cold water in your tank reaches the desired temperature.

If the cold water in the tank does not reach the desired temperature from the fluid heated by the solar thermal panel (because the suns energy is not strong enough) then the systems control panel instructs the boiler to kick-in, which then circulates hot water to the top coil in the tank until the required temperature is met. This ensures you have hot water all year round.

Therefore, unless you have a tank with a coil at the top and one at the bottom then you can’t fit a solar panel to it.

Unless, I hear you say, what if you pump the cold water from your tank to the solar panel and keep circulating it until it heats up? Well, you still have a couple of problems.

The first one is retrofitting a flow and return (inlet and outlet) connector to your hot water tank. Hot water tanks are either made of thin copper or thin stainless steel. They are sealed units so you do not have access to the inside, so there is no way you can fit these connectors.

Even if you could, you are still faced with another problem and that is stopping the water in the solar panel from freezing during the winter months because you can’t antifreeze in the water like you can with a closed loop system.

You could use evacuated tube solar collector panels in contrast to flat plate solar collectors because they won’t freeze. However, if you are going to use evacuated tubes, then you may as well go a step further and invest in a new hot water tank.

If anybody has any suggestions on how you can install a solar panel to an existing hot water tank or would like to add something to this article then please leave comment below.

How to Install a Solar Panel to an Existing Hot Water Tank is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

Using the suns energy for solar heating rain water is a very simple system to design and make and can be very effective on hot sunny days. Ideal if you want to build a solar shower in the garden. Furthermore, a real bonus is that if you wash your hair in rain water it becomes very well conditioned!

The first thing you need to do is have a source of rainwater. The easiest way to do this is to harvest the rain water that falls on the roof of your home. So you tap into the down drain pipes and siphon off the water into tanks. You might want one tank per drain pipe.

From these collector tanks you now want to pump this water, using solar powered pumps, into a central holding tank. The ideal location for this would be on the roof of your house, installed in a position where it is in direct sunlight for the majority of the day. Make sure you paint the tank matt black, you will definitely notice the difference in the temperature of the water.

All you have to do now is hook it up to your outdoor shower and at the end of a sunny day you will have warm water to bath in.

If you are feeling more ambitious, you can boost the heating of the water in the central cylinder. You can do this by attaching a black hose pipe to the central holding tank. Connect one end to the outlet and one end to the inlet. The longer the hose pipe the better it works. Attach a solar pump to outlet of the central tank and slowly pump and circulate the water in the tank via the hose pipe. As the water travels around the hose pipe it can heat up to very high temperatures.

Another way to do this is to make a solar thermal panel using a radiator, if you need more panels just connect the radiators together in series. So that the water passes from one radiator to the next getting warmer as it passes through each one. Remember to paint your solar panels matt black.

If you have any ideas on how to improve this system or have any better solutions for solar heating rain water, then please leave a comment below.

Solar Heating Rainwater is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

Nobody likes to take cold showers.  Dishwashers are impossible to operate without heat.  Water heaters come in many styles and sizes.  The majority of the heaters run on fossil fuels.  If you live in any climate, do you realize you could actually build a solar hot water system for your home or office? You will want to make sure it’s done properly, and to save a little on labor and supplies, you can in reality build your own system.

One source is solarfriend.co.uk, the site goes into good detail about what is needed to install your own system.  The author of the website claims their household has the potential of spending only £300 annually on electricity using the solar hot water system they installed.  This site will give you great detail, with step-by-step photographs, on how to build your own flat plate or evacuated tube solar collectors, panels and pipes.  The author explains the difference between the two systems, while providing diagrams as visual aids. There is also mention of a freeze-proof roof mounted water panel.

The El Paso Solar Energy Association (epsea.org) has many tips on alternative energies, including using the suns energy for passive solar water heating.  Passive solar heating is the oldest form of commercial solar energy. Terms you might find familiar include PSWH, Batch heater and Bread Box – and these are the passive solar water heaters.  General descriptions are given for these systems on this site, as well as general information on how to build your own.  For instance, you can paint your water heaters a flat black to retain more heat for longer periods of time.  Small diagram drawings are provided to show you some of the final products that you can build alongside verbal instructions on the build.

Several different types of solar water heaters are covered on jc-solarhomes.com.  Whether you are interested in passive or active energy.   Diagrams are given to the readers for assistance in building their own solar hot water systems.    Minimal verbiage is provided to the public. The site does offer a lot of FAQs that should be able to answer most consumers’ questions about cost, how solar power works, and how the systems work.  Flow rate theory and flow dynamics are given their fair share of educational points.  This site gets into some of the nitty-gritty that engineers may be interested in knowing.  If you are to purchase the E-book that is available at the site, you will be given step-by-step instructions and a total list of supplies needed to build your own system.

Popular Mechanics has an article on their website regarding the "Energy Family" making their own solar water heater.  This family has piggybacked their solar system on with a propane system.  They are trying their best to retain a small carbon footprint.  There is a four-step method covered with matching photographs as the family put together their system.   Supplies are listed so that you know what you need to purchase to get started.  Some general information regarding savings and costs involved are also given to the reader.  A very informative comment section can be seen at the end of the article, allowing you to learn even more about the solar hot water systems.

The best recommendation that can be offered would be the first site.  It is the most informative of the bunch, and has photographs, diagrams, and verbal instructions so that most anyone can follow and be able to manufacture their own solar hot water system with a minimal amount of problems.  Ideas are complemented with suggested buys for the parts needed so that you can start your savings right away.

How to Build a Solar Hot Water System Review is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

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.

Solar Collecter is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

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

Outdoor Solar Shower is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

•    If you are not in an urban area, your cost to run water piping will be very high.  A solar powered water pump may resolve that problem for you.
•    When you install solar water heaters, you should use the correct solar water pump, to insure that you can pump water when the electricity fails.

These pumps will get water to crops, livestock, and even your home in the form of portable water, when it is in a remote place and not hooked up to the water pipeline.

They are used by medical clinics, camp sites, and vacation cabins.

•    Both the pump and the amount of solar energy you need depend on how much water you are trying to pump in a day and the vertical head the pump needs to overcome. There is a pump to handle your different needs!
•    You need to minimize suction lift to just a few feet, whenever that is possible.  The more successful you are at doing this, the quieter and more reliable your pump will be.

Solar panels are needed to power the solar pumps, and are sold separately or as kits, for example the solar brushless well pump kit.  How you choose your solar panel and your pump is dependent on how high you have to lift the water and how far you need to push it.  For example, a surface pump can suction the water up only from ten to twenty feet, but can then push the water at least two hundred feet. If your water source is lower than that, you will need a submersible pump, which can lift water up to seven hundred feet. Therefore, you need to know how many watts your pump needs to be ie watts per 100 foot as this will
have an impact on the price.

These are the basic types of solar water pumps:

•    Surface delivery pumps are used for pumping water from one area to another (measured in gpm).  While some are capable of high pressure, most are intended to moving large volumes of water at low pressure. They are used for moving water from a cistern to a water tank, and for pressurizing water systems in homes, RVs, and boats.
•    Submersible solar pumps are used to pump from wells or fountains, and fit inside the well casing in a drilled hole. The cost will increase as the well goes deeper.  These pumps are not used for huge amounts of watering, as in irrigation.
•    Circulating pumps, which are used primarily in solar water heating applications.
•    In addition, you can get linear current boosters for pumps, which will allow the motor to run longer during the day, thus providing voltage during periods of cloudiness.

Pump products and accessories, such as filters, valves, strainers, battery, signs, lights, dry run and float switches, and a small selection of submersible wire are all the things you need to take into consideration.

There are good reasons to switch to solar water pumps.  Ecologically speaking, sun and wind power is the “green” thing to do.  And one of the best features is that solar water pumps systems will get you a 30% federal tax credit, which was recently extended for eight years.

Solar Water Pumps is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

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!

Solar Water Heating is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel

If you have a solar water heating system, it would make sense to have a solar water pump. These are typically circulating pumps and have their own in built solar panel which means you do not need a battery. A circulating solar water pump has a lift of about 650 feet and can fit into very small areas, down to 4 inches square.

Solar Water Pump – Which Solar Water Pump Should You Use For Your Heating System? is a post from: How to Build a Solar Panel